Denso Corporation

Atsushi Hayashida

Tatsuya Shintai

Hiroyasu Ogino

Michio Shamoto

Kyoji Oda

Toshihiro Takeuchi

Yoshihiko Sugawara

Eiji Sobue

Syo Ichihashi

Eiji Soube

A sound signal generator includes a sound signal output function for outputting a sound signal to a command-driven amplifier that drives a speaker by using the sound signal being converted according to a control command, a first counter control function for changing a content of a first counter in a storage medium in a predetermined manner, a control command sending function for sending a control command to the command-driven amplifier upon having change in the content of the first counter in the predetermined manner, and a second counter control function for changing a content of a second counter in the storage medium in the predetermined manner upon having the control command sent to the command-driven amplifier by the control command sending function.

Sound signal output device and program for controlling sound output

A device for informing to a driver a speed limit set for an own lane included in a multi-lane road is installed in a navigation system mounted on an automotive vehicle. The device includes a road surface camera for taking pictures of the speed limit painted on a road surface and informing devices such as a display panel and/or a speaker. The speed limit set for the own lane is specified based on the pictures taken by the road surface camera, and the specified speed limit is informed to the driver. Speed limits set for neighboring lanes may be also specified, and if they are different from the speed limit set for the own lane, this is informed to the driver together with the speed limits set for the neighboring lanes. It is not required to distinguish the own lane from among other lanes included in the multi-lane road because the speed limit set for the own lane is detected by the camera mounted on the own vehicle.

Speed limit informing device installed in on-board navigation system

An onboard navigation apparatus provides travel guidance on a road including a plurality of roadways heading in the same direction. The road specifically includes a special roadway such as a carpool lane having no exits to other roads, an ordinary roadway having exits to the other roads and a predetermined traveling-path changing area provided as a sole area allowing a vehicle to change a traveling path thereof between the special roadway and the ordinary roadway. The apparatus determines a present position of a vehicle, determines whether the detected position is in the special roadway or in an ordinary roadway. The apparatus provides, in addition to normal travel guidance, information on the traveling-path changing area existing ahead of the vehicle on a display, when the detected position is in the special roadway.

Navigation apparatus, method and program for vehicle

A method of transmitting a base station identification number including, upon turning from a standby mode to a data communication mode, responding to a user's instruction of location positioning to turn from the data communication mode to the dormant mode; receiving base station identification numbers from several base stations through a paging channel; and designating one of the base stations with the received identification numbers as the base station of primary communication with the phone unit. The method can further include sending the identification number of the proper base station of primary communication to a location information server even in case the phone unit is instructed by the user to commence the location positioning after it has moved from the location where it had commenced the data communication.

Radio communication terminal unit and method of transmitting base station identification number

A mobile communications terminal has a transmitter for transmitting a specific identification code of a reference base station as a time reference for network position determination. Therefore, a position server connected with a CDMA network can distinguish the reference base station from the other base stations regardless of positioning relationship between the mobile terminal and the base stations.

Mobile communications terminal with position determination

A cellular phone unit, upon turning from a standby mode to a data communication mode, responds to a user's instruction of location positioning to turn from the data communication mode to the dormant mode, receives again base station identification numbers from several base stations through a paging channel, and designates again one of the base stations with the received identification numbers as the base station of primary communication with the phone unit. The phone unit can send the identification number of the proper base station of primary communication to a location information server even in case the phone unit is instructed by the user to commence the location positioning after it has moved from the location where it had commenced the data communication.

A wireless terminal is designed to prevent the user from having to wait a long time in case fetching of search data takes a long time. The wireless terminal, if it determines the need of long time for the search of GPS satellites by a GPS transceiver, inhibits the GPS transceiver from searching GPS satellites and operates on a CDMA transceiver to search for CDMA base stations. The wireless terminal fetches only CDMA base station data pertinent to the CDMA base stations and sends to a position data server, and the position data server points the location of the wireless terminal based solely on the CDMA base station data provided by the wireless terminal. Based on the inhibition of search of GPS satellites by the GPS transceiver, the time needed until the reception of positioning result can be reduced, and the user is prevented from being subjected to long time waiting.

