Information provision system and apparatus and method therefor

• US 20040005879A1
• Filed: 05/22/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yashio, Hitoshi, Nakano, Gou
• Granted Patent: US 6,885,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

The information provision system includes a terminal having a current position measurement section and a communications controller, which intermittently transmits information on the current position measured, a terminal position management section for managing the position of the terminal based on the current position information received, an accident/disaster information management section for collecting information on an accident or a disaster and managing the information according to occurrence location and time of the accidents, an warning information generator for generating warning information from the information on the accidents, an warning terminal identification section for identifying a terminal positioned in the neighborhood of the location of the accidents, and an warning transmitter for transmitting warning information to the identified terminal. The system prevents user who carries a terminal from sustaining a possible damage caused by the accidents.

Claims

1. An information provision system comprising a center apparatus for providing information and a terminal for receiving information,

wherein said terminal includes:

current position measurement means for measuring a current position of the terminal; and

a transmitter for intermittently transmitting information on the current position measured by said current position measurement means to the center apparatus, and

said center apparatus includes;

terminal position management means for managing a position of said terminal based on information on the current position received from the terminal;

accident/disaster information management means for collecting information on an accident or a disaster and managing the collected information according to occurrence location and occurrence time of the accident or the disaster;

warning information generation means for generating warning information to be sent to the terminal based on the collected information on the accident or the disaster;

warning terminal identification means for identifying a terminal positioned in the neighborhood of the location of the accident or the disaster, or a terminal moving toward the neighborhood of said location based on the information managed by said terminal position management means; and

a warning transmitter for transmitting said warning information to the terminal identified by the warning terminal identification means.

2. A center apparatus, which provides a terminal with information, comprising:

terminal position management means for managing a position of said terminal based on information on the current position received from the terminal;

accident/disaster information management means for collecting information on an accident or a disaster and managing the collected information according to occurrence location and occurrence time of the accident or the disaster;

warning information generation means for generating warning information to be sent to the terminal based on the collected information on the accident or the disaster;

warning terminal identification means for identifying a terminal positioned in the neighborhood of the location of the accident or the disaster based on the information managed by the terminal position management means;

a warning transmitter for transmitting the warning information to the terminal identified by the warning terminal identification means; and

communications control means for controlling communications.

3. The center apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said terminal position management means predicts and manages the closest destination of said terminal based on a travel speed and a travel direction in the current position received from said terminal, and

said warning terminal identification means incorporates said terminal of which destination is in the neighborhood of the location of the accident or the disaster into said terminal to be identified.

4. The center apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said warning information generation means assigns said warning information warning level classified based on the time elapsed from occurrence time of an accident or a disaster.

5. The center apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

emergency call reception means for receiving an emergency call transmitted from said terminal; and

relief signal issue means for identifying a terminal of a subscriber positioned in the neighborhood of the terminal which originated said emergency call based on the position information on the terminal managed by said terminal position management means, and transmitting a relief request signal to the terminal of said subscriber.

6. The center apparatus according to claims 5, further comprising:

relief activity certification means for certifying a relief activity on receiving a identification information of the terminal which transmitted said relief request signal from the terminal which originated said emergency call; and

relief activity reward calculation means for calculating a reward for said certified relief activity.

7. The center apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

picture reception means for receiving a picture signal from a camera unit; and

picture transmission means for transmitting said picture signal to said terminal,

wherein said picture transmission means transmits the picture signal from the camera unit in the occurrence location of an accident or a disaster to a terminal identified by said warning terminal identification means.

8. The center apparatus according to claims 7, further comprising:

picture storage/management means for storing and managing the picture signal received by said picture reception means,

wherein said picture transmission means transmits the picture signal stored in said picture storage/management means to said terminal.

9. The center apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

picture communications address management means for managing a picture communications address of a camera unit; and

picture communications address report means for reporting the picture communications address of said camera unit to said terminal,

wherein said picture communications address report means reports the picture communications address of the camera unit in the occurrence location of an accident or a disaster to a terminal identified by said warning terminal identification means.

10. The center apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

picture communications address report means for reporting the destination of a picture picked up by picture imaging means of said terminal to another terminal,

wherein said warning terminal identification means identifies a terminal positioned in occurrence location of an accident or a disaster based on the information managed by said terminal position management means, and the picture communications address report means reports a terminal or center apparatus to which said warning information identified by said warning terminal identification means is transmitted, as a destination of the picture picked up by said picture imaging means, to said terminal.

