JP7608301B2 - Authentication system, control device, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an authentication system that uses a mobile device that can be carried by a user. The present invention also relates to a control device that can form part of the authentication system, and a computer program that can be executed by a processing unit installed in the control device.

Patent document 1 discloses a control device installed in a vehicle to perform authentication processing of a mobile device carried by a user. When authentication processing is successful, the control device permits the user to use the vehicle and controls the operation of various controlled devices installed in the vehicle.

JP 2015-085899 A

The object of the present invention is to improve the security of an authentication system that authenticates a mobile device based on distributed authentication information.

One aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object is an authentication system, comprising:
a communication device for wirelessly communicating with a mobile device that is portable by a user;
a storage device capable of storing registered authentication information used in a first authentication process for authenticating the mobile device;
a control device that permits operation control of a controlled device when the first authentication process is successful;
It is equipped with
the control device acquires authentication information distributed to the mobile device through the communication device, and if registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in the storage device, requests the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process, and if the second authentication process is successful, stores the authentication information in the storage device as the registered authentication information;
It is equipped with:

One aspect for achieving the above object is a control device that permits operation control of a controlled device based on a first authentication process for authenticating a mobile device that can be carried by a user, the control device comprising:
a reception unit that receives the authentication information distributed to the mobile device through a communication device that is capable of wireless communication with the mobile device;
a processing unit that requests the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process when registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in the storage device, and stores the authentication information in the storage device as the registered authentication information when the second authentication process is successful;
It is equipped with:

One aspect for achieving the above object is a computer program executable by a processing unit mounted on a control device that permits operation control of a controlled device based on a first authentication process for authenticating a mobile device that can be carried by a user,
By being executed, the control device
receiving the authentication information delivered to the mobile device through a communication device capable of wirelessly communicating with the mobile device;
requesting the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process when registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in a storage device;
If the second authentication process is successful, the authentication information is stored in the storage device as the registered authentication information.

According to the configurations relating to each of the above aspects, the authentication information used to authenticate the mobile device is stored as registered authentication information through two-step authentication. This increases the likelihood of verifying that the user is the owner of the mobile device in a configuration in which authentication information is distributed to the mobile device. This therefore increases the security of the authentication system that authenticates the mobile device based on the distributed authentication information.

1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an authentication system according to an embodiment. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of the authentication system of FIG. 1. 2 shows an example of a flow of processing executed by the control device of FIG. 1 . 10 shows another example of the flow of processing executed by the control device of FIG. 1 .

Examples of embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the scale has been appropriately changed so that each illustrated element is of a recognizable size.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an authentication system 10 according to one embodiment. The authentication system 10 can be used to authorize a user carrying a mobile device to use a vehicle 20 by authenticating the mobile device. The shape of the vehicle 20 is merely an example. The vehicle 20 is an example of a moving body.

The authentication system 10 includes a communication device 11. In this example, the communication device 11 is mounted at an appropriate position in the vehicle 20. The communication device 11 has an antenna capable of performing short-range wireless communication with a mobile device 40 carried by a user 30.

The term "short-range wireless communication" as used herein means wireless communication conforming to the standard IEEE 802.15 or IEEE 802.11. Technologies capable of implementing such wireless communication include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), ZigBee (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). In this specification, "short-range wireless communication" is distinguished from "near-field wireless communication," which uses a non-contact communication technology in which a mobile device transmits information by obtaining a small amount of power from radio waves transmitted from a reading device. Technologies capable of implementing near-field wireless communication include RF-ID and NFC.

The authentication system 10 includes a control device 12. The control device 12 is mounted on a vehicle 20. The control device 12 is configured to control the operation of a locking/unlocking device 21 mounted on the vehicle 20 based on a first authentication process that authenticates a mobile device. The locking/unlocking device 21 is a device that locks and unlocks a door 22 that opens and closes the vehicle compartment. The locking/unlocking device 21 is an example of a controlled device. The door 22 is an example of an opening/closing body.

The authentication system 10 includes a storage device 13. The storage device 13 is mounted on the vehicle 20. The storage device 13 is configured to store registered authentication information RG used in the first authentication process of the mobile device. The storage device 13 can be realized by a semiconductor memory or a hard disk device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mobile device 40 is configured to be able to acquire first authentication information AT1 distributed from an external server device 50 via a wireless communication network 60. The first authentication information AT1 is information that identifies at least one of the user 30 and the mobile device 40.

