JP2000124852A - Broadcasting type information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing system, capable of selecting optimum communication means and broadcasting station, when transferring information from an information providing center to a moving object. SOLUTION: A moving object 10 is provided with two-way communication equipment 11 for communicating with an information providing center 15, an information processor 13 for communicating request information required for a user via the two-way communication equipment 11 to the information which provides center 15 and presenting answer information corresponding to that request information to the user, and broadcasting reception equipment 12 for receiving the answer information broadcasted from a broadcasting station 16. In this case, the information providing center 15 generates the answer information to the request information sent from the moving object 10, selects the broadcasting station 16 which defines the position of the moving object detected on the side of moving object 10 or information providing center 15 as a service area corresponding to that position, and the answer information is broadcasted from the selected broadcasting station 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a broadcast type information providing system for acquiring information stored in an information providing center via a communication line and a broadcast line by a device mounted on a mobile body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Devices for providing various kinds of information to a mobile body and improving comfort and safety in the mobile body are being developed.
As a typical device, there is a car navigation system that calculates the shortest route to a destination by using map information and guidance information stored in a moving body, and guides the user with a map, voice, or the like. In the car navigation system, the map information and the guide information are recorded on a large-capacity storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD. Although the amount of information stored in the storage medium is enormous, it is static information and cannot provide the driver with dynamic information such as empty information on a parking lot or congestion information on a road at a desired time.

On the other hand, in recent years, mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and PHS are rapidly rising, and communication networks including mobile devices are being widely prepared. Using these communication networks, systems for providing dynamic information to drivers are being constructed.

[0004] As an example of building a system for providing dynamic information, an information service center for storing dynamic information is set up, and a user accesses the information service center via a mobile phone or PHS provided on a mobile unit. And obtain desired information via a communication line. The obtained information is displayed as image information on a display provided in the navigation device, or transmitted to the driver by a voice synthesizing device.

[0005] By applying the mobile communication device, it is possible to provide dynamic information to a mobile as described above, but it has the following problems.

First, the capacity of a communication line is small. Digital data transfer rates for mobile phones and PHS currently in practical use range from 9.6KBPS to 32KBPS,
In the case of communicating image information, it takes about 10 seconds for each image, and the responsiveness deteriorates.

Second, the cost required for communication is high. Further, since the communication cost is proportional to the communication time, when communicating image information, the communication time becomes longer as described above, and the communication cost increases.

Third, communication quality during movement is poor. This is due to fading or the like occurring in the communication path, and the communication speed is reduced in proportion to the increase in the bit error rate of the communication line. In the worst case, the communication is interrupted.

As a method for solving the above-mentioned problem, a method of distributing dynamic information to a driver via a digital broadcast line having a higher transmission path quality has been studied ("Audio Qua").
lityvs. Data Services-a possible conflict? ", Ch
rister Grewin, Third International Symposium on Di
gital Audio Broadcasting, 4-5 June 1996, Montreux
Switzerland). Digital broadcasting lines are limited to one-way data transmission from a broadcasting station to a user, but have a communication capacity of several MBPS for voice lines and tens of MBPS or more for video lines. In addition, in order to apply a technique such as image compression, the communication capacity is designed in the worst case.

When the data compression rate is high, that is, when a monotonous image is continuous or when a still image is transmitted, the compression rate is inevitably high, and a band not used in general broadcasting is included in the communication band. Occurs. The communication information from the information service center to the mobile unit is superimposed on the vacant band, and the broadcast receiving device provided on the mobile unit separates the communication information to obtain information via a high-speed and stable communication line. Will be able to

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a mobile communication device,
The cell in which the moving object is located is determined, and communication is performed via a base station provided in the cell. In order to determine the cell where the mobile is located, the terminal side and the base station side communicate periodically,
The cell where the terminal is located is determined.

On the other hand, even when transmitting information via a broadcasting station, it is determined whether there is a mobile unit that receives information in the service area of the broadcasting station, and the position where the mobile unit exists is determined as the service area. There is a first problem that information must be provided from a broadcasting station.

[0013] Further, when information is obtained via broadcasting, the waiting time until the response time is sent tends to be longer than when using two-way communication.
Issues. This is because a case where a waiting time is required when the answer information is superimposed on the general information occurs, and a broadcast line may be congested due to the presence of another user.

