JP2023031536A - Authentication system, and user interface device - Google Patents

Abstract

To increase the convenience of an authentication system using a mobile device.SOLUTION: An antenna 131 receives authentication information AU from a mobile device 50 that can be carried by a user via proximity wireless communication. A detection unit 134 detects a change in impedance characteristics of the antenna 131. A control unit 11 is configured to control the operation of a lock/unlock device 12 based on authentication processing that authenticates the mobile device 50 by using the authentication information AU and a result of detection performed by the detection unit 134.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to authentication systems using mobile devices that can be carried by users. The invention also relates to a user interface device which may form part of the authentication system.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an authentication system that locks and unlocks a vehicle door, which is an example of an opening/closing body, using close proximity wireless communication. The authentication system includes a seat antenna and a control device. The seat antenna is arranged on the outer surface of the door. The control device authenticates a user based on proximity wireless communication performed between an antenna mounted on the mobile device and the seat antenna, and controls the operation of a locking/unlocking device as an example of a controlled device.

JP 2014-224446 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to increase the convenience of authentication systems using mobile devices.

One aspect for achieving the above object is an authentication system,
a loop antenna for receiving authentication information via near field communication from a mobile device that can be carried by a user;
a detection unit that detects changes in impedance characteristics of the loop antenna;
a control device for controlling an operation of a controlled device based on an authentication process for authenticating the mobile device using the authentication information and a detection result by the detection unit;
It has

One aspect for achieving the above object is a user interface device comprising:
a loop antenna for receiving authentication information via near field communication from a mobile device that can be carried by a user;
a detection unit that detects changes in impedance characteristics of the loop antenna;
a processing unit that outputs the authentication information and the detection result of the detection unit to a control device that controls the operation of the controlled device;
It has

According to the configurations according to the above aspects, the controlled device is allowed to operate by the user bringing the appropriate mobile device close to the antenna and causing a change in the impedance characteristics of the loop antenna. When the user takes an action that causes a change in the impedance characteristic of the loop antenna, there is a high probability that the user has the intention to operate the controlled device. Rather than permitting the operation of the controlled device only by establishing authentication of the mobile device, by adding the detection of changes in the impedance characteristics of the loop antenna to the operation permissible conditions, it is possible to predictably operate the controlled device under circumstances where there is no intention to operate it. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which the controlled motion is permitted without fail.

Furthermore, since the loop antenna for close proximity wireless communication with the mobile device can be used as an alternative to the electrostatic sensor, there is no need to install an independent electrostatic sensor for user's intention confirmation. As a result, it is possible not only to suppress the increase in size of the user interface device, but also to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the electrode plate used in the electrostatic sensor affects the frequency characteristics of the antenna. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the convenience of the authentication system using the mobile device.

1 illustrates the configuration of an authentication system according to an embodiment; 2 illustrates a functional configuration of the authentication system of FIG. 1; 3 shows an example of the configuration of the user interface device of FIG. 2; 3 illustrates a knob in which the user interface device of FIG. 2 is built; 3 shows another example of the configuration of the user interface device of FIG. 2;

Exemplary embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the scale is appropriately changed in order to make each illustrated element recognizable.

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of an authentication system 10 according to one embodiment. The authentication system 10 includes a control device 11 and a lock/unlock device 12 . The control device 11 and the locking/unlocking device 12 are mounted on the vehicle 20 . The locking/unlocking device 12 is a device that locks/unlocks the door 21 that opens and closes the compartment of the vehicle 20 . The control device 11 is configured to control the operation of the locking/unlocking device 12 . The locking/unlocking device 12 is an example of a controlled device. Vehicle 20 is an example of a mobile object. The door 21 is an example of an opening/closing body.

The authentication system 10 includes a user interface device 13 (hereinafter abbreviated as UI device 13). The UI device 13 is configured to acquire the authentication information AU from the portable mobile device 50 by the user 40 through close proximity wireless communication. The mobile device 50 may be provided as a portable medium such as a card not equipped with a power supply, or may be provided as a general-purpose mobile information terminal such as a smart phone. The authentication information AU includes information for authenticating at least one of the user 40 and the mobile device 50 .

