A mobile device is carried by a person to be authenticated. An acceleration sensor is installed in the mobile device and configured to output an acceleration signal corresponding to acceleration applied to the mobile device. A processing device is configured to execute determination processing for determining whether the person is walking based on the acceleration signal. A control device is configured to control operation of a controlled device based on a result of the determination processing and a result of processing for authenticating, by way of the mobile device, the person as a user of the controlled device. The control of the controlled device based on the authentication processing is disabled from time when the determination processing is initiated by the processing device until when a determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made.

FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to an authentication system. The presently disclosed subject matter also relates to a mobile device and a processing device that may be included in the authentication system. The presently disclosed subject matter also relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded a computer program adapted to be executed by a processor of the processing device.

BACKGROUND

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-211334A discloses an authentication system adapted to be installed in a vehicle. In the system, authentication is performed between a control device for controlling the operation of a locking device, which is an example of a controlled device, and a key, which is an example of a mobile device owned by a person to be authenticated, through communication with a radio wave. When the authentication is approved, the door of the vehicle is unlocked.

SUMMARY

Technical Problem

It is demanded to improve the convenience of such an authentication system.

Solution to Problem

In order to meet the demand described above, one illustrative aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides an authentication system, comprising:

a mobile device adapted to be carried by a person to be authenticated;

an acceleration sensor installed in the mobile device and configured to output an acceleration signal corresponding to acceleration applied to the mobile device;

a processing device configured to execute determination processing for determining whether the person is walking based on the acceleration signal; and

a control device configured to control an operation of a controlled device based on a result of the determination processing and a result of authentication processing for authenticating, by way of the mobile device, the person as a user of the controlled device,

wherein the control of the controlled device based on the authentication processing is disabled from time when the determination processing is initiated by the processing device until when a determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made.

In order to meet the demand described above, one illustrative aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides a mobile device adapted to be carried by a person to be authenticated, comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to output an acceleration signal corresponding to acceleration applied to the mobile device; and

a processor configured to disable a control device to control an operation of a controlled device based on authentication processing for authenticating the person as a user of the controlled device from time when determination processing for determining whether the person is walking based on the acceleration signal is initiated until when a determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made.

In order to meet the demand described above, one illustrative aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides a processing device, comprising:

a reception interface configured to accept an acceleration signal corresponding to acceleration applied to a mobile device adapted to be carried by a person to be authenticated from an acceleration sensor installed in the mobile device; and

a processor configured to disable a control device to control an operation of a controlled device based on authentication processing for authenticating, by way of the mobile device, the person as a user of the controlled device from time when determination processing for determining whether the person is walking based on the acceleration signal is initiated until when a determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made.

In order to meet the demand described above, one illustrative aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored a computer program adapted to be executed by a processor of a processing device and configured to, when executed, cause the processing device to:

accept an acceleration signal corresponding to acceleration applied to a mobile device adapted to be carried by a person to be authenticated from an acceleration sensor installed in the mobile device;

execute determination processing for determining whether the person is walking based on the acceleration signal; and

disable a control device to control an operation of a controlled device based on authentication processing for authenticating, by way of the mobile device, the person as a user of the controlled device from time when the determination processing is initiated until when a determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made.

According to the configuration according to each of the above illustrative aspects, the result of the determination processing for determining whether a person to be authenticated is walking can be used for the authentication processing for authenticating the person as a user of the controlled device. Further, the control of the operation of the controlled device by the control device based on the authentication processing is forcibly disabled from the time when the walking determination processing is initiated by the processing device until the time when the determination as to whether the person is walking is initially made. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the operation control of the controlled device is made by an illegal act such as a relay attack that could be performed until the initial walking determination processing is completed. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the convenience of the authentication system.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Examples of embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.FIG. 1illustrates a configuration of an authentication system10according to an embodiment. The authentication system10may be used, for example, to authenticate a person20to be authenticated (hereinafter, referred to as an authenticated person20, or a person20) as a user of a vehicle30thereby allowing the authenticated person20to use the vehicle30.

The authentication system10includes a mobile device11. The mobile device11is a device capable of being carried by the authenticated person20.

