Assurance of intercommunication and position recognition between mobile stations with navigation apparatuses

• US 6,002,345 A
• Filed: 09/23/1997
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Hideaki, Ohmura, Hiroshi, Hosoda, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US08/935,702
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/961, 340/988, 340/989, 340/995, 340/573, 340/539, 340/990, 701/213, 701/300
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

The communication state is evaluated on the basis of the current positions, velocities, and moving directions included in information obtained from another mobile station by radio communications and information of the own mobile station, and the electric field strength Bi of the radio communications (S31 to S34). When the obtained evaluation value is smaller than the relative distance Li between the mobile stations (S35), processing for generating a message in the own mobile station is done in correspondence with the current position (S36 to S42), or processing for generating a message in the other mobile station is done in correspondence with the direction the other mobile station is traveling (S43 to S48).

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus to which radio communication means for performing a radio communication between mobile stations is connected, comprising:

first position recognition means for recognizing a current position of an own mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus on the basis of received GPS signal;

current position transmitting means for transmitting the current position of the own mobile station recognized by said first position recognition means via said radio communication means;

second position recognition means for recognizing a current position of an other mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus on the basis of radio signal received by said radio communication means;

electric field strength detection means for detecting an electric field strength of the radio signal received from the other mobile station by the radio communication means;

display means for displaying the recognized current positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station together with stored map information; and

warning means for generating a warning when the electric field strength detected by said electric field strength detection means is smaller than a predetermined value.

2. A navigation apparatus to which radio communication means for performing a radio communication between mobile stations is connected, comprising:

distance detection means for detecting a distance between an own mobile station and another mobile station on the basis of information associated with the own mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus, and information associated with the other mobile station received by the radio communication means;

warning means for generating a warning when the distance detected by said distance detection means becomes larger than a predetermined value;

electric field strength detection means for detecting an electric field strength of a radio signal received from the other mobile station by the radio communication means; and

electric field strength correction means for correcting the predetermined value to be smaller as the electric field strength detected by said electric field strength detection means becomes smaller.

3. A navigation apparatus to which radio communication means for performing a radio communication between mobile stations is connected, comprising:

distance detection means for detecting a distance between an own mobile station and another mobile station on the basis of information associated with the own mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus, and information associated with the other mobile station received by the radio communication means;

warning means for generating a warning when the distance detected by said distance detection means becomes larger than a predetermined value;

relative velocity detection means for detecting a relative velocity between the own mobile station and the other mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

relative velocity correction means for correcting the predetermined value to be smaller as the relative velocity detected by said relative velocity detection means becomes larger in a direction in which the own mobile station and the other mobile station move away from each other.

4. A navigation apparatus to which radio communication means for performing a radio communication between mobile stations is connected, comprising:

first position recognition means for recognizing a current position of an own mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus on the basis of received GPS signal;

current position transmitting means for transmitting the current position of the own mobile station recognized by said first position recognition means via said radio communication means;

second position recognition means for recognizing a current position of an other mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus on the basis of radio signal received by said radio communication means;

distance detection means for detecting a distance between the own mobile station and the other mobile station on the basis of the current positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station recognized by said first and second position recognition means;

display means for displaying the recognized current positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station together with stored map information; and

warning means for generating a warning when the distance detected by said distance detection means becomes larger than a predetermined value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

electric field strength detection means for detecting an electric field strength of a radio signal received from the other mobile station by the radio communication means; and

electric field strength correction means for correcting the predetermined value to be smaller as the electric field strength detected by said electric field strength detection means becomes smaller.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

relative velocity detection means for detecting a relative velocity between the own mobile station and the other mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

relative velocity correction means for correcting the predetermined value to be smaller as the relative velocity detected by said relative velocity detection means becomes larger in a direction in which the own mobile station and the other mobile station move away from each other.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second position recognition means recognizes the current position of the other mobile station on the basis of the received radio signal transmitted by said current position transmitting means of the other mobile station.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

own mobile station end portion detection means for detecting, on the basis of the recognized current positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station, if the own mobile station is located at an end portion in a group including the own mobile station and the other mobile station, and

wherein, when said own mobile station end portion detection means detects that the own mobile station is located at the end portion, said warning means generates a warning in the own mobile station.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

warning content changing means for changing contents of the warning in accordance with a position of the end portion when the own mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

other mobile station end portion detection means for detecting, on the basis of the recognized current positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station, if the other mobile station is located at an end portion in the group including the own mobile station and the other mobile station, and

wherein, when said other mobile station end portion detection means detects that the other mobile station is located at the end portion, said warning means controls the radio communication means to transmit information associated with a warning to the other mobile station.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

first transmission content changing means for changing contents of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning in accordance with a position of the end portion when the other mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

direction detection means for detecting a direction of the other mobile station with respect to the own mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

second transmission content changing means for changing contents of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning in correspondence with the direction of the other mobile station detected by said direction detection means when the other mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

direction detection means for detecting a direction of the other mobile station with respect to the own mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

transmission inhibition means for inhibiting transmission of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning when the direction of the other mobile station detected by said direction detection means agrees with a direction toward the own mobile station.

14. A navigation apparatus to which radio communication means for performing a radio communication between mobile stations is connected, comprising:

distance detection means for detecting a distance between an own mobile station and another mobile station on the basis of information associated with the own mobile station that mounts an own navigation apparatus, and information associated with the other mobile station received by the radio communication means;

warning means for generating a warning when the distance detected by said distance detection means becomes larger than a predetermined value;

position recognition means for recognizing positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

own mobile station end portion detection means for detecting, on the basis of a position recognition result of said position recognition means, if the own mobile station is located at an end portion in a group including the own mobile station and the other mobile station, and

wherein when said own mobile station end portion detection means detects that the own mobile station is located at the end portion, said warning means generates a warning in the own mobile station.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

warning content changing means for changing contents of the warning in accordance with a position of the end portion when the own mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

position recognition means for recognizing positions of the own mobile station and the other mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

other mobile station end portion detection means for detecting, on the basis of a position recognition result of said position recognition means, if the other mobile station is located at an end portion in the group including the own mobile station and the other mobile station, and

wherein when said other mobile station end portion detection means detects that the other mobile station is located at the end portion, said warning means controls the radio communication means to transmit information associated with a warning to the other mobile station.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

first transmission content changing means for changing contents of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning in accordance with a position of the end portion when the other mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

direction detection means for detecting a direction of the other mobile station with respect to the own mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

second transmission content changing means for changing contents of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning in correspondence with the direction of the other mobile station detected by said direction detection means when the other mobile station is located at the end portion in the group.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

direction detection means for detecting a direction of the other mobile station with respect to the own mobile station on the basis of the information associated with the own mobile station and the information associated with the other mobile station; and

transmission inhibition means for inhibiting transmission of the information to be transmitted associated with the warning when the direction of the other mobile station detected by said direction detection means agrees with a direction toward the own mobile station.