JPH11296791A - Information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a driver to easily recognize the present position and direction of his or her vehicle even when concentrating on driving by a simple constitution. SOLUTION: When the driver operates an operation part on vehicle for the purpose of requesting retrieval of the place where he or she exists at present, a whereabouts retrieval command including present position data of his or her vehicle detected by a position detection part is generated by a control part on vehicle (YES in steps S1 to S4 and a step S6), and this command is transmitted to an information center through a communication part on vehicle (steps S7 and S8). The information center receives the whereabouts retrieval command from an information terminal on vehicle, and character string data corresponding to present position data included in this received command is read out and is converted to a voice by a voice synthesizing part, and the voice of character string data transmitted to the information terminal on vehicle is received (step S9), and the received voice is outputted from a speaker, thus reporting the present position as a voice message of 'Your present position is **city, **town, **block, **street.'.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information center for providing various information such as traffic information and event information relating to various events held in various places, an emergency call service, and the like, and information transmitted from the information center. The present invention relates to an information providing system including an in-vehicle information terminal that receives the information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a means for a driver to know a current position of a vehicle and a route to be traveled, a driver grasps the current position of the vehicle and a route to be traveled using a commercially available road map. That is being done.

[0003] However, if the driver gets lost, the driver does not know where the vehicle is currently located, and therefore cannot grasp the current position of the vehicle on a road map. There is a problem that the route cannot be known.

In the case of a navigation system, for example, it is possible to receive a radio wave from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, detect the current position (latitude, longitude) and traveling direction of the vehicle, and display it on a display screen. Therefore, when the driver wants to know the current position of the vehicle and the route to be followed, the driver can easily know them by looking at the display screen of the navigation system.

However, on the other hand, the navigation system is relatively expensive, and it is necessary to confirm the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle by looking at the display screen.
When the driver cannot concentrate on driving and cannot see the display screen, there is a problem that the driver cannot recognize the position and the course of the vehicle.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily recognize the current position and azimuth of a vehicle with a simple configuration even when the driver concentrates on driving.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides various information such as traffic information, event information relating to various events held in various places, weather information, etc., and an emergency call service. In an information providing system comprising an information center for performing information and an in-vehicle information terminal for receiving information and the like transmitted from the information center, the in-vehicle information terminal detects a current position of the vehicle. And an in-vehicle communication unit that bidirectionally transmits voice data and digital data between the information center,
A vehicle-mounted operation unit for requesting a location search, and forming a location search command including a current position data of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit when the vehicle-mounted operation unit is operated, the vehicle-mounted communication unit; The vehicle-mounted control unit that controls and transmits the location search command, and a speaker that outputs a voice signal received by the vehicle-mounted communication unit as a voice, wherein the information center is configured to communicate with the vehicle-mounted communication unit. A center-side communication unit that performs bidirectional transmission between each other, a storage unit that stores character string data composed of place name data corresponding to each position data, and receives the location search command via the center-side communication unit. A center-side control unit that searches the storage unit and reads out character string data corresponding to the current position data included in the received location search command; The character string data read by the control the center-side control unit by the coater side control unit and voiced is characterized in that it is constituted by a voice unit to be transmitted to the center side communication unit.

According to such a configuration, for example, when the driver operates the in-vehicle operation unit in order to request a location search, the current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detection unit at that time is included. The location search command is formed by the vehicle-side control unit, and the location search command is transmitted via the vehicle-side communication unit.

On the other hand, on the information center side, a location search command is received by the center side communication unit, the storage unit is searched by the center side control unit, and character string data corresponding to the current location data included in the received location search command. Is read out, and the read-out character string data is converted into a voice by the voice conversion unit and transmitted from the center communication unit to the in-vehicle information terminal.

[0010] When the voice of the character string data transmitted from the information center is received by the vehicle-side communication unit, the received voice is output through a speaker. For example, “the current position is ** city ** The driver is informed of the current location as a voice message saying "Town ** chome **."

