JP2012008969A - System for automatically contributing content and including on-vehicle device working with mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable use of a contribution service in a vehicle.SOLUTION: A system, including an on-vehicle device connected to a display device and having a communication means to communicate with a mobile device provided with an information processing function, reads a profile information to specify at least one of properties of a contribution site and a contributor who contributes by a mobile device, in response to an access of the mobile device to a predetermined contribution site on a network. The system obtains information on a traveling state of a vehicle by the on-vehicle device. The system creates a content to be contributed based on the profile information and the information on the traveling state of the vehicle. The system sends the content to a server providing the contribution site by the mobile device so as to reflect the created content onto the contribution site. The system displays the content on the distribution site received via the mobile device from the server onto the display device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a system including an in-vehicle device operable in cooperation with a portable device, and more specifically to a system for automatically posting content using the in-vehicle device.

  Conventionally, in order to cope with a situation where a user cannot create and send an email, a system for automatically creating and sending an email has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a mobile communication terminal that performs automatic transmission of mail at a predetermined position. In this case, the type of the moving means of the holder of the mobile communication terminal is determined based on the history of the position information, a mail corresponding to the type of the moving means is generated, and the mail is automatically transmitted.

  Patent Document 2 below describes a mobile communication device that automatically transmits a reply e-mail including movement information such as the current position and destination in response to an inquiry e-mail. The mobile communication device is provided with position information acquisition means such as a GPS receiver. A reply determination rule for determining whether automatic reply is possible and a reply content rule for defining the content of the reply electronic mail are registered in advance. The received electronic mail is compared with the reply determination rule to determine whether or not the reply is possible, and a reply electronic mail including movement information is automatically created and transmitted according to the reply content rule.

JP 2006-243949 A JP 2003-308278 A

  Recently, two-way and many-to-many communication has been oriented. As a result, not only electronic mail but also posting services such as blogs, chats, bulletin boards, SNS (social networking service), and Twitter (Twitter) have started to spread in the Internet environment. There is a high user need to use these posting services even in the car. For example, when a user of a mobile device gets on a vehicle, there is a demand for continuously using the posting service used in the mobile device even in the vehicle.

  However, it is assumed that content posted by a user via the posting service is usually created by a personal computer or a portable device having a keyboard or an input unit similar to the keyboard. It is not easy to use such a posting service in a special car environment.

  Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to automatically create content using an in-vehicle device that can operate in cooperation with a portable device, and a user in the vehicle can provide a posting service even when the vehicle is running. It is to provide a method that can be used safely and comfortably.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables content transmitted from a vehicle to be used as navigation information or widely shared among a plurality of vehicles. .

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a system including an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and is connected to a display device and has a communication unit that communicates with a mobile device having a communication function and an information processing function. Means for reading profile information that defines at least one of the characteristics of the posting site and the characteristics of the poster who makes a post by the mobile device in response to accessing a predetermined posting site on the network; and Means for acquiring information relating to the running state of the vehicle, means for creating content to be posted based on the profile information and the obtained information on the running state, and the created content is reflected on the posting site. As described above, the mobile device sends the content to a server that provides the posting site. And means for signal, the content on the contribution site received via the portable device from the server, display means for displaying on said display device.

According to the present invention, content is automatically created from the posting site and / or profile information that defines the characteristics of the poster and the running state of the vehicle, and the content is posted to the posting site. Content can be displayed on an on-vehicle display device. For example, it is possible to automatically generate content such as “the traffic jam is near XX”, post it on the posting site, and browse it. Therefore, it is possible to use posting and browsing to a posting site even in a vehicle. Also, by using profile information, it is possible to create content that satisfies restrictions unique to the posting site and features unique to the poster.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the profile information is automatically created in response to the mobile device accessing the predetermined posting site. The profile information created in this way can be used for content creation. Further, according to an embodiment, the profile information includes, as the characteristics of the posting site, information related to restrictions on posting content on the posting site, and as the characteristics of the poster, the expression of the content by the poster Contains information about the method.

  Depending on the type of posting site, there are restrictions on the number of characters of the posted content, for example. Also, depending on the contributor, the expression method varies depending on, for example, whether the writing style is a regular style or a style using a respected style. According to the present invention, since such a restriction and expression method is defined as profile information, content satisfying the characteristics of the posting site and the poster can be automatically created.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, the information on the running state is at least one of an output from a predetermined sensor mounted on the vehicle and information output by a navigation means mounted on the vehicle or portable device. Obtained from one side.

  Various sensors can be mounted on the vehicle, and it is possible to determine the running state of the vehicle based on the outputs of these sensors. Therefore, according to the present invention, content based on the running state can be automatically created and posted. For example, if a raindrop is detected by a raindrop sensor, it is possible to automatically generate and post content indicating that it has rained.

  The navigation function includes information such as the current position of the vehicle, the destination, and the travel route. Therefore, according to the present invention, based on such information, for example, content relating to where the vehicle is currently traveling can be automatically created and posted.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided means for extracting content that can be used as navigation information from content posted on the posting site and sending it to the navigation means.

  The posting site posts content from various contributors, which may include information useful for vehicle navigation. According to the present invention, such information can be automatically extracted and used for navigation. Thereby, the passenger | crew of a vehicle can acquire the information regarding traffic, the weather, etc. in real time.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, the navigation means displays the navigation information generated based on the extracted content on a display device connected to the navigation means and passes through a predetermined server. To other vehicles.

  According to this invention, navigation information based on content extracted from a posting site can be displayed on a display device of a vehicle or a portable device, or distributed to other vehicles. Therefore, navigation information related to traffic and weather can be shared between vehicles as in a conventional probe system.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows.

The figure which shows the one form of the vehicle-mounted processing system with which the portable apparatus and the vehicle-mounted apparatus were connected according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows the one form of installation of the portable apparatus in the vehicle according to one Example of this invention. The functional block diagram of the portable apparatus and vehicle equipment in the form which operates a portable apparatus and vehicle equipment according to one Example of this invention in cooperation. The functional block diagram of the portable apparatus and vehicle equipment in the form which produces and submits content according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows the data example of (a) profile information and (b) template file according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows an example of contribution conditions and the related data according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the format of contribution data according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the content of the posting site displayed on the display apparatus of vehicle equipment according to one Example of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the method of extracting a predetermined content from the contribution site according to one Example of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the display of the navigation information produced | generated based on the extracted information according to one Example of this invention. The flowchart of the process which produces and submits | posts the content to a contribution site according to one Example of this invention. The flowchart of the process which extracts predetermined content from the contribution site according to one Example of this invention. 2 is a flowchart of a process for generating navigation information according to one embodiment of the present invention. The functional block diagram of the portable apparatus and in-vehicle apparatus in the form which produces and submits content according to the other Example of this invention.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a schematic configuration as a premise of an in-vehicle processing system including an in-vehicle device capable of cooperating with a portable device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The mobile device 10 is a portable terminal such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a smartphone that has an information processing function and a communication function. In this embodiment, a mobile phone will be described as an example.

  The mobile phone 10 includes a display (display screen) 11 that displays data, a speaker 12 that outputs sound and sound (hereinafter simply referred to as “speech”), and keys (buttons) provided in the mobile phone 10. An input operation unit 13 for a user to input some data (signal) to the mobile phone 10 is provided.

  The mobile phone 10 has not only a conventional voice call function but also an information processing function as a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory, which are shown as a processing unit 14 and a storage unit 15 in the figure, respectively. ing. For example, the program stored in the storage unit 15 is executed by the processing unit 14 in accordance with a signal input by the input operation unit 13, the information processing result is displayed on the display 11, and / or the speaker 12. The sound is output via

  The mobile phone 10 has a communication function, and is shown as a communication unit 16 and an in-vehicle communication unit 17 in the figure. The communication unit 16 has a function of connecting to an external network via an antenna and transmitting and receiving signals for voice call and data communication. In the figure, the Internet is shown as the external network 31, and the communication unit 16 can connect to the external web server 32 via the Internet 31 and perform data communication with the web server 32.

