Vehicular system which retrieves hospitality information promoting improvement of user's current energy value based on detected temporal change of biological condition

• US 8,108,083 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kameyama, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US11/652,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/31, 701/35, 701/36, 701/45, 701/49, 701/200, 701/206, 701/208, 701/209, 702/1, 702/19, 340988-990, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.16, 340/995.18, 340/995.19, 340/995.27, 340/438, 340/439, 180/271, 180/272
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

In a system for providing vehicular hospitality information, biological characteristic information about a user using a vehicle is acquired. Then, in accordance with a predetermined correlation between the biological characteristic information and stored hospitality information, hospitality information matching the acquired biological characteristic information is retrieved and outputted. Accordingly, in accordance with a character, mental condition, or physical condition of each user, appropriate information can be provided timely and sensitively.

Claims

1. A system for providing vehicular hospitality information, said system comprising:

a data acquisition unit located in a user'"'"'s vehicle and configured to acquire user biological characteristic information based on a temporal change in a biological condition of the user;

a memory configured to store hospitality information to assist the user;

a data retrieval unit configured to retrieve hospitality information corresponding to the acquired user biological characteristic information;

an information output unit located on said vehicle and configured to output the retrieved hospitality information to the user; and

an estimator configured to estimate a user'"'"'s current biological condition by (a) defining the user'"'"'s biological condition as an energy value that is consumed over time in one direction without supply and (b) calculating the estimated current energy value based on the detected temporal change of the biological condition;

wherein the data retrieval unit is configured to retrieve hospitality information corresponding to the estimated current energy value and which promotes improvement of the energy value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the data retrieval unit comprises a vehicle navigation apparatus;

the memory includes a destination database for setting a travel destination in the vehicle navigation apparatus,

the destination database stores classification information respectively relating corresponding destination information to user biological characteristic information;

the data retrieval unit retrieves a travel destination classified by the classification information as related to the acquired user biological characteristic information; and

the information output unit outputs the retrieved travel destination on a display screen of the vehicle navigation apparatus.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the acquired user biological characteristic information comprises hunger information reflecting a user'"'"'s degree of hunger, and

the data retrieval unit retrieves from the destination database at least one eating-possible facility destination within a predetermined range of the vehicle'"'"'s current location where eating is possible when the acquired hunger information satisfies a predetermined condition.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

timing means; and

means for determining a predetermined meal time in accordance with time information from the timing means,

wherein the data acquisition unit determines a coming meal time as hunger information.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for timing an elapsed time after a user meal,

wherein the data acquisition unit utilizes the elapsed time as hunger information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the estimator estimates the user'"'"'s biological condition in accordance with amplitude of the waveform of a temporal change in the biological condition.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the estimator estimates the user'"'"'s biological condition in accordance frequency of a waveform of a temporal change in the biological condition.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a detected temporal change of a user'"'"'s body temperature is used as the temporal change in the user'"'"'s biological condition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a detected temporal change of at least one of (i) a facial expression and (ii) a line-of-sight of the user is used as the temporal change in the user'"'"'s biological condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a temporal change of the biological condition is detected while the user is driving.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

a temporal change of a first biological condition of one or more of (i) blood pressure, (ii) heart rate, (iii) body temperature, (iv) skin resistance, and (v) perspiration is acquired as the temporal change of the user'"'"'s biological condition.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a user'"'"'s mental condition is estimated as abnormal when a waveform frequency of the first biological condition is equal to or greater than a predetermined level.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein:

a detected temporal change of a second biological condition of at least one of (i) an attitude, (ii) a line-of-sight, and (iii) a facial expression of the user who is driving is acquired as the temporal change of the biological condition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a user'"'"'s physical condition is estimated as abnormal when a waveform amplitude of the second biological condition is equal to or less than a predetermined level.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a user'"'"'s mental condition is estimated to be abnormal when a waveform frequency of the second biological condition is (a) equal to or greater than a predetermined level, or (b) equal to or less than a predetermined level.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a temporal change of a pupil size of the user is detected as the temporal change of the biological condition, and

a user'"'"'s physical condition is estimated to be abnormal when the detected pupil size changes by an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined level.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

a user'"'"'s mental condition is estimated to be abnormal when the detected pupil size is enlarged by an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined level.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a user'"'"'s mental condition or physical condition is estimated in accordance with a combination of temporal changes of biological condition parameters detected by a plurality of detectors.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the acquired user biological information comprises hunger information reflecting a degree of the user'"'"'s hunger,

the data retrieval unit retrieves from the destination database at least one eating-possible facility destination within a predetermined range of the vehicle'"'"'s current location where eating is possible when the acquired hunger information satisfies a predetermined condition, and

the displayed hospitality information about the eating-possible facility provides a respectively corresponding predetermined quality classification of the estimated physical condition of the eating-possible facility.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the provided quality classification data distinguishes the retrieved eating-possible facility between eating-possible facilities serving low-calorie foods and eating-possible facilities serving plain foods.

