JP2002107169A - Communication type navigator and information center - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a on-vehicle car-carried terminal and a server which reduce the data transfer quantity and improve the safety or operability during running, in a communication type navigator. SOLUTION: For transferring the results of route search by a server, data conformed with a user-desired guiding method are transferred and compressed route data are transferred. Only the required attributes of map data are transferred. A map transfer method or a route guidance method considering running conditions and user-desired guiding means are selected for attaining the purpose.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation system, and more particularly to a navigation system of a type for performing communication between an in-vehicle terminal and a server.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-556 discloses a system in which a map or a guide route is transferred from a server to a vehicle-mounted device, and the vehicle-mounted device performs navigation using such information.
No. 82 discloses this. In this system, a departure point and a destination are transmitted from a vehicle-mounted device to a server, and the server calculates a guidance route therebetween. Thereafter, the route and the map of the route portion are transferred to the vehicle-mounted device, and route guidance is performed while the map is displayed on the vehicle-mounted device.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, no consideration is given to a method of controlling a display screen at the time of route guidance and a reduction in a data transfer amount. In addition, no consideration is given to operability such as when the terminal deviates from the guidance route or when a terminal distributes a map in consideration of safety during traveling. Furthermore, it does not disclose a method for grasping the cost required for data communication or the fee for downloading content.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle terminal and a server which realize a communication type car navigation system with a small data transfer amount.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle terminal and a server for realizing a communication type car navigation system for improving operability.

A third object is to provide an in-vehicle terminal and a server for realizing a communication type car navigation system for presenting the cost of data communication and a content fee to a user in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0007]

A first object of the present invention is to allow a user to select a guidance method from a plurality of guidance methods when transferring route guidance data calculated by a server to a terminal. This is solved by transferring the guidance data from the server to the terminal based on the information, and displaying the guidance screen on the terminal. Further, the problem can be solved by transferring only map data and route guidance data of a type desired by the user. Further, the problem can also be solved by caching these data to a terminal or compressing and transmitting these data.

[0008] The second object is solved by a method of transferring map and route information and a route guidance method in consideration of a running state, and a selection of a guidance means desired by a user.

The third object is achieved by providing a server with means for calculating a communication charge or a content charge, and further providing a terminal with means for displaying the charge.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, details of a communication type navigation device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire communication navigation system according to the present invention. The present invention comprises a satellite 101, a user vehicle 102, a mobile communication network 103,
A provider 104 for connecting to the Internet, a broadcaster 105 receiving data transmitted from a satellite and delivering the data to a user via an IP network 106, a broadcaster 105 connecting to the IP network 106, and a provider A navigation information providing device 107 (which may be referred to as a navigation server) for receiving and transmitting data distributed to and from the Internet 104, and for transmitting and receiving data through an IP network or a mobile telephone network by connecting to a provider. Fixed telephone network 1
08, each user's home 109, and a personal computer 110 at each user's home.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the contents of the navigation information providing device (navi server) 107 will be described. The navigation information providing apparatus 107 transmits the latitude and longitude information of the user terminal, the moving speed information of the user terminal, the moving direction, the ID number, the authentication password, the engine speed, and other parameters indicating the state of the vehicle transmitted through the IP network 106. First, data on the combination and the requested service is received. After that, after performing user authentication with a CGI (CommomGate Interface) 115, in accordance with the user's requested service,
User management 111, POI management 112, registration point 113,
The data is transmitted to a functional unit that performs either the map management 114 or the route search 116. The data received by each functional unit includes information on the service according to the user's request, CGI 115, IP network 106,
The route is sent to the user vehicle through the provider 104 and the mobile band communication network 103 (this route is hereinafter referred to as “communication network”).
Alternatively, if the information on the service is lower in cost by using broadcasting, the CGI 115, the IP network 10
6, transmitted to the user's vehicle through the route of the broadcaster 105 and the satellite 101 (this route is hereinafter referred to as “broadcast network”).

Next, the configuration of the above-described functional unit will be described. The user management function unit 111 includes a user management database 118 and a user information registration / editing application 117. Here, if the data sent from the user is a user information registration / edit, the data is collated with the user information database 118 based on the ID of the corresponding user to register / edit the corresponding item. Do.

[0013] The POI management function unit 112 receives point information around the user's location information from the POI database 120 when a POI information acquisition request is received from the user.
The search is performed by the POI search 119, and the result is distributed to the user's vehicle through the above-described broadcast network or communication network. Here, the number of POIs to be distributed may be registered in advance for each user, or the maximum number may be specified when a user requests a POI.

The registration point function unit 113 is a function unit in which the user registers information such as a destination, a favorite place, a spot visited in the past, and the like, and the user can freely register and delete. The navigation server is a user registration point database 122 for storing point information (latitude and longitude, name, characteristics, other comments, image information, audio information, etc.) registered for each user, points registered in the past in response to user requests And a point registration / deletion function 121 which is an application for the user to register and delete a point. Trigger of processing at the time of registration is CG
Either at the request of the user via I115 or a request from the map editing function unit 114 described later.

The map editing function unit 114 includes a map database and a map segmentation application. This is because when a request for download of map data is sent from the user together with the latitude / longitude information at which the user currently exists, map data in a predetermined range is extracted from the map database 12 by the map extraction function 124.
5 and send it to the user. At this time, it is possible to simultaneously cut out the POI or the registered point information within the range of the map data and transmit the data to the user instead of simply transmitting the map data only to the user. Also, a route search function unit 11 to be described later
If the map data on the searched route is not downloaded to the terminal side when 6 is called, the map cutout function unit is automatically called, and the map of the corresponding area is cut out and downloaded.

The route search function unit 116 includes an option information database 126, a route search engine 127, an option information setting / change application 128, and a guide point creation application 129. User is CG
After the authentication at I115, a guide point is created based on data such as destination information and the presence / absence of an option sent from the user. The guidance point is searched from the option database 126 for information necessary for creating an optimal guidance point based on option information specified by the user (for example, a route that uses a large number of roads, a route that takes as little time as possible, etc.). Then, the result is reflected in the guidance point creation application.

The charge calculation unit is a part that performs a process of charging a service charge for the vehicle-mounted terminal. It has a function of charging contents such as map data and POI data, and a function of counting communication data packets and notifying a communication charge to an in-vehicle terminal.

An example of a navigation terminal configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The navigation terminal is a display device 130, a GPS receiver 13
1, a main body 132, a memory card slot 133, a mobile phone 134, a remote controller 135, and a microphone 137. The display device 130 is a device capable of displaying graphics such as a liquid crystal screen. The GPS receiver 131 is a device that receives positioning signals from a plurality of GPS satellites 136 and accurately calculates the position of the terminal. The main body 132 is a device in which a CPU, a memory, a power supply, and a device for displaying graphics are mounted. This will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. The mobile phone 134 is a device that communicates with the outside, that is, transmits and receives data to and from the navigation information providing device described above. The remote controller 135 is a device for transmitting an operation desired by the user to the navigation terminal by using a button. In addition, a command can be sent by voice using the microphone 137.

A memory card slot 133 is a device for connecting an external storage device to accumulate data received from the navigation information providing device 107 or to load information previously downloaded from the device into the navigation terminal. It is. The memory card slot can be used as a simple storage device, or can be used for authentication of user information for communication or broadcast reception. For example, if the vehicle on which the navigation device is mounted is a vehicle used by an unspecified number of users such as a rental car, the user can use the service by inserting a memory card in which authentication information is written in a memory card slot. If the upper limit for receiving the service of the navigation terminal is set in the memory card, it is possible to use the service according to the user's budget. In addition, if the map of the departure point is downloaded in advance, the trouble of the user downloading the map from the navigation information terminal device 107 in the initial state can be saved. In addition, the service used by the user is written in the memory card, and the service is uploaded to the navigation information providing apparatus 107 at regular intervals, and is analyzed by the navigation information providing apparatus. information. The distribution of the POI becomes possible.

In the configuration of FIG. 3, the mobile phone 13 is used as the communication device.
4 but other communication equipment, PDA or main body 132
It can be a modem integrated with. It is also possible to connect an in-vehicle LAN (Loacal Area Network) instead of a mobile phone. Further, instead of the GPS receiver 131, a position identification service using a PHS (Persopnal Handyphone System) can be used. Also,
The configuration shown in FIG. 4 is based on the assumption that data received from the navigation information terminal uses communication.
It is also possible to load a receiver capable of receiving a broadcast wave from a satellite, a broadcast wave using digital terrestrial waves, or a broadcast wave using FM waves, and a device for decoding received data into the main body 132.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the navigation terminal. In this example, the CPU 141 and the remote controller 13
Remote control driver 142 for interpreting the signal from RS5, RS
-232C driver 143, mobile phone driver 144,
Interface with memory card slot 145, flash memory 146, DRAM 147, graphics processor 148, graphics memory 149, N
It comprises a TSC encoder 150. Audio input / output is used for microphone input for voice recognition and voice guide output.

