Denso Corporation

Toshiyuki Ito

Katsuhiko Mutoh

Hiroshige Asada

Kohji Katoh

Seigou Kumabe

Tetsuya Hara

Junichiro Funabashi

Hirotane Ikeda

Kousuke Hara

Tetsuya Enokizaka

Tetsuya Oki

Hirotoshi Iwasaki

Hideki Tanino

Yuuji Matsumoto

Yuji Sato

Fumihiro Tamaoki

Hedeki Tanino

A communication system including a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus is provided. The first communication apparatus includes a communication portion. The second communication apparatus includes a communication portion. The first communication apparatus includes a first transmission portion. The first transmission portion transmits a first signal to another communication apparatus. The first signal at least includes information enabling to specify the first communication apparatus. The second communication apparatus includes a second transmission portion. The second transmission portion transmits a second signal to the first communication apparatus. The first communication apparatus includes a malfunction determination portion. The malfunction determination portion determines whether the communication portion of the first communication apparatus is out of order. The communication system includes a congestion determination portion. At least one of the first signal and the second signal is transmitted.

Communication system and communication apparatus

An obstacle notification apparatus uses a sight determination unit for determining a visible area of a driver in a subject vehicle based on whether another vehicle is present around the subject vehicle and a vehicle height of the subject vehicle. After determining whether an obstacle is within the sight of the driver or not, a notification mode is selected to alert the driver of the presence of an obstacle, thereby enabling nuisance-free notification of the obstacle from the obstacle notification apparatus.

Obstacle notification apparatus

In a vehicular obstacle notification apparatus, a notification priority is determined from two of (i) a collision possibility between an obstacle and a subject vehicle and (ii) a region priority specific to an obstacle, instead of only from the collision possibility. Even if the collision possibility is high, the notification priority may become low when the region priority is low. In contrast, even if the collision possibility is low, the notification priority may become high when the region priority is high. Thus, the warning or warning notification to the driver with respect to obstacles can be executed effectively in an order of the necessity of urging the driver to take precautions, in comparison with the case where the notification priority is determined only based on the collision possibility.

Vehicular obstacle notification apparatus

An input operation system for use in a vehicle has a protruding marking on a surface of a touch panel, and displays a composite image generated by superposing an outline of user's finger on a switch operation screen. The composite image of the switch operation screen is backed by an image of the protruding marking on the surface of the touch panel, and the user's finger receives a tactile feedback from the protruding marking on the surface of the touch panel to cause sensations of an intuitive positioning in the switch operation screen for controlling a menu item that is displayed on a display unit for an input operation of vehicular devices.

Touch panel input system for vehicle

A notification controller allows a notification apparatus to perform notification in accordance with input of notification request information from a notification information transmitter. The notification controller determines whether or not the notification request information supplied from the notification information transmitter can be disabled from provision in accordance with a user operation. When the information supplied is determined to be disabled from provision in accordance with a user operation, the notification controller prompts a user to determine whether or not to stop the notification. The notification controller disables the notification when confirming that the user issues an instruction to stop the notification.

Notification controller, notification control method and notification information transmitter

A voice recognition system has a vehicle unit, which is a communication terminal, and a voice recognition server. The voice recognition server recognizes a voice signal received from the vehicle unit. A sound characteristic of a communication channel for providing communication between the vehicle unit and the server requires to be adjusted so that the server properly recognizes the voice signal. A test pattern signal is used for adjusting the sound characteristic. The vehicle unit adjusts the sound characteristic based on the test pattern signal. Therefore, the server does not require a large database for the sound characteristic adjustment because it is performed by the vehicle unit.

Adjusting sound characteristic of a communication network using test signal prior to providing communication to speech recognition server

When electric field strength of a reception signal becomes less than a threshold level, an in-vehicle terminal executes one of three operations. The first is that the in-vehicle terminal prohibits input of a voice. The second is that the in-vehicle terminal transmits an inputted voice with a datum indicating radio wave environment to a voice recognition server. The third is that the in-vehicle terminal once stores the inputted voice, and then transmits the inputted voice that has been stored after the electric field strength of the reception signal exceeds the threshold level.

Voice recognition system preventing lowering performance

A mobile phone connected to the Internet determines whether an emergency communications request for a designated IP address is received, and terminates the telephone line connection when the emergency communications request is received. When the telephone line connection is disconnected, the mobile phone awaits a call from an emergency communications server in order to handle the emergency communications request. When the call is received from the emergency communications server, the mobile phone connects by a telephone line to the emergency communications server and communicates by way of a dedicated protocol with the emergency communications server.

Communications terminal operable with high security protocol

A mobile communication device and other users form a communication network along with a position search server. When a position search request from the user terminal is sent through the position search server, the mobile communication terminal determines the urgency level of that search request by referring to a telephone book having preset urgency levels. The mobile communication device automatically sends its own position data to the requesting source in response to high urgency levels such as tracing a stolen vehicle, and automatically sends its own position data or stands by for terminal user approval as required in response to low urgency level&#x2014;high priority requests.

Mobile communication device and method for determining whether to transmit position data

A vehicle navigation system has a plurality of maps, measurement modes, and operation modes. When the measurement mode is a standard in an accuracy priority mode, low detail rate map is used to display a current position. When the measurement mode is a precise measurement in the accuracy priority mode, a city map is used to display the current position. When the low detail rate map is used in a map priority mode, the measurement mode is set to the standard. When the city map is used in the map priority mode, the measurement mode is set to the precise measurement.

Navigation system

A map evaluation system is equipped with a car navigation device and a map evaluation device. The car navigation system generates difference data indicating a location where a difference is present between a vehicle position path and a road location obtained from a map database. The car navigation device then sends the difference data along with additional data relating to accuracy of the difference data. The map evaluation device determines accuracy for the difference data based on the additional data. When the accuracy degree of the difference data is determined to be proper, the map evaluation device increments by one a determining count of a group including the difference data. When the determining count exceeds a given count, a portion to be amended on the map database is displayed on a monitor based on the difference data stored in a difference database.

Map evaluation system, collation device, and map evaluation device

A GPS receiver includes a CPU for synchronously acquiring the GPS satellites by using software correlating and a hardware section composed of multiple hardware correlating units that execute a correlating process for tracking the GPS satellites synchronously acquired by the CPU. Increase in a product size due to tracking can be thereby suppressed in the GPS receiver that synchronously acquires the GPS satellites by the software correlating.

GPS receiver using software correlation for acquisition and hardware correlation for tracking

A navigation system is constructed to set up navigation function of a GPS terminal by using radio signals of broadcast station before receiving GPS signals from GPS satellites. A GPS monitor server receives on the ground GPS signals transmitted from GPS satellites, a FM multiplex broadcast station transmits, using the radio signals, GPS supplementary information including the Almanac and Ephemeris data in a navigation message of the GPS signals received by the GPS monitor server. A GPS terminal starts, upon reception of the GPS supplementary information, reception of the GPS signals transmitted from the GPS satellites.

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Toyohashi, Japan

Toshiyuki Ito