Remote control system, on-vehicle equipment and remote control method

• US 7,268,664 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: HCX Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Endo, Yoshinori, Matsuo, Shigeru, Machii, Kimiyoshi, Tanaka, Katsuaki, Morioka, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US10/226,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.64, 340/5.72, 340/5.61, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 340/426.15, 340/426.16, 340/426.17, 340/7.39, 340/7.2, 340/7.1, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 701/202, 455/420
• US Class Current: 340/5.64
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

In a remote control apparatus, for achieving remote control of an on-vehicle equipment, in accordance with a request received from a terminal other than the on-vehicle equipment, wherein a request receiver portion 101 receives control content from a stationary-type terminal 30₁ or a portable-type terminal 30₂, thereby registering it into a control information DB 105, while corresponding it to ID information of a user thereof. Upon receipt of the ID information from the on-vehicle equipment 20, a control information transmitter portion 102 transmits the control information depending upon the control content, being registered in the control information DB 105 corresponding thereto, to the on-vehicle equipment 20. With this, the on-vehicle equipment 20 is controlled in accordance with the control content, which was received from the user in advance, remotely.

Claims

1. A remote control apparatus for controlling on-vehicle equipment in accordance with a request made from a communication terminal, said apparatus comprising:

a request receiver portion for transmitting a control content selection menu including more than one control content of said on-vehicle equipment to said communication terminal, receiving from said communication terminal a control content selection from among said more than one control content included in said control content selection menu, together with an ID information, registering a record including said control content selection and said ID information into a control information database, generating a control information comprising a control command for executing said control content selection and a parameter, and registering them into a corresponding record;

a control information transmitter portion for receiving said ID information from said on-vehicle equipment, generating a control information selection menu to select said control content from a record which agrees with said ID information among said records which are registered in said control information database, and for transmitting it to said on-vehicle equipment; and

a providing portion, operative when said record of said control content has registered, for executing a control information registered in said record when a control information corresponding to said control content is executed in the absence of a vehicle position information, for registering an execution result to said record corresponding to said control information database;

wherein

upon receipt of an execution request of said control content from said on-vehicle equipment, said providing portion causes a check of whether a registration of said execution result has been performed provides said registered control information result to said on-vehicle equipment when said execution result has registered, and provides said control result for executing said control information on said on-vehicle equipment in accordance with said execution request, when said execution result has not registered.

2. A remote control apparatus, as described in the claim 1, wherein,

said providing portion provides at least one of a point search process, Point Of Interest process, and a route search process;

and

where said processing is provided without the information from said on-vehicle equipment executing said control content, regarding the processing necessary upon executing the control content in accordance with said control information, includes a case where at least any one of the point search process, the Point Of Interest process, and the route search process is executed without using a present location which is measured by said navigation apparatus.

3. A remote control apparatus, as described in the claim 1, wherein,

said control information transmitter portion receives the ID information from said on-vehicle equipment and produces a menu information for causing an arbitrary control information to be selected among the control information, being registered in said control information database corresponding to the ID information received, thereby transmitting the menu information to said on-vehicle equipment, as well as, transmitting the control information indicated by select information received from said on-vehicle equipment to said on-vehicle equipment.

4. A remote control apparatus, as described in the claim 3, wherein said receiver portion produces the menu information in a form of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), being interpretable by an information reading function mounted on said on-vehicle equipment, and also produces the control information in a form of XML (extensible Markup Language), being non-interpretable by said information reading function, thereby transmitting those information to said on-vehicle equipment by using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

5. A remote control apparatus, as described in the claim 3, further comprising:

a menu process portion for displaying a menu screen for selection of the control information in accordance with the menu information, being transmitted from said control information transmitter portion responding to transmission of the ID information to said control information transmitter portion of said remote control apparatus therefrom, and for transmitting the select information indicative of the control information which an operator selects through said menu screen, to said control information transmitter portion; and

a control process portion for executing the control content in accordance with the control information, being transmitted from said control information transmitter portion responding to the select information, which said menu process portion transmits, wherein,

said control process portion transmits the execution request of the processing, being necessary upon executing the control content in accordance with said control information, to said providing portion of said remote control apparatus, so as to obtain the execution result of said processing from said providing portion, thereby executing the control content in accordance with said control information with using said execution result.

6. A method for remotely controlling on-vehicle equipment in accordance with a request made from a communication terminal, said method comprising:

a request receiver portion transmitting a control content selection menu including more than one control content of said on-vehicle equipment to said communication terminal, receiving from said communication terminal a control content selection from said more than one control content included in said control content selection menu, together with an ID information, registering a record including said control content selection and said ID information into a control information database, generating a control information comprising a control command for executing said control content selection and a parameter, and registering them into a corresponding record;

a control information transmitter portion receiving said ID information from said on-vehicle equipment, generating a control information selection menu to select said control content from a record which agrees with said ID information among said records which are registered in said control information database, and transmitting it to said on-vehicle equipment; and

when said record of said control content has registered, a providing portion executing a control information registered in said record when a control information corresponding to said control content is executed in the absence of a vehicle position information, for registering an execution result to said record corresponding to said control information database;

wherein

upon receipt of an execution request of said control content from said on-vehicle equipment, said providing portion causes a check of whether a registration of said execution result has been performed, provides said registered control information result to said on-vehicle equipment when said execution result has registered, and provides said control result for executing said control information on said on-vehicle equipment in accordance with said execution request, when said execution result has not registered.