JP2001028098A - Navigation system, position information communicating method, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system which can obtain mutual position information on its own vehicle and other vehicles while suppressing a communication charge. SOLUTION: A process control part 16 stores a storage part 18 with position information obtained by a GPS(Global Positioning System) module 12 as its own vehicle information. The process control part 16 when deciding that its own vehicle has moved by a specific distance and longer according to the vehicle information stored in the storage part 18 converts the vehicle information stored in the storage part 18 into character mail and controls a communication module 14 to send it to other vehicles. The communication module 14 receives character mail received from other vehicles. The process control part 16 after converting the received character mail into other-vehicle information including the current positions of other vehicles stores the information in the storage part 18 in order. The process control part 16 displays the current positions of its own vehicle and other vehicles according to the its own-vehicle information and other-vehicle information stored in the storage part 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation system, a position information communication method, and a recording medium that can display the current position of not only the own vehicle but also other vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional navigation system, for example, a current position of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle") operated by a user equipped with the navigation system is sequentially determined by a predetermined GPS (Global Positioning System) unit or the like. Acquired, combined with the map information, the acquired symbol indicating the current position is displayed on a predetermined screen. Thus, the user can visually grasp the current position of the vehicle shown on the map on the screen one by one, and can proceed with the vehicle to a destination to which the user should go without getting lost.

Recently, vehicles operated by other users equipped with a navigation system of the same kind (hereinafter referred to as "other vehicles")
That. There is also known a navigation system which can display not only the current position of the own vehicle but also the current position of another vehicle by transmitting and receiving mutual position information and the like to and from the other vehicle. For example, the navigation system of the own vehicle communicates with the same type of navigation system of another vehicle via a commercially available mobile phone or the like at a predetermined timing, transmits the current position information of the own vehicle, and transmits the current position information of the other vehicle. Receive current location information. Then, each navigation system displays, on the same screen, a symbol indicating the current position of the other vehicle determined by the received current position information of the other vehicle, together with a symbol indicating the current position of the own vehicle.

In such a navigation system capable of displaying the current position of another vehicle, when a plurality of users act in groups or the like, the mutual current positions can be grasped. And can arrive at the meeting place or the destination in a cohesive manner.

[0005]

A navigation system capable of displaying the current position of such another vehicle is generally connected by a predetermined mobile communication system employing a cell system to communicate with the own vehicle and the other vehicle. I do. Even now, the communication fee when using the mobile communication system is still high, so the navigation system performs communication at predetermined communication timings so as to minimize the communication fee. Nevertheless, at the time of communication connection, it is necessary to transmit and receive communication conditions such as a communication speed and authentication data using a predetermined protocol. Since the amount of communication data of mutual position information, which is actual data, takes at least a certain amount of time to establish a data link or the like, the conventional navigation system has not been able to appropriately suppress communication charges.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and provides a navigation system, a position information communication method, and a recording medium that can appropriately suppress a communication fee for transmitting mutual position information. With the goal.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a navigation system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a vehicle information acquiring means for acquiring vehicle information including a current position of the vehicle; Own-vehicle information conversion means for converting the own-vehicle information acquired by the own-vehicle information acquisition means into a predetermined character mail;
Transmitting means for transmitting the character mail converted by the own-vehicle information converting means to another vehicle, receiving means for receiving the character mail transmitted from the other vehicle, and transmitting the character mail received by the receiving means to the other vehicle. Other vehicle information conversion means for converting to the other vehicle information including the current position; own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition means; and other vehicle information according to the other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information conversion means. Display means for displaying each current position of the car.

According to the present invention, the own vehicle information obtaining means includes
For example, by receiving a signal sent from a GPS satellite, own vehicle information including the current position of the own vehicle is acquired. The own vehicle information conversion means converts the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition means into a predetermined character mail. The transmitting unit transmits the character mail converted by the own vehicle information converting unit to another vehicle via, for example, a predetermined wireless station. The receiving means receives, for example, a character mail sent from another vehicle via a predetermined radio station or the like. The other-vehicle information converting means converts the character mail received by the receiving means into other-vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle. The display means displays each current position of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition means and the other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information conversion means. As a result,
By transmitting the own vehicle information to other vehicles by text mail having a relatively low communication fee, mutual position information can be acquired while suppressing the communication fee.

In order to achieve the above object, a navigation system according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises: a position information acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring position information of a vehicle; and a position of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit. Self-vehicle information storage means for sequentially storing information as own-vehicle information; movement discrimination means for judging the movement of the self-vehicle by a predetermined distance or more according to the self-vehicle information stored in the self-vehicle information storage means; By means,
When it is determined that the vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more, the vehicle information conversion means for converting the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage means into a predetermined character mail, and the vehicle information conversion means Transmitting means for transmitting the converted text mail to another vehicle; receiving means for receiving the text mail transmitted from the other vehicle; and other vehicles including the current position of the text mail received by the receiving means. Other vehicle information conversion means for converting to information,
Other vehicle information storage means for sequentially storing the other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information conversion means, own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage means, and another vehicle stored in the other vehicle information storage means Display means for displaying the current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the information.

