1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transmitting information, however, it is not confined to transmitting information.
2) Description of the Related Art
A navigation apparatus installed in a mobile object, such as a vehicle, can guide the mobile object to a target place via an appropriate traveling route, and can estimate time of arrival to the target place. The estimated time of arrival is updated if the roads are congested. As a result, the driver or the passenger can know when they are going to reach the target place. If somebody is waiting at the target place, and if the vehicle is going to be late, the driver or the passenger can contact the waiting person and tell him the exact time at which they are going to reach the target place.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-104812 discloses a related art. As disclosed therein, when a specific calling operation is performed to a telephone set, even though the power supply of the telephone set is in an off state, a call is automatically made on a predetermined telephone number.
In a navigation apparatus, to notify a waiting person of estimated time of arrival, the waiting person must be notified at an appropriate timing according to the moving state of the mobile object. In a conventional technique, notification of estimated time of arrival cannot be performed at an appropriate timing. For example, in the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-104812, a call is automatically made when the power supply of the apparatus is turned on. Therefore, a call is automatically made on a predetermined telephone number of a waiting person only at the time at which the mobile object starts to travel. Thus, in this case, the waiting person is notified of an estimated time of arrival that is not very accurate. When an error between the estimated time and the time at which the mobile object actually arrives at the target place is large, it makes it difficult to improve convenience.
It is an object of the present invention to at least solve the problems in the conventional technology.
An information transmission apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a distance calculating unit that calculates a distance to a registered place of a mobile object; a communication interface to which an external communicating unit is connected and that establishes communication with a destination through an external communication network; and an information transmitting unit that transmits information to the destination set in association with the registered place when the distance to the registered place calculated by the distance calculating unit is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.
An information transmission apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a distance calculating unit that calculates a distance to a registered place of a mobile object; a communicating unit that establishes communication with a destination through an external communication network; and an information transmitting unit that transmits information to the destination set in association with the registered place when the distance to the registered place calculated by the distance calculating unit is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.
An information transmission apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes an estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which a mobile object arrives at a registered place; a communication interface to which an external communicating unit is connected and that establishes communication with a destination through an external communication network; and an information transmitting unit that transmits information to the destination set in association with the registered place when the estimated time of arrival calculated by the estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit is different from a previously calculated estimated time of arrival by an amount equal to or more than a predetermined time.
An information transmission apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes an estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit that calculates an estimated time of arrival at which a mobile object arrives at a registered place; a communicating unit that establishes communication with a destination through an external communication network; and an information transmitting unit that transmits information to the destination set in association with the registered place when the estimated time of arrival calculated by the estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit is different from a previously calculated estimated time of arrival by an amount equal to or more than a predetermined time.
An information transmission method according to still another aspect of the present invention includes calculating a distance to a registered place of a mobile object; and transmitting information to a destination set in association with the registered place when the calculated distance to the registered place is equal to or less than a predetermined distance.
An information transmission method according to still another aspect of the present invention includes calculating an estimated time of arrival at which a mobile object arrives at a registered place; and transmitting information to a destination set in association with the registered place when the calculated estimated time of arrival is different from a previously calculated estimated time of arrival by an amount equal to or more than a predetermined time.
Computer program according to still other aspects of the present invention cause a computer to execute the above methods according to the present invention.
Computer-readable recording mediums according to still other aspects of the present invention store therein the above computer program according to the present invention.
The other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are specifically set forth in or will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Exemplary embodiments of an information transmission apparatus, an information transmission method, and a computer product according to the present invention will be described below.
An information transmission apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which a wireless communication device is externally connected.
A navigation system main unit 1 has a GPS unit 2, which detects a current position of a mobile object, a map recording unit 3 on which map information such as a road map of a road on which the mobile object travels, and an operation input unit 4, which performs various setting such as a target place and is connected to a central processing unit 5, which can be implemented as a CPU or the like. The central processing unit 5 has a navigation function that performs arithmetic processing of a traveling route of the mobile object to the target place, estimated time of arrival, and other functions. The central processing unit 5 accesses data to be processed in a storage unit 6 to perform the arithmetic processing. The storage unit 6 includes a ROM 6a in which a processing program of the central processing unit 5 is stored and a RAM 6b in which data for arithmetic processing is stored.
