Abstract:
A mobile communication system is disclosed. The mobile communication system includes a first communication module, wherein the first communication module includes a first global positioning device utilized for determining a coordinate of the first communication module; a first communication apparatus, coupled to the first global positioning device, for receiving a coordinate of a second communication module; a first operating interface; and a first processing circuit, coupled to the first communication apparatus and the first operating interface, for controlling the first operating interface to indicate a position of the first communication module according to the coordinate of the first communication module or controlling the first operating interface to indicate a position of the second communication module according to the coordinate of the second communication module.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a mobile communication system, and more particularly, to a mobile communication system, applied in a Global Positioning System (GPS), having group communication capability for displaying positions of communication members in a group. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Currently, with development of the Global Positioning System (GPS), related global positioning devices have seen various applications both in public life (e.g. mountain climbing, traveling, personal navigation, and vehicle navigation) and in business (e.g. fishing) although the global positioning devices were initially designed for military purposes (e.g. ship positioning, aircraft positioning, and missile navigation). Generally speaking, a global positioning device is integrated with electronic maps while being applied in a vehicle navigation system. The global positioning device is utilized for displaying a current position of a vehicle on the electronic map, and for informing the vehicle driver of better driving paths between a starting point and a destination so the vehicle driver can successfully arrive at their destination. As mentioned above, in current applications only the position of the vehicle being driven by the vehicle driver is displayed on the electronic map. 
         [0005]    With better living standards, car travel with relatives and friends becomes more popular. When traveling in convoy it is not uncommon for vehicles to become separated. Usually, if one vehicle is missing, other vehicle drivers will use mobile phones to contact the driver or passengers of the missing vehicle to determine current positions of the respective vehicles and to decide a new meeting place. This method of communicating is not particularly effective. For example, if the driver and passengers of the missing vehicle are unfamiliar with the local environment, they will only have the option of a well-known landmark or a famous scenic spot in the local environment as a meeting place. Furthermore, even if all drivers are familiar with the local environment it is possible for communication misunderstanding to occur when determining a new meeting location. Additionally, if this method of communication is used, it will likely result in one party (e.g. persons in the missing vehicle or persons in the other vehicles) waiting for the other party at the meeting place. This will extend the overall journey time. For these reasons, if the vehicle navigation system is able to provide users with a function enabling them to view all vehicles on the electronic map on a display screen and also to communicate with persons in another vehicle, all the above-mentioned problems can be solved since the time wasted by misunderstandings and one party waiting for the other party can both be saved. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]    Therefore one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication system having group communication capability, applied in a GPS for displaying positions of members in a group, to solve the above-mentioned problem. 
         [0007]    According to the claimed invention, a mobile communication system is disclosed. The mobile communication system comprises a first communication module, wherein the first communication module comprises a first global positioning device, a first communication apparatus, a first processing circuit, and a first operating interface. The first global positioning device is utilized for determining a coordinate of the first communication module. The first communication apparatus is coupled to the first global positioning device and utilized for receiving a coordinate of a second communication module. The first processing circuit is coupled to the first communication apparatus and the first operating interface, and is utilized for controlling the first operating interface to indicate a position of the first communication module according to the coordinate of the first communication module or controlling the first operating interface to indicate a position of the second communication module according to the coordinate of the second communication module. 
         [0008]    According to the claimed invention, a mobile communication method is disclosed. The mobile communication method comprises: utilizing a global positioning system to determine a coordinate of a first communication module; receiving a coordinate of a second communication module; providing a first operating interface; and controlling the first operating interface to indicate a position of the first communication module according to the coordinate of the first communication module or to indicate a position of the second communication module according to the coordinate of the second communication module. 