As used herein, "proximity wireless communication" means contactless communication that transmits information from a mobile device to a reader through inductive coupling. Techniques capable of executing close proximity wireless communication include NFC (Near Field Communication), RF-ID, and the like. "Proximity wireless communication" in this specification is distinguished from "short-range wireless communication", which is non-contact communication using radio waves in compliance with IEEE802.15 or IEEE802.11 standards. Technologies capable of short-range wireless communication include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), ZigBee (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). ) and the like.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the UI device 13 has an antenna 131 . On the other hand, the mobile device 50 has an antenna 51 and a processing unit 52 . Antenna 51 has a known configuration capable of forming an electromagnetic inductive coupling with antenna 131 . When close proximity wireless communication is started, the processing unit 52 is configured to read authentication information AU from a storage unit (not shown) and transmit it from the antenna 51 . The authentication information AU is received by the antenna 131 of the UI device 13 .

The processing unit 52 having such functions can be realized by a dedicated integrated circuit when the mobile device 50 is provided as a portable medium such as a card. A computer program for executing processing related to the function is pre-installed in a memory element included in the integrated circuit. The authentication information AU may be stored in the storage element.

If mobile device 50 is provided as a general-purpose personal digital assistant, processing unit 52 may be implemented by a general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with a general-purpose memory. A CPU, MPU, and GPU can be exemplified as a general-purpose microprocessor. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROM and RAM. In this case, the ROM can store a computer program for executing the processing related to the above functions. The authentication information AU may be stored in the general purpose memory. The general-purpose microprocessor designates at least part of the computer program stored in the ROM, develops it on the RAM, and cooperates with the RAM to execute the above-described processing.

The processing unit 52 may be implemented by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the computer program described above. Dedicated integrated circuits may include microcontrollers, ACICs, FPGAs, and the like. In this case, the computer program is pre-installed in a storage element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The authentication information AU may be stored in the storage element. Processing unit 52 may also be implemented by a combination of a general purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the UI device 13 has a processing section 132 . The antenna 131 according to this example includes a coil 131a and a capacitor 131b. Coil 131a can function as a loop antenna. The capacitor 131b is connected in parallel with the coil 131a. The processing unit 132 is configured to supply power to the antenna 131 so that the antenna 131 radiates a magnetic field of a frequency used in close proximity wireless communication as a carrier wave. Note that the capacitor 131b may be connected in series with the coil 131a.

For example, the processing unit 132 is configured to superimpose the information transmitted to the mobile device 50 by amplitude modulating the carrier wave. On the other hand, the magnetic field emitted from the antenna 51 of the mobile device 50 causes a current to flow through the antenna 131 . The processing unit 132 is configured to extract the authentication information AU transmitted from the mobile device 50 by performing demodulation based on the current. The processing unit 132 is configured to transfer the extracted authentication information AU to the control device 11 .

The UI device 13 has a high pass filter (HPF) 133 . The HPF 133 is configured to pass at least the carrier frequency component of the AC signal traveling between the antenna 131 and the processing section 132 . HPF 133 may be formed, for example, by series-connected capacitors.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the control device 11 includes a reception section 111 . The reception unit 111 is configured as an interface that can receive the authentication information AU transmitted from the UI device 13 .

The control device 11 includes a processing section 112 . The processing unit 112 is configured to compare the authentication information AU received by the receiving unit 111 with authentication information stored in a storage unit (not shown). The processing unit 112 is configured to determine that the authentication process is established when the match between the two pieces of information can be confirmed.

The UI device 13 has a detection unit 134 . The detector 134 is configured to detect the impedance characteristic change of the antenna 131 .

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the detector 134 includes a coil 134a functioning as a loop antenna and a power monitoring circuit 134b. The coil 134a is arranged at a position where electromagnetic induction coupling with the coil 131a is possible. The power monitoring circuit 134b is configured to monitor the power radiated from the antenna 131 by detecting the value of the electromotive force generated in the coil 134a as the magnetic field is radiated from the coil 131a. The power monitoring circuit 134b is configured to output a detection signal DT corresponding to the detected power.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the UI device 13 is built into a knob 22 used for opening and closing a door 21 of a vehicle 20. As shown in FIG. When user 40 grips knob 22 to open or close door 21 , user 40 's hand approaches antenna 131 . This impedes the radiation of the magnetic field and changes the impedance characteristic of the antenna 131 . Specifically, when the inductance of the coil 131a changes, the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit formed by the coil 131a and the capacitor 131b shifts, and the current flowing through the antenna 131 decreases. Therefore, the electromotive force generated in the coil 134a of the detector 134 electromagnetically inductively coupled to the antenna 131 is also reduced.

