Kabushikikaisha Equos Research

Sony Corporation

Kazuhide Adachi

Tomoki Kubota

Koji Hori

Manabu Mazda

Shin Hasegawa

Masato Hattori

Hirofumi Tamori

Shin Yanai

Masatoshi Nishizaki

Kouji Mukai

Hiroaki Kondo

Tadashi Hirano

Manabu Matsuda

A technology is disclosed by which, when plural content data are successively transmitted from a server apparatus to a reproduction apparatus through a client apparatus, if the transmission is interrupted, the transmission of the content data can be resumed from the point at which the transmission is interrupted. The transfer device includes a storage section for storing a transmission object list including content identification information corresponding to plural content data to be transmitted from a server apparatus to a reproduction apparatus connected to a client apparatus through the client apparatus. A reception section successively receives the content data from the server apparatus. A transmission section successively transfers the successively received content data to the reproduction apparatus. A control section deletes, every time content data is transferred, the corresponding content identification information from the transmission object list stored in the storage section.

Transfer device, client apparatus, server apparatus, reproduction apparatus and transfer method

Apparatus for collecting information pertaining to a driver of the vehicle includes a unit for determining if the current load on the driver is a 'low-load' in terms of satisfaction of one or more specific conditions. Driver information is stored and supplemented by answers to question scenarios communicated to the driver only when a 'low-load' state is determined. A question information storage unit contains various question scenarios correlated with different items of driver information and from which a question scenario, corresponding to driver information not yet obtained, is retrieved for output when a &#x201c;low load&#x201d; is determined.

Agent apparatus

Disclosed is a destination input device for use in a vehicle navigation system that determines a drive route from a current position to a destination. The device includes a CD-ROM disc storing a plurality of destinations which are categorized into several groups. The user inputs his or her own behavioral schedule or purpose of travel today through a microphone or a touch panel on a display. The display is controlled by a CPU to provide a group selection menu representing a predetermined combination of the groups, in accordance with the inputted user's behavioral schedule. The user selects a specific one of the groups appearing on the displayed group selection menu, so that the display is controlled to provide a destination input menu representing a plurality of destinations included in the selected group, so that the user may readily select and input a desired destination from among those appearing on the displayed destination input menu.

Destination input device in vehicle navigation system

Disclosed is a device for assisting designation of a specific destination in a vehicle navigation system that guides a driver along a scheduled drive route from a current position of a vehicle to a designated destination. A menu selection table describes correlation between current status data (date-and-time-related data, purpose-related data, location-related data, vehicle-related data and user-related data) and &ldquo;events&rdquo; such as invitation to restaurants or sightseeing spots. When a specific event is determined by reference to the menu selection table, a personified agent questions the user to confirm if the detected event is to be executed. When the user inputs an affirmative answer, a specific condition to be applicable to retrieval of destination is determined by reference to a condition selection table.

Assist device in designation of destination

An interactive navigation system includes a navigation processing unit, a current position sensor, a speaker, a microphone and a display. When it is preliminary inferred, based on receipt of a detection signal from the sensor, that a vehicle has probably been diverted from a drive route determined by the navigation processing unit, a machine voice question is produced through the speaker for confirmation of the inferred probability of diversion. A driver or user in the vehicle answers the question, which is input through the microphone and analyzed to be affirmative or negative, from which a final decision is made as to the vehicle diversion. In a preferred embodiment the question is spoken by a personified agent who appears on the display. The agent's activities are controlled by an agent processing unit. Communication between the agent and the user improves reliability and accuracy of inference of any vehicle condition which could not be determined perfectly by a sensor only.

Interactive vehicle control system

A device is mounted in a vehicle which allows one or more of personified agent or imaginary living body to appear before a driver or passengers in the vehicle for communication therewith. A current status sensor (,) detects predetermined vehicle current status data, and a memory (,) stores study data in response to entry of the latest current status data. One of a plurality of communication programs stored in a program table (,) may be selected in accordance with the current status data and/or the study data. An agent control unit (,) controls activity of the agent in accordance with the selected communication program. The determined agent activity is outputted through a display (,) and a speaker (,) for communication with the driver.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kazuhide Adachi