The configuration described above is a configuration in the case where data transmission / reception with the navigation information providing apparatus is performed using communication. As described above, the configuration in the case of using a broadcast medium is a configuration for receiving a broadcast. It requires an interface with an antenna, a decoder, and the like. In general, NTSC is used for signals to the display device,
In the case where the L system is used or the display device is compatible with the PAL system, the part 150 is of course made compatible with the PAL system.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the software configuration of the navigation terminal device. This configuration includes a device layer 205, a driver layer 204, a middle layer 203, a tool layer 202, a shared OB
It comprises a J layer 201 and an application layer 200. For example, the device layer 205 indicates a hardware device, and includes an external input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, an output device such as a display and a speaker, a smart media having a PCMCIA interface, a memory card, and a mobile phone. Alternatively, it comprises a communication modem and a GPS for taking in data via an RS232C interface.

The driver layer 204 is the device layer 2 described above.
05 is software for driving each device, and the middle layer 203 is general common software for driving each driver. The tool layer 202 includes, for example, a map drawing 213, dead reckoning navigation 214, and route determination 21
5, guidance 216, reroute 217, route search 21
8. Tools indispensable for navigation such as map management 219 belong. In the shared OBJ layer 201, data necessary for navigation, for example, the vehicle position 206, the locus 20
7, route point 208, guidance route 209, route calculation result 2
10, time 211, and other information include data that can be commonly accessed from the tools of the tool layer 202 described above. These data are stored in the MMI (Man M
achineInterface), such as displaying each data or issuing a change, and responding to an event input from a mouse or a keyboard.
The required data in the BJ 201 is referred to related data via the MMI.

Next, a service implemented in the present invention will be described. First, an example will be described in which the user uses the communication navigation system shown in FIG. First, while traveling in the user vehicle 102, the navigation system mounted on the vehicle saves the map data of the vicinity where the navigation system is currently traveling in the navigation system, and a situation occurs in which the vehicle departs from the saved map area. Suppose the case. At this time, a request to download map data is transmitted from the navigation system in the user's vehicle to the navigation information providing apparatus 107 via the mobile communication network 103, the provider 104, and the IP network 106 using a mobile phone or a modem. . Here, in addition to the request transmission data, for example, data describing the position of the vehicle in latitude and longitude and at least an IP address indicating the position of the navigation information providing apparatus 107 on the IP network are sent. The latitude and longitude data of the vehicle is obtained by a GPS system mounted on the vehicle or a position identification service by PHS. This data is transmitted to the provider 1 through the mobile communication network 103.
04. The provider recognizes the IP address of the navigation information providing apparatus designated by the navigation system mounted on the vehicle from the received data, and
The navigation information providing device 107 is accessed through the P network.
In the navigation information providing apparatus 107, necessary map data is created in a predetermined shape (square, circle) from the accumulated map data from the latitude and longitude information requested by the vehicle. This map data is transmitted to broadcaster 10
5, the map data is encoded and packetized, and the data is transmitted to the satellite 101. After being received by the vehicle 102, the data is decoded by the vehicle to display the map.

In the above-described embodiment, map data is downloaded to a vehicle via satellite using broadcasting. In the next embodiment, a method for acquiring necessary map data only by communication will be described. When the vehicle moves and enters a region in which the map data is not stored in the storage device of the navigation device in the vehicle 102, the vehicle sends the vehicle to the mobile band communication network 103 in the same manner as in the previous example. The latitude and longitude information and the IP address of the navigation information providing device are transmitted, and the provider 104,
The data is transmitted to the navigation information providing device 107 via the IP network 106. The navigation information providing apparatus 107 creates necessary map data in the same manner as in the example shown on the left. Next, the created data is provided with the IP address information of the navigation device of the vehicle, and is then divided into packets and the IP network 1
06, the provider 104 and the mobile band communication network 103 to transmit the data to the navigation device of the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the navigation information providing device 107 is used.
As a route of data transmission from the, we assumed a signal propagation path independent of broadcasting and communication, but depending on the position of the vehicle, for example, the area where broadcasting is interrupted, but communication is possible, or vice versa It is also possible to switch between communication and broadcasting. When the switching is performed, the required cost for downloading map data by broadcasting and the required cost for downloading data by communication are displayed on the display screen of the navigation device. By looking at the value, the driver of the vehicle can determine whether or not to execute the download when the map data is interrupted. Of course, it is also possible to download map data fully automatically by setting in advance.

In switching between broadcasting and communication, since the broadcastable area and the communicable area are announced in advance by a broadcasting station and a communication carrier, the data is stored in the navigation information providing apparatus, and a map download request is issued. If that happens,
By referring to the data, it is possible to switch between communication and broadcasting. In the above-described embodiment, satellite broadcasting is used as a transmission path of broadcasting. However, other media such as digital broadcasting, terrestrial digital broadcasting, and FM broadcasting can be used.

As the next service, point information (POI,
A service for delivering a Point of Interest to a user will be described. The aforementioned G mounted on the vehicle 102
By the position identification system by PS or PHS,
The latitude / longitude information is transmitted to the mobile communication network 103 and the provider 10
(4) The information is transmitted to the navigation information providing device through the IP network 106 The navigation information providing device authenticates the user with the CGI 115 based on the sent user information, and returns a plurality of POIs corresponding to the periphery to the user based on the latitude and longitude information. The transmission path here may use either the broadcast or the communication described above. Further, when performing the service of downloading the map information according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously distribute the POI with the map data to be downloaded and simultaneously distribute the POI data with the display map data to the user terminal side.

As the next service, a registration point service will be described. The registration point service is provided by a navigation information providing apparatus 1 from a vehicle 102 through a mobile band communication network 103, a provider 104, and an IP network 106 in response to a request from a user.
The user accesses the registration point navigation server at 07 and extracts registration point information desired by the user. Alternatively, before the user goes out for a drive, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) located in each user's home 109 can access the fixed telephone network 10.
8 to access the registered point navigation server in the navigation information providing apparatus via the provider 104 and the IP network 106 to register or delete the point information desired by the user so as not to perform redundant operations during actual driving. It is possible to organize the registered data.

User registration and change of registered contents are performed by the user management navigation server. The route from which the request from the user comes is the same as the above-mentioned registration point service. Here, new user registration, deletion of registration, change of registration content, confirmation of registration content, search and confirmation of billing information such as usage fee, etc. are performed. It is possible to receive services.

The route search service specifies a destination when a user is in a vehicle, and sets the destination and the G
This service searches for an optimal route from the current position obtained from a position identification system such as a PS and information such as the user's preference described above, and sends the result to the user.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show screen transitions when performing route guidance. (1) is a display on the terminal side when the route is calculated by the navigation server. The navigation server can perform a route search in consideration of traffic congestion information and information during construction. (2) shows an example of a screen displaying the entire route 3100 on the terminal after the route search is completed. After transferring the search result from the navigation server to the terminal, the terminal adjusts the display scale so that the entire route from the current position to the destination is displayed. In addition, the screen and voice call attention to encourage driving in accordance with the actual road regulations. (3) is a screen for asking the driver whether guidance may be started. When the driver is ready, he presses the "Enter" button on the remote control. (4) is a screen when the “enter” button is pressed, and thereafter, the vehicle position 3
The screen of (5) is displayed when the vehicle 104 gets on the route 3100. (6) is a screen when the own vehicle position approaches the guidance point. The guidance point is a point where the route deviates from the road and changes the course direction. This is the case when turning right or left at an intersection. When the own vehicle position approaches the guidance point, the direction to turn and the distance to that point are displayed by an arrow 3101 in half of the screen. In addition, a guidance such as "300 m ahead is to the left" is also provided by voice. (7) is a screen when approaching the destination. The screen and sound indicate "Arrive near the destination.
End the information. And make an announcement. Then about 1
After 0 seconds, the screen of (8) is displayed, and the current location is displayed on the map.

