Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-23
2004-06-08
Chin, Gary (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C340S426110, C340S576000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748301
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle having voice recognition capability, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and prevention of vehicle theft, in which a voice and a voice secret code of an authorized driver is stored through a voice recognition apparatus by learning and then only an authorized operator whose blood alcohol level is within the legally allowed level and who has the same voice and voice secret code as the stored voice and voice secret code can be allowed to operate the vehicle.
In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and prevention of vehicle theft, in which a voice and a voice secret code of an authorized driver is stored by learning through a voice recognition apparatus mounted in the vehicle, and then the breath of an intended operator is detected when the driver says the secret code to check whether or not the operator is legally drunk, and also the intended operator's voice secret code is compared to the stored voice and voice secret code. The driver is allowed to start the vehicle only when the operator is not legally drunk and the voice secret code matches the stored voice secret code.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, a technology for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or a technology for prevention of vehicle theft are available. The technology for prevention of drunk driving uses the results of measurement to determine whether or not the operator is legally drunk, and the vehicle anti-theft technology uses voice recognition results. However, these prior art technologies perform a sobriety check and a voice recognition separately, which is inconvenient for the user.
Further, in the prior art, in the case that a distance between an alcohol sensor and an intended operator is far, it is difficult to accurately measure a blood alcohol level of the operator, and in the case that intensity of an input voice is small, it is not so easy to measure the blood alcohol level state, and further the accuracy of the blood alcohol level measurement is lowered.
Also, in the prior art, in the case that a blood alcohol level check is not performed at the time of a voice secret code speech, a non-drunken operator who is not an authorized driver can operator the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and prevention of vehicle theft, in which a voice and a voice secret code of an authorized driver is stored by learning through a voice recognition apparatus mounted in the vehicle, and then the breath of an intended operator is detected when the operator says the voice secret code to check whether or not the operator is legally drunk, and also the intended driver's voice secret code is compared to the stored voice and voice secret code. The driver is allowed to start the vehicle only when the operator is not legally drunk and the voice secret code matches the stored secret code.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and prevention of vehicle theft, in which a voice recognition apparatus checks whether the intended driver is an authorized driver and whether the driver is legally drunk, to then allow the driver to start the vehicle only when the driver is an authorized driver who is not legally drunk. Accordingly, non-authorized drivers or drivers whose blood alcohol level is above the legally allowed level cannot start the vehicle.
To achieve the objective, there is provided an apparatus for prevention of driving of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and prevention of vehicle theft, the apparatus comprising a vehicle key insertion discriminator for detecting whether a vehicle key is inserted into a key hole, a microphone input unit for inputting a voice of an intended driver; a prompt storage unit containing voice prompt or voice guidance; a blood alcohol measuring unit for determining whether the intended driver is legally drunk; a voice recognition processor for receiving the output of the microphone input unit, extracting a voice feature parameter therefrom and voice-synthesizing the prompts stored in the prompt storage unit to then output the synthesized result; a parameter storage unit for storing the voice feature parameter of the voice and voice secret code processed in the voice recognition processor, for one or more authorized drivers; a speaker for converting an electrical signal of the voice prompt or guidance which has been voice-synthesized in the voice recognition processor into a voice signal; and a controller for comparing the input voice feature parameter with the stored voice feature parameter unless the driver is legally drunk according to the results of blood alcohol level measurement, and for controlling the ignition of an engine of the vehicle to start if it is determined that the driver is an authorized driver.
Preferably, the DUI prevention and theft prevention apparatus further comprises: an initial voice secret code learning button for selecting an initial voice secret code learning mode or a mode for erasing a pre-learned voice secret code and resuming an initial voice secret code learning; a voice secret code reset button for resetting a pre-set voice secret code; and a voice loudness discriminator for discriminating the intensity of the input voice, wherein the controller controls the respective blocks to perform the steps of: (a) instructing the voice recognition processor to convert a current mode into an initial voice secret code learning mode by manipulation of the initial voice secret code learning button, simultaneously converting a current mode into a voice secret code learning mode in the case that a key insertion is detected by the vehicle key insertion discriminator, and instructing the voice recognition processor to read a corresponding prompt from the prompt storage unit and voice-synthesize and then output the read result for voice guidance; (b) controlling the voice recognition processor to extract a voice feature parameter from the voice and the voice secret code of the driver having an intensity of a predetermined value or higher input from the microphone input unit, storing the extracted voice feature parameter in the parameter storage unit, and converting the current mode into a normal mode; (c) instructing the voice recognition processor to read a corresponding prompt from the prompt storage unit and voice-synthesize and then output the read result in order to ask the driver what the voice secret code is in the case that the driver intends to start the vehicle by inserting the vehicle key during the normal mode, that is, the key insertion discriminator determines that there has been a new key insertion; (d) determining whether the intensity of the input voice is larger than the predetermined value through the voice strength discriminator when a voice secret code is said; (e) determining whether the driver is legally drunk via the blood alcohol level measurement unit if the voice is louder than the predetermined value in step (d); (f) comparing the feature parameter stored in the parameter storage unit during voice secret code learning with the feature parameter of the voice via the microphone, if the driver is not found to be legally drunk in step (e); (g) outputting a control signal to start the ignition of an engine of the vehicle if it is judged as the same voice and voice secrete code; (h) identifying the voice secret code in order to identify whether the intended driver is an authorized driver in the case that the current mode is converted into a voice secret code learning mode by manipulation of t
Chin Gary
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
LandOfFree
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