[0010] According to the invention, the position information obtaining means includes:
For example, by receiving a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite, the position information of the own vehicle is sequentially acquired. The own vehicle information storage means sequentially stores the own vehicle position information acquired by the position information acquiring means as own vehicle information. The movement determining means determines the movement of the own vehicle by a predetermined distance or more according to the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage means. The own-vehicle information converting means converts the own-vehicle information stored in the own-vehicle information storage means into a predetermined character mail when the movement determining means determines that the own vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more. The transmitting unit transmits the character mail converted by the own vehicle information converting unit to another vehicle via, for example, a predetermined wireless station. The receiving means receives, for example, a character mail sent from another vehicle via a predetermined radio station or the like. The other-vehicle information converting means converts the character mail received by the receiving means into other-vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle.
The other vehicle information storage unit sequentially stores the other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information conversion unit. The display means displays the current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage means and the other vehicle information stored in the other vehicle information storage means. As a result, the vehicle information is transmitted to the other vehicle by a character mail having a relatively low communication fee, and the character mail is not transmitted to the other vehicle when the vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or more. This makes it possible to acquire mutual position information while suppressing communication charges.

The transmitting means transmits character mail applied to a predetermined mobile communication system to another vehicle at predetermined transmission timings, and the receiving means transmits a predetermined character mail transmitted from the other vehicle. Character mail applied to the mobile communication system may be received.

The above navigation system further comprises transmission timing setting means for arbitrarily setting the transmission timing of the text mail, wherein the transmission means is directed to another vehicle for each transmission timing set by the transmission timing setting means. You may send a text mail.

[0013] To achieve the above object, a position information communication method according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises: a vehicle information obtaining step of obtaining vehicle information including a current position of the vehicle; An own vehicle information converting step of converting the own vehicle information obtained in the obtaining step into a predetermined character mail, a transmitting step of transmitting the character mail converted in the own vehicle information converting step to another vehicle, A receiving step of receiving the character mail sent from the vehicle, a converting step of converting the character mail received in the receiving step into other vehicle information including a current position of the other vehicle, and the own vehicle information obtaining step A display step of displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle in accordance with the own vehicle information acquired in the step and the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information converting step.

According to the present invention, the own vehicle information obtaining step obtains own vehicle information including the current position of the own vehicle, for example, by receiving a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite. The own-vehicle information conversion step converts the own-vehicle information acquired in the own-vehicle information acquisition step into a predetermined character mail. The transmitting step transmits the character mail converted in the own vehicle information converting step to another vehicle via, for example, a predetermined wireless station. The receiving step receives, for example, a character mail sent from another vehicle via a predetermined wireless station or the like. The other vehicle information converting step converts the character mail received in the receiving step into other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle. The display step displays the current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the own vehicle information obtained in the own vehicle information obtaining step and the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information converting step. As a result, by transmitting the own vehicle information to other vehicles by text mail having a relatively low communication fee, while suppressing the communication fee,
Mutual position information can be obtained.

In order to achieve the above object, a position information communication method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a position information obtaining step for sequentially obtaining position information of the own vehicle, and a position information obtaining step for obtaining the position information. Own vehicle information accumulating step of sequentially accumulating position information of the own vehicle as own vehicle information in a predetermined storage unit;
According to the own vehicle information accumulated in the own vehicle information accumulating step, a movement determining step of determining movement of the own vehicle by a predetermined distance or more, and in the movement determining step, it is determined that the own vehicle has moved by a predetermined distance or more. In this case, the own-vehicle information conversion step of converting the own-vehicle information accumulated in the own-vehicle information accumulation step into a predetermined character mail, and the character mail converted in the own-vehicle information conversion step to another vehicle. A transmitting step of transmitting the character mail to the other vehicle, a receiving step of receiving the character mail transmitted from the other vehicle, and the other vehicle for converting the character mail received in the receiving step into other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle. An information conversion step, an other vehicle information storage step of sequentially storing the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information conversion step in a predetermined storage unit, and an own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage step. And, according to other vehicle information accumulated in said other vehicle information storage step, characterized in that it comprises a display step of displaying the respective current position of the vehicle and other vehicles.

