On-Vehicle Apparatus, And Method And Computer Program For Transmitting Positional Information

• US 20130173879A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/02 Addressing or allocation; Relocation program address sequencing G06F9/00; arrangements for selecting an address in a digital store G11C8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

At every first prescribed timing, a positional information piece is generated. Each generated positional information piece represents a position of a vehicle which occurs at the corresponding first prescribed timing. Each generated positional information piece is written into one of storage areas in a storage device. At every second prescribed timing, positional information pieces in the storage areas are sent to a positional information collecting apparatus, and new positional information pieces are allowed to be written into the storage areas in which the sent positional information pieces are stored. In the event that sending the positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus is impossible, a new positional information piece or pieces are allowed to be written into one or more of the storage areas which store a positional information piece or pieces having not been sent yet.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle apparatus comprising:

a storage device including a plurality of storage areas;

a positional information generating section for generating, at every first prescribed timing, a positional information piece representing a position of the vehicle which occurs at the first prescribed timing, and for writing the generated positional information piece into one of the storage areas; and

a positional information controlling section for sending positional information pieces in the storage areas to a positional information collecting apparatus at every second prescribed timing, and for allowing new positional information pieces to be written into the storage areas in which the sent positional information pieces are stored;

in cases where it is impossible for the positional information controlling section to send the positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus, the positional information controlling section allowing a new positional information piece or pieces to be written into one or more of the storage areas which store a positional information piece or pieces having not been sent yet.

2. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an angle deciding section for, in cases where the positional information pieces having not been sent yet include a first positional information piece, a second positional information piece generated after generation of the first positional information piece, and a third positional information piece generated after generation of the second positional information piece, calculating a first straight line connecting a position represented by the first positional information piece and a position represented by the second positional information piece, calculating a second straight line connecting the position represented by the second positional information piece and a position represented by the third positional information piece, calculating an angle formed between the first straight line and the second straight line, and deciding whether or not the calculated angle is smaller than a prescribed threshold angle;

wherein in cases where the angle deciding section decides that the calculated angle is smaller than the prescribed threshold angle, the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece from being written into the storage area storing the second positional information piece.

3. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage device stores information representing a map, and further comprising:

a detour deciding section for deciding whether or not a detour is present in a route portion between positions represented by two among the positional information pieces having not been sent yet on the basis of the map;

wherein in cases where the detour deciding section decides that a detour is present in the route portion, the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece from being written into the storage area storing a positional information piece generated between the moments of generation of said two among the positional information pieces.

4. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage device stores information representing a map, and further comprising:

a fork deciding section for deciding whether or not a fork is present in a route portion between positions represented by two among the positional information pieces having not been sent yet on the basis of the map;

wherein in cases where the fork deciding section decides that a fork is present in the route portion, the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece from being written into one of the storage areas storing said two among the positional information pieces.

5. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a route search section for searching a desired route to a destination which should be taken by the vehicle;

a deviation information generating section for deciding whether or not the vehicle deviates from the desired route at every first prescribed timing to generate a deviation information piece representing a result of said deciding, and for storing the generated deviation information piece into the storage device in a manner such that the generated deviation information piece and a positional information piece generated at the same first prescribed timing are in correspondence; and

a deviation deciding section for referring to the generated deviation information pieces and thereby detecting, among the positional information pieces having not been sent yet, a positional information piece or pieces generated during a term in which the vehicle deviates from the desire route;

wherein the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece or pieces from being written into the storage area or areas storing the positional information or pieces detected by the deviation deciding section.

6. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a distance deciding section for deciding whether or not the distance between positions represented by two among the positional information pieces having not been sent yet is shorter than a prescribed threshold distance;

wherein in cases where the distance deciding section decides that the distance between the positions is not shorter than the prescribed threshold distance, the positional information controlling section inhibits new positional information pieces from being written into the storage areas storing said two among the positional information pieces having not been sent yet.

7. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a speed-related information generating section for detecting a physical quantity related to a speed of the vehicle at every first prescribed timing to generate a speed-related information piece representing the detected physical quantity, and for storing the generated speed-related information piece into the storage device in a manner such that the generated speed-related information piece and a positional information piece generated at the same first prescribed timing are in correspondence; and

a speed-related deciding section for deciding whether or not the physical quantity represented by the generated speed-related information piece is so small as to meet prescribed conditions;

wherein in cases where the speed-related deciding section decides that the physical quantity represented by the speed-related information piece is not so small, the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece from being written into one of the storage areas which stores the positional information piece corresponding to said speed-related information piece.

8. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the first prescribed timings are timings spaced at constant time intervals, and the physical quantity is the speed of the vehicle.

9. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the physical quantity is an acceleration of the vehicle in its transverse direction.

10. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the speed-related information generating section detects an acceleration of the vehicle in its transverse direction twice or more during a term between adjacent two among the first prescribed timings, and adds up the detected accelerations to obtain a cumulative acceleration and labels the obtained cumulative acceleration as a physical quantity corresponding to later one of said adjacent two among the first prescribed timings.

11. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the speed-related deciding section decides whether or not the cumulative acceleration represented by the speed-related information piece is so great as to meet given conditions;

wherein in cases where the speed-related deciding section decides that the cumulative acceleration represented by the speed-related information piece is so great, the positional information controlling section inhibits a new positional information piece from being written into one of the storage areas which stores the positional information piece corresponding to said speed-related information piece.

12. A method of generating and sending positional information pieces representative of positions of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

generating, at every first prescribed timing, a positional information piece representing a position of the vehicle which occurs at the first prescribed timing;

writing the generated positional information piece into one of storage areas in a storage device;

sending positional information pieces in the storage areas to a positional information collecting apparatus at every second prescribed timing, and allowing new positional information pieces to be written into the storage areas in which the sent positional information pieces are stored; and

in cases where sending the positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus is impossible, allowing a new positional information piece or pieces to be written into one or more of the storage areas which store a positional information piece or pieces having not been sent yet.

13. A recording medium storing a computer program for generating and sending positional information pieces representative of positions of a vehicle, the computer program enabling a computer to perform a positional information generating process and a positional information controlling process;

the positional information generating process being for generating, at every first prescribed timing, a positional information piece representing a position of the vehicle which occurs at the first prescribed timing, and for writing the generated positional information piece into one of storage areas in a storage device;

the positional information controlling process being for sending positional information pieces in the storage areas to a positional information collecting apparatus at every second prescribed timing, and for allowing new positional information pieces to be written into the storage areas in which the sent positional information pieces are stored;

wherein in cases where it is impossible to send the positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus, the positional information controlling process allows a new positional information piece or pieces to be written into one or more of the storage areas which store a positional information piece or pieces having not been sent yet.

14. An on-vehicle apparatus comprising:

a storage device including a plurality of storage areas;

an information generating section for sequentially generating positional information pieces each representing a current position of the vehicle, and for writing the generated positional information pieces into the storage areas;

a communication condition deciding section for repetitively deciding whether communications with an external information collecting apparatus are possible or impossible; and

a controlling section for, each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are possible, sending positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus, and for, each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are impossible, allowing a positional information piece or pieces to be erased from one or more of the storage areas.

15. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are impossible, the controlling section allows the information generating section to write a new positional information piece or pieces over a positional information piece or pieces in one or more of the storage areas and hence allows a positional information piece or pieces to be erased from one or more of the storage areas, and wherein each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are possible, the controlling section allows the information generating section to write new positional information pieces over the sent positional information pieces in the storage areas.

16. An on-vehicle apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are impossible, the controlling section positively erases a positional information piece or pieces from one or more of the storage areas to make said one or more unoccupied, wherein each time the communication condition deciding section decides that communications with the external information collecting apparatus are possible, the controlling section erases the sent positional information pieces from the storage areas to make the storage areas unoccupied, and wherein the information generating section writes each generated positional information piece into unoccupied one of the storage areas.

17. A positional information collecting apparatus for collecting positional information pieces from a plurality of on-vehicle apparatuses, wherein each of the on-vehicle apparatuses generates, at every first prescribed timing, a positional information piece representing a position of the related vehicle which occurs at the first prescribed timing, and writes the generated positional information piece into one of storage areas, and sends positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus at every second prescribed timing, and allows new positional information pieces to be written into the storage areas in which the sent positional information pieces are stored, the positional information collecting apparatus comprising:

a communication load detecting section detecting a communication load being a load of communications with the on-vehicle apparatuses; and

a condition deciding section for deciding a condition in response to the communication load detected by the communication load detecting section, and sending the decided condition to the on-vehicle apparatuses;

wherein the decided condition is designed so that in cases where it is impossible for each of the on-vehicle apparatuses to send positional information pieces in the storage areas to the positional information collecting apparatus, the decided condition will be a condition of using one or more of the storage areas from which a positional information piece or pieces have not been sent yet as a storage area or areas into which a new positional information piece or pieces are allowed to be written, and that a number of the storage area or areas used as a storage area or areas into which a new positional information piece or pieces are allowed to be written will increase as the communication load detected by the communication load detecting section is greater.