A displaying unit 7 displays map information including a current traveling position of the mobile object. In addition, the displaying unit 7 displays various setting contents obtained by the operation input unit 4, the estimated time of arrival, and other related information. A communication interface unit 8 is connected to the central processing unit 5, and can be connected to a communication network through a mobile telephone set 9 serving as an externally connected wireless communication device. Speech communication and data communication can be performed between the mobile telephone set and a mobile telephone terminal, a telephone set, a personal computer (including a PC and a mobile terminal), or other device capable of such communication held by a waiting person who waits for arrival of the mobile object at a target place. An audio circuit unit 10 is connected to a microphone 11, which is used to input voice in speech communication, and a loudspeaker 12, which outputs audio assist for a traveling route, an operation, and the like and voice in speech communication. Reference numeral 2a denotes an antenna used to receive information from a GPS satellite, and reference numeral 9a denotes an antenna used to be connected to an external communication network in a wireless manner.
A distance calculating unit 21 arranged in the central processing unit 5 calculates a traveling distance of the mobile object to the target place based on the distance on the road on the map information. An estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit 22 calculates estimated time of arrival at the target place based on the rest of the traveling distance calculated by the distance calculating unit 21 and the traveling speed of the mobile object. The estimated time of arrival is newly calculated at a predetermined timing depending on the states that dynamically change. When the rest of the traveling distance calculated by the distance calculating unit 21 is a predetermined distance or less, i.e., when the mobile object comes close to the target place within a predetermined distance, a calling unit 24a makes a call on a predetermined external communication device through the mobile telephone set 9. As will be described later, the calling is performed to perform speech communication to an external communication device. An electronic mail transmitting unit 24b forms an electronic mail when the rest of the traveling distance calculated by the distance calculating unit 21 is a predetermined distance or less, i.e., when the mobile object comes close to the target place within a predetermined distance, and the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b transmits the electronic mail to a predetermined external communication device through the mobile telephone set 9. At this time, the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b converts, for example, the estimated time of arrival into character data and inserts the character data into the text of the electronic mail. The calling unit 24a and the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b have the function of an information transmitting unit 23 that transmits information to a predetermined external communication device each.
Examples in which communication with an external device is established in the configuration will be described below. A registering unit 25 is used to cause a vehicle to register a target place (including a stop-off) as a registered location.
A configuration of the first example is a process that establishes communication when a mobile object comes close to a target place, such as within a predetermined distance.
At the beginning, a predetermined distance D is set through the operation input unit 4 (step S1). The distance D is a distance between the target place and the mobile object when the mobile object comes close to the target place after the mobile object starts to travel. A telephone number of an automatic destination is set (step S2). In addition to speech communication, electronic mail can be used, in which case a mail address of a destination is set. The mobile telephone set 9 is connected to the navigation system main unit 1 by a dedicated connection cable (step S3). These operations are performed as a setup before the mobile object starts to travel.
A target place is set when the mobile object starts to travel (step S4). The central processing unit 5 retrieves and determines an appropriate route between a current position and the position of the target place (step S5). The mobile object starts to travel according to the route (step S6). On the displaying unit 7, the route after the start of traveling is serially displayed as a guidance.