FIG. 8 shows a processing flow of the terminal for performing the route guidance processing. S3000, S300
Reference numeral 1 denotes a process for determining whether or not the own vehicle position has entered the route, and waits until the user gets on the route. S3002 corresponds to FIG.
The guidance “Start route guidance” shown in (5) is performed. In S3003, the information of the own vehicle position is obtained by GPS. In steps S3004 and S3005, when the vehicle enters a place where GPS information cannot be obtained, such as under an overpass, the driver is notified that the positioning is not possible by darkening the color of the screen being displayed. In S3006, the distance between the vehicle position and the route is calculated, and it is determined whether the vehicle is on the route or approaches the guidance point. In S3007, even if the position of the own vehicle is close to the guidance point, if the point has already been guided (the point indicated by the arrow as in (6) of FIG. 7), the point does not need to be guided, so that nothing is performed. Also S
In step 3013, an arrow is displayed as approaching the guidance point, but this is a process in a case where the GPS reception state deteriorates and positioning cannot be performed. In that case, the display of the arrow is erased by S3008. S3009 is processing when the own vehicle position normally approaches the guidance point,
When approaching the guidance point up to 300 m, an arrow is displayed as shown in FIG. 7 (6), and guidance by voice is also performed. If the distance between the route and the position of the own vehicle exceeds 300 m, it is regarded that the vehicle has deviated from the route, and in steps S3010 and S3011, a process of stopping the route guidance is performed. The distance of 300 m is not an absolute value, but should be changed depending on the positioning accuracy. That is, if the positioning error is small, this distance is reduced, and if the error is large, this distance is increased. In step S3014, it is determined whether the guidance to the destination has been completed. If the vehicle has reached the destination, the display of (7) in FIG. 7 is performed in step S3012.

FIG. 9 shows the vehicle position 3104 and the route 310.
FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship between 0 and the guidance points 3102 and 3103. The own vehicle position 3104 may be measured at a location off the road depending on the positioning accuracy. Therefore, while always measuring the distance to the route, if the distance exceeds a certain range, it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the route. In this embodiment, the distance is set to 300 m, and R1 corresponds to this. Also, the distance (R2) from the guidance point is constantly measured. When the vehicle approaches this R2 by a certain distance, a guidance guidance screen (arrow as shown in (6) of FIG. 7) is displayed. This distance changes according to the speed of the own vehicle. That is,
When the speed is low, the speed immediately before the guidance point (for example, 100
The guide may be issued at about 300 m), but in the case of high-speed traveling, the course cannot be changed even if guided immediately before. Therefore, in the case of high-speed traveling, a state of a long distance (for example, 500 m to 1 k
Give guidance in m).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for measuring the distance between the vehicle position and the route. In S3020, a process of selecting only the route line segment near the position of the own vehicle is performed. By selecting a route that is close to the own vehicle position each time without checking the route in the order of progress, guidance can be resumed even when the state where positioning cannot be continued for a long time or when the vehicle returns to the route after deviating from the route. be able to. In S3021, when calculating the distance to the route, the distance is calculated in consideration of the traveling direction of the own vehicle. That is, the route portion having the same traveling direction as the route is preferentially selected. Thus, S30
The distances to the line segments selected in Step 20 are all calculated, and it is determined that the own vehicle position is on the closest route line segment (S30).
25 to S3027).

When giving a guidance instruction when the position of the vehicle approaches the guidance point, an enlarged view of the intersection may be displayed instead of the arrow display. FIG. 11 shows an example in which an enlarged view of an intersection at a guidance point is displayed. Whether the guidance point is displayed as an arrow or an enlarged intersection is shown in FIG.
A menu such as that shown in Fig. 2 can be set in advance. This setting may be stored in the terminal or in the navigation server. If stored in the navigation server, unnecessary guidance data may not need to be sent to the terminal, which is effective in reducing the amount of communication. For example, if the intersection enlarged display is unnecessary, there is no need to transmit the navigation server detailed map and the intersection information. There is also a method of dynamically changing the display method in the middle of a route. For example, an arrow may be displayed if the intersection is simple such as a T-junction or a quadrangle, and an enlarged intersection may be displayed if the intersection has a complicated shape as shown in FIG. As still another method, there is a method of distinguishing by road type, such as displaying an arrow on a simple road such as a branch of an expressway, and displaying an enlarged view of an intersection on a general road.

If the detailed map does not exist in the terminal, the terminal cannot display the enlarged view of the intersection. Therefore, it is also possible to create an enlarged intersection at the navigation server and transfer it to the terminal. For example, if there is a detailed map in the middle of the route at the terminal, create an enlarged map of the intersection at the terminal, and if it becomes a place without a detailed map, the terminal requests the navigation server to create a detailed map and transfers the result to the terminal do that for me. As another means, there is a method of generating an enlarged display of an intersection at the terminal after transferring the detailed map from the navigation server to the terminal. On the other hand, if you want to reduce communication with the navigation server,
There is also a method of displaying an arrow at an area where an enlarged intersection cannot be generated by the terminal.

Even if a detailed map exists in the terminal, if the detailed map is old and does not match the current situation, an incorrect intersection is displayed. Therefore, it is better not to create an enlarged intersection map on the terminal. Good. Also in this case, the navigation server creates an enlarged view of the intersection, or transfers the detailed map to the terminal, and then creates an enlarged view of the intersection at the terminal. To determine whether the map on the terminal is out of date, the version number of the map on the terminal is compared with the version number of the map on the navigation server.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a screen display at the time of departure from the route. In this example, when the map on the terminal side does not correspond to the route search, rerouting is performed by the navigation server. Since it is necessary to perform data communication, the driver is asked for confirmation by screen display and voice. If the driver presses the enter button, the navigation server starts rerouting, and if no action is taken for 10 seconds or more, or the cancel button is pressed, the guidance is terminated. Or, without ending the guidance, as shown in FIG.
There is also a method of interrupting the guidance while the own vehicle position is off the route.

FIG. 14 shows an example of display in the case where reroute processing is not performed when the vehicle deviates from the route. You will be notified by voice as well, "You have deviated from the route." Thereafter, the route guidance is restarted when the vehicle position 3104 gets on the route.

Further, if the map of the terminal is data for which a route can be searched, the terminal can perform the rerouting process.
In this case, rerouting is performed within the range of the detailed map existing in the terminal. If you go to a place without a detailed map, you need to transfer the detailed map from the navigation server and then reroute.

FIG. 15 shows a display example of guidance by characters. When the vehicle position 3104 approaches the guidance point, the direction and distance to which the guidance point should travel are displayed in characters.
In addition, since the driver cannot gaze at the characters, voice guidance is performed at the same time. Such guidance based on character information can be performed even when the terminal does not have a detailed map. FIG.
6 shows a display example of a state in which guidance is performed using the schematic map and the route data. The left half of the screen displays a route, and the right half displays guidance by text information. Guidance information is also provided by voice. Since the route display portion is not a detailed map, it is not possible to display an intersection shape or the like, but it is possible to confirm whether the own vehicle position 3104 is on the route 3100. According to this method, the terminal only needs to have a schematic map, so that distribution of a detailed map is not required.

FIG. 17 shows a flow of a route search. In FIG. 17, the operations of the navigation terminal and the navigation server are described together. First, the navigation terminal sets a destination in S2000. For setting the destination, for example, download the area list or category list from the navigation server,
There is a method of narrowing down using the list. The list includes, for example, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
Described in a language such as e). Each item in the list includes the CGI (Common Gateway In
terface), and the user can download the list from the navigation server simply by selecting an item. Such processing is repeated using HTML, and it is possible to finally narrow down the place where the user sets the destination. An example of the screen is shown in FIG.
(A) and (b). The screen in FIG. 18 is an Internet browser (not shown) provided on the navigation terminal side.
It was displayed by.

FIG. 18A shows a screen for designating the prefecture after the genre of the destination is designated. When "Ibaraki prefecture" is designated in FIG. 18A, the screen of FIG. 18B appears. When "around the present location" is selected in FIG. 18A, the position of the own vehicle is measured and transmitted to the server, and a name list can be obtained as shown in FIG. 18B. This will be described later, and here, only the case where the prefecture is selected will be described.

FIG. 18B shows an example in which leisure parks in Ibaraki prefecture are narrowed down. FIG. 18 (b)
Is selected from the screen, the point information of the name is transmitted from the server. At least two types of point information can be sent. One is a method of streaming the point information in a stream, and the other is a method of storing the point information in a file and transmitting the file with the file name included in HTML. The transmission format is shown in FIGS.

Alternatively, a method of displaying a map on the navigation terminal side and designating a destination point on the map may be used.

After narrowing down the destination location, the process proceeds to S20.
01 displays the location on the map. The point display on the map is shown in FIG. In FIG. 18C,
A cross 2010 is displayed on the map, which is a point narrowed down by the above processing.

The user confirms the point on the map, and presses the decision button on the remote control when he / she wants to set the destination. After interpreting the navigation terminal in step S2002, the navigation terminal proceeds to step S2003. When the "return" button of the remote control key is pressed, the destination is set again.

