WO2004019300A1

WO2004019300A1 - Mobile body position information providing method and mobile body terminal device

Info

Publication number: WO2004019300A1
Application number: PCT/JP2003/010040
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shunji Miyahara; Nobuaki Matsueda; Yasutaka Kumakura
Original assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2002-08-23
Filing date: 2003-08-07
Publication date: 2004-03-04
Also published as: CN1679063A; JP2004086263A; CN1332364C

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted information terminal device (10) mounted on a vehicle transmits vehicle position information detected by a navigation device to a fixed station (20). The fixed station (20) stores the received position information and provides the position information on each vehicle in response to a read request from a communication terminal device such as another vehicle-mounted information terminal device (10), a personal computer (30), a mobile personal information terminal device (40), and a mobile telephone (50). In this position information provision, a user can select to reject information provision. Moreover, it is possible to provide information to a particular group of members. Accordingly, it is possible to widely notify the current position of a mobile body such as a vehicle.

Description

Description Method of providing location information of mobile object and mobile terminal device

The present invention relates to a method of providing position information of a moving object that provides position information indicating the current position of a moving object such as a vehicle to another person, and a mobile terminal device used in the method of providing position information. Background technology

Conventionally, when a plurality of vehicles travel in a group, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-621886, another vehicle is used to know the positions of the vehicles in the group. A navigation system is known which transmits position information indicating the current position of the vehicle detected by a navigation device to another vehicle in response to a request from the vehicle.

However, the above-described conventional apparatus has a problem that the communication partner is limited to a narrow range because the position information of the own vehicle is directly wirelessly transmitted to another vehicle. Disclosure of the invention

The present invention has been made to address the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a position information providing method and a position information providing method for a mobile body capable of widely informing the current position of the mobile body such as a vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal device used for a mobile terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, a feature of the present invention is that the position information detected by the moving object and indicating the current position of the moving object includes information indicating whether the position information can be viewed or not. The mobile station transmits to the fixed station, the fixed station receives and stores the transmitted location information, and responds to a browsing request from a communication terminal apparatus, and in response to the browsing request from the communication terminal device, allows the browsing of the stored location information or The present invention provides a method for providing location information of a mobile unit, which is provided to the communication terminal device according to information indicating that browsing is impossible. In addition, in order to realize the method for providing position information of a mobile object, the features of the present invention are viewed from another viewpoint. The features of the present invention are as follows: to a fixed station that stores information that can be browsed by a communication terminal device. A communication device capable of transmitting information; a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of the moving object; and position information indicating the detected current position, information indicating whether browsing of the co-located information is permitted or prohibited. In addition, there is also a mobile terminal device provided with position information transmitting means for transmitting to a fixed station via a communication device and storing the same in the fixed station. In these cases, the moving object is, for example, a vehicle.

In the feature of the present invention configured as described above, the position information indicating the current position of the mobile unit transmitted from the mobile unit is stored in the fixed station, and the fixed station responds to the browsing request from the communication terminal device. The stored position information is provided to the communication terminal device. In this case, the communication terminal device includes, for example, both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device. Then, for example, a request for browsing can be made from the communication terminal device to the fixed station via various communication lines including wireless and Internet lines, and the fixed station responds to the browsing request of the communication terminal device. As a result, the communication partner of the position information of the moving object is not limited to a narrow range, and the position information described above can be widely obtained using various communication terminal devices.

In addition, the location information is transmitted from the mobile to the fixed station, including information indicating whether or not browsing is possible. Then, the fixed station provides the position information to the communication terminal device in accordance with the information indicating the browsing permission or the browsing prohibition. Therefore, even if the location information is automatically transmitted from the mobile unit to the fixed station, if the user of the mobile unit selects “disable browsing of the location information”, the location information of the mobile unit will be browsed unnecessarily. Even if the location information is viewed from a wide range of communication terminals to a fixed station, there is no problem because the user's secret is protected. .

