In-vehicle information processor

• US 8,508,386 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US13/000,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle

Abstract

In an in-vehicle information processor 100 including a communication device 104 which acquires traffic signal information regarding the lighting state of a traffic signal 401 and a display 106 which executes signal waiting time notification based on the traffic signal information acquired by the communication device 104, the display 106 starts the signal waiting time notification when the speed of a own vehicle 300 becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value. For this reason, even in the case where the own vehicle 300 has stopped before the traffic signal for a certain reason although it tried to pass the traffic signal, the signal waiting time notification is performed again when the speed of the own vehicle 300 becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform the signal waiting time notification more accurately when necessary.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle information processor comprising:

a traffic signal information acquisition unit that acquires traffic signal information regarding a lighting state of a traffic signal; and

an information providing unit that provides information based on the traffic signal information acquired by the traffic signal information acquisition unit, wherein

the information providing unit starts providing the information based on the traffic signal information in response to detecting that a speed of a vehicle approaching the traffic signal is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value that is a non-zero speed.

2. The in-vehicle information processor according to claim 1, wherein the information providing unit ends the providing of the information based on the traffic signal information when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined threshold value while the information based on the traffic signal information is being provided.

3. The in-vehicle information processor according to claim 2, wherein after ending the providing of the information based on the traffic signal information when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the information providing unit resumes the providing of the information based on the traffic signal information when the speed of the vehicle becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value and predetermined conditions excluding the speed of the vehicle are satisfied.

4. The in-vehicle information processor according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined conditions refer to that another vehicle exists in front of the vehicle.

5. The in-vehicle information processor according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined conditions refer to that another vehicle exists in front of the vehicle and another vehicle is performing either a right turn or a left turn.