The mobile device 40 is configured to be able to transmit the first authentication information AT1 to the communication device 11. The first authentication information AT1 may be in the form of analog data or digital data.

The control device 12 includes a reception unit 121. The reception unit 121 is configured as an interface capable of receiving the first authentication information AT1 through the communication device 11. When the first authentication information AT1 is in the form of analog data, the reception unit 121 includes an appropriate conversion circuit including an A/D converter.

The control device 12 includes a processing unit 122. The processing unit 122 is configured to authenticate the mobile device 40 using the first authentication information AT1 accepted by the acceptance unit 121. For example, the processing unit 122 compares the first authentication information AT1 accepted by the acceptance unit 121 with the registered authentication information RG stored in the storage device 13, and determines that the authentication process of the mobile device 40 has been successful when the degree of match between the two exceeds a threshold value.

The processing unit 122 is configured to request the user 30 to perform a second authentication process if the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 accepted by the accepting unit 121 is not stored in the storage device 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control device 12 includes an output unit 123. The processing unit 122 is configured to output, from the output unit 123, a communication control signal CM that causes the communication device 11 to transmit a notification signal NT to the mobile device 40. The notification signal NT includes information for causing the mobile device 40 to issue a notification prompting the user 30 to perform a second authentication process.

In other words, the output unit 123 is configured as an interface that outputs the communication control signal CM to the communication device 11. If the communication control signal CM is an analog signal, the output unit 123 is equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including a D/A converter.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the authentication system 10 includes an electronic key 70. The second authentication process is performed using the electronic key 70. The electronic key 70 is a device that can be carried by the user 30. The electronic key 70 is a device that can cause the control device 12 to control the operation of the locking/unlocking device 21 based on wireless communication. The electronic key 70 is an example of a device associated with a controlled device.

For example, the wireless communication may include transmitting and receiving a first signal using a first frequency band and a second signal using a second frequency band. The first frequency band and the second frequency band are different. An example of the first frequency band is the low frequency (LF) band. An example of the second frequency band is the ultra high frequency (UHF) band.

In this example, the communication device 11 also includes an antenna capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 70. However, a communication device for wireless communication with the electronic key 70 may be provided at an appropriate position in the vehicle 20 independent of the communication device 11.

Specifically, a first signal is transmitted through the communication device 11. The first signal may be transmitted continuously or intermittently. The electronic key 70 is configured to transmit a second signal upon receiving the first signal. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the second signal is configured to include second authentication information AT2 required for authenticating the electronic key 70. The second authentication information AT2 is information capable of identifying at least one of the electronic key 70 and the user 30.

The processing unit 122 of the control device 12 is configured to execute a second authentication process when it receives a second signal through the communication device 11. Specifically, the processing unit 122 is configured to compare the second authentication information AT2 included in the second signal with the authentication information of the electronic key 70 pre-stored in the storage device 13. If the degree of match between the two pieces of information exceeds a threshold, the processing unit 122 determines that the authentication of the electronic key 70 has been established.

When the second authentication process is successful, the processing unit 122 is configured to store the first authentication information AT1 received from the mobile device 40 as registered authentication information RG in the storage device 13. Therefore, when the first authentication information AT1 is transmitted from the mobile device 40 at a later point in time, the first authentication process is performed by comparing it with the registered authentication information RG stored in the storage device 13.

When the first authentication process or the second authentication process is established, the processing unit 122 is configured to permit the user 30 carrying the mobile device 40 to use the locking/unlocking device 21. For example, the processing unit 122 is configured to output a control signal CT from the output unit 123. The control signal CT is a signal that causes the locking/unlocking device 21 to perform a locking/unlocking operation. The control signal CT may be an analog signal or a digital signal. When the control signal CT is an analog signal, the output unit 123 is equipped with an appropriate conversion circuit including a D/A converter.

The locking/unlocking device 21 is configured to lock or unlock the door 22 based on the control signal CT.

Figure 3 shows an example of the flow of processing executed by the processing unit 122 of the control device 12 configured as described above.

First, the processing unit 122 determines whether the first authentication information AT1 has been received from the mobile device 40 (STEP 11). Specifically, it determines whether the first authentication information AT1 has been accepted by the acceptance unit 121 through the communication device 11. This process is repeated until it is determined that the first authentication information AT1 has been accepted by the acceptance unit 121 (NO in STEP 11).

