Vehicle information providing apparatus, on-vehicle information playing apparatus, vehicle information providing method and on-vehicle information playing method

• US 20030114968A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohara, Hisanori, Sato, Koji, Okamoto, Satoshi, Abe, Noriyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,847,885 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 information providing center calculates an estimated traveling time to elapse before a vehicle arrives at a destination by using traveling information transmitted from an on-vehicle system and determines contents information to be provided to the on-vehicle system in conformance to the calculated traveling time. The information providing center prepares a program list containing the contents information that has been selected, information indicating the order in which the contents information is to be played and media information indicating how the contents information is to be obtained and transmits the program list to the on-vehicle system. The on-vehicle system obtains and plays the contents information as indicated in the transmitted program list.

Claims

1. A vehicle information providing apparatus, comprising:

a communication device that exchanges information with a vehicle;

a traveling time estimation device that estimates a traveling time required for the vehicle to arrive at a destination based upon traveling information transmitted from the vehicle;

an information selection device that selects information to be provided to the vehicle based upon a request transmitted from the vehicle;

a list preparation device that prepares an information list of the information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected by the information selection device so as to match a length of time over which the information is to be provided with the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation device; and

a control device that controls the communication device so as to transmit the information list prepared by the list preparation device to the vehicle.

2. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a provision-time modifying information generating device that generates provision-time modifying information required to modify the length of time over which the information is to be provided, wherein;

the information list includes the provision-time modifying information generated by the provision-time modifying information generating device.

3. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control device controls the communication device so as to transmit information to the vehicle in conformance to the information list prepared by the list preparation device, controls the traveling time estimation device so as to re-estimate the traveling time each time a set of information on information list is provided to the vehicle and controls the list preparation device so as to modify the information list to ensure that the length of time over which information yet to be provided is to be provided matches the traveling time that has been re-estimated.

4. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the list preparation device prepares the information list so as to provide corresponding information at a specified time point indicated in the request transmitted from the vehicle; and

the control device controls the communication device so as to transmit the information to the vehicle in conformance to the information list prepared by the list preparation device.

5. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the list preparation device prepares the information list to be provided to the vehicle so as to provide information corresponding to a specific area indicated in the request transmitted from the vehicle when the vehicle is in the area; and

the control device controls the communication device so as to transmit the information to the vehicle in conformance to the information list prepared by the list preparation device.

6. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the list preparation device prepares a second information list of information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected by the information selection device so as to match the length of time over which the information is to be provided with a time length smaller than the traveling time, and a third information list of information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected by the information selection device so as to match the length of time over which the information is to be provided with a time length greater than the traveling time, in addition to the information list (a first information list) of the information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected by the information selection device so as to match the length of time over which the information is to be provided with the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation device; and

the control device controls the communication device so as to transmit the first information list, the second information list and the third information list to the vehicle.

7. A vehicle information providing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation device is made to correspond with a center of a normal distribution representing a deviation of a length of time over which the vehicle is utilized, the time length smaller than the traveling time is made to correspond with a range between the center of the normal distribution and −

3 δ and

the time length greater than the traveling time is made to correspond with a range between the center of the normal distribution and +3δ

.

8. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus comprising:

a playback device that plays information in conformance to an information list listing a plurality of sets of information to be played in a vehicle;

a traveling time estimation device that estimates a traveling time required for the vehicle to arrive at a destination based upon vehicle traveling information;

a playback time calculation device that calculates a playback time length for the information played by the playback device; and

an information list modification device that individually modifies the sets of information listed in the information list so as to match the playback time length calculated by the playback time calculation device with the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation device.

9. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the information list includes data corresponding to a standard playback time length, data corresponding to a playback time length in a shorten mode and data corresponding to a playback time length in an extend mode for each set of information to be played in the vehicle; and

the information list modification device modifies the information list by selecting one type of data among the data corresponding to the standard playback time length, the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten mode and the data corresponding to the playback time length in the extend mode for each set of information contained in the information list.

10. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the information list further includes data indicating a priority order in which the plurality of sets of information are to be played in the vehicle; and

the information list modification device successively selects data in a set of information having lower priority order in the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten mode.

11. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the information list modification device successively selects data in a set of information with a smaller time difference between the shortened/extended playback time length and the standard playback time length in the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten/extend mode.

12. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the information list modification device selects the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten/extend mode if a difference between the estimated traveling time and the calculated playback time length is greater than the time difference between the shortened/extended playback time length and the standard playback time length.

13. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

an instruction device that issues an instruction to the traveling time estimation device to estimate the traveling time and issues an instruction to the playback time calculation device to calculate the playback time length each time a set of information is played by the playback device.

14. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

an instruction device that issues an instruction to the traveling time estimation device to estimate the traveling time and issues an instruction to the playback time calculation device to calculate the playback time length in conformance to the number of calls received at a telephone in the vehicle.

15. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the information list further includes data indicating a priority order in which the plurality of sets of information are to be played in the vehicle; and

the information list modification device successively selects data in a set of information having a higher priority order in the data corresponding to the playback time length in the extend mode.

16. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

the information list modification device successively selects data in a set of information with a smaller time difference between the shortened/extended playback time length and the standard playback time length in the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten/extend mode.

17. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

the information list modification device selects the data corresponding to the playback time length in the shorten/extend mode if a difference between the estimated traveling time and the calculated playback time length is greater than the time difference between the shortened/extended playback time length and the standard playback time length.

18. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an instruction device that issues an instruction to the traveling time estimation device to estimate the traveling time and issues an instruction to the playback time calculation device to calculate the playback time length each time a set of information is played by the playback device.

19. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an instruction device that issues an instruction to the traveling time estimation device to estimate the traveling time and issues an instruction to the playback time calculation device to calculate the playback time length in conformance to the number of calls received at a telephone in the vehicle.

20. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

a communication means for exchanging information with a vehicle;

a traveling time estimation means for estimating a traveling time required for the vehicle to arrive at a destination based upon traveling information transmitted from the vehicle;

an information selection means for selecting information to be provided to the vehicle based upon a request transmitted from the vehicle;

a list preparation means for preparing an information list of the information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected by the information selection means so as to match a length of time over which the information is to be provided with the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation means; and

a control means for controlling the communication means so as to transmit information to the vehicle in conformance to the information list prepared by the list preparation means.

21. An on-vehicle information playing apparatus comprising:

a playback means for playing information in conformance to an information list listing a plurality of sets of information to be played in a vehicle;

a traveling time estimation means for estimating a traveling time required for the vehicle to arrive at a destination based upon vehicle traveling information;

a playback time calculation means for calculating a playback time length for the information played by the playback means; and

an information list modification means for individually modifying the sets of information listed in the information list so as to match the playback time length calculated by the playback time calculation means with the traveling time estimated by the traveling time estimation means.

22. A vehicle information providing method comprising:

receiving traveling information transmitted from a vehicle;

estimating a traveling time required for the vehicle to arrive at a destination based upon the traveling information that has been received;

selecting information to be provided to the vehicle based upon a request transmitted from the vehicle;

preparing an information list of information to be provided to the vehicle, which is selected so as to match a length of time over which the information is to be provided with the estimated traveling time; and

transmitting the information to the vehicle in conformance to the information list that has been prepared.

23. An on-vehicle information playing method for playing information in conformance to an information list listing a plurality of sets of information to be played in a vehicle, comprising:

estimating a traveling time to elapse before the vehicle arrives at a destination based upon vehicle traveling information;

calculating a playback time length for playing the information to be played in the vehicle; and

individually modifying the sets of information listed in the information list so as to match the calculated playback time length with the estimated traveling time.