According to the present invention, in the position information obtaining step, for example, the position information of the own vehicle is sequentially obtained by receiving a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite. The own vehicle information accumulating step sequentially accumulates the position information of the own vehicle acquired in the position information acquiring step as own vehicle information in a predetermined storage unit. The movement determining step determines the movement of the own vehicle by a predetermined distance or more according to the own vehicle information accumulated in the own vehicle information accumulating step. The own-vehicle information conversion step converts the own-vehicle information accumulated in the own-vehicle information accumulation step into a predetermined character mail when it is determined in the movement determination step that the own vehicle has moved by a predetermined distance or more. The transmitting step transmits the character mail converted in the own vehicle information converting step to another vehicle via, for example, a predetermined wireless station. The receiving step receives, for example, a character mail sent from another vehicle via a predetermined wireless station or the like. The other car information conversion step is
The character mail received in the receiving step is converted into other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle. The other vehicle information storage step sequentially stores the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information conversion step in a predetermined storage unit. The display step displays each current position of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the own vehicle information accumulated in the own vehicle information accumulation step and the other vehicle information accumulated in the other vehicle information accumulation step. As a result, the vehicle information is transmitted to the other vehicle by a character mail having a relatively low communication fee, and the character mail is not transmitted to the other vehicle when the vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or more. This makes it possible to acquire mutual position information while suppressing communication charges.

[0017] A transmission timing storing step of storing information defining timing of transmitting the character mail in a predetermined storage unit, wherein the transmitting step is performed for each transmission timing stored in the storage unit in the transmission timing storing step. Then, a text mail may be transmitted to another vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording medium according to a fifth aspect of the present invention comprises: a host vehicle information obtaining step for obtaining host vehicle information including a current position of the host vehicle; A self-vehicle information conversion step of converting the own-vehicle information obtained in the above into a predetermined character mail; a transmission step of transmitting the character mail converted in the own-vehicle information conversion step to another vehicle; The receiving step of receiving the sent character mail, the other vehicle information converting step of converting the character mail received in the receiving step into other vehicle information including the current position of another vehicle, and the own vehicle information obtaining step A position information communication method having a display step of displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle in accordance with the own vehicle information acquired and the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information conversion step. Recording a program for causing the row.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording medium according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a position information acquiring step for sequentially acquiring position information of the own vehicle, and a self-vehicle acquired in the position information acquiring step. The vehicle information storage step of sequentially storing the position information of the vehicle as vehicle information in a predetermined storage unit, and the movement of the vehicle by a predetermined distance or more is determined according to the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage step. In the movement determining step and the movement determining step, when it is determined that the own vehicle has moved by a predetermined distance or more, the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storing step is converted into a predetermined character mail. A vehicle information conversion step, a transmission step of transmitting the character mail converted in the own vehicle information conversion step to another vehicle, a reception step of receiving a character mail transmitted from another vehicle, The other-vehicle information conversion step of converting the character mail received in the step into other-vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle; and storing the other-vehicle information converted in the other-vehicle information conversion step in a predetermined storage unit. According to the other vehicle information accumulating step to be sequentially accumulated, the own vehicle information accumulated in the own vehicle information accumulating step, and the other vehicle information accumulated in the other vehicle information accumulating step, the current information of the own vehicle and the other vehicle is stored. A program for causing a computer to execute a position information communication method having a display step of displaying a position is recorded.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a navigation system 1 applied to an embodiment of the present invention. The navigation system 1 includes a GPS antenna 11, a GPS module 12, a communication antenna 13
, A communication module 14, an operation unit 15, a processing control unit 16, a CD-ROM 17, a storage unit 18, and a display unit 1.
9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the navigation system 1 having the above-described structure is used to control a vehicle Va operated by a user.
(Hereinafter, referred to as "own vehicle") and mounted on a vehicle Vb (hereinafter, referred to as "other vehicle") operated by another user (1a,
1b). Although FIG. 2 shows a case where the navigation system 1 (1a, 1b) is mounted on each of two vehicles, the number of these vehicles is arbitrary.

Returning to FIG. 1, GPS (Global Positioni)
ng System) antenna 11 is composed of a helical antenna, a dielectric antenna, a patch type planar antenna, and the like, and receives a spread spectrum modulated satellite radio wave transmitted from a predetermined GPS satellite.

The GPS module 12 tunes to the satellite radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites and received by the GPS antenna 11, and despreads and demodulates each satellite radio wave to obtain a plurality of satellite reception signals. The GPS module 12
Based on the difference between the arrival times of the satellite radio waves calculated according to the acquired satellite reception signals, positioning data including latitude, longitude, altitude, and the like is generated. GPS module 1
2 supplies the generated positioning data to the processing control unit 16.

The communication antenna 13 is composed of a predetermined rod antenna or the like having an element.
The transmission information such as a character mail superimposed on a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency sent from the mobile station is transmitted to the wireless station 2 as shown in FIG. Further, the communication antenna 13 receives communication information sent from the wireless station 2 and supplies the communication information to the communication module 14.

The communication module 14 includes, for example, a mobile communication unit to which a telephone number is assigned in advance, which is applied to a predetermined mobile communication system employing a cell system. The communication module 14 is controlled by the processing control unit 16 and converts the current position information and the like of the own vehicle into the navigation system 1 of the other vehicle via the wireless station 2 and the base station 3 as shown in FIG. And send the generated text mail. In addition, the communication module 14 receives the character mail transmitted from the navigation system 1 of another vehicle via the wireless station 2 and the base station 3 or the like.

