Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Sushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Teruaki Ata

Kiyomi Sakamoto

Atsushi Yamashita

Hiroyuki Hamada

Yoshiki Ueyama

Yutaka Takahira

Takeshi Hatakeyama

Tsuyoshi Kindo

Masaaki Tomoda

Ken-ichi Moriguchi

Takeshi Yagyu

Akihiro Yamamoto

Susumu Ibaraki

Toshiaki Mori

Toshihiko Kurosaki

Toshikazu Hattori

Isao Ogawa

Yuji Hamada

Naoyuki Shimizu

An in-vehicle hands-free apparatus includes: a communication unit which is connected with a mobile phone; a storage unit for storing a voice of a party on the other end of a call; a situation analysis unit for analyzing surrounding situations of a car based on information outputted from a group of sensors for detecting the surrounding situations; an action determination unit for determining, based on the result of the analysis of the situation analysis unit, to continue or hold the call between a driver and the party, or cancel the hold; a playback control unit for playing back the voice of the party stored in the storage unit according to a control signal outputted based on the determination by the action determination unit to cancel the hold; and a voice output unit for outputting the voice played back by the playback control unit for the driver.

In-vehicle hands-free apparatus

Points accumulated through a customer's purchase from a point service provider are kept track of by customer information databases in corresponding point service provider servers. A user uses user terminals to access a trade service provider, and receives various services, for example, point trading and point cash, offered by the trade service provider. The trade service provider accesses, as appropriate, the point service provider servers, so that the user's accumulated points are checked or updated. In this manner, the user can effectively use his/her points with no waste, and accordingly the point service system can be improved in its effective use.

Point service system

A hands-free device includes a communication unit that obtains a Media Access Control (MAC) address of a portable terminal device from the portable terminal device, and an address storing unit that registers one of the MAC addresses that is obtained by the communication unit into the address storing unit itself in response to a registration trigger signal. The hands-free device also includes a control unit that reads the registered MAC address from the address storing unit and specifies a portable terminal device having the read registered address as a communication target device in response to a search trigger signal.

Communication system, communication device, and communication method

A hands-free telephone conversation system includes a communication device having a microphone that receives a voice from a user, a speaker that outputs the other party's voice, a control unit that detects the status of the wireless communication, and a local wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a relay device. The relay device includes a microphone that receives the voice from the user, a local wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the communication device, a communication control unit that detects the status of the wireless communication, a microphone switch unit that switches the voice input reception of the microphone, and a network communication unit that sends and receives the voice to and from the other party's communication device through a network.

Hands-free telephone conversation system and relay device in hands-free telephone conversation system

A mobile terminaldetects its position, speed, and direction, and judges a control requirement based on the detected position, speed, and direction. Based on the judgment, the mobile terminaltransmits a message corresponding to the control requirement that has been satisfied to a control terminal. The control terminaljudges a message requirement based on the received message. Based on the judgment, the control terminaltransmits a control command corresponding to the message requirement that has been satisfied to a control target appliance. The control target applianceexecutes an operation by following the received command.

Mobile terminal, and automatic remote control system and automatic remote control method

A model transforming data generating portion extracts parameter data corresponding to a given road area from two-dimensional map data in a two-dimensional map data storage portion . Subsequently, the model transforming data generating portion reads out pattern data corresponding to the specified road area from a pattern model storage portion and generates model transforming data. An image data generating portion transforms a corresponding three-dimensional map display model by using the generated model transforming data to generate three-dimensional image data. The generated three-dimensional image data is given to and displayed in a display . The operator operates an input portion on the basis of the contents displayed in the display to correct the generated model transforming data.

