Information exchange system

• US 6,097,313 A
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kazunori, Shima, Takeshi, Sato, Yoshihito, Shojima, Hiroshi, Iino, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/201,957
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/901, 340/991, 340/993, 340/995, 340/907, 340/916
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

An information exchange system is capable of realizing useful information exchange both for the service provider located along the road and providing services and the vehicular driver, by effectively using limited communication capacity of the road-vehicle radio communication. The information exchange system has a vehicle-mounted unit and a road-side unit providing information to the vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication. The vehicle-mounted unit includes receiving unit receiving information transmitted from the road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring unit transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant. The road-side unit including storage unit storing information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting unit transmitting information to the vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication. The storage means stores at least information relating to a service provider where a service is provided at the location thereof. The road-side unit also includes editing unit editing information stored in the storage means on the basis of a relative position between the service provider and a communication region of the transmitting means and generating an edited information to be transmitted from the transmitting means.

Claims

1. An information exchange system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted unit mounted on a vehicle;

a road-side unit providing information to said vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication;

said vehicle-mounted unit including receiving means for receiving information transmitted from said road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring means for transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant;

said road-side unit including storage means for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting means for transmitting information to said vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication;

said storage means of said road-side unit for storing at least information relating to a service provider where a service is provided at the location thereof;

said road-side unit further including editing means for editing information stored in said storage means on the basis of a relative position between said service provider and a communication region of said transmitting means and generating an edited information to be transmitted from said transmitting means;

said vehicle-mounted unit further including setting means for permitting said vehicular occupant to set information and second transmitting means for transmitting the set information to said road-side unit through the radio communication;

said road-side unit further including second receiving means for receiving information transmitted from said vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication and parsing means for parsing the received information; and

said editing means of said road-side unit performs editing process by using at least one of said relative position and a result of parsing by said parsing means.

2. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

information relating to the service provider stored said storage means of said road-side unit is a plurality of information obtained with respect to a particular service provider, which said plurality of information can be edited by the editing process of said editing means.

3. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores at least information relating to a plurality of service providers and kind information for respectively specifying kind of said plurality of service providers or information thereof;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes kind setting means for setting kind of the service providers and information thereto to be transmitted to said vehicular occupant in response to external operation, and selecting means for selecting information transmitted from said road-side unit using said kind information and set kind information;

said transferring means of said vehicle-mounted unit transfers said selected information to the vehicular occupant;

said second transmitting means of said vehicle-mounted unit transmits information relating to said set kind to said road-side unit; and

said editing means of said road-side unit performs editing process using said information relating to kind when said information relating to kind is included in information transmitted from said vehicle-mounted unit, for generating information to be transmitted to said vehicle-mounted unit.

4. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes detecting means for detecting a conditional amount of the vehicle which mounts said vehicle-mounted unit;

and

said setting means varies information to be set depending upon the detected conditional amount.

5. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit further stores information relating to a plurality of service providers and information relating to contact points for radio communication with each of said service providers;

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes service provider selecting means for selecting a particular service provider among a plurality of service providers indicated in the transmitted information when the information relating to contact points is included in information transmitted from said road-side unit, and second radio communication means for performing radio communication with the selected service provider using the information relating to the contact point.

6. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said storage means of said road-side unit stores information relating to a plurality of service providers and information relative to relative positions between each service provider and said transmitting means;

and

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes re-sorting means for controlling operation of said transferring means for varying mode of transferring of information relating to a plurality of service providers transmitted from said road-side unit for reflecting the relative positions when information relating to relative position is included in information transmitted from said road-side unit.

7. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

information set by said setting means of said vehicle-mounted unit includes information relating to a kind of vehicle;

said storage means of said road-side unit stores information relating to said service provider with correspondence to a vehicular kind, to which information is to be provided preferentially; and

said editing means edits information stored in said storage means using information relating to vehicular kind transmitted from said vehicle-mounted unit and generates information directed to the vehicle which is the source of the information relating to the vehicular kind.

8. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

information set by said setting means of said vehicle-mounted unit includes information indicative of a destination of the vehicle;

said storage means of said road-side unit stores information relating to said service provider with correspondence to a destination, to which information is to be provided preferentially; and

said editing means edits information stored in said storage means using information relating to destination transmitted from said vehicle-mounted unit and generates information directed to the vehicle which is the source of the information relating to the destination.

9. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said vehicle-mounted unit further includes second storage means storing information, storing means for selectively storing information transmitted from said road-side unit in said second storage means, and deleting means for selectively deleting information stored in said second storage means.

10. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 9, wherein

said road-side unit transmits a plurality of information relating to said service provider and information indicative of effective range in time or region, to said vehicle-mounted unit;

and

said vehicle-mounted unit includes means for making judgment for each of information transmitted whether it falls within said effective range in time or in region, or not, for deleting information judged as being out of said effective range.

11. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said road-side unit further includes detecting means for detecting vehicular information relating to a traveling condition of the vehicle passing, said detecting means being installed corresponding to position of the communication region of said transmitting means;

and

said editing means performs editing process using the detected vehicular information for generating information to be transmitted from said transmitting means.

12. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 11, wherein

said detecting means of said road-side unit detects an average speed of the vehicle passing;

and

said transmitting means varied a communication capacity of radio communication to be used depending upon said average speed.

13. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said road-side unit further includes detecting means for detecting information indicative of illuminating condition of a traffic light set at a position corresponding to the communication region of said transmitting means;

and

said editing means performs editing process using the detected information for generating information to be transmitted from said transmitting means.

14. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said road-side unit further includes managing means for managing information indicative of a time stored in said storage means;

said storage means stores information relating to said service provider and a time, at which said information becomes effective; and

said editing means performs editing process using the information of time recognized that the information becomes effective by said managing means, for generating information to be transmitted from said transmitting means.

15. An information exchange system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted unit mounted on a vehicle;

a road-side unit providing information to said vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication;

said vehicle-mounted unit including receiving means for receiving information transmitted from said road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring means for transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant;

said road-side unit including storage means for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting means for transmitting information to said vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication;

said storage means of said road-side unit for storing at least information relating to a service provider where a service is provided at the location thereof;

said road-side unit further including editing means for editing information stored in said storage means on the basis of a relative position between said service provider and a communication region of said transmitting means and generating an edited information to be transmitted from said transmitting means;

said road-side unit further including detecting means for detecting vehicular information relating to a traveling condition of the vehicle passing, said detecting means being installed corresponding to position of the communication region of said transmitting means; and

said editing means performs editing process using the detected vehicular information for generating information to be transmitted from said transmitting means.

16. An information exchange system as set forth in claim 15, wherein

said detecting means of said road-side unit detects an average speed of the vehicle passing;

and

said transmitting means varies a communication capacity of radio communication to be used depending upon said average speed.

17. An information exchange system comprising:

a vehicle-mounted unit mounted on a vehicle;

a road-side unit providing information to said vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication;

said vehicle-mounted unit including receiving means for receiving information transmitted from said road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring means for transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant;

said road-side unit including storage means for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting means for transmitting information to said vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication;

said storage means of said road-side unit for storing at least information relating to a service provider where a service is provided at the location thereof;

said road-side unit further including editing means for editing information stored in said storage means on the basis of a relative position between said service provider and a communication region of said transmitting means and generating an edited information to be transmitted from said transmitting means;

said road-side unit further including detecting means for detecting information indicative of illuminating condition of a traffic light set at a position corresponding to the communication region of said transmitting means; and

said editing means performs editing process using the detected information for generating information to be transmitted from said transmitting means.