  The in-vehicle communication unit 17 is connected to the in-vehicle communication unit 27 of the in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the vehicle via the external connection terminal 18 and has a function of transmitting and receiving signals for data communication with the in-vehicle device 20. ing.

  The in-vehicle device 20 includes a display device 21 having a display screen for displaying data, a speaker 22 for outputting sound and sound, a touch panel (touch panel display) configured on the display screen, and a predetermined device provided in the in-vehicle device 20. An input operation unit 23 is provided for the user to input some data (signal) to the in-vehicle device via the key. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the touch panel display 35 and an input operation unit 23 such as keys and buttons are incorporated in the dashboard 36 of the vehicle so that the driver can visually recognize and operate the display device 21. Can be installed. Note that the input operation unit 23 can include a steering switch and a microphone (both not shown) so that data can be input through the operation of the steering switch, or voice data is input through the microphone. You may be able to do it.

  The in-vehicle device 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and an electronic control unit (ECU) that is a computer having a memory, and these are shown as a processing unit 24 and a storage unit 25 in the drawing. For example, the program stored in the storage unit 25 is executed by the processing unit 24 in accordance with a signal input by the input operation unit 23, the result of the information processing is displayed on the display device 21, and / or a speaker. The sound is output via the terminal 22.

  Corresponding to the in-vehicle communication unit 17 and the external connection terminal 18 provided in the mobile phone 10, the in-vehicle device 20 is provided with an in-vehicle communication unit 27 and an external connection terminal 28. By connecting the external connection terminal 18 and the external connection terminal 28 to each other, the in-vehicle communication unit 17 of the mobile phone 10 and the in-vehicle communication unit 27 of the in-vehicle device 20 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other according to a predetermined protocol. .

  For example, the in-vehicle communication units 17 and 27 can communicate with each other by connecting the external connection terminal 18 of the mobile phone 10 and the external connection terminal 28 of the in-vehicle device 20 by USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a predetermined insertion port 37 is provided in the dashboard 36 of the vehicle, and an external connection terminal 28 is provided at the bottom of the insertion port 37. By installing the mobile phone 10 in the insertion port 37, the external connection terminals 18 and 28 are connected to each other, whereby the mobile phone 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 become communicable. Thus, the mobile phone 10 can be integrated into the in-vehicle processing system so that it can operate in cooperation with the in-vehicle device 20.

  Alternatively, the mobile phone 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 may be connected via predetermined wireless communication such as Bluetooth. For the screen output of the mobile phone 10, wired communication such as composite or HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) may be used in addition to the wireless communication.

  Various sensors 29 for detecting the running state of the vehicle are connected to the in-vehicle device 20. The running state can include not only the running state of the vehicle itself such as the speed of the vehicle, the operation of the accelerator pedal, and the operation of the brake pedal, but also the surrounding state of the vehicle such as rainfall, outside temperature, and illuminance. The various sensors can include any suitable sensor, as described below.

  In one embodiment, the navigation device 30 is mounted on the vehicle. In this case, the display device 21 may be a display device installed for the navigation device 30. The navigation device 30 is realized by a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory. The navigation device 30 receives, for example, a GPS signal for measuring the position of the vehicle using an artificial satellite via a communication device (not shown) provided in the navigation device 30, and based on the GPS signal. The current position of the vehicle is detected. The navigation device 30 superimposes an image indicating the current position on map information around the vehicle and displays it on the display device 21. Further, the occupant can input the destination to the navigation device 30 via the touch panel of the display device 21 or via another input operation unit 23 such as a key or a button. The navigation device 30 can calculate the optimum route of the vehicle to the destination using the map information, and can display an image showing the optimum route on the display device 21 by superimposing the image on the map information.

  A speaker 22 is connected to the navigation device 30, and when necessary, for example, when performing route guidance such as a pause or an intersection, not only the display on the display device 21 but also the sound via the speaker 22. Or the passenger can be notified by voice.

  In one embodiment, the navigation device 30 includes a communication device (not shown) for connecting to an external network such as the Internet 31 and provides various services related to navigation via the network. It can be configured to be connectable to a predetermined navigation server 33. In this case, the map information may be stored in the storage device of the navigation device 30 or may be stored in the navigation server 33. When the map information stored in the navigation server 33 is used, the navigation device 30 appropriately connects to the navigation server 33 to acquire map data around the current position of the vehicle, and displays this on the display device 21. To do. Further, the calculation of the optimum route may be performed by the navigation server 33. In this case, the navigation device 30 may transmit the input destination data to the navigation server 33, and then receive the optimal route data calculated by the navigation server 33 and display it on the display device 21. it can.

  Further, the navigation device 30 receives from the navigation server 33 information related to traffic such as traffic jams, accidents, and information on suspension, and various information related to the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle (for example, information on facilities and sightseeing). Can be displayed on the display device 21 or outputted through the speaker 22. There are various recent navigation functions, and in this embodiment, any appropriate navigation device can be used.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing unit 14 of the mobile phone 10 and a processing unit of the in-vehicle device 10 in order to explain a basic communication form realized by the system including the in-vehicle device 20 linked to the mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. 24 is a functional block. These functions are executed by the CPU. Also, memories 115 and 211 used for data processing are shown, and these are realized in the storage units 15 and 25, respectively. The external connection terminals 18 and 28 are omitted.

  Various applications (applications) are mounted on the mobile phone 10. For example, when executing a desired application in response to some input operation by the user, the application execution unit 111 reads a corresponding program from, for example, a nonvolatile memory (not shown) of the storage unit 15 or obtains it from an external network. Execute by doing. As a result of processing by the program, display screen data and / or audio data to be output is generated.

  A display screen typically includes content such as text (characters) and images, and GUI (graphical user interface) parts such as windows, dialog boxes, taskbars, buttons, check boxes, and text fields. . By designating desired text data in the program (the text data itself may be described or a file of the text data may be described), the text data can be drawn. The same applies to image data (for example, image data such as JPEG). Various GUI parts are provided as a library in advance by the OS (operating system) mounted on the mobile phone 10 and stored in the storage unit 15, for example, and a desired GUI part is designated in the program. The GUI part can be drawn. For example, in a Java program, a Button class can be drawn by defining a Button class in the program. Furthermore, the audio data can be reproduced by designating the audio data file in the program.

  When the application execution unit 111 executes the program, if there is an instruction to draw specified text and image data in the program, the application execution unit 111 outputs the drawing instruction to the display control unit 113. In response to this command, the display control unit 113 acquires the specified text and image data via, for example, the storage unit 15 or an external network, and obtains the data from the display screen memory 115 such as a VRAM. Output (draw). In addition, when the application execution unit 111 executes the program, if there is a GUI component specified in the program, the application execution unit 111 outputs the drawing command to the display control unit 113. In response to this, the display control unit 113 reads the designated GUI component from the storage unit 15 and outputs (draws) it to the memory 115. Furthermore, when the application execution unit 111 executes the program, if there is audio data designated in the program, the application execution unit 111 outputs a playback instruction for the audio data to the audio control unit 114. The voice control unit 114 acquires a designated voice data file via, for example, the storage unit 15 or an external network.

  The transmission / reception control unit 117 is provided for the application of the mobile phone 10 so as to serve as a driver of a device called the in-vehicle device 20, and its function can be realized by a software program. More specifically, the transmission / reception control unit 117 generates bitmap data (referred to as screen data) having the same resolution as the screen resolution of the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 from the data for one screen stored in the memory 115. The audio data file obtained by the audio control unit 114 is received from the memory 115, and the screen data and audio data file are transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 via the in-vehicle communication unit 17.