After the destination is set, the search condition is set in S2003. As the search condition, for example, there is a method in which some conditions are displayed on a screen, and the user is allowed to select one of them. This display example is shown in FIG. FIG. 18 (d)
In the example, two types, that is, general road priority and highway priority are displayed, and the user can select any one of these. In addition, in addition to the route search conditions,
Charge priority, time priority, distance priority etc. may be set,
Alternatively, a plurality of these may be specified in combination.

After the user specifies the route search condition, the navigation terminal measures the position of the own vehicle in S2004. A device called GPS (Global Positioning System) is used to measure the position of the vehicle, and GPS is generally used in current car navigation systems.

When the measurement of the position of the vehicle is completed, the navigation terminal transmits the position of the vehicle to the navigation server together with the destination and the search conditions set so far. The transmission protocol to the navigation server includes, for example, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Pro).
tocol) can be used. The transmission format of the destination, the search condition, and the position of the vehicle is URL.
(Uniform Resource Locator), a method described in CGI parameters can be used.

In step S2005, the navigation server performs a route search based on the destination, search condition, and vehicle position transmitted from the navigation terminal, and transmits a calculation result to the navigation terminal.
Meanwhile, the screen of the navigation terminal displays that the server is calculating the route. This is shown in FIG. However, this display is not essential.

The navigation terminal receives the calculation result in S2006. The route search result includes the latitude / longitude of the passing point and the guidance point information. However, if the latitude / longitude of the passing point is transmitted as it is, the traffic may increase, so the reference point and the difference data from the reference point may be transmitted. This will be described later. Also, when transmitting the route data to the navigation terminal, HTTP may be used. In this case, at least two types of transmission methods are possible. One is a method in which route data is directly sent to HTTP. It sends the path data in a stream after sending the content type. Another method is to save the route data in a file, describe the file name in HTML, and send it. In the present embodiment, the latter format is shown in FIGS. 21, 22, 23, and 24. Details will be described later.

In step S2007, the navigation terminal receives the route data from the navigation server and displays the route data on a map. An example of this screen is shown in FIG. FIG. 18 (f)
Screen displays the smallest map on which the entire route is displayed. If there is no map, the map is displayed with the smallest map on which the map exists. The route data is displayed along a road on the map using a color different from that of the map.
At the same time as displaying the route, a display may be displayed to prompt the user to drive according to actual traffic regulations. Alternatively, the user may be notified by voice.

After a few more seconds, the screen shown in FIG. 18 (g) appears. Here, it is displayed on the screen that the guidance is started when the enter key of the remote controller is pressed. Alternatively, this may be notified to the user by voice. This means that guidance is started after reading the notes on the previous screen. When the user presses the enter key, route guidance starts.

Here, the format of FIGS. 19 and 20 will be described. FIG. 19 shows an example of HTML after category narrowing is completed. This is HTML for specifying a prefecture, and describes the screen of FIG. 18A. For prefectures, Naviserver CGI
There is only a link to. However, since “near the current location” is a menu for searching around the current location of the navigation terminal, the current location around search can be executed only after transmitting the vehicle position from the navigation terminal to the navigation server.

Next, a case where the user selects "around the present location" in FIG. 18A will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the navigation application file shown in FIG. 19B is sent from the navigation server. This navigation application file is created by the navigation server at the same time when the prefecture list of (a) is created. The navigation application file is linked from “around the current location”, and when the user selects “around the current location” in S2081, the file can be downloaded from the server in S2082. When the navigation application file is downloaded, an application for processing the file is activated on the navigation terminal. The navigation application file describes a command for the application on the navigation terminal side and a navigation server URL for requesting the next route search processing. The application that has read the information measures the position of the vehicle using GPS or the like in S2083, and transmits the position of the vehicle to the navigation server in S2084. In the navigation server that received the vehicle position,
In step S2085, landmark information around the position is searched, a list is created in HTML, and the list is transmitted to the navigation terminal.
The format is as shown in FIG. 20, and the screen is as shown in FIG. FIG. 18 (b)
The processing after receiving the list is exactly the same as the processing when the prefecture is selected.

Through the above processing, the user can receive the route guidance service. However, the user does not always drive along the route calculated by the server. If the car deviates from the route, it is possible to reroute (route recalculation). This will be described below.

FIGS. 27 and 2 show screen transitions in the case of reroute.
FIG. FIG. 27 shows a case where the user requests a reroute after stopping. In FIG. 27, when the car deviates from the route, a screen 2201 appears. The screen 2201 displays only a warning that the car has deviated from the route, and does nothing further during traveling. When the car stops, the navigation terminal displays a screen 2202 and asks the user whether to reroute. When the user presses the enter key on the remote control, a screen 2203 appears, and the navigation terminal requests a route search from the navigation server. When the route search is completed in the navigation server, the route information is transmitted from the navigation server to the navigation terminal, and a new route is displayed as in a screen 2204. Finally, a screen 2205 appears, and when the user presses the enter key, route guidance is started. If the user deviates from the route and prompts the user to input during traveling, the user may be distracted by the operation of the navigation terminal, which may lead to an accident. Therefore, by not prompting the user to input during traveling, the probability of an accident can be reduced.

FIG. 28 shows a screen transition of the auto reroute. In this case, if the car deviates from the route, the rerouting is automatically executed. When the car deviates from the route, the screen 2301
Appears. The screen 2301 is different from the screen 2201 and indicates that rerouting is to be performed. The navigation terminal requests the navigation server to search for a route from the current location to the destination, and a screen 2203 appears during that time. When the route search ends,
Screen 2204 appears. Finally, a screen 2302 appears, indicating that the route guidance is to be started. In the case of the auto re-route, it is conceivable that the vehicle is running, so the route guidance is started without prompting the user to input the decision key. When the auto reroute is performed, the user accesses the navigation server irrespective of the user's intention, so a communication fee is charged each time. However, since rerouting can be performed without input from the user, there is no danger that the user may be distracted by the operation and cause an accident.

As a rerouting method, voice may be used. When the car goes off the route, a screen 2201 appears.
At that time, the navigation terminal waits for a voice input from the user. When the user inputs voice "reroute" using the voice input device, a screen 2203 appears, and the navigation terminal requests the navigation server to search for a route from the current location to the destination. When the route search is completed, the route information is transmitted from the navigation server to the navigation terminal, a screen 2204 appears, and finally a screen 2302 appears to start the route guidance. This method
The input to the navigation terminal is easy, and the user can access the navigation server according to his / her intention.

The above processing will be described again with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the car deviates from the route, the navigation terminal determines in S2091 whether or not the vehicle is in the auto reroute mode. In the auto re-route mode, the screen displays "Road deviated. Re-search route" regardless of whether the vehicle is running or stopped. This is the screen 22
01. After that, a reroute is requested in S2098.

If the mode is not the auto reroute mode, S2
At 092, only the message "Route departed" is displayed on the screen. This is as shown on the screen 2201. Next, if it is determined in step S2093 that there is a voice input device, the process waits for voice input in step S2094, and when the user says "reroute" or "research" or the like, requests the navigation server to reroute in step S2098. .

If the mode is not the auto reroute mode and there is no voice input device, nothing is performed until the vehicle stops, with "out of route" displayed on the screen. If it is determined in step S2095 that the vehicle has stopped, "Do you want to reroute?" Is displayed on the screen, and a remote control input from the user is waited. If the enter key is pressed, a reroute is requested in S2098.

When the reroute is requested by the above method, the reroute result is transmitted from the navigation server, and S209 is performed.
At 9, a new route is displayed on the map. This is as shown on the screen 2204. After the route is displayed on the screen, in the case of auto reroute or voice reroute, "Start guidance" is displayed on the screen and the route guidance is started. If you request a reroute after stopping,
"Start guidance with the enter key" or the like is displayed, and after confirming that the enter key on the remote controller has been pressed, route guidance starts.
However, it is not always necessary to change the screen display contents for the auto reroute, the voice reroute request, and the reroute request after the vehicle stops. Even in the case of a reroute request after stopping, after the route data is downloaded from the navigation server, the route guidance may be started without prompting the enter key.

The determination that the vehicle has deviated from the route may be made, for example, by a method of determining that the vehicle has deviated from the route by 300 m. Alternatively, a determination method of 30 seconds after leaving the route may be used.