The authentication system10includes a control device12. In this example, the control device12is installed in the vehicle30. The control device12is configured to control the operation of a controlled device31installed in the vehicle30based on an authentication processing for authenticating the person20as a user of the vehicle30via the mobile device11. InFIG. 1, a locking device311and an engine312are illustrated as controlled devices31. The controlled devices31may also include an air conditioner, an audio-visual equipment, a lighting device, a position adjustment mechanism for a seat or a steering wheel, and the like.

As used herein, the term “authentication process” means a process including a process of authenticating the person20itself as a user, and a process of authenticating the mobile device11itself owned by the authenticated person20as a user.

The authentication system10includes a processing device13. The processing device13is configured to execute an authentication process in cooperation with the control device12. In this example, the processing device13is installed in the mobile device11.

The authentication processing will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 2. The control device12includes a processor121. The processor121is configured to control wireless transmission of a trigger signal TS from a transmitter32installed in the vehicle30. The trigger signal TS is transmitted at prescribed time intervals. The prescribed time interval is, for example, several hundred milliseconds. The trigger signal TS may be an analog signal or a digital signal. It should be noted that the trigger signal TS may be constantly transmitted from the transmitter32regardless of the operation of the control device12.

The processing device13includes a reception interface131and a processor132. The reception interface131is configured as an interface capable of accepting the trigger signal TS through a receiver111installed in the mobile device11. When the trigger signal TS is an analog signal, the reception interface131may be equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including an A/D converter. The trigger signal TS in the form of digital data is subjected to processing performed by the processor132.

The processor132is configured to wirelessly transmit an authentication information AI through the transmitter112installed in the mobile device11in response to the trigger signal TS. The authentication information AI is information capable of identifying at least one of the authenticated person20and the mobile device11.

That is, when the authenticated person20carrying the mobile device11approaches the vehicle30to a distance capable of receiving the trigger signal TS, the authentication information AI is transmitted from the mobile device11. The authentication information AI may be in the form of analog data or digital data.

The control device12includes a reception interface122. The reception interface122is configured as an interface capable of accepting the authentication information AI through a receiver33installed in the vehicle30. In a case where the authentication information AI is in the form of analog data, the reception interface122may be equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including an A/D converter. The authentication information AI in the form of digital data is subjected to processing performed by the processor121.

The processor121of the control device12is configured to be capable of executing a processing for reading or referencing the authentication information AI stored in a storage device34installed in the vehicle30. The processor121matches the authentication information AI accepted by the reception interface122with the authentication information AI stored in the storage device34, and approves authentication when both match.

The control device12includes an output interface123. The processor121allows the output of a control signal CS from the output interface123. The control signal CS is a signal for controlling the operation of the controlled device31. The control signal CS may be a digital signal or an analog signal. In a case where the control signal CS is an analog signal, the output interface123may be equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including a D/A converter.

For example, the control signal CS may be a signal for causing the locking device311to unlock the door of the vehicle30. Alternatively, the control signal CS may be a signal for activating the engine312. That is, when the person20is authenticated as a user of the vehicle30through the wireless communication performed between the mobile device11and the control device12, the door of the vehicle30is unlocked and the engine312is activated.

FIG. 3illustrates a flow of processing executed by the control device12. As described above, the control device12wirelessly transmits the trigger signal TS at prescribed time intervals through the transmitter32installed in the vehicle30(STEP11).

FIG. 4illustrates a flow of processing executed by the mobile device11. When the authenticated person20carrying the mobile device11approaches the vehicle30, the trigger signal TS wirelessly transmitted from the control device12installed in the vehicle30is wirelessly received by the mobile device11. As a result, an activation processing is executed (STEP21). In the activation processing, the above-described authentication information AI is wirelessly transmitted.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, in the control device12, it is determined whether the authentication for the person20is approved based on the authentication information AI wirelessly transmitted from the mobile device11(STEP12). When the wireless reception of the authentication information AI through the receiver33installed in the vehicle30is not performed, or when the wirelessly received authentication information AI does not match the authentication information stored in the storage device34(NO in STEP12), the processing returns to STEP11.

As illustrated inFIG. 4, in the mobile device11, a walking determination processing for determining whether the authenticated person20is walking is executed (STEP22). Details of the walking determination processing will be described later.

