On-vehicle device including numerical information notification function

• US 20040178929A1
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Toyama, Kazumasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,030,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

In an ETC on-vehicle device (1), notification of toll amount information is given with a sound production pattern of a buzzer (17). The toll information resulting from toll collection being conducted with a road antenna is converted to a sound production pattern by a CPU (11). For example, if the toll is 12,300 yen, the buzzer (17) sounds once with a long sound, twice with a middle sound, and three times with a short sound.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function, the on-vehicle device being mounted in a vehicle and comprising:

communication means for conducting communication with a roadside device to receive numerical information;

a sounder for information notification; and

control means for converting the numerical information received by the communication means into a sound production pattern corresponding to preset numerical values and sounding the sounder.

2. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 1, wherein the control means is configured to give notification of the numerical information by differentiating the length of sounds per place of the numerical values as the sound production pattern causing the sounder to sound and causing the sounder to repeatedly produce sounds for the number of the numerical values of each place.

3. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 2, wherein the control means is configured to give notification of the numerical information by differentiating tones per place of the numerical values as the sound production pattern causing the sounder to sound and causing the sounder to repeatedly produce sounds for the number of the numerical values of each place.

4. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 3, wherein the control means makes the numerical information received by the communication means into a preset number of significant figures to convert the numerical information into the sound production pattern.

5. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 2, further comprising switching means for switching the sound production pattern,

wherein the control means stores plural sound production patterns, reads the sound production pattern set by the switching means and converts the numerical information received by the communication means.

6. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 1, wherein:

the communication means includes the function of receiving the sound production pattern; and

the control means converts the numerical information using the sound production pattern received from the outside via the communication means.

7. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 6, wherein:

the communication means is configured to communicate with a roadside device for automatic toll collection on an expressway; and

the control means is configured to give notification with the sounder using toll information received by the communication means from the roadside device as the numerical information.

8. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 1, further including sending means for sending the numerical information to a display device or a device including a sound-producing function disposed inside the vehicle,

wherein the control means causes the sending means to send as needed, to the device inside the vehicle, the numerical information received by the communication means to cause the device inside the vehicle to display the numerical information or produce sounds corresponding to the numerical information.

9. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 8, wherein the partner device to which the sending means sends the numerical information is at least one of a device such as a meter display device, an audio device, car speakers, an on-board computer, a portable terminal device and a printer.

10. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 9, wherein the sending means is configured to conduct communication by at least one communication method of a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, infrared communication and microwave-band communication.

11. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 8, wherein the sending means is configured to conduct communication by at least one communication method of a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, infrared communication and microwave-band communication.

12. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 1, wherein:

the communication means is configured to communicate with a roadside device for automatic toll collection on an expressway and

the control means is configured to give notification with the sounder using toll information received by the communication means from the roadside device as the numerical information.

13. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 12, wherein the communication means is configured to conduct communication with a DSRC communications system.

14. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 13, wherein:

the communication means is disposed so as to be able to communicate with a communication device of another facility using the DSRC communications system; and

the control means is configured to give notification of information that is communicable by the communication means on the basis of the result of communication with the communication device of the other facility.

15. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 1, wherein the control means makes the numerical information received by the communication means into a preset number of significant figures to convert the numerical information into the sound production pattern.

16. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 15, further comprising switching means for switching the sound production pattern,

wherein the control means stores plural sound production patterns, reads the sound production pattern set by the switching means and converts the numerical information received by the communication means.

17. The on-vehicle device including a numerical information notification function of claim 16, wherein:

the communication means includes the function of receiving the sound production pattern; and

the control means converts the numerical information using the sound production pattern received from the outside via the communication means.