In-vehicle accessory system utilizing region-based automatic function setting method

• US 20030045979A1
• Filed: 07/24/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,760,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

An in-vehicle accessory system for an audio and navigation system includes a control device, a display, a TV tuner, a DVD player, a VCR, a GPS receiver and a switching circuit. The control device includes a ROM. The control device determines a region in which a vehicle is located based on a signal from the GPS receiver. Then, the control device determines whether outputting video signals to the display is permitted in the region based on information stored in the ROM. If the video display is prohibited in the region, the control device turns off the switching circuit to disable the video signal output from the TV tuner, DVD player or VCR.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle accessory system comprising:

a video signal output device;

a current position search means for searching a current potion of a vehicle;

a region determination means for determining a region in which the current position of the vehicle is located;

a setting information retrieval means for retrieving setting information of the video signal output device in the determined region, the setting information being different from region to region; and

a function setting means for setting a function of the video signal output device based on the retrieved setting information.

2. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, wherein the function set by the setting means includes a video standard of the video signal output device.

3. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, wherein the function set by the setting means includes a control of video signal output operation of the video signal output device.

4. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 2, wherein:

the video signal output device is an optical disk playback device; and

the function setting means sets a region code in the optical disk playback device, wherein the region code specifies the region in which the optical disk playback device is used.

5. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 2, wherein:

the video signal output device is a television tuner; and

the function setting means sets the video standard of the television tuner.

6. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 2, wherein the video signal output device is a videocassette recorder;

and

the function setting means sets the video standard of the videocassette recorder.

7. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, further comprising a setting information storing means, wherein:

the setting information storing means stores the setting information of the video signal output device; and

the setting information retrieval means retrieves information from the setting information storing means.

8. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 7, wherein the setting information storing means is configured so that the information stored in the setting information storing means is changeable.

9. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, further comprising a receiver means, wherein:

the receiver means receives the setting information; and

the setting information retrieval means retrieves the information from the receiver means.

10. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 9, wherein the receiver means is a traffic information receiver.

11. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, wherein the function setting means determines whether the current position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a border between the determined region and a next region thereof in which a different function setting is required.

12. The in vehicle accessory system as in claim 11, wherein the function setting means disables the function when the current position is within the predetermined distance.

13. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 12, further comprising a message display means for notifying a user of the system that the function of the video signal output device is disabled.

14. The in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 1, further comprising a switching means, wherein the function setting means utilizes the switching means to set the function.

15. A function setting method for an in-vehicle accessory system comprising steps of:

searching a current position of a vehicle;

determining a region in which the searched current position of the vehicle is located;

retrieving setting information of the in-vehicle accessory system based on the determined region; and

setting a function of the in-vehicle accessory system based on the retrieved setting information.

16. The function setting method for the in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 15, wherein the function setting step includes a step of setting video standard used in the determined region.

17. The function setting method for the in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 15, wherein the function setting step includes a step of setting region code for the determined region.

18. The function setting method for the in-vehicle accessory system as in claim 15, wherein the function setting step includes steps of:

determining whether the current position is within a predetermined distance from a border between the determined region and a next region thereof;

determining whether use of the function is prohibited in the next region; and

disabling the function when the current position is within the predetermined distance and the use of the function in the next region is prohibited.