Communication apparatus, operation assistance apparatus, and operation assistance system

• US 10,424,199 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Hamada, Yuji, Igarashi, Yuji, Tosa, Takatoshi, Ikawa, Masahiko, Konaka, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Small, Naomi J
• Application Number:
  US15/112,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20160351049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 340905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A technique controlling transmission and display of terminal information in accordance with a movement state and an operation state. A communication unit transmits terminal information including at least movement information of a communication apparatus to another communication apparatus, and receives other terminal information including at least movement information of the other communication apparatus from the other communication apparatus. A terminal information controller controls transmission of the terminal information from the communication unit to the other communication apparatus based on the movement state estimated by a movement-state estimation unit and the operation state managed by an operation-state management unit, and when it is determined on the basis of the terminal information and the other terminal information received by communication unit that an attention calling state has occurred, controls display information that causes a display to display attention calling information on the basis of the movement state and the operation state.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for wirelessly communicating with another movable communication apparatus and being movable along with a moving object, comprising:

a sensor;

a processor including circuitry configured to perform as a movement-state estimator that estimates a movement state of said moving object on the basis of information that includes movement information of said communication apparatus that is detected by the sensor;

the circuitry in the processor is further configured to perform as an operation-state manager that specifies an operation state of operations performed on said communication apparatus by a user, and manages the operation state that includes a time elapsed after a latest operation was performed on said communication apparatus without any intervening operations performed on said communication apparatus during the elapsed time;

the circuitry in the processor is further configured to perform as a communication processor that transmits terminal information that includes at least the movement information of said communication apparatus to said another communication apparatus, and receives another terminal information that includes at least movement information of said another communication apparatus from said another communication apparatus; and

a terminal information controller that controls transmission of said terminal information from said communication processor to said another communication apparatus on the basis of said movement state estimated by said movement-state estimator and said operation state managed by said operation-state manager, and when it is determined on the basis of said terminal information and said another terminal information received by said communication processor that an attention calling state has occurred, controls display information that causes a display to display attention calling information on the basis of said movement state and said operation state, wherein,

said movement state includes;

when said moving object is a user, states indicating how the user is stationary, states indicating whether or not the user is walking, states indicating whether or not the user is running, and states indicating whether or not the user is not holding said communication apparatus;

when said moving object is a bicycle, states indicating whether or not the bicycle is ridden, when said moving object is an automobile, states indicating whether or not the automobile is ridden or driven;

when said moving object is a bus, states indicating whether or not the bus is ridden; and

when said moving object is a train, states indicating whether or not the train is ridden,

said operation state includes;

states indicating whether or not the user is on a call, states indicating whether or not the user is performing a screen operation, and states indicating whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation,

said terminal information controller transmits said terminal information and displays attention calling information on said display when said movement state is one of the state indicating the user is walking, the state indicating the user is running, and the state indicating the bicycle is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is on a call, the state indicating the user is performing a screen operation, and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has not elapsed after a screen operation, and

said terminal information controller does not transmit said terminal information and does not display attention calling information on said display when said movement state is one of the state indicating the automobile is ridden, the state indicating the bus is ridden, and the state indicating the train is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is not performing a screen operation and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said movement information of said communication apparatus includes a position and speed of said communication apparatus or a position history of said communication apparatus.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said terminal information controller has said movement state and said operation state included in said terminal information and transmits said terminal information to said another communication apparatus.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

when a user has set to disable a communication function of said communication processor, said terminal information controller enables and disables the communication function of said communication processor based on the movement state and said operation state.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said terminal information controller controls a transmission cycle for use in transmitting said terminal information from said communication processor to said another communication apparatus, on the basis of said movement state and said operation state.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the circuitry in the processor is further configured to perform as a map information manager that manages map information, and

said terminal information controller controls transmission of said terminal information from said communication processor to said another communication apparatus on the basis of said movement state, said operation state, and said map information, and when it is determined on the basis of said terminal information and said another terminal information received by said communication processor that an attention calling state has occurred, controls display information that causes said display to display attention calling information on the basis of said movement state, said operation state, and said map information.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the circuitry in the processor is further configured to perform as a personal characteristic manager that manages personal characteristic information, and

said terminal information controller controls transmission of said terminal information from said communication processor to said another communication apparatus on the basis of said movement state, said operation state, and said personal characteristic information, and when it is determined on the basis of said terminal information and said another terminal information received by said communication processor that an attention calling state has occurred, controls display information that causes said display to display attention calling information on the basis of said movement state, said operation state, and said personal characteristic information.