The operation unit 15 includes a predetermined operation panel and the like, and inputs various information to the processing control unit 16 according to an input operation by a user. For example, the operation unit 15 is assigned to the navigation system 1 (communication module 14) of another vehicle, which is required when transmitting the current position information of the own vehicle to another vehicle by text mail according to the input operation by the user. Enter the telephone number etc.

The processing control unit 16 has a CPU (Central Proc).
essing Unit), and navigation system 1
Take control of the whole. The processing control unit 16 generates current position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle according to the positioning data acquired from the GPS module 12, and stores the generated current position information in the storage unit 18. Then, the processing control unit 16 converts the current position information of the vehicle stored in the storage unit 18 into a text mail format, and converts the text mail obtained by the conversion via the communication module 14 at each predetermined timing. It is transmitted to the car navigation system 1. Further, the processing control unit 16 receives the character mail transmitted from the navigation system 1 of the other vehicle via the communication module 14, and converts the current position information of the other vehicle obtained by data conversion of the received character mail. The information is stored in the storage unit 18.

The processing control section 16 reads from the CD-ROM 17 map information to be displayed determined according to the current position information of the vehicle stored in the storage section 18 and the like, and displays the current vehicle information on the read map information. An image in which symbols indicating the positions are combined is generated and displayed on the display unit 19.

The CD-DOM 17 stores map information for display and the like in advance. Note that the CD-ROM 17 supplies map information and the like to the processing control unit 16 via a driver unit (not shown).

The storage unit 18 has a RAM (Random Access Me
mory) and the like, as shown in FIG. 3, and includes the own vehicle information storage area 18a, the transmission information storage area 18b, the other vehicle information storage area 18c, and the like.

The own vehicle information storage area 18a stores current position information 181 and moving position information 182. The current position information 181 is information indicating the current position of the own vehicle, and the moving position information 182 is information indicating moving information of the own vehicle. More specifically, the processing control unit 16
Stores the current position information 181 generated according to the positioning data acquired from the GPS module 12 in the vehicle information storage area 1.
8a. At that time, the processing control unit 16 sequentially adds the current position information 181 that has already been stored to the movement position information 182 and stores it. That is, the own vehicle information storage area 1
8a includes current position information 1 indicating the latest current position of the vehicle.
81 and moving position information 182 indicating a plurality of pieces of position information of the own vehicle located in the past. It should be noted that a transmission flag indicating whether or not transmission to another vehicle has been added to the movement position information 182. That is, the movement position information 18
2, a transmission flag is set so that position information that has been transmitted to another vehicle (transmission flag is ON) as text mail and position information that has not been transmitted to another vehicle (transmission flag is OFF) can be distinguished. Has been added.

The previous transmission end time 183 and the destination telephone number 184 are stored in the transmission information storage area 18b.
The previous transmission end time 183 indicates the latest time when the own vehicle information such as the current position information 181 was transmitted as text mail to another vehicle, and is used for determining the transmission timing. The transmission destination telephone number 184 indicates a telephone number assigned to the navigation system 1 (communication module 14) of another vehicle, and is used as a transmission destination of the text mail.

The other vehicle information storage area 18c stores current position information 185 and moving position information 186. The current position information 185 is information indicating the current position of another vehicle, and the movement position information 186 is information indicating movement information of another vehicle. More specifically, the processing control unit 16 converts the character mail obtained from another vehicle via the communication module 14 into data, and performs current position information 185 and moving position information 186.
Is stored in the other vehicle information storage area 18c. At that time, the processing control unit 16 stores the first information as the current position information 185 and the subsequent information as the moving position information 186.
The current position information 185 is sequentially updated and stored.
Further, the movement position information 186 is sequentially added and stored.

Returning to FIG. 1, the display unit 19 is provided with an LCD (Li
quid Crystal Display) or CRT (Cathode Ray Tub)
e) and the like, and displays an image supplied from the processing control unit 16. That is, the display unit 19 displays an image or the like in which a symbol indicating the current position of the own vehicle is synthesized on predetermined map information by the processing control unit 16.

Hereinafter, the navigation processing in the navigation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the entire navigation processing. The navigation process shown in FIG. 4 is started after a transmission destination telephone number 184 and the like necessary for transmitting a character mail to another vehicle are input by the user and stored in the transmission information storage area 18b.

First, the processing control section 16 performs a current position positioning process (step S1). Hereinafter, the current position positioning processing shown in step S1 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the GPS module 12 acquires satellite reception signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites via the GPS antenna 11 (step S11). GP
The S module 12 generates orbit data and pseudorange information according to each received satellite reception signal (step S12). The GPS module 12 performs positioning calculation using the generated trajectory data and pseudo-range information to obtain positioning data (step S13). The GPS module 12 supplies the obtained positioning data to the processing control unit 16.