  Preferably, the transmission / reception control unit 117 acquires attribute information about the screen data (display screen) from the display control unit 113 and transmits this to the in-vehicle device 20 via the in-vehicle communication unit 17 together with the screen data. The attribute information is information used by the output control unit 213 to be described later when screen data is output to the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20. The attribute information can include, for example, the type of application (program), the number and type of requested input operations, the number of display items, the color of display items, the number of characters to be displayed, and the like. As described above, the display control unit 113 outputs the contents and GUI components constituting the display screen to the memory 115 in accordance with the drawing command output by executing the program. The attribute information can be acquired based on information from the display control unit 113.

  In this way, the screen data, the attribute information thereof, and the audio data are transmitted from the transmission / reception control unit 117 to the in-vehicle device 20 via the in-vehicle communication unit 17. The in-vehicle communication unit 27 of the in-vehicle device 20 receives these, temporarily stores the screen data and audio data in the memory 211, and passes the attribute information to the output control unit 213.

  The output control unit 213 controls the output mode of the received screen data and audio data to the display device 21 and the speaker 22 based on the received attribute information and the running state of the vehicle detected by the sensor 29. This control can be performed from the viewpoint of safety, for example. For example, based on the attribute information, the output control unit 213 determines whether the received screen data satisfies a predetermined condition determined from the viewpoint of safety. If the predetermined condition is satisfied, the received screen data is output to the display device 21 as it is without being processed. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the received screen data is processed to the extent that the predetermined condition is satisfied, and the processed screen data is output on the display device 21. When it is determined that the processing cannot be performed to such an extent that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the output of the screen data on the display device 21 is prohibited.

  In addition, the output control unit 213 determines whether the audio output satisfies the predetermined condition. If the predetermined condition is satisfied, the received audio data is reproduced as it is and output via the speaker 22. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the output is delayed in time until the predetermined condition is satisfied. When it is determined that it is difficult to satisfy the predetermined condition, output of the audio data through the speaker 22 is prohibited.

  The predetermined conditions include, for example, (1) conditions based on the running state of the vehicle (vehicle speed obtained from the sensor 29, etc.), (2) conditions based on processing contents (application types, etc.) of the application (program), (3) Conditions based on display contents (number of items, color, etc.), (4) Conditions based on voice (timing of voice output, etc.) can be included. As described above, by providing the output control unit 213, the user in the vehicle can enjoy the service provided by the application of the mobile device with more peace of mind.

  The screen data displayed on the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 as described above may include a portion that requests an input operation such as key input or button selection. In this case, the user can perform an input operation via the input operation unit 23 such as a touch panel of the display device 21 or a predetermined key. A signal corresponding to the input operation is transmitted to the mobile phone 10 via the in-vehicle communication unit 27. The transmission / reception control unit 117 of the mobile phone 10 receives the signal via the in-vehicle communication unit 17, converts it into a signal in a form that can be interpreted by the application execution unit 111 if necessary, and passes it to the application execution unit 111. The application execution unit 111 performs processing according to the signal in accordance with the currently executing program. As a result, when a new display screen is output, the screen data is transmitted from the transmission / reception control unit 117 to the in-vehicle device 20 together with the attribute information through the processing described above.

  As described above, the application program is executed by the mobile phone 10, and the display screen and audio data generated as a result are output via the display device 21 and the speaker 22 of the in-vehicle device 20. At this time, the display screen and audio output to the display 11 and the speaker 12 of the mobile phone 10 can be prohibited. For example, the processing unit 14 of the mobile phone 10 detects that the in-vehicle device 20 is connected, and thereby gives a signal for prohibiting output to the display 11 and the speaker 12 to the display control unit 113 and the audio control unit 114. Can be output.

  In the above description, the data communication between the mobile device 10 and the in-vehicle device 20 has been described. However, the in-vehicle device 20 can also be used for the voice call function of the mobile device 10. For example, the mobile device 10 detects that it is connected to the in-vehicle device 20, and switches the input / output destination of audio data for performing a voice call to the in-vehicle device 20. When a voice call is connected to the outside by the portable device 10, the voice data received by the portable device 10 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 and output via the speaker 22, and the input operation unit 23 of the in-vehicle device 20. The voice data input through the microphone provided in is transmitted to the mobile phone 10 and transmitted to the outside. Thus, the vehicle occupant can make a voice call in a hands-free manner. Note that the voice call may also be controlled by the output control unit 213.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the mobile phone and the in-vehicle device constitute an integrated system and can communicate with each other. The present invention proposes a technique for using the communication form and making the posting site provided by the web server 32 to which the mobile phone 10 is connected via the Internet 31 available in the vehicle. . Specifically, a method for automatically creating content and posting it on a desired posting site is proposed. Furthermore, a method for extracting predetermined content from the posting site and using it for navigation is proposed. “Content” indicates information posted by the user on the posting site.

  A posting site is a site that uses a posting service provided by a service provider. When a user performs a predetermined posting operation on desired content, the content can be viewed by other users on the site. Can be displayed. Examples of such posting service include blog, chat, bulletin board, SNS (social networking service), Twitter (Twitter), and the like, and the present invention can be applied to any posting site.

  4 shows a content posting system using the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 30 is represented by a functional block. The same blocks as those in FIGS. 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Note that the transmission / reception control unit 117 serving as a driver described with reference to FIG. 3, here, is necessary data when communicating data related to posted content between the mobile phone 10 and the in-vehicle device 20. Perform format conversion, etc. The profile storage unit 61, the template storage unit 62, and the condition storage unit 63 are realized in the storage unit 25 of the in-vehicle device 20.

  The posting site access unit 41 of the mobile phone 10 can be set to a desired posting site via the Internet 31 (omitted in FIG. 4) realized by the application execution unit 111 of FIG. 3 starting a predetermined program. This is a block representation of the function of accessing and acquiring the web page data of the site (including data constituting the web page, such as a markup document file). For example, in response to a user operation for requesting access to a desired posting site on the Internet 31 via the input operation unit 13 of the mobile phone 10 or the input operation unit 23 of the in-vehicle device 20, posting is performed. The site access unit 41 is connected to the Internet 31 via the communication unit 16 and accesses the web server 32 that provides the posting site. The web server 32 transmits the web page data of the posting site to the mobile phone 10 via the Internet 31. The posting site access unit 41 draws (stores) a web page in the memory 115 (omitted in FIG. 4) via the display control unit 113 based on the received data as described above with reference to FIG. Then, this is read by the transmission / reception control unit 117 as screen data and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20.

  The data receiving unit 51 of the in-vehicle device 20 receives the screen data via the in-vehicle communication unit 27 and displays it on the display device 21. Note that the output control unit 213 described above with reference to FIG. 3 may be provided between the data reception unit 51 and the display device 21. In this case, the attribute information as described above is received together with the screen data by the data receiving unit 51, and the output control unit 213 permits the display of the screen data on the display device 21 based on the attribute information. If it is determined whether or not to permit, the screen data is displayed on the display device 21. In this way, the web page of the desired posting site acquired via the mobile phone 10 can be displayed on the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20.

  Next, a method for automatically creating and posting content will be described. First, there are profile information, templates, and posting conditions as data used for content creation, which will be described.

  The profile information includes at least one of information defining the characteristics of the posting site and information defining the characteristics of the poster, that is, the user of the mobile phone 10.

  Depending on the type of posting site, certain restrictions may be imposed on the content to be posted. For example, the number of characters that can be posted at one time and the types of characters that can be posted may be limited. Such a restriction is usually determined in advance by a trader (service provider) that services the posting site. Therefore, such a restriction can be defined in advance in the profile information as information defining the characteristics of the posting site.

  In addition, there may be a difference in the method of expressing the content to be posted depending on the poster. For example, the style is often different depending on the gender and age of the poster. Also, the contributors, such as whether to use regular expressions (styles that are arranged with “da” or “is”) or honorific forms (styles that are arranged with “is” or “mas”), or so-called emoticons Depending on your preference. Therefore, the content expression method can be defined in advance in the profile information as information defining the characteristics of the poster.