Wireless terminal

In a mobile station, a period for receiving a GPS signal from a predetermined satellite based on data for satellite reception is set up by a timer, and the GPS signal whose reception level is higher than a threshold value is awaited. Until elapsed time reaches a preset time, indoor counter is incremented if the GPS signal is unable to be received or outdoor counter is incremented if the GPS signal is able to be received. When each counter reaches a specified value, each mode is determined. If the mode is different from a previous mode, a mode shift is executed and setups of user interfaces, display, speaker and others, are altered for the updated mode, indoor or outdoor.

Mobile station having indoor/outdoor mode shifting function

A wireless terminal has the enhanced performance in the attainability of successful search of GPS satellites based on the operation of a position data server. The server sets a GPS satellite search time longer than usual when station data pertinent to surrounding stations is below a prescribed level, when the distance between the wireless terminal and a communication station is beyond a prescribed distance, when the wireless terminal is in such a specific area as seashore, or when a reference station or the communication station is a repeater station. The server sends data of the longer search time to the wireless terminal via the communication station. Setting a GPS satellite search time longer than usual prevents the deviation of the ideal search timing, which enables the optimal search of GPS satellites, out of the search time set by the position data server.

Positioning system of wireless terminal

A control unit executes base station information collection, acquires base station information collection results, and transmits the base station information collection results to a position server via a radio communications network. A memory stores the base station information collection result. A counter counts a predetermined time. The control unit makes the counter count the predetermined time and makes the memory store the base station information collection result during a time counted by the counter when the base station information collection is started. The control unit then acquires the base station information collection results from the memory after the counter finishes the counting, and transmits the base station information collection results to a position server via the radio communications network.

A cellular phone unit receives GPS satellite information of GPS satellites and base station information of base stations. It extracts the GPS satellite information and the base station information that meet transmission conditions, which are provided by a location information server, out of the obtained GPS satellite information and base station information. Those extracted information are sent to the location information server. Based on the receiving from the location information server a transmission condition in terms of the condition of accurate specifying of the location of cellular phone unit by the location information server, the cellular phone unit can extract proper GPS satellite information and base station information and send the extracted information to the location information server.

Radio communication terminal unit and method of transmitting location information

A mobile communication terminal stores positioning information including global positioning system signals and base station information required by a position server in a communication network to calculate the terminal position. When the position server calculates the terminal position based on these positioning unit information, the position information is not reported to the user if the indefinite information equivalent to a positioning error contained in the average value calculated for the terminal position information exceeds a predetermined threshold value. When the average processing count exceeds a maximum positioning count, that average value is reported to the user.

Mobile communication terminal and method having calculated terminal position uncertainty check function

A mobile station requests a start of positioning and receives a response of positioning from a positioning server, following which it informs the positioning server of its own station information and neighboring base station information gathered through searching the neighboring base stations. Thereby, the mobile station receives assistant information regarding GPS satellites to be captured based on a station location designated by the positioning server and then it measures a GPS signal and a base station signal such as an apparent signal delay. In the case that the positioning information collected as described above is sufficient for location computing, it displays the location computed by the positioning server. In contrast, in the case that the positioning information is insufficient, it displays 'positioning impossible' without sending the positioning information to the positioning server.

Mobile station and its program

A cellular phone receives a position measurement result, which indicates a position of the cellular phone determined based on both GPS satellite information and CDMA base station information, from a location information server. Then, when a value indicated by uncertainty information of the position measurement result is greater than a first threshold value, the cellular phone receives another position measurement result, which indicates the position of the cellular phone determined based only on the CDMA base station information, from the location information server and displays it on a display device.

Wireless communications terminal, computer program executable by wireless communications terminal and method for outputting positional information from wireless communications terminal

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Kariya, Japan

Atsushi Hayashida