Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-23
2001-11-06
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S049000, C701S211000, C340S996000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314352
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an automatic control system for accessory devices for an automobile, which performs automatic control of the accessory devices for the automobile, such as electrical components for the automobile, using a navigation system, various kinds of sensors, and the like.
CONVENTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
In recent years, automatic control technology has been incorporated into electrical components for automobiles, and electrical components having automatic control functions have increased. For example, in a case in which an automobile is AT (Automatic Transmission), there is an automatic control system in which a condition of the automobile is judged by a position of a shift lever and, by pressing a button provided at the shift lever, with a single action, batch control of a variety of the functions set in advance is performed and driver operations needed for each condition are reduced. With this automatic control system, by pressing the button, the batch controls of various kinds of functions which will be described as follows can be performed. By pressing this button in a case in which the position of the AT shift is in P (Parking) range, door lock release, seatbelt buckle release, door mirror retraction, turning on of a courtesy lamp, rear sliding of a seat, seat side support loosening, and the like are performed as a batch. In a case in which the position of the AT shift is in R (Reverse) range, correction of downward field of vision of a left door mirror, seatbelt tension release, rearview mirror anti-glare release, and the like and, in a case in which the position of the AT shift is in D (Drive) range, door mirror returning, turning off of the courtesy lamp, door locking, and the like are batch-controlled.
Further, in an automatic control system using a navigation system, for example, at a time of entering a tunnel, upon receiving a tunnel information from the navigation system, a variety of functions which have been set in advance such as turning lights on, closing door windows, switching an air conditioner from intake of outside air to circulation of inside air, and the like are batch-controlled.
However, conventional automatic control systems for accessory devices for automobiles have performed not control on the basis of the wishes of all drivers, but control referred to average feelings of drivers, and control which meets the wishes of respective drivers has not always been done. Accordingly, an automatic control system for accessory devices for an automobile which enables control that easily reflects the wishes of a driver is required.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic control system for accessory devices for an automobile in which a function whereby a driver can decide with respect to advisability of automatic control for accessory devices for the automobile is added and control which reflects the wishes of the driver is possible.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An automatic control system for accessory devices for an automobile which automatically controls a plurality of accessory devices for the automobile, which are disposed at the automobile, in accordance with a predetermined condition is the invention recited in claim
1
, comprising: a detecting means which detects trigger information for starting automatic control; a control means which stores a plurality of automatic control contents, each of which is a combination of automatic control items for the accessory devices for the automobile, determines an automatic control content on the basis of the trigger information detected by the detecting means, and performs control of the accessory devices for the automobile in accordance with the automatic control content; an announcing means which announces the automatic control content to be performed by the control means before automatic control is performed; and an input means for inputting a reply concerning advisability of implementation of the automatic control content announced by the announcing means, wherein automatic control is performed in accordance with the reply that is input at the input means.
According to the invention recited in claim
1
, in the automatic control system for accessory devices for the automobile which automatically controls the plurality of accessory devices for the automobile disposed at the automobile in accordance with the predetermined conditions, the trigger information is detected with the detecting means such as a navigation system, sensors, and the like that detects the trigger information needed for starting (performing) control of the accessory devices for the automobile, at the control means, from the plurality of automatic control contents which have been stored (set) in advance, the automatic control contents to be controlled are established on the basis of the trigger information detected by the detecting means and automatic control for the accessory devices for the automobile is performed, and the automatic control content established by the control means is announced by the announcing means. The reply concerning the yes-no of implementation of the announced content (the automatic control content or, in other words, respective automatic control items) is input at the input means and, at the control means, automatic control is performed on the basis of results of input at the input means. In this way, by announcing the automatic controls content by the announcing means and inputting the advisability of implementation for the content at the input means, control in which the driver's wishes are reflected can be performed easily, and the driver can drive without feeling annoyance with controls that go against his or her operating wishes. Also, if the input means is disposed at a position where the driver can operate it easily, every operation can be performed quickly and, if the input means is disposed at a position where the driver and occupants can operate it, control that also reflects the occupants wishes can be performed.
The invention according to claim
2
is the automatic control system for accessory devices for the automobile recited in claim
1
, wherein the detecting means is a navigation system which determines the location of the automobile.
The invention according to claim
3
is the automatic control system for accessory devices for the automobile recited in claim
2
, wherein the trigger information is map information associated with the location of the automobile which is transmitted from the navigation system.
In accordance with the invention according to claims
2
and
3
, the detecting means which detects the trigger information for performing automatic control is the navigation system which locates the location of the automobile and performs guidance to a destination and, by utilizing the map information associated (attached) with the automobile location that is transmitted from the navigation system as the trigger information, the automatic control content for the plurality of accessory devices for the automobile disposed at the automobile is established. Further, the established automatic control content is announced to the driver by the announcing means, and the driver performs replies with respect to the advisability of implementation of the announced automatic control content by the input means. In this way, control that reflects the driver's wishes can be performed. Therefore, the driver can drive without feeling annoyance with controls that go against his or her operating wishes. For example, if tunnel information has been obtained from the navigation system as trigger information, if the automatic control content including items such as closing windows, turning lights on, switching an air conditioner to inside air and the like, has been established, the automatic control content (the respective automatic control items) are announced to the driver. By performing replies with respect to the advisability of implement
Hirano Yoshihisa
Isogai Toshiyuki
Kunimatsu Yoshimasa
Nagasaka Chikao
Nishikawa Masato
Cole Thomas W.
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Nguyen Tan
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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