Electronic key system

• US 10,384,647 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Image Co., Ltd. (Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited), Shuichi Tayama
• Original Assignee: Image Co., Ltd. (Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tayama, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thang D
• Application Number:
  US15/755,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20180272991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 340 553
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1172 using fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 49/00 Electric permutation locks; Circuits therefor ; Mechanical aspects of electronic locks; Mechanical keys therefor arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; mechanisms including electronic locks actuated by nonmechanical keys such as passive and active electrical keys and other data carriers G07C9/00, G07F7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

Provided is an electronic key system capable of providing an instruction to an automobile through a portable device having biometric authentication of a user. When biometric information of a wearer is detected by a biometric recognition sensor, a portable device worn on a user determines with a biometric authentication unit whether or not the detected biometric information is matched with biometric information of a previously-registered user. When the biometric authentication unit authorizes that the wearer is a registered user, the portable device enables, through a communication control unit, near-distance wireless communication with a control unit mounted on an automobile through a wireless communication device. Thus, the portable device can provide an operational instruction to the automobile through wireless communication with the control unit.

Claims

1. An electronic key system comprising:

a control unit mounted on an automobile to provide an operational instruction to the automobile,

a portable device configured to be worn on and carried by a body region of a user and including at least a biometric recognition sensor configured to detect biometric information of the user,

a registered biometric information storage unit configured to store biometric information of a previously-registered user; and

a biometric authentication unit configured to determine whether or not biometric information of the user detected by the biometric recognition sensor is matched with the previously-registered biometric information of the user stored in the registered biometric information storage unit,

wherein

the control unit includes an imaging device, an image recognition unit and an operation control unit,

authentication between the portable device and the control unit is established when the user is authorized as the registered user by the biometric authentication unit, and

while the authentication is established, the imaging device images an action of a region of the user inside the automobile, the image recognition unit detects a specific action of the region of the user based on the image information from the imaging device, and the operation control unit controls an operation of the automobile in accordance with the specific action of the region of the user detected by the image recognition unit.

2. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further includes a wear detection unit, and

the biometric authentication unit performs determination of matching with the biometric information when the wear detection unit detects wearing onto the user and establishes authentication between the portable device and the control unit when the biometric information is matched.

3. The electronic key system according to claim 2, wherein the biometric authentication unit releases the authentication when the wear detection unit detects that the user has removed the portable device after establishment of the authentication.

4. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a portable device recognition unit configured to recognize the portable device with which the user is authorized as the registered user by the biometric authentication unit.

5. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the registered biometric information storage unit and the biometric authentication unit are arranged at a cloud server.

6. The electronic key system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit transmits the biometric information transmitted from the portable device to the cloud server and establishes authentication with the portable device based on a determination result of the biometric authentication unit.

7. The electronic key system according to claim 5, wherein the portable device transmits the biometric information to the cloud server and establishes authentication with the control unit based on a determination result of the biometric authentication unit.

8. The electronic key system according to claim 5, wherein the registered biometric information storage unit further stores preference information regarding automobile driving of the user corresponding to the stored biometric information in the registered biometric information storage unit, and

the control unit downloads the preference information when authentication with the portable device is established.

9. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the action detection unit comprises an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor.

10. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein the registered biometric information storage unit and the biometric authentication unit are arranged at the portable device.

11. The electronic key system according to claim 10, wherein the portable device includes an action detection unit configured to detect a movement of the portable device worn on the body region of the user, and an operation instruction unit configured to generate an operation code and transmit it to the control unit in accordance with the movement of the portable device detected by the action detection unit and associated to a specific action of the body region of the user.

12. The electronic key system according to claim 9, wherein the action detection unit determines from a movement amount and a movement angle of the portable device detected by the acceleration sensor and the angular velocity sensor whether a type of a reciprocating action performed by the portable device is a swing action or a linear action, and based on the type of the reciprocating action determines a type of the specific action of the body region of the user.

13. The electronic key system according to claim 1, wherein when the authentication between the portable device and the control unit is established, the control unit releases door lock of the automobile and starts operation of the imaging device.

14. The electronic key system according to claim 3, wherein when the authentication is released, the control unit stops operation of the imaging device.