When it is determined that the authenticated person20is not walking as a result of the walking determination processing (NO in STEP23), the processor132of the processing device13wirelessly transmits the enablement information EI through the transmitter112of the mobile device11(STEP24). The enablement information EI may be in the form of analog data or may be in the form of digital data.

When it is determined that the authenticated person20is walking as a result of the walking determination processing (YES in STEP23), the processor132of the processing device13wirelessly transmits the disablement information DI through the transmitter112of the mobile device11(STEP25). The disablement information DI may be in the form of analog data or may be in the form of digital data.

After the transmission of the enablement information EI or the disablement information DI, the processing returns to STEP22, and the walking determination processing is repeated. As illustrated by dashed lines inFIG. 4, the processor132may disable the transmission of the enablement information EI instead of the transmission of the disablement information DI.

As illustrated inFIG. 2, the enablement information EI and the disablement information DI wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter112of the mobile device11are wirelessly received by the receiver33of the vehicle30. The reception interface122of the control device12is configured as an interface capable of accepting the enablement information EI and the disablement information DI. In a case where each of the enablement information EI and the disablement information DI is in the form of analog data, it may be equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including an A/D converter. The enablement information EI and the disablement information DI in the form of digital data are subjected to processing performed by the processor121.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, when the authentication for the person20is approved (YES in STEP12), the processor121of the control device12determines whether the enablement information EI is accepted from the mobile device11(STEP13). When the enablement information EI is accepted (YES in STEP13), the processor121enables the control of the controlled device31(STEP14). That is, a control signal CS for causing the controlled device31to perform a prescribed operation in accordance with the approval of the authentication is outputted from the output interface123.

When the reception interface122receives the disablement information DI or when the enablement information EI is not transmitted from the mobile device11(NO in STEP13), the processor121disables the control of the controlled device31(STEP15). That is, the output of the control signal CS is not performed.

According to the configuration as described above, the result of the walking determination processing can be used for the authentication processing performed by the control device12. For example, even if the authentication of the person20is approved, when it is determined that the authenticated person20is walking, the control of the operation of the controlled device31by the control device12can be disabled. The authenticated person20normally does not walk when unlocking the door of the vehicle30or activating the engine312by way of the authentication processing. That is, in a situation that the control device12accepts the authentication information AI while the authenticated person20is walking, it can be said that there is a high possibility that an illegal act such as a relay attack is performed. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the control of the operation of the controlled device31is enabled by the control device12when it is determined that the authentication is approved and the authenticated person20is not walking, it is possible to improve the security against an illegal act such as a relay attack.

The processor121having the above-described function can be implemented by a general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with a general-purpose memory. Examples of the general-purpose microprocessor include a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. Examples of the general-purpose memory include a ROM and a RAM. In this case, a computer program for executing the above-described processing can be stored in the ROM. The ROM is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded a computer program. The general-purpose microprocessor designates at least a part of a computer program stored in the ROM, loads the program on the RAM, and executes the processing described above in cooperation with the RAM. The above-described computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or may be downloaded from an external server device50via a wireless communication network40illustrated inFIG. 1and then installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server device50is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored a computer program.

The processor121having the above-described function may be realized by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above-described computer program, such as a microcontroller, an ASIC, and an FPGA. In this case, the above-described computer program is pre-installed in a memory element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The memory element is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored a computer program. The processor121may be implemented by a combination of the general-purpose microprocessor and the dedicated integrated circuit.

Next, the details of the walking determination processing executed by the processing device13in order to realize the operation of the authentication system10as described above will be described.

As illustrated inFIG. 2, the mobile device11includes an acceleration sensor113. The acceleration sensor113is configured to output an acceleration signal AS corresponding to an acceleration applied to the mobile device11. The acceleration sensor113may be, for example, a well-known three-axis acceleration sensor. In this case, the acceleration signal AS has a value corresponding to the acceleration in each of the three mutually orthogonal axes. The acceleration signal AS may be an analog signal or a digital signal.

The reception interface131of the processing device13is configured as an interface capable of receiving the acceleration signal AS. In a case where the acceleration signal AS is an analog signal, the reception interface131may be equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including an A/D converter. The acceleration signal AS in the form of digital data is subjected to processing performed by the processor132of the processing device13.

