Vehicular audio/visual system and method of controlling the same

• US 7,865,136 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shitanaka, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US12/334,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.02, 455/346, 455/560, 455/3.06, 455/12.1, 725/68, 725/75, 340/426.17, 340/426.18, 340/426.19
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite

Abstract

A vehicular audio/visual system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound, and that outputs the electric wave by switching to an output mode corresponding to user'"'"'s instruction from among output modes corresponding to multiple types of media includes: a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information of a vehicle; a receiving area storage unit that stores at least one of an area in which the electric wave can be received and an area in which it is difficult to receive the electric wave; a receiving area determination unit that refers to the receiving area storage unit on the basis of the detected positional information and determines whether the electric wave can be received; an output mode switching unit that prohibits an output mode that outputs the electric wave as video or music from being entered when it is determined that the electric wave cannot be received.

Claims

1. A vehicular audio system that receives a transmitted electric wave of video or sound from a broadcasting station, wherein the video or sound is output from an output portion of the vehicular audio system, comprising:

an operating unit through which a user inputs an instruction;

a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information of a vehicle;

a receiving area storage unit that stores at least one of an area in which the transmitted electric wave of a media source can be received or an area in which it is difficult to receive the transmitted electric wave of the media source;

a receiving area determination unit that refers to the receiving area storage unit on the basis of the detected positional information and determines whether the transmitted electric wave of a second media source, which is different from a first media source whose video or sound is currently output from the output portion, can be received; and

an output mode switching unit that prohibits switching to an output mode that outputs the video or sound of the second media source from an output mode that outputs the video or sounds of the first media source, even if the instruction for outputting the video or sound of the second media source from the output portion is input through the operating unit, when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave of the second media source cannot be received.

2. The vehicular audio system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation menu generating unit that generates an operation menu in which an operation icon is arranged for each output mode corresponding to the sound or video of the corresponding media source, wherein

when it is determined that the transmitted electric wave of the second media source cannot be received, the operation menu generating unit generates the operation menu that does not include the operation icon of the output mode corresponding to the video or sound transmitted by the transmitted electric wave of the second media source.

3. The vehicular audio system according to claim 1, wherein

the transmitted electric wave is an electric wave of satellite radio or satellite television, which is transmitted from an artificial satellite.