VEHICLE-MOUNTED DEVICE, TRAFFIC-INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD, TRAFFIC-INFORMATION PROVISION SYSTEM, AND TRAFFIC-INFORMATION PROVISION METHOD

• US 20080004791A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sera, Manabu
• Granted Patent: US 8,036,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• 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 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver

Abstract

When a change occurs between a previous traffic condition based on traffic information provided previously and the current traffic condition, a control unit of a vehicle-mounted device performs control such that traffic information is acquired from an external device via wireless communication. A comparison of current vehicle traveling conditions and previous vehicle traveling conditions can also be used to determine whether traffic information should be updated.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted device that acquires traffic information for a vehicle, comprising:

a traffic-information acquisition unit configured to acquire the traffic information from an external device via wireless communication; and

a controller configured to control the traffic-information acquisition unit to acquire current traffic information from the external device when a change occurs between a current traffic condition and a previous traffic condition based on previously-provided traffic information.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the traffic-information acquisition unit to acquire the current traffic information from the external device when a comparator for comparing the previous traffic condition with the current traffic condition indicates that the change has occurred between the previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition; and

wherein the comparator is external to the device or part of the controller.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the traffic-information acquisition unit to acquire the current traffic information from the external device when a value obtained by a comparison between the previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition is larger than a predetermined threshold.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein the comparator determines the current traffic condition in accordance with traffic information provided from a different external device.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the current traffic condition and the previous traffic condition include a degree of traffic congestion as a traffic condition.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the traffic-information acquisition unit to acquire the current traffic information from the external device when the comparator compares a previous traveling condition of the vehicle with the current traveling condition of the vehicle and indicates that a change has occurred between the previous traveling condition and the current traveling condition; and

wherein the comparator is external to the device or part of the controller.

7. The device according to claim 2 wherein the controller is further configured to control the traffic-information acquisition unit to acquire the current traffic information from the external device when a value obtained by a comparison between a previous traveling condition and a current traveling condition of the vehicle performed by the comparator is larger than a predetermined threshold.

8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a current-position detector configured to detect a current position of the vehicle; and

wherein the current traveling condition is based on traffic information provided from a different external device or the current position detected by the current-position detector,

9. A traffic-information provision system for providing traffic information to a vehicle-mounted device, the system comprising:

a traffic-information provider configured to provide the traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device via wireless communication; and

a controller configured to control the traffic-information provider to provide current traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device when a change occurs between a current traffic condition and a previous traffic condition based on previously-provided traffic information.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the controller is further operable to control the traffic-information provider to provide the traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device when a value obtained from a comparator comparing the previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition is larger than a predetermined threshold

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the current traffic condition and the previous traffic condition are based on a degree of traffic congestion.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the traffic-information provider to provide the current traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device when a value obtained by a comparison between a previous traveling condition and a current traveling condition of the vehicle including the vehicle-mounted device is larger than a predetermined threshold.

13. A vehicle-mounted device that acquires traffic information for a vehicle, the device comprising:

means for acquiring the traffic information from an external device via wireless communication; and

means for controlling the acquiring means to acquire current traffic information from the external device when a change occurs between a current traffic condition and a previous traffic condition based on previously-provided traffic information.

14. A traffic-information acquisition method for use in a vehicle-mounted device of a vehicle, the method comprising:

acquiring current traffic information from an external device via wireless communication when a change occurs between a current traffic condition and a previous traffic condition based on previously-provided traffic information.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein acquiring the current traffic information further comprises:

obtaining the current traffic information from the external device when a value obtained by a comparison between the previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition is larger than a predetermined threshold.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

performing the comparison between the previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition using a degree of traffic congestion as a traffic condition.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

acquiring the current traffic information from the external device when a change occurs between a previous traveling condition of the vehicle and a current traveling condition of the vehicle.

18. A traffic-information provision method for use in a traffic-information provision device providing traffic information to a vehicle-mounted device of a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing current traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device when a change occurs between a previous traffic condition and the current traffic condition.