The reroute mode can be set by the user. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a user calls a setting screen with a remote controller and sets the setting screen. FIG. 29 (a)
Shows a main menu of the navigation terminal, and FIG. 29B shows a route search setting menu. When the user presses a “menu” key on the remote control, a main menu 2401 shown in FIG. 29A is displayed. Further, when the user selects “setting” from the main menu 2401, a setting menu 2402 appears. Further, when the user selects “route search setting” from the setting menu 2402, FIG.
Screen. At this time, a route search setting menu 2403 is displayed on the screen. Route search setting menu 24
03 has a “route re-search” setting menu, in which a reroute mode can be set. Of these, "automatic"
If you select, it will be in auto reroute mode. "voice"
Is selected, a mode is entered in which a reroute request can be made by voice input. If you select "No",
A mode in which a reroute request cannot be made until the vehicle stops.

The route search setting menu 2403 has a "search condition" menu in addition to the "route re-search". This is to set search conditions when searching for a route,
Settings such as high-speed priority, general road priority, distance priority, and time priority can be made. Further, a menu other than the above may be provided in the route search setting menu.

Next, the transmission format of route data and guidance data will be described. As described above, the route data and the guidance data can be transmitted while being included in HTML. The format is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 21 shows a route HTML 2041 for transmitting route data to the navigation terminal. FIG. 22 shows a format of the route information file 2051. The file name of the route information file 2051 is described in the <embed> tag in the route HTML 2041, and when the navigation terminal receives the route HTML 2041, the navigation terminal downloads the route information file 2051 and executes an appropriate application for processing the route information. to start.

The route information file 2051 contains route information and guidance point information. The route information is represented by reference point data serving as a reference and a difference from the reference point. FIG. 23 shows the relationship between the base point data and the difference data.

The base point data includes latitude / longitude, difference table start index, number of difference table records, and node point type. Among these, the difference table start index indicates an index (position) in the memory where difference data from the base point is stored. The number of difference table records is the number of differences from the base point. The latitude / longitude is converted into a numerical value such as a tenth of a second and stored. 16bit, 8bit each for degree, minute and second
, 8 bits.

The difference data is represented by 16 bits, and the upper 8 bi
t represents the latitude difference, and the lower 8 bits represent the longitude difference. Further, each most significant bit represents a plus or minus sign. It is desirable that the difference be expressed in the same manner as the base point.

The base point is not always one on the route, and a plurality of positions can be the base point. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the latitude / longitude of the difference is represented by 8 bits, and the most significant 1 bit is a code, so that only numerical values from 0 to 127 can be represented. Therefore, when the value of the difference exceeds 127, a new base point is created. Alternatively, the base point may be determined according to the convenience of the system, such as using the point where the type of road changes on the route as the base point. By doing so, the data amount is smaller than when the latitude / longitude of the passing point on the route is sent as it is, and the communication fee is reduced.

The guidance point information included in the route information file 2051 includes a voice data ID. The audio data ID is an ID of audio data to be reproduced by the navigation terminal when the navigation terminal approaches the guidance point. For example, when approaching the guidance point, the navigation terminal notifies the direction in which the car should turn by voices such as "300 meters ahead, left turn" and "soon left". The navigation server executes a process of assigning an ID to the voice.

The voice data ID is included in the guidance angle / voice ID of the route data 2051, and its format is as shown in FIG. Note that an unused area may be provided in order to support software expansion on the navigation terminal side. The assignment of the audio data ID is as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the audio data ID is represented by a two-digit hexadecimal code. The upper 4 bits represent right or left, and the lower 4 bits represent angle.

In this embodiment, the navigation server determines the voice data ID and transmits it to the navigation terminal. However, as in the conventional car navigation system, the navigation terminal determines the voice data ID from the guidance angle on the navigation terminal side. May be implemented.

The operation shown in the above embodiment is a process mainly viewed from the navigation terminal side. Next, the processing of the navigation server will be described with reference to FIG. The software configuration of the navigation server is shown in FIG. 2, and the description is as described above. The navigation server receives various requests from the navigation terminal and activates an application corresponding to the requests. Conversely, it is possible for the navigation server to actively output some information to the navigation terminal by using a broadcast or the like, but the description is omitted here.

First, the navigation server interprets the request received from the navigation terminal. This request is passed to the navigation server as a parameter of the CGI, and is sent to the CGI 115 in S2501.
Interpret. The request received from the navigation terminal includes at least the latitude and longitude of the start and end points of the route search,
Longitude is included. As long as the route search condition is held on the navigation terminal side, the route search condition may be transmitted to the navigation server together, or the route search condition may be stored in the navigation server. In the latter case, the route search is executed with reference to the option information database 126 in the route search navigation server 116.

Next, in step S2502, the navigation server sets the latitude / longitude of the start point / end point, the waypoint, and the search condition.
At 503, a route search is started. The output of the route search includes the latitude / longitude of the passing point, travel time, guidance point information, and the like. The CGI 115 transmits these information from S2504 to
In S2506, acquired from the route search navigation server 116,
In step S2507, the data is converted into HTML. The HTML format is as shown in FIGS. Finally, the HTML is transmitted to the navigation terminal, and the processing of the navigation server ends.

The present navigation terminal records a communication function for downloading map data from the navigation server, wide-area map data recorded at the time of shipment, and detailed map data obtained through communication so far, and uses the data as a cache. It has a rewritable storage medium. When a map display request for a designated point occurs while using the navigation terminal, the map data recorded in the built-in storage medium is read and a map is displayed. If all necessary map data is not recorded on the storage medium, a map request is issued to the navigation server, and the map data is downloaded and displayed.

When requesting a route search, the navigation terminal can receive a proper service even if there is no detailed information in the navigation terminal. For example, even when the vehicle is traveling in a place where there is no map in the navigation terminal, a service is received by transmitting the traveling locus up to that time to the server at the same time as the route request and processing it on the server side. As the traveling locus, the latitude and longitude of a place where the vehicle has passed so far may be used. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S2601, the navigation server receives the traveling locus from the navigation terminal, and receives any other request.
The navigation server grasps the vehicle state of the vehicle equipped with the navigation terminal by comparing the map information stored in the navigation server with the received traveling locus (S2602). At the same time, based on the running locus, it is possible to know where and in which direction the vehicle is running. Therefore, when requesting a route search, by sending not only the destination information but also the travel locus to the navigation server, the navigation server can search for the optimal route in consideration of the heading direction in S2608. is there.

The transmitted travel trajectory is stored in the navigation server, and the type of road that the user frequently travels is analyzed in S2607, and in S2608 it is possible to search for a route that matches the road type. For example, if it is known that the user passes the national road well, and if a request for route search is sent from the user to the navigation server, the navigation server can search for the route by giving priority to the national road. Alternatively, a user who does not travel on a wide road but often travels on a back road can search for a route that prioritizes a narrow street instead of a road such as a national road and return the result to the navigation terminal. It is also possible to store the route search conditions at that time in the navigation server and execute a route search based on the route search conditions when a route search request is received from the user from the next time.

If the route information is stored in the server, route guidance can be performed. For example,
If the navigation server knows that the navigation terminal is approaching the guidance point, the navigation server can inform the navigation terminal of the fact that the navigation terminal is approaching soon and further in which direction the navigation terminal should proceed in S2606. At that time, in the navigation terminal, the direction to proceed to the screen may be indicated by an arrow, or if voice data is present in the navigation terminal, a voice data ID may be sent from the navigation server, and voice guidance may be performed on the navigation terminal side.

[0086] Further, the route information of the user is stored in the navigation server and compared with the traveling locus from the user.
You can see if you are off the route. If not, the navigation terminal is notified of the fact (S2603), and the navigation terminal performs reroute processing (S2604). This is as described above. Thereafter, if a request for rerouting comes from the navigation terminal to the navigation server, in S2605, rerouting may be performed by the navigation server, and the result may be stored in the navigation server, and the above-described processing may be continued. At that time, it is also possible to inform the navigation terminal that the vehicle is off the route.

As described above, even if there is no map on the navigation terminal side or the necessary map download fails, it is possible to receive the route guidance service. However, sending all the locus data in one run as the running locus may increase the communication load. In such a case, for example, when the vehicle is running almost straight, the trajectory point sequence is thinned out or the past 2k
It is also possible to reduce the communication load by sending a locus of m.

FIG. 31 shows a map request processing flow on the navigation terminal side, and FIG. 32 shows an example of screen transition, which will be described in detail.

In the navigation terminal, when a request for displaying a map of a designated point is generated (S1001), triggered by scrolling by the user, automatic scrolling while the vehicle is running, and changing the scale by the user (S1001), the navigation terminal is required for display. It is confirmed whether all the map data is recorded on the storage medium (S1002).