The distance calculating unit 21 of the central processing unit 5 calculate a distance X from a current position to the target place after the mobile object starts to travel (step S7). The distance calculating unit 21 monitors whether the distance X to the target place is not more than the predetermined distance D (X≦D) (step S8: loop of No). When the distance X to the target place is not more than the predetermined distance D (step S8: Yes), it is displayed on the displaying unit 7 that the mobile object has come close to the target place, and a transmission selection message is displayed, which asks whether transmission to the target place is performed (step S9). At this time, the display screen displayed on the displaying unit 7 is a screen corresponding to
Thereafter, the calling unit 24a automatically transmits the information to the automatic destination set in step S2 (step S13). The automatic transmission makes a call with a telephone number. When the telephone number of the calling destination is a waiting person who waits for the mobile object, the waiting person is notified of the estimated time of arrival, i.e., the waiting person can be notified that the mobile object will soon arrive at the target place. The estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit 22 displays the estimated time of arrival obtained at this time on the displaying unit 7. Thereafter, it is monitored whether the telephone connection is canceled by the end of telephone communication (step S14: loop of No). When the telephone connection is canceled (step S14: Yes), the processes end.
The automatic transmission process in step S13 is not limited to calling on a telephone number. The electronic mail transmitting unit 24b may selectively transmit an electronic mail to the mail address set in step S2. When an electronic mail is used, characters (text data) identifying the estimated time of arrival are inserted into the text of the set mail address to transmit the electronic mail. In this case, the process in step S14 may detect the end of transmission of the mail data. In addition, the process in step S14 can also be designed such that manual inputting of a disconnection command in speech communication is detected.
In the example shown in
According to the first example as described above, when the mobile object comes close to the target place, communication with the destination can be automatically established at an appropriate timing, and a waiting person who waits at the target place can be notified that the mobile object will soon arrive at the target place. In this manner, even though a traveling state changes due to, for example, congestion of a road after the mobile object starts to travel, the destination can be notified of the estimated time of arrival as accurately as possible. Furthermore, communication with the destination can be prevented from being forgotten, and the navigation function can be more effectively used.
The configuration of the second example is a process that establishes communication when a traveling state of a mobile object changes to change the estimated time of arrival at a target place.
Initially, a predetermined time T is set through the operation input unit 4 (step S21). The time T is time falling within an allowed range as behind or ahead of time when an actual estimated time of arrival is different from an estimated time of arrival t0 calculated by the estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit 22 before the start of traveling. When the traveling state changes, such as due to congestion of a road, a change |t1-t0| between an estimated time of arrival t1 set after the start of traveling and the estimated time of arrival t0 set before the start of traveling exceeds the time T, a call is made to the destination.
A telephone number of an automatic transmission destination is set (step S22). In addition to speech communication, an electronic mail can also be used. In this case, the mail address of the destination is set. The mobile telephone set 9 is connected to the navigation system main unit 1 by a dedicated connection cable (step S23). These operations are performed as a setup before the mobile object starts to travel.
When the mobile object starts to travel, a target place (step S24) and a stop-off (as needed) (step S25) are set. The central processing unit 5 retrieves and determines an appropriate route which connects a current position and the position of the target place (step S26). The estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit 22 calculates the estimated time of arrival t0 to the target place (including a set-off on the way). The estimated-time-of-arrival calculating unit 22 stores the calculated estimated time of arrival t0 before the start of traveling in the storage unit 6 (step S27). The mobile object starts to travel according to the retrieved route (step S28). The displaying unit 7 serially displays a route obtained after the start of traveling as a guide.
Thereafter, if the traveling state of the mobile object changes, such as due to congestion or the like of a road, and an estimated time of arrival is behind (or ahead of) the estimated time of arrival t0 set before the start of traveling, then it is monitored whether a change |t1-t0| between the estimated time of arrival set before the start of traveling and the estimated time of arrival set after the start of traveling is equal to or more than the time T (step S29: loop of No). When the change |t1-t0| between the estimated time of arrival before and after the start of traveling is equal to or more than the time T or more (step S29: Yes), a corresponding transmission selection is displayed on the displaying unit 7 (step S30). For example, when the time T is 30 minutes, i.e., the estimated time of arrival set after the start of traveling is 30 minutes behind the estimated time of arrival t0 calculated in step S26 before the start of traveling, a transmission selection message representing that there has been a delay is displayed on the displaying unit 7. For example, as an example of the display screen displayed on the displaying unit 7 at this time in the case of a mail transmission, the display screen 7c shown in
In transmission, the power supply state of the externally connected mobile telephone set 9 is detected (step S32). When the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is in an off state (step S32: No), the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is turned on (step S33). Thereafter, the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b automatically transmits an electronic mail to the mail address of the automatic transmission destination set in step S22 (step S34). In this case, when the mail address of the automatic transmission destination is a waiting person who waits at the target place, the waiting person can be notified of the estimated time of arrival and information representing that arrival will be delayed with an electronic mail. At this time, the mail address is the mail address of the mobile telephone set 9, and the waiting person can immediately know the arrival of the electronic mail. Any configuration that notifies the waiting person of the reception of an electronic mail by using a PC without using the mobile telephone set 9 enables the waiting person to know the arrival of the electronic mail without any loss of time. Upon completion of transmission of the electronic mail, it is monitored whether the connection is ended (step S35: loop of No). When the connection is canceled (step S35: Yes), the process is ended.
