Information system and in-vehicle terminal device

• US 9,646,491 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimura, Takuma, Mizuguchi, Yuji, Otani, Kazuoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US14/405,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

An information system capable of utilizing information in which a user evaluation pertaining to the environment or conditions surrounding a traveling vehicle is highly precise (very near real time). The information system (100) comprises an onboard terminal device (110) for outputting information obtained by a user'"'"'s input operation, a communication terminal device (120) for transmitting the information outputted by the onboard terminal device (110) to the exterior, and an information center (130) for classifying and delivering the information received from the onboard terminal device (110). The onboard terminal device (110) varies the level of detail of the information that the user is allowed to input in accordance with the speed of the vehicle or the presence/absence of a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle terminal device that transmits information to an information center through a communication terminal device connected to the in-vehicle terminal, the in-vehicle terminal device comprising:

a user interface from which a user performs an input operation;

a vehicle information detector that detects vehicle speed information of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal device is mounted;

a notification device that provides options for the input operation of the user; and

a controller that outputs to the communication terminal device information input from the user interface, wherein

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide options of user evaluation for the input operation to the user, wherein the options of user evaluation are predictable from the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle information detector.

2. The in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface is a steering switch provided on a steering device of the vehicle;

the notification device is a light source that lights the steering switch; and

the controller controls to switch between on and off of the light source in accordance with a vehicle speed set in advance.

3. The in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface is a touch panel;

the notification device is a display provided on a back surface of the touch panel; and

the controller controls to change content displayed on the display in accordance with a vehicle speed set in advance.

4. The in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface is a microphone;

the notification device is a speaker; and

the controller controls to change sound content output from the speaker in accordance with a vehicle speed set in advance.

5. The in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information detector detects an operation state of a parking brake of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal device is mounted; and

the controller controls the notification device on a basis of the operation state of the parking brake detected by the vehicle information detector.

6. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a location information detector that detects location information of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal device is mounted, wherein

the controller associates location information detected by the location information detector with information input from the user interface, and outputs the location information and the information input associated with each other to the communication terminal device.

7. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

information input from the user interface is associated with location information detected by the communication terminal device, and the location information and the information input are associated with each other and output to the information center.

8. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide emphasized options of user evaluation for the input operation to the user, wherein the options of user evaluation are predictable from the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle information detector.

9. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide emphasized options of user evaluation based on a prediction from the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle information detector, for the input operation to the user.

10. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide an order of options of user evaluation based on a prediction from the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle information detector, for the input operation to the user.

11. An in-vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide an order of options of user evaluation for the input operation to the user on a basis of statistic information of the information center, the statistic information being detected by the vehicle information detector.

12. An information system comprising:

a communication terminal device;

an information center; and

an in-vehicle terminal comprising;

a user interface from which a user performs an input operation;

a vehicle information detector that detects vehicle speed information of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal device is mounted;

a notification device that provides options for the input operation of the user; and

a controller that outputs to the communication terminal device information input from the user interface, wherein

the controller controls the notification device so as to provide options of user evaluation for the input operation to the user, wherein the options of user evaluation are predictable from the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle information detector,

wherein the communication terminal device transmits information output from the in-vehicle terminal device to the information center, and

wherein the information center sorts and delivers information received from the in-vehicle terminal device.

13. A method that transmits information to an information center through a communication terminal device connected to an in-vehicle terminal, the method comprising:

detecting vehicle speed information of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal device is mounted;

providing options for an input operation of an user;

outputting information input from an user interface to the communication terminal; and

controlling to provide options of user evaluation for the input operation to the user, wherein the options of user evaluation are predictable from the vehicle speed information.