Control apparatus for an in-vehicle device, control method for an in-vehicle device, and control program for an in-vehicle device

• US 7,516,001 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Harumoto, Satoshi, Yamato, Toshitaka, Maeno, Yoshihiko, Sakiyama, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shin; Sarah S
• Application Number:
  US10/902,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 348/118
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices

Abstract

A control apparatus for an in-vehicle device includes an acquisition/transmission unit and a recording unit. The acquisition/transmission unit acquires a program guide corresponding to a position of a vehicle and transmits the acquired program guide to a communication terminal device. The recording unit selects at least one program from the acquired program guide on a basis of an instruction transmitted from the communication terminal device and records at least one of video and audio of the selected program.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for an in-vehicle device, comprising:

an acquisition/transmission unit that acquires a program guide corresponding to a position of a vehicle and transmits the acquired program guide to a communication terminal device;

a recording unit that selects at least one program from the acquired program guide on a basis of an instruction transmitted from the communication terminal device and records at least one of video and audio of the selected program;

an image capturing unit that captures an image of at least one of an inside and an outside of the vehicle; and

an interruption control unit that controls the recording unit to stop recording the video and audio of the selected program and start recording the image captured by the image capturing unit in preference to the video and audio of the selected program, on a basis of the instruction transmitted from the communication terminal device.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a program-guide database that stores;

information indicating a correspondence relation at least among areas, broadcast stations, and frequencies; and

the program guide for each area,

wherein the acquisition/transmission unit acquires the program guide corresponding to the position of the vehicle from the program-guide database and transmits the acquired program guide to the communication terminal device.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the acquisition/transmission unit acquires the program guide corresponding to the position of the vehicle, which is pinpointed by a navigation system of the vehicle, and transmits the acquired program guide to the communication terminal device.

4. A method for controlling an in-vehicle device, comprising:

acquiring a program guide corresponding to a position of a vehicle;

transmitting the acquired program guide to a communication terminal device;

selecting at least one program from the acquired program guide on a basis of an instruction transmitted from the communication terminal device;

recording at least one of video and audio of the selected program;

capturing an image of at least one of an inside and an outside of the vehicle; and

stopping recording the video and audio of the selected program and starting recording the captured image in preference to the video and audio of the selected program, on a basis of the instruction transmitted from the communication terminal device.

5. A computer readable medium encoded with a program operable to cause a computer to execute the method according to claim 4.