JPH07261661A - Guidance system and information terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily obtain information of a periphery of a goal and to superimpose the obtained information on a map on a display screen by inputting guidance information inputted from an input means to a display means and superimposing it on the map information to display. CONSTITUTION:When telephoning to a guidance system 10 with a mobile telephone 3, and a target institution is specified to a retrieval part 11, the retrieval part 11 reads out up-to-date guidance information and positional information from a data base 12 to send it. These information from the guidance system 10 arrive at the mobile telephone 3, and are outputted from the mobile telephone 3 to an adaptor 2, and after the information are converted to a data format acceptable by a navigation system 1 in the adaptor 2, to be outputted to the navigation system 1. The navigation system 1 investigates the positional information among the input information, and displays a mark on a relevant point on a picture map. Thereafter, the guidance information are displayed on the screen.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a guidance system suitable for obtaining guidance information around a current position, a guidance system capable of displaying the obtained guidance information in an overlapping manner on a map screen, and an information terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When traveling to a strange land, it is common to carry a map of the area and a guidebook. Recently, vehicle-mounted navigation systems have become widespread due to the development of position detecting devices using satellites and the like. The navigation system reads out the map information stored in a large-capacity storage medium such as a CD-ROM and displays it on the screen, and also detects the current position of the vehicle with a position detection device and displays it on the map screen. Since this navigation system displays a map of the surrounding area centering on the current location, it is very convenient because it is easy to check directions while driving. Recently, it is also possible to display guide information on famous tourist spots, which can be used as a substitute for a guidebook. However, the guide information that is stored is limited, and it is difficult to quickly get access to unrecorded stores and the latest information, as well as events and events that are currently taking place. , Will be contacted by phone. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 4-88391 discloses a technique for adding such unrecorded information to a display map. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-11693 discloses a technique for obtaining a map of a destination using a telephone and a fax.

In addition, portable information terminals are becoming popular due to the development of LSI devices. This information terminal stores information in a card-shaped memory element or an optical storage element and can be easily carried. Of course, if guide information or map information is selected as the information to be carried, it is possible to provide a guidebook function. It is possible to make the information terminal the navigation system described above by providing such a information terminal with a function of displaying the position detecting device and the detected position on the map by a program.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-88391, the latest information is added on the map screen using a mouse or the like, and the added information is added to an IC card, an electronic notebook, It is stored in an externally connected device such as a personal computer. According to this technique, the stored information can be displayed on the screen at any time, and the latest information can always be displayed on the map screen. However, since information that is not stored in the externally connected device cannot be displayed, there is a possibility that the information that you want to know suddenly, such as the event or event of the day, may not be obtained.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-88391 discloses a map transmission system in which a map around a destination inquired by telephone is sent by FAX. According to this system, even if you do not have the information, you can get it immediately by FAX. However, it cannot be displayed over the map displayed on the screen of the navigation system or the information terminal.

The present invention provides a guide system and an information terminal that can easily obtain information around a destination even while traveling, and can display the obtained information by overlaying it on a map on a display screen. It is in.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned goal, the information terminal includes a map information storage means for storing map information, a guide information storage means for storing guide information including position information, and a guide information storage means. Display means for displaying the read guidance information on the map in accordance with the position information contained therein, input means for inputting the guidance information from an external device or communication line, and superimposing the entered guidance information on the map information. The guide system is configured so as to display the guide information, and the guide system stores the guide information including at least the position information for specifying the position on the map, the specifying unit for specifying the guide information to be read, and It is characterized by comprising an output means for reading out the guidance information from the storage means and outputting it.

Further, instead of the designating means of the guidance system, an input means for inputting inquiry information including position information for designating a position from the information terminal is provided, and the information terminal has a position measuring means for measuring the current position. An inquiry unit is provided which includes the obtained current position information in the inquiry information and outputs the inquiry information. Further, the information terminal is provided with a position designating unit and a computing unit for generating position information by pointing on the displayed map instead of the position measuring unit. Further, the guide information storage means of the information terminal can be removed and replaced.

Furthermore, the guide system and the information terminal are configured to be connected by a mobile communication system.

[0010]

With the above construction, the position information stored together with the storage means of the guide system is added to the guide information sent from the guide system through the communication line to the information terminal. This guide information is input from the input means of the information terminal and sent to the display means. The display unit can display the input guide information in a position specified by the position information added thereto and the map information read from the map information storage unit in an overlapping manner. Thus, by connecting the output of the guidance system and the input means of the information terminal using a telephone line, etc., it is possible to easily obtain the destination information even while traveling and to obtain the obtained information on the display screen. The effect that it can be displayed on the map is obtained.

Further, when making a guide inquiry to the guide system, the present location measured by the measuring means is added and sent, and the guide system sends the inquiry information inputted from the input means to the comparing means. The comparison means compares the current position added to the inquiry information with the position information stored in the guidance information storage means, and based on the result, the guidance information corresponding to the position information compared by the extraction means is read from the guidance information storage means. However, it outputs to the information terminal connected by the communication line together with the position information. As a result, the guidance information in the vicinity of the current position can be automatically extracted and received by the guidance system.

