On-vehicle handsfree system and mobile terminal thereof

• US 7,251,507 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurosaki, Toshihiko, Hatakeyama, Takeshi, Kitao, Mitsuru, Tomoda, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Win; Aung T.
• Application Number:
  US09/948,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/575.9, 455/557, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A handsfree video phone system includes a video phone terminal and a car device in which a microphone, a speaker, and a camera are connected with an instrument panel via a cable. The video phone terminal is connected with the instrument panel via a wireless communication medium. When the video phone terminal is brought into the vehicle, the instrument panel informs the video phone terminal of the attribute information on the system structure. According to the attribute information, the video phone terminal switches the paths of multiplexed audio-video data so as to replace a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display that have been built in the video phone terminal with the microphone, the speaker, the camera, and a display of the instrument panel when the status changes to the communication status.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle handsfree system comprising a car device and a mobile terminal,

wherein the car device comprises:

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as car peripheral units,

a first communication interface operable to enable wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and

an attribute information notification unit operable to notify the mobile terminal of attribute information via the first communication interface, the attribute information for identifying the car peripheral units;

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to communicate by at least one of wireless video communication and wireless audio communication via a communication network, and comprises;

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as mobile terminal peripheral units,

a second communication interface operable to enable the wireless communication with the car device,

an attribute information obtaining unit operable to obtain the attribute information from the car device via the second communication interface, and

a replacement controller operable to select at least two of the mobile terminal peripheral units according to the obtained attribute information, and operable to cause respective ones of the car peripheral corresponding to the selected mobile terminal peripheral units to replace the selected mobile terminal peripheral units, so that the corresponding car peripheral units are simultaneously used as the selected mobile terminal peripheral units;

wherein the car device includes the camera,

wherein the mobile terminal further includes;

a storage unit operable to store camera set information on a shot condition for the camera; and

a camera set information notification unit operable to transmit the camera set information to the car device via the second communication interface, and

wherein the car device further includes a camera controller that controls the camera according to the shot condition in the camera set information.

2. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1, wherein the replacement controller cuts off a first data path that connects a channel of the wireless communication with the mobile terminal peripheral units and establishes a second data path through the first and second communication interfaces that connect the wireless communication channel with the car device.

3. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 2, wherein the first and second data paths transmit multiplexed audio-video data.

4. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 2, wherein the first and second data paths transmit one of audio data and video data.

5. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1,

wherein the car device includes the camera, and

wherein the car device further includes:

a storage unit operable to store camera set information on a shot condition for the camera, the camera set information corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of mobile terminals; and

a camera controller operable to read a piece of camera set information corresponding to one of the mobile terminals that has been brought into a vehicle, and operable to control the camera according to the shot condition in the camera set information.

6. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further includes a status switching unit that switches between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the replacement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no replacement controller functions according to an operation of an engine key.

7. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1, further comprising a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the replacement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no replacement controller functions according to a user operation of one of the mobile terminal and the car device.

8. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1, further comprising a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the replacement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no replacement controller functions according to a communication link status between the car device and the mobile terminal by the first and second communication interfaces.

9. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a holding unit operable to hold the mobile terminal; and

a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the replacement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no replacement controller functions according to whether the holding unit holds the mobile terminal.

10. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1,

wherein the car device includes a plurality of cameras,

wherein the camera controller is operable to select, from the cameras, a camera at a driver'"'"'s seat according to the camera set information, and

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to transmit video shot by the camera selected by the camera controller by wireless communication via the communication network.

11. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 10,

wherein the camera controller includes a signal processing unit operable to cut out an image showing the driver from the video, shot by the camera, showing a whole inside of a vehicle, and

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to transmit the images showing the driver cut out by the signal processing unit by wireless communication via the communication network.

24. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 1,

wherein the car device includes a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as the car peripheral units,

wherein the mobile terminal peripheral units include a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display, and

wherein the replacement controller is operable to cause the car peripheral units corresponding to the mobile terminal peripheral units to replace the mobile terminal peripheral units, so that the microphone, speaker, camera, and display included in the car device are simultaneously used respectively as the microphone, speaker, camera, and display included in the mobile terminal peripheral units.

