Notification managing apparatus and notification managing method for vehicle

• US 7,355,511 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Harumoto, Satoshi, Yamato, Toshitaka, Maeno, Yoshihiko, Sakiyama, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US11/135,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/426.13, 340/426.17, 340/539.13, 340/539.23, 340/686.1, 340/426.26, 340/426.18, 701/45, 348/104, 348/148
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device to a person to be notified includes an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person; and a means selecting unit that selects a notification means based on the information acquired. The information includes at least a relative position of the person with respect to a vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

a notification-request receiving unit that receives a notification request from the in-vehicle device;

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle; and

a means selecting unit that selects from a plurality of notification means each having different characteristics based on the information acquired and urgency of the notification request and an amount of information that should be in the notification request.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information further includes a direction of the person with respect to the vehicle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics include one or more of effective distance, directionality, immediacy of the notification means, and amounts of information that can be included in the notification by the notification means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of notification means includes at least one of an alarm device, an in-vehicle lighting device, an in-vehicle communication unit, a sound output unit, a display unit, and one or more other in-vehicle devices.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the in-vehicle communication unit includes an indirect communication unit that performs a communication via a network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the in-vehicle communication unit includes a direct communication unit that directly communicates with a communication terminal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information acquiring unit measures a distance between the person and the vehicle using the direct communication unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a situation acquiring unit that acquires at least one of time information and location information of the vehicle, wherein

the means selecting unit selects the notification means using the at least one of time information and location information.

8. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle;

a means selecting unit that selects from a plurality of notification means each having different characteristics based on the information acquired; and

an imaging unit that takes an image around the vehicle, wherein

the information acquiring unit identifies from the image at least one of a distance between the person and the vehicle, and a direction of the person.

10. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle;

device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising;

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position and a direction of the person with respect to the vehicle;

a situation acquiring unit that acquires at least one of time information and location information of the vehicle; and

a priority setting unit that sets a priority among the relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle, the direction of the person with respect to the vehicle, and the at least one of time information and location information, wherein

means selecting unit that selects from a plurality of notification means each having different characteristic based on the priority.

11. An apparatus for managing a notification from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the apparatus comprising:

an information acquiring unit that acquires information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle;

an area setting unit that sets an area within which the person can recognize the notification from the in-vehicle device; and

an imaging unit that takes an image around the vehicle,

wherein the information acquiring unit identifies from the image at least one of a distance between the personal and the vehicle and a direction of the person.

12. A method of managing a notification from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the method comprising:

receiving a notification request from the in-vehicle device;

acquiring information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle; and

selecting from a plurality of notification means each having different characteristics based on the information acquired and urgency of the notification request and an amount of information that should be in the notification request.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the information further includes a direction of the person with respect to the vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the characteristics include one or more of effective distance, directionality, immediacy of the notification means, and amounts of information that can be included in the notification by the notification means.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of notification means includes at least one of an alarm device, an in-vehicle lighting device, an in-vehicle communication unit, a sound output unit, a display unit, and one or more other in-vehicle devices.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the acquiring includes measuring a distance between the person and the vehicle via a communication with a communication terminal held by the person.

18. The method according to claim 12, further comprising acquiring at least one of time information and location information of the vehicle, wherein

the selecting includes selecting the notification means using the at least one of time information and location information.

17. A method of managing a notification from an in-vehicle device of a vehicle to a person to be notified, the method comprising:

acquiring information on the person, the information including at least a relative position of the person with respect to the vehicle;

selecting from a plurality of notification means each having different characteristics based on the information acquired; and

taking an image around the vehicle, wherein

the acquiring includes identifying at least one of a distance between the person and the vehicle and a direction of the person from the image.