JP2002261681A - Communication system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a high level of satisfaction in confirming a received image as well as securing a safety drive. SOLUTION: A microphone 4 and a speaker 5 are used to allow talking hands-free with a party on the other end of the phone. When an image transmitted by the party on the other end of the phone is received during a stop of the vehicle, the received image is displayed on a display screen 10 immediately. When the image is received during a run of the vehicle, it is temporarily stored in an SDRAM 22 as temporal storage means, and then stored in an EEPROM 23 as storage means. Upon receipt of a request for reproduction of the image during a stop, the image stored in the EEPROM 23 is displayed on the display screen 10. When there is any occupant at a passenger seat or a rear seat, the received image can be displayed on the display screen 10 even during a run.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle communication system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art From the viewpoint of safe driving, a vehicle capable of performing a so-called hands-free communication using a microphone and a speaker mounted on a vehicle body near a driver's seat has already been commercialized. (For example, JP-A-10-285649, JP-A-11-160)
No. 077). That is, a communication system has been put to practical use in which a driver's voice is transmitted to a communication partner through a microphone mounted on the vehicle body, and a voice from the communication partner is heard through a speaker mounted on the vehicle body.

[0003]

By the way, recently,
With the development of communication technology, it has become possible to exchange images related to the contents of conversation with the outside of the vehicle in addition to communication using only voice, that is, conversation. That is, for example, when talking about a certain topic, it is conceivable that a communication partner sends an image to deepen the understanding. Especially, in view of the fact that images can be easily exchanged in recent mobile phones, it is necessary to display images from outside the vehicle on display means mounted on the vehicle body even in a hands-free system in a vehicle. Is realized early (realization of a so-called videophone in a vehicle).

However, driving while looking at an image received from outside the vehicle is not preferable for safe driving. On the other hand, when the received image is not displayed while the vehicle is running, the opportunity for confirming the image is extremely limited (reduction of the opportunity for image confirmation).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle which is capable of ensuring both safe driving and a chance to check a received image at a high level. Communication system for communication.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention basically provides a storage means for temporarily storing a received image so that the stored image can be reproduced and displayed at an appropriate timing. It is. Specifically, the following solution is adopted in the present invention. That is,
As set forth in claim 1, in a vehicular communication system including communication means for performing communication with the outside of the vehicle using a microphone and a speaker mounted on a vehicle body, a display means capable of displaying images. A storage unit for storing an image transmitted from outside the vehicle when receiving the image, and a reproducing unit for displaying the image stored in the storage unit on the display unit There is. Preferred embodiments based on the above solution are as described in Claims 2 and 3 in the claims.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the received image is temporarily stored in the storage means, and can be reproduced and displayed at an appropriate time by the reproduction means. It is possible to satisfy both a high level and the opportunity for image confirmation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the sound at the time of receiving the image is also reproduced at the time of the image reproduction, the understanding of the image and the sound can be further deepened.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an image is stored from a point a predetermined time earlier than a point in time when it is determined that it is better to store the image. This is preferable for preventing such a situation.

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 4, it is preferable to execute the storage of the image according to the intention of the person outside the vehicle transmitting the image and reflect the intention of the image sender.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the storage of the image is prohibited, thereby preventing the image from being stored unnecessarily as much as possible. This is preferable for effective use.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 6, a temporally old image from a partner who has communicated within a predetermined time in the past is:
Since it is considered that the importance is lower than that of a new image newly received this time from the same communication partner, by deleting this old image, storage means with a limited storage capacity can be used effectively. .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is preferable to change whether or not to store an image according to a communication partner, and to effectively use storage means having a limited capacity. .

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, image reproduction is performed while the vehicle is stopped, which is extremely preferable for safe driving and sufficient confirmation of images.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when a passenger is present, the image can be actively displayed even while the passenger is traveling, and the displayed image can be confirmed by the passenger.
Even while the vehicle is running, the image can be checked while ensuring safe driving.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the interior of a vehicle 1 in which a steering wheel 2 is shown. Handle 2
A microphone 3 and a speaker 5 are mounted on the A pillar 3 as a vehicle body component near the driver's seat. In addition, a navigation device 7 is provided at a substantially central position of the instrument panel 6 in the vehicle width direction.

The navigation device 7 has a display screen 10 as display means and various operation switches 11. In the embodiment, a communication function of a hands-free function is incorporated in the navigation device 7, and an image control function for storing and reproducing an image received from outside the vehicle is incorporated. The switch group 11 includes various switches required for storing and reproducing an image received from outside the vehicle, which will be described later, in addition to known various switches for navigation. This point will be described later.