The processor132is configured to execute the walking determination processing for determining whether the authenticated person20is walking based on the acceleration signal AS.FIG. 5illustrates a flow of the walking determination processing.FIG. 6illustrates the acceleration signal AS. InFIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the elapse of time, and the vertical axis represents the acceleration. Since the attitude of the mobile device11is not constant, the value of the acceleration illustrated corresponds to a norm value given as the square root of the values of the acceleration in the respective three axes. In the following descriptions, “acceleration” means a “norm value” unless otherwise specified.

When the acquisition of the acceleration signal AS is initiated at a time point t0, the processor132determines whether a time period TP (described later) is defined (STEP30). Here, since it is immediately after the initiation of the walking determination processing (NO in STEP30), the processor132determines whether the acceleration corresponding to the acceleration signal AS satisfies a prescribed condition (STEP31).

In this example, it is determined whether the acceleration changes from a value more than a threshold At to a value less than the threshold At, as well as whether an amount of change in the acceleration per unit time (i.e., a downslope gradient) exceeds a threshold. A relatively large acceleration is applied to the mobile device11carried by the walking authenticated person20, and the amount of change tends to be relatively large. This condition corresponds to this phenomenon.

InFIG. 6, in order to facilitate understanding, the threshold At of the acceleration assumes a constant value. However, the threshold At may be redefined as an average value of the acceleration every time when a prescribed time period elapses. The time is, for example, 500 milliseconds.

When the above condition as for the change in the acceleration is not satisfied (NO in STEP31), the processor132determines whether a prescribed time period has elapsed (STEP32). The time period is, for example, 1 second. When it is determined that the prescribed time period has not elapsed (NO in STEP32), the processing returns to STEP31.

When the above-described condition as for the change in the acceleration is not satisfied and the prescribed time period elapses (YES in STEP32), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is not walking (STEP33), and terminates the processing. The result of this determination is reflected in the determination in STEP23ofFIG. 4. That is, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the enablement information EI (STEP24). The control device12installed in the vehicle30accepts the enablement information EI via the receiver33. Accordingly, the operation of the controlled device31can be enabled by the control device12(YES in STEP13and STEP14ofFIG. 3).

When the above-described condition as for the change in the acceleration is satisfied (YES in STEP31), the processor132defines a start point of the time period for performing the walking determination processing (STEP34). In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, the above condition as for the acceleration change is satisfied at a time point t1after the time point t0. Accordingly, the processor132defines a start point SP of the time period TP at the time point t1. The start point SP is an example of the first time point.

Subsequently, the processor132determines whether the acceleration corresponding to the acceleration signal AS satisfies the condition as for the above-described acceleration change again (STEP35inFIG. 5). When the condition is not satisfied (NO in STEP35), the processor132determines whether a prescribed time period has elapsed (STEP36). The time period is, for example, 1 second. When it is determined that the prescribed time period has not elapsed (NO in STEP36), the processing returns to STEP35.

When the above-described condition as for the change in the acceleration is not satisfied again and the prescribed time period elapses (YES in STEP36), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is not walking (STEP33), and terminates the processing. The result of this determination is reflected in the determination in STEP23ofFIG. 4. In this case, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the enablement information EI (STEP24). The control device12installed in the vehicle30accepts the enablement information EI via the receiver33. Accordingly, the operation of the controlled device31can be enabled by the control device12(YES in STEP13and STEP14ofFIG. 3).

When the above condition as for the change in the acceleration is satisfied again (YES in STEP35inFIG. 5), the processor132defines an end point of the time period for performing the walking determination processing (STEP37). In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, the above condition as for the acceleration change is satisfied again at a time point t2after the time point11. Accordingly, the processor132defines an end point EP of the time period TP at the time point t2. The end point EP is an example of the second time point.