The coil 131a of the antenna 131 and the coil 134a of the detection unit 134 are preferably arranged so that no obstacle is positioned between them. In addition, it is preferable that the coil 134a be arranged at a position where the electromagnetic induction coupling with the coil 131a is not affected by the grip of the knob 22 by the user 40. FIG.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the processing unit 132 of the UI device 13 is configured to transfer the detection signal DT output from the detection unit 134 to the control device 11 .

Therefore, the reception unit 111 of the control device 11 is configured as an interface that can also receive the detection signal DT transmitted from the UI device 13 .

The processing unit 112 of the control device 11 is configured to determine whether the fluctuation amount of the power radiated from the antenna 131 corresponding to the detection signal DT received by the receiving unit 111 exceeds a threshold. The processing unit 112 is configured to determine that the hand of the user 40 has approached the antenna 131 when it is determined that the amount of variation exceeds the threshold.

The control device 11 has an output unit 113 . The output unit 113 is configured as an interface that outputs a control signal CT that causes the locking/unlocking device 12 to lock/unlock the door 21 .

The processing unit 112 outputs the control signal CT from the output unit 113 when it is determined that the mobile device 50 has been authenticated based on the authentication information AU described above and the hand of the user 40 has approached the antenna 131 . is configured to

Note that the processing unit 132 of the UI device 13 can be configured to output the detection signal DT only when the fluctuation amount of the power radiated from the antenna 131 exceeds the threshold. In this case, the processing unit 112 of the control device 11 determines that the hand of the user 40 has approached the antenna 131 based on the fact that the reception unit 111 has received the detection signal DT.

Therefore, according to the configuration as described above, when the user 40 brings the appropriate mobile device 50 close to the knob 22 and grips the knob 22 , the locking/unlocking of the door 21 by the locking/unlocking device 12 is permitted. When the user 40 grips the knob 22, there is a high probability that the user 40 intends to open and close the door 21. FIG. Locking/unlocking of the door 21 is not permitted only by the establishment of authentication of the mobile device 50, but by adding grip detection of the knob 22 to the operating permission condition, the door 21 can be locked/unlocked unexpectedly under a situation where there is no intention to open/close the door. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where

Furthermore, since the antenna 131 for close proximity wireless communication with the mobile device 50 can be used as a substitute for the electrostatic sensor, there is no need to install an independent electrostatic sensor for confirming the intention of the user 40 . As a result, it is possible not only to prevent the UI device 13 from increasing in size, but also to prevent the electrode plate used for the electrostatic sensor from affecting the frequency characteristics of the antenna 131 . Therefore, the convenience of the authentication system 10 using the mobile device 50 can be enhanced.

In particular, when the UI device 13 is built in a structure limited in size like the knob 22, the above effect becomes even more pronounced.

FIG. 5 shows another example of the configuration of the detection unit 134. As shown in FIG. The detection unit 134 according to this example includes a resistive element 134c and a current monitoring circuit 134d. The resistive element 134 c is arranged on the path of the current flowing through the antenna 131 . The current monitoring circuit 134d is configured to monitor the current flowing through the antenna 131 by detecting the voltage across the resistance element 134c. The current monitoring circuit 134d is configured to output a detection signal DT corresponding to the detected current.

As described above, when the user 40 grips the knob 22 to open and close the door 21, the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit formed by the coil 131a and the capacitor 131b shifts, and the current flowing through the antenna 131 decreases. In this example, the processing unit 112 of the control device 11 is configured to determine whether the current flowing through the antenna 131 corresponding to the detection signal DT received by the receiving unit 111 is below the threshold. If it is determined that the current is below the threshold, the processing unit 112 is configured to determine that the hand of the user 40 has approached the antenna 131 .