Further, in the information terminal which does not have the measuring means for the present position, the output of the position designating means for indicating the position on the displayed map is calculated by the calculating means according to a predetermined calculation method, and the position information is obtained from this.
By sending this position information together with the inquiry information to the guidance system, it is possible to obtain guidance information about the pointed location and the surroundings. As a result, there is an effect that it is possible to easily obtain guidance information about the place and its surroundings by pointing to a point on the map displayed on the information terminal.

Further, by making the guide information storage means removable and replaceable, the guide information obtained by other means can be displayed in an overlapping manner on the map on the display screen of the information terminal.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, as an information terminal, a navigation system specialized for displaying map information is used as an example. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a navigation system installed in a vehicle, which reads out map information stored in a large-capacity storage medium such as a CD-ROM and displays it on a screen, and also measures the current position of the vehicle by a position measuring device. It is measured by and displayed on the map screen. Furthermore, a function of displaying a point corresponding to position information such as latitude and longitude received from the adapter 2 and a function of displaying character information received from the adapter 2 on a display screen are newly provided. A mobile telephone 3 is capable of connecting to and calling from a public telephone network through a wireless line. Two
Is an adapter for transferring the information data received by the car phone to the navigation system. In the case of an analog car phone, the signal phase-modulated in the voice band is demodulated and converted into a digital signal and output to the navigation system 1. In the case of a digital mobile phone, the digital data output from the mobile phone 3 is error-corrected, the transfer rate is converted, etc., and output to the navigation system 1. Reference numerals 4 and 5 denote antennas, and 6 is an exchange station for automobile telephones, which is connected and exchanged with the automobile telephones by a wireless line and is converted into a voice signal here and connected to a general public telephone line. Reference numeral 7 is a general public telephone line exchange connected to the automobile telephone exchange 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a telephone line, and 10 is a guidance system for providing information on facilities such as shops and inns and information on events taking place there. Reference numeral 12 is a database that stores the latest guidance information of the facility and location information that specifies the location of the facility such as latitude and longitude on the map in pairs, and 11 is the database 12 that retrieves the latest guidance information and location information regarding the facility for which an inquiry was made. It is a search unit for reading and sending out. Reference numeral 13 is a simple guide system installed in a facility such as an inn. Reference numeral 14 is a telephone. Reference numeral 15 is a line switch that functions to switch the connection of the telephone line to the telephone 14 or the simple guide system 13. Reference numeral 17 denotes a storage unit that stores at least the latest guidance information of the facility that provides the guidance service in the simplified guidance system 13 and the position information that specifies the position of the facility such as latitude and longitude on the map. Reference numeral 16 is a control unit that operates almost the same as the search unit 11, and stores the latest guidance information and position information regarding the facility designated by the operation unit 18 in the storage unit 1.
7 is searched, read out, and transmitted. An operation unit 18 designates the operation of the control unit 16. The control unit 16 can designate the information to be selected and transmitted and the operation of the line switching unit 15 through the control unit 16.

The operation of the first embodiment will be described below. First, the car phone 3 is used to call the guidance system 10. After the telephone is connected, when the target facility is designated to the search unit 11 by dialing the operation of the car telephone 3 or by voice, the search unit 11 reads out the latest guidance information and position information of the designated facility from the database 12 and sends them out. The latest guidance information and position information sent from the guidance system 10 reaches the car telephone 3 through the exchange 7, the car telephone exchange 6, and a wireless line. The reached information is output from the car phone 3 to the adapter 2, where it is converted into the data format accepted by the navigation system 1,
It is output to the navigation system 1. The navigation system 1 first checks the positional information in the input information and displays a mark at a corresponding point on the screen map. afterwards,
Display guidance information on the screen. At this time, since it is clear from the previously marked point, it is possible to display the guidance information in a range that does not hide this point.

Next, a case where guidance information is acquired from the simplified guidance system 13 will be described. Simple guide system 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a system installed in a facility such as an inn, which is assumed to be operated by a person in the facility. First, when a car phone 3 is used to call a facility such as an inn, the person at the facility answers by telephone 14. Therefore, when you request guidance information, the other party operates the operating unit 1.
8 is operated to switch the connection of the telephone line to the simplified guide system 13 by the line switch 15, and then the information to be sent is designated to the control unit 16. The control unit 16 reads out the specified latest guidance information and position information from the storage unit 17 and sends them out.
The latest guidance information and position information sent from the simplified guidance system 13 reach the car telephone 3 through the exchange 7, the car telephone exchange 6, and a wireless line. The arrived information is output from the car telephone 3 to the adapter 2, converted into a data format accepted by the navigation system 1 and then output to the navigation system 1. The navigation system 1 first checks the positional information in the input information and displays a mark at a corresponding point on the screen map, and also displays guidance information on the screen.

Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the navigation system 1, the adapter 2 and the car telephone 3 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 301 to 311 are constituent elements of the mobile phone 3, 301 is a demultiplexer, 302 is a receiving unit that amplifies the radio wave received by the antenna 4 and performs frequency conversion, and 304 is input from the receiving unit. A modulator / demodulator that demodulates a received signal or performs phase modulation with data to be transmitted, 30
A transmitting unit 3 amplifies and transmits the signal modulated by the modulator / demodulator 304. Reference numeral 305 is a voice processing unit that processes telephone voice, and is a microphone 310 in a digital car telephone.
From the modulator / demodulator 304 and decompresses the demodulated data from the modulator / demodulator 304 to restore the voice and output it to the speaker 309. A control unit 307 controls the operation of the automobile telephone 3, and controls the whole according to the operation from the key input unit 308. An output unit 306 outputs the digital data demodulated by the modulation / demodulation unit to the outside.
Reference numeral 311 is a data input unit for modulating digital data from the outside by the modulator / demodulator 304 and transmitting the data. Reference numerals 201 to 205 are constituent elements of the adapter 2, and 201 is a data decoding unit for extracting an information portion from the digital data output from the data output unit 306 according to a method previously determined by the standard of the automobile telephone or the like. An error correction unit 202 corrects a data error generated during wireless transmission.
An output unit 203 outputs the error-corrected data to the outside. Reference numeral 205 is an input unit for inputting digital data from a device connected to a car phone such as a navigation system, and 204 is an encoding unit for converting the input digital data into a format determined by the car phone standard.

Next, 101 to 109 are components of the navigation system 1. 102 is an input unit for inputting position information and guidance information from the outside, 104 is a position sensor for measuring the current position using radio waves from a satellite, 1
Reference numeral 05 is a position measuring unit that analyzes the output of the position sensor to calculate the current position, 108 is a map information storage unit that stores map information using a CD-ROM or the like, and 103 is the map information storage unit 1.
The guide information storage unit stores new information not recorded in 08, and can store the position information and guide information input to the input unit 102. A display control unit 106 displays a map on the display 107 based on the map information from the map information storage unit 108, and the position measuring unit 105.
A round mark is displayed at a position corresponding to the position information output by the device, and a star-shaped mark is displayed at a position corresponding to the position information output from the input unit 102 or the additional information storage unit 103 by superimposing it on the map displayed on the display 107. In addition, the input unit 102 or the guide information storage unit 1 is provided within a range that does not hide these marks.
The guidance information output from No. 03 is displayed on the display 107. 1
Reference numeral 09 is a keyboard for designating the operation of the display control unit 106, and an instruction is input from here to designate the display area, the scale of the map to be displayed or the information input to the input unit 102 to be stored in the guide information storage unit 103. can do. An operation data output unit 101 outputs the data input from the keyboard 109 to the adapter 2.

The operation of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG. 3 shows FIG. 1 and FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of the Example of. First, call the guidance system 10 with the car telephone 3 (Process 3
1). After the telephone line is connected, the target facility is designated to the search unit 11 by a dial operation from the key input unit 308, a key operation from the keyboard 108, or a voice. The operation data from the keys is input to the modulation / demodulation unit from the control unit 307 or the operation data output unit 101 through the input unit 205, the encoding unit 204, and the data input unit 311. The voice information is input to the modulation / demodulation unit 304 after being converted into digital data by the voice processing unit and compressed. Modulator / demodulator 3
The data input to 04 is phase-modulated there and the transmission unit 3
03, the branching filter 301, and the antenna 4 to be transmitted as a radio signal. After that, the search section 11 of the guidance system 10 passes through the car telephone exchange 6, the exchange 7, and the telephone line 8.
Entered in. The search unit 11 reads out the latest guidance information and location information of the facility specified here from the database 12 and sends it out. The information sent from the guidance system 10 reaches the car telephone 3 through the exchange 7, the car telephone exchange 6, and the wireless line. The received information is received by the receiving unit 30.
The signal is amplified and frequency-converted by 2 and input to the modulator / demodulator 304. The data is demodulated by the modulator / demodulator 304 into digital data and then input from the data output unit 308 to the data decoding unit 201 of the adapter 2.

The operation up to this point is performed by the control unit 3 of the car telephone 3.
It is controlled by 07. In the adapter 2, the data decoding unit 201 extracts the information part from the digital data received from the mobile phone 3 according to a method previously determined by the standard of the mobile phone and sends it to the error correction unit 202. The correction unit 202 corrects a data error generated during wireless transmission and outputs the corrected data error from the output unit 203 to the navigation system 1. Up to this point, the operation corresponds to the process 32 in FIG. Hereinafter, the processes 33 to 37 are internal processes of the navigation system 1. The position information and guidance information output from the adapter 2 are sent to the display control unit 106 input to the input unit 102. The display control unit 106 first displays the input unit 1 within the range of the map currently displayed on the display 107.
It is checked whether the point indicated by the position information received from 02 can be displayed (process 33). If it cannot be displayed, the process proceeds to step 34 and the range displayed on the display 107 is changed so that it can be displayed. After that, a star-shaped mark is displayed over the map displayed on the display unit 107 at a position corresponding to the position information output from the input unit 102, and the mark is not hidden from the input unit 102. The guide information is displayed on the display 107 (process 35).

