Transport vehicle service guiding system, transport vehichle service guiding method, and transport vehicle service guiding program

• US 20040095260A1
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shintani, Tatsuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,956,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops

Abstract

A bus service guiding system is provided which enables a user to certainly get on a target shuttle bus or a like and to certainly get off of the shuttle bus at a target bus stop without transmitting and receiving intense radio waves in a vehicle. A user terminal receives an e-mail address of an information providing service center from a queried-object notifying section and transmits a request for guidance information and information about destination containing keywords. The information providing service center searches for a most suitable get-off bus stop out of bus stops associated with keywords and retrieves or performs computations related information to create guidance information, and transmits the created guidance information to the user terminal. At a time of getting on, Guidance information and a get-off guidance request are transmitted from the user terminal by using Bluetooth technology. A vehicle-installed guidance server transmits get-off guidance information with specified timing based on a run-distance and vibration by a vibrating section which prompts the user to get off of the shuttle bus.

Claims

1. A transport vehicle service guiding system for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding system comprising:

a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user,

a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information in response to a request from said user terminal, which is able to carry out communications with said user terminal through a network;

a vehicle-installed communicating unit being mounted on said transport vehicle and being able to carry out communications with said user terminal at least within said transport vehicle;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing center through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said guidance information providing center, in response to a request from said user terminal, provides said guidance information to said user terminal through said network; and

wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit, when having received a get-off guidance request created based on said guidance information from said user terminal, transmits get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

2. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit is able to carry out near-distance communications in which a communication range is limited to an inside and vicinity of said transport vehicle, with said user terminal.

3. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 2, wherein said user terminal and said vehicle-installed communicating unit transmit and receive specified information by communications using Bluetooth technology or by infrared communications.

4. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 1, wherein said information about a destination contains keywords related to said destination.

5. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 1, further comprising a queried-object notifying unit being placed in at least one of said specified vehicle stops for said transport vehicle and used to notify queried-object information of said guidance information providing center.

6. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 5, wherein said queried-object notifying unit, in response to a request from said user terminal, transmits said queried-object information to said user terminal.

7. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit, based on a run-distance of said transport vehicle, when said transport vehicle approaches a destination, transmits said get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

8. A transport vehicle service guiding system for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding system comprising:

a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user,

a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information about said transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal, which is able to carry out communications with said user terminal through a network;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination through said network to said guidance information providing center and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information and, based on provided guidance information, determines timing for guiding said user in getting out of said transport vehicle and, when said transport vehicle approaches said destination, gives notification to prompt said user to prepare for getting out of said transport vehicle.

9. A transport vehicle service guiding method for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding method comprising:

a step of carrying out communications by connecting, through a network, a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user to a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information about said transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal;

a step of carrying out communications between a vehicle-installed communicating unit being mounted on said transport vehicle and said user terminal at least within said transport vehicle;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing center through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing center through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said guidance information providing center, in response to said request from said user terminal, provides said guidance information through said network to said user terminal; and

wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit, when having received a request for get-off guidance created based on said guidance information from said user terminal, transmits get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

10. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 9, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit is able to carry out near-distance communications in which a communication range is limited to an inside and vicinity of said transport vehicle, with said user terminal.

11. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 10, wherein said user terminal and said vehicle-installed communicating unit transmit and receive specified information by communications using Bluetooth technology or by infrared communications.

12. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 9, wherein said information about a destination contains keywords related to said destination.

13. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 9, wherein a queried-object notifying unit being placed in at least one of specified vehicle stops for said transport vehicle notifies queried-object information of said guidance information providing center.

14. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 13, wherein said queried-object notifying unit, in response to a request from said user terminal, transmits said queried-object information to said user terminal.

15. The transport vehicle service guiding method according to claim 9, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit, based on a run-distance of said transport vehicle, when said transport vehicle approaches a destination, transmits said get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

16. A transport vehicle service guiding method for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding method comprising:

a step of carrying out communications by connecting, via a network, a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user to a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information about a transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal; and

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination through said network to said guidance information providing center and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information about said transport vehicle and, based on provided guidance information, determines timing for guiding said user in getting out of said transport vehicle and, when said transport vehicle approaches said destination, gives notification to prompt said user to prepare for getting out of said transport vehicle.

17. A transport vehicle service guiding program to have a computer execute a transport vehicle service guiding method for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding method comprising:

a step of carrying out communications by connecting, through a network, a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user to a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information about said transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal;

a step of carrying out communications between a vehicle-installed communicating unit being mounted on said transport vehicle and said user terminal at least within said transport vehicle;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing center through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing center through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said guidance information providing center, in response to said request from said user terminal, provides said guidance information through said network to said user terminal; and

wherein said vehicle-installed communicating unit, when having received a request for get-off guidance created based on said guidance information from said user terminal, transmits get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

18. A transport vehicle service guiding program to have a computer execute a transport vehicle service guiding method for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding method comprising:

a step of carrying out communications by connecting, via a network, a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user to a guidance information providing center to provide said guidance information about a transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal; and

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination through said network to said guidance information providing center and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information about said transport vehicle and, based on provided guidance information, determines timing for guiding said user in getting out of said transport vehicle and, when said transport vehicle approaches said destination, gives notification to prompt said user to prepare for getting out of said transport vehicle.

19. A transport vehicle service guiding system for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding system comprising:

a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user,

a guidance information providing means to provide said guidance information in response to a request from said user terminal, which is able to carry out communications with said user terminal through a network;

a vehicle-installed communicating means being mounted on said transport vehicle and being able to carry out communications with said user terminal at least within said transport vehicle;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination to said guidance information providing means through said network and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information;

wherein said guidance information providing means, in response to a request from said user terminal, provides said guidance information to said user terminal through said network; and

wherein said vehicle-installed communicating means, when having received a get-off guidance request created based on said guidance information from said user terminal, transmits get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

20. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 19, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating means is able to carry out near-distance communications in which a communication range is limited to an inside and vicinity of said transport vehicle, with said user terminal.

21. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 20, wherein said user terminal and said vehicle-installed communicating means transmit and receive specified information by communications using Bluetooth technology or by infrared communications.

22. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 19, wherein said information about a destination contains keywords related to said destination.

23. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 19, further comprising a queried-object notifying means being placed in at least one of said specified vehicle stops for said transport vehicle and used to notify queried-object information of said guidance information providing means.

24. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 23, wherein said queried-object notifying means, in response to a request from said user terminal, transmits said queried-object information to said user terminal.

25. The transport vehicle service guiding system according to claim 19, wherein said vehicle-installed communicating means, based on a run-distance of said transport vehicle, when said transport vehicle approaches a destination, transmits said get-off guidance information to said user terminal.

26. A transport vehicle service guiding system for providing a user with guidance information about a transport vehicle running on a regular route to have said user get on or off at any one of specified vehicle stops, said guiding system comprising:

a user terminal being movable and to be used by said user,

a guidance information providing means to provide said guidance information about said transport vehicle in response to a request from said user terminal, which is able to carry out communications with said user terminal through a network;

wherein said user terminal transmits information about a destination through said network to said guidance information providing means and makes a request for corresponding said guidance information and, based on provided guidance information, determines timing for guiding said user in getting out of said transport vehicle and, when said transport vehicle approaches said destination, gives notification to prompt said user to prepare for getting out of said transport vehicle.