Therefore, even when the driver concentrates on driving, the driver can easily recognize the current position of the vehicle by voice. Further, the vehicle-mounted communication unit may be, for example, a mobile phone capable of two-way communication, and if it includes a position detection unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle and a speaker, expensive display means such as an LCD such as a navigation system. Is unnecessary, and a simple configuration is sufficient.

Further, according to the present invention, the in-vehicle information terminal includes an azimuth detecting unit for detecting the azimuth of the own vehicle, and the in-vehicle control unit controls the current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detecting unit. Forming the location search command including the orientation data detected by the orientation detection unit, wherein the center control unit receives the location search command including the orientation data received via the center communication unit; Then, the voice control unit controls the voice generation unit to voice a direction based on the direction data in addition to the character string data.

[0013] Then, a location search command including the azimuth data detected by the azimuth detection unit is formed by the on-vehicle control unit, and the location search command is transmitted to the information center. When a location search command including azimuth data is received via the unit, the azimuth based on the azimuth data in addition to the current position is voiced and transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal.

[0014] For this reason, by providing the vehicle-mounted information terminal with the direction detection unit, the driver can recognize the direction of the vehicle by voice together with the current position of the vehicle.

Further, according to the present invention, the character string data stored in the storage unit includes road name data representing a name of a road corresponding to each position data, and When receiving the location search command including the current location data and the azimuth data received via the side communication unit, the road name data corresponding to the current location data included in the received location search command, It is characterized by reading out from a storage unit, and controlling the voiced unit to voice a direction based on the read road name data and the direction data.

In this case, when a location search command is received by the center-side control unit via the center-side communication unit, the direction based on the direction data in addition to the road name is converted to voice and transmitted to the onboard information terminal. .

For this reason, by storing character string data including road name data representing the name of the road corresponding to each position data in the storage unit, the driver can store the character string data together with the road name on which the vehicle is traveling. The direction of the own vehicle can also be recognized by voice.

Further, according to the present invention, the character string data stored in the storage unit includes a place name data of a start / end point of a road and an intersection in the middle corresponding to each position data,
When the center-side control unit receives the location search command including the current location data and the direction data received via the center-side communication unit, the current location included in the received location search command The present invention is characterized in that place name data at a destination of a traveling road is read from the data, and the voice generating unit is controlled to voice a direction based on the read place name data and the direction data of the destination.

With this configuration, when the center-side control unit receives the location search command via the center-side communication unit, the azimuth based on the azimuth data in addition to the place name of the destination is voiced and transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal. Is done.

Therefore, by storing the character string data including the start and end points of the road and the place name data of the intersection in the middle corresponding to each position data in the storage unit, the driver can store the character string data together with the destination of the traveling road. The direction of the own vehicle can also be recognized by voice.

Further, according to the present invention, the in-vehicle information terminal includes a storage unit for periodically acquiring the current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detection unit and accumulating a predetermined number of the current position data. Forming a location search command including the position data stored in the storage unit, wherein the character string data stored in the storage unit is a road name data representing a name of a road corresponding to each position data; Including
The center-side control unit, when receiving the location search command received via the center-side communication unit, stores the road name data corresponding to each of the position data included in the received location search command. And reading out the road name data and the derived azimuth from the position data included in the location search command.

According to this configuration, the vehicle-side control unit
Since a location search command including a plurality of current location data stored in the storage unit is formed and transmitted to the information center, the trajectory of the vehicle is known from each location data included in the location search command, and further from this trajectory. The course of the vehicle is known. Then, when the location search command including each position data is received by the center communication unit, the center side control unit derives the trajectory and the direction of the vehicle, and the road name corresponding to each position data included in the location search command. The data is read from the storage unit, the road name data and the derived azimuth are voiced by the voice voice unit and transmitted to the on-board information terminal.