As a result, on the map displayed on the display unit 107, a mark indicating the position of the target facility and facility guidance information are displayed. When the received position information and guidance information are recorded after being displayed on the display 107, the record button of the keyboard 109 is pressed in process 36. Then, the processing shifts to processing 37, and the position information and guidance information input from the input unit 102 are recorded in the guidance information storage unit 103. Of course, the information recorded in the guide information storage unit 103 can be read out and displayed on the display 107 at any time. After displaying one piece of guidance information, if further information is desired, the process returns from the process 38 to the process 32 and the above processes may be repeated. If you do not need the information, hang up and end.

Next, FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of screen displays of the navigation system 1. Figure 4 shows guidance system 1
It is a screen display before calling 0. The black circle in the center of the screen shows the current location. Here, if the guidance system 10 is sent guidance information of, for example, A cafeteria in the procedure described above, the screen display changes to that shown in FIG. A star mark displayed at the lower left of FIG. 5 indicates a point corresponding to the position information sent from the guidance system 10, and the guidance information is displayed on the right side of the screen. The guidance information in this example shows the detailed location of the dining room A, parking information, and lunch time. The location information of the parking lot has also been sent and is displayed on the map screen with a triangle.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the guide information, the guide system 10 or the simple guide system 13 records the position information for specifying the position of the facility such as latitude and longitude information on the map. Since it can be transmitted to the navigation system through the telephone line together, there is an effect that in the navigation system, the point indicated by the position information and the guidance information of the facility can be superimposed and displayed on the screen. Further, since the amount of information to be transmitted is very small as compared with the method of directly transmitting image information such as FAX, the result can be obtained in a short time. Further, by connecting to a car phone or a mobile phone, there is an effect that information can be easily obtained from the car. Further, by installing the simple guidance system 13 in each facility, detailed guidance of each facility can be recorded in the storage unit 17 and the information can be changed immediately. This is convenient for providing information on event information, bargain information, temporary holidays, special business hours, and the like. Further, the obtained position information and guidance information can be recorded in the guidance information storage unit 103, and the recorded information can be read out at any time and displayed on the display 107, so that the same information need not be received many times. It also has the effect of being good.

Although the digital car telephone is used in the above-described embodiments, the present invention can be applied if digital data can be sent through the telephone line.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example in which an analog type car telephone is used in place of the digital type car telephone. The difference between the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 and the configuration example shown in FIG. 2 is that the digital car phone 3 is replaced with an analog car phone 3c and that the guidance information storage unit 103 of the navigation system 1 stores a storage medium. The point is that 110 is removable. As the modulation system of the mobile phone 3c is changed to FM modulation, the reception unit 302c, the transmission unit 303c and the modulation / demodulation unit 304c are changed to circuits corresponding to FM modulation. Furthermore, the output from the external audio input / output unit is the adapter 2a.
It is configured to be output to. This is because current analog mobile phones can only use data signals in the voice band used for communication. The voice band signal output from the mobile phone 3c is phase-modulated with a digital signal as in the case of a general telephone line. This signal is sent to the modem 201
The digital signal is obtained by demodulation in a and sent to the correction unit 202. The correction unit 202 corrects a data error generated during wireless transmission, and the output unit 203 corrects the navigation system 1
Output to. The subsequent operation is similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and after the car telephone 3c is operated and the telephone line is connected, the guidance information is designated by the keyboard 109.
This designation information is output from the navigation system 1 from the operation data output unit 101. The designation information input to the input unit 205 of the adapter 2c is converted into a predetermined data format by the encoding unit 204, and then converted into a voice phase modulation signal by the modem 1c. This signal is input from the external voice input / output unit 306c of the automobile telephone 3c and input to the search unit 11 of the guidance system 10 through the telephone line. The search unit 11 reads out the latest guidance information and location information of the facility specified here from the database 12 and sends it out. The information sent from the guidance system 10 reaches the mobile telephone 3c through the exchange 7, the automobile telephone exchange 6, and the wireless line, and is output from the external voice input / output unit. In the adapter 2c, the modem 201c converts the phase modulation signal in the voice band into digital data, and the error correction unit 202
Send to. The correction unit 202 corrects a data error generated during wireless transmission, and the output unit 203 corrects the navigation system 1
Output to. The position information and guidance information output from the adapter 2c are input to the input unit 102 and displayed on the display control unit 106.
Sent to. The display control unit 106 superimposes it on the map displayed on the display 107, and superimposes and displays a star-shaped mark on a point corresponding to the positional information included in the sent guidance information.
Moreover, the received guidance information is displayed on the display 107.
As a result, the display result shown in FIG. 5 is obtained similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the effect that the facility position and guidance information can be displayed on the map as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is obtained. You can Further, in this embodiment, the guidance information storage unit 1
03 is a disk drive, the recording medium 110 is a magnetic recording disk, and the recording medium 110 is removable from the navigation system 1. As a result, it is possible to easily transfer the received position information to another navigation system, an information terminal or the like via the recording medium 110.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the car telephone has been used, but the same applies to the mobile telephone. Furthermore, a cordless telephone may be used as shown in FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a cordless telephone is applied to the present invention in place of the car telephone exchange 6 and the car telephone 3 in the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 6a is a base unit of the cordless telephone, and the exchange 7 is connected via the general public line 19.
It is connected to the. Reference numeral 3a is a cordless telephone handset and has a function of transferring the received guide information to the navigation system via the adapter 2a. Even in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the guide information sent from the guide system can be input to the navigation system 1 through the cordless telephones 6a, 3a and the adapter 2a and can be displayed on the screen together with the map. In the case of a cordless telephone, there is a restriction that the callable range is within 100 m from the base unit 6a, but since a general telephone line can be used, there is an effect that the communication cost can be suppressed as compared with the case where a car telephone is used.

