Method and system for application control

• US 20070100510A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Hiromichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096877 where the input to the navigation device is provided by a suitable I/O arrangement details of I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36; I/O arrangements for general purpose computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/12 Radio receiver combined with a GPS receiver

Abstract

An application control system for use in a vehicle includes a current region detector for detecting a current region where the vehicle is operating, an application storage for storing a regional application software in association with a preset region and a control unit for retrieving and executing the regional application software stored in the application storage based on the current region detected by the current region detector. The control unit retrieves and executes the regional application software when the current region is identified as the preset region.

Claims

1. An application control system for use in a vehicle comprising:

a current region detector for detecting a current region where the vehicle is operating;

an application storage for storing a regional application software in association with a preset region, wherein the regional application software is stored in a retrievable manner in the application storage; and

a control unit for retrieving and executing the regional application software stored in the application storage based on the current region detected by the current region detector,

wherein the control unit retrieves and executes the regional application software when the current region is identified as the preset region.

2. The application control system as in claim 1,

wherein the control unit retrieves and executes the regional application software based on the current region detected at a time of power-on operation of the application control system.

3. The application control system as in claim 1,

wherein the control unit switches the regional application software in execution to the regional application software in association with the current region by retrieving the regional application software from the application storage when the regional application software in execution is different from the regional application software in association with the current region.

4. The application control system as in claim 3,

wherein the control unit switches the regional application software in execution to the regional application software in association with the current region by retrieving the regional application software from the application storage when the regional application software in execution has been determined to be different from the regional application software in association with the current region for a predetermined period.

5. The application control system as in claim 4,

wherein the predetermined period is defined as a period for a preset travel distance of the vehicle.

6. The application control system as in claim 4,

wherein the predetermined period is defined as a preset amount of time.

7. A method for controlling use of regional application software in a vehicle comprising:

providing a storage unit;

detecting a current region where the vehicle is operating;

storing the regional application software in a storage unit for retrieval and execution; and

controlling the retrieval and the execution of the regional application software based on the current region;

wherein the regional application software is in association with a preset region, and the regional application software is retrieved and executed when the current region is identified as the preset region.

8. The method as in claim 7,

wherein the retrieval and the execution of the regional application software is controlled based on the current region detected at a time of power-on operation of the application control system.

9. The method as in claim 7,

wherein the regional application software in execution is switched to the regional application software in association with the current region after the retrieval of the regional application software from the storage unit when the regional application software in execution is different from the regional application software in association with the current region.

10. The method as in claim 9,

wherein the regional application software in execution is switched to the regional application software in association with the current region after the retrieval of the regional application software from the storage unit when the regional application software in execution has been determined to be different from the regional application software in association with the current region for a predetermined period.

11. The method as in claim 10,

wherein the predetermined period is defined as a period for a preset travel distance of the vehicle.

12. The method as in claim 10,

wherein the predetermined period is defined as a preset amount of time.