The processing control section 16 generates current position information 181 indicating the current position of the own vehicle based on the supplied positioning data (step S14). The processing control unit 16 stores the generated current position information 181 in the own vehicle information storage area 18a (Step S15). At that time, the processing control unit 16
Adds the already stored current position information 181 to the movement position information 182 and stores it in the own vehicle information storage area 18a. The processing control unit 16 ends the current position positioning processing, and returns to the navigation processing shown in FIG.

As a result, by the current position positioning process, the current position information 181 and the moving position information 182 of the own vehicle are stored in the own vehicle information storage area 18a.

Returning to FIG. 4, the processing control section 16 determines whether or not a character mail has arrived (step S2). That is, the processing control unit 16 determines whether a character mail transmitted from another vehicle via the communication module 14 has been received. If the process control unit 16 determines that no character mail has arrived, the process proceeds to step S4 described below. On the other hand, when it is determined that the character mail has arrived, the processing control unit 16 performs another vehicle information receiving process (step S).
3). Hereinafter, the other vehicle information receiving process shown in step S3 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the processing control section 16 controls the communication module 14 to receive the character mail sent from the navigation system 1 of another vehicle (step S31). The processing control unit 16 determines whether the received character mail is valid other vehicle information (step S32). That is,
The processing control unit 16 determines whether or not the received text mail includes predetermined header information, and determines the source telephone number included in the text mail with the destination telephone number 184 stored in the transmission information storage area 18b. A check is made to see if they match, and the validity of the received other vehicle information is determined.

When the processing control unit 16 determines that the received information is not valid other vehicle information, the processing control unit 16 ends the other vehicle information receiving process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information is valid other vehicle information, the processing control unit 16 converts the received character mail (other vehicle information) into data (step S33). The processing control unit 16 stores the information obtained by the data conversion as the current position information 185 and the movement position information 186 in the other vehicle information storage area 18c (Step S34). At that time, the processing control unit 16
Updates and stores the current position information 185, and additionally stores the movement position information 186. Processing control unit 16
Ends the other vehicle information receiving process, and returns to the navigation process shown in FIG.

As a result, the current position information 185 and the moving position information 186 of the other vehicle are stored in the other vehicle information storage area 18c by the other vehicle information receiving process.

Returning to FIG. 4, the processing control section 16 performs a current position display process (step S4). Hereinafter, step S
The current position display processing shown in FIG. 4 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the processing control section 16 acquires the current position information 181 of the own vehicle from the storage section 18 (step S4).
1). The processing control unit 16 obtains the acquired current position information 181
The display target range in the map information is specified according to the above, and the map information of the specified display target range is read from the CD-ROM 17 (step S42). After specifying the display target range, the processing control unit 16 acquires the current position information 185 of the other vehicle from the storage unit 18 (Step S43). When the current position information 185 remains at the initial value, that is, when the position information of another vehicle is not received, the process control unit 16 proceeds to step S47 described below.

The processing control section 16 determines whether or not another vehicle is located within the specified display target range according to the current position information 185 (step S44). The processing control unit 16
If it is determined that the other vehicle is not within the display target range, a predetermined symbol indicating that the other vehicle is out of the range is drawn at a predetermined position on the map information (step S45). On the other hand, if it is determined that another vehicle is located within the display target range,
A symbol indicating the other vehicle is drawn at the current position of the other vehicle on the read map information (step S46). Also,
The processing control unit 16 acquires the movement position information 186 of the other vehicle, and draws a symbol indicating the trajectory of the other vehicle at each movement position located within the display target range.

The processing control section 16 draws a symbol indicating the vehicle at the current position of the vehicle on the map information (step S).
47). Further, the processing control unit 16 acquires the moving position information 182 of the own vehicle, and draws a symbol indicating the locus of the own vehicle at each moving position located within the display target range. The processing control unit 16 displays an image in which the symbols of the own vehicle and the other vehicle are drawn and combined on the map information on the display unit 19 (step S48). The processing control unit 16 ends the current position display processing, and returns to the navigation processing shown in FIG.

As a result, according to the current position display processing, the symbols and the like of the own vehicle and the other vehicle are displayed on the map information according to the current position information 181 of the own vehicle and the current position information 185 of the other vehicle stored in the storage unit 18. Displayed at each current location.

Returning to FIG. 4, the processing control section 16 determines whether or not it is time to transmit the own vehicle information (step S5). That is, the processing control unit 16 compares the previous transmission end time 183 stored in the transmission information storage area 18b with the current time obtained from the time information generation unit (not shown),
It is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If the previous transmission end time 183 remains at the initial value, that is, if no character mail has been transmitted, the processing control unit 16 determines that it is the transmission timing.