The process in step S34 can be achieved not only by transmission of an electronic mail by the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b but also by making a call with the telephone number set by the calling unit 24a in step S22 and speech communication. The process in step S27 can be performed not only to a target place but also to a plurality of stop-offs located along the route to the target place. In this case, the process may be performed such that the estimated time of arrival at the target place is replaced with an estimated time of arrival at each of the plurality of stop-offs. Each time the mobile object visits each stop-off to delay the arrival at the target place, an automatic calling or transmission of an electronic mail can be performed to a set transmission destination such as a waiting person. The destination can be notified of a more exact estimated time of arrival.
According to the second example described above, when arrival at a target place is delayed or advanced, communication with a destination can be established at an appropriate timing, and a waiting person who waits for the arrival can be notified that the mobile object will soon arrive at the target place. In this manner, even though a traveling state changes, such as due to congestion or the like of a road, after the mobile object starts to travel, the destination can be notified of the estimated time of arrival as accurately as possible. Furthermore, communication with the destination can be prevented from being forgotten, and the navigation function can be more effectively used.
The configuration of the third embodiment is a process that establishes communication when a mobile object comes close to predetermined user's home or a predetermined registered place even though a target place is not set.
At the beginning, the position of a user's home is registered through the operation input unit 4 (step S41). If a user has a place where she/he frequently visits, that place is registered (step S42). With reference to
Thereafter, when the mobile object starts to travel (step S46), the distance calculating unit 21 of the central processing unit 5 calculates a distance X1 between a current place to the home (step S47). The distance calculating unit 21 also calculates a distance X2 between the current place and the registered place (step S48). When the current place comes close to the home or the registered place, the calling unit 24a automatically makes a call. More specifically, it is monitored whether the distance X1 to the home is not more than the predetermined distance D (X1≦D) (step S49: No), and it is monitored whether the distance X2 to the registered place is not more than the predetermined distance D (X2≦D) (step S51: loop of No).
When the distance X1 to the home is not more than the predetermined distance D (step S49: Yes), “no-transmission” is not selected at first (step S50: No). For this time, the displaying unit 7 displays that the mobile object has come close to the home, and a transmission selection message is displayed that asks whether transmission to the home is performed (step S53). Similarly, when the distance X2 to the registered place is not more than the predetermined distance D (step S51: Yes), “no-transmission” is not selected at first (step S52: No). For this time, the displaying unit 7 displays that the mobile object has come close to the registered place, and a transmission selection message is displayed that asks whether transmission to the registered place is performed (step S53). At this time,
After the transmission selection message is displayed in step S53, “calling” (including mail transmission) is selected (step S54: Yes), and a power supply state is detected of the externally connected mobile telephone set 9 (step S57). When the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is in an off state (step S57: No), the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is turned on (step S58), and the CPU shifts to step S59. When “calling” or “mail” is not selected in step S54 (step S54: No), and when “no-transmission” is detected (step S55: Yes), it is stored in the storage unit 6 that “no-transmission” is selected (step S56), and the CPU returns to step S49. On the other hand, when “no-transmission” is not selected (step S55: No), the CPU returns to step S54. Thus, in the later steps, the contents of the storage unit 6 are referred to each time the mobile object comes close to the home or a registered place. When the storage contents are “no-transmission,” the transmission selection message is not displayed on the displaying unit 7. At a result, a cumbersome display can be canceled.