Therefore, a storage unit for storing a predetermined number of past current position data is provided in the in-vehicle information terminal, and a location search command including each position data stored therein is transmitted to the information center to detect the direction. The driver can recognize the direction of the own vehicle by voice together with the name of the road on which the own vehicle is traveling, without providing a separate means for performing the operation.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle information terminal, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an information center, FIGS. 3 to 5 are operation explanatory diagrams, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are operation explanatory flowcharts.

First, FIG. 1 showing an in-vehicle information terminal constituting an information providing system will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a portable telephone for transmitting and receiving to and from a center communication unit, which will be described later, using a telephone line, and a hands-free device capable of transmitting and receiving hands-free by wearing the portable telephone. A vehicle-side communication unit, 2 is a position detection unit including a GPS receiver that detects the current position and direction of the vehicle, and 3 is a vehicle-side operation unit that has operation keys for requesting an information center to search for a location. Reference numeral 4 denotes a microphone for collecting sound of the hands-free device, reference numeral 5 denotes a speaker for audio output, and reference numeral 6 denotes a vehicle-side control unit which controls each unit, and is mounted on a vehicle by a driver or the like in order to request a location search. When the key of the side operation unit 3 is operated, the operation of the key of the vehicle-side operation unit 3 is detected, and the location detection including the current position data of the vehicle represented by the latitude and longitude detected by the position detection unit 2 is performed. Forming a command, in order to transmit the formed location search command controls the vehicle-side communication unit 1 has a function of transmitting a location search command toward the information center via the vehicle-side communication unit 1.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle-side control unit 6 has a built-in memory, and the current position of the own vehicle detected by the position detection unit 2 at every fixed time or every fixed distance. The position data is stored and held in this built-in memory, and the position data is read from this memory when forming a location search command.

The on-vehicle control unit 6 includes the on-vehicle communication unit 1.
When audio data is received from an information center, which will be described later, via the interface, the received audio data is transmitted to the speaker 5,
It has a function of outputting a voice message from the speaker 5.

As described above, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is constituted by the in-vehicle communication unit 1, the position detection unit 2, the in-vehicle operation unit 3, the microphone 4, the speaker 5, and the in-vehicle control unit 6.

Next, FIG. 2 showing an information center constituting the information providing system will be described.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a map database storing map data coded into predetermined codes corresponding to respective positions represented by latitude and longitude, and reference numeral 12 denotes a place name database as a storage unit. The character string data including the place name (including the detailed address) data corresponding to the map data stored in. At this time, the code data of the place name stored in the place name database 12 is stored in a code format that can be voiced by a speech synthesis unit described later.

For example, a place name link file for associating the map database 11 with the place name database 12 is formed in advance, and the place name link file is stored in a built-in memory or an external memory of a center-side control unit, which will be described later. When a location search command from the information terminal 7 is received, the map code data corresponding to the latitude and longitude included in the location search command is read from the map database 11, and the map code data from the map database 11 is read. Is searched and read out.

Subsequently, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 13 denotes a center-side communication which is connected to each relay base station 15 of the portable telephone via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 14 and performs bidirectional transmission with the vehicle-mounted communication unit 1. , A voice synthesizing unit as a voice conversion unit for converting the code data of the place name read from the place name database 12 into a voice and outputting the converted voice, and a center side control unit 17 for controlling each unit. When receiving the location search command from the in-vehicle information terminal 7 via the communication unit 13, the map database 11 is searched to read the map data corresponding to the position (latitude, longitude) data included in the location search command, and The place name data corresponding to the read map data is retrieved by searching the database 12, and the place name data is converted into data of a predetermined voice message. Conversion and sent to the speech synthesis unit 16,
It has a function of controlling the voice synthesizing unit 16 to convert voice message data based on the place name data into voice and transmitting the voice message data to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 via the center side communication unit 13.

As described above, the map database 11, the place name database 12, the center side communication unit 13, the speech synthesis unit 16, and the center side control unit 17 provide the information center 1
8 are configured.

