ON-VEHICLE INFORMATION PROVIDING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROVIDING CENTER, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM

• US 20090271102A1
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tooyama, Yasuhiro, Tomoyuki, Zaitsu, Inoguchi, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 9,786,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

An on-vehicle information providing device for providing information to a driver based on information sent from an information providing center is disclosed. When a vehicle leaves an off-street facility having multiple exits to enter a road, the on-vehicle information providing device performs a first process of sending the information providing center vehicle-side information including information obtained based on starting time and exiting time of the vehicle and information identifying one of the exits selected for the vehicle to leave the facility; and performs a second process of receiving from the information providing center exit status information including exit time lengths calculated for the respective exits by the information providing center based on the vehicle-side information received from multiple vehicles and providing information to the driver based on the received exit status information.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle information providing device for providing information to a driver based on information sent from an information providing center,

wherein when a vehicle leaves an off-street facility having multiple exits to enter a road, the on-vehicle information providing device is configured:

to perform a first process of sending the information providing center vehicle-side information including information obtained based on starting time and exiting time of the vehicle and information identifying one of the exits selected for the vehicle to leave the facility; and

to perform a second process of receiving from the information providing center exit status information including exit time lengths calculated for the respective exits by the information providing center based on the vehicle-side information received from multiple vehicles and providing information to the driver based on the received exit status information.

2. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second process includes a step of identifying an exit having a shortest exit time length based on the exit status information and reporting the identified exit to the driver.

3. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the on-vehicle information providing device is configured to further perform a third process of sending a request signal to the information providing center to request the exit status information to be received in the second process;

at least one of the first process and the third process includes a step of sending the information providing center facility identification information identifying the facility that the vehicle is to leave; and

the exit status information is generated by the information providing center through a retrieval process based on the facility identification information.

4. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second process includes a step of providing the driver with information included in the exit status information and indicating whether each of the exits is congested.

5. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the on-vehicle information providing device is configured such that one or both of the first process and the second process can be started and stopped by user operations.

6. An on-vehicle information providing device for providing information to a driver based on information sent from an information providing center,

wherein when a vehicle leaves an off-street facility having multiple exits to enter a road, the on-vehicle information providing device is configured:

to perform a first process of sending the information providing center vehicle-side information including information obtained based on starting time and exiting time of the vehicle and information identifying one of the exits selected for the vehicle to leave the facility; and

to perform a second process of receiving from the information providing center exit status information including information on an exit having a shortest exit time length which is selected by the information providing center based on the vehicle-side information received from multiple vehicles, and providing information to the driver based on the received exit status information.

7. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the on-vehicle information providing device is configured to further perform a third process of sending a request signal to the information providing center to request the exit status information to be received in the second process;

at least one of the first process and the third process includes a step of sending the information providing center facility identification information identifying the facility that the vehicle is to leave; and

the exit status information is generated by the information providing center through a retrieval process based on the facility identification information.

8. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second process includes a step of providing the driver with information included in the exit status information and indicating whether each of the exits is congested.

9. The on-vehicle information providing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the on-vehicle information providing device is configured such that one or both of the first process and the second process can be started and stopped by user operations.

10. An information providing center for sending and receiving information to and from multiple vehicles, wherein the information providing center is configured:

to generate, for a vehicle leaving an off-street facility having multiple exits to enter a road, exit status information including exit time lengths for the respective exits based on vehicle-side information received from the vehicles having left the same facility within a predetermined period of time, the vehicle-side information including information obtained based on starting time and exiting time of the vehicles and information identifying the exits selected for the vehicles to leave the facility; and

to send the generated exit status information to the vehicle leaving the facility to enter the road.

11-14. -14. (canceled)

15. An information providing center for sending and receiving information to and from multiple vehicles, wherein the information providing center is configured:

to generate, for a vehicle leaving an off-street facility having multiple exits to enter a road, exit status information including information on an exit having a shortest exit time length based on vehicle-side information received from the vehicles having left the same facility within a predetermined period of time, the vehicle-side information including information obtained based on starting time and exiting time of the vehicles and information identifying the exits selected for the vehicles to leave the facility; and

to send the generated exit status information to the vehicle leaving the facility to enter the road.

16-23. -23. (canceled)