Personal data recording and reproducing device for use in vehicle

Abstract: Disclosed is a personal data recording and reproducing device for use in a vehicle, which allows each individual driver or each group to exclusively recording and reproducing own personal data and also to easily and selectively reading-out only own personal data. The device recognizes an input identification of an individual person or a group, store input information with reference to the recognized identification in case of data input request and reads out and outputs a stored information with reference to the recognized identification in case of data output request.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for exclusively recording and reproducing data for each person or each group of persons with reference to personal or group identification, and, more particularly, to a personal information recording and reproducing device for use in vehicles. Recently, there has been developed such a vehicle navigating apparatus for measuring and displaying a current position of the vehicle on a road map indicated on a display screen, which is also capable of registering driver's home location and automatically reading-out the location on the road map and automatically setting a start point of the vehicle thereon. Another vehicle navigating apparatus is capable of preliminarily recording driver's private information such as addresses concerned (target places),telephone numbers and the like and reading-out the private data on a display screen according to the need. However, in case that plural drivers are allowed to use commonly a vehicle provided with the above-mentioned navigating apparatus wherein their private data are registered, there may occur such a problem that when each registered driver drives the vehicle, he has to perform complicated operations to selectively read-out own private information from the apparatus memory containing a large amount of all authorized users' data. Furthermore, the apparatus allows any person to access to the private information memory, i.e., the privacy can not be protected. From EP 0 392 411 A2, an automobile system manager is known which checks the authorized access of those persons wishing to use the automobile. In order to be permitted to use the automobile, these persons have to insert an authorization card containing an identification code into a checking device of the system manager in which it is determined whether the particular card inserted is registered and valid by comparing it with a list of previously stored codes of authorized users' cards. As soon as a user's card has been accepted, he can access all the data of the system. This data basically consists in operating programs for different functional units of the automobile. The user can select individual programs to be executed from a screen menu by pressing selection keys. He can renew a record of presettings for the automobile, which record is stored in his authorization card. In the system manager according to EP 0 392 411 A2, it has to be determined in advance which persons are allowed to use the automobile. Therefore, it is an object of the invention to make it easier to instal access to a device protecting input and output of personal data. To achieve this object, the invention provides a personal data recording and reproducing device for use in a vehicle, comprising: means for registering a first list of a plurality of identification data each being an identification of a person or of a group of persons, means for inputting identification data, means for checking identification data to be data being registered in the first list, means for requesting data input or data output, means for storing therein inputted data as personal data with reference to checked identification data when data input is requested, means for reading out from said storing means personal data with reference to checked identification data when data output is requested, and means for outputting read-out data; characterized by means for registering a second list of identification data of persons or groups of persons that have no access to the stored personal data, means for checking whether or not inputted identification data are registered in the second list, and means for prohibiting inputting or outputting of personal data for identification data being determined to have no access. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a personal information memory and reading-out device according to the present invention, which is mountable in a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing, by way of example, how operates a personal data memory unit and reading-out unit according to the present invention. Fig. 3 shows an example of a memory table of personal data according to passwords. Fig. 4 shows an example of personal information read out from a memory by a password. In these drawings, there are shown an identifying data input unit 1, a data input unit 2, a data memory unit 3, a display 4 and a data processing unit 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail as follows: Fig. 1 is a construction view showing an embodiment of the present invention, which comprises an identification data input unit 1 for inputting a password for each person or each group of persons and indicating a request for data input or output, a data input unit 2 for inputting data therethrough, a data memory unit 3 for storing input data, a display 4 for indicating data read-out from the data memory unit and a variety of messages, a data processing unit 5 which controls the whole system to recognize an input password, enter an input information with the recognized password into the data memory unit 3, read-out a specified information from the data memory unit 3 and indicate the information onto the display 4. The data processing unit 5 also holds previously registered therein passwords of persons (drivers) that have no access to the stored private data or group data, makes a check of input password for accessibility and, if the person has no access, prohibits him from inputting and outputting data and indicates a message <No access> on the display 4. In this embodiment, each' individual or group has his own password but he may be also identified by his own name or ID. Furthermore, it is also possible to use a face-image identifying device provided with a video-camera or a fingerprint identifying device that may omit identification input operation. The identification input unit 1 and the data input unit 2 may be unified in one input control unit using a keyboard. It is also possible to store input data in a nonvolatile memory in the data processing unit 5, omitting the data memory unit 3. Referring now to a flow chart shown in Fig. 2, the operation of the above-mentioned personal data recording and reproducing device will be described as follows: When a user enters his password into the device through the identification input unit 1 and then enters an input or output request, the data processing unit 5 checks whether the input password is an identification of a person not allowed to use the device or not, and, if it is non-admitted person, prohibits him from inputting or outputting data and indicates a message <access is prohibited> on the display unit 4. When the password does not identify any non-admitted person, the data processing unit 5 checks whether the password has been already registered in a password list or not. If the password is not found in the list, the data processing unit additionally writes it in the list and, then, accepts the input or output request. In case of the input request, the data processing unit 5 turns itself to operate in input mode, outputs a message requiring of the user to input an information to the display unit 4 and receives the data inputted through the data input unit 2, transferring the data to the data memory unit 3 wherein the input data is stored sequentially in order of input time in a table with reference to the password as shown in Fig. 3. In case of the output request, the data processing unit 5 checks whether the password is registered as an index in the table of the information memory unit 3 or not, and, if it is not registered, indicates a message <prohibiting output> and requires of the user to enter another password. When the password is stored in the table, the data processing unit 5 changes over operating mode to output mode, reads-out the data stored under the input password from the data memory unit 3 and output the data on the display unit 4. In case if a plurality of data sets stored with the same password <ABC> in the table of the data memory unit 3, the data processing unit 5 outputs all of said data sets at a time on the display unit 4 as shown in Fig. 4. The present invention also provides that the data useful for all users are rendered as public data that may be freely inputted and outputted with no password entered. When an input request is given without entering a password, the data processing unit 5 judges the request for inputting open information, receives and stores the input information as an open data set in the data memory unit 3. When an output request is given without entering a password, the data processing unit 5 judges the request for outputting open information and then reads-out the previously stored open information from the data memory unit 3 and indicates them on the display unit 4. As is apparent from the foregoing description, the personal data recording and reproducing device according to the present invention, which is applied for a vehicle navigating apparatus, offers such advantages that: in case of using a vehicle by plural drivers and registering personal data, e.g., home locations, concerned companies' addresses for persons for use in the navigating apparatus, the present device provides the possibility of exclusively recording and reproducing the personal data of each person or group to protect the privacy, and also of easily extracting only own private data from the large number of personal information; the present device is capable of prohibiting the non-admitted persons from inputting and outputting the personal data and of allowing only admitted persons or group to have access to the stored personal data by password identification, thereby assuring the reliable protection of the personal data. the present device also makes it possible for all users to freely (without entering their password) recording and reproducing public data useful for all users, thereby assuring increased usability of the device.

Claims: A personal data recording and reproducing device for use in a vehicle, comprising: means for registering a first list of a plurality of identification data each being an identification of a person or of a group of persons, means for inputting identification data, means for checking identification data to be data being registered in the first list, means for requesting data input or data output, means for storing therein inputted data as personal data with reference to checked identification data when data input is requested, means for reading out from said storing means personal data with reference to checked identification data when data output is requested, and means for outputting read-out data; characterized by means for registering a second list of identification data of persons or groups of persons that have no access to the stored personal data, means for checking whether or not inputted identification data are registered in the second list, and means for prohibiting inputting or outputting of personal data for identification data being determined to have no access. The device according to claim 1, characterized by means for registering in the first list inputted identification data not found in the first list and not found in the second list. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that data inputted without inputting any identification data are stored as public data and said public data are read out and outputted when output is requested without inputting any identification data.

Inventors: MATSUMOTO YOSHIYUKI, MATSUMOTO, YOSHIYUKI
Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO LTD, HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G07C5
IPC codes: G06F21, G07C5