Since the vehicle-mounted communication section 1 and the center-side communication section 13 can communicate with each other, the information center 18 can be connected to the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7 via the center-side communication section 13 to report an accident or the like. It is also possible to have a function of receiving a report of a failure or the like and responding to it. In this case, by providing an identification code indicating that this is an emergency notification in the report from the in-vehicle information terminal 7, this identification code can be used. Based on this, the center-side control unit 17 can automatically determine that this report is an emergency report, and can immediately contact the police or hospital, and the information center 18 can provide such an emergency report service. It may be something.

The location search command formed by the on-vehicle control unit 6 will be briefly described. The location search command is formed in a data format as shown in FIG. 3, for example. "ID" in FIG. 3 is an identification code indicating that this data is a location search command, "data length" indicates the length of the entire command, and "command data" indicates the content of the command itself. , “Latitude” and “longitude” are the current position data of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit 2, and “BCC” indicates a block check code for error detection.

When the location search command shown in FIG. 3 is received by the information center 18, voice message data based on the location name corresponding to the location data (latitude, longitude) included in the location search command is converted to voice and used for vehicle mounting. The location name corresponding to the current position of the vehicle transmitted from the speaker 5 of the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7 to the information terminal 7 is, for example, a voice saying that the current position is ** city ** town ** chome **. Output as a message.

Further, since the position detector 2 of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 uses the GPS, the azimuth which is the traveling direction of the own vehicle is simultaneously detected in addition to the latitude and longitude described above. The unit 2 also has a function as an azimuth detecting unit.

Therefore, as a first modification of the present embodiment, the location search command formed by the vehicle-mounted control unit 6 may include the azimuth data detected by the position detection unit 2. The data format of the location search command at this time is as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, "azimuth" is azimuth data indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit 2, and other "ID". ","Data length",
“Command data”, “latitude”, “longitude” and “BC”
C "is the same as described in FIG.

When the location search command shown in FIG. 4 is received by the information center 18, the location name corresponding to the position data (latitude and longitude) included in the location search command and the azimuth included in the location search command are used. The voice message data is converted into a voice and transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7, and a location name or the like corresponding to the current position of the own vehicle is output from the speaker 5 of the in-vehicle information terminal 7, for example, "the current position is ** city *".
* Town ** Chome **, running north. "

Further, as a second modification of the present embodiment,
As character string data stored in the place name database 12,
Road name data may be included in addition to the above-mentioned place name data.

When the road name data is included as described above,
By detecting the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the position data (latitude and longitude) included in the location search command, the road name of the road can be searched from the place name database 12. That is, the code data of the map corresponding to the position data included in the location search command is read from the map database 11, and the code data of the place name and the code data of the road name corresponding to the read code data of the map are searched. From the place name database 12.

A place name and a road name based on the read place name code data and the road name code data,
Voice message data based on the direction included in the location search command is voiced by the voice synthesizing unit 16 and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7, and from the speaker 5 of the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7, for example, "current position is ** city ** town ** chome **
The location search command when such a voice message is output is output in the data format shown in FIG. 4. You.

As a third modification of the present embodiment,
The place name data as character string data stored in the place name database 12 may include the start and end points of roads and the place names of intersections on the way corresponding to each position data. In this case, the character string data stored in the place name database 12 is the place name data and the road name data, which is substantially the same as the second modified example, but the place name data is diversified. Are significantly different.

Then, the code data of the map corresponding to the position data (latitude and longitude) included in the location search command is searched, and when the code data of the map corresponding to the road corresponding to the position data is detected, the code data is searched. The code data of the map corresponding to the road is read from the map database 11, and in addition to the code data of the place name (address) and the road name corresponding to the read code data of the map corresponding to the road, the traveling direction The main intersection name and code data of the destination place name in the place name database 1
2 is retrieved and read.