FIG. 2 shows a controller (control unit) U constituted by using a microcomputer, which performs various kinds of processing for navigation, and also performs processing for communication and storage and reproduction of images, which will be described later. It has become. The controller U is connected to the microphone 4, the speaker 5, the display screen 10, and the switch group 11 for communication and image storage / reproduction processing related to the present invention. Etc., and a temporary storage means 2 comprising an SDRAM as a volatile memory
2 and a storage means 23 composed of, for example, an EEPROM as a nonvolatile memory are connected. Further, the controller U is connected with a camera 24 (see also FIG. 1) for capturing an image of the driver and the vicinity thereof, and a parking brake switch 25 as a stop detecting means.

Note that the switch group 11 is not limited to being configured as a fixed switch, but may be configured as a separately provided remote control switch, or may be configured as both a fixed switch and a remote control switch. Further, among the fixed switches constituting the switch group 11, some switches frequently used, for example, a transmission start switch, a reception switch, and the like, may be dispersedly arranged on the vehicle body, for example, by equipping the A pillar 3 with the switches.

An outline of a portion related to storage and reproduction of an image in the control contents of the controller U will be described. First, the image received from outside the vehicle is stored in the temporary storage unit 22.
However, when the storage capacity is full, the temporally old image is deleted and a new image is stored accordingly (automatic update of the stored image). Storage means 23
Has a larger storage capacity than the temporary storage unit 22, and the image stored in the temporary storage unit 22 is stored (transcribed) as described later.

When storing an image in the storage means 23, the following prioritization is set in advance by using a manual operation. That is, for example, when the priority is assigned in three stages and the highest priority is set, for example, the flag is set to 1; when the priority is intermediate, for example, the flag is set to 2; Sets the flag to 3. When the flag is set to 1 and the priority is the highest, the received image is automatically stored in the storage means 23 in principle during traveling. When the flag is 2 or 3, the image is stored in the storage means 23 on the condition that the image storage is instructed by the manual operation of the occupant. On condition that there is no image storage command, when there is an image storage request from the sender, if the flag is 2, the image is stored in the storage means 23, but if the flag is 3, the image is stored in the storage means 23. Is not stored.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the prioritization of image storage described above. In FIG. 7, a number of rows 31
.., for example, four columns 32a to 32d are set. The first column 32a indicates the serial number of the communication partner, and is also the number of the speed dial. 2 rows 32b
Is the name of the other party. The third column 32c is a specific telephone number of the destination (it can be an access web or an e-mail destination via the Internet). The fourth column 32d is a flag indicating the prioritization of the image storage described above.

The contents described in each of the columns 32a to 32d are manually input using the ten keys or character input keys included in the switch group 11. By operating a destination selection switch included in the switch group 11, a No. (abbreviated number) indicating a desired destination in one row 32a is selected, and the switch group 1 is selected.
By turning on the transmission switch included in 1,
The communication is started by connecting to the desired destination. In addition,
When there is a communication request from outside the vehicle, the communication is started by turning on a reception switch included in the switch group 11.

When the remaining capacity of the storage means 23 is small, it is necessary to set a priority for erasing the images stored in the storage means 23 in consideration of a situation in which an image must be newly stored. Done. The priority of image erasure is manually set in, for example, three stages using a flag. For example, when the priority of storing the image with the flag 1 set is high, the priority of storing the image is medium, and when the priority of storing the image is 3, the priority of storing the image is the lowest. You.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the prioritization for keeping the above-mentioned storage. In FIG. 8, a large number of rows 33a, 33b, 33c... Are classified according to storage contents (corresponding to a temporal order of storage), and each row has, for example, details of six columns 34a to 34f. Items are being classified. Column 34a is the destination telephone number, column 34b is the name of the destination, and column 34c is the stored date and time. The column 34d is the type of the stored image (the distinction between the moving image and the still image), and the column 34e is the storage capacity. In the column 34f, a priority order for keeping the above-mentioned stored contents is given (manual setting). For reference of the prioritization of the stored images (prioritization among 33a, 33b, 33c...), The stored images are displayed on the display screen 10 by manual operation. You can also

Next, storage of an image by the controller U,
A specific example of control related to reproduction will be described with reference to flowcharts in FIGS. 3 to 6.
While the vehicle is stopped, the received image is always displayed on the display screen 11, and the image can be reproduced only while the vehicle is stopped.

Assuming the above, after various data are input in Q1 of FIG. 3, it is determined in Q2 whether the selection for performing the setting shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. Is determined. If the determination in Q3 is YES, the process proceeds to Q4 after the setting process is performed in Q3, and if the determination in Q3 is NO, the process directly proceeds to Q4 without passing through Q3. The details of Q3 are shown in FIG. 5. The process of Q31 in FIG. 5 is the setting (flag setting) of FIG. 7 described above, and the process of Q32 is the setting (flag setting) of FIG. 8 described above. .

