# US 11,305,649 B2 · Apparatus and method for controlling alcohol interlock > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,649 B2 - Document ID: US11305649B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/801,985 - Filed: 2020-02-26 - Published: 2021-04-08 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-08 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Inventors: Sang Kyung Seo; Eung Hwan Kim; Gyun Ha Kim; Dae Yun An - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305649B2 ## CPC - B60K 28/063: {preventing starting of vehicles} - A61B 5/0077: {Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens} - A61B 5/015: {By temperature mapping of body part} - A61B 5/082: {Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath (A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence)} - A61B 5/18: for vehicle drivers {or machine operators} - A61B 5/4845: {Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products (A61B5/4848 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/6893: {Cars} - B60K 28/12: responsive to conditions relating to doors or doors locks, e.g. open door - B60R 22/48: Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness - G01N 1/2226: {Sampling from a closed space, e.g. food package, head space} - G01N 33/98: involving alcohol, e.g. ethanol in breath - G06V 20/597: {Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness} - G06V 40/161: {Detection; Localisation; Normalisation} - G06V 40/172: {Classification, e.g. identification} - H04N 23/23: from thermal infrared radiation - B60R 2022/4816: {for sensing locking of buckle} - B60R 2022/4891: {preventing use of the vehicle when the seatbelt is not fastened} - G01N 2001/2244: {Exhaled gas, e.g. alcohol detecting} - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for controlling alcohol interlock, comprising: a sensor configured to sense an environment of a driver's seat; a camera configured to obtain a face image of a passenger and an image of exhalation of the passenger; and a controller configured to: activate a start lock mode of a vehicle and determine whether a condition for detecting components of the exhalation of the passenger is satisfied based on the environment of the driver's seat; determine 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 determine whether to detect alcohol concentration included in the exhalation of the passenger based on a determination result of the exhalation of the passenger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: determine whether a door at the driver's seat is opened, whether a window at the driver's seat is opened, and whether a seat belt of the driver's seat is fastened based on the environment of the driver's seat; and determine whether the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation is satisfied based on a determination result of the door, window, and seat belt. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation is satisfied in response to determining that the door is closed, the window is closed, and the seat belt of the driver's seat is fastened. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera includes a thermal imaging camera configured to detect thermal images of a passenger's face and the exhalation of the passenger. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a number of face images detected based on the thermal image; detect the image of the exhalation of the passenger based on the thermal image to determine a direction of air movement by the exhalation of the passenger; detect a position of the passenger's face based on the thermal image to determine whether the number of face images in a predetermined area including the driver's seat exceeds one; and determine whether the exhalation of the passenger is exhalation of the driver based on a determination result of the number of face images. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to determine the exhalation of the passenger as the exhalation of the driver when the number of face images detected based on the thermal image exceeds one, the direction of the air movement is not directed from a passenger's seat to the driver's seat, and the number of face images in the predetermined area including the driver's seat does not exceed one. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine the exhalation of the passenger as the exhalation of the driver in response to determining that the number of face images detected based on the thermal image is one. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to, when the exhalation of the passenger is determined as the exhalation of the driver, determine whether to detect the alcohol concentration in the exhalation of the passenger detected as the exhalation of the driver. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to release the start lock mode when the alcohol concentration is less than a reference value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a number of detected face images, a direction of the passenger's face, and a degree of mouth opening based on the face image of the passenger; and determine whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver based on a determination result of the number of detected face images, the direction of the passenger's face, and the mouth opening degree. ### Claim 11 A method for controlling alcohol interlock, comprising: sensing, by a controller, an environment of a driver's seat; obtaining, by the controller, a face image of a passenger and an image of exhalation of the passenger; activating, by the controller, a start lock mode of a vehicle and determining whether a condition for detecting components of the exhalation of the passenger is satisfied based on the environment of the driver's seat; determining, by the controller, 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 determining, by the controller, whether to detect alcohol concentration in the exhalation of the passenger based on a determination result of the exhalation of the passenger. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation of the passenger is satisfied includes: determining, by the controller, whether a door at the driver's seat is opened, whether a window at the driver's seat is opened, and whether a seat belt of the driver's seat is fastened based on the environment of the driver's seat; and determining, by the controller, whether the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation is satisfied based on a determination result of the door, the window, and the seat belt. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of whether the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation of the passenger is satisfied includes: determining, by the controller, that the condition for detecting the components of the exhalation is satisfied in response to determining that the door is closed, the window is closed, and the seat belt of the driver's seat is fastened. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining of the face image of the passenger and the image of the exhalation of the passenger includes; obtaining, by the controller, thermal images of a passenger's face and the exhalation of the passenger. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver includes: determining, by the controller, a number of face images detected based on the thermal image; detecting, by the controller, the image of the exhalation of the passenger based on the thermal image to determine a direction of air movement by the exhalation of the passenger; detecting, by the controller, a position of the passenger's face based on the thermal image to determine whether the number of face images in a predetermined area including the driver's seat exceeds one; and determining, by the controller, whether the exhalation of the passenger is exhalation of the driver based on a determination result of the number of face images. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the determining of whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver includes: determining, by the controller, the exhalation of the passenger as the exhalation of the driver when the number of face images detected based on the thermal image exceeds one, the direction of the air movement is not directed from a passenger's seat to the driver's seat, and the number of face images in the predetermined area including the driver's seat does not exceed one. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver includes: determining, by the controller, the exhalation of the passenger as the exhalation of the driver in response to determining that the number of face images detected based on the thermal image is one. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the determining of whether to detect the alcohol concentration in the exhalation of the passenger based on the determination result includes: in response to determining that the exhalation of the passenger is determined as the exhalation of the driver, determining, by the controller, whether to detect the alcohol concentration in the exhalation of the passenger detected as the exhalation of the driver. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: releasing, by the controller, the start lock mode when the alcohol concentration is less than a reference value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver includes: determining, by the controller, a number of detected face images, a direction of the passenger's face, and a degree of mouth opening based on the face image of the passenger; and determining, by the controller, whether the exhalation of the passenger is the exhalation of the driver based on a determination result of the number of detected face images, the direction of the passenger's face, and the mouth opening degree.