As described above, the read place name (address) code data, the place name (address) and the road name based on the road name code data, and the intersection name and the destination based on the intersection name and the destination place name code data are obtained. The voice message data based on the place name and the direction included in the location search command is voiced by the voice synthesis unit 16 and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7, and from the speaker 5 of the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7,
For example, it is output as a voice message indicating that "the current position is ** city ** town ** chome **, the national road XX is heading north, ** city direction". Note that the location search command when such a voice message is output is also formed in the data format shown in FIG. 4, as in the case of the above-described second modification.

As a fourth modification of this embodiment,
The current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detecting unit 2 is periodically (every predetermined time or stored) in a built-in memory of the vehicle-side control unit 6 which stores the current position data of the own vehicle by the position detecting unit 2. Each time the vehicle travels a certain distance), a predetermined number (for example, 10) is stored, and the vehicle-mounted control unit 6 may form a location search command including each position data stored in the internal memory. Good. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the location search command is formed in a data format including position data (latitude and longitude) from the latest one to the oldest one.

As described above, since the location search command includes a plurality of current position data of the own vehicle in the past, the information center 18 which has received the location search command grasps the locus of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle. Because it is possible to provide a special direction detection unit and include the direction data detected by this in the location search command,
The information center 18 can detect the direction of the vehicle.

Further, if the character string data stored in the place name database 12 includes road name data in addition to place name (address) data, it corresponds to the latest position data (latitude, longitude) included in the location search command. The code data of the map to be read is read from the map database 11, the code data of the place name and the code data of the road name corresponding to the read code data of the map are searched and read from the place name database 12, and the location search command is read. The direction of the vehicle is derived from each position data included in
The voice message data based on the read place name and road name based on the read place name code data and road name code data and the derived direction is voiced by the voice synthesis unit 16 and transmitted to the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7. From the speaker 5 of the in-vehicle information terminal 7, for example, a voice message having the content "the current location is ** city ** town ** chome **, heading north on National Highway XX" is output.

In the fourth modified example, as in the third modified example described above, the place name data as character string data stored in the place name database 12 includes the start and end points of the road corresponding to each position data. It may include the place name of the intersection on the way. In this case, for example, "The current position is ** city ** town ** chome **, National Route XX is heading north, ** City direction Is output from the speaker 5 of the in-vehicle information terminal 7.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The following operation has a content that can correspond to any of the above-described first to fourth modifications.

First, the operation of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the current position (latitude, longitude) and direction of the own vehicle are detected by the position detecting section 2 (step S1) and detected. The position data and the azimuth data are stored in the built-in memory of the vehicle-side control unit 6 (step S
2).

Then, the state of the operation keys of the in-vehicle operation unit 3 is read (step S3), and it is determined whether or not a key operation for requesting a location search has been performed (step S4). If the result of this determination is NO, processing corresponding to the key operation is executed (step S5), and thereafter, the flow returns to step S1 described above.

On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S4 is YES, a location search command is formed according to a predetermined data format (step S6), and the vehicle-mounted communication section 1
Is controlled to call the information center 18 and the telephone line between the in-vehicle communication unit 1 and the information center 18 is connected (step S7), and the formed location search command is transmitted via the in-vehicle communication unit 1. Is transmitted to the information center 18 (step S8).

Thereafter, when voice data transmitted from the information center 18 is received, a voice message based on the received voice data is output from the speaker 5 (step S9), and the vehicle-mounted communication section 1 and the information center 18 are transmitted. After the telephone line is disconnected (step S10), the process returns to step S1.

Next, the operation of the information center 18 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not there is a call (incoming call) from the in-vehicle information terminal 7 (step S21). If this determination is NO, the determination is made until the determination becomes YES. The determination in step S21 is repeated,
If the determination result is YES, the telephone line between the information center 18 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 to be called is connected (step S22), and transmission data from the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is received (step S22). Step S23).

Then, it is determined whether or not the received data is a location search command (step S24). If the determination result is NO, a process corresponding to the received data is executed (step S25), and thereafter, the above-described processing is performed. Step S
21, if the determination result is YES, the received data is determined to be a location search command. Therefore, based on the position data (latitude, longitude) included in the received location search command, the corresponding map code is used. The data, and further the code data of the place names, are stored in the map database 11 respectively.
And read from the place name database 12 (step S26).

