TROUBLE NOTIFICATION APPARATUS AND IN-VEHICLE APPARATUS

• US 20110218705A1
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: ITO, Masaya
• Application Number:
  US13/033,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

An in-vehicle apparatus, used in a vehicle having a speed limit release mode, is configured to stop sending trouble occurrence information to an information collection center when the speed limit release mode is being turned on. Stopping of the information sending allows a hard disk drive in the in-vehicle apparatus not to have an access thereto, thereby decreasing possibility of hard disk related problems in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A trouble notification apparatus for use in a vehicle for transmitting trouble occurrence information regarding a trouble of the vehicle to an information center outside of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an information transmitting unit for transmitting the trouble occurrence information to the information center;

a speed limit release mode setting unit for setting ON and OFF of a speed limit release mode, wherein the speed limit release mode is turned ON when a first condition is fulfilled and the speed limit release mode is turned OFF when a second condition is fulfilled;

an upper speed limit control unit for controlling a travel speed of the vehicle, wherein, based on a control of a drive control unit in the vehicle, the travel speed of the vehicle is set to be within a speed range having a first upper limit speed during an OFF period of the speed limit release mode, and, the travel speed of the vehicle is allowed to exceed the first upper limit speed during an ON period of the speed limit release mode; and

a notification stopping unit for stopping transmission of the trouble occurrence information to the information collection center by the information transmitting unit during the ON period of the speed limit release mode.

2. An in-vehicle apparatus for use in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a hard disk;

a speed limit release mode setting unit for turning on and off of a speed limit release mode, wherein the speed limit release mode is turned on when a first condition is fulfilled, and the speed limit release mode is turned off when a second condition is fulfilled;

an upper speed limit control unit for controlling a travel speed of the vehicle, wherein, based on a control of a drive control unit in the vehicle, the travel speed of the vehicle is set to be within a speed range having a first upper limit speed in the vehicle during an ON period of the speed limit release mode, and, the travel speed of the vehicle is allowed to exceed the first upper limit speed during an OFF period of the speed limit release mode; and

a hard disk control unit for controlling an operation of the hard disk, wherein the operation of the hard disk is stopped during an ON period of the speed limit release mode.

3. The in-vehicle apparatus in claim 2 further comprising a flash memory, wherein

the speed limit release mode setting unit switches ON and OFF of the speed limit release mode by rewriting information stored in the flash memory, and

the upper speed limit control unit and the hard disk control unit determine whether the speed limit release mode is being turned ON or OFF based on the information stored in the flash memory.