Information providing method and information providing device

• US 7,130,743 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2002
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudo, Takahiro, Ozawa, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke, Christine M.
• Application Number:
  US10/474,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 701/204, 701/209, 701/211, 701/200, 701/208, 701/207, 340/995.22, 340/995.18, 340/995.17, 340/992, 340/995.14, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

In a car navigation system (1), a position information detection means (11) detects position information on a vehicle using, for example, a GPS. A travel information history of the vehicle obtained based on the detected position information is accumulated in a travel information history means (15). When detecting an event such as start of an engine, an action prediction means (17) predicts a destination of the vehicle by referring to a route to the current time and to the accumulated travel information history. Commercial or traffic information regarding the predicted destination is acquired by an information acquisition means (18) from a server (2), and then is displayed on a screen, for example, by an information provision means (19).

Claims

1. An information providing method for providing information to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting position information on the vehicle with information equipment installed in the vehicle;

accumulating, as a travel information history, routes of the vehicle obtained from the detected position information;

predicting a destination of the vehicle by referring to a route along which the vehicle has traveled to the current time and to the accumulated travel information history, when detecting the occurrence of a given event; and

providing information regarding the predicted destination to the occupant via the information equipment,

wherein the travel information history is accumulated in the manner of transition among nodes,

the method including the step of defining, as a node, an intersection which is located on the routes and through which the vehicle has passed in at least two directions.

2. An information providing method for providing information to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting position information on the vehicle with information equipment installed in the vehicle;

accumulating, as a travel information history, routes of the vehicle obtained from the detected position information;

predicting a destination of the vehicle by referring to a route along which the vehicle has traveled to the current time and to the accumulated travel information history, when detecting the occurrence of a given event; and

providing information regarding the predicted destination to the occupant via the information equipment,

wherein in the predicting step, a destination to which estimated required travel time exceeds a predetermined value is eliminated from being a predicted destination.