Next, it is determined whether or not the received location search command includes azimuth data (step S27). If the determination result is NO, the received location search command includes the trajectory data, That is, it is determined whether or not a plurality of pieces of position data (latitude, longitude) in the past are included (step S28).
If it is ES, the azimuth of the vehicle is derived from the trajectory data (step S29). Thereafter, when the result of the determination in step S27 is YES, the process proceeds to step S30, and the position data (position data If there is more than one, based on the latest location data)
The code data of the place name, the road name, and the place name of the destination of the road is searched and read from the place name database 12 (step S30).

Further, after the processing of step S30, the process goes to step S31 together with the case where the judgment result of step S28 is NO, and the place name, the road name read out in step S30, and the place name of the destination of the road And voice message data based on the direction included in the location search command is formed and voiced by the voice synthesizer 16 (step S31), and the voiced voice message is transmitted via the center side communication unit 13 to the in-vehicle information terminal. 7
Is transmitted to the information center 18 (step S32).
The telephone line between the vehicle and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is disconnected (step S33), and the process returns to step S21.

As described above, for example, when the driver operates the vehicle-mounted operation unit 3 to know the current position of the vehicle and performs a predetermined key operation for requesting a location search, the position detection unit 2 is then operated. A location search command including the current position data and the azimuth data (which may be locus data) of the own vehicle detected by the vehicle is formed by the vehicle-mounted control unit 6, and the location search command is transmitted via the vehicle-mounted communication unit 1. Is done.

On the other hand, when the center-side communication unit 13 of the information center 18 receives the location search command transmitted from the in-vehicle information terminal 7, the center-side control unit 17
, The place name database 12 is searched, and the code data of the place name and the road name is read as character string data corresponding to the position data included in the received position search command. Voice message data based on the direction included in the search command is formed, and this voice message data is
6 and is transmitted from the center-side communication unit 13 to the in-vehicle information terminal 7.

When the voice data transmitted from the information center 7 is received by the vehicle-mounted communication section 1, the received voice is output through the speaker 5, for example, "the current position is ** city **". Town ** chome **, National highway XX
A voice message is sent to the driver saying "Heading north on Route No., ** City direction", so that the driver can know the current position of the vehicle, the name of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and the course.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, even in a situation where the driver concentrates on driving, the driver can easily recognize the current position of the own vehicle by voice.

Further, the in-vehicle communication section 1 can be constituted by a general-purpose portable telephone capable of bidirectional communication, for example, and does not require expensive display means such as an LCD such as a navigation system. Configuration is enough.

In the above-described embodiment, the location search command includes azimuth data in addition to the position data, and the location search command includes a plurality of pieces of past location data. Although the case where the name, the place name and the direction of the destination of the road are audibly output has been described, the location search command includes only one (latest) position data and indicates the current position corresponding to the position data. The place name may be output in the form of voice, or the location search command may include the direction data, and the direction may be output in the form of voice along with the place name indicating the current position.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the on-vehicle communication section 1 is constituted by a mobile phone has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone. Anything that can do so is acceptable.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes other than those described above can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0069]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driver can easily recognize the current position of the vehicle by voice even in a situation where the driver is concentrated on driving. This makes it possible to realize an information providing system having an excellent function as an auxiliary device during traveling.

The on-vehicle communication unit may be a mobile phone capable of two-way communication, for example, and may include a position detection unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle and a speaker.
Expensive display means such as an LCD such as a navigation system is not required, and an inexpensive and simple configuration is sufficient.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing the vehicle-mounted information terminal with the azimuth detecting unit, the driver can recognize the current position of the vehicle and the course of the vehicle by voice. This makes it possible to provide an information providing system having an excellent function as an auxiliary device during traveling.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the character string data including the road name data representing the name of the road corresponding to each of the position data is stored in the storage unit, so that the driver can make his or her own. The path of the own vehicle can be recognized by voice along with the name of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and an information providing system having an excellent function as an auxiliary device during traveling can be provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the character string data including the place name data of the starting and ending points of the road and the intersection on the way corresponding to each position data is stored in the storage unit. The driver can also recognize the path of the vehicle along with the destination of the road on which the vehicle is traveling by voice, and can provide an information providing system having an excellent function as an auxiliary device during traveling.