Further, another feature of the present invention is that position information indicating a current position of the moving object detected by the moving object is transmitted from the moving object on condition that the position information can be browsed from a specific communication terminal device. The position information is transmitted to a fixed station, and the fixed station receives and stores the transmitted position information, and responds to a browsing request only from a specific communication terminal device, and transmits the stored position information to a specific communication terminal. A method for providing position information of a mobile unit provided to a terminal device. Further, in order to realize the method for providing position information of a moving object, if the other features of the present invention are viewed from another viewpoint, the other features of the present invention can be browsed by a specific communication terminal device. A communication device capable of transmitting information to a fixed station storing the information; a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of the moving object; and a position information indicating the detected current position, by a specific communication terminal device. There is also a mobile terminal device provided with position information transmitting means for transmitting to a fixed station via a communication device and storing the same in the fixed station, on condition that browsing from only the user is possible. In these cases, the moving object is, for example, a vehicle. In the other features of the present invention configured as described above, the communication terminal device includes, for example, both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device. Then, for example, a communication terminal device can make a browsing request to a fixed station via various communication lines including a wireless network and an in-net network line, and the fixed station responds to the browsing request of the communication terminal device. answer. As a result, the communication partner of the position information of the moving object is not limited to a narrow range, and the position information can be widely obtained using various communication terminal devices. Also, in this case, since only the specific communication terminal device can view the location information, even if the location information is automatically transmitted from the mobile to the fixed station, the location information of the location information cannot be obtained. The browsing is restricted to members in a specific group, so that the position information of the moving object is not inadvertently browsed, and various browsing methods can be adopted as long as the members are in a specific group. Therefore, it is convenient to use it in Darup. Brief explanation of drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a position information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the in-vehicle information terminal device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the fixed station in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a program executed in the transmitting terminal (in-vehicle information terminal), the fixed station, and the receiving terminal (communication terminal). BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a position information providing system for providing position information indicating a current position of a vehicle as the moving body. This position information providing system includes a plurality of in-vehicle information terminal devices 10 as mobile terminal devices, one or more fixed stations 20, a plurality of personal computers 30, a plurality of portable personal information terminal devices 40 and It consists of 50 mobile phones.

The in-vehicle information terminal device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, and is configured to be capable of wireless communication with a relay station 70 and a fixed station 20 connected to a network 60 (for example, the Internet). The fixed station 20 is connected to the network 60 and is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 and the relay station 70. The personal computer 30 is arranged in a user's home or office and connected to the network 60.

The portable personal information terminal device 40 is carried by an individual and can be connected to the network 60. The portable personal information terminal device 40 may be connected to the network 60 via the personal computer 30 or may be capable of wireless communication with the relay station 70. The mobile phone 50 is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the relay station 70. The in-vehicle information terminal device 10, personal convenience store 30, mobile personal information terminal device 40, and mobile phone 50 constitute a communication terminal device. The terminal device 10, the portable personal information terminal device 40, and the mobile phone 50 constitute a movable communication terminal device, and the personal computer 30 constitutes a fixed communication terminal device.

The in-vehicle information terminal device 10 is arranged near the driver's seat in the passenger compartment. As shown in FIG. 2, the input device 11, the display device 12, and the information processing device 13 are communicably connected to each other. , A storage device 14, a communication device 15, various sensors 16, and a navigation device 17. The input device 11 includes an operation switch provided near the display device 12 and a panel touch switch incorporated in the display device 12 to detect an operation of the display panel by a switch. Is entered. The display device 12 is composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays characters, graphics, maps, and the like on a display panel to visually present various information to a driver.

The information processing device 13 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and executes programs. The line controls the operation of the display device 12, the storage device 14, the communication device 15 and the navigation device 17 in accordance with an instruction from the driver. In the present embodiment, the transmission side program of FIG. 4 is executed. Also, the receiving side program of FIG. 4 may be executed. The storage device 14 includes a recording medium such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD-ROM, and a drive device for the recording medium, and stores various programs, map data, and the like. In the present embodiment, in particular, the transmission side program and the reception side program of FIG. 4 are stored.

The communication device 15 enables wireless communication with the fixed station 20 and the relay station 70. The communication device 15 is connected to an antenna 15 a for wirelessly communicating with the relay station 70 or the fixed station 20. The various sensors 16 mainly include sensors for detecting the current position of the vehicle, that is, a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro, a GPS (Global Positioning System), a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and the like. The navigation device 17 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. By executing a program stored in the storage device 14, the navigation device 17 detects a current position of the vehicle based on detection values detected by the various sensors 16 and operates the vehicle. The user is guided on the display device 12 by using the map data stored in the storage device 14 on the route to the destination.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed station 20 includes an information processing device 21, a storage device 22, and a communication device 23, which are communicably connected to each other. The information processing device 21 has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and is configured in the same manner as the information processing device 13 of the in-vehicle information terminal device 10. The storage device 22 includes a recording medium such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD-ROM, and a drive device for the recording medium, and stores various programs and various data. In particular, in the present embodiment, the storage device stores the fixed station program of FIG. 4 and also stores a position information file (a personal file and a personal file) that stores the position information supplied from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10. Group files) are provided.

