SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING VISUAL INFORMATION OF A REMOTE LOCATION TO A USER OF A VEHICLE

• US 20090105933A1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wlotzka, Paul Ernst Joachim
• Application Number:
  US12/253,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20090105933A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In a system for providing visual information of a remote location to a user of a vehicle, one or more resources provide visual information of the remote location. Through an input unit, the user may select a remote location for which the visual information is to be requested and input a request for the visual information. A transmitting unit transmits the visual information from the resource to the user, and a display displays the requested visual information to the user. The system may also include a resource determining unit that determines the resource or the resources that are able to provide the requested visual information on the basis of positioning information of the remote location.

Claims

1. A method for providing a visual information of a remote location to a user of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a position information of the remote location from which the visual information is to be provided to the user;

determining a resource by utilizing the position information, said resource providing said visual information of said remote location;

requesting said visual information from the determined resource; and

transmitting said visual information from the determined resource to the user and displaying said visual information to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, where the resource provides the visual information together with a position information of the visual information.

3. The method of claim 1, where the resource provides the visual information together with a time information indicating the time and date of detection of the visual information.

4. The method of claim 1, where the visual information is detected by the resource in response to the requesting said visual information.

5. The method of claim 1, where said visual information is detected by the resource continuously and the detected visual information is stored in the resource.

6. The method of claim 1, where the resource is located in another vehicle, a mobile navigation device, a mobile phone, or a traffic monitoring device.

7. The method of claim 1, where the remote location is located on a user'"'"'s route to a predetermined destination.

8. The method of claim 1, where requesting said visual information includes transmitting the request to a server of a data transmission network, and further including the server determining one or more resources located within a predetermined distance to the remote location from which the visual information is requested.

9. The method of claim 8, further including the one or more determined resources transmitting the requested visual information to the server, and the server transmitting the visual information to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, where the determined resources transmit the requested visual information directly to the user.

11. The method of claim 1, where the visual information allows to determine traffic situation at the remote location.

12. The method of claim 1, where the visual information allows to determine weather condition at the remote location.

13. The method of claim 1, further including displaying the resources able to provide the visual information for a predetermined remote location to the user, the user being able to select at least one of the resources for which the visual information is to be provided, the visual information of the selected at least one resource being displayed to the user.

14. The method of claim 1, where the visual information includes a still image or a video stream.

15. The method of claim 1, where the visual information is provided by a camera installed in another vehicle, by a camera installed in a traffic monitoring equipment, and/or a camera carried by another person.

16. A system for providing a visual information of a remote location to a user of a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one resource providing visual information of the remote location;

an input unit allowing the selection of the remote location by the user and an input of a request for the visual information;

a resource determining unit determining the resource being able to provide the requested visual information on the basis of a position information of the remote location;

a transmitting/receiving unit transmitting the visual information from the resource to the user; and

a display displaying the requested visual information to the user.

17. The system of claim 16, where the resource includes a sensor generating video data of the remote location.

18. The system of claim 16, where the resource is located on a vehicle, a person, or a traffic monitoring equipment.

19. The system of claim 16, where the input unit is part of a navigation device of the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 16, where the display is configured to show resources for selection by the user.

21. The system of claim 16, where the resource determines time information and transmits the visual information together with the time information to user.

22. The system of claim 16, where the resource includes a position determining unit and transmits the visual information together with a position information.

23. The system of claim 17, where the sensor generates a video stream or a still image.

24. The system of claim 16, further including a server in a data transmission network, the network allowing communication between the resource and the server, between the resource and the user, or between the user and the resource.

25. The system of claim 24, where the resource includes a position determining unit and transmits the position information to the server.

26. The system of claim 24, where the resource is coupled to the data transmission network via a base station connected to the data transmission network, the server determining the position information of the resource via a predetermined position information of the base station.

27. The system of claim 24, where the resource includes an input unit allowing to request a provision of the visual information of the remote location, the visual information being stored in the server in the data transmission network.

28. The system according to claim 16, where the resource includes an input unit allowing to request a provision of the visual information of the remote location and a memory unit, the visual information being stored in the memory unit.

29. The system according to claim 16, where the resource continuously provides visual information of the remote location and the resource includes a memory unit storing the continuously provided visual information for a predetermined amount of time.