Mobile terminal, and automatic remote control system and automatic remote control method

• US 6,909,891 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Atsushi, Hamada, Hiroyuki, Sakamoto, Kiyomi, Ata, Teruaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy D
• Application Number:
  US10/013,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20020072356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420, 455/418, 455/419, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/406, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005

Abstract

A mobile terminal 31 detects its position, speed, and direction, and judges a control requirement based on the detected position, speed, and direction. Based on the judgment, the mobile terminal 31 transmits a message corresponding to the control requirement that has been satisfied to a control terminal 33. The control terminal 33 judges a message requirement based on the received message. Based on the judgment, the control terminal 33 transmits a control command corresponding to the message requirement that has been satisfied to a control target appliance 34. The control target appliance 34 executes an operation by following the received command.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal capable of communicating through a network with a receiving system including at least one control target appliance and of remotely controlling the control target appliance by transmitting a message to the receiving system, said mobile terminal comprising:

a message transmission rule storage operable to store at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling the control target appliance and a message to be transmitted for remote control;

a motion parameter detector operable to detect a motion parameter indicating at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a position, speed, and direction of said mobile terminal;

a control requirement judging device operable to judge whether the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameters detected by said motion parameter detector; and

a transmitter operable to transmit, when said control requirement judging device judges that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to the receiving system by reading the message from said message transmission rule storage.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a setter operable to set a destination specified by a user, wherein

said control requirement judging device is operable to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied only when a position of the receiving system matches the destination set by said setter.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

a cartographic information storage operable to store cartographic information; and

a route searcher operable to search a route on a map from a starting point to the destination set by said setter, wherein

said control requirement judging device is operable to judge whether the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameter and the route found by said route searcher.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said control requirement includes a predetermined distance, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to calculate a remaining distance on the found route from a current position to the destination, and to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the remaining distance becomes shorter than the predetermined distance included in the control requirement.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

the control requirement includes a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to predict a time left to go to the destination while taking the found route, and to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the predicted time is shorter than the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said setter is operable to set the destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

the control requirement includes a predetermined distance and a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to

calculate a distance from a current position to the destination on the found route,

calculate a time difference between a current time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setter, and

judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the calculated distance and the calculated time difference respectively have a predetermined relation with the predetermined distance and the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein

said setter is operable to set the destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

the control requirement includes a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to

predict an arrival time to the destination while taking the found route,

calculate a time difference between the predicted arrival time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setter, and

judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the calculated time difference has a predetermined relation with the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output device operable to output to a user a visual and/or audio inquiry about whether said transmitter is to transmit the message; and

an answer receiver operable to receive an answer from the user to the inquiry outputted by said output device, wherein

said transmitter is operable to transmit the message when the user answers that the message is to be transmitted.

9. An automatic remote control system comprising:

a mobile terminal comprising a message transmission rule storage, a motion parameter detector, a control requirement judging device, and a transmitter; and

a receiving system comprising a receiver, an executing unit and a control target appliance,

wherein a predetermined message is transmitted through a network from said mobile terminal to said receiving system for remotely controlling said control target appliance,

wherein said message transmission rule storage is operable to store at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling said control target appliance and a message to be transmitted for remote control,

wherein said motion parameter detector is operable to detect a motion parameter indicating at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a position, speed, and direction of said mobile terminal,

wherein said control requirement judging device is operable to judge whether the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameter detected by said motion parameter detector,

wherein said transmitter is operable to transmit, when said control requirement judging device judges that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to said receiving system by reading the message from said message transmission rule storage,

wherein said receiver is operable to receive the message from said mobile terminal, and

wherein said executing unit is operable to make said control target appliance execute an operation based on the message received by said receiver.

10. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

said executing unit includes:

a control command transmission rule storage operable to store a control command transmission rule for determining, based on the message received by said receiver, a control command indicating an instruction for operating said control target appliance;

a control command determination unit operable to determine the control command corresponding to the message received by said receiver by following the control command transmission rule; and

an execution controller operable to make said control target appliance execute the operation based on the control command determined by said control command determination unit.

11. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a control command determination unit,

wherein the message transmitted from said transmitter is provided with identification information for identifying said mobile terminal that transmitted the message,

wherein the control command transmission rule is so described as that the control command is determined based on the message and the identification information both received by said receiver, and

wherein said control command determination unit determines the control command corresponding to the message and the identification information both received by said receiver by following the control command transmission rule.

12. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, wherein

said mobile terminal further includes a setter operable to set a destination specified by a user, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied when a position of said receiving system matches the destination set by said setter.

13. The automatic remote control system according to claim 12, wherein said mobile terminal further includes:

a cartographic information storage operable to store cartographic information; and

a route searcher operable to search a route on a map from a starting point to the destination set by said setter, wherein

said control requirement judging device is operable to judge whether the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the motion parameter and the route found by said route searcher.

14. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

the control requirement includes a predetermined distance, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to calculate a remaining distance on the found route from a current position to the destination, and to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the remaining distance becomes shorter than the predetermined distance included in the control requirement.

15. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

the control requirement includes a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to predict a time left to go to the destination while taking the found route, and to judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the predicted time is shorter than the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

16. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said setter is operable to set the destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

the control requirement includes a predetermined distance and a predetermined time, and

said control requirement judging device is operable to

calculate a distance from a current position to the destination on the found route,

calculate a time difference between a current time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setter, and

judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the calculated distance and the calculated time difference respectively have a predetermined relation with the predetermined distance and the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

17. The automatic remote control system according to claim 13, wherein

said setter is operable to set the destination and a scheduled arrival time to the destination both specified by the user,

the control requirement includes a predetermined time,

said control requirement judging device is operable to

predict an arrival time to the destination while taking the found route,

calculate a time difference between the predicted arrival time and the scheduled arrival time set by said setter, and

judge whether the control requirement has been satisfied based on whether the calculated time difference has a predetermined relation with the predetermined time included in the control requirement.

18. The automatic remote control system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an output device operable to output to a user a visual and/or audio inquiry about whether said transmitter is to transmit the message; and

an answer receiver operable to receive an answer from the user to the inquiry outputted by said output device, wherein

said transmitter is operable to transmit the message when the user answers that the message is to be transmitted.

19. An automatic control method for remotely controlling a control target appliance included a receiving system by transmitting a predetermined message through a network from a mobile terminal to the receiving system, the mobile terminal previously storing at least one message transmission rule indicating a correspondence between a control requirement for remotely controlling the control target appliance and the message to be transmitted for remote control, said method comprising:

detecting, by the mobile terminal, a motion parameter indicating at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a position, speed, and direction of the mobile terminal;

judging, by the mobile terminal, whether the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied based on the detected motion parameter;

transmitting, by the mobile terminal, when it is judged that the control requirement in the message transmission rule has been satisfied, the message corresponding to the control requirement to the receiving system by reading the message from the message transmission rule; and

making, by the receiving system, the control target appliance execute an operation based on the message received from the mobile terminal.