INFORMATION DELIVERY METHOD FOR VEHICULAR COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• US 20020068555A1
• Filed: 08/26/1998
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, MANABU, YOSHIDA, ICHIRO, TORII, AKIRA
• Granted Patent: US 6,493,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A stationary communication device (SCD) is placed at a predetermined position to form a communication area covering vehicles traveling on a road. A vehicular communication device (VCD) is mounted on a vehicle for communicating with the SCD when the vehicle enters in the communication area. The SCD divides sound guidance data into a plurality of sound data blocks of predetermined communication frames and transmits the divided sound data blocks successively. The VCD receives the divided sound data blocks transmitted from the SCD, and requests the SCD to transmit specific sound data block again when the VCD fails to receive this specific sound data block, thereby issuing a sound guidance using the received sound data blocks including the specific sound data block transmitted again.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a stationary communication device placed at a predetermined position and forming a communication area covering vehicles traveling on a road; and

at least one vehicular communication device mounted on a vehicle for communicating with said stationary communication device when said vehicle enters in said communication area;

wherein said stationary communication device divides sound guidance data into a plurality of sound data blocks of predetermined communication frames and transmits said divided sound data blocks successively;

said vehicular communication device receives said divided sound data blocks transmitted from said stationary communication device, and requests said stationary communication device to transmit specific sound data block again when said vehicular communication device fails to receive said specific sound data block, thereby issuing a sound guidance using the received sound data blocks including said specific sound data block transmitted again.

2. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said vehicular communication device includes a sound data storage means for storing a predetermined number of sound data beforehand, and said stationary communication device transmits a designation signal in addition to said divided sound data blocks so that said vehicular communication device reads particular sound data from said sound data storage means in response to said designation signal.

3. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said stationary communication device transmits display data paired with corresponding sound data blocks, and said vehicular communication device comprises a display unit for displaying contents of said sound data blocks based on said display data paired with said sound data blocks.

4. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said stationary communication device and said vehicular communication device comprise a bandwidth limiting circuit which limits a frequency band of communication data for modulating a carrier wave used in radio communications performed between said stationary communication device and said vehicular communication device.

15. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein sound data are compressed by sampling characteristic points together with corresponding time information to create a polynomial representing a time variation of said sound data.

16. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of phonemes are prepared beforehand and a sound is created by multiplying respective phonemes with appropriate parameters and adding the multiplied phonemes.

17. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said vehicular communication device analyzes missing sound data based on already received sound data and selectively issues a sound guidance or a display guidance according to the analysis.

18. The communication system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said bandwidth limiting circuit converts a rectangular waveform signal of digital communication data into a sine waveform signal.

19. The communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said divided sound data blocks are referred by sequential numbers.

20. The communication system in accordance with claim 2, wherein an index number is attached to each sound data stored in said sound data storage means of said vehicular communication device, and said stationary communication device transmits the designation signal including an index number corresponding to said particular sound data.

21. The communication system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said sound data storage means of said vehicular communication device stores frequently or commonly used sound guidance information.

5. A vehicular communication device mounted on a vehicle for communicating with a stationary communication device, comprising:

receiving means for receiving divided sound data blocks successively transmitted from said stationary communication device;

request means for requesting said stationary communication device to transmit specific sound data block again when said specific sound data block is not received successfully; and

sound generating means for generating a sound in a compartment of the vehicle based on the received sound data blocks including said specific sound data block transmitted again.

6. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 5, further comprising a temporary data storage means for temporarily storing said divided sound data blocks successively transmitted from said stationary communication device, and said sound generating means issues said sound based on said sound data blocks stored in said temporary data storage means.

7. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 6, wherein said sound generating means reissues said sound based on said sound data blocks stored in said temporary data storage means.

8. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 5, further comprising a sound output terminal connectable to an external speaker provided in the compartment of the vehicle.

10. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 8, wherein a built-in speaker of said vehicular communication device causes no sound when said external speaker is connected to said sound output terminal.

11. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said external speaker is a speaker of an external audio component.

12. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 11, wherein a sound output switcher is provided between said sound output terminal and said external audio component for selecting sound data sent to said external speaker.

13. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 12, wherein said sound output switcher comprises:

a sound signal detecting circuit for detecting a sound signal generated from said sound output terminal; and

a switching unit for supplying said sound signal to said external speaker when said sound signal detecting circuit detects said sound signal.

14. The vehicular communication device in accordance with claim 11, wherein a sound signal sent from said sound output terminal to said external speaker is larger than a sound signal sent from said external audio component to said external speaker.

9. A stationary communication device placed at a predetermined position for forming a communication area to communicate with a vehicular communication device mounted on a vehicle entering in said communication area;

comprising;

sound data transmitting means for dividing sound guidance data into a plurality of sound data blocks of predetermined communication frames and transmitting said divided sound data blocks successively to said vehicular communication device; and

missing data transmitting means for transmitting specific sound data block again in response to a request returned from said vehicular communication device that fails to receive said specific sound data block.

22. A communication system comprising:

a stationary communication device placed at a predetermined position and forming a communication area to transmit sound data to vehicles traveling on a road; and

at least one vehicular communication device mounted on a vehicle for receiving the sound data transmitted from said stationary communication device when said vehicle enters in said communication area;

wherein said vehicular communication device includes a sound data storage means for storing a predetermined number of sound data beforehand, and said stationary communication device transmits a designation signal in addition to the sound data so that said vehicular communication device reads particular sound data from said sound data storage means in response to said designation signal.

23. The communication system in accordance with claim 22, wherein an index number is attached to each sound data stored in said sound data storage means of said vehicular communication device, and said stationary communication device transmits the designation signal including an index number corresponding to said particular sound data.

24. The communication system in accordance with claim 22, wherein said sound data storage means of said vehicular communication device stores frequently or commonly used sound guidance information.