JP2007049543A - In-vehicle information presenting device, and device, method and system for providing information for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine a communication method based on an emergency level of information transmission. <P>SOLUTION: In a system for transmitting information to an in-vehicle device 1 from an information center 20, the information center 20 determines the emergency level of information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1, and transmits the information in a packet communication system with faster communication speed when the emergency level is determined to be high. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular information providing apparatus, a vehicular information providing method, and a vehicular information providing system that provide information desired by a vehicle occupant to a vehicle via data communication.

  Conventionally, when data is transmitted to a communication terminal such as a mobile phone, the data line is selected by selecting a line with a lower communication charge between packet-switched calls and circuit-switched calls according to the amount of data to be transmitted. A technique for transmitting is known (see Patent Document 1). Usually, data communication using the circuit switching method requires a longer communication time than data communication using the packet communication method.

JP 2004-40463 A

  However, according to the conventional technique, since the line with the lower communication charge is selected, urgent data may be transmitted by the data communication of the line switching system with the lower communication charge. In this case, there is a problem that data that requires urgency may not be transmitted within the required time.

(1) The vehicle information providing system according to the present invention is a system for transmitting information from an information center to an in-vehicle device by data communication. The information center determines whether information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device should be transmitted immediately. A communication method for data communication is determined based on the degree of urgency, and the information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information by the determined communication method.
(2) The vehicle information providing system according to the present invention is a system that transmits information from an information center to an in-vehicle device by data communication. The in-vehicle device is based on the degree of urgent transmission of information that requests transmission from the information center. A communication system for data communication is determined, data communication with the information center is started by the determined communication system, and information is received from the information center.
(3) The vehicle information providing device according to the present invention is a device that transmits information to a vehicle-mounted device through data communication, based on the degree of urgency as to whether or not the information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device should be transmitted immediately. The communication method of communication is determined, and the information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information by the determined communication method.
(4) An in-vehicle information presentation device according to the present invention is a device for presenting information acquired from an information center to a user by data communication. Based on the degree of urgent transmission of information requesting transmission from the information center, data communication communication A method is determined, data communication with the information center is started according to the determined communication method, and information is received from the information center.
(5) The vehicle information providing method according to the present invention is a method for transmitting information from an information center to an in-vehicle device by data communication. In the information center, whether or not the information center should immediately transmit information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device. A communication method for data communication is determined based on the degree of urgency, and the information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information by the determined communication method.
(6) The vehicle information providing method according to the present invention is a method for transmitting information from an information center to an in-vehicle device through data communication. The in-vehicle device is based on the degree of urgent transmission of information requesting the information center to transmit. A communication system for data communication is determined, data communication with the information center is started by the determined communication system, and information is received from the information center.

(1) According to the vehicle information providing system, the information providing apparatus, and the information providing method according to the present invention, based on the degree of urgency as to whether or not the information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device should be transmitted immediately, the communication method for data communication is changed. Since it determines, the information which a user needs can be rapidly transmitted to a vehicle equipment.
(2) According to the in-vehicle information presentation device according to the present invention, the communication method for data communication is determined based on the degree of urgency of transmission of information requesting transmission from the information center, and the communication with the information center is determined according to the determined communication method. Since data communication is started and information is received from the information center, information required by the user can be quickly acquired and presented.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle information providing system according to the present invention. A user who uses this vehicle information providing system calls the information center 20 (vehicle information providing apparatus), transmits the desired information to the operator of the information center 20, and information searched by the search system 34 by the operator is displayed. It is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 by data communication.

  The in-vehicle device 1 includes a navigation unit 2, a monitor 3, a communication adapter 5, a telephone harness 6 for connecting the mobile phone 4 and the communication adapter 5, a data communication phone 7, a microphone 8, and a speaker 9. The GPS antenna 10, the operation switch 11, the operator call switch 12, and the vehicle speed sensor 16 are provided.

  The monitor 3 displays a map around the current location of the vehicle, a recommended route to the destination, and the like based on instructions from the navigation unit 2 described later. The mobile phone 4 is a phone used when a user has a conversation with an operator standing by at the information center 20, and the data communication phone 7 is a phone used when performing data communication with the information center 20. It is.

  The microphone 8 is used when a user (driver) has a conversation with an operator of the information center 20 using a hands-free system. The speaker 9 outputs a voice when the user talks with the operator using the hands-free system and voices when the navigation unit 2 performs route guidance. The GPS antenna 10 receives radio waves from GPS satellites (not shown) in order to acquire current position information of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 16 detects the speed of the vehicle.

  The operation switch 11 is used for a user to perform various operations such as an operation of a screen displayed on the monitor 3, an operation for using a hands-free system, an operation of the navigation unit 2, and an operation for performing data communication. It is done. The operator call switch 12 is a switch used when a call is made to the information center 20.

  The communication adapter 5 performs communication control with the information center 20. The communication adapter 5 is registered with a telephone number of an operation center 30 of the information center 20 to be described later. When the user presses the operator call switch 12, the operation center 30 is automatically called via the mobile phone 4. It takes. The telephone number of the operation center 30 is registered before the communication adapter 5 is shipped from the factory, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the navigation unit 2. The navigation unit 2 includes a map data unit 18 and a storage unit 21, and a display processing unit 13, a communication processing unit 14, a voice control unit 15, a position calculation unit 17, an input processing unit 19, and an internal processing function. And an integrated calculation unit 22.