If all the map data necessary for display is recorded on the storage medium, it is checked whether the recorded map is the latest data (S100).
3). If the recorded data is not the latest, the map data is updated (S1004). If the map is the latest, the map 1005 is displayed as it is (S1).
016).

On the other hand, if all the map data necessary for display is not recorded on the storage medium, it is checked whether the vehicle is running (S1005). The output of the confirmation dialog 1001 is prohibited, and the large-scale map 1004 is displayed on a reduced scale so that it can be displayed only by the map data in the storage medium (S1001). 1001 is displayed.

If the vehicle is not running, a dialog 1001 for asking the user whether to download the insufficient map data from the navigation server is displayed (S1007). In the dialog, the estimated value of the communication fee is displayed. After the dialog is displayed, if there is no user input for a certain period or if the user does not select download, the display scale is automatically changed (S1010), and the wide area map 1004 is displayed.

After downloading the map data and the route guidance data, the terminal displays the actual communication fee and the content fee each time. The fee is paid and settled on a monthly basis from the user's credit account or bank account. In addition, if the upper limit of the fee is registered in advance from the terminal to the server, the server notifies the terminal when the fee is about to be exceeded, so the user needs to worry about excessive use. Absent. The upper limit of the fee can be set independently for the communication fee and the content fee. In addition, the in-vehicle terminal can make an inquiry to the navigation server as to how frustrating the usage fee for this month is.

[0094] Map download confirmation dialog 1001
, When the user selects download, a request is made to the navigation server via the communication for insufficient map data (S1011), and a screen 10 indicating that communication is in progress
02 is displayed. After the download is completed, it is checked whether there is enough area in the storage medium to record the downloaded data (S1013), and if so, map data is recorded (S1014). If the storage area is insufficient, the map data is deleted from the storage medium in the order of the oldest reference date and time (S1013), and after the area for storing the newly downloaded map data is secured, the map data is recorded. (S1014). After recording the map, the download completion notification and the communication fee incurred are displayed in the dialog box 1003 (S
1015), the map 1004 is displayed (S1016).

Next, the map update processing will be described in detail with reference to a processing flow shown in FIG. 33 and an example of screen transition shown in FIG. First, when the map update process is started (S1004), a map update confirmation dialog 1101 is displayed (S1101). Thereafter, when there is no input for a fixed period (S1102) and when the user does not permit the update (S1103), the current map is displayed without updating the map (S1109). When the user permits the update, the navigation server requests map data of the currently displayed position, scale, and area (S1104). When updating the navigation map, the navigation server obtains the version possessed by the user in addition to the method of transmitting all the cut out map data to the navigation terminal, and obtains the version of the map data and the map data in the server. Only the difference information can be transmitted. The difference information referred to here includes added road information and point information.

Regarding the processing after downloading the map data (S1105 to S1108), the processing after downloading the map data in the map request processing (S1012 to S1012)
It is omitted because it is equivalent to 15).

The communication method between the navigation terminal and the navigation server will be described with reference to FIGS. Processing for requesting map data for the shortage to the navigation server (S1011)
In the navigation terminal, the map request command, the position of the display point, its representation method, the scale of the map data, and the requested area are described as arguments of the CGI as shown in FIG. 35, and the map is sent to the navigation server via the Internet. Request. As a method of expressing the point to be displayed, any one of a latitude and longitude, an address, a postal code, a telephone number, and a landmark name can be selected.

When the navigation server receives the request (S120)
0), the arguments of the CGI are analyzed (S1201), the map level (S1202) and the map center position (S1203),
The request area (S1204) is acquired. After the acquisition, predetermined map data is cut out from the map database (S120).
5) Add header information (S1206) and transmit to the requesting terminal (S1207). FIG. 37 shows a file format to be transmitted. The file format to be transmitted includes map mesh position information 1200, map mesh data management information 1201, and map mesh data 1202.
Consists of The map mesh position information 1200 includes the center of the extracted map mesh data. The map mesh data management information 1201 includes the size of the map mesh data. The map mesh data 1202 includes background data for displaying a map, road shape data, road type data, and name data.

Next, a method of notifying the update of the in-server map database will be described. The navigation terminal notifies the user whether to update the map at any one of the following three timings. If the user permits the update after the notification, the above-described map update process is performed. 1) At the time of displaying a map When displaying a map, it is checked whether or not the map data to be used is the latest. Confirmation of the latest data is performed by reading data in the storage medium and comparing the version of the data with the map information of the server obtained in advance from the navigation server. The map information on the server side possessed by the navigation terminal is composed of the version of the entire map database and the version for each map mesh, and is used when connecting to the navigation server for the first time after starting to use the navigation terminal, or for a certain period of time. Get from the navigation server for each. This makes it possible to update only the updated map mesh. 2) When the map is changed by the navigation server When the map database is updated in the navigation server, the navigation server notifies the user of the updated area to the navigation terminal and notifies the user through the area. If the user wants to update the map data of the notified area, the user performs communication and downloads a new map. 3) When the data owned by the user is updated among the map data on the navigation server, the navigation server manages the version of the map data in units of the map mesh owned by the user. If the map data of a certain area is updated in the map data owned by the user, the navigation server notifies the user via the navigation terminal that the map data has been updated.

At the time of downloading, only the difference information between the data possessed by the user and the data in the server is transmitted. The difference information referred to here includes added road information and point information. In this system, the navigation terminal periodically notifies the server of the map data owned by the user and its version.

In the method described above, the user is always asked to confirm the map when acquiring the map from the navigation server. However, the map can be automatically downloaded by changing the setting of the navigation terminal. is there.

FIG. 39 shows a setting change screen relating to map download. The user can select either "confirm when downloading" or "automatic download". If "Confirm when downloading" is selected, a dialog is always displayed during communication, as described above. When "Automatic download" is selected on the setting screen, communication is automatically started without displaying a confirmation dialog and map data is downloaded. On the settings screen,
In addition, “Automatic download of route maps”,
By checking the "Automatic download at the time of scrolling and enlargement / reduction" and "Automatic download at the time of map updates", it is possible to select the case where automatic download is desired.

"Automatic download of route map"
If you select, during the route guidance, search for map data that does not exist in the built-in storage medium from the map data in the direction of the destination from the vehicle position on the route, and automatically download the map data It is.

Next, the area setting at the time of map download will be described. Download Map Area Setting The area of the map to be downloaded can be changed on the map download area setting screen shown in FIG. The setting can be selected from "Auto", "Download widely", and "Download frequently".

[0105] When "Auto" is selected, the map area downloaded by the navigation terminal is dynamically changed according to the running state. For example, during high-speed running, the number of communications per fixed time can be reduced by increasing the download area.

Next, a method of selecting and downloading a component from the map information will be described. Although the map database in the navigation server is composed of a plurality of elements such as road shapes, backgrounds, place names, point names, etc., not all information is necessarily required to display a map.
When all information is obtained from the navigation server, detailed information can be displayed, but a communication fee is required. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the map elements to be downloaded can be selected on the setting screen shown in FIG.

[0107]

According to the present invention, a communication type navigation system can be realized with a small data transfer amount. Further, it is possible to realize a communication type navigation system with improved traveling safety and operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram of a communication type navigation system.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a navigation information providing device.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a navigation terminal.

FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of a navigation terminal.

FIG. 5 is a software configuration diagram of the navigation terminal device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition when performing route guidance.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen transition when performing route guidance following FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a process flowchart of a terminal for performing a route guidance process.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of calculating the distance between a vehicle position, a route, and a guidance point.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for measuring a distance between a vehicle position and a route.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an enlarged view of an intersection at a guidance point.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen for instructing a display method of a guidance point.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display at the time of departure from a route.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example when rerouting is not performed when the vehicle deviates from the route.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of guidance by characters.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a state in which guidance is performed using a schematic map and route data.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a route search.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a screen transition diagram of destination setting.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a transmission format of point information.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a transmission format of point information.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a transmission format of a route search result.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a transmission format of a route search result.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a transmission format of a route search result.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a transmission format of a route search result.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of point information search around the current position.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a route re-search.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a screen transition of route re-search.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a screen transition of route re-search.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a setting screen of the navigation terminal.

FIG. 30 is a server-side processing flow chart of a route search.

FIG. 31 is a processing flowchart when a map is requested.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition at the time of a map request.

FIG. 33 is a processing flowchart when updating a map.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition at the time of map update.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a URL at the time of a map request.

FIG. 36 is a processing flowchart when a map is cut out by the navigation server.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing a map data file format.

FIG. 38 is a diagram showing an update notification screen when the map of the navigation server is updated.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a setting screen for automatic map download.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing a map download range setting screen.

FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a setting screen for a map download type.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart of transferring a traveling locus of a host vehicle to a center when a route is requested.

