Notification managing apparatus and notification managing method for vehicle

• US 20050270152A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Harumoto, Satoshi, Yamato, Toshitaka, Maeno, Yoshihiko, Sakiyama, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,355,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.160
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified includes an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person; and a means selecting unit that selects a notification means based on the information acquired. The information includes at least a relative position of the person with respect to a vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to a vehicle; and

a means selecting unit that selects a notification means based on the information acquired.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information further includes a direction of the person with respect to the vehicle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means selecting unit selects the notification means based on urgency of notification from the in-vehicle device and an amount of information that should be notified.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means selecting unit selects the notification means from among a plurality of notification means, based on effective distance, directionality, immediacy of the notification means, and amounts of information that can be notified by the notification means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of notification means includes at least one of an alarm device, an in-vehicle lighting device, an in-vehicle communication unit, a sound output unit, a display unit, and an in-vehicle device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle communication unit includes an indirect communication unit that performs a communication via a network.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle communication unit includes a direct communication unit that directly communicates with a communication terminal held by the person.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information acquiring unit measures a distance between the person and the vehicle using the direct communication unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an imaging unit that takes an image around the vehicle, wherein

the information acquiring unit identifies at least one of a distance between the person and the vehicle and a direction of the person from the image.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a situation acquiring unit that acquires at least one of time information and location information of the vehicle, wherein

the means selecting unit selects the notification means using the at least one of time information and location information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a priority setting unit that sets a priority among the relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle, the direction of the person with respect to the vehicle, and the at least one of time information and location information, wherein

the means selecting unit selects the notification means based on the priority.

12. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to a vehicle;

an area setting unit that sets an area within which the person can recognize the notification from the in-vehicle device; and

a means selecting unit that selects, when the person is within the area, notification by the in-vehicle device, and selects, when the person is out of the area, selects notification by information transmission to a portable terminal held by the person.

13. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a direction of the person with respect to a vehicle; and

a means selecting unit that selects a notification means based on the direction of the person with respect to the vehicle.

14. A method of managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified, the method comprising:

acquiring information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to a vehicle; and

selecting a notification means based on the information acquired.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information further includes a direction of the person with respect to the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the selecting includes selecting the notification means based on urgency of notification from the in-vehicle device and an amount of information that should be notified.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the selecting includes selecting the notification means from among a plurality of notification means, based on effective distance, directionality, immediacy of the notification means, and amounts of information that can be notified by the notification means.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of notification means includes at least one of an alarm device, an in-vehicle lighting device, an in-vehicle communication unit, a sound output unit, a display unit, and an in-vehicle device.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the acquiring includes measuring a distance between the person and the vehicle via a communication with a communication terminal held by the person.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising taking an image around the vehicle, wherein

the acquiring includes identifying at least one of a distance between the person and the vehicle and a direction of the person from the image.

21. The method according to claim 14, further comprising acquiring at least one of time information and location information of the vehicle, wherein

the selecting includes selecting the notification means using the at least one of time information and location information.