Mobile terminal, and automatic remote control system and automatic remote control method

• US 20020072356A1
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Atsushi, Hamada, Hiroyuki, Sakamoto, Kiyomi, Ata, Teruaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,909,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005

Abstract

A mobile terminal 31 detects its position, speed, and direction, and judges a control requirement based on the detected position, speed, and direction. Based on the judgment, the mobile terminal 31 transmits a message corresponding to the control requirement that has been satisfied to a control terminal 33. The control terminal 33 judges a message requirement based on the received message. Based on the judgment, the control terminal 33 transmits a control command corresponding to the message requirement that has been satisfied to a control target appliance 34. The control target appliance 34 executes an operation by following the received command.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal capable of communicating through a network with a receiving system including at least one control target appliance and of remotely controlling the control target appliance by transmitting a message to the receiving system, said mobile terminal comprising:

message transmission rule storing means for storing at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling said control target appliance and a message to be transmitted for remote control;

motion parameter detecting means for detecting various motion parameters indicating a current state of motion;

control requirement judging means for judging whether the control requirement in said message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameters detected by said motion parameter detecting means; and

transmitting means for transmitting , when said control requirement judging means judges that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to said receiving system by reading the message from said message transmission rule storage means.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting a destination specified by a user, wherein

said control requirement judging means judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied only when a position of said receiving system matches the destination set by said setting means.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

cartographic information storage means for storing cartographic information; and

route searching means for searching a route on a map from a starting point to the destination set by said setting means, wherein

said control requirement judging means judges whether said control requirement in said message transmission rule has been satisfied based on said motion parameters and the route found by said route searching means.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said control requirement includes a predetermined distance, and

said control requirement judging means calculates a remaining distance on said found route from a current position to said destination, and judges whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the remaining distance becomes shorter than the predetermined distance included in said control requirement.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said control requirement includes a predetermined time,

said control requirement judging means predicts a time left to go to said destination while taking said found route, and judges whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said predicted time is shorter than the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said setting means sets said destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

said control requirement includes a predetermined distance and a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging means

calculates a distance from a current position to said destination on said found route,

calculates a time difference between a current time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setting means, and judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said calculated distance and said calculated time difference respectively have a predetermined relation with the predetermined distance and the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said setting means sets said destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

said control requirement includes a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging means

predicts an arrival time to said destination while taking said found route,

calculates a time difference between said predicted arrival time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setting means, and

judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said calculated time difference has a predetermined relation with the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

output means for outputting to a user a visual and/or audio inquiry about whether said transmitting means transmits said message; and

answer receiving means for receiving an answer from the user to the inquiry outputted by said output means, wherein

said transmitting means transmits said message when the user answers that said message should be transmitted.

9. An automatic remote control system in which a predetermined message is transmitted through a network from a mobile terminal to a receiving system for remotely controlling a control target appliance included the receiving system,

said mobile terminal comprising:

message transmission rule storing means for storing at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling said control target appliance and a message to be transmitted for remote control;

motion parameter detecting means for detecting various motion parameters indicating a current state of motion;

control requirement judging means for judging whether the control requirement in said message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameters detected by said motion parameter detecting means; and

transmitting means for transmitting, when said control requirement judging means judges that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to said receiving system by reading the message from said message transmission rule storage means, and

said receiving system comprising;

receiving means for receiving said message from said mobile terminal; and

executing means for making said control target appliance execute an operation based on the message received by said receiving means.

10. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

said executing means includes:

control command transmission rule storage means for storing a control command transmission rule for determining, based on the message received by said receiving means, a control command indicating an instruction for operating said control target appliance;

control command determining means for determining the control command corresponding to the message received by said receiving means by following the control command transmission rule; and

execution control means for making said control target appliance execute the operation based on the control command determined by said control command determining means.

11. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

the message transmitted from said transmitting means is provided with identification information for identifying the mobile terminal that transmitted the message,

said control command transmission rule is so described as that said control command is determined based on the message and said identification information both received by said receiving means, and

said control command determining means the control command corresponding the message and the identification information both received by said receiving means by following said control command transmission rule.

12. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

said mobile terminal further includes setting means for setting a destination specified by a user,

said control requirement judging means judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied when a position of said receiving system matches the destination set by said setting means.

13. The automatic remote control system according to claim 12, wherein

said mobile terminal further includes:

cartographic information storage means for storing cartographic information; and

route searching means for searching a route on a map from a starting point to the destination set by said setting means, wherein

said control requirement judging means judges whether said control requirement in said message transmission rule has been satisfied based on said motion parameters and the route found by said route searching means.

14. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said control requirement includes a predetermined distance, and

said control requirement judging means calculates a remaining distance on said found route from a current position to said destination, and judges whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the remaining distance becomes shorter than the predetermined distance included in said control requirement.

15. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said control requirement includes a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging means predicts a time left to go to said destination while taking said found route, and judges whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said predicted time is shorter than the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

16. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said setting means sets said destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

said control requirement includes a predetermined distance and a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging means

calculates a distance from a current position to said destination on said found route,

calculates a time difference between a current time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setting means, and

judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said calculated distance and said calculated time difference respectively have a predetermined relation with the predetermined distance and the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

17. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said setting means sets said destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

said control requirement includes a predetermined time,

said control requirement judging means

predicts an arrival time to said destination while taking said found route,

calculates a time difference between said predicted arrival time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setting means, and

judges whether said control requirement has been satisfied based on whether said calculated time difference has a predetermined relation with the predetermined time included in said control requirement.

18. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

output means for outputting to a user a visual and/or audio inquiry about whether said transmitting means transmits said message;

and

answer receiving means for receiving an answer from the user to the inquiry outputted by said output means, wherein

said transmitting means transmits said message when the user answers that said message should be transmitted.

19. An automatic control method for remotely controlling a control target appliance included a receiving system by transmitting a predetermined message through a network from a mobile terminal to the receiving system,

said mobile terminal previously storing at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling said control target appliance and the message to be transmitted for remote control,

said method comprising the steps of:

detecting, by said mobile terminal, various motion parameters indicating a current state of motion;

judging, by said mobile terminal, whether the control requirement in said message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the detected motion parameters;

transmitting, by said mobile terminal, when it is judged that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to said receiving system by reading the message from said message transmission rule;

making, by said receiving system, said mess said control target appliance execute an operation based on said message received from said mobile terminal.