21. A system for providing vehicular hospitality information as in claim 1, wherein:

said data acquisition unit is configured to acquire user biological characteristic information reflecting the user'"'"'s mental condition and the user'"'"'s physical condition;

said data retrieval unit is configured to retrieve hospitality information in accordance with a predetermined correlation between two pieces of the user biological characteristic information and the stored hospitality information;

the memory is further configured to store classification information related to at least one of (i) the mental condition, and (ii) the physical condition, and respectively corresponding hospitality information;

the estimator is configured to estimate a user'"'"'s mental or physical condition by (a) defining the user'"'"'s mental or physical condition as an energy value that is consumed over time in one direction without supply, and (b) calculating the estimated current energy value based on the detected temporal change of the biological condition; and

the retrieval unit is further configured to find the classification information corresponding to the estimated mental or physical condition, and retrieve, from the memory, hospitality information which is classified by the classification information and which improves the energy value.

22. A system for providing vehicular hospitality information as in claim 1, wherein

said data acquisition unit is configured to acquire user biological characteristic information reflecting a user'"'"'s mental condition and the user'"'"'s physical condition;

said data retrieval unit is configured to classify the acquired user biological characteristic information into at least two or more of (i) energy, (ii) stress, and (iii) damage to estimate a user'"'"'s condition, and thereby to retrieve hospitality information matching the user biological characteristic information in accordance with a predetermined correlation between the estimated user'"'"'s condition and the stored hospitality information; and

the memory is further configured to store classification information related to at least one of (i) the mental condition, and (ii) the physical condition, and respectively corresponding hospitality information;

the estimator is configured to estimate a user'"'"'s mental or physical condition by (a) defining the user'"'"'s mental or physical condition as an energy value that is consumed over time in one direction without supply and (b) calculating the estimated current energy value based on detected temporal change of the biological condition value; and

the data retrieval unit is further configured to find the classification information corresponding to the estimated mental or physical condition, and retrieve hospitality information which is classified by the classification information and which improves the energy value.

23. A system for providing vehicular hospitality information as in claim 1, wherein:

said data acquisition unit is configured to acquire a user'"'"'s character and user biological characteristic information reflecting at least one of (i) a mental condition and (ii) a physical condition;

the memory is further configured to store classification information related to at least one of (i) the character, (ii) the mental condition, and (iii) the physical condition, and respectively corresponding hospitality information;

the estimator is configured to estimate a user'"'"'s mental or physical condition by (a) defining the user'"'"'s mental or physical condition as an energy value that is consumed over time in one direction without supply and (b) calculating the estimated current energy value based on the detected temporal change of the biological condition value; and

the data retrieval unit is further configured to find the classification information corresponding to the estimated mental or physical condition, and retrieve hospitality information which is classified by the classification information and which improves the energy value.

24. A system for providing vehicular hospitality information as in claim 1, wherein:

said data acquisition unit is configured to acquire the user'"'"'s character and user biological characteristic information reflecting at least one of (i) a mental condition and (ii) a physical condition;

said data retrieval unit is configured to retrieve hospitality information matching corrected user'"'"'s preference data acquired by correcting default user'"'"'s preference data which is set based on character data acquired by the data acquisition unit, by use of user biological characteristic information acquired by the data acquisition unit from the stored hospitality information, in accordance with a predetermined correlation between the user biological characteristic information and the stored hospitality information, and

the memory is further configured to store classification information related to at least one of (i) the character, (ii) the mental condition, and (iii) the physical condition, and respectively corresponding hospitality information;

a user'"'"'s mental or physical condition is estimated by (a) defining the user'"'"'s mental or physical condition as an energy value that is consumed over time in one direction without supply and (b) calculating the energy value based on the detected temporal change of the biological condition value; and

the data retrieval unit is further configured to find the classification information corresponding to the estimated mental or physical condition, and retrieve hospitality information which is classified by the classification information and which improves the energy value.

25. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

an engine start detection unit configured to detect starting of an engine of the vehicle; and

a meal-finish determination unit configured to determine, when an engine start is detected, whether the user finished a meal during an engine stop just prior to the engine start,

wherein;

the estimator calculates as the energy value a user'"'"'s physical energy value, which is consumed over time and supplied when it is determined that the meal was finished during the engine stop, using a predetermined algorithm based on the hunger information; and

the data retrieval unit determines that the user is in a hungry state when the physical energy value becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and retrieves the eating-possible facility from the destination database.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a destination arrival determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination;

a time measurement unit configured to measure an elapsed time since arriving at the destination;

an engine determination unit configured to determine whether an engine start detected by the engine start detection unit is a first time for engine start in a day;

a meal information storage unit configured to store meal-finish confirmation information which indicates whether the user finished a meal; and

an update unit configured to update the meal-finish confirmation information into a meal finished status when it is determined that the meal was finished during the engine stop,

wherein;

the meal-finish determination unit determines that the meal was finished during the engine stop just prior to the engine start under a predetermined condition being satisfied when a first to fifth states take place simultaneously,

the first state is that the vehicle arrived at the destination,

the second state is that the destination is an eating-possible facility,

the third state is that an elapsed time since arriving at the eating-possible facility is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold time corresponding to a finish of the meal,

the fourth state is that the engine start detected after arriving at the eating-possible facility is not the first time of the day, and

the fifth state is that the meal-finish confirmation information indicates that the meal was not finished before the engine start; and

the update unit updates the meal-finish confirmation information from a meal not-finished status to a meal finished status.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the predetermined threshold value of the physical energy value is provided with a first threshold value and a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value;

the data retrieval unit retrieves an eating-possible facility, which corresponds to the physical energy state in each of a first case and a second case, from the destination database,

the first case being a case that the physical energy value comes to be smaller than the first threshold value,

the second case being a case that the physical energy value comes to be in between the first threshold value and the second threshold value.