In the above-described embodiments, the guidance information is designated by the key operation, but the effect of the present invention can be further enhanced by automating the designation.

FIG. 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention in which the designation of guidance information is automated. In FIG. 8, the antenna 4, the car telephone 3, the adapter 2 and their constituent elements and their operation are exactly the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. Further, the antenna 5, the car exchange station 6, the exchange station 7, and the telephone line 8 are exactly the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. Reference numeral 40 is a navigation system configured to output the current position together with a guidance inquiry. A difference from the navigation system 1 shown in FIG. 2 is an inquiry output unit 41. The inquiry output unit 41 has a function of adding the current position acquired from the position detection unit to the inquiry information and outputting the inquiry information when designating the guidance information. Other parts are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 and are given the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 500 is a guide system. A line interface 501 outputs information from the telephone line 8 to the inquiry reception unit 502 and outputs information from the search unit 11 to the telephone line 8. Reference numeral 502 denotes an inquiry reception unit that receives inquiry information sent through the line 8, and 503 is a search range calculation unit that separates the position information included in the inquiry information and a predetermined calculation method for a facility close to the position. The facility to be searched is designated in the search section 11 selected by. Search unit 11
The database 12 is the same as that shown in FIG.

The operation of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. Further, the difference from the operation example shown in FIG. 3 lies in the processes 32a, 32b, and 32c. First, the car telephone 3 calls the guidance system 500 (process 31). After the telephone line is connected, the keyboard 109 is operated to start the inquiry operation. When the inquiry operation is activated, the inquiry output unit 41 adds the position information of the current position obtained from the position detection unit 105 and outputs the inquiry information. This inquiry information is input to the car telephone 3 through the adapter 2 and sent from the car telephone to the guidance system 500 through the telephone line (process 32a). In the guidance system 500, the inquiry reception unit 502 receives the transmitted inquiry information, and the search range calculation unit 50 receives the position information included in the inquiry information.
Send to 3. The search range calculation unit 503 selects a facility close to the position indicated by the position information by a predetermined calculation method, and specifies the facility to be searched by the search unit 11. For example, the search unit 1 obtains the identification number of the area including the positional information sent by dividing the area to be guided in advance.
It works to send to 1. The retrieval unit reads out the facility guidance information and the facility location information within the retrieval range (for example, the area identification number) sent from the retrieval range calculation unit from the database 12 and outputs the information from the guidance system 500 to the telephone line via the line interface 501. To do. The output guidance information is input to the input unit 102 of the navigation system 1 via the car telephone 3 and the adapter 2 (process 3).
2b). Hereinafter, the processes 33 to 37 are internal processes of the navigation system 1. The guide information and the position information input to the input unit 102 are sent to the display control unit 106. The display control unit 106 first checks whether the point indicated by the position information received from the input unit 102 can be displayed in the range of the map currently displayed on the display 107 (Process 3).
3). If it cannot be displayed, the process proceeds to step 34 and the range displayed on the display 107 is changed so that it can be displayed. After this, the input unit 1 is overlaid on the map displayed on the display 107.
A star-shaped mark is superimposed and displayed at a position corresponding to the position information output by 02, and the guide information received from the input unit 102 is displayed on the display 107 in a range where the mark is not hidden (process 35).

As a result, on the map displayed on the display 107, a mark indicating the position of the target facility and facility guidance information are displayed. When the received position information and guidance information are recorded after being displayed on the display 107, the record button of the keyboard 109 is pressed in process 36. Then, the processing shifts to processing 37, and the position information and guidance information input from the input unit 102 are recorded in the guidance information storage unit 103. Of course, the information recorded in the guide information storage unit 103 can be read out and displayed on the display 107 at any time. After displaying one piece of guidance information, if further information is desired, the process moves from step 38 to step 32c, and inquiry information designating an area different from the current position is sent to the guidance system 500. The process shifts to the process 32b again, and the guidance information sent from the guidance system 500 is received and displayed. The above process is repeated thereafter. If you do not need any further guidance information, hang up the phone and end.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the guidance system 50 adds the current position information to the inquiry information.
Since the guide system 500 can specify the search range based on this position information, it is not necessary to specify the guide information around the current location. Of course, in addition to the guidance information, location information such as latitude and longitude information that identifies the location of the facility on the map is recorded, and these can be transmitted together to the navigation system through the telephone line. There is an effect that the points indicated by and the guide information of the facility can be displayed in an overlapping manner.