The communication device 23 is connected to the network 60 by wire and enables wireless communication with the relay station 70, the in-vehicle information terminal device 10, and the like. The communication device 23 is connected to the antenna 23a for wireless communication. The personal computer 30 also has an input device, a display device, an information processing device, and a storage device which are configured substantially similarly to the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 and are communicably connected to each other. Note that the personal computer 30 does not include the various sensors 16 and the navigation device 17 but may include a communication device capable of wireless communication.

The portable personal information terminal device 40 also includes an input device, a display device, an information processing device, and a storage device that are communicably connected to each other, similar to the personal computer 30. Also, the portable personal information terminal device 40 may be provided with a communication device capable of wireless communication, or may be connectable to the network 60 via the personal computer PC. The mobile phone 50 includes an input device, a display device, an information processing device, and a storage device that are communicably connected to each other, similar to the personal computer 30, and includes a communication device that can perform wireless communication.

In the position information providing system configured as described above, the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 and the mobile phone 50 always involve wireless communication, but the fixed station 20, the personal computer 30, and the portable personal information terminal As for the device 40 and the relay station 70, both wireless and wired communications are performed. These wireless and wired communications are appropriately selected in consideration of convenience, speed, etc., and have no characteristic in the communications themselves. In cases where transmission is simply referred to, it is assumed that an appropriate communication method is used.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the program in FIG. In the program of FIG. 4, the transmission-side program in the leftmost column is a program executed by each in-vehicle information terminal device 10 at predetermined time intervals. The central fixed station program is the program that is always running on the fixed station 20. The receiving side program in the rightmost column is executed by a communication terminal device used by a user who wants to obtain position information of any one of a plurality of vehicles. As the communication terminal device, any of the on-board information terminal device 10, the personal computer 30, the portable personal information terminal device 40, and the mobile phone 50 perform their functions. It is simply called a communication terminal device.

In each in-vehicle information terminal device 10, the information processing device 13 starts from step S10. The transmitting side program is executed, and in step S12, the position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle detected by the navigation device 17 is acquired. The navigation device 17 detects the position of the vehicle based on the detection values from the various sensors 16 and performs matching processing using map data, and displays the detected position and a map based on the map data. And guide the driver to get directions. However, since the present invention is not directly related to this guide, the guide will not be described in detail. In the present embodiment, only the position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle is important. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 17 constitutes a current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle which is a moving body.

After the processing in step S12, the information processing apparatus 13 transmits the obtained position information to the fixed station 20 in step S14. In this transmission, a user identification data previously provided to the vehicle, the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 or the navigation device 17 and a disclosure flag are attached. The disclosure flag indicates whether the position information is viewable or unbrowsable to others, and is selectively switched by a user (driver). Although this position information may be transmitted in response to a driver's instruction, the position information is automatically transmitted because the position information of the driving vehicle is transmitted. Therefore, it is convenient that the disclosure flag is switched by a simple operation of the driver, and the switched disclosure flag is transmitted when the position information is transmitted.

In response to the transmission of the location information, the information processing device 21 of the fixed station 20 transmits the location information, the user, at step B12 of the fixed station program started at step B10. The identification data UID and the disclosure flag are received, and the received information is stored in a personal file in the storage device 22 as one set of data. If the location information, the user identification data UID, and the disclosure flag are transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 to the fixed station 20 after a predetermined time as described above, the information of the fixed station 20 is transmitted. The processing device 21 updates the position information, user identification data UID, and disclosure flag previously stored in the personal file to the newly received position information, user identification data UID, and disclosure flag. Note that, in addition to the user identification data UID, the vehicle number and vehicle owner name that can identify the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 are also included in the vehicle ID. The information may be transmitted from the personal information terminal device 10 and stored in the fixed station 20. In addition, instead of this update, time data indicating the reception time is added to the location information, user identification data UID, and disclosure flag to form a set of data, and the past reception information is retained. Position information, user identification data UID, disclosure flag, and time data may be accumulated and stored. In this case, it is necessary to save a large amount of data, so if you try to discard data that is more than a predetermined time from the present, or keep a longer time interval for old data, Good.

