VEHICULAR AUDIO/VISUAL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20090158359A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SHITANAKA, Kazuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite

Abstract

A vehicular audio/visual system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound, and that outputs the electric wave by switching to an output mode corresponding to user'"'"'s instruction from among output modes corresponding to multiple types of media includes: a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information of a vehicle; a receiving area storage unit that stores at least one of an area in which the electric wave can be received and an area in which it is difficult to receive the electric wave; a receiving area determination unit that refers to the receiving area storage unit on the basis of the detected positional information and determines whether the electric wave can be received; an output mode switching unit that prohibits an output mode that outputs the electric wave as video or music from being entered when it is determined that the electric wave cannot be received.

Claims

1. A vehicular audio/visual system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound, and that outputs the transmitted electric wave by switching to an output mode corresponding to user'"'"'s instruction from among output modes corresponding to multiple types of media, comprising:

a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information of a vehicle;

a receiving area storage unit that stores at least one of an area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received and an area in which it is difficult to receive the transmitted electric wave;

a receiving area determination unit that refers to the receiving area storage unit on the basis of the detected positional information and determines whether the transmitted electric wave can be received; and

an output mode switching unit that prohibits an output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave as video or sound from being entered when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave cannot be received.

2. The vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation menu generating unit that generates an operation menu in which operation icons are arranged for each of the output modes corresponding to the plurality of types of media, wherein

when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave cannot be received, the operation menu generating unit generates the operation menu that does not include the operation icon of the output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave.

3. The vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit through which a user inputs a selected output mode by voice, wherein

when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave cannot be received, even when an output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave is input, the output mode switching unit refrains from entering the input output mode.

4. The vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 1, wherein

the transmitted electric wave is an electric wave of one of satellite radio and satellite television, which is transmitted from an artificial satellite.

5. A method of controlling a vehicular audio/visual system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound, and that outputs the transmitted electric wave by switching to an output mode corresponding to user'"'"'s instruction from among output modes corresponding to multiple types of media, comprising:

detecting a current position of a host vehicle;

determining, on the basis of the detected current position of the host vehicle, whether the host vehicle is within an area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received; and

prohibiting an output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave from being entered when it is determined that the host vehicle is outside the area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received.

6. The method of controlling the vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 5, further comprising:

generating an operation menu that does not display an output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave when it is determined that the host vehicle is outside the area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received.

7. The method of controlling the vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 5, further comprising:

when it is determined that the host vehicle is outside the area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received, even when an output mode that outputs the transmitted electric wave is input, refraining from entering the input output mode.

8. The method of controlling the vehicular audio/visual system according to claim 5, further comprising:

when it is determined that the host vehicle is outside the area in which the transmitted electric wave can be received, and when an instruction for outputting the transmitted electric wave as video or music is input, notifying a user that the transmitted electric wave cannot be received.