Vehicular abnormality notification system, method and apparatus, and vehicle-mounted apparatus

• US 7,973,653 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Akito
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees; Edny
• Application Number:
  US11/634,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20070126559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/443, 340/439, 340/988, 340/901, 340/933, 340/500, 340/501, 340/286.01
• US Class Current: 340/438
• 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: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

An apparatus, a method and a system of vehicle abnormality notification in which predetermined information is transmitted to a predetermined subject when an abnormality in the vehicle state is detected in a vehicle are constructed so that even when an abnormality in the vehicle state has been detected in the vehicle, the aforementioned predetermined information is not transmitted to the predetermined subject if the vehicle is in a predetermined area.

Claims

1. A vehicle fault notification apparatus, comprising:

a receiving portion configured to receive fault occurrence information regarding a vehicle fault, the fault occurrence information being received from the vehicle;

a control portion configured to determine a position of the vehicle and configured to determine, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether the vehicle is in a region where vehicle maintenance is performed;

a transmission portion configured to transmit predetermined information to a predetermined subject when the receiving portion receives the fault occurrence information; and

wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed, the control portion prevents, without manual input from the vehicle operator, the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

2. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage portion that stores map data together with information regarding the region where vehicle maintenance is performed,

wherein the control portion determines whether or not the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed based on the map data stored in the storage portion.

3. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined subject is a display in a cabin of the vehicle, or a driver or an owner of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage portion storing information regarding locations where maintenance of the vehicle is performed.

12. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display portion mounted in the vehicle, the display portion displaying the fault occurrence information.

13. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control portion is configured to receive a service reservation schedule of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle fault is of a mechanical or electrical system in the vehicle.

15. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion is configured to detect a vehicle speed of the vehicle, and

wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed and the vehicle speed is zero, the control portion prevents the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

16. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion is configured to detect whether or not a smart entry key is present in a vehicle cabin, and

wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed and the smart entry key is not present in the vehicle cabin, the control portion prevents the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

17. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control portion is configured to detect whether or not a human is sitting on a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, and

wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed and no one is sitting on the driver'"'"'s seat, the control portion prevents the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

18. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed and has detected that the vehicle'"'"'s stopped position has changed at least a predetermined number of times within the region where vehicle maintenance is performed, the control portion prevents the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

20. The vehicle fault notification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle enters the region where vehicle maintenance is performed, the control portion prevents the transmission of the predetermined information to the predetermined subject.

4. A vehicle mounted apparatus comprising:

a fault detection portion configured to detect a vehicle fault;

a control portion configured to determine, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether the vehicle is in a predetermined area; and

a transmission portion configured to transmit fault occurrence information to a terminal provided outside the vehicle when the fault detection portion detects the vehicle fault,

wherein when the control portion determines that the vehicle is in the predetermined area, the control portion prevents, without manual input from the vehicle operator, the transmission of the fault occurrence information; and

wherein the predetermined area is a region where maintenance of a vehicle is performed.

5. The vehicle-mounted apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a vehicle position detection portion that detects a position of the vehicle;

wherein the control portion is configured to store map data together with information regarding the region where vehicle maintenance is performed, and

wherein the control portion compares the vehicle position information with the map data to determine whether or not the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

19. The vehicle-mounted apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the fault detection portion has a self-diagnostic function.

21. The vehicle-mounted apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle enters the region where maintenance of a vehicle is performed, the control portion prevents the transmission of the fault occurrence information.

6. A vehicular fault notification system comprising:

a vehicle fault detection portion configured to detect a vehicle fault;

a control portion configured to determine, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether a vehicle is in a predetermined area;

a communication apparatus configured to transmit fault occurrence information to a predetermined subject when the vehicle fault is detected; and

a determination transmission prohibition portion that prevents, without manual input from the vehicle operator, the fault occurrence information from being transmitted from the communication apparatus to the predetermined subject when the control portion determines that the vehicle is in the predetermined area;

wherein the predetermined area is a region where maintenance of a vehicle is performed.

7. The vehicular fault notification system according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined subject is a display in a cabin of the vehicle, or a driver or an owner of the vehicle.

22. The vehicular fault notification system according to claim 6, wherein when the control portion has determined that the vehicle enters the region where maintenance of a vehicle is performed, the determination transmission prohibition portion prevents the transmission of the fault occurrence information to the predetermined subject.

8. A vehicle fault notification method comprising:

receiving fault occurrence information regarding a vehicle fault, the fault occurrence information being received from the vehicle;

determining a position of the vehicle when the fault occurrence information is received;

determining, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether the vehicle is in a region where vehicle maintenance is performed;

transmitting the fault occurrence information to a predetermined subject if it is determined that the vehicle is not in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed; and

preventing, without manual input from the vehicle operator, transmission of the fault occurrence information to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle is in the region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

23. The vehicle fault notification method according to claim 8, further comprising preventing transmission of the fault occurrence information to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle enters the region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

9. A vehicle fault notification method comprising:

monitoring presence/absence of a vehicle fault;

determining, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether or not the vehicle is in a predetermined area;

determining whether or not the vehicle is in the predetermined area when the vehicle fault is detected;

transmitting fault occurrence information to a predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle is not in the predetermined area; and

prohibiting, without manual input from the vehicle operator, the fault occurrence information from being transmitted to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle is in the predetermined area,

wherein the predetermined area is a region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

24. The vehicle fault notification method according to claim 9, further comprising prohibiting the fault occurrence information from being transmitted to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle enters the region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

10. A vehicle fault notification method comprising:

monitoring presence/absence of a vehicle fault;

determining, without manual input from a vehicle operator, whether or not the vehicle is in a predetermined area;

determining whether or not the vehicle is in the predetermined area when the vehicle fault is detected;

transmitting fault occurrence information to a predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle is not in the predetermined area; and

prohibiting, without manual input from a vehicle operator, the fault occurrence information from being transmitted to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle is in the predetermined area,

wherein the predetermined area is a region where vehicle maintenance is performed.

25. The fault notification method according to claim 10, further comprising prohibiting the fault occurrence information from being transmitted to the predetermined subject when it is determined that the vehicle enters the region where vehicle maintenance is performed.