[Explanation of symbols]

101: satellite, 102: user vehicle, 103: mobile communication network, 104: provider, 105: broadcaster, 10
6 IP network, 107 navigation information providing device (navi server), 108 fixed telephone network, 109 home of user, 1
10 personal computer, 111 user management navigation server, 112 POI management navigation server, 113 registered location navigation server, 114 map management navigation server, 11
5: CGI, 116: route search navigation server, 117: user information registration / editing application, 118: user management database, 119: POI search, 120: PO
I, 124: map segmentation, 125: map database, 126: option information database, 127: route search engine, 128: option information setting / changing application, 129: guide point creation application, 130: display device, 131: GPS receiver , 132
... Terminal body, 133 ... Memory card slot, 134 ...
Mobile phone, 135 remote control, 136 GPS satellite, 1
37 microphone, 141 CPU, 142 remote control driver, 143 RS-232C driver, 144 mobile phone driver, 146 flash memory, 147 D
RAM, 148 ... graphics processor, 149 ...
Graphics memory, 150 ... NTSC encoder,
200: application layer, 201: shared OBJ layer, 202: tool layer, 203: middle layer, 204: driver layer, 20
5 ... device layer, 26 ... charge calculation unit, 1000 ...
Map display screen, 1001 ... Download confirmation dialog display screen, 1002 ... Communication screen, 1003 ... Download end confirmation dialog display screen, 1004 ... Wide area map display screen, 1005 ... Map display screen, 1101 ... Map update confirmation dialog display screen, 1103 ... Download complete dialog, 1104 ... Latest map display screen, 11
05: map request URL, 1200: map mesh position information, 1201: map mesh data management information, 1202
… Map mesh data, 1300… Map update notification screen,
1301 Map update, 1401 Map automatic download setting screen, 1402 Map download range setting screen, 1403 Map download type setting screen, 3100 Guide route, 3101 Guide point arrow display, 3102 Guide point 1 3103: Guidance point 2, 3104: Display of own vehicle position.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kozo Nakamura 7-1-1, Omikacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi 1-1, Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Research Laboratories, Ltd. (72) Inventor Takaharu Ishida 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeru Matsuo, Ibaraki 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ltd.Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Kimikichi Machii 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan Person Katsuaki Tanaka 1-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture F-term in Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C032 HB25 HC08 HC21 2F029 AA02 AB05 AB07 AC02 AC08 AC09 AC18 AC20 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 BB12 BB15 CC12 EE02 EE10 FF05 FF10 FF12 FF13 FF15 FF22 FF24 FF25 FF27 FF33

Claims (54)