At G4, it is determined whether or not an operation for starting communication has been performed. The communication start operation includes an operation in which the occupant performs transmission from the vehicle side (an operation for making a telephone call) and an operation in which the occupant responds to the transmission from outside the vehicle (receives a telephone call).
Including both. If the determination in Q4 is YES, in Q5, communication, that is, hands-free communication using the microphone 4 and the speaker 5 is performed, but the communication is ended by an operation of terminating the communication. After Q5 or when NO is determined in Q4, it is determined in Q6 whether communication is currently being performed. If the determination in Q6 is NO, that is, if communication is not currently being performed, the state of the parking brake switch 25 is checked in Q7 to determine whether the vehicle is currently stopped. If the determination in Q7 is YES, in Q8, it is determined whether or not the switch for instructing the reproduction of the image and sound stored in the storage means 23 has been operated. If the determination in Q8 is YES, Q9
, The image stored in the storage means 23 is reproduced (displayed) on the display screen 11 and the sound corresponding to the reproduced image is reproduced from the speaker 5. NO in Q7 discrimination
Respectively, or when NO in the determination of Q8, Q
Returned to 1.

If the determination in Q6 is YES, that is, if communication is currently being performed, the priority order of image storage is manually set in Q11 in FIG. 4 according to the communication partner. The process of Q11 is prioritization during communication, and is performed in the same manner as the prioritization in FIG. 7 during non-communication (priority using flags 1 to 3; At the end of communication, the flag returns to the initial state (the setting state in FIG. 7).) After Q11, it is determined in Q12 whether an image has been received. If the determination in Q12 is NO, the process proceeds to Q7 in FIG.

If the determination in Q12 is YES, Q1
At 3, the received image is stored together with the sound at that time (in the embodiment, both the sound in the vehicle and the received sound) (updated storage within the range of the maximum storage capacity). After Q13,
In Q14, the priority flag of the communication partner is 1
(The highest priority) is determined. If the determination in Q14 is YES, in Q15, it is determined whether or not a storage command operation has been performed. If the determination in Q15 is YES, in Q22, the stored contents (image + audio) stored in the temporary storage means 22
Is stored (transcribed) in the storage means 23. Note that Q22
The details of the storage processing in will be described later.

If NO in Q15, Q16
In, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is currently stopped. Q1
If the determination in Step 6 is YES, the flow shifts to Q7 in FIG. 3 (because the vehicle is stopped, the received image is displayed on the display screen 11). If the determination in Q16 is NO, that is, if the vehicle is currently traveling, it is determined in Q17 whether the current communication partner is the same person as the communication partner within the past predetermined time (for example, within 30 minutes). You. If the determination in Q17 is YES, the flow shifts to Q7 in FIG.

If the determination in Q17 is NO, it is determined whether a predetermined time, which is assumed to be full in the temporary storage means 22, has elapsed, or whether communication has ended. If the determination in Q18 is YES, Q22
The contents stored in the temporary storage unit 22 are stored (transcribed) in the storage unit 23. When the determination in Q18 is NO, the process proceeds to Q7 in FIG.

If NO in Q14, Q19
In, it is determined whether or not an operation (command) to be stored in the storage unit 23 has been performed. YES in this determination of Q19
In the case of, the storage in the storage means 23 is performed in Q22. If the determination in Q19 is NO, in Q20, it is determined whether or not there is an operation (command) for storing an image from the communication partner. If the determination in Q20 is YES, it is determined in Q21 whether or not the priority order setting flag of the communication partner is 2. If the determination in Q21 is YES, an image or the like is stored in the storage means 23 in Q22. When the determination in Q20 is NO or the determination in Q21 is NO,
The process proceeds to Q7 in FIG.

Next, the details of Q22 in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in Q41, the remaining storage capacity of the storage means 23 (the capacity that can be stored without erasing the stored content) is detected. Next, in Q42, it is determined whether or not the image to be stored this time is a moving image. If the determination in Q42 is YES, after the total storage capacity (image + transmission audio + reception audio) currently stored in the temporary storage unit 22 is detected, Q45
Move to. If the determination in Q42 is NO, the image to be stored this time is a still image having a smaller storage capacity than the moving image. In this case, the storage capacity of the still image to be stored is detected in Q44. After that, the flow shifts to Q45.

