Boarding environment controlling system, boarding environment controlling apparatus, and boarding environment controlling method

• US 7,301,441 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Akira, Inada, Shinsaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk; Samuel J
• Application Number:
  US10/696,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20040124968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.13, 340/426.36, 340/5.65, 340/5.8, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 701/2, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 340/426.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2081 combined with personal settings of other vehicle devices, e.g. mirrors, seats, steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition

Abstract

A vehicle boarding environment controlling apparatus having a communicating element communicating with a communication device that detects a detection target object for personal authentication; a registration storing element for storing registration of setting status information denoting a predetermined boarding environment of a vehicle in association with each person to be authenticated; a door lock controlling element for unlocking doors of the vehicle when a person is authenticated; and a setting status controlling element which, if any person is authenticated, changes the boarding environment setting status of the vehicle in accordance with the setting status information associated with the authenticated person.

Claims

1. A vehicle boarding environment controlling system constituted by a boarding environment controlling apparatus mounted on a vehicle and that communicates with an outside communication device, said boarding environment controlling system comprising:

personal authentication detecting means that detects personal authentication;

communication means for communicating with said boarding environment controlling apparatus;

a communication device equipped with said personal authentication detecting means and said communication means;

personal authentication processing means mounted on said communication device for performing a personal authentication process based on personal authentication information detected by said personal authentication detecting means mounted on said communication device;

transmission means for transmitting to the boarding environment controlling apparatus, the personal authentication information and a personal ID processed by the personal authentication processing means;

registration storing means which, in association with the personal authentication information and the personal ID of each of a plurality of persons to be authenticated in said personal authenticating process, stores registrations of setting status information denoting a predetermined boarding environment of said vehicle;

wherein the registrations are stored in at least a vehicle body-related setting table, an audio/video setting table, and a content management information file;

the vehicle body-related setting table including setting status information relating to settings of at least mirrors and seat positions in the vehicle;

the audio/video setting table including setting status information relating to settings of audio/video equipment in the vehicle;

the content management information file including a content list of audio/video content loaded into a media player in the vehicle;

attestation means for attesting to a match between the personal authentication information and personal ID transmitted by the transmission means and the personal authentication information and the personal ID stored in the registration storing means;

attestation transmission means for transmitting to the communication means an attestation result from the attestation means;

setting control instruction transmission means for transmitting setting control instructions to the boarding environment controller from the communication means based on the attestation result transmitted by the attestation transmission means;

setting status controlling means for changing the status of settings to a registered boarding environment in a vehicle based on the setting status information and corresponding setting control instructions transmitted by the setting control instruction transmission means.

2. The vehicle boarding environment controlling system apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting status controlling means changes, as said boarding environment setting status, a setting status of a mechanism related to a body of said vehicle.

3. The vehicle boarding environment controlling system according to claim 2, wherein said mechanism related to the body of said vehicle is at least one of an exterior mirror moving mechanism, an interior mirror moving mechanism, and a driver seat position moving mechanism.

4. The vehicle boarding environment controlling system according to claim 1, wherein said setting status controlling means changes, as said boarding environment setting status, a setting item regarding electronic equipment mounted on said vehicle and which has predetermined functions.

5. A vehicle boarding environment controlling method for use with a boarding environment controlling system constituted by a communication device and by a boarding environment controlling apparatus mounted on a vehicle and which communicates with said communication device, said boarding environment controlling method comprising the steps of:

detecting authentication through said communication device;

performing a personal authentication process based on results obtained in said step of detecting;

transmitting to the boarding environment controlling apparatus, the personal authentication information and a personal ID processed by the personal authentication processing means;

communicating with the communication device that performs said personal authentication process;

storing, into a predetermined storage area, registrations of setting status information denoting a predetermined boarding environment of said vehicle in association with the personal authentication information and the personal ID of each of a plurality of persons to be authenticated in said personal authentication process;

wherein the registrations are stored in at least a vehicle body-related setting table, an audio/video setting table, and a content management information file;

the vehicle body-related setting table including setting status information relating to settings of at least mirrors and seat positions in the vehicle;

the audio/video setting table including setting status information relating to settings of audio/video equipment in the vehicle;

the content management information file including a content list of audio/video content loaded into a media player in the vehicle;

attesting to a match between the personal authentication information and personal ID transmitted in the transmission step and the personal authentication information and the personal ID stored in the storing step;

transmitting to the communication means an attestation result from the attestation means;

transmitting setting control instructions to the boarding environment controller from the communication means based on the attestation result transmitted in the attestation transmission step; and

changing the status of settings to a registered boarding environment in a vehicle based on the setting status information associated with the authenticated person and corresponding setting control instructions.