  The display processing unit 13 issues a display instruction to the monitor 3 based on a command from the integrated calculation unit 22. The communication processing unit 14 performs control for exchanging data with the communication adapter 5. The voice control unit 15 instructs the speaker 9 to output a voice for route guidance, for example, based on a command from the integrated calculation unit 22. The position calculation unit 17 obtains the current position of the vehicle based on the radio wave received by the GPS antenna 10 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 16. The map data unit 18 is, for example, a hard disk device (HDD), and stores map data.

  The input processing unit 19 outputs a command input by the user via the operation switch 11 or the operator call switch 12 to the integrated calculation unit 22. The storage unit 21 stores data such as a registration location (for example, a home position) set in advance by the user using the operation switch 11 and a road that has traveled in the past. The storage unit 21 includes a history storage unit 23 that stores various operation histories of the operation switch 11 by the user and a history of results of the user searching for facilities and the like.

  The integrated calculation unit 22 exchanges various data with the display processing unit 13, the communication processing unit 14, the voice control unit 15, the position calculation unit 17, the input processing unit 19, the map data unit 18, and the storage unit 21. While exchanging, comprehensive processing of the navigation unit 2 is performed. The comprehensive processing of the navigation unit 2 includes facility search processing and recommended route calculation processing to the destination.

  The information center 20 includes an operation center 30, an information database group 40, a vehicle information center 50, and a customer center 60. The operation center 30 includes a PBX / CTI 31 that controls a telephone line and a search system 34. The search system 34 includes a search processing terminal 32, a telephone 33, a headset 36, a monitor 38, and an input device 39. The input device 39 includes a keyboard and a mouse.

  A PBX (Private Branch Exchanger) is usually installed in a corporate building or the like, and exchanges external telephones with internal telephones and between internal telephones. CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) integrates a telephone communication system such as PBX and an information system such as a computer and a database so that they can be linked to each other. In other words, the PBX / CTI 31 controls the telephone line such as connecting a call received from the user to a vacant operator or sending a waiting voice guidance when there is no vacant operator. The PBX / CTI 31 can be connected to the general telephone network 55.

  An operator working at the operation center 30 uses the telephone 33 or the headset 36 to converse with the user and confirm information requested by the user. The operator searches for information desired by the user using the search processing terminal 32 based on the information heard from the user. The search processing terminal 32 is a personal computer, for example. The search system 34 is connected to a plurality of databases 41 to 45, 56 constituting the information database group 40 through a network 37 such as a LAN.

  The information database group 40 includes a location / phone information database 41, a traffic information database 42, a weather forecast database 43, various information databases 44, a guidance voice database 45, and a user profile database 56. The position / phone information database 41 stores names of various facilities such as restaurants and public facilities, position information, telephone number information, and the like. The traffic information database 42 stores traffic information such as general roads and toll roads. The weather forecast database 43 stores weather forecast information for each location. The various information database 44 stores information other than the above-described information on various facilities, traffic information, and weather information. The guidance voice database 45 stores voice data for voice guidance to the user. The user profile database 56 stores user information such as user names, addresses, mobile phone numbers, and telephone numbers for data communication telephones registered in advance. The user registration method will be described later.

  The vehicle information center 50 includes a packet communication interface 51, a circuit switching interface 52, and information processing terminals 54a and 54b. The information processing terminal 54a performs various data processing such as transmitting information to the in-vehicle device 1 through the packet communication interface 51 by the packet communication method. Further, the information processing terminal 54b performs various data processing such as transmitting information to the in-vehicle device 1 by the circuit switching method via the circuit switching interface 52. For example, in the search system 34, when information desired by the user is searched, the searched information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 via the packet communication interface 51 or the circuit switching interface 52. The packet communication interface 51 and the circuit switching interface 52 are connected to the general circuit network 55.

  The customer center 60 includes a customer registration system 62 and a customer management server 66. The customer registration system 62 performs user registration and changes of registered user personal information. A customer management server 66 connected to the customer registration system 62 is a server for managing user information.

  An Internet 63 is also connected to the network 37 to which the operation center 30, the information database group 40, the vehicle information center 50 and the customer center 60 are connected. Accordingly, the information center 20 exchanges various information with the content provider / application service provider group 64 via the Internet 63. Further, when the user performs user registration, which will be described later, it is possible to use a terminal 65 such as a personal computer connected to the Internet 63 without going through the operator of the customer center 60.

  A user who uses the vehicle information provision system in one embodiment needs to perform user registration in advance. The first method for user registration is to enter the phone number of the mobile phone 4 used when using this system, along with general information such as the user's name, address, and date of birth on a given application form. And mail it to the customer center 60 of the information center 20. After confirming the contents of the application form, the customer center 60 operator performs user registration processing on the customer management server 66 using the customer registration system 62. The registered user information is stored in the user profile database 56.

  As described above, the second method for user registration is a method of directly registering in the customer management server 66 using a terminal 65 such as a personal computer connected to the Internet 63. Further, when the in-vehicle device 1 has an online registration function, the in-vehicle device 1 can be used to directly register with the customer management server 66.

  In the vehicle information providing system in one embodiment, a communication method for transmitting information is determined based on the urgency level of information transmitted from the information center 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the data size of the information to be transmitted. .

  3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the contents of processing performed by the in-vehicle device 1 and the information center 20, respectively. The process of step S10 to step S60 is a process performed on the in-vehicle device 1 side, and the process of step S100 to step S270 is a process performed on the information center 20 side.