  The profile information can be generated at any appropriate timing and by any appropriate technique. In one embodiment, the profile information is automatically created by the profile creation unit 52. For example, when the mobile phone 10 accesses the posting site, the profile creation unit 52 transmits a signal requesting the name of the service of the posting site and the account information of the poster to the mobile phone 10. In response, the mobile phone 10 can acquire the name and account information from the posting site and return them to the in-vehicle device 20. The profile creation unit 52 sets the above-described restriction corresponding to the posting site in the profile information based on the service name of the posting site, and the author's as described above based on the account information. Set the profile as profile information.

  For example, as described above, restrictions on posting are predetermined for each posting service. For example, in the posting service called Twitter, the number of characters that can be posted at one time is determined to be 140 or less, and the number of characters may be limited for the blog service by the provider of the service. Therefore, information related to the restriction can be stored in advance in the storage unit 25 of the in-vehicle device 20 for each posting service (type). Thereafter, if the name of the posting service received as described above is, for example, Twitter, the storage unit 25 is accessed, the restriction information corresponding to Twitter is read, and this is set as profile information.

  In addition, account (profile) information is set for posting services such as Twitter and blogs, and the name, sex, age, place of origin, etc. of the poster may be described here. Therefore, the contents of the account (profile) information received as described above are set in the profile information.

  In the above, the restriction information for each posting service is stored in the storage unit 25 in advance. However, when the mobile phone 10 accesses the posting site, the restriction information can be acquired via the mobile phone 10. In such a case, such information may not be stored in the storage unit 25 in advance.

  In addition to acquiring the account information as described above, or instead of acquiring the account information, the profile creation unit 52 acquires the content posted in the past on the posting site by the poster, You may acquire the characteristic regarding the expression method of the content by this contributor. For example, the profile creation unit 52 can acquire the content posted in the past by the poster by sending a signal requesting the poster's content to the web server 32 via the mobile phone 10. The profile creation unit 52 can check the style of the acquired content to determine whether the user is using a normal character or a respected character, and can determine whether an emoticon is used. The determined result can be set in the profile information.

  The profile information created in this way is stored in the profile storage unit 61. An example of the profile information is shown in FIG. In this example, there are a character restriction field and a character type field to define the characteristics of the posting site. In this example, the number of characters is limited to 140 characters, and the character type is limited to text. Further, there are name, age, gender, style, and emoticon fields for defining the poster characteristics. In this example, it is defined that A, 25 years old, female, normal, emoticon use. In this example, the gender and age are acquired from the account information, and the normal and emoticon use is determined from past posted content, and is defined as profile information. For example, values may be automatically set for the style and emoticon fields from the account information. For example, if a woman is under a predetermined age, the style can be made normal and emoticons can be used, and if a woman is over the predetermined age, the style can be respected and emoticons cannot be used.

  In this embodiment, the profile information is automatically created as described above. Alternatively, however, the profile information may be created through an input operation by the user, for example. In creating the profile information, template profile information prepared in advance may be used. The profile information once created may be changed by the user. For example, the profile information can be created or changed on the profile information creation or change screen, which may be performed on the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20 or on the display 11 of the mobile phone 10. You may make it carry out.

  When there are a plurality of posting sites to be accessed, the profile information can be created for each posting site.

  Next, a template defining a sentence example of content to be automatically posted will be described. Various templates are stored in the template storage unit 62 as template files. Although an arbitrary number of templates having desired contents can be created and stored in advance, the template file is preferably stored for each profile information. This is because the style and number of characters of each template (sentence example) differ depending on the contents of the profile information.

  In this embodiment, since the profile information is automatically created by the profile creation unit 52, when the profile information is created, the profile file is created by the profile creation unit 52 in accordance with the contents of the created profile information. Is associated with the profile information. For example, it is possible to store a template file that is determined to have a sentence example that most closely matches the contents of the created profile information among several template files prepared in advance in association with the profile information. Alternatively, the template file of the template can be modified to be a sentence example according to the contents of the created profile information, and the modified template file can be stored in association with the profile information.

  Thus, for example, for the profile information that the character limit is less than a predetermined number, the style is normal, and the emoticon is usable, the number of characters is less than the predetermined number for each template, and the normal and emoticon-use style One template file defined in (1) is associated.

  Here, referring to FIG. 5B, an example of a template file is shown, which is for the profile information of FIG. 5A. In this example, first to fourth templates are defined, and some templates include “variables”. As described later, data acquired by the information acquisition unit 53 is set in the variable.

  The user may be able to confirm in advance which template file is used. For example, the contents of the currently set template file for profile information can be shown to the user in response to some input operation from the user. The user may be able to change the style by referring to the contents of the template file.

  Next, conditions for posting content will be described. The conditions are set in advance and stored in the condition storage unit 63. Each condition is associated with a template that is the basis of content that is automatically posted when the condition is satisfied, a variable that is inserted into the template, and a parameter that is set in metadata (attribute information) described later. Specified.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the condition and related data, which corresponds to the template file of FIG. For example, the first condition is that a destination is set by the navigation device and traveling is started. A first template is associated with the first condition, which indicates that the first template is used when the first condition is satisfied. The variable of the first condition is a destination name. Therefore, when the first condition is satisfied, a destination name is acquired and set as a variable of the first template. Furthermore, the first condition is associated with a parameter called destina, which means that the parameter called destina is set in the metadata of the post data created when the first condition is satisfied. Show.

  Here, the meaning of each parameter will be described. A destination name is set in destina. In location, data of the current position of the vehicle (for example, expressed by latitude and longitude) is set. In arrive, ON is set when the destination is reached. In rain, ON is set when it is raining. jam is set to ON when there is traffic.

  Returning to FIG. 4, description will be made on how to create posted content using the above profile information, template file, and posting conditions.

  The information acquisition unit 53 periodically acquires the output of a predetermined sensor 29 mounted on the vehicle. As described above, the sensor 29 can include an arbitrary sensor for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle. For example, a wiper mounted on the vehicle operates to grasp the traveling state of the vehicle itself. A sensor for detecting whether or not the vehicle brake pedal is operated, a sensor for detecting whether or not the vehicle accelerator pedal is operated, and detecting whether or not the vehicle parking brake is operating. A sensor, a sensor for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the like can be included. Furthermore, in order to grasp the state of the surroundings of the vehicle, a raindrop sensor for detecting that it is raining, an outside air temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature around the vehicle, and an illuminance around the vehicle Illuminance sensors, etc. can be included.

  Further, the information acquisition unit 53 can periodically acquire predetermined information from the navigation device 30. In the figure, a function for transmitting the predetermined information is represented as an information transmission unit 71. The predetermined information can include any information, but in this embodiment, at least information on the current position of the vehicle is included. Further, as described above, if a destination is input, information regarding the destination can also be acquired as predetermined information.

  The condition determination unit 54 monitors the output from the sensor 29 and the information from the navigation device 30 that are periodically acquired by the information acquisition unit 53, and the output from the sensor 29 and the information from the navigation device 30 are the condition storage unit. If any of the conditions stored in 63 is satisfied, the posted data creation unit 55 is notified of the number of the satisfied condition, and the contents (data) of the variable defined in association with the condition and the parameter name are displayed. hand over. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, if the first condition is satisfied, the condition determining unit 54 notifies the posted data creating unit 55 that the first condition is satisfied, and also includes destination name data. And the corresponding parameter destina.

  In response, post data creation unit 55 creates post data. An example of the format of the posted data is shown in FIG. The post data has an ID field and a body field, and preferably a metadata field is added thereto.

  The ID field is a field for setting an identifier (ID) of a person who posts to the posting site. The body field is a field for setting the content. The metadata field is a field in which metadata is set as attribute information of the posted data.

  In this embodiment, predetermined vehicle information is embedded in the metadata, and an example of this format is shown in FIG. The vehicle information is indicated by “carinfo”. In the vehicle information carinfo, a plurality of parameters and their values (data) can be described. An example of the parameter name is shown in the parameter field of FIG.