         [0009]    These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a mobile communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a simplified diagram of a navigation display shown by the first operating interface shown in the  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a simplified diagram of a communication display shown by the first operating interface shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a diagram of a mobile communication system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the mobile communication system  100  comprises at least a first communication module  102  and a second communication module  104 . In  FIG. 1 , the first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  are only shown for brevity. However, the number of the communication modules is not a limitation of the present invention. The first communication module  102  comprises a first global positioning device  106 , a first communication apparatus  108 , a first operating interface  110 , and a first processing circuit  112 . The second communication module  104  comprises a second global positioning device  114 , a second communication apparatus  116 , a second operating interface  118 , and a second processing circuit  120 . In addition, in this embodiment, the first communication apparatus  108  comprises a first group setting  122 , and the second communication apparatus  116  comprises a second group setting  124 . The first group setting  122  is utilized for defining at least a communication member of the first communication module  102 , and the second group setting  124  is utilized for defining at least a communication member of the second communication module  104 . The first global positioning device  106  and the second global positioning device  114  receive positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of satellites to determine coordinates of the first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  respectively. The first communication apparatus  108  transmits the coordinate of the first communication module  102  determined by the first global positioning device  106  to corresponding communication members (i.e. the communication members in the same group) and receives the coordinates transmitted from the corresponding communication members (i.e. the communication members in the same group). Similarly, the second communication apparatus  116  transmits the coordinate of the second communication module  104  determined by the second global positioning device  114  to corresponding communication members (i.e. the communication members in the same group) and receives the coordinates transmitted from the corresponding communication members (i.e. the communication members in the same group). The first operating interface  110 /second operating interface  118  is utilized for displaying positions of the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104  and corresponding communication members in an electronic map, and can also be controlled by users to inform its corresponding communication members of changing positions in response to their changed positions if necessary. Additionally, the first operating interface  110 /second operating interface  118  has a push-to-talk mode for establishing a communication between the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104  and its communication members. In the push-to-talk mode, a communication function is added into the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104 . It is convenient for users to use the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104  to communicate with the corresponding communication members directly. The first processing circuit  112 /second processing circuit  120  controls the first operating interface  110 /second operating interface  118  to indicate positions of the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104  according to the coordinates of the first communication module  102 /second communication module  104 . 
         [0014]    In this embodiment, the first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  are applied in vehicle navigation products. The first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  can also be applied in personal navigation products or any kind of navigation products; this is not a limitation of the present invention. The first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  are assumed to be in the same group. In other words, the first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  are communication members to each other. A short message in a conventional mobile phone communication system (e.g. a Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication system or a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) communication system) is utilized for transmitting the coordinate of the first communication module  102  to the second communication module  104  or transmitting the coordinate of the second communication module  104  to the first communication module  102 . Therefore, in the first group setting  122 , the second communication module  104  is defined as a communication member of the first communication module  102 . Similarly, in the second group setting  124 , the first communication module  102  is defined as a communication member of the second communication module  104 . The first communication apparatus  108  transmits the coordinate of the first communication module  102  to the second communication apparatus  116  in the second communication module  104  via a short message, and receives a short message, comprising information related to the coordinate of the second communication module  104 , transmitted from the second communication apparatus  116  in the second communication module  104 . The first processing circuit  112  can control the first operating interface  110  to indicate the positions of the first communication module  102  and its communication member in an electronic map respectively according to the coordinates of the first communication module  102  and its communication member (i.e. the second communication module  104 ). Please refer to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a simplified diagram of a navigation display shown by the first operating interface  110  shown in the  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the navigation display comprises a primary display area  202  and a secondary display area  204 . The positions of the communication modules belonging to the same group will be displayed on the primary display area  202 . For example, if four vehicles shown in  FIG. 2  all belong to a group and two of the vehicles are equipped with the first communication module  102  and the second communication module  104  respectively, a position A of the first communication module  102  and a position B of the second communication module  104  in the electronic map will be displayed on the primary display area  202 . Additionally, an order and positions of communication modules belonging to the same group in a predetermined path will be displayed on the secondary display area  204 . In  FIG. 2 , for example, the order and positions of four vehicles are displayed on the secondary display area  204  since the vehicles equipped with the above-mentioned communication modules all belong to the same group. 
         [0015]    In addition to displaying the positions of the first communication module  102  and its communication members, the first operating interface  110  can also be controlled by users (e.g. a vehicle driver or another passenger) to inform its communication members of changing positions via a short message in response to their changed positions if need be. For example, if the vehicle driver considers the distance between the vehicle driven by him and other vehicles belonging to the same group to be too large, he can inform the other vehicles belonging to the same group to decrease the distance between the vehicles through the first operating interface  110 . Additionally, when the vehicle driver is driving, the first operating interface  110  also helps the vehicle driver to communicate with persons in other vehicles conveniently as the first operating interface  110  has a push-to-talk mode (in which users can communicate with persons in other vehicles by directly pressing one button instead of inputting phone numbers one by one). 