If the processing control section 16 determines that it is not the transmission timing, the processing advances to step S7 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is the transmission timing, the process control unit 16 performs the own vehicle information transmission process (Step S
6). Hereinafter, the own vehicle information transmission processing shown in step S6 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the processing control unit 16 acquires the current position information 181 of the own vehicle and the moving position information 182 that has not been transmitted (the transmission flag is OFF) from the own vehicle information storage area 18a (step S61). The processing control unit 16 determines whether or not the own vehicle has moved based on the acquired current position information 181 and moving position information 182 (step S62). That is, the processing control unit 16 obtains the moving distance of the own vehicle based on the previous transmission based on the current position information 181 and the moving position information 182, and compares the obtained distance with a predetermined distance. Then, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has moved. If the process control unit 16 determines that the own vehicle is not moving, the process proceeds to step S67 described below without transmitting a character mail.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the own vehicle has moved, the processing control section 16 converts the acquired current position information 181 and movement position information 182 into a text mail format (step S63). That is, the processing control unit 16
Converts the current position information 181 and the movement position information 182 into a predetermined communication format, and generates a character mail by adding a header, a transmission source telephone number, and the like. The processing control unit 16 controls the communication module 14 to transmit the generated character mail to another vehicle (Step S).
64). That is, the communication module 14 makes a call to the destination telephone number 184 stored in the transmission information storage area 18b, and transmits a character mail. When the destination telephone number 184 is composed of a plurality of telephone numbers, that is, when there are a plurality of other vehicles, a character mail is transmitted to each destination.

The processing control section 16 determines whether the transmission of the character mail has been completed normally (step S65). If the processing control unit 16 determines that the transmission of the character mail has not been completed normally because the transmission destination is communicating or the like, the processing control unit 16 does not change the transmission flag of the movement position information 182 or the previous transmission end time 183, and The vehicle information transmission processing ends. When the processing control unit 16 determines that the navigation system 1 (the communication module 14) of the other vehicle is not communicating and is in an unusable state, the processing control unit 16 may display the fact on the display unit 19.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the transmission of the character mail has been completed normally, the processing control unit 16 sets the transmission flag of the movement position information 182 to be transmitted to ON (step S66). The processing control unit 16 sets the current time to the previous transmission end time 183 (step S67).
That is, the processing control unit 16 sets the latest transmission end time 183 to the latest time when the own vehicle information such as the current position information 181 is transmitted to other vehicles as character mail. Processing control unit 16
Ends the own vehicle information transmission processing, and returns to the navigation processing shown in FIG.

As a result, the own-vehicle information transmission process converts the current position information 181 and the like of the own vehicle into character mail, thereby transmitting the own-vehicle information to other vehicles by character mail having a relatively low communication fee. be able to. Also, instead of sending text mail unconditionally, if the vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or more, it will not send text mail to other vehicles and will collectively send it at the next transmission, so communication The number of times can be minimized.

Returning to FIG. 4, the processing control section 16 determines whether or not an end instruction has been input from the operation section 15 (step S7). That is, the process control unit 16 determines whether or not an end instruction for instructing the end of the navigation process has been input by the user. When determining that the end instruction has not been input, the process control unit 16 returns the process to step S1 and repeats the processes of steps S1 to S7 described above. On the other hand, when determining that the end instruction has been input, the processing control unit 16 ends the navigation processing.

As described above, in this navigation processing, a character mail with a relatively low communication charge is used.
The own vehicle information can be transmitted to another vehicle. Further, when the own vehicle has not moved more than a predetermined distance, character mail is not transmitted to another vehicle, so that the number of times of communication can be minimized.

Hereinafter, the above-described navigation processing will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 shows the current position information 1 stored in the own vehicle information storage area 18a and the other vehicle information storage area 18c of the storage unit 18.
It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of 81 etc. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the current position and the like of the own vehicle and other vehicles displayed on the display unit 19.

First, the processing control section 16 stores the current position information 181 and the like generated as shown in FIG.
(Step S15). In the moving position information 182 shown in FIG. 9A, the transmission flag being ON indicates information that has been transmitted to another vehicle, and the transmission flag being OFF indicates information that has not been transmitted. Show.

When the processing control section 16 determines that a character mail has arrived (step S2), the character mail M1 sent from another vehicle as shown in FIG.
Is received (step S31). The processing control unit 16 converts the received character mail into data as shown in FIG.
Current position information 185 and moving position information 18 as shown in FIG.
6 is stored in the other vehicle information storage area 18c (step S3).
4).

The processing control section 16 performs the present vehicle position display processing to store the own vehicle information storage area 18a and the other vehicle information storage area 18a.
In accordance with the current position information 181 of the own vehicle and the current position information 185 of the other vehicle stored in c, an image in which symbols indicating the own vehicle and the other vehicle are combined with the current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle on the map information is displayed. Then, an image indicating the current position of the own vehicle Va and the other vehicle Vb as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the display unit 19 (step S48).