  In step S <b> 10, the integrated calculation unit 22 of the navigation unit 2 determines whether the operator call switch 12 is turned on based on a signal input from the input processing unit 19. If it is determined that the operator call switch 12 is not turned on, the process waits in step S10 until it is turned on. If it is determined that the operator call switch 12 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S20, a call is made to the operation center 30 of the information center 20 in the voice mode. The voice mode is a mode for the user and the operator to perform a voice conversation. As described above, since the telephone number of the operation center 30 is registered in the communication adapter 5 in advance, when the user presses the operator call switch 12, the automatic operation is performed via the navigation unit 2, the communication adapter 5, and the mobile phone 4. A call is made to the operation center 30. At this time, the communication adapter 5 places the number “186” in front of the telephone number of the operation center 30 and makes a call. That is, since some mobile phones 4 have a function for notifying the caller number, the caller number is notified so that the information center 20 can identify the caller. Make a phone call in the form.

  Of the processes performed on the information center 20 side, the processes of steps S100 to S150 are performed by the PBX / CTI 31 of the operation center 30. In step S100, it is determined whether there is an incoming call from the user. If it is determined that there is no incoming call, it waits in step S100 until there is an incoming call. If it is determined that there is an incoming call, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, caller telephone number acquisition processing is performed. At this time, if a call is received with the caller non-notification setting, and there is no caller telephone number, for example, “Caller ID is not notified” registered in the guidance voice database 45 in advance. "Is played and the telephone line is disconnected.

  In step S120, the telephone number is authenticated based on the caller telephone number acquired in step S110. This authentication is performed based on whether or not the caller telephone number is registered in the user profile database 56. In step S130 following step S120, it is determined whether or not the authentication is OK based on the result of the telephone number authentication performed in step S120. If the acquired caller telephone number is registered in the user profile database 56 and it is determined that the authentication is OK, the process proceeds to step S150. On the other hand, if it is determined that the authentication is NG, the process proceeds to step S140, and a message such as “cannot receive the service because the telephone number is not registered” pre-registered in the guidance voice database 45 is reproduced. Disconnect the telephone line.

  In step S150, the telephone call from the user is connected to the operator who has a free telephone line, and the process proceeds to step S160. However, when there is no available line, for example, a message such as “Now, the line is busy” is registered in advance in the guidance voice database 45.

  When a telephone call from the user is connected to the operator, the user transmits information desired to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the operator. The operator grasps information desired by the user through conversation with the user, and searches for information desired by the user using the search processing terminal 32. When the information to be searched is related to the location of the facility, for example, the name of the facility to be searched, the search target area, the genre, etc. are input for the search.

  The processing from step S160 to step S180 is performed by the search system 34. In step S160, it is determined whether information required for searching for information desired by the user is input to the search processing terminal 32 by the operator and a search execution command is issued. If it is determined that information necessary for the search is input to the search processing terminal 32 and a search execution command is issued, the process proceeds to step S170. If it is determined that a search execution command is not issued, the process waits in step S160.

  In step S <b> 170, information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 is searched by referring to the databases 41 to 44 included in the information database group 40 based on the input information. When searching for information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1, the process proceeds to step S180. In step S180, the retrieved information is temporarily stored in the user profile database 56. Here, the information is stored in correspondence with the user information of the user who has requested transmission of information.

  When data (information) to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 is stored in the user profile database 56, the operator prompts the user to operate a download button included in the operation switch 11. Note that voice guidance data that prompts the user to operate the download button may be registered in the guidance voice database 45, and voice guidance may be automatically performed after saving data (information) to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. .

  In step S <b> 30, the integrated calculation unit 22 of the navigation unit 2 determines whether or not the download button included in the operation switch 11 has been pressed based on the signal input from the input processing unit 19. If it is determined that the download button is not pressed, the process waits in step S30 until the download button is operated. If it is determined that the download button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S300.

  In step S300, the telephone connected to the operation center 30 is temporarily disconnected. The reason for disconnecting the telephone is to reconnect the telephone connected in the voice mode in the data mode and download the data stored in the user profile database 56 of the information center 20 by data communication. The data mode is a mode for exchanging data by data communication.

  Subsequently, the description will be continued from step S40 of the flowchart shown in FIG. When the download button included in the operation switch 11 is pressed, in step S40, a call is automatically made to the vehicle information center 50 in the data mode. Also in this case, in order to notify the caller number, a call is made with “186” in front of the telephone number of the vehicle information center 50.

  A telephone transmitted via the download button (operation switch 11), the navigation unit 2, the communication adapter 5, and the data communication telephone 7 is connected to the packet communication interface 51 of the vehicle information center 50 via the general line network 55. Incoming calls. In step S190, it is determined whether there is an incoming call to the packet communication interface 51 of the vehicle information center 50. If it is determined that there is no incoming call, the process waits in step S190 until there is an incoming call. If it is determined that there is an incoming call, the process proceeds to step S200.

  The navigation unit 2 of the in-vehicle device 1 transmits the telephone number of the mobile phone 4 to the vehicle information center 50 via the data communication phone 7. In step S200, the information processing terminal 54a performs caller telephone number acquisition processing, and proceeds to step S210. The processing from step S210 to step S280 is performed by the information processing terminal 54a or 54b. In step S210, a telephone call from a user is connected to the information processing terminal 54a, and data mode negotiation for establishing a data mode is performed. In step S220 following step S210, telephone number authentication processing is performed after completion of the data mode negotiation. This authentication processing method is the same as the processing in step S120 described above.

