Vehicle security device and system

• US 7,760,070 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Hayashi, Masaki, Tanaka, Jun, Ohtaki, Kiyokazu, Hirano, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III; Edwin C
• Application Number:
  US11/409,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.53, 340/5.83, 340/5.72, 340/426.1, 340/426.11, 340/576, 340/573.7, 307/10.2, 307/10.3, 382/115, 382/118, 180/286, 180/287, 348/156, 348/148
• US Class Current: 340/5.53
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 Eye recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera

Abstract

A vehicle security device for providing a vehicle with improved security. The security device includes a camera for generating a facial image of a vehicle occupant. A security controller, which is connected to the camera, restricts driving of the vehicle. If the facial image includes the necessary facial features, the security controller enables the driving of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle security device for deterring unauthorized use of a vehicle by acquiring physical information of a vehicle occupant, the vehicle security device comprising:

an information acquisition unit for acquiring physical information about a vehicle occupant;

a drive restriction unit, connected to the information acquisition unit, for restricting driving of the vehicle, and the drive restriction unit enabling driving of the vehicle by the vehicle occupant, regardless of whether the vehicle occupant is a person authorized to drive the vehicle, when the physical information acquired by the information acquisition unit is usable;

a seating sensor, connected to the drive restriction unit, for detecting seating of a vehicle occupant in a seat; and

a buckle sensor, connected to the drive restriction unit, for detecting fastening of a seatbelt by the vehicle occupant, wherein the drive restriction unit activates the information acquisition unit and acquires the physical information when the buckle sensor detects the fastening of the seatbelt after the seating sensor detects the seating of a vehicle occupant.

2. The vehicle security device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination means for determining whether or not the physical information is usable, the drive restriction unit enabling driving of the vehicle regardless of whether the vehicle occupant is a person authorized to drive the vehicle when the determination means determines that the physical information is usable.

3. The vehicle security device according to claim 1, wherein after the seating sensor detects the seating of a vehicle occupant, the drive restriction unit activates the information acquisition unit and acquires the physical information when the vehicle occupant fastens a seatbelt, the engine is started, a gearshift lever is shifted from a non-driving position to a driving position, a brake pedal is depressed, a parking brake is released, a door is opened and closed, a functional position for determining the electric system of the vehicle that is to be activated is switched, or a key is inserted in a key receptacle located in the vehicle.

4. The vehicle security device according to claim 1, wherein the drive restriction unit includes a memory for recording the physical information.

5. The vehicle security device according to claim 1, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a camera for acquiring the physical information about the vehicle occupant.

6. The vehicle security device according to claim 5, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a lighting device for illuminating the vehicle occupant.

7. The vehicle security device according to claim 5, wherein the camera acquires facial image data indicating facial features of the vehicle occupant as the physical information, and the camera acquires the facial image data as the usable physical information when the vehicle occupant is facing forward and the vehicle occupant'"'"'s face is exposed.

8. The vehicle security device according to claim 7, wherein the drive restriction unit includes a memory for recording the physical information, and the drive restriction unit determines whether the physical information is usable and records usable physical information in the memory.

9. A vehicle security system for deterring unauthorized use of a vehicle by acquiring physical information of a vehicle occupant, the vehicle security system comprising:

an in-vehicle device, installed in the vehicle, for restricting driving of the vehicle, the in-vehicle device including;

an information acquisition unit for acquiring physical information about a vehicle occupant;

a drive restriction unit, connected to the information acquisition unit, for restricting driving of the vehicle and transmitting the physical information out of the in-vehicle device, with the drive restriction unit enabling driving of the vehicle when the physical information acquired by the information acquisition unit comprises usable physical information;

a seating sensor, connected to the drive restriction unit, for detecting seating of the vehicle occupant in a seat; and

a buckle sensor, connected to the drive restriction unit, for detecting fastening of a seatbelt by the vehicle occupant; and

a vehicle management device outside of the vehicle, communicable with the in-vehicle device, for receiving the physical information transmitted from the in-vehicle device, the vehicle management device including;

a management controller for determining whether the physical information comprises usable physical information and for transmitting to the in-vehicle device an enablement signal for enabling driving of the vehicle when determining that the physical information comprises usable physical information, regardless of whether the vehicle occupant is a person authorized to drive the vehicle, wherein the drive restriction unit of the in-vehicle device enables driving of the vehicle in response to the enablement signal; and

a management controller memory for use by the management controller to record the physical information when the physical information comprises usable physical information;

wherein the drive restriction unit of the in-vehicle device activates the information acquisition unit and acquires the physical information when the buckle sensor detects the fastening of the seatbelt after the seating sensor detects the seating of the vehicle occupant.

10. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a communication unit, connected to the drive restriction unit, for transmitting the physical information to the vehicle management device and receiving the enablement signal from the vehicle management device.

11. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, wherein after the seating sensor detects the seating of the vehicle occupant, the drive restriction unit activates the information acquisition unit and acquires the physical information when the vehicle occupant fastens a seatbelt, the engine is started, a gearshift lever is shifted from a non-driving position to a driving position, a brake pedal is depressed, a parking brake is released, a door is opened and closed, a functional position for determining the electric system of the vehicle that is to be activated is switched, or a key is inserted in a key receptacle located in the vehicle.

12. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, wherein the drive restriction unit includes a drive restriction unit memory for recording the usable physical information.

13. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a camera for acquiring the physical information about the vehicle occupant.

14. The vehicle security system according to claim 13, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a lighting device for illuminating the vehicle occupant.

15. The vehicle security system according to claim 13, wherein the physical information about the vehicle occupant comprises facial image data indicating facial features of the vehicle occupant, and the facial image data comprises usable physical information when the vehicle occupant is facing forward and the vehicle occupant'"'"'s face is exposed.

16. The vehicle security system according to claim 15, wherein the drive restriction unit includes a drive restriction unit memory for recording the physical information, and the drive restriction unit determines whether the physical information comprises usable physical information and records the usable physical information in the memory.

17. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, wherein the physical information is selected from the group consisting of a facial image, fingerprints, voiceprints, and eye iris images.

18. The vehicle security system according to claim 9, wherein the usable physical information comprises physical information that satisfies a condition.

19. The vehicle security system according to claim 18, wherein the physical information comprises a facial image and the condition is selected from the group consisting of:

the vehicle occupant is not wearing a mask, the vehicle occupant is not wearing sunglasses, and the vehicle occupant is facing forward.