When the processing control section 16 determines that it is time to transmit the character mail (step S
5) In the own vehicle information transmission process, the current position information 181 of the own vehicle and the untransmitted moving position information 1 as shown in FIG.
According to 82, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has moved (step S62). As shown in FIG. 9A, the processing control unit 16 does not transmit the character mail to the other vehicle and transmits the character mail to the previous transmission end time 18 because the own vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or more.
3 is set to the current time (step S67). afterwards,
The processing control unit 16 repeats the current position positioning processing and the like, stores the current position information 181 and the like as shown in FIG. 9C in the own vehicle information storage area 18a (step S15), Car vehicle information transmission processing is performed.

In the current vehicle information transmission process, the processing control unit 16 determines the current position information 1 of the own vehicle as shown in FIG.
If it is determined that the own vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more according to 81 and the untransmitted moving position information 182, the current position information 1
81 and the untransmitted movement position information 182 are converted into character mail M2 as shown in FIG. 9C (step S).
63). The processing control unit 16 transmits the character mail M2 to the transmission destination stored in the transmission information storage area 18b (Step S64). If the processing control unit 16 determines that the transmission of the character mail has been completed normally,
After setting the transmission flag of No. 2 to ON, the current time is set to the previous transmission end time 183 (step S67).

On the other hand, when the processing control unit 16 determines that the transmission of the character mail has not been completed normally because the transmission destination is communicating, etc., it changes the transmission flag of the movement position information 182 and the previous transmission end time 183. The self-vehicle information transmission process is terminated without performing. At this time, since the previous transmission end time 183 is not changed, retransmission of the character mail is attempted in the own vehicle information transmission process again.

As described above, the current vehicle position information 181 and the like are converted into character mail by the own vehicle information transmitting process, and the own vehicle information is transmitted to other vehicles by character mail having a relatively low communication fee. can do. Also, instead of sending text mail unconditionally, if the vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or more, it will not send text mail to other vehicles and will collectively send it at the next transmission, so communication The number of times can be minimized.

In the above embodiment, the number of other vehicles is one, but the number of other vehicles is arbitrary. For example, a telephone number assigned to the navigation system 1 (communication module 14) of the own vehicle and the other vehicle is set as an identification code, and the current position information of a plurality of other vehicles is managed using the identification code. Is also good. When a plurality of destination telephone numbers 184 are registered in the transmission information storage area 18b and a predetermined number or more destinations are registered, a warning sound (warning display or the like) is emitted to alert the user. Is also good.

In the above embodiment, the character mail is transmitted when a predetermined time has elapsed from the previous transmission, but the transmission interval is arbitrary. For example, the transmission interval may be freely set by the user. Then, by transmitting information indicating the transmission interval of the own vehicle by text mail first so that the transmission of text mail between the own vehicle and the other vehicle does not occur at the same time, the transmission interval of the other vehicle can be grasped. , The transmission timing may be adjusted.

It should be noted that the navigation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can be realized using an ordinary computer system without using a dedicated system. For example, the above-described processing is executed by installing the program for executing any of the above from a medium (a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, or the like) in a computer having a communication function and a GPS receiving function. A navigation system can be configured.

The medium for supplying the program to the computer may be a communication medium (a medium that temporarily and fluidly stores the program, such as a communication line, a communication network, or a communication system). For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS) of a communication network and distributed via the network. Then, by starting this program and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS, the above-described processing can be executed.

[0071]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By transmitting the own vehicle information to other vehicles by text mail with relatively low communication charges, and by not transmitting text mail to other vehicles if the own vehicle has not moved over a predetermined distance, Mutual position information can be acquired while suppressing communication charges.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a situation in which a navigation system is mounted on each of a vehicle and another vehicle, and position information is transmitted and received via a radio station or the like.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of various information stored in a storage unit.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a navigation process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a current position positioning process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining another vehicle information receiving process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a current position display process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle information transmission process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

9A and 9B are specific examples of various types of information and the like stored in a storage unit, and FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of current position information and the like of a vehicle stored in a vehicle information storage area; Is a schematic diagram of a character mail sent from another vehicle and current position information of the other vehicle obtained by converting the character mail, and (c) of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle information storage area. Current location information, etc.,
It is a schematic diagram of a character mail obtained by converting the current position information and the like.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a navigation image in the navigation system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 navigation system 2 radio station 3 base station 11 GPS antenna 12 GPS module 13 communication antenna 14 communication module 15 operation unit 16 processing control unit 17 CD-ROM 18 storage unit 19 display unit

Claims (9)

