INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM

• US 20110159836A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: UEOKA, Shohji, WAKABAYASHI, Yuki, MATSUDA, Yuusaku, FUJIWARA, Kazuma
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/11 Arrangements for counter-measures when a portion of broadcast information is unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/42 for identifying broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations

Abstract

An information providing system is provided. An in-vehicle apparatus is provided in a vehicle. The in-vehicle apparatus receives a broadcasting, An information providing apparatus transmits area information related to a broadcast channel that is receivable in a traveling area of the vehicle to the in-vehicle apparatus. A storage unit stores the area information for each traveling area. A receiving unit receives probe information including a predetermined reference position or a position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle apparatus. A deciding unit decides a reference area set including a plurality of traveling areas which are within a predetermined distance from the reference position included in the received probe information for each vehicle. An accumulating unit accumulates the received probe information. A determining unit determines a traveling record of the vehicle in each traveling area on the basis of the accumulated probe information. An update unit updates the reference area set on the basis of the traveling record. A transmitting unit transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set before the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has not yet performed the update, and transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set after the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has performed the update.

Claims

1. An information providing system, comprising:

an in-vehicle apparatus provided in a vehicle, the in-vehicle apparatus that receives a broadcasting; and

an information providing apparatus that transmits area information related to a broadcast channel that is receivable in a traveling area of the vehicle to the in-vehicle apparatus,

wherein the information providing apparatus includes;

a storage unit storing the area information for each traveling area;

a receiving unit that receives probe information including a predetermined reference position or a position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle apparatus;

a deciding unit that decides a reference area set including a plurality of traveling areas which are within a predetermined distance from the reference position included in the probe information received by the receiving unit for each vehicle;

an accumulating unit that accumulates the probe information received by the receiving unit;

a determining unit that determines a traveling record of the vehicle in each traveling area on the basis of the probe information accumulated in the accumulating unit;

an update unit that updates the reference area set on the basis of the traveling record of the vehicle, determined by the determining unit; and

a transmitting unit that transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set before the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has not yet performed the update, and transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set after the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has performed the update.

4. The information providing system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the probe information includes a reception intensity of a broadcast signal of each broadcast channel that is received by the in-vehicle apparatus,

wherein the information providing apparatus further includes an area information update unit that updates the area information on the basis of the position of the vehicle included in the probe information accumulated in the accumulating unit and the reception intensity, and

wherein when the area information updated by the area information update unit is included in the reference area set, the transmitting unit transmits the area information to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set.

2. The information providing system as set forth in claim I,

wherein the determining unit determines traveling frequency of the vehicle in each traveling area as the traveling record, and

wherein the update unit deletes the traveling area in which the determining unit determines that the traveling frequency of the vehicle is less than a predetermined lower limit from the reference area set of the vehicle.

3. The information providing system as set forth in claim 2, wherein when the traveling area in which the determining unit determines that the traveling frequency of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined upper limit is disposed at an edge of the reference area set, the update unit adds traveling areas disposed outside the edge to the reference area set including the traveling area.