  In the next step S230, it is determined whether or not the caller telephone number is stored in the user profile database 56 as a result of the authentication process performed in step S220. If the caller telephone number is stored in the user profile database 56 and it is determined that the authentication is OK, the process proceeds to step S250. On the other hand, if it is determined that the caller number is not stored in the user profile database 56 and is authentication NG, the process proceeds to step S240. In step S240, an NG message such as “Service cannot be received because the telephone number is not registered” is reproduced, and the telephone line is disconnected.

  In step S250, data stored in the user profile database 56, that is, data stored in the user profile database 56 in step S180 is acquired. Data acquisition is performed based on the result of authentication of the telephone number performed in step S220. That is, data stored in association with the telephone number that is matched by the authentication of the telephone number is acquired. When the data acquisition process is performed, the process proceeds to step S260.

  In step S260, the communication method of the data acquired in step S250 is specified. A detailed method for specifying the communication method will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the amount of data to be transmitted and the communication time for each communication method of data communication. As shown in FIG. 5A, regardless of the amount of data, the packet communication method has a shorter communication time than the circuit switching method. That is, if the data amount is the same, the packet communication method can transmit data in a shorter time.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of data to be transmitted and the communication fee for each communication method of data communication. As shown in FIG. 5B, the packet communication method has a lower communication fee until the data amount is about 30 kbytes. However, when the data amount is larger, the circuit switching method has a lower communication fee.

  In the vehicle information providing system in one embodiment, whether to transmit by a packet communication system or a circuit switching system is determined based on the amount of data and the urgency of data transmission. FIG. 6 is a diagram for determining the packet communication method or the circuit switching method based on the data amount and the urgency of data transmission. In FIG. 6, the thing with the highest urgency is shown with a double circle, the thing with a little urgency is shown with a circle, and the thing with a low urgency is shown with a triangle. The level of urgency for each data will be described later. The amount of data is divided into three levels: large, medium, and small.

  As shown in FIG. 6, data with the highest urgency of data transmission is transmitted by the packet communication method regardless of the data amount. Thereby, data with high urgency of data transmission can be quickly transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. Also, when the data amount is small, that is, when the data amount is less than about 30 kbytes, the packet communication method is used for transmission. In this case, it is possible to perform data transmission promptly at a lower communication fee than the circuit switching method.

  When the amount of data is large and the urgency of data transmission is slightly high or low, data is transmitted by the circuit switching method. In addition, when the amount of data is medium and the urgency of data transmission is slightly high or low, the packet communication method or the circuit switching method is selected according to the content of data to be transmitted.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram summarizing the urgency of data transmission, the data size, and the recommended communication method for each type of information transmitted from the information center 20 to the in-vehicle device 1. For example, since the traffic information data has a high influence on the user's behavior, the urgency of data transmission is set higher than other information. Here, the traffic information area is divided into three areas: the current area, the route to the destination, and the area around the destination, and the level of urgency is determined for each area. That is, the traffic information around the current location is the most urgent, and the traffic information along the route to the destination is the most urgent or slightly higher. The urgency of traffic information around the destination is set to be slightly high.

  In FIG. 7, as data to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1, in addition to traffic information, weather, news, destinations and waypoints, POI incidental information, movie information, telephone connection information, transportation information, fortune telling, cooking recipes Is shown. The POI incidental information includes, for example, tourist spot information, parking lot information, restaurant information, etc., and distinguishes between text information of only characters and image information including images, and the urgency of data transmission Data size and recommended communication method are described.

  Note that the urgency and data size of data transmission vary depending on the data actually transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. Therefore, FIG. 7 shows a guideline regarding the urgency of data transmission and the data size. For example, in the traffic information on the way to the destination, the urgency of data transmission varies depending on the traffic information on the road near the current location and the traffic information on the road far from the current location. Therefore, the urgency of data transmission, the data size, and the recommended communication method must be determined based on the data to be actually transmitted.

  In step S260 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, when the communication method of data to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 is determined, the process proceeds to step S270. In step S270, the data acquired in step S250 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 by the communication method determined in step S260. If the communication method determined in step S260 is the packet communication method, the communication method connected between the in-vehicle device 1 and the vehicle information center 20 is the packet communication method, so data transmission is started as it is. On the other hand, if the communication method determined in step S260 is the circuit switching method, a signal to reconnect using the circuit switching method is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle device 1 that has received this signal reconnects using the circuit switching method and downloads information.

  In step S50, the vehicle unit 1 determines whether or not the data transmitted by the vehicle information center 50 in step S270 has been received. If it is determined that no data is received, the process waits in step S50 until it is received. If it is determined that data is received, the process proceeds to step S60. In step S60, received data (downloaded data) is processed. For example, if the received data is traffic information, the traffic information is displayed on the monitor 3. If the received data is news information, the news information is output from the speaker 9 by voice and the content of the news is displayed on the monitor 3. When the received data is processed, the line connected between the in-vehicle device 1 and the vehicle information center 50 is disconnected in step S310.

