Information exchange system

• US 6,335,693 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2000
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kazunori, Shima, Takeshi, Sato, Yoshihito, Shojima, Hiroshi, Iino, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/597,483
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/901, 340/907, 340/916, 340/991, 340/993, 340/995
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

An information exchange system is capable of realizing useful information exchange both for the service provider located along the road and providing services and the vehicular driver, by effectively using limited communication capacity of the road-vehicle radio communication. The information exchange system has a vehicle-mounted unit and a road-side unit providing information to the vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication. The vehicle-mounted unit includes receiving unit receiving information transmitted from the road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring unit transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant. The road-side unit including storage unit storing information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting unit transmitting information to the vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication. The storage means stores at least information relating to a service provider where a service is provided at the location thereof. The road-side unit also includes editing unit editing information stored in the storage means on the basis of a relative position between the service provider and a communication region of the transmitting means and generating an edited information to be transmitted from the transmitting means.

Claims

1. An information exchange system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted unit mounted on a vehicle;

a road-side unit providing information to said vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication;

said vehicle-mounted unit including receiving means for receiving information transmitted form said road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring means for transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant;

said road-side unit including storage means for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting means for transmitting information to said vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication;

said storage means of said road-side unit for storing at least information relating to service providers of which services are available when the vehicle moves to the locations thereof; and

said road-side unit further including editing means for editing information stored in said storage means on the basis of a relative position between the service providers and a communication region of said transmitting means including a distance therebetween and generating an edited information to be transmitted to the vehicle from said transmitting means.

2. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the

information relating to the service provider stored in said storage means of said road-side unit is a plurality of information obtained with respect to a particular service provider, of which the plurality of information can be edited through editing process by said editing means.

3. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores at least information relating to a plurality of service providers and kinds of information for respectively specifying kinds of the plurality of service providers or kind of information thereof;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes kind setting means for setting kinds of the service providers and kinds of information thereto to be transmitted to the vehicular occupant in response to external operation, thereby and selecting means for selecting the information transmitted from said road-side unit using the kind information and the set kind information; and

said transferring means of said vehicle-mounted unit transfers the selected information to the vehicular occupant.

4. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes detecting means for detecting a value representing a condition of the vehicle which mounts said vehicle-mounted unit;

and

said setting means modifies information to be set depending upon the detected value.

5. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores at least a plurality of information of different detail degrees with respect to one service provider and detail degree information for specifying the plurality of respective information of different detail degrees;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes information detail degree setting means for setting information relating to detail degree to be transferred to the vehicular occupant in response to external operation thereby, and selecting means for selecting information transmitted from said road-side unit using the information relating to detail degree and the set detail degree when information of the set detail degree is included in the information provided from said road-side unit; and

said transferring means of said vehicle-mounted unit transfers the selected information to the vehicular occupant.

6. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores at least a plurality of information of different detail degrees with respect to one service provider and detail degree information for specifying the plurality of respective information of different detail degrees;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes information detail degree setting means for setting information relating to detail degree to be transferred to the vehicular occupant in response to external operation thereby, selecting means for selecting information transmitted from said road-side unit using the information relating to detail degree and the set detail degree when information of the set detail degree is included in the information provided from said road-side unit, and transmitting means which transmits information relating to the set detail degree to said road-side unit;

said transferring means of said vehicle-mounted unit transfers the selected information to the vehicular occupant; and

said editing means of said road-side unit performs editing an process using the information relating to detail degree when the information relating to detail degree is contained in the information transmitted from said vehicle-mounted unit to produce information to be transmitted to said vehicle mounted unit.

7. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit further stores information relating to a plurality of service providers and information relating to contact points for radio communication with each of the service providers;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes service provider selecting means for selecting a particular service provider among a plurality of service providers in the transmitted information, and radio communication means for performing radio communication with the selected service provider using the information relating to contact point, when the information relating to contact points is included in information transmitted from said road-side unit.

8. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores information relating to a plurality of service providers and information relating to relative positions between each service provider and said transmitting means including distance therebetween;

and

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes rearranging means for rearranging the information relating to a plurality of service providers transmitted from said road-side unit while varying a mode of transferring thereof and reflecting the relative positions thereby through controlling the operation of said transferring means when information relating to relative position is included in the information transmitted from said road-side unit.

9. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes second storage means storing information, saving means for selectively saving information transmitted from said road-side unit in said second storage means, and deleting means for selectively deleting information stored in said second storage means.

10. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said road-side unit further includes managing means for managing information indicative of time stored in said storage means;

said storage means stores information relating to the service providers and time, at which the information becomes effective; and

said editing means performs editing process using the information of the service provider based on the effective time information determined by said managing means, for generating information to be transmitted to the vehicle from said transmitting means.

11. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said road-side unit transmits a plurality of information relating to the service providers and information indicative of effective range in time or region to said vehicle-mounted unit;

and

said vehicle-mounted unit includes means for judging whether each of information transmitted falls within the effective range in time or in region or not and for deleting information judged as being out of the effective range.

12. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle-mounted unit further includes transmitting means which transmits information relating to type of the vehicle, and said editing, means of said road-side unit modifies the edited information depending upon the information relating to the type of the vehicle.

13. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle-mounted unit further includes transmitting means which transmits information relating to destination of the vehicle, and said editing means of said road-side unit modifies the edited information depending upon the information relating to the destination of the vehicle.

14. A road-side unit comprising:

storage means for storing information to be transmitted to a vehicle through a road-vehicle radio communication;

transmitting means for transmitting information to the vehicle;

said storage means storing at least information relating to service providers of which services are available when the vehicle moves to the locations thereof; and

editing means for editing information stored in said storage means on the basis of a relative position between said service providers and a communication region of said transmitting means including distance therebetween and generating an edited information to be transmitted to the vehicle from said transmitting means.

15. A method of exchanging information for providing information from a side of road to a vehicle using a road-vehicle radio communication, comprising the steps of:

editing information relating to service providers of which services are available when the vehicle moves to the locations thereof on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the service providers and a region where the road-vehicle radio communication is possible including a distance therebetween, and generating information to be transmitted to the vehicle; and

transmitting the edited information to the vehicle passing through the region where the road-vehicle radio communication is possible.