In the above-described embodiments, as an example of the information terminal, the navigation system which has the position measuring function and marks the current position on the screen displaying the map has been mentioned, but it has only the function of displaying the map information. The present invention can be applied to an information terminal having no position measuring function.

FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the position information calculated from the position of the map shown using the cursor or the pointing device pointing to the position on the screen is sent to the guidance system together with the inquiry information.
10, the Athena 4, the antenna 5, the car exchange 6, the exchange 7, the telephone line 8, the car telephone 3, the adapter 2, the guidance system 500, and their configuration and operation are completely the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. They are the same and have the same numbers. Reference numeral 42 denotes an information terminal configured so that the position information calculated from the position pointed to on the map on the display can be output together with the guidance inquiry. The part different from the navigation system 40 shown in FIG. 8 is that there is no measuring means for measuring the current position, the cursor is displayed on the screen, and the position of the cursor on the screen when the keyboard 109 is pressed is output. The cursor display control unit 45, and a position calculation unit that calculates the position information of the pointed place from the output of the cursor display control unit 45 and the positional relationship of the map currently being displayed obtained from the display control unit 106 and outputs the position information to the inquiry output unit 41. 44 is provided. The other parts are shown in Figure 1.
The same reference numerals are given to those shown in FIG.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. First, the car phone 3 is used to call the guidance system 500. After the telephone line is connected, the keyboard display 109 is operated by operating the keyboard 109 to activate the inquiry operation.
Outputs the position of the cursor on the screen to the position calculation unit 44. The position calculation unit 44 controls the position of the cursor and the display control unit 10.
The position information of the place pointed by the cursor is calculated from the positional relationship of the map currently being displayed obtained from No. 6, and is output to the inquiry output unit 41. When the inquiry output unit 41 receives the instruction to start the inquiry operation, the inquiry output unit 41 adds the position information obtained from the position calculation unit 44 and outputs the inquiry information. The following operation is similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and inquiry information is input to the car telephone 3 through the adapter 2 and sent from the car telephone to the guidance system 500 through the telephone line. The guidance system 500 receives the sent inquiry information by the inquiry reception unit 502, and sends the position information included in the inquiry information to the search range calculation unit 503. The search range calculation unit 503 selects a facility close to the position indicated by the position information by a predetermined calculation method, and specifies the facility to be searched by the search unit 11. The search unit uses the database 1 to store the facility guidance information and facility location information that are within the search range (for example, area identification number) sent from the search range calculation unit.
The information is output from the guidance system 500 to the telephone line via the read line interface 501. The output guidance information is input to the input unit 102 of the navigation system 1 via the car telephone 3 and the adapter 2. The guide information and the position information input to the input unit 102 are sent to the display control unit 106. The display control unit 106 first displays the input unit 102 within the range of the map currently displayed on the display unit 107.
Check if the location indicated by the location information received from can be displayed. If it cannot be displayed, the process proceeds to step 34 and the range displayed on the display 107 is changed so that it can be displayed. After that, a star-shaped mark is displayed over the map displayed on the display unit 107 at a position corresponding to the position information output from the input unit 102, and the mark is not hidden from the input unit 102. The guide information is displayed on the display 107. As a result, a mark indicating the position of the target facility and guidance information for the facility are displayed on the map displayed on the display 107.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when pointing a point on the displayed map, the position indicated by the position calculator is calculated, and the position information obtained here is added to the inquiry information. Since the search range can be specified based on the position information sent to the guide system 500, there is an effect that the guide information around the place displayed on the display 107 can be easily obtained. Of course, in addition to the guidance information, location information such as latitude and longitude information that identifies the location of the facility on the map is recorded, and these can be transmitted together to the navigation system through the telephone line. There is an effect that the points indicated by and the guide information of the facility can be displayed in an overlapping manner.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the position is specified by the cursor on the screen, but it is obvious that any means can be applied to the present invention as long as one point on the screen can be specified.

Also, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, even if the position information of the center of the displayed map or a predetermined position is output to the inquiry output unit 41 and this position information is output together with the inquiry information. good. In the case of this embodiment, there is an effect that the configuration becomes simpler than that of the embodiment of FIG.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the position information of the current position sent to the guide system is measured by the position measuring means.
If the configuration is such that it is received from the wireless switching center that controls the wireless circuit (the car telephone switching center 6 in the above embodiments), the position information of the current position can be obtained without using the position measuring means.