  The posted data creation unit 55 sets data of the poster name defined in the profile information in the ID field of the posted data. Also, the posting data creation unit 55 reads the template file for profile information from the template storage unit 62, and reads a template corresponding to the condition from the template file. Furthermore, if there is a variable in the read template, the data received from the condition determination unit 54 is inserted into the variable to create content. The created content is set in the body field. Further, the posted data creation unit 55 sets corresponding data (value) in the parameter received from the condition determination unit 54 and sets it in the metadata field.

  In this embodiment, a template file is defined in advance for each profile information. However, if there is a plurality of profile information, one template file may be shared. In this case, the post data creation unit 55 can modify the content according to the contents of the profile information used this time after creating the content based on the template that matches the conditions.

  For example, if the template is defined in advance in a normal state and the honorable body is defined in the profile information, the created content (ordinary body) can be corrected to the honorable body. In this case, for example, the content “departure for XX!” Is corrected to “departure for XX!”. For example, if the number of characters specified in the profile information exceeds the number of characters specified by inserting data into a variable, a part of the content is deleted or divided into two contents, and each content is within the number of characters. Can be modified to be

  Post data creation unit 55 transmits the post data thus generated to mobile phone 10 via communication unit 27. The posting site access unit 41 of the mobile phone 10 transmits the received posting data to the web server 32 via the Internet 31. The web server 32 receives the posted data and reflects the content set in the body text field on the posting site with the poster name set in the ID field. In this way, the content is posted to the posting site with the name of the poster. The updated web page data of the posting site is transmitted to the mobile phone 10. This may be performed in response to a request from the mobile phone 10 or the in-vehicle device 20. The posting site access unit 41 transmits the received screen data of the updated web page to the in-vehicle device 20 via the communication unit 17. As described above, this is received by the data receiver 51 and displayed on the display device 21.

  Here, an example of specific content creation will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the profile information in FIG. 5A, the template file in FIG. 5B, and the posting conditions in FIG. 6 are used. Further, as the sensor 29, a raindrop sensor that detects rainfall, a sensor that detects the operation of the parking brake, and a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle are used. From the navigation device 30, it is assumed that the current position information of the vehicle is periodically acquired, and the destination information and the information that the vehicle has arrived at the destination are acquired.

  The figure shows a display example of a simple posting site (for example, Twitter) in which the number of characters that can be posted at a time is relatively small, and the contents 301 to 304 are automatically displayed by the posting data creation unit 55. The content is created and posted, and the poster name is “A”. The content 305 indicates content posted by the poster A manually (that is, not automatically posted). Other content is content posted by others.

  How the contents 301 to 304 are posted will be specifically described.

  In response to the access to the posting site via the mobile phone 10, the web page of the posting site is displayed on the display device 21 of the in-vehicle device 20. As described above, the profile creation unit 52 creates profile information based on the characteristics of the posting site and the characteristics of the poster, and stores the profile information in the profile storage unit 61.

  As described above, the information acquisition unit 53 acquires the output of the raindrop sensor, the vehicle speed sensor, the sensor that detects the operation of the parking brake, and the information from the navigation device 30 at predetermined time intervals.

  It is assumed that “Utsunomiya” is input as a destination name to the navigation device 30 in the vehicle, the parking brake is released, and the vehicle starts to travel. The information acquisition unit 53 acquires data indicating the destination name “Utsunomiya” and data indicating that the parking brake has been released. The condition determination unit 54 determines that the first condition set in the condition storage unit 63 is satisfied, notifies the posting data creation unit 55 to that effect, and corresponds to data “Utsunomiya” as the destination name. Pass the parameter destina.

  The posted data creation unit 55 reads a template file corresponding to the profile information stored in the profile storage unit 61 from the template storage unit 62, and also reads a first template corresponding to the first condition from the file. The data “Utsunomiya” received from the condition determination unit 54 is set in the variable of the first template to create content. Post data creation unit 55 sets the poster name of profile information in the ID field, and sets the created content in the text field. Further, the posting data creation unit 55 generates posting data by setting carinfo-> “destina = Utsunomiya” in the metadata field, and transmits this to the mobile phone 10.

  As described above, the posting data transmitted from the mobile phone 10 to the web server 32 is reflected on the posting site. The screen data of the web page of the updated posting site is sent to the in-vehicle device 20 via the mobile phone 10 and displayed on the display device 21. In this way, the content 301 is displayed on the display device 21.

  Thereafter, it is assumed that data indicating that a raindrop has been detected by the raindrop sensor is acquired by the information acquisition unit 53 together with the current position information of the vehicle. The condition determination unit 54 determines that the second condition set in the condition storage unit 63 is satisfied, notifies the posting data creation unit 55 of the fact, and indicates the current position information of the vehicle (for example, the longitude and latitude information). In this example, “xxxxN yyyyE”) and parameters location and rain are passed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, regarding the first condition, the variable “destination name” defined in the variable field and “destina” defined in the parameter field indicate the same thing, and therefore, the variable data ( For example, “Utsunomiya”) may be passed to the post data creation unit 55. However, with regard to the second condition, nothing is defined in the variable field, and “location” is defined in the parameter field. In this case, even if it is not defined as a variable, the condition determination unit 54 passes the parameter location data, that is, the current location information, to the posted data creation unit 55.

  The post data creation unit 55 creates content by reading the second template corresponding to the second condition from the template file. Post data creation unit 55 sets the poster name of profile information in the ID field, and sets the created content in the text field. Further, the posted data creation unit 55 sets the received current vehicle position information in the parameter location, and sets “ON” in the parameter rain. Thus, post data in which carinfo-> “location = xxxxN yyyyE”, “rain = ON” is set in the metadata field is generated and transmitted to the mobile phone 10. In this way, the content 302 is posted on the posting site and displayed on the display device 21.

  Thereafter, it is assumed that the information acquisition unit 53 detects a phenomenon in which starting and stopping are repeated a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined distance, and the current position information of the vehicle is acquired. This phenomenon can be detected by monitoring the vehicle speed or the like. The condition determination unit 54 determines that the third condition set in the condition storage unit 63 is satisfied, notifies the posting data creation unit 55 of the fact, and present position information (referred to as “zzzzN wwwwE”). , Pass parameters location and jam.

  The post data creation unit 55 reads the third template corresponding to the third condition from the template file, and includes the place name (street name and intersection name) corresponding to the current position information in the variable of the third template. ) And create content. Here, the place name corresponding to the current position information can be obtained based on, for example, map information used by the navigation device 30. Post data creation unit 55 sets the poster name of profile information in the ID field, and sets the created content in the text field. Furthermore, the posted data creation unit 55 sets the received current vehicle position information in the parameter location, and sets “ON” in the parameter jam. Thus, post data in which carinfo-> “location = zzzzN wwwwE”, “jam = ON” is set in the metadata field is generated and transmitted to the mobile phone 10. In this way, the content 303 is posted on the posting site and displayed on the display device 21.

  Then, it is assumed that the information that the vehicle has arrived at the destination is acquired by the information acquisition unit 53. The condition determination unit 54 determines that the fourth condition set in the condition storage unit 63 is satisfied, notifies the posting data creation unit 55 of the fact, and sets the destination name “Utsunomiya” and the parameter arrival give.

  The post data creation unit 55 reads out the fourth template corresponding to the fourth condition from the template file, sets “Utsunomiya” as the variable of the fourth template, and creates the content. Post data creation unit 55 sets the poster name of profile information in the ID field, and sets the created content in the text field. Further, the posted data creation unit 55 sets “ON” in the parameter “arrive”. Thus, post data in which carinfo-> “arrive = ON” is set in the metadata field is generated and transmitted to the mobile phone 10. In this way, the content 304 is posted on the posting site and displayed on the display device 21.

  In this way, the contents 301 to 304 are automatically posted using vehicle information. As shown in the figure, in the case of automatic posting, a display of “automatic posting” may be added. For example, when vehicle information called carinfo is added to the metadata field, it is determined that the post is an automatic post, and such a display can be attached (for example, such a service provider side that provides a post site) Display). Thereafter, Mr. A is shown to have manually posted the content 305, but this is not accompanied by an automatic posting display.