[Claims] 1. A position measuring means for measuring the position of a terminal device, a destination setting means for setting destination information, a communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from an information center, and a route for guiding a route to the destination. A communication type car navigation device comprising: a guidance unit; and the communication unit transmits the current position information and the destination information obtained by the position measurement unit to the information center, and transmits the information to the destination transmitted from the information center. The communication type navigation device receives the route information and the guidance point information of the above, and the route guidance means executes the guidance to the destination using the received route information and the guidance point information. 2. The communication type navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a guidance system type designation unit for designating a guidance system type used for guidance in route guidance, wherein said communication unit is obtained by a position measurement unit. Location information,
Sending the destination information and the guidance system type to the information center, receiving the route information to the destination transmitted from the information center, and the guidance point information configured with the specified guidance system type, The communication navigation device, wherein the route guidance unit performs guidance to a destination using the received route information and guidance point information configured by the designated guidance method type. 3. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, route information calculating means for calculating route information by calculating an optimum route from position information of a departure point and a destination, and changing a route by referring to the calculated route. A guidance point information calculation means for extracting guidance points to be performed and generating guidance point information, wherein the guidance point information calculation means determines a guidance method type according to a road configuration of the guidance point, and An information center, which generates guidance point information composed of determined guidance system types. 4. The information center according to claim 3, wherein the guidance point information calculating means determines a guidance system type according to the complexity of the road at the guidance point, and provides guidance based on the determined guidance system type. An information center for generating point information. 5. The information center according to claim 3, wherein the guidance point information calculating means determines a guidance method type according to a type of a road connected to the guidance point, and determines the guidance method type based on the determined guidance method type. An information center characterized by generating configured guidance point information. 6. The information center according to claim 3, wherein the information center manages a user to be connected, a guidance method type storage means for storing a guidance method type for each user, and a guidance method type storage means. Guidance method type setting means for setting, wherein the guidance point information calculation means refers to the guidance method type stored in the guidance method type storage means and generates guidance point information constituted by the referred guidance method type. An information center characterized by: 7. The information center according to claim 3, wherein the guidance point information calculation means is configured to superimpose a guidance direction as a guidance method type on a map near the guidance point and to display the guidance direction in an overlapping manner. An information center, wherein, when a figure is selected, a guidance point map is generated by extracting a map of a predetermined range including the guidance point as guidance point information. 8. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the route guidance means selects an intersection enlarged view in which a guidance direction is superimposed and displayed on a map near a guidance point as a guidance method type. A communication point navigation apparatus for generating a guidance point map by extracting a map of a predetermined range including the guidance point from position information of the guidance point. 9. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 8, wherein it is determined whether or not a map of a predetermined range including the guidance point has been updated from the position information of the guidance point, and if it is determined that the map has been updated, A communication type navigation apparatus for transmitting a request for generating an enlarged view of an intersection at a guidance point to the information center. 10. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the route guidance means selects an intersection enlarged view in which a guidance direction is superimposed and displayed on a map near a guidance point as a guidance method type. And a map confirming means for determining whether map information necessary for creating an enlarged view of the intersection at the position of the guidance point is stored. 11. The communication type navigation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said route guidance means stores map information necessary for said map confirmation means to create an enlarged view of an intersection at the position of a guidance point. When a determination is made, a guide map is generated by extracting a map of a predetermined range including the guide point from the position information of the guide point, and when it is determined that the map is not stored, a guide map indicating the guide direction is generated. Characteristic communication type navigation device. 12. The communication type navigation device according to claim 10, wherein said route guidance means does not store map information necessary for said map confirmation means to create an enlarged view of an intersection at the position of a guidance point. And transmitting a request to generate an enlarged view of the intersection at the guidance point to the information center. 13. The communication type navigation device according to claim 10, wherein said route guidance means does not store map information necessary for said map confirmation means to create an enlarged view of an intersection at the position of a guidance point. And transmitting a request for generating map information including the guide point to the information center. 14. A position measuring means for measuring the position of the terminal device, a destination setting means for setting destination information, a communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from an information center, and a route for guiding a route to the destination. In a communication type car navigation device including a guidance unit and a traveling state monitoring unit that monitors a traveling state of a vehicle, the communication unit transmits current position information and destination information obtained by a position measurement unit to the information center. The route information to the destination and the guidance point information transmitted from the information center to the destination, and the route guidance means uses the received route information and the position information measured by the position measurement means, Means for determining whether the vehicle has deviated from the route, and, when it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the route, an information center for calculating a route to the destination according to the traveling state detected by the traveling state monitoring means Communication type navigation apparatus characterized by comprising means for determining whether to request to. 15. The communication navigation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said route guidance means determines whether or not the terminal itself has deviated from the route based on the received route information and the position information measured by the position measurement means. Means for judging whether the own terminal is traveling when it is determined that the terminal is off, and prohibiting requesting the information center for a route calculation to the destination when traveling. Communication type navigation device. 16. The communication navigation device according to claim 15, wherein the route guidance means determines that the vehicle has stopped from running and requests the information center to calculate a route to the destination. And a means for confirming to a user. 17. The communication navigation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said route guidance means automatically requests a route calculation to a destination from an information center when the terminal deviates from the route, A communication type navigation device, comprising: a mode for requesting a route calculation to a destination from an information center or confirming with a user when the terminal deviates from the route. 18. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 14, further comprising: means for outputting a voice; and means for recognizing the voice, wherein the route guidance means is provided when the terminal deviates from the route. It is determined whether to request the route calculation to the information center from the information center or speak to the user by voice, recognize the user's instruction by the voice recognition unit, and request the information center to calculate the route to the destination from the recognition result. A communication type navigation device characterized by the above-mentioned. 19. The communication type navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising: trajectory storage means for storing trajectory information of a position measured by the own terminal device, wherein said communication means is obtained by a position measurement means. Location information,
A communication type navigation device, wherein destination information and trajectory information immediately before the terminal are transmitted to the information center, and route information and guidance point information to the destination transmitted from the information center are received. 20. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, route information calculating means for generating route information by calculating an optimum route from position information of a departure point and a destination, and changing a route by referring to the calculated route. A guidance point information calculating means for extracting guidance points to be provided and generating guidance point information, wherein the route information calculation means comprises: locus information of the position of the requester received by the communication means; and road map information. Information on the road on which the requester is located and the direction of travel, and calculating the optimum route from the position information of the destination obtained by the communication means, thereby generating route information. . 21. The information center according to claim 20, further comprising: means for storing trajectory information of a position for each requester received by a communication means, wherein said route information calculating means comprises: Analyzing the frequency of the roads to be used from the trajectory information, and lowering the cost parameter of the frequently used roads when calculating the route information, to preferentially generate the frequently used roads as the route information. Information center characterized by: 22. A communication type navigation apparatus comprising: a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data; a storage unit for storing the received data; and a map display unit for displaying a map, wherein the communication unit is located at an information center. Sending out a map request designating the information and the scale information, and the storage means stores the map data sent from the information center,
The communication type navigation device, wherein the map display means displays the stored map. 23. The communication type navigation device according to claim 22, further comprising: a map requesting unit for requesting map information to an information center; and a traveling state determining unit for identifying a traveling state of the vehicle. The communication type navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the requesting means determines whether to transmit a map request in accordance with the traveling state of the vehicle acquired by the traveling state determination means. 24. The communication navigation device according to claim 23, wherein said map requesting means determines whether or not the running state of the vehicle acquired by said running state determining means of said vehicle is running. Is a communication type navigation device characterized in that a map request is prohibited. 25. A communication navigation apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said map request means determines whether to make a map request when the running state of the vehicle is stopped. . 26. The communication type navigation device according to claim 24, wherein the map display means stores a map necessary for displaying a map of the same scale around the current position while the vehicle is running. A communication-type navigation device for displaying a wide-area map stored in a storage means when not stored in the means. 27. The communication type navigation device according to claim 22, wherein said communication means is an update date and time of map information recorded in said storage means, and said map information is recorded in an information center. A communication-type navigation device that compares update dates and time to monitor whether map information has been updated. 28. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 27, wherein the update date and time of the map of the information center is compared with the update date and time of the stored map, and when it is determined that the map of the information center has been updated, the screen or sound is displayed. A communication-type navigation device for notifying a map update by using: 29. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 28, wherein when the map of the information center is updated, the difference information of the updated map is received, and the map information and the difference information stored in the storage unit are received. A communication-type navigation device for updating map information. 30. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 22, wherein the map display means stores the map acquired by the communication means, and stores the map when predetermined map information is requested. A communication-type navigation device which determines whether map information is stored, reads out the map information from the storage means if it is stored, and requests a map from an information center if it is not stored. 31. The communication navigation device according to claim 30, wherein said storage means determines whether there is a storage area for storing said received map, and refers to said storage area if it is determined that said storage area is insufficient. A communication-type navigation device that deletes a map in chronological order and stores the received map information. 32. An information center having communication means for transmitting and receiving data, map storage means for storing a map, and map cutout means for cutting out map data from position information and scale information. An information center for managing and storing an identification number, the cut-out map area, and update information of the map information. 33. The information center according to claim 32, wherein when the map of the information center is updated, an identification number of a user who transmitted the map of the updated map area is searched.
An information center for notifying the user of a map update of the information center. 34. The information center according to claim 33, wherein, when an updated map is distributed, difference information of the map is distributed. 35. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, route information calculating means for generating route information by calculating an optimum route from position information of a departure point and a destination, and changing a route by referring to the calculated route. A guidance point information calculating means for extracting guidance points to be performed and generating guidance point information, and determining that route guidance information is requested by the communication means.
In addition to the guide point information and the route information, route guide data is created by adding link information for referring to the route information from the guide point information, and the communication means sends the route guide data to a request source. Information center to be. 36. The information center according to claim 35, wherein the route information searches for an optimal route from the position information of the departure point and the destination, and arranges a required number of latitudes and longitudes of points as route search data. An information center characterized by converting data into data. 37. The information center according to claim 35, wherein the route information searches for an optimal route from the position information of the departure point and the destination, and calculates the difference from the latitude and longitude of the preceding and succeeding points as route search data. An information center that calculates the difference data and converts the difference data into required data. 38. The information center according to claim 36, wherein said route information has means for selecting a route of a predetermined road type, and a required number of route data of said selected road type are arranged. An information center that converts data into data. 39. The information center according to claim 35, wherein the route information searches for an optimal route from the position information of the departure point and the destination, and is unique for each road connecting two intersections as route search data. An information center for converting link data with a unique ID into required data. 40. The information center according to claim 35, wherein the guidance point information is guidance point map data obtained by extracting a map of a predetermined range including the guidance point, and a guidance arrow indicating a direction of a road to enter at the guidance point. An information generating means for generating any one of data, guidance voice data for guiding a road to be entered at a guidance point by voice, or a combination thereof. 41. The information center according to claim 40, wherein the guidance point information calculating means identifies a road type approaching the guidance point in generating the guidance point map data, and according to the determined road type. An information center for determining an area in which to generate guidance point map data. 42. The information center according to claim 40, wherein the guidance point information calculating means is configured to calculate position information of the guidance point, a road type of a road entering and leaving the guidance point, and an angle formed by the entry road and the exit road. An information center characterized by generating guidance arrow data to be constituted. 43. The information center according to claim 40, wherein said guidance point information calculating means generates guidance voice data composed of guidance point position information and voice guide data. 44. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, route information calculating means for generating route information by calculating an optimum route from position information of a departure point and a destination, and changing a route by referring to the calculated route. And a guidance point information calculating means for generating guidance point information, determining that route guidance information has been requested, and determining an optimal location from the departure point and destination location information. It is characterized by searching for a route, sending route information converted into schematic shape data to a request source, and sending route guidance information comprising guide point information and route information when further detailed route information is requested. Information center to do. 45. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, route information calculating means for generating route information by calculating an optimum route from position information of a departure point and a destination, and changing a route by referring to the calculated route. A guidance point information calculating means for extracting guidance points to be provided and generating guidance point information; a route history storage means for storing route information and guidance information requested in the past for each user; The route information calculated from the transmitted departure point and destination is extracted from a route different from the route information recorded in the route history storage means, and the extracted information route and corresponding guidance point information are transmitted. Information center to do. 46. The information center according to claim 45, wherein it is determined whether a re-search for the route has been requested, and when the re-search is determined, a route having a different search result from the first search result is extracted. An information center for transmitting the extracted route information and corresponding guidance point information. 47. The information center according to claim 45, wherein it is determined whether or not a return route search has been requested, and if the return route search is determined, a route having different outbound and return route search results is extracted; An information center for transmitting the extracted return route information and corresponding guidance point information. 48. An information center having communication means for transmitting and receiving data, means for storing a map database, and map extracting means for extracting map data of a predetermined area including the position from position information and scale information. An information center, further comprising means for extracting and editing map information of a predetermined attribute according to the purpose of use of the map. 49. The information center according to claim 48, wherein the map extracting means generates a road shape as a means for extracting and editing map information of a predetermined attribute, and generates a connection relationship between the road shape and the road. An information center comprising: 50. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when route guidance information to the destination is requested, communication is required based on a positional relationship between the current position information and the destination information obtained by the position measuring means. A communication-type navigation device which calculates an expected data size and outputs a result of calculating a communication fee required for communication from the data size in the form of voice or image. 51. The communication-type navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said communication means sends current location information and destination information obtained by position measurement means to said information center, and said information center sends said information and destination information. A communication-type navigation device that receives a data size of route information to a destination and guidance point information, calculates a communication fee required for communication from the received data size, and outputs the communication fee as a voice or an image. 52. The communication type navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said communication means sends current position information and destination information measured by position measurement means to said information center, and measures an amount of data to be sent. Receives route information to the destination and guidance point information transmitted from the center and measures the amount of received data, and outputs the communication fee required for communication from the measured transmitted data amount and received data amount in voice or image. Communication type navigation device characterized by the following. 53. The communication navigation apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said communication means sends a map request for a predetermined area including a predetermined point to said information center, and determines a data size of the map sent from said information center. A communication-type navigation device which receives, calculates a communication fee required for communication from the received data size, and outputs the calculated communication fee as voice or image. 54. The communication type navigation device according to claim 22, wherein said communication means sends a map request for a predetermined area including a predetermined point to said information center, measures a transmission data amount, and sends the map request from said information center. A communication type navigation device, which receives received map information, measures the amount of received data, and outputs a communication fee required for communication from the measured amount of transmitted data and received data in the form of voice or image.