  According to the vehicle information providing system in the embodiment, in the system that transmits information from the information center 20 to the in-vehicle device 1 by data communication, the information center 20 should promptly transmit information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device. Since the urgency level is determined and the communication method for data communication is determined based on the determined urgency level, information to be transmitted immediately can be transmitted promptly. That is, since information with a high degree of urgency of data transmission is transmitted by a packet communication method with a high communication speed, it can be transmitted more quickly than when it is transmitted by a circuit switching method with a low communication speed.

  Moreover, according to the vehicle information provision system in the embodiment, the communication method for data communication is determined based on the urgency level and the data size of the information to be transmitted, so that the information can be transmitted more effectively. . Furthermore, according to the vehicle information providing system in the embodiment, the urgency level of the data transmission is determined based on the influence level of the information transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 on the user's behavior. In addition, the communication method can be accurately determined.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an example in which one data is transmitted from the information center 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been described, but a plurality of pieces of information can be transmitted.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transmission method when a plurality of pieces of information are transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. Service example 1 shown in FIG. 8 is an example in which data of a destination set in car navigation unit 2 is transmitted. Since the destination data set in the car navigation unit 2 is the most urgent data, it is transmitted by the packet communication method.

  Service example 2 shown in FIG. 8 is an example in which information on restaurants around the destination including image data is transmitted together with the data on the destination set in the car navigation unit 2. Information on restaurants near the destination should be transmitted by the circuit switching method because the data size is large and the urgency of data transmission is low. Therefore, first, the data of the destination set in the car navigation unit 2 is transmitted by the packet communication method, and then the information on the restaurants around the destination is transmitted by the circuit switching method.

  The service example 3 shown in FIG. 8 is an example in which traffic information around the current location, news, and weather information of the destination are transmitted together with the destination data set in the car navigation unit 2. The traffic information around the current location should be transmitted by the packet communication method because the urgency of data transmission is the highest, and the news should be transmitted by the packet communication method because the data size is small. The weather at the destination should be transmitted by the circuit switching method because the urgency of data transmission is low and the data size is medium. Therefore, first, the destination data set in the car navigation unit 2, traffic information around the current location, and news are transmitted by the packet communication method, and then the weather information of the destination is transmitted by the circuit switching method. To do.

  FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams for explaining a method of switching communication methods when a plurality of pieces of information are transmitted from the information center 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 1. FIG. 9A shows an example in which the communication method is automatically switched, and FIG. 9B shows an example in which the user manually switches the communication method. FIG. 9C shows an example in which the user downloads data by pressing a button corresponding to the communication method based on an instruction from the information center 20.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the in-vehicle device 1 first connects to the packet communication interface 51 of the vehicle information center 50 by the packet communication method, and downloads data to be received by the packet communication method. When the data is downloaded, the in-vehicle device 1 issues an instruction to disconnect the packet communication to the packet communication interface 51. The packet communication interface 51 transmits data indicating that data communication by the circuit switching method is automatically started to the in-vehicle device 1 and disconnects the packet communication.

  The in-vehicle device 1 that has received the data indicating that the data communication by the circuit switching method is automatically started should be connected to the circuit switching interface 52 of the vehicle information center 50 by the circuit switching method and received by the circuit switching method. Download the data. When the data is downloaded, the in-vehicle device 1 issues an instruction to disconnect the data communication by the circuit switching method to the circuit switching interface 52 and disconnects the data communication. According to this method, data download by packet communication and data download by a circuit switching method can be automatically performed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9B, the in-vehicle device 1 first connects to the packet communication interface 51 of the vehicle information center 50 by the packet communication method, as in the example shown in FIG. Download data to be received by packet communication method. When the data is downloaded, the in-vehicle device 1 issues an instruction to disconnect the packet communication to the packet communication interface 51. The packet communication interface 51 transmits data for displaying the download button 91 as shown in FIG. 9B on the monitor 3 of the in-vehicle device 1 to the in-vehicle device 1 to disconnect the packet communication. A download button 91 is displayed on the monitor 3 of the in-vehicle device 1.

  When the user presses the download button 91 displayed on the monitor 3, data communication is connected to the circuit switching interface 52 of the vehicle information center 50 by the circuit switching method, and downloading of data to be received by the circuit switching method is started. The According to this method, after downloading data by packet communication, the user needs to manually start data communication by the circuit switching method, but the user can determine the data acquisition timing. Further, if it is determined that it is not necessary, data communication by the circuit switching method can be stopped.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9C, the operation center 30 determines whether the data to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 is data to be transmitted by packet communication or data to be transmitted by the circuit switching method. A corresponding instruction is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1. In the example shown in FIG. 9C, for data with high urgency of data transmission and data urgency with low data size, a data communication instruction by the packet communication method is issued. In addition to issuing data to the in-vehicle device 1, for other data, a data communication instruction by a circuit switching method is issued to the in-vehicle device 1. These instructions are issued from the operator of the operation center 30 to the user of the vehicle-mounted device 1.

  If the instruction from the operator is data communication by the packet communication method, the user presses the packet communication button 92 (see FIG. 9C) included in the operation switch 11 of the in-vehicle device 1. Thereby, data communication by the packet communication method is started. If the instruction from the operator is data communication by the circuit switching method, the user presses the circuit switching button 93 (see FIG. 9C) included in the operation switch 11. Thereby, data communication by the circuit switching method is started.

