Hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles and control-method therefor

• US 6,718,187 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kishi, Norimasa, Muramatsu, Toshirou, Takagi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'Agosta, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US09/635,189
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/575.9, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455/563, 455/79, 455/556.1, 455/420.01, 455/420.02, 455/420.03, 455/420.04, 379/428.03, 379/432
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32

Abstract

With a mobile telephone (10) set into a telephone holder (11), if a telephone call is received, rather than sounding an audible ringing, a head-up display (60) notifies the driver by a display (67) made in a peripheral vision region (64) outside of a central vision region (63) of the driver. The driver can respond to the incoming call only in the case in which the driving burden on the driver is small enough that, even without the aid of an audible ringing, the driver can notice the received-call display in only the peripheral vision region.

Claims

1. A hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

a telephone holder configured to hold a mobile telephone;

a display configured to indicate information;

a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call;

an operation inputter;

a vehicle speed sensor; and

a controller connected to the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, wherein

the controller further comprises;

a communication controller performing an incoming call control to be responsible for a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder to control the display to indicate the reception, without issuing an audible ringing, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception, to have a telephone connection established to enable a hands-free call using the microphone and the speaker, and for non-detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within the prescribed amount of time after the reception, to enter an automatic call response, and wherein

the communication controller configured to control the display to indicate the reception at a position in a peripheral vision region closer to a central vision region, as the vehicle speed sensor detects a greater vehicle speed.

2. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises a head-up display.

3. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking controller configured to keep an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation-inputter to the communication controller within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

4. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a braking force controller configured to control a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed, and the braking force controller applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter to the communication controller within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

5. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller further comprises:

a brake pedal operation detector configured to detect a brake pedal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the braking force controller applies a second braking force greater than the first braking force, for non-detection of the brake pedal operation by the brake pedal operation detector.

6. A hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

a telephone holder configured to hold a mobile telephone in a vehicle;

a display configured to indicate information;

a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call;

an operation inputter;

a vehicle speed sensor; and

a controller connected to the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, wherein

the communication controller further comprises

a communication controller performing an incoming call control to be responsible

for a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder to control the display to indicate the reception in a peripheral vision region out of a central vision region of a driver, without issuing an audible ringing, and wherein

the communication controller configured to control the display to indicate the reception at a position in the peripheral vision region closer to the central vision region, as the vehicle speed sensor detects a greater vehicle speed.

7. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a message recorder, and the communication controller configured to be responsible for non-detection of a response to the incoming call after the detection of the reception, control the message recorder to start.

8. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the message recorder is configured to convert an analog voice to a digital signal, record the digital signal, converts the digital signal to text data by a voice recognition, prepare a summary of the text data, and perform a voice synthesis of the summary to be output from the speaker.

9. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the message recorder is configured to control, when recording a message, the display to indicate a presence of the message recorded in the message recorder.

10. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the communication controller is configured to store an incoming call telephone number detected by the mobile telephone.

11. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display comprises a head-up display.

12. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the controller further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking controller configured to keep an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter to the communication controller within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

13. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller further comprises:

a braking force controller configured to control a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed, and the braking force controller applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter to the communication controller within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

14. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller further comprises:

a brake pedal operation detector configured to detect a brake pedal operation of the vehicle, and wherein the braking force controller applies a second braking force greater than the first braking force, for non-detection of the brake pedal operation by the brake pedal operation detector.

15. A hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

a telephone holder for holding a mobile telephone in a vehicle;

display means for indicating information;

a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call;

operation input means for inputting an operation;

a vehicle speed sense means; and

control means connectable to the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, wherein the control means further comprises;

communication control means for performing an incoming call control to be responsible

for a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder to control the display means to indicate the reception, without issuing an audible ringing,

for detection of the operation input from the operation input means within a prescribed amount of time after the reception, to have a telephone connection established to enable a hands-free call using the microphone and the speaker, and

for non-detection of the operation input from the operation input means within the prescribed amount of time after the reception, to enter an automatic call response, and wherein

the communication control means configured to control the display to indicate the reception at a position in the peripheral vision region closer to the central vision region, as the vehicle speed sense means detects a greater vehicle speed.

16. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking control means configured to keep an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation input means to the communication control means within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

17. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller further comprises:

a braking force control means configured to control a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed, and the braking force control means applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter to the communication control means within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

18. A hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles, comprising:

a telephone holder for holding a mobile telephone in a vehicle;

display means for indicating information;

a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call;

operation input means for inputting an operation;

a vehicle speed sense means; and

control means connectable to the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, wherein the control means further comprises;

communication control means for performing an incoming call control to be responsible for

a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder to control the display means to indicate the reception in a peripheral vision region out of a central vision region of a driver, without issuing an audible ringing, and wherein

the communication control means configured to control the display to indicate the reception at a position in the peripheral vision region closer to the central vision region, as the vehicle speed sense means detects a greater vehicle speed.

19. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control means further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking control means configured to keep an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation input means to the communication control means within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

20. A hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the controller further comprises:

a braking force control means configured to control a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed, and the braking force control means applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter to the communication control means within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

23. A control method for hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the hands-free telephone apparatus further comprises:

a braking force controller, and wherein

the control method further comprises;

controlling a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed

applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

21. A control method for hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles including a telephone holder configured to hold a mobile telephone in a vehicle, a display configured to indicate information, a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call, an operation inputter, and a vehicle speed sensor, the control method comprising:

responding to a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, by controlling the display to indicate the reception, without issuing an audible ringing;

responding to detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception, by having a telephone connection established to enable a hands-free call using the microphone and the speaker; and

responding to non-detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within the prescribed amount of time after the reception, by entering an automatic call responses,

controlling the display to indicate the reception at a position in a peripheral vision region closer to a central vision region, as the vehicle speed sensor detects a greater vehicle speed.

22. A control method for hands-free telephone apparatus, according to claim 21, wherein the hands-free telephone apparatus further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking controller, and wherein

the control method further comprising;

keeping an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle distance and a preceding vehicle to a reference inter-vehicle distance,

making the reference inter-vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

24. A control method for a hands-free telephone apparatus for vehicles including a telephone holder configured to hold a mobile telephone in a vehicle, a display configured to indicate information, a microphone and a speaker for a hands-free telephone call, and a vehicle speed sensor, the control method comprising:

responding to a reception of an incoming telephone call at the mobile telephone held in the telephone holder, by controlling the display to indicate the reception in a peripheral vision region out of a central vision region of a driver, without issuing an audible ringing,

controlling the display to indicate the reception at a position in a peripheral vision region closer to a central vision region, as the vehicle speed sensor detects a greater vehicle speed.

25. A control method for hands-free telephone apparatus, according to claim 24, wherein the hands-free telephone apparatus further comprises:

an inter-vehicle distance tracking controller, and wherein

the control method further comprising;

keeping an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle distance and a preceding vehicle to a reference inter-vehicle distance,

making the reference inter-vehicle distance longer, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.

26. A control method for hands-free telephone apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the hands-free telephone apparatus further comprises:

a braking force controller, and wherein

the control method further comprises;

controlling a braking force of the vehicle to have an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle matching with a reference inter-vehicle distance depending on a vehicle speed

applying a first braking force when the inter-vehicle distance is shorter than the reference inter-vehicle distance, for detection of a prescribed operation input from the operation inputter within a prescribed amount of time after the reception.