Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-03
2003-09-02
Arthur, Gertrude (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S023000, C701S024000, C701S025000, C701S207000, C455S510000, C455S517000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615134
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a data communication system and method and a mobile device which are suitable for a mobile communication system using a mobile terminal as a communication terminal, and also relates to a program storage, medium in, which a program used for these system and method is stored.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, a moving route display device or a traveling route display device has been practically used in which the positions of various mobile units such as automobiles, ships, aircrafts and the like are traced and, displayed on a map displayed on, for example, a color display screen of a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display on the basis of position information obtained by a position measuring system such as the GPS (Global Positioning System). The GPS is a system for detecting the present absolute position and traveling direction of an automobile or the like, specifically, a GPS receiving terminal carried on an automobile or the like, by using radio waves from 24 geostationary satellites (GPS satellites) launched by the U.S. Department of Defense. Each GPS satellite is sending time information, orbit information and the like. A GPS receiving terminal receives radio waves from four satellites and calculates the distance from each of the satellites, and thus can specify the position and time of the terminal itself from the longitude, latitude and altitude. As a so-called car navigation system, which is a system for displaying the traveling route of an automobile, there exists a self-contained navigation system using a geomagnetic sensor, a car speed sensor, map matching and the like, or a system using so-called beacon, signpost and the like and also using a car speed sensor, map matching, a direction sensor and the like, as well as the GPS.
Of the above-described conventional moving route display devices, in a car navigation system which is becoming particularly popular recently, it is possible to display not only a traveling route that is already taken by an automobile (mobile unit) but also a route to be taken by, the automobile, for example, a route to a certain destination, and also to guide the user on the route to the destination using voices and images.
The conventional car navigation system does not use any means for learning the, actual state of a position on the route to be taken by the automobile, that is, the position of the automobile after the lapse of a predetermined time, for example, means for obtaining an image and sound on the periphery of the position. Although there exists a service for providing traffic congestion information on the route of the mobile unit linked with the conventional car navigation system, for example, so-called VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System), the traffic congestion information is about a predetermined place and the state of other places than the predetermined place cannot be known. This applies not only to the car navigation system but also to other moving route display devices.
Meanwhile, in various mobile communication systems which enable data transmission/reception by mobile terminals having a communication function, if data indicating the state at a position where a mobile terminal A exists, for example, image data, is sent from the mobile terminal A to another mobile terminal B, the mobile terminal B can learn the state on the position where-the mobile terminal A exists, for example, an image thereof.
To realize this, the user of the mobile terminal A and the user of the mobile terminal B must know each other or must have determined in advance to send/receive data to/from each other. If the user of the mobile terminal B wants to know the actual state at a position on the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B, the mobile terminal A must have reached that position first. Moreover, if the user of the mobile terminal B wants to know the actual states of a plurality of different positions on the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B, a plurality of other mobile terminals must have been arranged at the respective positions. Such arrangements cannot be realized by any means, in consideration of the case where the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B might be changed.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing status of the art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data communication system and method and a mobile device which enable easy acquisition of the state of a desired position on a route to be taken by a certain mobile terminal, that is, provision of information acquired by a mobile terminal existing at a certain position to a mobile terminal at another position when necessary, and also to provide a program used for these system and method.
A data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and receiving data corresponding to the first request signal from the base station; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in, accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, and second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal, transmitting a second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for, and returning data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit; and a second mobile unit having input means for inputting data, and third transmission/reception means for receiving the second request signal and returning the data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the base station.
In this case, the base station has storage means for storing the data returned from the second mobile unit, and the storage means stores a plurality of route information on which the first mobile unit traveled in the past. The search means of the base station extracts route information which overlaps the position information contained in the first request signal, from the plurality of route information stored in the storage means, then predicts a traveling route of the first mobile unit on the basis of the extracted route information, and searches for the second mobile unit by using the predicted traveling route.
Another data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and, receiving data corresponding to the first request signal; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, and second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal and transmitting a second request signal containing information related to the first mobile unit to the second, mobile unit thus searched for; and a second mobile unit having input means for inputting data, and third transmission/reception means for receiving the second request signal and returning the data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the first mobile unit.
Another data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and receiving data corresponding to the first request signal from the base station; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal, transmitting a second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for, and returning data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit, storage means for storing accounting information of users corresponding at least to the first and sec
Arthur Gertrude
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Kessler Gordon
LandOfFree
Data communication system and method, and mobile body apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Data communication system and method, and mobile body apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Data communication system and method, and mobile body apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3089863