11. The center apparatus according to claims 10, further comprising:

picture provision reward calculation means for determining the value of the picture picked up by the imaging means of said terminal and calculating a reward depending on said value.

12. A terminal, which receives information from a center apparatus, comprising:

current position measurement means for measuring current position of the terminal;

communications control means for controlling communications;

a transmitter for intermittently transmitting information on the current position measured by said current position measurement means to the center apparatus; and

a receiver for receiving information on an accident or a disaster taken place in the neighborhood of the current position or in the neighborhood of a destination where the terminal heads for from said center apparatus.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

emergency call means for transmitting an emergency call to said center apparatus; and

identification information input means for inputting identification information on the terminal of a subscriber who has done a relief activity in response to a relief request from said center apparatus.

14. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

picture communications means for communicating a picture signal; and

picture display means for displaying a picture,

wherein said picture display means displays a picture of occurrence location of an accident or a disaster which said picture communications means receives from said center apparatus.

15. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

picture communications means for communicating a picture signal; and

picture display means for displaying a picture, wherein said picture communication means receives a picture signal from picture communications address of a camera unit reported from said center apparatus, and said picture display means displays a picture of occurrence location of an accident or a disaster.

16. the terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

picture imaging means for picking up a picture;

picture display means for displaying a picture; and

picture communications means for communicating a picture signal,

wherein said picture communications means transmits the picture signal of a picture picked up by said picture imaging means to a destination of the picture reported from said center apparatus.

17. An information provision method of providing information to a terminal from a center apparatus, comprising steps of:

intermittently receiving information on current position of said terminal from the terminal to manage position information on said terminal;

collecting information on an accident or a disaster to manage the information according to occurrence location and occurrence time of a accident or a disaster;

generating warning information to report to the terminal based on the collected information on a accident or a disaster;

identifying a terminal positioned in the neighborhood of occurrence location of an accident or a disaster based on the information on the position of a terminal managed; and

transmitting said warning information to said terminal.

18. The information provision method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of:

predicting the closest destination of said terminal based on a travel speed and a travel direction in the current position received from said terminal,

wherein the transmitting step transmits said warning information to said terminal moving in the neighborhood of occurrence location of an accident or a disaster.

19. The information provision method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of:

assigning said warning information warning alarm level classified based on the time elapsed from occurrence time of an accident or a disaster,

wherein the transmitting step transmits said warning information assigned the alarm level.

20. The information provision method according to claim 17,

wherein when said center apparatus receives an emergency call from said terminal, said center apparatus identifies a terminal of a subscriber positioned in the neighborhood of the terminal which originated said emergency call based on the position information on the terminal managed and reports position of the terminal which generated said emergency call to the terminal of said subscriber to seek a relief request.

21. The information provision method according to claim 20,

wherein a reward is paid to a subscriber who has done a relief activity in response to said relief request.

22. The information provision method according to claim 17,

wherein said center apparatus receives a picture signal from a camera unit in occurrence location of an accident or a disaster, and transmits said picture signal to a terminal to which said warning information is transmitted.

23. The information provision method according to claim 22,

wherein said center apparatus receives a picture signal from the camera unit to store and manage, and transmits the picture signal, which is received from the camera unit in the location of an accident or a disaster and stored, to a terminal to which said warning information is transmitted.

24. The information provision method according to claim 22,

wherein said center apparatus reports picture communications address of a camera unit in the location of an accident or a disaster to a terminal to which said warning information is transmitted, and

said terminal receives a picture signal from the picture communications address of said camera unit reported.

25. The information provision method according to claim 24,

wherein said camera unit stores and manages a picture picked up and transmits a stored picture signal to said terminal which accesses to said camera unit.

26. The information provision method according to claim 22,

wherein said camera unit is installed on a mobile unit.

27. The information provision method according to claim 22,

wherein said camera unit is installed at a fixed point.

28. The information provision method according to claim 17,

wherein said center apparatus identifies a terminal positioned in occurrence location of an accident or a disaster based on the position information of a terminal, and instructs said terminal to transmit a picture picked up by picture imaging means of said terminal to a terminal or center apparatus positioned in the neighborhood of the location of said accident or said disaster.

29. The information provision method according to claim 28,

wherein said center apparatus determines value of a picture picked up by the picture imaging means of said terminal.