Communication device to be mounted on automotive vehicle

• US 20070115433A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakakibara, Mizuho, Saso, Atsushi, Okamoto, Masato, Itabashi, Toshiyuki, Tanizawa, Masahiro, Iwasaki, Morio
• Application Number:
  US10/573,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115433A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 352/8
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A communication device to be mounted on one automotive vehicle, comprising: a camera (11) for inputting images, a microphone (12) for inputting voices, a travel control section (17) for processing travel information, a communication section (16) for transmitting the images inputted by the camera (11), the voices inputted by the microphone (12), and travel information processed by the travel control section (17) to other automotive vehicles, and receiving information from said other automotive vehicles, and a liquid crystal display (13) and a loudspeaker (14) for outputting the information received by the communication section (16). The communication device outputs images/voices received from said other automotive vehicles to the liquid crystal display (13), and controls travel of said one automotive vehicle based on travel information received from travel control sections (17) on said other automotive vehicles.

Claims

1. A communication device to be mounted on an automotive vehicle, comprising:

inputting means for inputting images and voices;

travel information processing means for processing travel information;

communication means for transmitting said images and voices inputted by said inputting means and said travel information processed by said travel information processing means to other device, and for receiving information from said other devices; and

outputting means for outputting said information received by said communication means, wherein

said outputting means is adapted to output images and voices received as said information by said communication means from other automotive vehicle, and

said travel information processing means is adapted to process said travel information on the basis of travel information received by said communication means from travel information processing means on said other automotive vehicle.

2. The communication device as set forth in claim 1, in which

said outputting means has a screen, said outputting means being adapted to display on said screen images indicative of faces of vehicle occupants on said other automotive vehicles.

3. The communication device as set forth in claim 1, in which

said outputting means has a screen, said outputting means being adapted to display on said screen an image indicative of said automotive vehicle with an image indicative of said other automotive vehicle, and

said travel information processing means is adapted to perform a setting operation to set a destination the same as a destination set in said other automotive vehicle, on the basis of said travel information received by said communication means from said travel information processing means on said other automotive vehicle, before controlling said outputting means to connect said image indicative of said automotive vehicle to said image of said other automotive vehicle through a line.

4. The communication device as set forth in claim 1, in which

said outputting means is adapted to output travel route information received from said other automotive vehicle as travel information by said communication means when said travel information processing means is operated to perform a setting operation to set a destination the same as a destination set in said other automotive vehicle.