Next, the communication terminal device (the other in-vehicle information terminal device 10, personal computer 30, portable personal information terminal device 40 or mobile phone 50) is stored in the personal file of the fixed station 20. The operation for obtaining the position information of the user will be described. In this case, in response to a user instruction, the communication terminal device starts executing the receiving-side program in step R10, and requests viewing of a personal file in step R12. In browsing the personal file, the user of the communication terminal device inputs user identification data U ID stored in the personal file and specifying the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 (vehicle). As described above, if the vehicle number, vehicle owner name, etc. are stored in a personal file, enter the vehicle number, vehicle owner, etc. to specify the location information to be obtained. You may make it. Then, the input information is transmitted to the fixed station 20 together with the request for browsing the position information by the process of step R12.

On the other hand, in the fixed station 20, the information processing device 21 receives the browsing request, the user identification data UID, and the like transmitted through the communication device 23 in step B 14, and 22 Read the position information and disclosure flag corresponding to the user identification data UID (or vehicle number, vehicle owner name) from the personal file in 2. Then, if the disclosure flag corresponding to the user identification data UID or the like indicates that browsing is possible, “Yes” is determined in step B16, and the read position information is communicated in step B18. Send to the terminal device.

In step R14, the communication terminal device receives the transmitted position information and displays the current position of the vehicle represented by the position information on the display device. In this display, if the map data is prepared in the communication terminal device, the map data is displayed. It is convenient to show the current position of the vehicle represented by the position information on a map displayed based on the vehicle. In addition, if the fixed station 20 stores position information that goes back in the past in addition to the current position information, the position information that goes back in the past is also obtained from the fixed station 20 to move the vehicle. You can also know the status.

As described above, the position information of the vehicle is stored in the fixed station 20, and the other in-vehicle information terminal devices 10, the personal computers 30, the portable personal information terminals 40, Since the mobile phone 50 or the like can obtain the location information, the communication partner of the in-vehicle information terminal apparatus 10 is not limited to a narrow range, and the location information can be broadened using various communication terminal apparatuses. Will be available.

If the disclosure flag indicates that browsing is impossible, the information processing apparatus 21 of the fixed station 20 determines “No” in step B16 and does not execute the processing of step B18. . Therefore, in this case, the position information is not transmitted to the communication terminal device. In other words, even if the location information is stored in the fixed station 20, the location information is transmitted to the communication terminal device if the disclosure flag is disabled in the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 on the transmission side. There is no. As a result, even if the location information is periodically and automatically transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 to the fixed station 20, the location information of the vehicle may be browsed unnecessarily by the user's selection. Can be avoided. Therefore, even if the location information is viewed from the communication terminal device over a wide range to the fixed station 20, the user's secret and the like are protected and no problem occurs. Further, the position information supply system discloses position information only to one member belonging to a specific group, so that the position information can be exchanged among the members of the group. Hereinafter, providing the vehicle position information to the specific member will be described.

In this case, in step S16, the information processing device 13 of the on-vehicle information terminal device 10 adds, to the position information indicating the current position of the vehicle, the user identification data UID and the disclosure flag, the group identification for specifying the group. Data GID and group-specific password PW are transmitted to fixed station 20. The user identification data UID and disclosure flag are the same as described above. The GID and password PW are provided when each member joins the group. Things. After the processing in step S16, the execution of the transmitting program is terminated in step S18.

In response to the transmission of the position information, the information processing device 21 of the fixed station 20 executes Step B

At 20, the received location information, user identification data UID, disclosure flag, group identification data GID, and password PW are received, and these received information are converted into one set of data. The group identification data in the storage device 22 is stored in the group file specified by the GID. Further, when the reception information is newly transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 after a predetermined time, the reception information previously stored in the group file is updated to the newly received reception information. The points are the same as above. Also in this case, a group name that can specify a group may be transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 and stored in the fixed station 20. Further, similarly to the above case, it is convenient to store the past reception information in the group file together with the time data indicating the reception time.

Next, the communication terminal device (other in-vehicle information terminal device 10, personal computer

The operation of the portable personal information terminal device 40 or the portable telephone device 50) for obtaining the position information stored in the file for the fixed station 20 in the trap will be described. In this case, according to the user's instruction, the communication terminal device requests browsing of the group file in step R16. In browsing the group file, the user of the communication terminal device inputs the group identification data GID for specifying the group file and also specifies the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 belonging to the same group. User identification data UID is input. In order to know the position information of all members belonging to the group, only the group identification data GID may be input. As described above, if the vehicle number, vehicle owner name, group name, etc. are stored in the group file, enter these vehicle numbers, vehicle owners, group names, etc. to obtain them. The in-vehicle information terminal device 10 that has transmitted the position information may be specified. In this case, the passcode PW is also entered as proof of belonging to the group. The user identification data U given to the user in order to identify such an in-vehicle information terminal device 10 U

Browsing including ID, group identification data GID indicating the group to which the user belongs The request is transmitted to the fixed station 20 together with the input password PW and the user identification data UID representing the user by the processing of the step R16.