12. An on-vehicle handsfree system comprising a car device and a mobile terminal,

wherein the car device comprises:

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as car peripheral units,

a first communication interface operable to enable wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and

an attribute information notification unit operable to notify the mobile terminal of attribute information via the first communication interface, the attribute information for identifying the car peripheral units;

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to communicate by at least one of wireless video communication and wireless audio communication via a communication network, and comprises;

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as mobile terminal peripheral units,

a second communication interface operable to enable the wireless communication with the car device,

an attribute information obtaining unit operable to obtain the attribute information from the car device via the second communication interface, and

a complement controller operable to select at least two of the mobile terminal peripheral units that are not included in the mobile terminal according to the obtained attribute information, and operable to cause the selected mobile terminal peripheral units that are not included in the mobile terminal to be complemented by corresponding ones of the car peripheral units, so that the corresponding car peripheral units are simultaneously used as the selected mobile terminal peripheral units,

wherein the car device includes the camera,

wherein the mobile terminal further includes;

a storage unit operable to store camera set information on a shot condition for the camera; and

a camera set information notification unit operable to transmit the camera set information to the car device via the second communication interface, and

wherein the car device further includes a camera controller that controls the camera according to the shot condition in the camera set information.

13. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12,

wherein the camera set information corresponds to respective ones of a plurality of mobile terminals;

and

wherein the camera controller is operable to read a piece of camera set information corresponding to one of the mobile terminals that has been brought into a vehicle.

14. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal further includes a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the complement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no complement controller functions according to an operation of an engine key.

15. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12, further comprising a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the complement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no complement controller functions according to a user operation of one of the mobile terminal and the car device.

16. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12, further comprising a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the complement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no complement controller functions according to a communication link status between the car device and the mobile terminal by the first and second communication interfaces.

17. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a holding unit operable to hold the mobile terminal; and

a status switching unit operable to switch between a handsfree video phone operation status in which the complement controller functions and a stand alone operation status in which no complement controller functions according to whether the holding unit holds the mobile terminal.

18. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12,

wherein the car device includes a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as the car peripheral units,

wherein the mobile terminal peripheral units include a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display, and

wherein the complement controller is operable to cause the mobile terminal peripheral units to be complemented by the corresponding car peripheral units, so that the microphone, speaker, camera, and display included in the car device are simultaneously used respectively as the microphone, speaker, camera, and display included in the mobile terminal peripheral units.

19. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12,

wherein the complement controller is operable to cause mobile terminal peripheral units, out of the mobile terminal peripheral units included in the mobile terminal, to be complemented by corresponding ones of the car peripheral units, each of the mobile terminal peripheral units to be complemented being out of order, or being removed from the mobile terminal.

20. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 12,

wherein the car device includes a plurality of cameras,

wherein the camera controller is operable to select, from the cameras, a camera at a driver'"'"'s seat according to the camera set information, and

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to transmit video shot by the camera selected by the camera controller by wireless communication via the communication network.

21. The on-vehicle handsfree system according to claim 20,

wherein the camera controller includes a signal processing unit operable to cut out an image showing the driver from the video, shot by the camera, showing a whole inside of a vehicle, and

wherein the mobile terminal is operable to transmit the image showing the driver cut out by the signal processing unit by wireless communication via the communication network.

22. A mobile terminal for at least one of wireless video communication and wireless audio communication via a communication network, the mobile terminal comprising:

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as mobile terminal peripheral units;

a communication interface operable to enable the wireless communication with a car device that includes at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as car peripheral units;

an attribute information obtaining unit operable to obtain attribute information for identifying the car peripheral units from the car device via the communication interface; and

a replacement controller operable to select at least two of the mobile terminal peripheral units according to the obtained attribute information, and operable to cause respective ones of the car peripheral units corresponding to the selected mobile terminal peripheral units to replace the selected mobile terminal peripheral units, so that the corresponding car peripheral units are simultaneously used as the selected mobile terminal peripheral units;

wherein the car device includes the camera,

wherein the mobile terminal further includes;

a storage unit operable to store camera set information on a shot condition for the camera; and

a camera set information notification unit operable to transmit the camera set information to the car device via the second communication interface, and

wherein the car device controls the camera according to the shot condition in the camera set information.

23. A mobile terminal for at least one of wireless video communication and wireless audio communication via a communication network, the mobile terminal comprising:

at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a display as mobile terminal peripheral units;

a communication interface operable to enable the wireless communication with a car device that includes at least two of a microphone, a speaker, a camera, and a car display as car peripheral units;

an attribute information obtaining unit operable to obtain attribute information for identifying the car peripheral units from the car device via the communication interface; and

a complement controller operable to select at least two of the mobile terminal peripheral units that are not included in the mobile terminal according to the obtained attribute information, and operable to cause the selected mobile terminal peripheral units that are not included in the mobile terminal to be complemented by corresponding ones of the car peripheral units, so that the corresponding car peripheral units are simultaneously used as the selected mobile terminal peripheral units,

wherein the car device includes the camera,

wherein the mobile terminal further comprises;

a storage unit operable to store camera set information on a shot condition for the camera; and

a camera set information notification unit operable to transmit the camera set information to the car device via the communication interface, and

wherein the car device controls the camera according to the shot condition in the camera set information.