FIG. 12 shows a system in which the base station of the cordless telephone stores the installation location and wirelessly sends the installation location information to the child station. In FIG. 12, 6b is a cordless telephone master unit, 602 is a modulator / demodulator that phase-modulates and demodulates digital data, and 601 is a wireless unit that transmits and receives wireless signals.
Reference numeral 604 is an interface between the modem 602 and the telephone line, 605 is a control unit for controlling the operation of the base unit 6b, 606
Is an installation location storage unit that stores the installation location information of the parent device 6b,
3b is a cordless telephone slave unit, and 312 is a position information storage unit that extracts and stores installation place information from a signal sent from the master unit 6b. This installation place information is sent to the information terminal 42b via the data output unit 306. Can be output. A conversion unit 313 converts the position information stored in the position information storage unit 312 into address information that is easy for the operator to understand, and 314 is a converter 3.
12 is a display device for displaying the address information output by the device 12. 42
Reference numeral b denotes an information terminal that stores the installation location information output from the cordless telephone slave unit 3b and that can be output by adding the installation location information stored when making an inquiry to the guidance system 500 to the inquiry information. A position storage unit 46 stores the installation place information sent from the cordless phone slave unit 3b and outputs it to the inquiry output unit. The other parts are the same as those shown in FIG. 10 and are designated by the same reference numerals.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. First, the cordless telephone handset 3b calls the guidance system 500. Normally, the cordless phone base unit 6b and the cordless phone handset 3b exchange control information with each other at least when connected. At this time, the master unit adds the installation location information read from the installation location storage unit 606 to the control information and sends it to the cordless phone slave unit 3b. The cordless telephone slave unit 3b demodulates the installation location information sent from the cordless telephone master unit 6b by the modulator / demodulator 304, stores it in the position information storage unit 312 via the control unit 307, and stores this installation location information as information. It is output to the terminal 42b and stored in the position storage unit. After the telephone line is connected, the key input unit 109 is operated to start the inquiry operation. When the inquiry output unit 41 receives the instruction to start the inquiry operation, the inquiry output unit 41 adds the installation place information stored in the position storage unit 46 and outputs the inquiry information. The subsequent operation is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and inquiry information is sent from the cordless telephone slave unit 3b to the guidance system 500 through the telephone line. The guidance system 500 selects a facility close to the position indicated by the installation location information included in the sent inquiry information by a predetermined calculation method and sends the guidance information back to the slave unit 3b together with the facility position information, and the navigation system 1 Is input to the input unit 102. The guide information and the position information input to the input unit 102 are sent to the display control unit 106. The display control unit 106 first checks whether the point indicated by the position information received from the input unit 102 can be displayed in the range of the map currently displayed on the display 107. If it cannot be displayed, the process proceeds to step 34 and the range displayed on the display 107 is changed so that it can be displayed. After this, the input unit 1 is overlaid on the map displayed on the display 107.
A star-shaped mark is superimposed and displayed at a position corresponding to the position information output by 02, and the guide information received from the input unit 102 is displayed on the display 107 within a range where the mark is not hidden. As a result, a mark indicating the position of the target facility and guidance information for the facility are displayed on the map displayed on the display 107.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the information on the place where the cordless telephone is installed is sent from the base unit, so that the present position can be known without the means for measuring the present position. effective. In particular, in a cordless telephone system in which a base unit is installed outside, there is an effect that the current position can be known even when going out. This is very effective because it is possible to know the current position with an accuracy of several hundred meters, considering that the cordless phone has a narrow communication range. Even when applied to a car telephone system, the current position can be known with an accuracy of several kilometers. Furthermore, the installation location information obtained here is added to the inquiry information and sent to the guidance system 500. Since the guidance system 500 can specify the search range based on this location information, the guidance information around the location displayed on the display 107 is displayed. The effect is that it can be easily obtained. Further, there is an effect that the map to be displayed can be changed at any time based on the obtained installation place, and the convenience can be improved.

