Communication device for mobile body, communication system for mobile body, and automatic time correction method featuring communication device for mobile body

• US 9,571,959 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oizumi, Toru, Hatakeyama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US14/243,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20140302876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/14 the radio signal being a telecommunication standard signal, e.g. GSM
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft

Abstract

The base station, which is installed in an aircraft and is capable of communicating with a terminal, comprises a wireless communication component that can be connected to the terminal, and a controller that controls the wireless communication component. The controller acquires regional information indicating at least the destination of the aircraft, determines time zone information corresponding to regional information, produces a time correction instruction according to the time zone information, and transmits the time correction instruction through the wireless communication component to the terminal.

Claims

1. A communication device provided in a mobile body which is a means of transportation, the communication device being configured to communicate with one other communication device, said communication device comprising:

a communication component configured to connect to the one other communication device; and

a processor programmed to control the communication component,

the processor being programmed to;

acquire regional information indicating at least a destination of the mobile body;

determine time zone information corresponding to the regional information;

produce a time correction instruction according to the time zone information; and

transmit the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device, and wherein,

the processor is further programmed to acquire service information for the mobile body;

the service information includes cruising speed information for the mobile body; and

the processor is further programmed to;

determine whether or not a cruising speed acquired from the cruising speed information exceeds a predetermined value; and

transmit the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device if the cruising speed has exceeded the predetermined value.

2. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further programmed to:

determine whether or not the time correction instruction can be transmitted according to the service information, and

the communication component is configured to switch between transmission and non-transmission of the time correction instruction according to the determination of the processor.

3. The communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the service information includes travel distance information for the mobile body, and

the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not a travel distance acquired from the travel distance information exceeds a predetermined value; and

transmit the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device if the travel distance has exceeded the predetermined value.

4. The communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the service information includes departure time information for the mobile body, and

the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not a predetermined length of time has elapsed since a departure time acquired from the departure time information; and

transmit the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device if the predetermined length of time has elapsed since the departure time.

5. The communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the service information includes travel time information for the mobile body, and

the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not a travel time acquired from the travel time information has reached a predetermined length of time; and

transmit the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device if the predetermined length of time has been reached.

6. The communication device according to claim 2,

holding information indicating a position of a departure site of the mobile body,

wherein the service information includes information for a position where the mobile body is, and

the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not the mobile body has traveled at least a predetermined distance from the departure site; and

transmit the time correction instruction to the one other communication device if the mobile body has traveled at least the predetermined distance from the departure site.

7. The communication device according to claim 2,

holding predetermined zone information,

wherein the service information includes information for a position where the mobile body is, and

the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not the mobile body has gone beyond a predetermined zone acquired from the predetermined zone information; and

transmit the time correction instruction to the one other communication device if the mobile body has gone beyond the predetermined zone.

8. The communication device according to claim 1,

further comprising an electrical field strength measurement component configured to measure an electrical field strength from a ground base station,

wherein the processor is programmed to:

determine whether or not the electrical field strength is at or below a predetermined value; and

transmit the time correction instruction to the one other communication device if the electrical field strength is at or below the predetermined value.

9. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further programmed to:

acquire information indicating a departure site of the mobile body as the regional information;

determine on the basis of the service information whether or not the time correction instruction is to be transmitted;

determine second time zone information corresponding to the regional information indicating the departure site if the processor has determined the time correction instruction is not to be transmitted;

produce a second time correction instruction according to the second time zone information; and

transmit the second time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device.

10. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication component is configured to connect to a plurality of other communication devices, and

the processor is programmed to:

acquire first regional information indicating a destination of a user of a first other communication device and a second regional information indicating a destination of a user of a second other communication device, among the plurality of other communication devices;

determine first time zone information corresponding to the first regional information, and second time zone information corresponding to the second regional information;

produce a first time correction instruction according to the first time zone information, and a second time correction instruction according to the second time zone information;

transmit the first time correction instruction through the communication component to the first other communication device; and

transmit the second time correction instruction through the communication component to the second other communication device.

11. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is programmed to produce the time correction instruction and transmits the time correction instruction through the communication component to the one other communication device while the mobile body is traveling toward the destination.

12. A communication system, comprising:

the communication device according to claim 1; and

one other communication device configured to communicate with the communication device according to claim 1, the one other communication device being configured to receive the time correction instruction and correct a time of the one other communication device according to the received time correction instruction.

13. An automatic time correction method using a communication device provided in a mobile body which is a means of transportation, the communication device being configured to communicate with one other communication device, said communication method including:

while the mobile body is traveling toward a destination of the mobile body,

using a processor programmed to acquire regional information indicating the destination;

determining time zone information corresponding to the regional information;

producing a time correction instruction according to the time zone information;

transmitting the time correction instruction to the one other communication device;

acquiring service information for the mobile body via the processor wherein the service information includes cruising speed information for the mobile body;

determining whether or not a cruising speed acquired from the cruising speed information exceeds a predetermined value via the processor; and

correcting a time of the one other communication device according to the time correction instruction, if the cruising speed has exceeded the predetermined value.