  If data to be downloaded to the vehicle-mounted device 1 by the circuit switching method is present after the data download by the packet communication method is completed, the above-described FIG. 9A or FIG. 9B is used. Data communication by the circuit switching method is started by the method described above. In addition, when the data download by the circuit switching method is completed, the data communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the vehicle information center 50 is disconnected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the urgency of data transmission is divided into three stages, and the data size is divided into three stages to determine whether to use a packet communication system or a circuit switching system. However, the urgency of data transmission may be divided into two stages according to the presence or absence of urgency, or may be classified into a plurality of categories of four or more stages. The data amount can also be classified into a plurality of categories of two stages or four or more stages.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the urgency of data transmission and the data size may be uniquely set according to the type of information to be transmitted, but the data transmission area (city / suburb), time zone, and , And may be set based on the day of the week. This can be set statistically by taking statistics of the size and urgency of the transmitted data for each information transmission area, time zone and day of the week.

  In the above-described embodiment, the system that transmits information according to a request from the user from the information center 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 has been described. However, even if there is no request from the user, information prepared in advance by the information center 20 Can also be applied to a system that transmits to the in-vehicle device 1.

  In the vehicle information provision system in the above-described embodiment, the data communication method is determined on the information center 20 side, but the data communication method can also be determined on the in-vehicle device 1 side. A method for determining the data communication method on the in-vehicle device 1 side will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the monitor 3 of the in-vehicle device 1 when requesting the information center 20 to transmit data. The initial screen 100 displays various information that can be downloaded from the information center 20, such as traffic information, restaurant information, and weather forecasts. The user selects desired information by operating the operation switch 11.

  A screen 101 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed when “traffic information” is selected on the initial screen 100, and more detailed traffic information such as traffic information around the current location and traffic information to the destination is selected. It is a screen to do. Similarly, the screen 102 shown in FIG. 10 is a screen displayed when “Restaurant” is selected on the initial screen 100, and the screen 103 is displayed when “Recommended information pack” is selected. It is a screen. The screen 104 is a screen displayed when “restaurants around the current location” is selected on the screen 102. On the screen 104, the user inputs a distance to search for restaurants around the current location, a genre of restaurants, and presence / absence of image data, and issues a data transmission request to the information center 20. In the example of the screen 104, a transmission request for information on an Italian restaurant within 5 km centered on the current location is sent to the information center 20.

  The in-vehicle device 1 determines the communication method for data communication based on the information selected by the user, that is, the urgency and data size of the information requesting download from the information center 20. FIG. 11 is a diagram summarizing the data size, the urgency of data transmission, and the data communication method for each type of information requesting download. For example, in the case of restaurant information around the current location, data communication is performed using a circuit switching method if the information is with an image, and data communication is performed using a packet communication method if the information is without an image. The communication method can be determined by, for example, the integrated calculation unit 22 of the navigation unit 2. According to this method, it is not necessary for the information center 20 to determine the communication method, so that the processing load on the information center 20 side can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operator of the operation center 30 searches for information using the search processing terminal 32. However, the search processing terminal 32 automatically searches for information without intervention of the operator. It may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the packet communication interface 51 and the circuit switching interface 52 are installed in the vehicle information center 50. However, the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the information center are connected via a provider that provides an Internet connection service. For example, when communication is performed with the network 20, the packet communication interface 51 and the circuit switching interface 52 can be installed in the provider or the communication carrier.

  In the above-described embodiment, two communication methods, ie, a packet communication method and a circuit switching method, have been described as data communication methods. However, the communication method is not limited to these two methods.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the data communication telephone 7 for performing data communication is provided separately from the mobile phone 4 for the user to converse with the operator has been described. You may make it provide only one telephone which can communicate. In the above-described embodiment, the voice communication and the data communication are performed by separate lines. However, the voice communication and the data communication are performed by using a system that puts a voice signal on the data communication line. Can also be performed on one line.

  In step S120 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, user authentication is performed based on the mobile phone number, but user authentication can also be performed based on a user ID issued after user registration is performed. Further, user authentication may be performed based on the vehicle-mounted device ID unique to the vehicle-mounted device 1. In this case, as the in-vehicle device ID, for example, the serial ID is written when the in-vehicle device 1 is shipped from the factory, and the user applies the in-vehicle device serial ID on the application form when registering the user. That is, it is only necessary to be able to specify the in-vehicle device 1 used by the calling user and to transmit data to the specified in-vehicle device 1 when performing data communication. The user authentication method is not limited to the method described above.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the embodiment is as follows. In correspondence with claims 1 to 9 and claims 19 to 27, the information processing terminals 54a and 54b include an emergency degree determination unit, a communication method determination unit, and a data size identification unit, a packet communication interface 51, and The circuit switching interface 52 constitutes transmission means, and the data communication telephone 7 of the in-vehicle device 1 constitutes reception means. Further, in the correspondence with claims 10 to 18 and claims 28 to 36, the integrated calculation unit 22 of the navigation unit 2 sets the emergency degree determination means, the communication method determination means, and the data size identification means to data communication. The telephone 7 constitutes communication means, and the packet communication interface 51 and the circuit switching interface 52 constitute transmission means. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

The figure which shows the whole structure of one Embodiment of the information provision system for vehicles by this invention. Diagram showing the detailed configuration of the navigation unit The flowchart which shows the contents of processing which each vehicle equipment and information center performs The flowchart which shows the processing content following the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of data to be transmitted and the communication time for each communication method during data communication, and FIG. 5B is the data amount to be transmitted and the communication for each communication method during data communication. Diagram showing the relationship with charges Diagram for determining packet communication method or circuit switching method based on data volume and urgency of data transmission A diagram that summarizes the urgency of data transmission, data size, and recommended communication method for each type of information transmitted from the information center to the in-vehicle device The figure which shows an example of the transmission method in the case of transmitting several information to vehicle equipment FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams for explaining a method of switching the communication method when a plurality of information is transmitted from the information center to the vehicle-mounted device. The figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the monitor of onboard equipment when requesting transmission of data to an information center A diagram that summarizes the data size, urgency of data transmission, and data communication method for each type of information that requires download