8. An operation assistance system comprising:

the communication apparatus according to claim 1; and

an operation assistance apparatus that is used as said another communication apparatus, said operation assistance apparatus for a vehicle that wirelessly communicates with a movable communication apparatus, comprising;

another processor including circuitry configured to perform as an operation assistance communication processor that receives movement information of said communication apparatus and an operation state of operations performed on said communication apparatus by a user, the operation state including a time elapsed after a latest operation was performed on said communication apparatus; and

a vehicle information controller that calls attention of a driver of said vehicle when it is determined that an attention calling state has occurred, on the basis of movement information of said operation assistance apparatus that is detected by a sensor that targets said operation assistance apparatus for detection, and said movement information and said operation state of said communication apparatus that are received by said operation assistance communication processor.

9. A communication apparatus for wirelessly communicating with a cloud server capable of wireless communication with another movable communication apparatus, and being movable along with a moving object, comprising:

a processor including circuitry configured to perform as an operation-state manager that specifies an operation state of operations performed on said communication apparatus by a user and manages the operation state, the operation state including a time elapsed after a latest operation was performed on said communication apparatus without any intervening operations performed on said communication apparatus during the elapsed time;

the circuitry in the processor is further configured to perform as a communication processor that transmits terminal information to said cloud server, said terminal information including movement information of said communication apparatus that is detected by a sensor that targets said communication apparatus for detection, and when said cloud server has determined that an attention calling state has occurred, on the basis of said terminal information that is received from said communication apparatus and other terminal information that is received from said another communication apparatus and includes movement information of said another communication apparatus, receives attention calling information and a movement state of said moving object from said cloud server; and

a terminal information controller that controls display information that causes a display to display said attention calling information on the basis of said movement state and said operation state, wherein,

said movement state includes;

when said moving object is a user, states indicating how the user is stationary, states indicating whether or not the user is walking, states indicating whether or not the user is running, and states indicating whether or not the user is not holding said communication apparatus;

when said moving object is a bicycle, states indicating whether or not the bicycle is ridden;

when said moving object is an automobile, states indicating whether or not the automobile is ridden or driven;

when said moving object is a bus, states indicating whether or not the bus is ridden; and

when said moving object is a train, states indicating whether or not the train is ridden,

said operation state includes;

states indicating whether or not the user is on a call, states indicating whether or not the user is performing a screen operation, and states indicating whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation,

said terminal information controller transmits said terminal information and displays attention calling information on said display when said movement state is one of the state indicating the user is walking, the state indicating the user is running, and the state indicating the bicycle is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is on a call, the state indicating the user is performing a screen operation, and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has not elapsed after a screen operation, and

said terminal information controller does not transmit said terminal information and does not display attention calling information on said display when said movement state is one of the state indicating the automobile is ridden, the state indicating the bus is ridden, and the state indicating the train is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is not performing a screen operation and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation.

10. An operation assistance apparatus for a vehicle that wirelessly communicates with a communication apparatus being movable along with a moving object, comprising:

a processor including circuitry configured to perform as a communication processor that receives movement information of said communication apparatus and an operation state of operations performed on said communication apparatus by a user, the operation state including a time elapsed after a latest operation was performed on said communication apparatus without any intervening operations performed on said communication apparatus during the elapsed time; and

a vehicle information controller that calls attention of a driver of said vehicle when it is determined that an attention calling state has occurred, on the basis of movement information of said operation assistance apparatus that is detected by a sensor that targets said operation assistance apparatus for detection, and said movement information and said operation state of said communication apparatus that are received by said communication processor, wherein,

said movement information includes;

when said moving object is a user, states indicating how the user is stationary, states indicating whether or not the user is walking, states indicating whether or not the user is running, and states indicating whether or not the user is not holding said communication apparatus;

when said moving object is a bicycle, states indicating whether or not the bicycle is ridden;

when said moving object is an automobile, states indicating whether or not the automobile is ridden or driven;

when said moving object is a bus, states indicating whether or not the bus is ridden; and

when said moving object is a train, states indicating whether or not the train is ridden,

said operation state includes;

states indicating whether or not the user is on a call, states indicating whether or not the user is performing a screen operation, and states indicating whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation,

said vehicle information controller transmits a vehicle information to said communication apparatus and displays attention calling information to said driver of said vehicle when said movement information is one of the state indicating the user is walking, the state indicating the user is running, and the state indicating the bicycle is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is on a call, the state indicating the user is performing a screen operation, and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has not elapsed after a screen operation, and

said terminal information controller does not transmit said vehicle information to said communication apparatus and does not display attention calling information to said driver of said vehicle when said movement information is one of the state indicating the automobile is ridden, the state indicating the bus is ridden, and the state indicating the train is ridden, and when said operation state is one of the state indicating the user is not performing a screen operation and the state indicating a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a screen operation.