Note that the processing unit 132 of the UI device 13 can be configured to output the detection signal DT only when the current flowing through the antenna 131 is below the threshold. In this case, the processing unit 112 of the control device 11 determines that the hand of the user 40 has approached the antenna 131 based on the fact that the reception unit 111 has received the detection signal DT.

The processing unit 132 of the UI device 13 can be configured to switch between a first state in which amplitude modulation of the magnetic field emitted from the antenna 131 is performed and a second state in which the amplitude modulation is not performed.

According to such a configuration, in the first state, the antenna 131 can be used both for close proximity wireless communication and as a substitute for the electrostatic sensor, as described above. In the second state, the antenna 131 can be used only as an electrostatic sensor substitute.

The processing unit 132 of the UI device 13 having various functions described above can be realized by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing a computer program for executing processing related to various functions. Dedicated integrated circuits may include microcontrollers, ACICs, FPGAs, and the like. In this case, the computer program is pre-installed in a storage element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The authentication information AU may be stored in the storage element.

The processing unit 112 of the control device 11 having various functions described above can be realized by a general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with a general-purpose memory. A CPU, MPU, and GPU can be exemplified as a general-purpose microprocessor. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROM and RAM. In this case, the ROM can store computer programs for executing processes related to various functions. Authentication information to be matched may be stored in the general purpose memory. The general-purpose microprocessor designates at least part of the computer program stored in the ROM, develops it on the RAM, and cooperates with the RAM to execute the above-described processing.

The processing unit 112 may be implemented by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above computer programs. Dedicated integrated circuits may include microcontrollers, ACICs, FPGAs, and the like. In this case, the computer program is pre-installed in a storage element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. Authentication information used for verification may be stored in the storage element. Processing unit 112 may also be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

The above embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention. The configurations according to the above embodiments can be modified and improved as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the antenna 131 of the UI device 13 is built into the knob 22 . However, the antenna 131 may be arranged so as to be exposed on the surface of the knob 22 .

A mobile body on which the authentication system 10 is mounted is not limited to the vehicle 20 . Examples of other moving bodies include railroads, aircraft, ships, and the like. The mobile object may not require a driver.

The opening/closing body to be locked/unlocked by the locking/unlocking device 12 is not limited to the door 21 of the vehicle 20 . Doors and windows in houses and facilities can also be examples of opening and closing bodies.

The device whose operation is controlled by the control device 11 is not limited to the locking/unlocking device. If the establishment of authentication of the mobile device 50 and the detection of a change in the impedance characteristic of the antenna 131 are the triggers, various equipment installed in moving bodies, houses, facilities, etc. can be controlled devices. Body parts other than the hands of the user 40 and various tools can be objects to be detected depending on the application.

10: authentication system, 11: control device, 12: locking/unlocking device, 13: user interface device, 131: antenna, 132: processing unit, 134: detection unit, 134a: coil, 134b: power monitoring circuit, 134c: resistive element , 134d: Current monitoring circuit, 20: Vehicle, 21: Door, 22: Knob, 40: User, 50: Mobile device, AU: Authentication information

Claims (8)

a loop antenna for receiving authentication information via near field communication from a mobile device that can be carried by a user;
a detection unit that detects changes in impedance characteristics of the loop antenna;
a control device for controlling an operation of a controlled device based on an authentication process for authenticating the mobile device using the authentication information and a detection result by the detection unit;
is equipped with
Authentication system. The detection unit includes a circuit that monitors power radiated from the loop antenna.
The authentication system according to claim 1. The detection unit includes a circuit that monitors the current flowing through the loop antenna.
The authentication system according to claim 1. A processing unit for switching between a first state in which amplitude modulation of the magnetic field radiated from the loop antenna is performed and a second state in which the amplitude modulation is not performed,
An authentication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The controlled device is a locking/unlocking device that locks/unlocks an opening/closing body,
An authentication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The loop antenna and the detection unit are built in a knob used for opening and closing the opening and closing body,
The authentication system according to claim 5. The opening/closing body is mounted on a moving body,
The authentication system according to claim 5 or 6. a loop antenna for receiving authentication information via near field communication from a mobile device that can be carried by a user;
a detection unit that detects changes in impedance characteristics of the loop antenna;
a processing unit that outputs the authentication information and the detection result of the detection unit to a control device that controls the operation of the controlled device;
is equipped with
User interface device.

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