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle equipment, 2 ... Navigation unit, 3 ... Monitor, 4 ... Mobile phone, 5 ... Communication adapter, 6 ... Telephone harness, 7 ... Telephone for data communication, 8 ... Microphone, 9 ... Speaker, 10 ... GPS antenna, 11 ... Operation switch, 12 ... Operator call switch, 13 ... Display processing unit, 14 ... Communication processing unit, 15 ... Voice control unit, 16 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 17 ... Position calculation unit, 18 ... Map data unit, 19 ... Input processing unit , 20 ... Information center, 21 ... Storage unit, 22 ... Integrated calculation unit, 30 ... Operation center, 31 ... PBX / CTI, 32 ... Search processing terminal, 33 ... Telephone, 34 ... Information search system, 36 ... Headset, 37 ... Network, 39 ... Input device, 40 ... Information database group, 41 ... Location / phone information database, 42 ... Traffic information database, 43 ... Qi forecast database, 44 ... various information databases, 45 ... guidance voice database, 50 ... vehicle information center, 51 ... packet communication interface, 52 ... line switching interface, 54a, 54b ... information processing terminal, 55 ... general telephone line Network, 56 ... User profile database, 60 ... Customer center, 62 ... Customer registration system, 63 ... Internet, 65 ... User PC, 66 ... Customer management server

Claims (38)