  In this way, content according to the running state of the vehicle can be automatically created and posted on the posting site. Therefore, the posting site can be used even in the vehicle. In addition, information can be shared between users participating in the posting site. For example, the content 302 is content that informs traffic jams, but this can be shared among Mr. BE.

  In the display example of FIG. 8, the metadata is not displayed (however, stored in the file of the posted content of the service provider that provides the posting site), but the metadata is displayed on the site. You may do it. By using the metadata, a user who uses the posting site can easily perform grouping on the posting site, for example. For example, in Twitter and the like, grouping can be easily performed by adding a hash tag # to a comment (content) and posting. For example, when a user searches for a specific hash tag attached to a topic of interest, only content related to the topic can be easily extracted. Similarly, by adding metadata automatically and posting it, it is possible to group content with carinfo added. The user can search only the contents to which carinfo is added and browse only the vehicle information. Further, by searching for each parameter in the metadata, only specific information in the vehicle information can be browsed. For example, by extracting and browsing only the content with the parameter jam, you can determine where the traffic jam is occurring.

  The form described with reference to FIG. 8 is an example, and the sensors and conditions used can be set arbitrarily. For example, the sensor used for detecting the start of travel defined by the first condition is not limited to the parking brake, and a vehicle speed sensor may be used. Further, in order to determine the second condition, a sensor that detects whether or not the wiper has operated may be used instead of the raindrop sensor. Furthermore, when rain is detected by a raindrop sensor or the like and the outside air temperature sensor senses that the outside air temperature is below zero degrees, it may be determined that snow has fallen. A template expressing that it has started snowing may be prepared in advance. In order to determine the third condition, a sensor that detects the operation of the brake pedal may be used instead of the vehicle speed sensor. In this case, the third condition may be that the frequency of pressing the brake pedal within a predetermined time or a predetermined distance is a predetermined number of times or more.

  Furthermore, when a raindrop is no longer detected by a raindrop sensor or the like, that is, when the rain stops, a template may be prepared so that a content to that effect is posted. In this case, “OFF” can be set in the metadata parameter rain. Similarly, a template may be prepared so that when a predetermined number of repetitions of starting / stopping within a predetermined distance is eliminated, that is, when the congestion is eliminated, a content to that effect is automatically posted. In this case, “OFF” can be set in the metadata parameter jam.

  Furthermore, although the first condition includes two conditions, that is, input of a destination and start of traveling, only the latter may be an indispensable condition. If the destination is not inputted when the travel start is detected, the posted data creation unit 55 can create the content by deleting “to (variable)” in the template.

  In the above embodiment, the posting is automatically performed when the condition is satisfied. Alternatively, before the posting data is transmitted to the mobile phone 10, the created content is output via the speaker 22, Confirmation may be requested. The user can determine permission and prohibition of posting through some input operation (for example, voice input or input operation to any switch) after listening to the content. In addition, the user may be able to set in advance whether to permit posting of the corresponding content for each condition. For example, on a certain operation screen, the user may be allowed to set whether to permit automatic posting for each condition or template.

  Next, a method for using the posted content for the navigation function will be described.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the content extraction unit 56 extracts the content to which the above metadata is added from the content posted on the posting site. Content can be extracted by any suitable technique.

  In one embodiment, when the posting site access unit 41 receives a web page of the posting site from the web server 32, the posting site access unit 41 also receives a content file with metadata included in the web page. When the screen data of the web page is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 as described above, the transmission / reception control unit 117 of the mobile phone 10 transmits the content file to the in-vehicle device 20 together. The content extraction unit 56 examines the content file received via the data reception unit 51 and extracts content with metadata.

  Alternatively, a content file with metadata may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 separately (asynchronously) from the transmission of the screen data. For example, the posting site access unit 41 has posted the latest file of content on the posting site (for example, the latest content file for one screen, the latest predetermined number of content files, or posted within a predetermined time from the current time) Content file) is periodically received from the web server 32 and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20 via the transmission / reception control unit 117. The content extraction unit 56 examines the content file received via the data reception unit 51 and extracts the content with metadata.

  As a further alternative, when the metadata is displayed on the posting site, the screen data received by the data receiving unit 51 is examined, and the content to which the carinfo metadata is added is extracted. Also good.

  The content to be extracted can be limited in time. For example, the content extraction unit 56 can extract only the content posted within a predetermined time from the current time. Thereby, the freshness of the navigation information mentioned later can be maintained.

  In this way, not only content automatically posted from the own vehicle but also content automatically posted on other vehicles is extracted. The extracted content with metadata is sent to the navigation device 30.

  The navigation information generation unit 72 of the navigation device 30 generates navigation information based on the received content with metadata. The navigation information includes a position and predetermined information associated with the position. In this embodiment, the predetermined information is traffic jam information and rainfall information.

  Therefore, the navigation information generation unit 72 checks whether there is content including rain = ON in the parameter in the received metadata carinfo. If rain = ON, the location information is acquired from the corresponding location parameter. Thus, the position and information indicating that the position is raining are obtained. For example, if the metadata of a certain content is carinfo-> “rain = ON”, “location = xxxxN yyyyE”, the information “rainfall” is associated with the location “xxxxN, yyyyE” and navigation information is generated. Can do.

  The same thing happens for traffic jams. The navigation information generation unit 72 checks whether there is content including jam = ON in the parameter in the received metadata carinfo. If jam = ON, the location information is acquired from the corresponding location parameter. In this way, the position and information indicating that there is a traffic jam at the position are obtained. For example, if the metadata of a certain content is carinfo-> “jam = ON”, “location = xxxxN yyyyE”, information “congestion” is associated with the location “xxxxN yyyyE”, and navigation information may be generated. it can.

  The navigation information can optionally be used by the navigation device 30 to inform the vehicle occupant of its contents.

  In one embodiment, the navigation information display / distribution unit 73 can output the navigation information via the display device 21 and / or the speaker 22. Further, the navigation information display / distribution unit 73 can visually display the navigation information on the map data. In other words, information indicating that it is raining or being congested is visually displayed at corresponding positions on the map data displayed on the display device 21. In this way, it is possible to inform a passenger who visually recognizes the map data where traffic congestion or rainfall occurs.

  Furthermore, in one embodiment, the navigation information display / distribution unit 73 can transmit navigation information to the navigation server 33. The navigation server 33 can distribute the navigation information to other vehicles connected to the server 33. The distribution range may be limited to other vehicles existing around the position of the navigation information (position obtained from the location parameter). In the other vehicle, the received navigation information can be output via a display device or a speaker in the vehicle.

  Here, the “other vehicle” that is the distribution destination more precisely indicates a navigation device connected to the server 33, and the navigation device may be a device mounted exclusively for in-vehicle use. A portable device having a navigation function may be used.

  The so-called probe information system is known as a system that collects, processes, and distributes information by regarding each vehicle as a sensor, but according to the above embodiment, even without using such a dedicated system, By using the posting site, it is possible to construct a network for sharing vehicle information easily and inexpensively.

  Here, an example of specific content extraction and display thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the content of posted data posted on a predetermined simple posting site, that is, the content of a content file stored in the web server 32 that provides the posting site.

  In this example, the content 401 whose “Mr. A” is a contributor is automatically posted from the own vehicle, and the contents 402 to 404 are automatically posted from other vehicles.

  As described above, the content extraction unit 56 extracts content to which metadata called carinfo is added. In this example, content 401 is extracted because it includes carinfo metadata. The navigation information generation unit 72 generates navigation information indicating that there is a traffic jam at the position “xxxxN yyyyE” from the data of jam = ON and location.

  Similarly, the contents 402 and 403 are extracted because they include carinfo metadata. The navigation information generation unit 72 generates navigation information indicating that there is a traffic jam at the position “xxxxN yyyyE” from the content 402, and generates navigation information indicating that there is a traffic jam at the position “zzzzN, wwwwE” from the content 403. Note that Mr. C's post content between the content 402 and 403 is not extracted because metadata is not added.