Based on the temporal change (waveform) of the acceleration included in the time period TP thus defined, it is determined whether the authenticated person20is walking (STEP38). Specifically, the determination is made based on a plurality of feature quantities illustrated inFIG. 7. The value of each feature quantity and the determination result as to whether the authenticated person20is walking are associated with each other based on machine learning, statistical processing, or the like performed in advance. For example, the processor132determines whether the authenticated person20is walking based on whether each value of the feature quantities to be referred to falls within a prescribed threshold range. Examples of the feature quantities are as follows. It should be noted that all the feature quantities need not to be referred to, but at least one of the feature quantities may be referred to.T0: a length of the time period TP (a time length from the start point SP to the end point EP)T1: a time length from the starting point SP to a time point when the acceleration takes a maximum value AmxT2: a time length from a time point when the acceleration takes a minimum value Amn to the time point when the acceleration takes the maximum value AmxA: a difference between the maximum value Amx and the minimum value AmnG0: an amount of change in acceleration per unit time from the time point when the acceleration takes the minimum value Amn to the time point when the acceleration takes the maximum value AmxM0: a mean value of the acceleration in the time period TPM1: a mean value of the acceleration in a period from the start point SP to a time point HP that corresponds half the time period TPM2: a mean value of the acceleration in a period from the time point HP to the end point EP

When it is determined that a waveform portion of the acceleration signal AS included in the time period TP between the time point t1and the time point t2does not satisfy the condition as for walking (NO in STEP38), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is not walking (STEP33), and then terminates the processing. The result is reflected in the processing of STEP23inFIG. 4. That is, after the time point t2, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the enablement information EI (STEP24). The control device12installed in the vehicle30accepts the enablement information EI via the receiver33. Accordingly, the operation of the controlled device31can be enabled by the control device12(YES in STEP13and STEP14ofFIG. 3).

When it is determined that the waveform portion of the acceleration signal AS included in the time period TP between the time point t1and the time point t2satisfies the condition as for walking (YES in STEP38), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is walking (STEP39), and terminates the processing. The result is reflected in the processing of STEP23inFIG. 4. That is, after the time point t2, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the disablement information DI (STEP25). The control device12installed in the vehicle30accepts the disablement information DI via the receiver33. Accordingly, the operation control of the controlled device31by the control device12is disabled (NO in STEP13and STEP15ofFIG. 3).

When the processing inFIG. 4returns to STEP22, the processor132initiates the walking determination processing again (STEP40). As described above, the processor132determines whether the time period TP is defined (STEP30). In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, since the time period TP is defined between the time point t1and the time point t2(YES in STEP30), the processor132advances the processing to STEP35, and initiates the processing for defining an end point EP of a next time period TP.

That is, the end point EP of a certain time period TP is treated as the start point SP of the next time period TP. In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, the end point EP defined at the time point12is defined as the start point SP of the next time period TP, and the above-described condition as for the acceleration change is satisfied again at a time point t3after the time point t2. Accordingly, the end point EP of the next time period TP is defined at the time point t3. Namely, the time point12is an example of the first time point, and the time point t3is an example of the second time point.

Except in a case where the end point EP is not determined after the prescribed time period has elapsed (YES in STEP36), the definition of a new time period TP and the walking determination based on the waveform portion of the acceleration signal AS included in the defined time period are repeated (STEP35, STEP37, and STEP38).

When it is determined that the waveform portion of the acceleration signal AS included in the time period TP between the time point t2and the time point t3does not satisfy the condition as for walking (NO in STEP38), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is not walking (STEP33), and terminates the processing. The result is reflected in the processing of STEP23inFIG. 4. That is, after the time point t3, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the enablement information EI (STEP24). Accordingly, the operation of the controlled device31can be enabled by the control device12(YES in STEP13and STEP14ofFIG. 3).

When it is determined that the waveform portion of the acceleration signal AS included in the time period TP between the time point t2and the time point t3satisfies the condition as for walking (YES in STEP38), the processor132determines that the authenticated person20is walking (STEP39), and terminates the processing. The result is reflected in the processing of STEP23inFIG. 4. That is, after the time point t3, the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the disablement information DI (STEP25). Accordingly, the operation control of the controlled device31by the control device12is disabled (NO in STEP13and STEP15ofFIG. 3).

When the processing inFIG. 4returns to STEP22, the walking determination processing is repeated in the same manner even after the time point t3.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated inFIG. 4, the processor132of the processing device13installed in the mobile device11wirelessly transmits the disablement information DI through the transmitter112prior to the execution of the walking determination processing (STEP26). Accordingly, the operation control of the controlled device31by the control device12is disabled (NO in STEP13and STEP15ofFIG. 3). In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, after the output of the acceleration signal AS is initiated at the time point t0, the control of the operation of the controlled device31by the control device12is disabled until the result of the initial walking determination processing is obtained at the time point t2.

