Use Of Biometric Data To Facilitate Personalization Services Such As Vehicle Immobilization In Automobiles

Abstract

A personalization arrangement for a motor vehicle includes an infrared camera capturing data that is unique to a human user disposed within the motor vehicle. Infrastructure implements a command from the human user. A database stores sets of data. Each set of data corresponds to a respective human user. An electronic processor determines whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user. The electronic processor enables the infrastructure to implement the command from the human user, or inhibits the infrastructure from implementing the command, depending upon whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

Claims

1. A personalization arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising: an infrared camera configured to capture data that is unique to a human user disposed within the motor vehicle; infrastructure configured to implement a command from the human user; a database storing a plurality of sets of data, each said set of data corresponding to a respective human user; and an electronic processor communicatively coupled to each of the infrared camera, the infrastructure, and the database, the electronic processor being configured to: determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user; enable the infrastructure to implement the command from the human user in response to determining that the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user; and inhibit the infrastructure from implementing the command from the human user in response to determining that the data captured by the infrared camera does not match any of the sets of data in the database each corresponding to a respective human user.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the infrared camera is configured to scan irises of eyes of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the infrared camera is configured to provide a flood of infrared light to obtain a three-dimensional mesh of points on a face of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle for face recognition.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the command is a command to start operation of a motor of the motor vehicle.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the command is a command to unlock a door of the motor vehicle.

6. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to use a machine learning algorithm to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to use a convolutional neural networks algorithm to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

8. A personalization method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising: using an infrared camera to capture data that is unique to a human user disposed within the motor vehicle; storing a plurality of sets of data, each said set of data corresponding to a respective human user; determining whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a stored said set of data; enabling a command from the human user to be implemented, the enabling being in response to the determining step including determining that the data captured by the infrared camera matches one of the stored sets of data; and preventing a command from the human user from being implemented, the preventing being in response to the determining step including determining that the data captured by the infrared camera does not match any of the stored sets of data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the infrared camera is used to scan irises of eyes of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the infrared camera is used to provide a flood of infrared light to obtain a three-dimensional mesh of points on a face of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle for face recognition.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the command is a command to start operation of a motor of the motor vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the command is a command to unlock a door of the motor vehicle.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein a machine learning algorithm is used to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein a convolutional neural networks algorithm is used to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

15. A personalization arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising: an infrared camera configured to capture image data from a human user disposed within the motor vehicle; a database storing a plurality of sets of image data, each said set of image data corresponding to a respective human user; and an electronic processor communicatively coupled to both the infrared camera and the database, the electronic processor being configured to: determine whether the image data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of image data in the database corresponding to a respective human user; cause a command from the human user to be implemented in response to determining that the image data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of image data in the database corresponding to a respective human user; and cause a command from the human user to be ignored in response to determining that the image data captured by the infrared camera does not match any of the sets of image data in the database that correspond to a respective human user.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the infrared camera is configured to scan irises of eyes of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle.

17. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the infrared camera is configured to provide a flood of infrared light to obtain a three-dimensional mesh of points on a face of the human user disposed within the motor vehicle for face recognition.

18. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the command is a command to start operation of a motor of the motor vehicle.

19. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the electronic processor is configured to use a machine learning algorithm to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

20. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the electronic processor is configured to use a convolutional neural networks algorithm to determine whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a set of data in the database corresponding to a respective human user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an automotive personalization arrangement of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of one embodiment of an automotive personalization method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an automotive personalization arrangement 10 of the present invention, including an infrared camera 12, an electronic processor 14, vehicle infrastructure 16, a machine learning or convolutional neural networks algorithm 18, and a database of registered users 20. The entirety of arrangement 10 may be disposed within the same motor vehicle. However, it is also possible for processor 14, algorithm 18 and/or database 20 to be located outside the vehicle and wirelessly communicate with other elements of arrangement 10.

[0015] During use, camera 12 may illuminate the irises of the eyes of a human user 22 with IR light. Alternatively, camera 12 may provide a flood of IR light to obtain a 3D mesh of points on the face of user 22 for face recognition. Camera 12 may emit the IR light with a conical field of view 24. The data captured by camera 12 may be forwarded to processor 14, which employs a machine learning or convolutional neural networks (CNN) algorithm 18 to determine whether the data matches a set of data in database 20 that corresponds to a particular registered user. That is, processor 14 applies algorithm 18 to the data from camera 12 to determine whether user 22 is a registered user. If it is determined that user 22 is indeed a registered user, then processor 14 controls infrastructure 16 such that infrastructure 16 is responsive to the commands from user 22. For example, if user 22 presses a START pushbutton (not shown) in the motor vehicle, then infrastructure 16 May start the vehicle if user 22 has been determined to be a registered user, and may not start the vehicle if user 22 has been determined to not be a registered user. Other commands from user 22 may include pressing a pushbutton on a key fob, pressing a pushbutton within the vehicle, providing a voice command, providing a gesture command, or pressing a lever within the motor vehicle. The command may be to lock/unlock a door, move a seat position, use a communication system, use an infotainment system, open/close a hatchback or truck lid, etc.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of one embodiment of an automotive personalization method 200 of the present invention. In a first step 202, an infrared camera is used to capture data that is unique to a human user disposed within a motor vehicle. For example, infrared camera 12 may provide a flood of IR light to obtain a 3D mesh of points on the face of user 22 for face recognition.

[0017] Next, in step 204, a plurality of sets of data are stored. Each set of data corresponds to a respective human user. For example, the data captured by camera 12 for a plurality of users may be forwarded to processor 14, which may store each set of data in database 20 in association with a respective registered user.

[0018] In a next step 206, it is determined whether the data captured by the infrared camera matches a stored set of data. For example, the user data recently (e.g., in the immediately preceding sixty seconds) captured by infrared camera 12 may be compared to sets of data stored in database 20. If the data captured by the infrared camera matches a stored set of data, then in step 208 a command from the human user is implemented. For example, if the recently captured data matches one particular set of data stored in database 20, then a command from the user (e.g., a command to turn ON the vehicle ignition) may be followed and put into action. On the other hand, if the data captured by the infrared camera does not match a stored set of data, then in step 210 the command from the human user is not implemented. For example, if the recently captured data does not match any set of data stored in database 20, then a command from the user (e.g., a command to turn ON the vehicle ignition) may be ignored and not put into action.

[0019] Although the invention has been described herein as being implemented through face recognition or iris scanning, gesture recognition via a series of swipes or biometric data such as from fingerprint scanning could alternatively be used for personalization of the automotive experience and could be used to immobilize the vehicle in the same way as iris detection/facial recognition. Gesture recognition may require the user to execute a series of memorized hand swipes in order to be permitted to control the vehicle. Fingerprint scanners would require the hand to be ungloved.

[0020] While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.