Driving-environment setup system, in-vehicle device and program thereof, portable device and program thereof, management device and program thereof

An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and configured to communicate with a plurality of portable devices, wherein the plurality of portable devices are configured to be carried in the vehicle, wherein each of the plurality of portable devices transmits, to the in-vehicle device, a feature identification information item used for identifying a physical feature of an associated user of the each of the plurality of portable devices, and wherein the each of the plurality of portable devices transmits, to the in-vehicle device, an environment identification information item indicative of a driving environment for the associated user, the in-vehicle device comprising:

• radio communication means for performing radio communication with the plurality of portable devices existing in a communication area of the radio communication means;
• driver identifying means for identifying which one of the associated users of the each of the plurality of portable devices is a driver of the vehicle, by:
• determining whether or not the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle, and acquiring the feature identification information items from the plurality of portable devices by the radio communication when it is determined that the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle;
• and
• determining which one of the physical features indicated by the feature identification information matches a physical feature of a person detected as the person sitting in a driver's seat of the vehicle, and
• driving-environment setup means for setting a driving environment of the vehicle to the driving environment for the one of the associated users who is identified as the driver based on the environment identification information item received by the radio communication means.

A portable device for an associated user configured to communicate with an in-vehicle device mounted in a vehicle, wherein the portable device is configured to be carried in the vehicle, wherein the in-vehicle device detects a physical feature of a person sitting in a driver's seat of the vehicle, wherein the portable device is configured to mutually communicate with the in-vehicle device that includes radio communication means for performing radio communication with a plurality of portable devices existing in a communication area of the radio communication means and the in-vehicle device identifies which one of the associated users of each of the plurality of portable devices is a driver of the vehicle by determining whether or not the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle and acquiring the feature identification items from the plurality of portable devices by the radio communication when it is determined that the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle, the in-vehicle device determines which one of the physical features indicated by a received feature identification information item matches a physical feature of the person sitting in the driver's seat as detected by the in-vehicle device, and wherein the in-vehicle device sets a driving environment of the vehicle to the driving environment for the one of the associated users who is identified as the driver, based on the environment identification information item received by the radio communication means, the portable device comprising:

• feature information transmitting means for transmitting, to the in-vehicle device, the feature identification information item indicative of the physical feature of the associated user of the portable device;
• and
• environmental information transmitting means for transmitting, to the in-vehicle device, the environment identification information item indicative of the driving environment for the associated user.

An article of manufacture for an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to communicate with a plurality of portable devices, wherein the plurality of portable devices are configured to be carried in the vehicle, wherein each of the plurality of portable devices transmits, to the in-vehicle device, a feature identification information item indicative of a physical feature of an associated user of the each of the plurality of portable devices, and wherein the each of the plurality of portable devices transmits, to the in-vehicle device, an environment identification information item indicative of a driving environment for the associated user, the article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer readable medium readable by a computer;
• and
• program instructions carried by the computer readable medium for causing the computer to serve as:
• driver identifying means for identifying which one of the associated users of the each of the plurality of portable devices is a driver of the vehicle, by:
• communicating, via a radio communication means of the in-vehicle device, with the plurality of portable devices existing in a communication area of the radio communication means;
• determining whether or not the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle, and acquiring the feature identification information items from the plurality of portable devices by the radio communication when it is determined that the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle;
• and
• determining which one of the physical features indicated by the feature identification information matches a physical feature detected of the person sitting in a driver's seat of the vehicle;
• and
• driving-environment setup means for setting a driving environment of the vehicle to the driving environment for the one of the associated users who is identified as the driver, based on the environment identification information item received by the radio communication means.

An article of manufacture for a portable device for an associated user, wherein the portable device is configured to communicate with an in-vehicle device mounted in a vehicle, wherein the portable device is configured to be carried in the vehicle, wherein the in-vehicle device detects a physical feature of a person sitting in a driver's seat of the vehicle, wherein the portable device is configured to mutually communicate with the in-vehicle device that includes radio communication means for performing radio communication with a plurality of portable devices existing in a communication area of the radio communication means and the in-vehicle device identifies which one of the associated users of each of the plurality of portable devices is a driver of the vehicle by determining whether or not the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle and acquiring the feature identification items from the plurality of portable devices by the radio communication when it is determined that the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle, the in-vehicle device determines which one of the physical features indicated by a received feature identification information item matches a physical feature of the person sitting in the driver's seat as detected by the in-vehicle device, and wherein the in-vehicle device sets a driving environment of the vehicle to the driving environment for the one of the associated users who is identified as the driver, based on the environment identification information item received by the radio communication means, the article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer readable medium readable by a computer;
• and
• program instructions carried by the computer readable medium for causing the computer to serve as:
• feature information transmitting means for transmitting, to the in-vehicle device, the feature identification information item indicative of the physical feature of the associated user of the portable device;
• and
• environmental information transmitting means for transmitting, to the in-vehicle device, the environment identification information item indicative of the driving environment for the associated user.

An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to communicate with a plurality of portable devices, each of which transmits identification information unique to the each of the plurality of portable devices, the in-vehicle device comprising:

• feature detection means for detecting a physical feature of a person sitting in a driver's seat of the vehicle;
• radio communication means for performing radio communication with the plurality of portable devices existing in a communication area of the radio communication means;
• driver identifying means for identifying which one of the associated users of the each of the plurality of portable devices is a driver of the vehicle, by:
• determining whether or not the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle, and acquiring feature identification information items from the plurality of portable devices by the radio communication when it is determined that the plurality of portable devices is carried in the vehicle;
• and
• determining which one of the physical features of the person sitting in the driver's seat as indicated by the feature detection means matches a predetermined physical feature identified based on the identification information received from one of the plurality of portable devices;
• and
• driving-environment setup means for setting a driving environment of the vehicle to a predetermined driving environment for the one of the associated users who is identified as the driver by the driver identifying means, based on the identification information received from the one of the plurality of the portable devices when the driver identifying means determines that the detected physical feature corresponds to the predetermined physical feature of the one of the plurality of the portable devices.