  Since the content 404 includes carinfo metadata, it is extracted. The navigation information generation unit 72 generates navigation information indicating that it is raining at the position “uuuuN vvvvE” from the data of rain = ON and location.

  The navigation information display / distribution unit 73 displays the navigation information thus generated on the display device 21. FIG. 10 shows an example of the display. On the display device 21, map data is displayed. The navigation information display / distribution unit 73 superimposes an icon representing a traffic jam on the position (first position) corresponding to the position information extracted from the contents 401 and 402, as indicated by reference numeral 411. As shown by reference numeral 412, an icon representing traffic congestion is superimposed on the position corresponding to the extracted position information (second position), and the position corresponding to the position information extracted from the content 404 (third position). ), An icon representing rainfall is superimposed and displayed as indicated by reference numeral 413. By such superimposed display of icons, a vehicle occupant can visually recognize where traffic congestion and rainfall information are emitted.

  In this embodiment, the larger the number of content contributions for each position, the larger the icon size. In this example, since the number of contents related to the first position is 2 and the number of contents related to the second position is 1, the same icon representing a traffic jam is displayed at the first and second positions. The size of the former is larger than that of the latter. Generally, the more people who post content with the same purpose, the higher the reliability of the information. Therefore, by taking such a display form, it is possible to inform the occupant of the reliability of information.

  Note that the size of the icon may be gradually increased as the number of corresponding contents increases. If the number of contents is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the icon is small. If the number is larger than the predetermined value, the icon is large. Also good.

  Preferably, each icon is associated with a corresponding content. In this case, when each piece of navigation information is generated, the corresponding content may be stored in association with the navigation information. Thus, for example, when the icon 411 is selected, the contents 401 and 402 corresponding to the icon 411 are read and displayed. Thereby, the user can browse the content of the content that has issued the traffic jam information.

  Further, in this example, the navigation information display / distribution unit 73 displays a telop 415 at the top of the screen. The telop 415 represents information related to a traffic jam in characters. For example, since the navigation information includes a position and information indicating that there is a traffic jam at that position, the sentence “There is a traffic jam at XX” (where a place name corresponding to the position is inserted in XX) It can be created and displayed as a telop 415. More detailed information on the traffic jam can be displayed by the telop display.

  The traffic jam information in the telop 415 is preferably displayed in the order of the number of contents. In this example, since the number of contents at the first position is larger than the number of contents at the second position, the number “1” is attached to the icon at the first position, The traffic information at position 1 is displayed. Next, the number “2” is attached to the icon at the second position, and the traffic congestion information at the second position is displayed at the second position of the telop 415.

  Note that even if traffic jams or rain occur in a certain place and content related to this is posted from multiple vehicles, the location set in the location parameter is represented by longitude and latitude information, so they are actually different from each other There are many cases. Therefore, if the place name, street name, intersection name, and the like of the location to which the position indicated by the location parameter belongs are the same, it may be determined that the traffic jam information of the same location is indicated. Thus, as shown by the icon 411 in FIG. 10, when the positions indicated by the location parameters of the two contents belong to the vicinity of the XX intersection, it is determined that the two contents indicate traffic jam information at the same location. Thus, the two contents are associated with the icon at the first position.

  In this way, posted contents related to the periphery of the vehicle can be displayed together on the map data. If the navigation information is distributed by the navigation server 33, the display as shown in FIG. 10 is performed based on the distributed navigation information using the map information of the navigation device of the distribution destination. You can also. The distribution may include content corresponding to each navigation information.

  In the above embodiment, content with metadata is extracted as a target, and the content with metadata is automatically posted. Alternatively, metadata may be manually described in the content and posted, and in this case as well, the content with metadata may be extracted and used as navigation information.

  Further, it may be possible to extract content to which no metadata as described above is added. For example, there is a service that provides a function of automatically adding current position information when posting content (for example, a service called Ramblin). In the case of a posting site that provides such a service, the parameter “location” as described above is not required. Therefore, in the case of a posting site to which such current position information is automatically added, the content extraction unit 56 searches for keywords such as “congestion” and “rain”, The content indicating rainfall can be extracted together with the current position information added to the content. The navigation information as described above may be generated based on the extracted content with current position information.

  In addition, the posting service as described above has a function of posting content to a desired place (spot), and also has a function of browsing only the content posted to the spot. Using such a function, for example, the content extraction unit 56 is calculated by the mobile phone 10 on a certain place on the traveling path of the vehicle (not only the current position and its surroundings but also the destination and the navigation function). The server 32 requests and obtains the content posted to the server 32). As described above, content indicating traffic jam or rain can be extracted from the acquired content together with the current position information added to the content by keyword search such as “traffic jam” and “rain”.

  Further, since the posting service as described above often provides map data together, the map data provided from the posting service may be used to display the navigation information. In this case, the map data can be acquired via the mobile phone 10, and the navigation information as described above can be superimposed and displayed on the map data by, for example, an icon in the in-vehicle device 20.

  Note that the above-described traffic jam and rainfall information is an example of information used as navigation information, and various other information may be used as navigation information. Further, the types of metadata parameters may be increased accordingly.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a content creation / posting process executed by the processing unit 24 of the in-vehicle device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The process can be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  In step S <b> 11, it is determined whether a predetermined posting site is accessed via the mobile phone 10. As described above, when the mobile phone 10 is connected to the in-vehicle device 20 and receives data of the web page of the posting site from the mobile phone 10, this determination is Yes and the process proceeds to step S12. Otherwise, the process is exited.

  In step S12, it is determined whether profile information has been created for the accessed posting site and poster (owner of the mobile phone 10). When the posting site is accessed for the first time after the vehicle ignition is turned on, the determination in step S12 is No. Therefore, in step S13, as described above, for example, from the accessed posting site, the name (of the posting service) Name information) and account information is created, and profile information including the characteristics of the posting site and / or the characteristics of the poster is created and stored in the profile storage unit 61. As described above, the created profile information is associated with a template file in accordance with the contents of the profile information.

  In step S14, the output from the predetermined sensor 29 and the predetermined information from the navigation device 30 are acquired. In step S15, based on the acquired information, it is determined whether there are any of the conditions defined as shown in FIG. If neither condition is satisfied, it indicates that it is not time to create content, and the process proceeds to step S19. If any of the conditions is satisfied, in step S16, the template file corresponding to the profile information created in step S13 is read from the template storage unit 62, and the template corresponding to the condition in the template file is read. If there is a variable in the template, the corresponding information acquired in step S14 is set in the variable to create content.

  In step S17, as shown in FIG. 7, the contributor name from the profile information is set in the ID field, the content created in step S16 is set in the body field, and the parameter corresponding to the condition and its value are set. Set to the metadata field and generate post data. In step S <b> 18, the generated posting data is transmitted to the posting site via the mobile phone 10.

  In step S19, for example, by transmitting a signal requesting the updated web page of the posting site to the mobile phone 10, the updated web page data is received from the mobile phone 10 and is displayed on the display device 21. indicate. The content posted by the user is displayed on the updated web page.

  Next, when the process is executed, the determination in step S12 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S14. When the mobile phone 10 stops accessing the posting site, the updated web page cannot be received via the mobile phone 10 in step S19. In response to this, the determination in step S11 is No, and the creation and posting of content are also cancelled.

  FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the content extraction process executed by the processing unit 24 of the in-vehicle device 20. The process can be performed at predetermined time intervals and can be performed in parallel with the process of FIG.

  The process of step S31 is the same as step S11, and the process is executed while the mobile phone 10 accesses the posting site.

  In step S32, a search process is executed for the posted content on the posting site received by the in-vehicle device 20, and it is checked whether or not a content to which metadata called carinfo is added is found. As described above, when the web page (screen data) of the posting site is received in step S19, the content data in the web page may be received and searched, or separately from the screen data. Alternatively, a search may be made for a file of posted content acquired from the web server 32 via the mobile phone 10. Further, as described above, the content to be searched may be limited within a predetermined time from the current time, for example.