[Claims] An own vehicle information acquiring means for acquiring own vehicle information including a current position of the own vehicle, and an own vehicle information converting means for converting the own vehicle information obtained by the own vehicle information obtaining means into a predetermined character mail. Means, transmitting means for transmitting the character mail converted by the own-vehicle information converting means to another vehicle, receiving means for receiving character mail transmitted from another vehicle, and transmitting the character mail received by the receiving means. Another vehicle information converting means for converting the current position of the other vehicle into other vehicle information; own vehicle information obtained by the own vehicle information obtaining means; and other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information converting means. A navigation system, comprising: display means for displaying current positions of a car and another car. 2. Position information acquiring means for sequentially acquiring position information of the own vehicle; own vehicle information storage means for sequentially storing position information of the own vehicle acquired by the position information acquiring means as own vehicle information; According to the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage means,
Movement determination means for determining movement of the own vehicle for a predetermined distance or more; and when the movement determination means determines that the own vehicle has moved for a predetermined distance or more, the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage means. Vehicle information converting means for converting the character mail into a predetermined character mail; transmitting means for transmitting the character mail converted by the vehicle information converting means to another vehicle; and receiving for receiving a character mail transmitted from another vehicle. Means for converting the character mail received by the receiving means into other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle; and other means for sequentially storing the other vehicle information converted by the other vehicle information converting means. Vehicle information storage means; display means for displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage means and the other vehicle information stored in the other vehicle information storage means And characterized in that: Navigation system. 3. The transmitting means transmits a character mail applied to a predetermined mobile communication system to another vehicle at every predetermined transmission timing, and the receiving means transmits the character mail transmitted from another vehicle. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein a character mail applied to a predetermined mobile communication system is received. 4. A transmission timing setting means for arbitrarily setting a transmission timing of a text mail, wherein the transmission means transmits a text mail to another vehicle at each transmission timing set by the transmission timing setting means. The navigation system according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein 5. An own vehicle information obtaining step for obtaining own vehicle information including a current position of the own vehicle, and own vehicle information for converting the own vehicle information obtained in the own vehicle information obtaining step into a predetermined character mail. A conversion step, a transmission step of transmitting the character mail converted in the own vehicle information conversion step to another vehicle, a reception step of receiving a character mail transmitted from another vehicle, and a reception step of the reception step. The other vehicle information conversion step of converting the text mail into the other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle; and the own vehicle information obtained in the own vehicle information obtaining step;
A display step of displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information conversion step. 6. A position information obtaining step for sequentially obtaining position information of the own vehicle, and the own vehicle sequentially storing the position information of the own vehicle obtained in the position information obtaining step as own vehicle information in a predetermined storage unit. An information storage step; a movement determination step of determining the movement of the own vehicle by a predetermined distance or more according to the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage step; A vehicle information conversion step of converting the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage step into a predetermined character mail when it is determined that the vehicle has moved; and a character converted in the vehicle information conversion step. A transmitting step of transmitting an e-mail to another vehicle, a receiving step of receiving a text mail transmitted from the other vehicle, and a text mail received in the receiving step including a current position of the other vehicle. The other-vehicle information conversion step of converting to the other-vehicle information; the other-vehicle information storage step of sequentially storing the other-vehicle information converted in the other-vehicle information conversion step in a predetermined storage unit; A display step of displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle in accordance with the own vehicle information accumulated in the second vehicle information and the other vehicle information accumulated in the other vehicle information accumulating step. Communication method. 7. A transmission timing storing step of storing information defining a timing of transmitting a character mail in a predetermined storage unit, wherein the transmission step stores the transmission timing stored in the storage unit in the transmission timing storage step. The location information communication method according to claim 5, wherein a text mail is transmitted to another vehicle every time. 8. An own vehicle information obtaining step for obtaining own vehicle information including a current position of the own vehicle, and own vehicle information for converting the own vehicle information obtained in the own vehicle information obtaining step into a predetermined character mail. A converting step, a transmitting step of transmitting the character mail converted in the own vehicle information converting step to another vehicle, a receiving step of receiving a character mail transmitted from another vehicle, and a receiving step of receiving the character mail. The other vehicle information converting step of converting the text mail into the other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle, the own vehicle information obtained in the own vehicle information obtaining step, and the other vehicle information converting step. A computer-readable program storing a program for causing a computer to execute a position information communication method having a display step of displaying respective current positions of the own vehicle and the other vehicle according to the other vehicle information Recording medium. 9. A position information acquiring step for sequentially acquiring position information of the own vehicle, and the own vehicle sequentially storing the position information of the own vehicle acquired in the position information acquiring step as own vehicle information in a predetermined storage unit. An information storing step, a movement determining step of determining a movement of the own vehicle by a predetermined distance or more according to the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storing step; A self-vehicle information conversion step of converting the self-vehicle information accumulated in the self-vehicle information accumulation step into a predetermined character mail when it is determined that the vehicle has moved; and a character converted in the self-vehicle information conversion step. A sending step of sending an email to another car, a receiving step of receiving a text email sent from another car,
A step of converting the character mail received in the receiving step into other vehicle information including the current position of the other vehicle; and storing the other vehicle information converted in the other vehicle information converting step in a predetermined manner. The other vehicle information accumulating step sequentially accumulates in the section, the own vehicle information accumulated in the own vehicle information accumulating step, and the other vehicle information accumulated in the other vehicle information accumulating step, according to the other vehicle information. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a position information communication method having a display step of displaying each current position.