When the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is turned on in step S58, and when the power supply of the mobile telephone set 9 is set in an on state in step S57 (step S57: Yes), the calling unit 24a automatically makes a call with the telephone number of the automatic transmission destination set in step S44 for any one of the close home and a close registered place (step S59), and speech communication is started with a destination on which the call is made (or transmits a mail). Thereafter, it is monitored whether the telephone connection is canceled upon completion of speech communication (step S60: loop of No). When the telephone connection is canceled (step S60: Yes), the process is ended.
The explanation is made by exemplifying calling performed by the calling unit 24a. As in the first and second example, a configuration in which formation and transmission of an electronic mail by the electronic mail transmitting unit 24b may also be employed.
According to the third example, when a mobile object comes close to a registered place such as a home or an office, the mobile object can automatically communicate with a destination of the home or the registered place, and a waiting person or the like who waits at home or the registered place can be notified that the mobile object will soon arrive at the corresponding place. In this manner, a waiting person at the home or the registered place where the mobile object frequently goes and returns can be notified of estimated time of arrival as accurately as possible. Furthermore, communication with the waiting person can be prevented from being forgotten, and the navigation function can be used more effectively.
An information transmission apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
As shown in
As in the second embodiment described above, the configuration in which the communication module, which can be connected to an external communication network, is built may not only be a navigation system, but also may be a mobile telephone set having a navigation function. According to the configuration of the second embodiment, when a mobile object comes close to a target place as in the first embodiment, when an estimated time of arrival changes, or when the mobile object comes close to a registered place, such as a home or an office, a call can be automatically made to a destination, or an electronic mail can be transmitted. Awaiting person can be notified that the mobile object will soon arrive at the target place. In addition, a waiting person at the home or the registered place where the mobile object frequently goes and returns can be notified of the estimated time of arrival as accurately as possible without setting a target place each time the mobile object moves. Furthermore, communication with the waiting person can be prevented from being forgotten, and the navigation function can be more effectively used.
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
As shown in
As described above, even though the mobile telephone set 9 and the external GPS module unit 16 are externally connected to the terminal device 15, the calling process and the transmission process of an electronic mail described in the examples (first, second, and third examples) of the first embodiment can be similarly performed. The terminal device 15 can also be implemented by using a GPS function and a connection function to a mobile telephone network.
The embodiments described above exemplify speech communication using telephones and transmission of an electronic mail. Voice synthesis, reading of a voice file registered in advance, or voice recognition can also be used. For example, when a mobile object comes close to a target place, a call is made to a destination. Voice corresponding to a stylized sentence stored in advance is synthesized by an audio circuit unit 10 to communicate to the destination the stylized sentence as a voice. In addition, when a mobile object comes close to a target place, an electronic mail may be transmitted to a destination. Voice acquired through the microphone 11 is converted into character data (text data) by voice recognition, and the character data is inserted into the text of the electronic mail so that the electronic mail can be transmitted.
As described above, according to the information transmission apparatus, the information transmission method, the program thereof, and the recording medium on which the program is recorded, depending on a traveling state of a mobile object to a place toward which the mobile object moves, a necessary destination can be notified of an estimated time of arrival at an appropriate timing. In this manner, the navigation function can be effectively used, and the destination can be properly notified of an accurate estimated time of arrival. In particular, since a driver of a mobile object can automatically make a call at an appropriate timing without regard to communication with a destination, the driver can concentrate on driving, which make it possible to improve safe driving.
The information transmission method described in the embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program with a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. The program is recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO (magneto-optical disc), or a DVD which can be read by a computer. The program is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium which can be distributed through a network such as the Internet.
The present document incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese priority document, 2003-429238 filed in Japan on Dec. 25, 2003.
Although the invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art which fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-429238 | Dec 2003 | JP | national |