According to the invention described in claim 5, a storage unit for storing a predetermined number of past current position data is provided in the in-vehicle information terminal, and a location search command including each position data stored therein is provided. By transmitting the information to the information center, the driver can recognize the path of the vehicle by voice along with the name of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another part of one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram of one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 vehicle-mounted communication unit 2 position detection unit 3 vehicle-mounted operation unit 5 speaker 6 vehicle-mounted control unit 7 vehicle-mounted information terminal 12 place name database (storage unit) 13 center-side communication unit 16 voice synthesis unit (voice conversion unit) 17 center side Control unit 18 Information center

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04M 11/08 H04B 7/26 109M H04Q 7/04 C

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An information center for providing various kinds of information such as traffic information, event information on various events to be held in various places, weather information, and an emergency call service, and receiving information transmitted from the information center. An information providing system comprising an in-vehicle information terminal, wherein the in-vehicle information terminal bidirectionally exchanges voice data and digital data between a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle and the information center. A vehicle-side communication unit for transmitting to the vehicle, a vehicle-side operation unit for requesting a location search, and a location search command including the current position data of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit when the vehicle-side operation unit is operated. And a vehicle-side control unit for controlling the vehicle-side communication unit to transmit the location search command, and a sound signal received by the vehicle-side communication unit. The information center comprises a center communication unit that performs bidirectional transmission with the vehicle-mounted communication unit, and character string data composed of place name data corresponding to each position data. The stored storage unit, and the center side that reads out the character string data corresponding to the current position data included in the received location search command by searching the storage unit by receiving the location search command via the center side communication unit. The character string data which is controlled by the center-side control unit and read out by the center-side control unit is converted into a voice and transmitted to the center-side communication unit. Information providing system. 2. The in-vehicle information terminal further includes an azimuth detecting unit for detecting an azimuth of the own vehicle, wherein the on-vehicle control unit includes a current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detecting unit and the azimuth detecting unit. Forming the location search command including the orientation data detected by the, the center-side control unit, when receiving the location search command including the orientation data received via the center-side communication unit, 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the voice providing unit is controlled to voice a direction based on the direction data in addition to the character string data. 3. 3. The character string data stored in the storage unit includes road name data indicating a name of a road corresponding to each position data, and the center-side control unit controls the center-side communication unit. When the location search command including the current location data and the azimuth data received via the network is received, the road name data corresponding to the current location data included in the received location search command is read from the storage unit. 3. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the voice control unit controls the voice generating unit to voice a direction based on the read road name data and the direction data. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the character string data stored in the storage unit includes place name data of a start / end point of a road or an intersection in the middle corresponding to each position data, and When the location search command including the current location data and the azimuth data received via the communication unit is received, a place name at a destination of a traveling road from the current location data included in the received location search command. 3. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein data is read out, and the voice generation unit is controlled to voice a direction based on the read place name data and the direction data of the destination. 4. 5. An in-vehicle information terminal includes a storage unit that periodically acquires current vehicle position data detected by the position detection unit and accumulates a predetermined number, and the in-vehicle control unit includes:
A location search command including the position data stored in the storage unit is formed, and the character string data stored in the storage unit stores road name data representing a road name corresponding to each position data. Including, the center-side control unit, when receiving the location search command received via the center-side communication unit, the road name data corresponding to each position data included in the received location search command, Reading out from the storage unit, deriving a direction from the respective position data included in the location search command, and controlling the voice generation unit to voice the read road name data and the derived direction. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein: