On-vehicle electronic apparatus and information notification method

• US 6,680,670 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shinada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US09/841,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20010033235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995, 340/439, 340/438, 340/575, 340/576, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention provides an on-vehicle electronic apparatus for making an automobile reach its destination in a relatively short time and preventing its driver from getting bored. A central processing unit statistically determines positional information obtained from the map information read from a mass storage unit and the information obtained from a GPS antenna for example and notifies the driver of the resultant information through a speaker or a image display unit. The novel constitution can change the planned routes to a destination and the timings of navigation to a planned route.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle electronic apparatus comprising:

driving state detection means for detecting a driving state of an automobile;

physical condition detecting means for detecting physical conditions of a driver;

positional information collection means for collecting positional information about said automobile;

decision means for statistically deciding information output from said driving state detecting means and said positional information collecting means and said physical condition detecting means;

notification means for notifying said driver of said automobile of said statistically decided information output from said decision means; and

control means for selecting a specific piece of music for playing by said notification means based on a particular detected physical condition of said driver.

2. The on-vehicle electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising external information collection means for collecting information from outside said automobile, wherein said decision means further decides using information output from said external information collection means.

3. The on-vehicle electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operator means for controlling by said driver an operation state of said on-vehicle electronic apparatus.

4. The on-vehicle electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said notification by said notification means is produced as one of voice and image.

5. The information notification method comprising the steps of:

detecting a driving state of an automobile;

collecting positional information about said automobile;

detecting physical conditions of a driver;

statistically deciding information output from said driving state detecting step, said positional information collecting step, and said physical conditions detecting step;

notifying said driver of said automobile of said statistically decided information output from said step of statistically deciding information; and

selecting a specific piece of music for playing in said step of notifying based on a particular detected physical condition of said driver.

6. The information notification method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of collecting information from outside said automobile, wherein said decision step further decides using information output from said collecting information step.

7. The information notification method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of controlling by said driver an operation state of said on-vehicle electronic apparatus.

8. The information notification method according to claim 5, wherein said notification by said notification step is produced as one of voice and image.