In the vehicle information provision system that transmits information from the information center to the in-vehicle device by data communication,
The information center has an emergency degree determination means for determining an emergency degree as to whether or not to immediately transmit information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device,
A communication method determining means for determining a communication method for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determining means;
A transmission unit that transmits information to an in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information in the communication mode determined by the communication mode determination unit;
The in-vehicle device includes a receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the information center. In the vehicle information provision system according to claim 1,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method determining means sets the communication method of information determined to have a high degree of urgency by the urgency degree determining means to a communication method having a high communication speed. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 2,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method having a high communication speed is a packet communication method. In the vehicle information provision system in any one of Claims 1-3,
The information center further includes a data size specifying means for specifying a data size of information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device,
The communication system determining means determines a communication system for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determination means and the data size specified by the data size specifying means. Information provision system. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 4,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method determining means sets a communication method whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is less than a predetermined size as a packet communication method. In the vehicle information provision system according to claim 4 or 5,
The communication method determining means determines that the urgency degree determining means determines that the urgency degree is low, and changes the communication method of information whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is a predetermined size or more to a circuit switching method. An information provision system for vehicles characterized by setting. In the vehicle information provision system according to any one of claims 4 to 6,
When there is a plurality of information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device, and the communication method for each information is determined by the communication method determination unit, the transmission unit is set to the packet communication method by the communication method determination unit An information providing system for a vehicle characterized in that information is first transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device, and thereafter, the communication method is set to the circuit switching method and the information is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device. In the vehicle information provision system according to claim 7,
The transmitting means transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device to reconnect to the information center by a circuit switching method after transmitting information to the in-vehicle device by the packet communication method,
When the vehicle-mounted device receives a signal to reconnect to the information center by the circuit switching method, the vehicle information is cut off and the data communication by the circuit switching method is started while disconnecting the data communication by the packet communication method. Offer system. In the vehicle information provision system in any one of Claims 1-8,
The urgency level determination means determines the urgency level based on an influence level of information transmitted to an in-vehicle device on a user's behavior. In the vehicle information provision system that transmits information from the information center to the in-vehicle device by data communication,
The in-vehicle device has an emergency degree determination means for determining the transmission emergency degree of information requesting transmission to the information center,
A communication method determining means for determining a communication method for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determining means;
Communication means for starting data communication with the information center by the communication method determined by the communication method determining means,
The information center includes a transmission unit that transmits the requested information to the communication unit of the in-vehicle device. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 10,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method determining means sets the communication method of information determined to have a high degree of urgency by the urgency degree determining means to a communication method having a high communication speed. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 11,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method having a high communication speed is a packet communication method. In the vehicle information provision system in any one of Claims 10-12,
The in-vehicle device further includes a data size specifying means for specifying the data size of the information requested to be transmitted to the information center,
The communication system determining means determines a communication system for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determination means and the data size specified by the data size specifying means. Information provision system. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 13,
The vehicle information providing system, wherein the communication method determining means sets a communication method whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is less than a predetermined size as a packet communication method. In the vehicle information provision system according to claim 13 or 14,
The communication method determining means determines that the urgency degree determining means determines that the urgency degree is low, and changes the communication method of information whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is a predetermined size or more to a circuit switching method. An information provision system for vehicles characterized by setting. In the vehicle information provision system in any one of Claims 13-15,
When there is a plurality of information requested to the information center and the communication method determining means determines the communication method for each information, the communication means first starts data communication by the packet communication method, An information providing system for a vehicle, which receives information, then starts data communication by a circuit switching method, and receives information from an information center. The vehicle information provision system according to claim 16,
The transmitting means transmits a signal to the in-vehicle device to reconnect to the information center by a circuit switching method after transmitting information to the in-vehicle device by the packet communication method,
When the communication means of the vehicle-mounted device receives a signal to reconnect to the information center by the circuit switching method, the communication unit disconnects the data communication by the packet communication method and starts data communication by the circuit switching method. Information provision system for vehicles. In the vehicle information provision system in any one of Claims 10-17,
The urgency level determination means determines the urgency level based on an influence level of information transmitted to an in-vehicle device on a user's behavior. In the vehicle information providing device that transmits information to the in-vehicle device by data communication,
Information acquisition means for acquiring information requested by the user;
An emergency degree determination means for determining an emergency degree as to whether or not to immediately transmit information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device;
A communication method determining means for determining a communication method for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determining means;
A vehicle information providing apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit information to an in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information by the communication method determined by the communication method determination unit. In the vehicle information provision device according to claim 19,
The vehicular information providing device, wherein the communication method determining means sets the communication method of information determined by the urgency degree determining means to have a high urgency level to a communication method having a high communication speed. In the vehicle information provision device according to claim 20,
The vehicular information providing apparatus, wherein the communication method having a high communication speed is a packet communication method. In the vehicle information provision device according to any one of claims 19 to 21,
A data size specifying means for specifying the data size of the information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device;
The communication system determining means determines a communication system for data communication based on the urgency degree determined by the urgency degree determining means and the data size specified by the data size specifying means. Information provision device. In the vehicle information provision device according to claim 22,
The vehicular information providing apparatus, wherein the communication method determining unit sets a communication method in which the data size specified by the data size specifying unit is less than a predetermined size as a packet communication method. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 22 or 23,
The communication method determining means determines that the urgency degree determining means determines that the urgency degree is low, and changes the communication method of information whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is a predetermined size or more to a circuit switching method. An information providing device for a vehicle, characterized in that it is set. In the vehicle information provision device according to any one of claims 22 to 24,
When there is a plurality of information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device, and the communication method for each information is determined by the communication method determination unit, the transmission unit is set to the packet communication method by the communication method determination unit An information providing apparatus for a vehicle, wherein information is first transmitted to an in-vehicle device, and thereafter, information in which a communication method is set to a circuit switching method is transmitted to the in-vehicle device. The vehicle information providing device according to claim 25,
The transmission means transmits information to the vehicle-mounted device that automatically starts data communication by the circuit switching method after the vehicle-mounted device receives the information transmitted by the packet communication method. Providing device. The vehicle information providing device according to any one of claims 19 to 26,
The vehicular information providing device, wherein the urgency level determination means determines the urgency level based on an influence level of information transmitted to an in-vehicle device on a user's behavior. In the in-vehicle information presentation device that acquires information from the information center and presents it to the user through data communication,
An emergency degree determination means for determining the transmission emergency degree of information requesting transmission to the information center;
A communication method determining means for determining a communication method for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determining means;
An in-vehicle information presentation device comprising: a communication unit that starts data communication with an information center and acquires information by the communication method determined by the communication method determination unit. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to claim 28,
The in-vehicle information presentation device, wherein the communication method determining unit sets a communication method of information determined to have a high degree of urgency by the urgency degree determining unit as a communication method having a high communication speed. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to claim 29,
The in-vehicle information presentation device, wherein the communication method having a high communication speed is a packet communication method. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to any one of claims 28 to 30,
A data size specifying means for specifying the data size of the information requested to be transmitted to the information center;
The communication system determining means determines a communication system for data communication based on the emergency degree determined by the emergency degree determination means and the data size specified by the data size specifying means. Information presentation device. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to claim 31,
The in-vehicle information presentation device, wherein the communication method determining means sets a communication method whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is less than a predetermined size as a packet communication method. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to claim 31 or 32,
The communication method determining means determines that the urgency degree determining means determines that the urgency degree is low, and changes the communication method of information whose data size specified by the data size specifying means is a predetermined size or more to a circuit switching method. An in-vehicle information presentation device characterized by setting. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to any one of claims 31 to 33,
When there is a plurality of information requested to the information center and the communication method determining means determines the communication method for each information, the communication means first starts data communication by the packet communication method, An in-vehicle information presentation device that receives information, then starts data communication by a circuit switching method, and receives information from an information center. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to claim 34,
When the communication means receives a signal from the information center to automatically start the data communication by the circuit switching method after receiving the information transmitted by the packet communication method, the communication means starts the data communication by the circuit switching method. An on-vehicle information presentation device characterized by the above. The in-vehicle information presentation device according to any one of claims 28 to 35,
The in-vehicle information presentation device, wherein the urgency level determination unit determines the urgency level based on an influence level of information transmitted to the in-vehicle device on a user's behavior. In the vehicle information providing method for transmitting information from the information center to the in-vehicle device by data communication,
The information center determines the communication method for data communication based on the degree of urgency as to whether or not the information to be transmitted to the in-vehicle device should be transmitted immediately, and the in-vehicle device that has requested transmission of information in the determined communication method The information provision method for vehicles characterized by transmitting information to. In the vehicle information providing method for transmitting information from the information center to the in-vehicle device by data communication,
The in-vehicle device determines the communication method of data communication based on the degree of urgency of transmission of information that requests transmission to the information center, and starts data communication with the information center according to the determined communication method. A vehicle information providing method comprising receiving the information.

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