On the other hand, in the fixed station 20, the information processing device 21 receives the information related to the transmitted browsing request through the communication device 23 in step B 22. After this reception, the information processing apparatus 21 determines in step B 24 whether the received user identification data UID (representing the user who has made the viewing request), group identification data GID, password PW, etc. . If the user who has requested browsing using the communication terminal device belongs to a member of the group and is determined to be “Yes”, that is, conformity in step B24, the processing in steps B26 to B30 is performed. Be executed.

The processing in steps B26 to B30 is almost the same as the processing in steps B14 to B18 described above, but the position information is read from the group file. Then, as long as the disclosure flag attached to the location information indicates that browsing is permitted, the location information requested to be browsed is transmitted to the communication terminal device. If the disclosure flag indicates that browsing is not possible, the vehicle position information is not disclosed. The communication terminal device receives the transmitted position information and displays the current position of the vehicle represented by the position information on the display device by the process of step R18 similar to step R14 described above. Then, the communication terminal device ends the execution of the receiving-side program in step R20.

On the other hand, if the user who has requested browsing using the communication terminal device does not belong to a member of the group and is determined to be “No”, that is, nonconforming in step B 24, this fixed value is determined in step B 32. The execution of the station program ends. In this case, since the processing of steps B26 to B30 is not executed, no position information is transmitted to the communication terminal device.

Even when the group is specified in this manner, the position information of the vehicle is stored in the fixed station 20, and the members belonging to the specific group can use the other in-vehicle information terminal devices 10 functioning as communication terminal devices, Since it is possible to obtain the position information using a computer 30, a portable personal information terminal device 40, a mobile phone 50, or the like, the communication partner of the vehicle-mounted information terminal device 10 is limited to a narrow range. Without using it, the position information can be widely obtained using various communication terminal devices. In this case, since only the specific communication terminal device can view the position information, Even when the information is automatically transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal device 10 to the fixed station 20, the browsing of the location information is limited to members of a specific group and the location information of the vehicle is browsed unnecessarily. This will not be lost, and members of a specific group will be able to use various browsing methods, which will be convenient for group use. Further, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the transmission of the position information to be stored in the personal file and the transmission of the position information to be stored in the group file are performed independently in steps S14 and S16. In transmission, the information may be stored in both the personal file and the group file. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the member who can view the position information of the vehicle is specified and the case where the member is not specified are adopted, but only one of them may be adopted. .

Further, in the above embodiment, the onboard information terminal device 10, personal computer 30, portable personal information terminal device 40 or mobile phone 50 is employed as the communication terminal device. Various communication terminal devices other than those described above can be used as long as the communication terminal device has the above communication function.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. The mobile station transmits position information detected by the mobile unit and indicating the current position of the mobile unit, including information indicating whether the position information can be viewed or cannot be viewed, from the mobile unit to the fixed station, and Receives and stores the transmitted location information, and responds to the browsing request from the communication terminal device, and stores the stored location information according to the information indicating the browsing permission or non-permission. A method for providing location information of a moving object, wherein the method is provided to a communication terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal device includes both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving object is a vehicle.

4. The location information detected by the mobile unit and indicating the current location of the mobile unit is transmitted from the mobile unit to the fixed station, provided that the information can be browsed from a specific communication terminal device. A fixed station receives and stores the transmitted position information, and provides the stored position information to the specific communication terminal device in response to a browse request only from the specific communication terminal device. A method for providing position information of a moving object, characterized in that:

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the communication terminal device includes both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the moving object is a vehicle.

7. A communication device capable of transmitting information to a fixed station storing information that can be viewed by the communication terminal device;

Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the moving object;

Transmitting the position information indicating the detected current position, including information indicating whether the position information can be viewed or not, to a fixed station via the communication device and storing it in the fixed station. A mobile terminal device comprising:

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the communication terminal device includes both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.

10. A communication device capable of transmitting information to a fixed station that stores information that can be viewed by a specific communication terminal device;

The position information indicating the detected current position is transmitted to the fixed station via the communication device and stored in the fixed station, on condition that the browsing can be performed only from the specific communication terminal device. Mobile terminal comprising position information transmitting means

11. The mobile terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the communication terminal device includes both a movable communication terminal device and a fixed communication terminal device.

12. The mobile terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.