Remote reproduction system and remote reproduction method

• US 20060128370A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Tahara, Kazushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,009,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0014 by adapting the source coding

Abstract

A communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus is estimated on the basis of the position information and the information materials of communication environments. A transmission rate which is related to the transmission of the content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus, is changed on the basis of the estimation result. Alternatively, the transmission of the content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus is temporarily stopped, on the basis of the estimation result.

Claims

1. A remote reproduction system for making communication between a transmitting apparatus and a mobile receiving apparatus, which are wirelessly connected to each other, for transmitting content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus, and for reproducing the content data on the mobile receiving apparatus,

the mobile receiving apparatus comprising:

a position detecting device for detecting a current position of the mobile receiving apparatus and for providing position information which indicates the current position;

a material storing device for storing therein information materials of communication environments which indicate communication environments at a plurality of positions;

an estimating device for estimating a communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information and the information materials of communication environments;

a control information transmitting device for transmitting control information necessary to change a transmission rate of the content data, to the transmitting apparatus, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device;

a data receiving device for receiving the content data from the transmitting apparatus;

a buffering device for temporarily storing the content data received by the data receiving device; and

a reproducing device for reproducing the content data stored in the buffering device,

the transmitting apparatus comprising;

a control information receiving device for receiving the control information from the mobile receiving apparatus;

a rate changing device for changing the transmission rate, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device, on the basis of the control information received by the control information receiving device; and

a data transmitting device for transmitting the content data to the mobile receiving apparatus, in accordance with the transmission rate changed by the rate changing device.

2. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile receiving apparatus further comprises a movement detecting device for detecting a movement direction or a movement velocity of the mobile receiving apparatus, and for providing movement information which indicates the movement direction or the movement velocity, and

the estimating device estimates the communication condition at the future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information, the movement information, and the information materials of communication environments.

5. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein

the estimating device comprises a monitoring device for sequentially monitoring a future change in the communication condition by continuing to sequentially estimate the communication condition at a position after a lapse of a predetermined time of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, and

the rate changing device comprises a rate following device for controlling the transmission rate of the content data such that the transmission rate of the content data follows the future change of the communication condition, by continuing to sequentially change the transmission rate of the content data in accordance with the future change of the communication condition which is monitored by the monitoring device.

6. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein

the estimating device comprises:

a candidate position determining device for determining a plurality of candidate positions to which the mobile receiving apparatus will likely move in the future, on the basis of the position information and the movement information; and

a selecting device for examining the communication condition at each of the plurality of candidate positions, on the basis of the information materials of communication environments, for selecting a candidate position whose communication condition is the worst, from the plurality of candidate positions, and for providing the communication condition at the selected candidate position as an estimation result.

7. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the information materials of communication environments are data in which geographical features at a plurality of positions are written in advance.

8. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the information materials of communication environments are map information.

9. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the information materials of communication environments are data in which evaluation of good or bad communication environments at a plurality of positions is written in advance.

10. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the rate changing device reduces the transmission rate if the communication condition at the future position is worse than that at the current position.

11. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the rate changing device reduces the transmission rate by reducing a frame rate of the content data if the communication condition at the future position is worse than that at the current position.

12. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the rate changing device reduces the transmission rate by increasing a encoding rate of the content data if the communication condition at the future position is worse than that at the current position.

13. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting apparatus further comprises a transmission stopping device for temporarily stopping the transmission of the content data performed by the data transmitting device, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device.

14. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein, if the communication condition at the future position is worse than that at the current position, the rate changing device increases the transmission rate before the mobile receiving apparatus approaches the future position and then, reduces the transmission rate after the mobile receiving apparatus approaches the future position.

15. The remote reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein, if the communication condition at the future position is better than that at the current position, the rate changing device increases the transmission rate and maintains the increased transmission rate until amount of the content data stored in the buffering device reaches a predetermined amount suitable for the reproduction of the content data.

3. A remote reproduction system for making communication between a transmitting apparatus and a mobile receiving apparatus, which are wirelessly connected to each other, for transmitting content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus, and for reproducing the content data on the mobile receiving apparatus,

the mobile receiving apparatus comprising:

a position detecting device for detecting a current position of the mobile receiving apparatus and for providing position information which indicates the current position;

a position information transmitting device for transmitting the position information to the transmitting apparatus;

a data receiving device for receiving the content data from the transmitting apparatus;

a buffering device for temporarily storing the content data received by the data receiving device; and

a reproducing device for reproducing the content data stored in the buffering device,

the transmitting apparatus comprising;

a position information receiving device for receiving the position information from the mobile receiving apparatus;

a material storing device for storing therein information materials of communication environments which indicate communication environments at a plurality of positions;

an estimating device for estimating a communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information and the information materials of communication environments;

a rate changing device for changing the transmission rate, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device; and

a data transmitting device for transmitting the content data to the mobile receiving apparatus, in accordance with the transmission rate changed by the rate changing device.

