Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2002-11-19
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S211000, C340S995190, C340S438000, C455S456500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06484091
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus for guiding a moving vehicle to the destination and detecting a failure condition within a loading room, a communication server system for giving information such as the destination or the like to the vehicle and an alternative vehicle guiding system for guiding smoothly and quickly, utilizing these apparatus and system explained above, an alternative vehicle to the failure generating vehicle position if a failure is generated in the loading room of the vehicle and safe-keeping of load can no longer be maintained during the transportation work and then assuring quick transfer of the remaining work of the failure generating vehicle to the alternative vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a navigation system for accurately guiding a vehicle within a short period to the destination by displaying, during the running of vehicle, the position information and route information up to the destination to a driver of vehicle has been mounted to a transportation vehicle used in the transportation business for collecting and distributing the loads in order to accurately collect and distribute the loads within a short period of time even if a driver is not well informed with the geographical features of the area in charge.
In this navigation system, the current position information of the vehicle mounting this system is obtained mainly using GPS (Global Positioning System) as the measuring means to measure the current position of the vehicle, this position information is collated with the map information stored in a storage device as the map database within the vehicle and the map of the predetermined range in the periphery of the current position is displayed on the display area and the current position of the vehicle is displayed on this map. When the position information of the destination (latitude and longitude) is inputted as required from an operation terminal, this position information of the destination is collated with the map database and the route information up to the destination is displayed on the map. When a driver previously inputs the position information of the destination with hands or voices, the current position is detected with the navigation system while the vehicle is running and the map in which the route to the destination is indicated is displayed on the display area in view of guiding the vehicle to the destination.
In addition to this navigation system, a fault monitoring means has often been mounted to the existing vehicle for transportation business in order to detect a fault condition in t he loading room utilizing various sensors and notifying the detected fault condition to a driver. In this case, an adequate measure for damage of loads can be taken by quickly notifying, to a driver, such fault condition in the loading room of vehicle with the fault monitoring means.
Moreover, in the transportation business, a vehicle distribution system has also been introduced in which a manager performs, in the vehicle distribution base which is linked with a plurality of vehicle for transportation with a radio (wireless) communication link, the distribution work (vehicle distribution) to adequately assign many load collecting and distributing points and load items to be collected and distributed to each vehicle, departing/arriving relaying points of each vehicle based on such distribution work and instructing information such as contents of transportation are transmitted as the voice or facsimile information to a plurality of vehicles via the radio communication link from the vehicle distribution base explained above in order to notify the information to a driver of each vehicle and thereby each vehicle can efficiently perform the transportation work. In this vehicle distribution system, the vehicle distribution base receives the information such as current position or the like from a driver of each vehicle as the voice or facsimile information via the radio communication link and thereby can roughly detect the current positions of a plurality of vehicles and working conditions thereof. Moreover, a system has also be established in which if a fault is generated in the loading room of the vehicle mounting the fault monitoring means and a driver knows generation of fault with the fault monitoring means, a driver makes contact with the vehicle distribution base using a radio system or a telephone or the like and a manager searches in the vehicle distribution base an alternative vehicle through a vehicle distribution system and instructs the alternative vehicle to go to the position of the fault generating vehicle in order to succeed the work.
Since the existing vehicle for transportation and vehicle distribution system have been structured as explained above, if a fault is generated in the loading room of any vehicle, only a driver can know the fault condition through fault detection with the fault monitoring means. In this case, after a driver has detected the fault condition, a driver is requested to execute the work to make contact with the vehicle distribution base and then request distribution of an alternative vehicle from the vehicle distribution base through the vehicle distribution system. Accordingly, the existing system explained above has a problem that a considerable time is required until an alternative vehicle arrives and a certain influence is generated in some cases in the loads.
Moreover, when the navigation system is mounted in the vehicle, if the current position information of the fault generating vehicle is sent to an alternative vehicle with the vehicle distribution system after an alternative vehicle is determined, the information input operation to the navigation system by a driver in the vehicle side is required and moreover the alternative vehicle acquires for the first time the information required for succession of work such as the remaining relaying points and destination or the like from the fault generating vehicle when it arrives at the fault generating vehicle position through the guidance by the navigation system. Therefore, the work for inputting again such information to the navigation system of the alternative vehicle with the driver's operation is also required together with the transfer of the loads, resulting in the problem that amount of work of a driver of the alternative vehicle increases to enhance the sharing of the driver giving a certain influence on the successive transportation work.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been proposed to overcome the problems explained above and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus for guiding a moving vehicle to the destination by displaying the route to the destination to a driver and for detecting a fault condition in the loading room, a communication server system for transmitting information, such as destination or the like to the vehicle based on the vehicle destination information and an alternative vehicle guiding system with which the communication server system automatically receives a fault condition information from a fault generating vehicle and automatically sends, without any information input operation by a driver, the information such as a fault generating vehicle position or the like to the navigation system of the vehicle as an alternative vehicle in order to prevent damage of loads by smoothly and quickly guiding the alternative vehicle to the current position of the fault generating vehicle and to efficiently and quickly continue the remaining distribution work of the fault generating vehicle with the alternative vehicle.
In order to attain the object explained above, the mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus of the present invention comprises a navigation system comprising a measuring means for obtaining the current position, a map database storing the map information and a display area that can display characters and video information and assures v
Moribe Nobuyuki
Shibata Makoto
Yamaguchi Tomonari
Fujitsu Limited
Nguyen Tan
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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