INFORMATION INPUTTING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROVIDING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM PROVIDED WITH THESE APPARATUSES

• US 20140337546A1
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Endo, Masato, Kitahama, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,804,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/73
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5899 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5915 Inter vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/592 Data transfer involving external databases
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/58 Data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/5899 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/5915 Inter vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/592 External database involved
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with a button that is depressed by a driver at any time for inputting intention information indicating an intention of approving a condition or an intention of rejecting the condition. The intention information inputted by the depressing operation of the button is transmitted to an information providing center. The intention information is transmitted together with position information indicating a point where the button is depressed and time information indicating a time. In the center, a server provides related information related to the transmitted intention information as a feedback. The server also supposes the reason why the transmitted intention information is inputted, and transmits the supposed reason to a closed SNS or an open SNS with a response form. The server then determines a reason of input based upon a response in accordance with the response form, and accumulates the determined reason in an information storage section so as to be retrievable in association with the intention information.

Claims

1. An information inputting apparatus including an input unit, which is provided in a compartment of a vehicle and is inputted by an occupant of the vehicle, wherein

the input unit is used by the occupant to input intention information indicating at least an intention of approving a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle and an intention of rejecting the condition.

2. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle is a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle in a real space.

3. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input unit is connected to an on-vehicle device, which can be mounted on the vehicle, so as to be capable of making communication, and

the input unit supplies the intention information to the on-vehicle device according to an input operation by the occupant.

4. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the on-vehicle device that can be mounted on the vehicle includes a communication unit communicating with an outside of the vehicle, and transmits the intention information, which is supplied according to the operation on the input unit by the occupant, to the outside.

5. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the communication unit in the on-vehicle device transmits condition information, which is related to the condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle, to the outside in association with the intention information, when the occupant inputs the intention information via the input unit.

6. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the condition information is at least one of current position information indicating a current position of the vehicle when the occupant inputs the intention information via the input unit and time information indicating a time when the occupant inputs the intention information.

7. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the communication unit in the on-vehicle device transmits at least one of identification information for identifying the vehicle and identification information for identifying the occupant to the outside in association with the intention information, when the occupant inputs the intention information via the input unit.

8. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the communication unit in the on-vehicle device communicates with the outside by logging in to a predetermined network service, and

the communication unit transmits the identification information for identifying the occupant to the outside in association with the intention information, when logged in the predetermined network service.

9. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the occupant is at least a driver of the vehicle, and

the input unit is provided at least on a portion near a steering wheel operated by the driver.

10. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the input unit is provided at a position where the driver can make an input operation while gripping the steering wheel.

11. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input unit is at least any one of a button depressed by the occupant, a voice input unit to which a voice of the occupant is inputted, and an image recognition unit that recognizes an expression of a face of the occupant as an image.

12. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 4, comprising:

a notification unit that acquires related information related to an input of the intention information by the occupant via the input unit from the outside via the communication unit in the on-vehicle device, and notifies the occupant of the acquired related information.

13. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the related information is based upon intention information inputted by an occupant of other vehicle for the condition when the occupant inputs the intention information via the input unit.

14. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the related information is information related to 3 number of intention information pieces inputted by the occupant of the other vehicle, or information related to the intention information inputted by the occupant of the other vehicle.

15. The information inputting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the related information is acquired from the outside through a predetermined network service that can be used by the occupant.

16. An information providing apparatus comprising:

an information collecting unit that collects information pieces supplied from plural vehicles; and

an information providing unit that provides various information pieces related to the information pieces collected by the information collecting unit to at least an occupant of each of the vehicles;

wherein

the information collecting unit collects intention information, which is inputted by the occupant and indicates at least an intention of approving a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle and an intention of rejecting the condition, from the plural vehicles.

17. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle is a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle in a real space.

18. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

when the information collecting unit collects the intention information from one vehicle out of the plural vehicles, the information providing unit provides information based upon intention information collected from other plural vehicles out of the plural vehicles to an occupant of the one vehicle.

19. The information providing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the information provided by the information providing unit to the occupant of the one vehicle is information related to a number of intention information pieces collected from the other plural vehicles by the information collecting unit, or information related to the intention information collected from the other plural vehicles by the information collecting unit.

20. The information providing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

the information providing unit provides information based upon intention information, which is collected from a vehicle of an occupant who has a predetermined relationship to the occupant of the one vehicle, out of intention information pieces collected from the plural vehicles by the information collecting unit, to the occupant of the one vehicle.

21. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

when one vehicle out of the plural vehicles from which the information collecting unit collects the intention information pieces is on a specific position, the information providing unit provides information based upon intention information collected from other plural vehicles out of the plural vehicles to the occupant of the one vehicle.

22. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the information providing unit includes:

an intention information accumulating unit that accumulates plural intention information pieces collected from the plural vehicles by the information collecting unit so as to be retrievable; and

a reason supplementing unit that supplements a reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is inputted and supplied from the vehicle, wherein

the intention information accumulating unit accumulates the reason, which is supplemented by the reason supplementing unit, so as to be retrievable in association with the intention information collected by the information collecting unit.

23. The information providing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the intention information accumulating unit accumulates the acquired intention information, and position information indicating a position of the vehicle when the intention information is inputted and time information indicating a time when the intention information is inputted, so as to be retrievable, the position information and the time information being associated with the acquired intention information, and

the reason supplementing unit supplements the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the plural intention information pieces accumulated so as to be retrievable in the intention information accumulating unit, the plural position information pieces, and time information pieces accumulated in association with each of the plural intention information pieces, and environment information indicating an environment around the vehicle indicated by the position information and the time information.

24. The information providing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the reason supplementing unit presents a response form encouraging the occupant of the vehicle to make a response about a reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle through a predetermined network service that can be used by the occupant of the vehicle, and supplements the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the response according to the response form.

25. The information providing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein

the reason supplementing unit supposes the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the plural intention information pieces accumulated in the intention information accumulating unit,

presents the supposed reason to the occupant through the predetermined network service as well as presents a response form encouraging the occupant to make a response as to whether the supposed reason is true or not, and

supplements the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the response in accordance with the response form.

26. The information providing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

the predetermined network service is a social networking service of a closed community that the occupant of the vehicle joins.

27. The information providing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein

the reason supplementing unit presents to the occupant plural intention information pieces from an occupant of other vehicle corresponding to the intention information collected by the information collecting unit, as well as a response form encouraging the occupant to make a response about the reason why the intention information is supplied from the vehicle, and supplements the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the response in accordance with the response form.

28. The information providing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein

the predetermined network service is a social networking service of an open community that persons other than an occupant of a vehicle join.

29. The information providing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein

the plural intention information pieces from the occupant of other vehicle presented through the social networking service, of an open community is presented with a nickname of the occupant of the other vehicle.

30. The information providing apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising:

a point applying unit that applies a predetermined point to the response, when the response is made in accordance with the response form presented by the reason supplementing unit.

31. An information providing system comprising:

an information inputting apparatus having an input unit provided in a compartment of a vehicle and operated by an occupant of the vehicle; and

an information providing apparatus including an information collecting unit that collects information pieces supplied from plural vehicles including the information inputting apparatus, and an in Formation providing unit that provides various information pieces related to the collected information pieces to at least an occupant of each of the vehicles, wherein

the input unit in the information inputting apparatus is used by the occupant to input intention information indicating at least an intention of approving a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle and an intention of rejecting the condition,

the information collecting unit in the information providing apparatus collects intention information, which is inputted via the input unit in the information inputting apparatus, from the plural vehicles, and

the information providing unit in the information providing apparatus includes;

an intention information accumulating unit that accumulates plural intention information pieces collected from the plural vehicles by the information collecting unit so as to be retrievable; and

a reason supplementing unit that supplements a reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle.

32. The information providing system according to claim 31, wherein

the condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle is a condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle in a real space.

33. The information providing system according to claim 31, wherein

the input unit in the information inputting apparatus is connected to an on-vehicle device, which can be mounted on the vehicle and includes a communication unit communicating with an outside of the vehicle, so as to be capable of making communication, and supplies the intention information to the on-vehicle device according to an input operation by the occupant, and

the on-vehicle device transmits the intention information supplied according to the operation on the input unit by the occupant to the information providing apparatus.

34. The information providing system according to claim 33, wherein

the communication unit in the on-vehicle device transmits condition information, which is related to the condition involved with the occupant aboard the vehicle, to the information providing apparatus in association with the intention information, when the occupant input;

the intention information via the input unit.

35. The information providing system according to claim 33, wherein

the information inputting apparatus includes a notification unit that acquires related information related to an input of the intention information by the occupant via the input unit from the information providing apparatus via the communication unit in the on-vehicle device, and notifies the occupant of the acquired related information.

36. The information providing system according to claim 35, wherein

the related information is accumulated in the intention information accumulating unit in the information providing apparatus, and is based upon intention information inputted by an occupant of other vehicle for the condition when the occupant inputs the intention information via the input unit.

37. The information providing system according to claim 36, wherein

the related information is acquired from the information providing apparatus through a predetermined network service that can be used by the occupant.

38. The information providing system according to claim 31, wherein

the reason supplementing unit in the information providing apparatus presents a response form encouraging the occupant of the vehicle to make a response about a reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle through a predetermined network service that can be used by the occupant of the vehicle, and supplements the reason why the intention information collected by the information collecting unit is supplied from the vehicle based upon the response according to the response form.