1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for controlling an apparatus to be controlled by using a brain wave signal.
2. Description of Related Art
Such control apparatuses include a navigation apparatus for guiding a moving object, such as a vehicle or ship, so that the moving object can travel by way of an optimum route. A prior art navigation apparatus using a brain wave signal has been proposed. For example, there has been provided a prior art navigation apparatus equipped with a dangerous operation notification function, which can expect the occurrence of a danger before the driver carries out a dangerous operation of a vehicle and which can inform the user that a danger will occur, thereby improving the driving safety.
The prior art navigation apparatus, which determines the current position of the vehicle based on a GPS signal by using a GPS antenna unit and which reads map information stored in a CD-ROM by using a CD access unit based on this current position and displays the map information on a display unit thereof, grasps information about roads to which the vehicle will be able to be headed in advance by using a road detecting unit after the CD access unit has acquired the map information about a map of an area with center at the current position acquired by the GPS antenna unit. A safety evaluating unit estimates what the user will do from the user's brain wave acquired by a brain wave detecting unit and further estimates a road along which the user will drive the vehicle so as to evaluate the safety of the road. As a result, when the safety evaluating unit evaluates that the driver's predicted action is dangerous, a notification unit notifies the danger of the action to the driver (for example, refer to Japanese patent application publication (TOKKAIHEI) No. 7-182595 (see paragraph numbers “0007”, “0008”, and “0009”)).
Although the prior art navigation apparatus can notify the safety of the road along which the driver will drive the vehicle to the driver by estimating the driver's future action by using a detected brain wave signal, the prior art navigation apparatus cannot positively control the navigation apparatus itself and a vehicle-mounted apparatus by using the detected brain wave signal. In addition, the prior art navigation apparatus does not implement a security function of notifying a theft of the vehicle to users by using a brain wave signal.