Vehicle information providing apparatus, vehicle information providing system, vehicle information providing method, computer program, and computer readable storage medium

• US 7,020,584 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Goto, Makoto, Ikeda, Kouji, Takaoka, Hiroki, Ueda, Yoshiteru, Karasugo, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US10/045,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 702/122, 702/123, 702/180, 702/183, 702/188, 702/182, 702/186, 702/189, 702/177, 709/251, 705/54, 705/8, 705/7, 705/10, 370/406, 712/234, 382/117
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Upon providing on-line vehicle information using an information providing apparatus that belongs to a vehicle manufacturer, and a user terminal possessed by a user, information (e.g., including photographed images during assembly, position information during transportation, and the like) associated with the progress status of a specific vehicle corresponding to identification information which is received from the terminal and specifies the user is acquired from information associated with the progress status of a plurality of vehicles before shipping, which information is stored in a progress management DB, and the acquired information is provided to the user terminal from which the identification information was output.

Claims

1. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

information acquisition function for accessing a storage device and acquiring information associated with progress status of a plurality of vehicles before shipping, which information is stored in the storage device; and

information providing function for, via said information acquisition function to refer to the storage device by using an identification information as a key, acquiring information associated with progress status of a specific vehicle corresponding to the identification information, the identification information which is acquired from an information terminal that is connected via a communication line to allow two-way communications and specifies a user of the information terminal or a vehicle, and for providing the acquired information to the information terminal from which the identification information was output,

wherein the information associated with progress status of the vehicle contains a photographed image of the specific vehicle under assembly in an assembly line of a vehicle manufacturer, and

wherein the information associated with progress status of the vehicle, which is acquired by said information acquisition function contains photographed images of at least all vehicles which are under assembly in the assembly line of the vehicle manufacturer and are customizable as the specific vehicle,

wherein said information acquisition function composites a name of a purchaser of the specific vehicle to the photographed image.

2. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

information acquisition function for accessing a storage device and acquiring information associated with progress status of a plurality of vehicles before shipping, which information is stored in the storage device; and

information providing function for, via said information acquisition function to refer to the storage device by using an identification information as a key, acquiring information associated with progress status of a specific vehicle corresponding to the identification information, the identification information which is acquired from an information terminal that is connected via a communication line to allow two-way communications and specifies a user of the information terminal or a vehicle, and for providing the acquired information to the information terminal from which the identification information was output,

wherein the information associated with progress status of the vehicle contains a photographed image of the specific vehicle under assembly in an assembly line of a vehicle manufacturer, and

wherein when the information which contains an image of the specific vehicle and is associated with progress status of the vehicle is provided as a pay service to a purchaser of the specific vehicle, production of the specific vehicle starts after a purchaser has subscribed to the pay service.

3. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

a capturing function for capturing assembly states of vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

an authentication function for authenticating access from a user terminal by a key assigned to a purchaser of a vehicle; and

an image providing function for providing the user terminal with captured image data, based on the captured assembly states, representing the vehicle which is under manufacturing, if the authentication by said authentication function succeeds,

wherein the captured image data allow the user to check on the progress of manufacturing the vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image providing function provides the user terminal of a video or still image data representing the vehicle in a backbone component assembly process, painting process, or test process.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a storage device for storing the image data representing the vehicle in association with processes of manufacturing,

wherein if the authentication function receives the access specifying the process of manufacturing and the authentication of the access succeeds, the image providing function reads out the image data from the storage device based on the received process of manufacturing.

6. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

a capturing function for capturing assembly states of vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

an authentication function for authenticating access from a user terminal by a key assigned to a purchaser of a vehicle; and

an image providing function for informing the user terminal of a scheduled manufacturing time and for providing a real-time image data representing the vehicle that is being manufactured if the authentication by said authentication function succeeds in the scheduled manufacturing time.

7. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

a capturing function for capturing assembly states of the vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

an authentication function for authenticating access from a user terminal by a key assigned to a purchaser of a vehicle;

an information providing function for providing the user terminal with a schedule information of when the authentication by said authentication function succeeds and the user terminal is allowed to remotely control a manufacturing machine for a vehicle;

a receiving function for receiving an instruction to control the manufacturing machine from the user terminal;

a transmission function for transmitting the instruction to the manufacturing machine; and

an image providing function for providing the user terminal with captured image data, based on the captured assembly states, representing the vehicle which is under manufacturing by the manufacturing machine based on the instruction.

8. A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising:

means for capturing assembly states of vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

means for authenticating access to vehicle information from a user terminal; and

means for providing the user terminal with captured image data, based on the captured assembly states, representing the vehicle being manufactured if access to the vehicle information is authenticated, wherein the captured image data allows a user to monitor the vehicle being manufactured.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means for providing the user terminal with the image data provides the user terminal with image data of the vehicle in a backbone component assembly process, painting process, or test process.

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

means for storing the image data representing the vehicle in association with processes of manufacturing,

wherein if the means for authenticating access to vehicle information receives the access specifying the process of manufacturing and the authentication of the access succeeds, the means for providing the user terminal with the image data reads out the image data from the means for storing the image data based on the received process of manufacturing.

11. A method of providing vehicle information to a user to monitor conditions of a selected vehicle, the method comprising:

capturing assembly states of vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

authenticating user access to vehicle information from a user terminal; and

providing the user terminal with captured image data, based on the captured assembly states, of the vehicle being manufactured if user access to the vehicle information is authenticated.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the user terminal with image data of the vehicle in a backbone component assembly process, a painting process, or a testing process.

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

storing the image data representing the vehicle in association with processes of manufacturing; and

providing the user terminal with the stored image data representing the vehicle in association with a specified process of manufacturing if an authenticated user specifies the process of manufacturing.

14. A computer program instructing a user terminal to operate as a vehicle information providing apparatus, the computer program comprising:

a capturing function for capturing assembly states of vehicles near an assembly line in which the vehicles are manufactured;

an authentication function for authenticating access from a user terminal by a key assigned to a purchaser of a vehicle; and

an image providing function for providing the user terminal with captured image data, based on the captured assembly states, representing the vehicle which is under manufacturing, if the authentication by said authentication function succeeds,

wherein the captured image data allow the user to check on the progress of manufacturing the vehicle.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the image providing function provides the user terminal of a video or still image data representing the vehicle in a backbone component assembly process, painting process, or test process.

16. The computer program of claim 14, further comprising a storing function for storing the image data representing the vehicle in association with processes of manufacturing,

wherein if the authentication function receives the access specifying the process of manufacturing and the authentication of the access succeeds, the image providing function reads out the image data from the storage device based on the received process of manufacturing.