When the reception unit 121 determines that the first authentication information AT1 has been received (YES in STEP 11), the processing unit 122 determines whether the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 is stored in the storage device 13 (STEP 12).

When it is determined that the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 is stored in the storage device 13 (YES in STEP 12), the processing unit 122 executes a first authentication process based on a comparison between the first authentication information AT1 and the registered authentication information RG, and determines whether authentication has been established (STEP 13).

If it is determined that the first authentication process has not been successful (NO in STEP 13), the processing unit 122 prohibits the user 30 carrying the mobile device 40 from using the locking/unlocking device 21. The processing unit 122 returns the process to STEP 11 and waits for reception of another piece of first authentication information AT1.

If it is determined that the first authentication process is successful (YES in STEP 13), the processing unit 122 permits the user 30 carrying the mobile device 40 to use the locking/unlocking device 21 (STEP 14).

When it is determined that the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 is not stored in the storage device 13 (NO in STEP 12), the processing unit 122 requests the user 30 to perform the second authentication process (STEP 15). Specifically, the processing unit 122 causes the communication device 11 to transmit a notification signal NT that causes the mobile device 40 to notify the user 30 to perform the second authentication process.

For example, the notification signal NT causes the display unit of the mobile device 40 to display a message such as "Please bring the electronic key close to the door." When the user 30 carrying the electronic key 70 approaches the door 22 of the vehicle 20, wireless communication is performed between the communication device 11 and the electronic key 70, and the second authentication information AT2 is transmitted from the electronic key 70.

Then, the processing unit 122 of the control device 12 performs a second authentication process based on a comparison between the second authentication information AT2 accepted by the accepting unit 121 and the authentication information stored in the storage device 13, and determines whether authentication has been established (STEP 16). This process is repeated until it is determined that authentication has been established (NO in STEP 16). If it is not determined that authentication has been established even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the process may be terminated by, for example, notifying the mobile device 40 of an error.

If it is determined that the second authentication process is successful (YES in STEP 16), the processing unit 122 stores the first authentication information AT1 received from the mobile device 40 in the storage device 13 as registered authentication information RG (STEP 17).

Next, the processing unit 122 allows the user 30 carrying the mobile device 40 to use the locking/unlocking device 21 (STEP 14).

According to the above configuration, the first authentication information AT1 used to authenticate the mobile device 40 is registered through two-step authentication. This increases the likelihood of verifying that the user 30 is the owner of the mobile device 40 in a configuration in which the first authentication information AT1 is delivered to the mobile device 40. This increases the security of the authentication system 10 that authenticates the mobile device 40 based on the delivered first authentication information AT1.

In this example, the second authentication process is performed by authenticating the electronic key 70 for controlling the operation of the locking/unlocking device 21. There is a high probability that the device associated with the operation control of the locking/unlocking device 21 is owned by the user who wishes to use the locking/unlocking device 21. This further increases the likelihood of confirming that the user 30 is the owner of the mobile device 40. In addition, it is possible to suppress an increase in costs associated with the configuration added to the authentication system 10 to achieve two-step authentication.

However, any suitable biometric authentication technology may be used in the second authentication process, provided that it can be verified that the user 30 is the owner of the mobile device 40.

The vehicle 20 can be shared by multiple users with different attributes. Examples of attributes include the owner of the vehicle 20, the family of the owner, the friend of the owner, the car sharing partner of the owner (hereinafter abbreviated as sharing partner), the dealer of the vehicle 20, etc.

The user's attributes may be associated with authority for operational control of a controlled device installed in the vehicle 20. The authority may include time-based authority and control-type-based authority. Time-based authority corresponds to the length of time during which operational control of the controlled device is possible. Control-type-based authority corresponds to at least one of the types of controlled device and operation for which operational control is permitted. Examples of controlled devices installed in the vehicle 20 include the locking/unlocking device 21, as well as an ignition power supply, an engine, an air conditioning device, audiovisual equipment, lighting equipment, and position adjustment mechanisms for seats and steering wheels.

That is, the user's attributes may include a first attribute and a second attribute. The second attribute is defined as being associated with more limited authority than a user having the first attribute. For example, if the owner of vehicle 20 has the first attribute, the owner's sharing partner may have the second attribute. The sharing partner has more limited authority to control the operation of the controlled device than the owner.

In this example, information related to user attributes and information related to authority are stored in advance in storage device 13. Specifically, storage device 13 stores first authority information that specifies the authority granted to a user having a first attribute, and second authority information that specifies the authority granted to a user having a second attribute.

In this example, the first authentication information AT1 received by the reception unit 121 of the control device 12 through the communication device 11 includes attribute information. The attribute information is information that identifies the attributes of the user 30.

When the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 accepted by the accepting unit 121 is not stored in the memory device 13, the processing unit 122 of the control device 12 is configured to refer to the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 and determine whether the attribute of the user 30 corresponds to the first attribute or the second attribute.

The processing unit 122 is configured to request a second authentication process from the user 30 who is determined to have the first attribute. When the second authentication process is successful, the processing unit 122 is configured to store the first authentication information AT1 transmitted from the mobile device 40 carried by the user 30 as registered authentication information RG in the storage device 13, and to permit the user 30 to use the controlled device within the scope of authority specified by the first authority information.

On the other hand, for a user 30 who is determined to have the second attribute, the processing unit 122 is configured to store the first authentication information AT1 transmitted from the mobile device 40 carried by the user 30 as registered authentication information RG in the storage device 13 without performing the second authentication process, and to permit the user 30 to use the controlled device within the scope of authority specified by the second authority information.

Figure 4 shows another example of the flow of processing executed by the processing unit 122 of the control device 12 configured as described above. Processing elements that are substantially the same as those illustrated in Figure 3 are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

When it is determined that the registered authentication information RG corresponding to the first authentication information AT1 received from the mobile device 40 is not stored in the storage device 13 (NO in STEP 12), the processing unit 122 refers to the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 and determines whether the attribute of the user 30 identified by the attribute information corresponds to the first attribute (STEP 21).

When it is determined that the attribute of the user 30 specified by the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 corresponds to the first attribute (YES in STEP 21), the processing unit 122 requests the user 30 to execute the second authentication process (STEP 15). The subsequent process is as described with reference to FIG. 3, but the operational control of the locking/unlocking device 21 permitted in STEP 14 is determined within the range specified by the first authority information stored in the storage device 13.

If it is determined that the attribute of user 30 identified by the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 does not correspond to the first attribute (NO in STEP 21), the processing unit 122 determines whether the attribute of user 30 identified by the attribute information corresponds to the second attribute (STEP 22).

If it is determined that the attribute of the user 30 identified by the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 does not correspond to either the first attribute or the second attribute (NO in STEP 22), the processing unit 122 returns the process to STEP 11 and waits for reception of another piece of first authentication information AT1. The user 30 may be appropriately notified that the first authentication information AT1 could not be registered.

When it is determined that the attribute of the user 30 specified by the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 corresponds to the second attribute (YES in STEP 22), the processing unit 122 stores the first authentication information AT1 received from the mobile device 40 in the storage device 13 as registered authentication information RG (STEP 17). The operational control of the locking/unlocking device 21 permitted in STEP 14 is determined within the range specified by the second authority information stored in the storage device 13.

According to this configuration, two-step authentication is applied to a user having a first attribute to which less restrictive authority is granted when registering the first authentication information AT1. In other words, the identity of a user to which less restrictive authority is granted is verified more carefully. On the other hand, the first authentication information AT1 is registered without applying two-step authentication to a user having a second attribute to which more restricted authority is granted. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience that a user to which more restricted authority is granted may feel. As a result, it is possible to provide appropriate security when the authentication system 10 is shared by multiple users with different authority related to the operation control of the controlled device.

Which of the user attributes exemplified above (Owner, Owner's Family, Owner's Friends, Share Partner, Dealer) corresponds to the first attribute and which corresponds to the second attribute can be appropriately determined. In addition, three or more attributes with different privileges granted may be defined.

The first authentication information AT1 received by the reception unit 121 of the control device 12 may include information specifying the expiration date. In this case, the operation of the processing unit 122 described with reference to FIG. 4 may be modified as follows.

If the attribute of user 30 identified by the attribute information included in first authentication information AT1 corresponds to the first attribute, and if the second authentication process is successful (YES in STEP 16), the processing unit 122 modifies the first authentication information AT1 to cancel the expiration date and then stores it in the storage device 13 (STEP 17). The cancellation of the expiration date is reflected in the first authority information in the storage device 13.

On the other hand, if the attribute of the user 30 identified by the attribute information included in the first authentication information AT1 corresponds to the second attribute (YES in STEP 22), the processing unit 122 stores the first authentication information AT1 in the storage device 13 while maintaining the expiration date (STEP 17). The expiration date is reflected in the second authority information in the storage device 13.

