A system for controlling operation of a vehicle, the system comprising: a voice synthesizer unit for providing voice communication to a driver; a speech recognition unit for receiving speech from a driver; a breath alcohol sensor unit for detecting a presence of alcohol on the breath of a driver and providing a signal representative of the same; a vehicle operation interface for controlling operation of the vehicle; and a controller for (i) selectively causing the voice synthesizer unit to speak to the driver, (ii) operating the speech recognition unit to detect speech by the driver, (iii) receiving the signal from the breath alcohol sensor unit, and (iv) depending on the signal received from the breath alcohol sensor unit, providing a command to the vehicle operation interface to control operation of the vehicle.

A device for controlling alcohol interlock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor for obtaining position information and breath information of a fellow passenger, and a controller that determines whether a blood alcohol concentration of the fellow passenger is measured based on the position information and the breath information of the fellow passenger, and determines whether to re-measure a blood alcohol concentration based on the determination result. Thus, the device may prevent surrogate measurement of the fellow passenger, so that a driver's own blood alcohol concentration may be measured accurately, and drunk driving of a driver may be fundamentally prevented.

A test system for detecting impairment aboard a motor vehicle includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and sensors in communication therewith. The sensors are positioned within a vehicle interior, and include at least a touch screen and a microphone, and possibly an eye-tracking camera. In response to receiving a start request indicative of a requested start event of the motor vehicle, the ECU executes instructions to initiate a cognitive response test via the sensors. The ECU determines a test score of a driver during the test while the motor vehicle remains off, compares the test score to baseline scores to determine a passing or failing test result, and executes a control action aboard the motor vehicle in response to the passing or failing test result. The ECU may disable or immobilize the motor vehicle in response to the failing test result.

A method, computer system, and a computer program product for implementing a plurality of actions associated with an impaired driver to prevent vehicle accidents is provided. The present invention may include collecting, from a plurality of existing vehicle sensors and a plurality of existing portable user device sensors, a plurality of data. The present invention may also include analyzing the collected plurality of data. The present invention may then include determining an impairment state associated with the driver. The present invention may further include implementing the plurality of actions to prohibit the driver from operating the vehicle. The present invention may then include storing the implemented plurality of actions, the analyzed plurality of data, and the determined impairment state associated with the driver in a historical database.

A device for controlling alcohol interlock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor for obtaining position information and breath information of a fellow passenger, and a controller that determines whether a blood alcohol concentration of the fellow passenger is measured based on the position information and the breath information of the fellow passenger, and determines whether to re-measure a blood alcohol concentration based on the determination result. Thus, the device may prevent surrogate measurement of the fellow passenger, so that a driver's own blood alcohol concentration may be measured accurately, and drunk driving of a driver may be fundamentally prevented.

Embodiments include breath intoxicant monitoring systems and methods of operating a breath intoxicant monitoring system. In an embodiment, a breath intoxicant monitoring system, includes a first detection element, a second detection element, and a control module. The first detection element can be operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath and to provide a continuous signal indicating the level of intoxicant. The second detection element can be operable to detect a level of the intoxicant. The second detection element includes a different type of element than the first detection element. The second detection element can have greater accuracy than the first detection element. The control module to selectively operate the second detection element based on the signal received from the first detection element, and to indicate whether the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeds a threshold. Other embodiments are also included herein.

A transport device with an occupant compartment includes a control apparatus, a transport device door, a transport device roof, a safety belt, a transport device seat, a headset, a headrest, a rearview mirror, a sun visor, and/or a dashboard, as well as a sensor for breath gas analysis, a position locating device for determining the distance between the sensor and the front side of the head of a compartment occupant, a data processing device, and in some cases a sensor for measuring at least one vital sign. The sensor or sensors are present on or in the control apparatus, the transport device door, the transport device roof, the safety belt, the transport device seat, the headset, the headrest, the rearview mirror, the sun visor, and/or the dashboard, and the data processing device is in operative connection with a device for blocking the transport device and/or with an information output unit.

An apparatus for controlling alcohol interlock includes a sensor that senses an environment of a driver's seat and a camera that obtains a face image of a passenger and an image of exhalation of the passenger. A controller activates a start lock mode of a vehicle and determines whether a condition for detecting components of the exhalation of the passenger is satisfied based on the environment of the driver's seat. The controller determines whether the exhalation of the passenger is exhalation of a driver based on the face image of the passenger and the image of the exhalation of the passenger, and determines whether to detect alcohol concentration in the exhalation of the passenger based on the determination result.

A sobriety ignition interlock system including an engine control device and a method for managing available vehicle engine power using the sobriety ignition interlock system. The engine control device includes an engine control processor (ECP) that is electronically connected in between an engine control unit (ECU), an engine sensor assembly, and a sobriety processor. The sobriety processor determines a sobriety level of a vehicle driver and sends a corresponding sobriety signal to the ECP. The ECP intercepts an engine signal transmitted from the engine sensor assembly to the ECU and manipulates the engine signal according to the sobriety signal, in order to manage the available power of the vehicle engine.

A process and an activation device (30) provides a user (B) activation of a drug measuring device (100). This drug measuring device includes an input unit (3), a testing unit (6) for testing given samples and an image recording device (12). The activation device (30) receives an activation image set (InB), which was generated by the drug measuring device or by a drug measuring device and at least one image (40, 40.1) from the image recording device. The received activation image set is checked as to meeting a predefined release criterion. For this the activation image set is compared with a predefined reference image set (35) for the user. If the release criterion is met, the drug measuring device is released for the user. An activation data set (32) for the user is completed by at least one image of the activation image set, which shows the user.