4. The remote reproduction system according to claim 3, wherein

the mobile receiving apparatus further comprises:

a movement detecting device for detecting a movement direction or a movement velocity of the mobile receiving apparatus, and for providing movement information which indicates the movement direction or the movement velocity; and

a movement information transmitting device for transmitting the movement information to the transmitting apparatus,

the transmitting apparatus further comprises a movement information receiving device for receiving the movement information from the mobile receiving apparatus, and

the estimating device estimates the communication condition at the future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information, the movement information, and the information materials of communication environments.

16. A mobile receiving apparatus for making communication with a transmitting apparatus to which the mobile receiving apparatus is wirelessly connected, for receiving content data from the transmitting apparatus, and for reproducing the content data,

the mobile receiving apparatus comprising:

a position detecting device for detecting a current position of the mobile receiving apparatus and for providing position information which indicates the current position;

a material storing device for storing therein information materials of communication environments which indicate communication environments at a plurality of positions;

an estimating device for estimating a communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information and the information materials of communication environments;

a control information transmitting device for transmitting control information necessary to change a transmission rate of the content data, to the transmitting apparatus, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device;

a data receiving device for receiving the content data from the transmitting apparatus;

a buffering device for temporarily storing the content data received by the data receiving device; and

a reproducing device for reproducing the content data stored in the buffering device.

17. The mobile receiving apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the mobile receiving apparatus further comprises a movement detecting device for detecting a movement direction or a movement velocity of the mobile receiving apparatus, and for providing movement information which indicates the movement direction or the movement velocity, and

the estimating device estimates the communication condition at the future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information, the movement information, and the information materials of communication environments.

18. A transmitting apparatus for making communication with a mobile receiving apparatus to which the transmitting apparatus is wirelessly connected, and for transmitting content data to the mobile receiving apparatus so as to reproduce the content data on the mobile receiving apparatus,

the transmitting apparatus comprising:

a position information receiving device for receiving position information, which indicates a current position of the mobile receiving apparatus, from the mobile receiving apparatus;

a material storing device for storing therein information materials of communication environments which indicate communication environments at a plurality of positions;

an estimating device for estimating a communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information and the information materials of communication environments;

a rate changing device for changing the transmission rate, in accordance with the communication condition estimated by the estimating device; and

a data transmitting device for transmitting the content data to the mobile receiving apparatus, in accordance with the transmission rate changed by the rate changing device.

19. The transmitting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the transmitting apparatus further comprises a movement information receiving device for receiving movement information, which indicates a movement direction or a movement velocity of the mobile receiving apparatus, from the mobile receiving apparatus, and

the estimating device estimates the communication condition at the future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the position information, the movement information, and the information materials of communication environments.

20. A remote reproduction method of making communication between a transmitting apparatus and a mobile receiving apparatus, which are wirelessly connected to each other, of transmitting content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus, and of reproducing the content data on the mobile receiving apparatus,

the remote reproduction method comprising:

a position detecting process of detecting a current position of the mobile receiving apparatus;

a movement detecting process of detecting movement of the mobile receiving apparatus;

an estimating process of estimating a communication condition between the transmitting apparatus and the mobile receiving apparatus at a future position of the mobile receiving apparatus in motion, on the basis of the current position of the mobile receiving apparatus which is detected in the position detecting process, the movement of the mobile receiving apparatus which is detected in the movement detecting process, and the information materials of communication environments indicating communication environments at a plurality of positions, which are stored in advance;

a rate changing process of changing the transmission rate, in accordance with the communication condition estimated in the estimating process; and

a data transmitting process of transmitting the content data from the transmitting apparatus to the mobile receiving apparatus, in accordance with the transmission rate changed in the rate changing process.

21. The remote reproduction method according to claim 20, wherein a movement direction or a movement velocity of the mobile receiving apparatus is detected in the movement detecting process.

22. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for realizing a remote reproduction method of transmitting content data from a first computer to a second computer and of reproducing the content data on the second computer, in a computer system comprising the first computer and the second computer, which are wirelessly connected to each other and which can mutually make communication,

the remote reproduction method comprising:

a position detecting process of detecting a current position of the second computer;

a movement detecting process of detecting movement of the second computer;

an estimating process of estimating a communication condition between the first computer and the second at a future position of the second computer in motion, on the basis of the current position of the second computer which is detected in the position detecting process, the movement of the second computer which is detected in the movement detecting process, and the information materials of communication environments indicating communication environments at a plurality of positions, which are stored in advance;

a rate changing process of changing the transmission rate, in accordance with the communication condition estimated in the estimating process; and

a data transmitting process of transmitting the content data from the first computer to the second computer, in accordance with the transmission rate changed in the rate changing process.

23. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein a movement direction or a movement velocity of the second computer is detected in the movement detecting process.