That is, the control of the operation of the controlled device31by the control device12based on the authentication processing is forcibly disabled from the time when the walking determination processing is initiated by the processing device13until the time when the determination as to whether the authenticated person20is walking is initially made. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the operation control of the controlled device31is made by an illegal act such as a relay attack that could be performed until the initial walking determination processing is completed. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the convenience of the authentication system10.

The processor132having various functions described above can be implemented by a general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with a general-purpose memory. Examples of the general-purpose microprocessor include a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. Examples of the general-purpose memory include a ROM and a RAM. In this case, a computer program for executing the above-described processing can be stored in the ROM. The ROM is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded a computer program. The general-purpose microprocessor designates at least a part of a computer program stored in the ROM, loads the program on the RAM, and executes the processing described above in cooperation with the RAM. The above-described computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or may be downloaded from an external server device50via a wireless communication network40illustrated inFIG. 1and then installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server device50is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored a computer program.

The processor132having various functions described above may be implemented by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above-described computer program, such as a microcontroller an ASIC, and an FPGA. In this case, the above-described computer program is pre-installed in a memory element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The memory element is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored a computer program. The processor132may also be implemented by a combination of the general-purpose microprocessor and the dedicated integrated circuit.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative for facilitating understanding of the gist of the presently disclosed subject matter. The configuration according to the above embodiment can be appropriately modified or improved without departing from the gist of the presently disclosed subject matter.

In the above embodiment, the processing device13is installed in the mobile device11. According to such a configuration, it is easy to suppress a communication delay that may occur when a result of the walking determination processing is provided to the control device12through wireless communication.

However, the processing device13may be installed in the external server device50illustrated inFIG. 1. In this case, the acceleration signal AS outputted from the acceleration sensor113of the mobile device11is transmitted from the transmitter112to the external server device50via the wireless communication network40. The processing device13installed in the external server device50executes the walking determination processing described above based on the received acceleration signal AS. The external server device50transmits the enablement information EI or the disablement information DI obtained as a result of the walking determination processing to the receiver33of the vehicle30via the wireless communication network40. The control device12determines whether the operation of the controlled device31is enabled based on the received enablement information EI or the received disablement information DI. The result of the walking determination processing may be returned from the external server device50to the receiver111of the mobile device11via the wireless communication network40.

At least a part of the authentication processing can be performed in the external server device50. That is, at least one of the function of the processor132of the processing device13for providing the authentication information AI, the function of the storage device14for storing the authentication information AI, and the function of the processor121of the control device12for collating the authentication information AI provided from the processor132with the authentication information AI stored in the storage device14can be shared by the external server device50.

For example, the mobile device11having received the trigger signal TS may request the external server device50to provide the authentication information AI via the wireless communication network40. When receiving the request, the external server device50transmits the authentication information AI to the receiver33of the vehicle30via the wireless communication network40. The control device12determines whether the authentication is approved based on the received authentication information AI. The authentication information AI may be returned from the external server device50to the receiver111of the mobile device11via the wireless communication network40.

Alternatively, the mobile device11having received the trigger signal TS transmits the authentication information AI from the transmitter112to the external server device50via the wireless communication network40. The external server device50storing the authentication information AI in place of the storage device14collates the received authentication information AI, and determines whether the authentication is approved. The external server device50transmits the result of the authentication processing to the receiver33of the vehicle30via the wireless communication network40. The control device12determines whether the operation control of the controlled device31is enabled based on the result of the received result of the authentication processing.

The control device12may be installed in a mobile entity other than the vehicle30. Examples of the mobile entity include railways, aircrafts, and ships. The mobile entity may not require a driver.

The controlled device31whose operation is controlled by the control device12in cooperation with the mobile device11need not be installed in a mobile entity such as the vehicle30. The control device12may be a device for controlling the operation of a locking device, an air conditioner, a lighting device, an audio-visual equipment, and the like in a house or a facility.

The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-051248 filed on Mar. 23, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.