In Q45, it is determined whether or not the capacity to be newly stored in the storage means 23 is larger than the remaining storage capacity detected in Q41. If the determination in Q45 is NO, the contents stored in the temporary storage means 22 are stored (transcribed) in the storage means 23 in Q47. Q4
In the case of YES in the determination of No. 5, after a low priority order is deleted from the storage contents stored in the storage unit 23 (a process of increasing the remaining storage capacity of the storage unit 23),
The contents stored in the temporary storage means 22 are stored (transcribed) in the storage means 23.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and includes, for example, the following case. The image may be stored in the storage unit 23 while displaying the image on the display screen 11 even while the vehicle is traveling. When the vehicle is stopped, the image may be stored in the storage unit 23 while the image is displayed on the display screen 11. Instead of providing the temporary storage unit 22 which is a volatile memory, only the storage unit 23 which is a nonvolatile memory may be provided. The storage means 23 is not limited to a semiconductor memory, but may be any suitable one such as a magnetic or optical storage medium. When sound is stored in addition to the image, only the received sound may be stored and the transmitted sound may not be stored, or the sound may not be stored at all.

The process of Q46 in FIG. 6 can be performed as follows instead of or in addition to image deletion. In the case of a moving image, the image may be thinned out to a certain level (for example, in the case of a moving image of 10 frames per second, the frame may be thinned out to 4 frames per second). May be increased to a predetermined level (the higher the compression ratio, the smaller the required storage capacity). If the image is a still image, the compression ratio may be increased. Instead of or in addition to the above, images may be deleted in order from the temporally oldest image.
Alternatively, the priority may be deleted in ascending order of priority.

When there is a passenger other than the driver, an image may be displayed on the display screen 11 even during traveling (in this case, the image may be stored in the storage means 23, or You do not need to do that.) It should be noted that the detection of the passenger can be performed by using a known appropriate method. Good. For the detection of the stop, for example, when the vehicle speed is 0, a known appropriate method can be adopted.

In the embodiment, when the storage start operation is performed, the image is stored in the storage unit 23 from the image which is retroactive by a time corresponding to the storage content stored in the temporary storage unit 22. May be stored from the image from the time when the operation of starting storage is performed. Image playback is
If there is a passenger, the operation may be performed during traveling.
Each step (step group) shown in the flowchart or various members such as a sensor and a switch can be expressed by adding a name of a means to a higher-level expression of its function. Also,
The function of each step (step group) shown in the flowchart can also be expressed as a function of a function unit set in a control unit (controller) (existence of a function unit). Of course, the objects of the present invention are not limited to those explicitly stated, but also implicitly include providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as advantages. Further, the present invention can be expressed as a display method of a received image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in a vehicle cabin of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of setting contents in a control example of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of setting contents in a control example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Vehicle 4: Microphone 5: Speaker 7: Navigation device 10: Display screen 11: Operation switch group 21: Communication device outside the vehicle 22: Temporary storage means 23: Storage means 25: Parking brake (for stopping detection) U: Controller (Control means)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A communication system for a vehicle comprising communication means for communicating with the outside of a vehicle using a microphone and a speaker mounted on a vehicle body, a display means capable of displaying an image, and an image transmitted from outside the vehicle. A communication system for vehicles, comprising: storage means for storing the received image when received; and reproduction means for displaying the image stored in the storage means on the display means. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when sound is received together with the image, the sound is stored together with the image in the storage means, and the reproduction means reproduces the image together with the reproduction display of the image. A communication system for a vehicle, wherein the communication system is set so as to reproduce sound corresponding to an image. 3. A storage device according to claim 1, wherein: a temporary storage means for temporarily storing the transmitted image; and a start means for manually starting the storage of the image in the storage means. The image stored in the storage unit is set so as to include the image stored in the temporary storage unit, so that the image is stored a predetermined time before the start unit is manually operated. A communication system for a vehicle, wherein the communication system is set to: 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is configured to store an image when a storage request signal is received from a communication partner. Communications system. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined condition set in advance is satisfied, storage of an image in the storage unit is set to be prohibited. A communication system for a vehicle, comprising: 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when an image is received from the same communication partner as the communication partner within a predetermined time in the past, the image stored in the storage means is stored. A communication system for a vehicle, wherein the communication system is set so as to delete an image from the same communication partner. 7. The vehicle communication according to claim 1, wherein whether to store an image in said storage means is changed according to a communication partner. system. 8. The communication system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction of the image by the reproduction means is executed on condition that the vehicle stops. 9. The vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a passenger detecting means for detecting the presence of a passenger other than the driver in the vehicle, wherein the passenger detecting means detects the presence of the passenger. Is a communication system for vehicles, wherein the reproduction of the image by the reproduction means can be executed even while the vehicle is running.