Further, since the cordless telephone slave unit 3b shown in FIG. 11 is provided with the conversion unit 313 for converting the stored installation location information into the address information and displaying the information, the information terminal 42b is provided. Even if not connected, there is an effect that the current position can be known from the address.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the guide information in the guide system or the simple guide system,
The location information that identifies the location of the facility such as latitude and longitude information on the map is recorded, and it can be transmitted to the navigation system through the telephone line, and the point indicated by this location information and facility guidance information are displayed on the screen. The effect is that they can be displayed in a superimposed manner. Further, since the amount of information to be transmitted is very small as compared with the method of directly transmitting the image information such as FAX, the result is obtained in a short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display obtained in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of operation results of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing details of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing a seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 40 ... Navigation system, 42, 42a, 42b ... Information terminal, 2, 2a ... Adapter, 3, 3c ... Car phone, 3a, 3b ... Cordless phone handset, 6a, 6b ... Cordless phone base unit, 6 , 7, ... Exchange station, 8, 9, 19 ... Telephone line, 10, 13, 500 ... Guidance system, 11 ... Search section, 12 ... Database, 14 ... Telephone, 15 ... Line switching section, 16 ... Control section, 17 , 103, 108, 606 ... Storage unit, 15 ... Line switching unit, 18 ... Operation unit, 101, 203, 306 ... Output unit, 102, 205, 311 ... Input unit, 106 ... Display control unit, 107, 314 ... Display Reference numeral 104 ... Position sensor, 105 ... Position measuring unit, 308, 308c, 109 ... Key input unit, 110 ... Recording medium, 201 ... Data decoding unit, 202 ... Error correction unit, 2 4 ... Encoding unit, 307, 307c, 605 ... Control unit, 306c ... External voice input / output unit, 201a ... Modem, 41 ... Inquiry output unit, 44 ... Position calculation unit, 501, 604 ... Line interface, 502 ... Inquiry acceptance Part, 503 ... Search range calculation part, 313 ... Conversion part.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G08G 1/0969 G09B 29/00 H04B 7/26 (72) Inventor Makoto Katakishi Totsuka Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture 292 Yoshida-cho, Ltd.Video Media Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor, Kiyoshi Kondo, 292, Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan (72) Inventor, Kosaku Aida, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 292 Yoshida-cho stock company, Hitachi Media & Video Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Hiroaki Matsui 292 Yoshida-machi, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa stock company, Hitachi Media & Video Media Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Shuichi Sekiguchi 1410 Inada, Katsuta-shi, Ibaraki prefecture Address Hitachi, Ltd. Information & Video Media Division

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. Map information storage means for storing map information,
Guide information storage means for storing guide information including position information, and display means for displaying the guide information read from the guide information storage means on the map information read from the map information storage means in accordance with the position information included therein. An information terminal comprising: an input unit for inputting guide information including the position information; and guide information input from the input unit to the display unit for display on the map information. . 2. A storage means for storing at least guide information for specifying position information for specifying a position on a map, a designating means, and an output means for reading out and outputting the guide information designated by the designating means from the storage means. A guidance system comprising: 3. The guide information output from the search output means of the guide system according to claim 2 is input to the input means of the information terminal according to claim 1 through a communication line and displayed by the display means. A guide system featuring. 4. A storage unit for storing position information and guide information corresponding to the position, an input unit for inputting inquiry information including information on a position where an inquiry is transmitted, and a position for the position included in the input inquiry information. A comparison means for comparing the information and the position information included in the guidance information; an extraction means for extracting the guidance information according to the result of the comparison means; and an output means for outputting the extracted guidance information and position information. Guidance system. 5. A position measuring means for measuring a current position, a map information storing means for storing map information, a guide information storing means for storing guide information including position information, and a map read from the map information storing means. In an information terminal having a display unit for superimposing the guide information read from the guide information storage unit on the information according to the position information included therein, the inquiry information including the current position measured by the position measuring unit is generated and output. An information terminal characterized by inquiring means, input means for inputting guide information including position information, and inputting the position information and guide information input from the input means to the display means and displaying the position information and the map information in an overlapping manner. . 6. Map information storage means for storing map information,
Guide information storage means for storing guide information including position information, and display means for displaying the map information read out from the map information storage means by superimposing the guide information read out from the guide information storage means in accordance with the position information contained therein. In an information terminal comprising: a position designating means for designating a position on the map displayed by the display means; a computing means for computing the position information from the output of the position designating means; and an inquiry information including the position information. Inquiry means for outputting, input means for inputting guide information including position information, and position information and guide information input from the input means are input to the display means and displayed so as to be superimposed on the map information. Information terminal. 7. A guide system, wherein the information terminal according to claim 5 or 6 and the guide system according to claim 4 are connected through a communication means. 8. Guidance output from the information terminal according to claim 5 or 6 is input to the input means of the guidance system according to claim 4 via communication means, and output from the output means. Information is input to the input means of the information terminal according to claim 5 or 6 through the communication means and is displayed by the display means. 9. The information terminal according to claim 2, wherein the guide information storage means is removable and replaceable. 10. The guide system according to claim 3, 7, or 8, wherein the communication means is a mobile communication system using a wireless communication line. 11. A communication device, comprising: a position storage means for storing position information indicating an installation location; and position information read from the storage means included in control information for controlling communication and transmitted. 12. A mobile communication device communicating with the communication device according to claim 11, wherein position information storage means for storing position information sent from the communication device and place name information corresponding to the position information are stored. A mobile communication device, comprising: an exchanging means for exchanging the information on the place and a display means for displaying the converted place name information. 13. A mobile communication device communicating with the communication device according to claim 11, wherein position information storage means for storing position information sent from the communication device and output for outputting the position information to the outside. A mobile communication device comprising means. 14. An information terminal connected to the mobile communication device according to claim 11, wherein map information storage means for storing map information, guide information storage means for storing guidance information including position information, and The map information read out from the map information storage means is superposed with the guide information read out from the guide information storage means in accordance with the position information contained therein, and the display means and the position information sent from the mobile communication device are displayed. Inquiry means for generating and outputting inquiry information including the input information, input means for inputting guide information including position information, and position information and guide information input from the input means are input to the display means and displayed on the map information. An information terminal characterized by: