Information presenting method, server, and information presenting system

• US 9,960,847 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Moriwaki, Toshiya, Ueno, Yoshiaki, Onishi, Itaru, Kido, Shojiro, Ando, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Juan A
• Application Number:
  US15/259,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 398118
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/80 Optical aspects relating to the use of optical transmission for specific applications, not provided for in groups H04B10/03 - H04B10/70, e.g. optical power feeding or optical transmission through water
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

In an information presenting method, visible light including unique information, which is unique to a passenger carrier and specific to a location of the carrier, is emitted. The light is received in the passenger space and the unique information is obtained. One or more stop points at which the carrier is currently stopped or is to subsequently stop are obtained. The one or more stop points are derived from the unique information. An alighting point at which a user is to alight from the carrier is obtained. Whether the alighting point is included in the one or more stop points is determined. Alighting information notifying the user to alight from the bus is presented to the user via a terminal, when the alighting point is determined to be included in the one or more stop points.

Claims

1. An information presenting method for presenting information to a passenger on a passenger carrier which stops at predetermined boarding-and-alighting points, the information presenting method comprising:

(a) emitting, by a lighting apparatus provided in the passenger carrier, light to a passenger space of the passenger carrier, the light including, in form of a visible light communication signal, unique information which is unique to the passenger carrier and specific to a location of the passenger carrier;

(b) receiving in the passenger space, by a terminal carried by the passenger, the light emitted in (a) and obtaining the unique information included in the received light;

(c) obtaining, among the predetermined boarding-and-alighting points, one or more stop points at which the passenger carrier is currently stopped or is to subsequently stop, the one or more boarding-and-alighting points being derived from the obtained unique information;

(d) receiving an alighting point at which the passenger is to alight from the passenger carrier;

(e) determining whether the alighting point is included in the one or more stop points; and

(f) presenting, to the passenger via the terminal, alighting information notifying the passenger to alight from the passenger carrier, when the alighting point is determined to be included in the one or more stop points in (e).

2. The information presenting method according to claim 1, wherein

in (c), among the one or more stop points, a next stop point at which the passenger carrier is currently stopped or is to stop next is obtained, and

in (e), whether the next stop point and the alighting point match is determined.

3. The information presenting method according to claim 1, wherein

in (a), the light is emitted only when the passenger carrier is on a route of the passenger carrier at a point other than the predetermined boarding-and-alighting points.

4. The information presenting method according to claim 2, further comprising:

(g) transmitting the unique information obtained in (b) and the alighting point received in (d) to a server storing one or more pieces of predetermined information associated in advance with one or more of the predetermined boarding-and-alighting points; and

(h) receiving, from the server, predetermined information associated with the alighting point transmitted in (g) among the one or more pieces of predetermined information stored in the server, wherein

in (f), the predetermined information received in (h) is presented to the passenger in addition to the alighting information.

5. The information presenting method according to claim 4, further comprising:

(i) determining whether the unique information transmitted in (g) is authentic, wherein

in (h), receiving the predetermined information associated with the alighting point transmitted in (g) among the one or more pieces of predetermined information stored in the server is received from the server, when the unique information is determined to be authentic in (i).

6. The information presenting method according to claim 4, wherein

in (d), alighting points at which passengers including the passenger are to alight from the passenger carrier are received,

in (b), the unique information included in the light emitted in (a) is obtained by each of terminals carried by the passengers, and

in (g), the unique information obtained by each of the terminals in (b) and the alighting points received in (d) are transmitted to the server,

the information presenting method further comprising:

(j) by analyzing the transmitted alighting points, estimating, for each of the predetermined boarding-and-alighting points, an alighting time for a passenger to alight from the passenger carrier and the number of passengers who are to alight from the passenger carrier at the predetermined boarding-and-alighting point; and

(k) outputting the alighting times and the numbers of passengers who are to alight from the passenger carrier estimated in (j).

7. An information presenting system which presents information to a passenger on a passenger carrier which stops at predetermined boarding-and-alighting points, the information presenting system comprising:

a lighting apparatus provided in the passenger carrier; and

a terminal carried by the passenger, wherein

the lighting apparatus includes

a light emitter which emits light to a passenger space of the passenger carrier, the light including, in form of a visible light communication signal, unique information which is unique to the passenger carrier and specific to a location of the passenger carrier, and

the terminal includes;

a receiver which receives, in the passenger space, the light emitted by the light emitter, and obtains the unique information included in the received light;

an obtainer which obtains, among the predetermined boarding-and-alighting points, one or more stop points at which the passenger carrier is currently stopped or is to subsequently stop, the one or more stop points being derived from the obtained unique information;

a user interface which receives input of an alighting point at which the passenger is to alight from the passenger carrier;

a determiner which determines whether the passenger carrier is near the alighting point, by comparing the one or more stop points and the alighting point; and

a presenter which presents, to the passenger, alighting information indicating that the passenger carrier is near the alighting point, when the determiner determines the passenger carrier to be near the alighting point.

8. The information presenting system according to claim 7, further comprising

a beacon transmitter which transmits, to the lighting apparatus, a beacon for determining a timing at which the lighting apparatus is to emit the light which includes the unique information, wherein

the lighting apparatus includes:

a light source;

a power supply which supplies a current for causing the light source to emit light;

a beacon receiver which receives the beacon from the beacon transmitter; and

a modulation circuit which causes the light source to emit light which includes a visible light communication signal, by modulating a value of the current to be supplied to the light source, based on a time when the beacon receiver receives the beacon.

9. The information presenting system according to claim 8, wherein

lighting apparatuses which are divided into groups are provided, each of the lighting apparatuses being the lighting apparatus, and

the beacon transmitter transmits the beacon to the lighting apparatuses belonging to the groups.

10. The information presenting system according to claim 9, wherein

the lighting apparatus further includes

a radio beacon transmitter which transmits, by a radio wave, a terminal beacon to be received by the terminal, based on the time when the beacon receiver receives the beacon.

11. The information presenting system according to claim 9, wherein

at least one of the lighting apparatuses includes:

the beacon transmitter; and

a transmission controller which causes the beacon transmitter to start transmitting the beacon when a predetermined period has elapsed without the beacon receiver receiving the beacon from outside the lighting apparatus.

12. The information presenting system according to claim 9, further comprising

a synchronizer which is a separate device from the lighting apparatuses, and includes the beacon transmitter.

13. The information presenting system according to claim 9, wherein

the lighting apparatuses include a first lighting apparatus and a second lighting apparatus which are connected by a signal line, and

when the beacon receiver included in the first lighting apparatus receives the beacon, the first lighting apparatus transmits the beacon to the second lighting apparatus via the signal line.

14. The information presenting system according to claim 9, wherein

the lighting apparatuses include a first lighting apparatus and a second lighting apparatus which are connected by a signal line,

the first lighting apparatus transmits a signal indicating the value modulated by the modulation circuit to the second lighting apparatus via the signal line, and

the modulation circuit included in the second lighting apparatus modulates the value in phase with the first lighting apparatus, based on the signal received from the first lighting apparatus via the signal line.

15. The information presenting system according to claim 12, wherein

the synchronizer is connected to the lighting apparatuses by a signal line, and

the beacon transmitter included in the synchronizer transmits, via the signal line, the beacon to the lighting apparatuses connected by the signal line.