With this configuration, the process of differentiating the temporal authority of a user having a first attribute from that of a user having a second attribute can be performed only within the control device 12, so there is no need to prepare separate authentication systems for users having the first attribute and users having the second attribute. This makes it possible to suppress increases in the construction costs of the authentication system 10.

The processing unit 122 of the control device 12 having the various functions described above can be realized by a general-purpose microprocessor that operates 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, the ROM can store a computer program that executes the above-mentioned processing. The ROM is an example of a non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a computer program. The general-purpose microprocessor specifies at least a part of the computer program stored in the ROM, expands it on the RAM, and executes the above-mentioned processing in cooperation with the RAM. The above-mentioned computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or may be downloaded from the external server device 50 via the wireless communication network 60 and then installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server device 50 is an example of a non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a computer program.

The processing unit 122 may be realized by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above computer program, such as a microcontroller, an ASIC, or an FPGA. In this case, the above 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 that stores a computer program. Each processor may also be realized by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

The above-mentioned general-purpose memory or memory element may be used as the memory device 13. In other words, the memory device 13 may be part of the control device 12.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention. The configurations according to the above-described embodiments may be modified or improved as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the communication device 11 and the control device 12 are illustrated as multiple devices mounted independently at separate locations in the vehicle 20. However, the communication device 11 may be provided as part of the control device 12.

At least a part of the authentication process performed by the processing unit 122 of the control device 12 may be performed in the external server device 50 illustrated in FIG. 1. Therefore, the storage device 13 may be mounted on the external server device 50.

The authentication system 10 can also be applied to moving objects other than the vehicle 20. Examples of other moving objects include trains, airplanes, ships, etc. The moving object may not require a driver.

The opening and closing body that is locked and unlocked by the locking/unlocking device 21 is not limited to the door of a mobile body. Doors and windows in a house or facility can also be examples of opening and closing bodies. Various types of equipment in a house or facility can also be examples of controlled devices. In other words, the communication device 11, the control device 12, and the storage device 13 do not need to be mounted on a mobile body.

10: Authentication system, 11: Communication device, 12: Control device, 13: Storage device, 20: Vehicle, 21: Locking/unlocking device, 22: Door, 30: User, 40: Mobile device, 70: Electronic key, AT1: First authentication information, RG: Registered authentication information

Claims (8)

a communication device for wirelessly communicating with a mobile device that is portable by a user;
a storage device capable of storing registered authentication information used in a first authentication process for authenticating the mobile device;
a control device that permits operation control of a controlled device when the first authentication process is successful;
It is equipped with
the control device acquires authentication information distributed to the mobile device through the communication device, and if registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in the storage device, requests the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process, and if the second authentication process is successful, stores the authentication information in the storage device as the registered authentication information;
Equipped with
Authentication system. The control device authenticates a device other than the mobile device associated with the controlled device as the second authentication process.
The authentication system according to claim 1 . The authentication information includes attribute information that identifies an attribute of the user,
The user attributes include a first attribute associated with a first authority and a second attribute associated with a second authority that is more restricted than the first authority;
the control device requests the second authentication process when an attribute of the user specified by the attribute information corresponds to the first attribute.
3. An authentication system according to claim 1 or 2. The authentication information has an expiration date.
When the second authentication process is successful, the control device cancels the expiration date.
The authentication system according to claim 3. The controlled device is a locking/unlocking device that locks and unlocks the opening/closing body.
An authentication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The communication device and the control device are mounted on a moving object.
An authentication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A control device that permits operational control of a controlled device based on a first authentication process that authenticates a mobile device that can be carried by a user,
a reception unit that receives the authentication information distributed to the mobile device through a communication device that is capable of wireless communication with the mobile device;
a processing unit that requests the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process when registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in the storage device, and stores the authentication information in the storage device as the registered authentication information when the second authentication process is successful;
Equipped with
Control device. A computer program executable by a processing unit mounted on a control device that permits operational control of a controlled device based on a first authentication process for authenticating a mobile device that can be carried by a user,
By being executed, the control device
receiving the authentication information delivered to the mobile device through a communication device capable of wirelessly communicating with the mobile device;
requesting the user to perform a second authentication process different from the first authentication process when registered authentication information corresponding to the authentication information is not stored in a storage device;
If the second authentication process is successful, the authentication information is stored in the storage device as the registered authentication information.
Computer program.

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