  In step S33, it is determined whether the content with the metadata has been found. If not found, it indicates that there is no information to be extracted, and the process is exited. If found, the content with metadata is extracted in step S34, and the extracted content is transmitted to the navigation device 30 in step S35.

  FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of a navigation information generation / delivery process executed by the navigation device 30. The process can be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  In step S51, it is determined whether or not the extracted content transmitted in step S35 (FIG. 12) has been received by the in-vehicle device 20. If not, exit the process. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step S52, where content with rain = ON and jam = ON is further selected from the received content with metadata, and as described above, indicating that it is raining and being congested for each position. Generate navigation information.

  In step S53, the navigation information thus generated is output via the display device 21 and / or the speaker 22. As shown in FIG. 10, the navigation information can be visually superimposed on the map data.

  In step S54, the navigation information is transmitted to a predetermined navigation server 33. Thus, the navigation server 33 can distribute the received navigation information to other vehicles.

  In the above embodiment, both the output from the predetermined sensor 29 and the information from the navigation device 30 are acquired by the information acquisition unit 53. Alternatively, only one of them may be used. In this case, posting conditions and templates are defined depending on which one is used.

  Further, in the above embodiment, content creation and posting, and content extraction are executed by the processing unit 24 of the in-vehicle device 20, but may alternatively be executed by the processing unit 14 of the mobile phone 10. . In the above embodiment, the navigation device 30 is for in-vehicle use, and the generation and distribution of the navigation information is executed by the in-vehicle navigation device 30. Alternatively, the processing unit 14 of the mobile phone 10 is used. May be executed by That is, the navigation function provided in the mobile phone 10 may be used. In this case, an in-vehicle navigation device is not necessarily required.

  For example, FIG. 14 shows a functional block diagram in which functions of content creation and posting, content extraction, navigation information generation and distribution are implemented in the mobile phone 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 4 is that the functions provided on the in-vehicle device 20 side are provided on the mobile phone 10 side except for the data reception unit 51, the information acquisition unit 53, and the condition determination unit 54.

  The functions realized by each functional block are substantially the same as those described with reference to FIG. 4, but the profile creation unit 152, post data creation unit 155, and content extraction unit 156 on the mobile phone 10 side Similar to the site access unit 41, functions realized by the application execution unit 111 in FIG. 3 starting corresponding programs are represented by blocks. Similarly, the information transmission unit 171 and the navigation information generation unit 172 represent functions realized by the application execution unit 111 by starting a corresponding navigation program in blocks. Here, the profile storage unit 161 and the template storage unit 162 are realized in the storage unit 15.

  Briefly describing the operation, in response to the mobile phone 10 accessing a predetermined posting site via the posting site access unit 41, the profile creation unit 152, as described above, determines the characteristics of the posting site and the poster. The profile information is created from the characteristics of and stored in the profile storage unit 161. As described above, the created profile information is associated with a template file according to the contents of the profile information.

  The information acquisition unit 53 of the in-vehicle device 20 acquires the output from the predetermined sensor 29 at a predetermined time interval, and the current position and the like via the information transmission unit 171 realized by the navigation program of the mobile phone 10. Predetermined information is acquired.

  The condition determination unit 54 determines whether any one of the predetermined conditions stored in the condition storage unit 63 is satisfied based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 53. If the condition is satisfied, a signal indicating that is transmitted to the mobile phone 10 together with the contents (data) of the variable associated with the condition and the parameter name.

  In response to the signal, post data creation unit 155 reads a template file corresponding to the profile information from template storage unit 162, and reads a template corresponding to the satisfied condition from the template file. If there is a variable in the template, the variable data received from the in-vehicle device 20 is set and content is created. As shown in FIG. 7, the posted data creation unit 155 sets the poster name of the profile information in the ID field, creates the created content in the body field, and receives it from the in-vehicle device 20 in the metadata field. Set post parameters and their values, and generate post data. The posting site access unit 41 transmits the generated posting data to the web server 32 via the communication unit 16.

  From the web server 32, for example, in response to a request from the mobile phone 10, data of the web page after updating the posting site is returned. Although not shown in the figure, the data of the web page is once drawn in the memory 115 by the display control unit 113 and then read out by the transmission / reception control unit 117, as described with reference to FIG. It is sent to the in-vehicle device 20. This is displayed on the display device 21 via the data receiving unit 51.

  On the other hand, the content extraction unit 156 acquires content posted on the posting site via the posting site access unit 41. As described above, the content in the web page may be acquired from the web server 32 together with the reception of the web page of the posting site, or separately, for example, the latest content of a predetermined number and a predetermined period of time may be acquired. The file may be acquired from the web server 32. The content extraction unit 156 extracts content to which carinfo metadata is added from the acquired content. The extracted content is transferred to the navigation information generation unit 172 realized by the navigation program, and the navigation information is generated as described above. The navigation information generation unit 172 sends an instruction to the display control unit 113 to superimpose the navigation information on the map data as shown in FIG. In accordance with the instruction, the display control unit 113 draws, in the memory 115, display screen data in which the navigation information is superimposed and displayed on the map data. As described above, the transmission / reception control unit 117 reads the screen data from the memory 115 and sends it to the in-vehicle device 20, which is displayed on the display device 21.

  The generated navigation information can be transmitted to the navigation server 33 via the communication unit 16, so that other vehicles connected to the server 33 (as described above, even in a vehicle-only navigation device) Or any other portable device having a navigation function).

  Alternatively, the navigation information itself may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20. In this case, for example, the processing unit 24 of the in-vehicle device 20 acquires the map data including the position included in the navigation information by accessing the storage unit 25 or accessing a predetermined server, and the map The navigation information can be mapped onto the data and displayed on the display device 21 as shown in FIG. Further, the navigation information may be transmitted from the in-vehicle device 20 to the navigation server 33.

  The process of FIGS. 11-13 is applicable also to the form of FIG. In this case, steps S <b> 14 and S <b> 15 in FIG. 11 are executed by the in-vehicle device 20, but other steps can be executed by the mobile device 10.

  What is shown in FIG. 14 is only one modification of the embodiment of FIG. 4, and various modifications are possible. For example, in FIG. 14, the condition determination unit 54 is provided in the in-vehicle device 20, but it may be provided in the processing unit 14 of the mobile phone 10. Further, in FIG. 14, the content creation, posting and extraction functions and the navigation function are provided on the mobile phone 10 side. However, the content creation, posting and extraction functions are provided on the mobile phone 10 side, and the navigation is performed. As shown in FIG. 4, the function may be realized by using a navigation device 30 that is mounted exclusively on the vehicle.

  As described above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

10 Mobile devices (cell phones)
20 On-vehicle equipment 29 Sensor 21 Display device 22 Speaker 30 Navigation device 32 Web server 33 Navigation server

Claims (5)

A system that includes an in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and is connected to a display device and has a communication unit that communicates with a mobile device having a communication function and an information processing function,
Means for reading profile information that defines at least one of the characteristics of the posting site and the characteristics of the poster who makes a post by the mobile device in response to the mobile device accessing a predetermined posting site on the network;
Means for acquiring information relating to the running state of the vehicle by the in-vehicle device;
Based on the profile information and the acquired traveling state information, means for creating content to be posted;
Means for transmitting the content to a server providing the posting site by the portable device so that the created content is reflected on the posting site;
Display means for displaying the content on the posting site received from the server via the portable device on the display device;
A system comprising: The profile information is automatically created in response to the mobile device accessing the predetermined posting site.
The system of claim 1. The information on the running state is acquired from at least one of an output from a predetermined sensor mounted on the vehicle and information output by a navigation unit mounted on the vehicle or a portable device.
The system according to claim 1 or 2. A means for extracting content that can be used as navigation information from the content posted on the posting site and sending it to the navigation means;
The system according to claim 1. The navigation means displays navigation information generated based on the extracted content on a display device connected to the navigation means, and distributes it to other vehicles via a predetermined server.
The system according to claim 1.