Storage medium for use with a three-dimensional map display device

The present landmark update system enables route guidance through the use of landmark information which remains always the latest for route guidance, and operates as follows: a navigation device communicates with a landmark server so as to receive to-be-updated landmark information for guiding the user by utilizing landmarks. Information about any landmark displayed is transferred to the landmark server as cumulative information . The landmark server manages the cumulative information so that compilation data is generated for transfer to a retailer terminal corresponding to the displayed landmark(s). The retailer terminal refers to the compilation data so as to generate landmark information which is considered optimum, and transfers it to the landmark server as registering landmark information

Landmark update system and navigation device

Based on searched route information and map data, a target intersection for guidance is specified. For the specified target intersection, lane data regarding the number of lanes and lane control of roads being connected thereto is read, and then recommended lane information which indicates which lane to take when entering the target intersection and to exit therefrom is generated. Based on information about the target intersection and the lane data, a simplified intersection image of the target intersection for lane guidance is generated. Based on the recommended lane information, a running path which passes through the recommended lanes for entering into and exiting from the target intersection is generated, and is combined with the intersection image. Then, lane guidance information for displaying the resultant intersection image is outputted with a predetermined timing. As such, guidance can be visually made on a screen indicating which lanes to take to enter into and exit from the intersection.

Lane guidance display method, and navigation device and recording medium for realizing the method

In a navigation device (Unv), a processor reads directional object data (Ddr) from a storage onto a working area . The directional object data (Ddr) has a message plane and a plain plane, thereby representing a directional object whose planes are each facing in a different direction. Based on the positional relationship between the user's current position and the directional object, the processor determines whether to render the message plane or the plain plane of the directional object. In the case of the message plane, the processor renders it opaque. On the other hand, the processor renders the plain plane transparent or translucent. In this manner, the resulting display image data generated by the navigation device (Unv) can represent maps meeting the user's demands and needs

Rendering device and method

An in-vehicle communication device that automatically answers a caller device that sends a call when a telephone device located in a vehicle receives the call comprising: in-vehicle sensors that detect vehicle conditions, a communication interface for the telephone device and a control device that controls the telephone device via the communication interface wherein the control device acquires the vehicle conditions which are detected by the in-vehicle sensors judges whether a driver's answering the call is dangerous or not based on the acquired vehicle conditions when the control device detects the call to the telephone device prepares an answer message including vehicle information that depends upon a running condition of the vehicle at the time when the driver's answering the call is judged to be dangerous, and sends the prepared answer message to the caller device.

In-vehicle communication device and communication control method

Three-dimensional map navigation display method

A model transforming data generating portion extracts parameter data corresponding to a given road area from two-dimensional map data in a two-dimensional map data storage portion Subsequently, the model transforming data generating portion reads out pattern data corresponding to the specified road area from a pattern model storage portion and generates model transforming data. An image data generating portion transforms a corresponding three-dimensional map display model by using the generated model transforming data to generate three-dimensional image data. The generated three-dimensional image data is given to and displayed in a display The operator operates an input portion on the basis of the contents displayed in the display to correct the generated model transforming data.

Three-dimensional map navigation display device and device for creating data used therein

In a navigation apparatus, a CPU searches for a plurality of routes from a starting point to a destination. These routes share the same starting point and the destination, but vary in their course along the way. Then for route selection, the CPU refers to position information provided by a locator to determine on which of the routes the user is now moving. In this manner, the navigation apparatus can automatically select one route from several derived through the route search.

Navigation apparatus

In a navigation apparatus Anavil, a CPU searches for a plurality of routes from a starting point to a destination. Those route share the same starting point and the destination, but vary in course on the way. Then for route selection, the CPU refers to position information provided by a locator to determine which route the user is now moving. In this manner, the navigation apparatus can automatically select one route from several others derived through route search.

A map information storage stores map information including roads, landmarks, and areas. An overlap determination unit determines whether a landmark and an area overlap with a road in consideration of a road and its width. A position changer moves the overlapping landmark and area to positions where they do not overlap with the road on width display. A changed map information storage stores map information including changed positional information of the landmarks and the areas. If the changed map information is displayed on a screen, the landmarks and the areas are displayed so as not to overlap with roads on width display.

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Osaka, Japan

Teruaki Ata