         [0016]    That is, if communicating with persons in other vehicles is desired, the vehicle driver can use the push-to-talk mode to directly dial phone numbers related to the communication members defined in the first group setting  122  for establishing communication. The push-to-talk mode also supports accepting requested calls of persons in other vehicles for establishing communication. Please refer to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a simplified diagram of a communication display shown by the first operating interface  110  shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the communication display comprises a primary display area  202 ′ and a secondary display area  204 ′. The order and positions of the communication modules belonging to the same group (i.e. the above-mentioned four vehicles in the same group) in the predetermined path will be displayed on the secondary display area  204 ′ as well as the secondary display area  204 . The icons I 1 , I 2 , I 3 , and I 4 , representative of different communication members in the same group, are displayed on the primary display area  202 ′. For accomplishing the push-to-talk mode, in this embodiment, a user can press (or select) the icon  13  in the primary display area  202 ′ or the corresponding vehicle icon in the secondary display area  204 ′ to establish a communication immediately if communicating with the communication member corresponding to the icon  13  is desired. After pressing or selecting the icon  13 , the icons corresponding to the user and the icon  13  will also be displayed on the upper half of the primary display area  202 ′. 
         [0017]    Please note that any scheme for enabling the first operating interface  110  to control the first communication module  102  and its communication members (in this embodiment, its communication member is the second communication module  104 ) for communicating to each other, for example a touch control scheme, a keypress control scheme or an audio control scheme, also obeys the spirit of the present invention. Additionally, the function and operation of elements included in the second communication module  104  is similar to that included in the first communication module  102  since the names of the elements included in the second communication module  104  are similar to these included in the first communication module  102 . Further description is therefore not detailed for brevity. 
         [0018]    In another embodiment, the first communication apparatus  108  in the first communication module  102  does not receive coordinates transmitted from any communication member of the first communication module  102  (e.g. the second communication module  104 ) and only transmits the coordinate of the first communication module  102  to its communication members whether the function and operation of elements in the second communication module  104  is similar to that in the first communication module  102  or not. That is to say, the first communication module  102  is only utilized for informing other communication modules corresponding to communication members of the position of the first communication module  102 . Therefore, the first operating interface  110  will only display the position of the first communication module  102  in the electronic map. However, the first communication module  102  can also be utilized for informing all communication modules of the position of the first communication module  102  even though some communication modules are not the communication members of the first communication module  102 . Thus, the first communication apparatus  108  has to broadcast the coordinate of the first communication module  102  to all other communication apparatuses. This also falls within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0019]    In other embodiments, the second communication apparatus  116  in the second communication module  104  only receives the coordinates transmitted from other communication modules (e.g. the first communication module  102 ) and never transmits the coordinate of the second communication module  104  to other communication modules whether the function and operation of elements in the first communication module  102  is similar to that in the second communication module  104  or not. That is to say, the second communication module  104  has no communication members, and the other communication modules, viewing the second communication module  104  as their communication member, do not know the coordinate of the second communication module  104 . Therefore, for the second communication module  104 , the positions of the second communication module  104  and the other communication modules which view the second communication module  104  as their communication member can be displayed on the second operating interface  118 . However, it is also possible for other communication modules that do not view the second communication module  104  as their communication member to transmit their coordinates to the second communication module  104 , which can receive these coordinates. Similarly, the positions of the communication modules that do not view the second communication module  104  as their communication member will also be displayed on the second operating interface  118 . This also obeys the spirit of the present invention. 
         [0020]    It should be noted that, in the above embodiments, although transmitting the coordinates of the communication modules and establishing the communication between the communication modules occurs via the conventional mobile communication system, transmitting the coordinates of the communication modules and establishing the communication between the communication modules can also be accomplished via Internet (e.g. wireless internet or wire internet). For example, transmitting the coordinates of the communication modules and establishing the communication between the communication modules can be accomplished by utilizing Internet addresses. This also falls within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0021]    Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.