Vehicle-mounted device, output propriety judgment method, communication system and program

• US 8,358,221 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
• Inventors: Ueno, Masahiro, Kinoshita, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/808,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/996, 340/901, 340/995.27, 340/995.28, 701/201, 701/400, 701/428, 701/441
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

An utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) is mounted on a vehicle traveling on a road and provided with a communication processing unit for receiving information from a roadside apparatus (100) set on a road side and an information reproduction unit (information output unit) for outputting the information received by the communication processing unit. The utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) further includes a user input unit that inputs the following effect of information in the case where the information received from the roadside apparatus (100) and outputted by the information reproduction unit (information output unit) is specific information to be provided to the same direction as the vehicle travels or a different direction. Thus, vehicle-mounted device, an output propriety method, a road communication system, and a program that are not made to output traffic information or the like which is not directed to its own vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted device mounted in a vehicle traveling on a road and comprising a communication processing unit configured to receive information from a roadside apparatus installed on the road, and an information output unit configured to output the information received by the communication processing unit, wherein the vehicle-mounted device further comprises a user input unit configured such that if information received from the roadside apparatus and outputted through the information output unit is to be provided for a same direction as a vehicle traveling direction or for a direction different from the vehicle traveling direction, the user input unit is used to provide an input indicating that the information received from the roadside apparatus and outputted through the information output unit is to be provided for the same direction as the vehicle traveling direction or for the direction different from the traveling direction.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein after the information output unit outputs the received information, the user input unit receives within a predetermined time,

a decision input (A) indicating that the information is to be provided for the same direction as the vehicle traveling direction, or

a decision input (B) indicating that the information is to be provided for a direction different from the vehicle traveling direction, and

when the decision input (A) is received within the predetermined time or when no decision input is received within the predetermined time, the vehicle-mounted device decides that the input corresponds to (A), and

when the decision input (B) is received within the predetermined time, the vehicle-mounted device decides that the input corresponds to (B).

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein when the received information includes no direction information, the received information is directly outputted through the information output unit without determination of the direction information.

4. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a direction information determination unit configured to associate direction information provided via the user input unit with direction information included in the received information to determine the vehicle traveling direction;

a direction information storage unit configured such that the direction information determined by the direction information determination unit is recorded in the direction information storage unit; and

an output acceptability determination unit configured such that depending on whether or not the direction information recorded in the direction information storage unit coincides with direction information included in information received after the recording of the direction information in the direction information storage unit, the output acceptability determination unit decides whether or not to output the received information through the information output unit.

5. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, wherein after the information output unit outputs the received information, the user input unit receives within a predetermined time,

a decision input (A) indicating that the information is to be provided for the same direction as the vehicle traveling direction, or

a decision input (B) indicating that the information is to be provided for a direction different from the vehicle traveling direction, and

when the decision input (A) is received within the predetermined time or when no decision input is received within the predetermined time, the vehicle-mounted device decides that the input corresponds to (A), and

when the decision input (B) is received within the predetermined time, the vehicle-mounted device decides that the input corresponds to (B).

6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 5, wherein when the received information includes no direction information, the received information is directly outputted through the information output unit without determination of the direction information.

7. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, wherein when no information or no decision input is received within a predetermined time from the last information reception, the direction information determination unit deletes the direction information recorded in the direction information storage unit.

8. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, wherein when no direction information is recorded in the direction information storage unit, the received information is directly outputted through the information output unit.

9. The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vehicle-mounted device is an utterance type vehicle-mounted device incapable of acquiring vehicle position information from a GPS apparatus or a vehicle speed sensor.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a program for causing a computer to function as the vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An output acceptability decision method used for a vehicle-mounted device mounted in a vehicle traveling on a road and including a communication processing unit configured to receive information from a roadside apparatus installed on the road, and an information output unit configured to output the information received by the communication processing unit, the output acceptability decision method comprising the steps of:

receiving an input indicating that the information received from the roadside apparatus and then outputted is to be provided for a same direction as a vehicle traveling direction or for a direction different from the traveling direction;

associating an input direction with direction information included in the received information to determine the vehicle traveling direction;

recording the determined direction information; and

depending on whether or not the recorded direction information coincides with direction information included in information received after the recording of the direction information, deciding whether or not to output the information received after the recording of the direction information.

11. A road communication system comprising a vehicle-mounted device mounted in a vehicle, a roadside apparatus configured to transmit information including direction information to the vehicle-mounted device, and an information provision server configured to transmit the information including the direction information to the roadside apparatus, wherein the vehicle-mounted device comprises:

a communication processing unit configured to receive information from the roadside apparatus;

an information output unit configured to output the information received by the communication processing unit;

a user input unit configured such that if the information outputted through the information output unit is to be provided for a same direction as a vehicle traveling direction or for a direction different from the vehicle traveling direction, the user input unit is used to provide an input indicating that the information received from the roadside apparatus and outputted through the information output unit is to be provided for the same direction as the vehicle traveling direction or for the direction different from the traveling direction;

a direction information determination unit configured to associate direction information provided via the user input unit with direction information included in the received information to determine the vehicle traveling direction;

a direction information storage unit configured such that the direction information determined by the direction information determination unit is recorded in the direction information storage unit; and

an output acceptability determination unit configured such that depending on whether or not the direction information recorded in the direction information storage unit coincides with direction information included in information received after the recording of the direction information in the direction information storage unit, the output acceptability determination unit decides whether or not to output the information received after the recording of the direction information in the direction information storage unit, through the information output unit.