Method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system

• US 9,738,258 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lauren Catherine Masucci
• Original Assignee: Lauren Catherine Masucci
• Inventors: Masucci, Lauren Catherine
• Primary Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US15/053,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20160244023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• 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: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns

Abstract

A method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system is implemented between a vehicle and at least one driver. The driver is considered as a user profile within the system and can include a primary designation or a secondary designation. The primary designation is allowed to fully control a plurality of vehicular controllers through the system while the secondary designation is allowed to partially control the vehicular controllers. The vehicular controllers include an entry system, an ignition system, a speed control system, a GPS, and a security system as each of the vehicular controllers is activated or implemented by a fingerprint image of the driver that is stored within an onboard computer of the vehicle. The onboard computer also communicably connected with a mobile device of the driver to complete the system between the driver and the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of user profiles, wherein each of the user profiles includes graphic identification data and a primary designation or a secondary designation;

providing a vehicle with an onboard computer, a plurality of fingerprint scanners, and a plurality of vehicular controllers;

providing a set of restricted parameters for the secondary designation, wherein the set of restricted parameters is used to actuate at least one of the plurality of vehicular controllers from the plurality of vehicular controllers;

capturing a first fingerprint image through a selected scanner from the plurality of fingerprint scanners;

comparing the first fingerprint image to the graphic identification data of each user profile in order to identify a matching user profile from the plurality of user profiles;

granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers when the matching user profile includes the primary designation;

granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers along with the set of restricted parameters when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation;

providing a driver side fingerprint scanner or a passenger side fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing a security system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing an alarm system of the vehicle;

sequentially capturing a second fingerprint image within a pre-set time interval through the selected scanner;

comparing the second fingerprint image to the graphic identification data of the matching user profile in order to verify the second fingerprint image as the first fingerprint image;

rendering the alarm system deactivated with the security system from being activated with the security system when the matching user profile includes the primary designation;

rendering the alarm system deactivated with the security system from being activated with the security system when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation;

providing a curfew time within the set of restricted parameters;

displaying the curfew time through an onboard graphic user interface;

continuously monitoring a current time of the vehicle through a global position system (GPS);

generating a curfew warning notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer when the current time is earlier to the curfew time by a pre-defined time period; and

generating a time-violation notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer and disabling an ignition system of the vehicle when the current time is later than the curfew time.

2. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a specific speed limit, a plurality of permitted locations, and the curfew time from a user profile with the primary designation through the onboard graphic user interface, wherein the plurality of user profiles includes the user profile with the primary designation;

associating the specific speed limit, the plurality of permitted locations, and the curfew time into the set of restricted parameters; and

assigning the set of restricted parameters to a user profile with the secondary designation, wherein the plurality of user profiles includes the user profile with the secondary designation.

3. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing an entry fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing an entry system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing a door of the vehicle;

actuating a locking mechanism of the door with the entry system when the matching user profile includes the primary designation; and

actuating a locking mechanism of the door with the entry system when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation.

4. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

rendering the alarm system activated with the security system from being deactivated with the security system when the matching user profile includes the primary designation; and

rendering the alarm system activated with the security system from being deactivated with the security system when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation.

5. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a dashboard fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing the ignition system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing an engine of the vehicle; and

in response to the vehicle being stationary, rendering the engine started from being non-operational by using the ignition system when the matching user profile includes the primary designation during the step of granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers when the matching user profile includes the primary designation.

6. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a dashboard fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing the ignition system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing an engine of the vehicle;

in response to the vehicle being stationary, rendering the engine started from being non-operational by using the ignition system when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation during the step of granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers along with the set of restricted parameters when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation; and

generating a vehicle operation notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer.

7. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a speed control system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing a specific speed limit within the set of restricted parameters;

displaying the specific speed limit through the onboard graphic user interface; and

adjusting a powertrain of the vehicle in order to maintain the specific speed limit through the speed control system.

8. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing the global position system (GPS) as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing a specific speed limit within the set of restricted parameters;

displaying the specific speed limit through the onboard graphic user interface;

continuously recording and monitoring a vehicle speed of the vehicle through the GPS; and

generating a speed limit violation notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer when the vehicle speed exceeds the specific speed limit.

9. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing the global position system (GPS) as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing plurality of permitted locations within the set of restricted parameters;

displaying the plurality of permitted location through the onboard graphic user interface;

continuously monitoring a current location of the vehicle through the GPS in order to identify a final destination; and

generating a site-violation notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer when the final destination does not match with one of the plurality of permitted locations.

10. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a dashboard fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing the ignition system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing an engine of the vehicle; and

in response to the vehicle being stationary, rendering the engine shut down from being operational by using the ignition system when the matching user profile includes the primary designation during the step of granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers when the matching user profile includes the primary designation.

11. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a dashboard fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing the ignition system as one of the vehicular controllers;

providing an engine of the vehicle;

in response to the vehicle being stationary, rendering the engine shut down from being operational by using the ignition system when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation during the step of granting access to the matching user profile access to the vehicular controllers along with the set of restricted parameters when the matching user profile includes the secondary designation; and

generating a vehicle operation notification with respect to the secondary designation by the onboard computer.

12. The method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a dashboard fingerprint scanner as the selected scanner;

providing an entry system, the ignition system, a security system, a speed control system, and a global positioning system (GPS) as the vehicular controllers;

receiving a valet mode from the matching user profile with the primary designation or secondary designation through the onboard graphic user interface;

granting a guest profile access to the entry system and the ignition system;

adjusting a powertrain of the vehicle in order to maintain a valet speed limit through the speed control system;

continuously recording a vehicle speed of the vehicle through the GPS;

generating a valet-speed warning with respect to the guest profile by the onboard computer when the vehicle speed exceeds the valet speed limit;

generating a valet location radius through the GPS;

continuously monitoring a current location of the vehicle through the GPS in order to determine the current location is within the valet location radius; and

generating a valet-location warning with respect to the guest profile by the onboard computer when the current location is outside of the valet location radius.