[0014] Further, the apparatus for receiving the broadcast is not turned on except when the user is receiving the broadcast. Therefore, there is a third problem that the power must be turned on and off when necessary by some method.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means for solving the above first, second and third problems in a broadcast type information providing system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a broadcast-type information providing system capable of selecting an optimal communication path and an optimal broadcast station and operating to provide answer information to a user. Is to provide.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a mobile device mounted on a mobile device and an information providing device for providing information to the mobile device. In the broadcast-type information providing system, the mobile device includes a mobile communication device that performs two-way communication with the information providing device, and request information indicating a request content of a user to the information providing device by the mobile communication device. An information requesting means for transmitting, a receiving means for receiving response information to the request information transmitted from the information providing apparatus, and an information presenting means for presenting the received response information to a user, The first device is a first information providing communication device that performs bidirectional communication with the mobile communication device, and the request transmitted from the mobile device via the first information providing communication device. Response information editing means for generating response information to a report, and second information for performing communication with a broadcasting facility broadcasting to a specific service area in order to transmit the response information to the mobile unit. A broadcasting facility that includes a location where the mobile unit receives the answer information in its service area is selected from providing side communication means and position information of the mobile unit detected by the mobile unit or the information providing side device. Control means for transmitting the answer information to the selected broadcast facility via the second information providing side communication means, and broadcasting the answer information from the selected broadcast facility. Features. Therefore, the operation is performed so that the optimum broadcasting station is selected according to the position of the moving object, so that the information can always be received in the best state.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, in the broadcast-type information providing system according to the present invention, an evaluation is performed on a predetermined item with respect to the generation and transmission of the answer information, and according to the evaluation result of the item, When sending the reply information, it may be configured to determine which of the first information providing communication means and the broadcast facility should be passed. Here, as the evaluation items, the degree of congestion of a broadcast signal in a broadcast facility that broadcasts the answer information, the communication speed between the information providing communication means and the mobile communication means,
It is preferable to use at least one of the data amount of the answer information, the time required to generate the answer information, and the time dependency of the answer information. As a result, answer information can be obtained through a communication path that is optimal for the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the broadcast type information providing system, the mobile device includes a mobile communication device for performing bidirectional communication with the information providing device; Information requesting means for transmitting request information indicating the request information to the information providing device by the mobile communication means, broadcast receiving means for receiving response information to the request information broadcast from the information providing device, Information presenting means for presenting answer information to a user, wherein the information providing apparatus includes a first information providing communication means for performing bidirectional communication with the mobile communication means, and the first information providing communication. Response information editing means for generating response information to the request information sent from the mobile via the means, and broadcasting means for transmitting the response information to the mobile. The moving body side device, to receive the broadcast of the answer information by the broadcasting means, and further comprising a device control means for controlling the broadcast receiving means. The apparatus control means performs, for example, power on / off of the broadcast receiving apparatus, switching of a receiving channel, and the like according to a broadcast schedule of the answer information sent via the mobile communication means.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a broadcast-type information providing system to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the information stored in an information providing center 15 via a communication line 14 or a broadcasting station 16 for a mobile unit 10.
And a two-way communication device mounted on the mobile unit 10
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a broadcast-type information providing system that receives information at a broadcast receiving device 11 or obtains desired information at an information processing device 13 and presents it to a user. Hereinafter, each component of the broadcast-type information providing system will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional processing blocks of the information processing device 13 installed in the mobile object 10. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 13 includes an arithmetic unit 100, a display 1
01, information storage device 102, voice input / output device 103, input device 10
4, wheel speed sensor 105, geomagnetic sensor 106, gyro 107,
A GPS receiver 108 and a LAN 109 are provided. Hereinafter, each constituent unit of the information processing apparatus will be described.

The arithmetic unit 100 detects a current position based on sensor information output from various sensors 105 to 108, and reads map mesh data required for map display from the obtained current position information from the information storage device 102. Develops the map data in graphics and superimposes the current location mark on the map, displays it on the display 101, selects the optimal route connecting the destination specified by the user and the current location, and displays it over the map on the display 101 A central unit that performs various processes such as guiding the user to the destination by inquiring about the dynamic information required by the user to the information providing center 15 and displaying the obtained answer information on the display 101. It is.

The display 101 is a unit for displaying the graphics information generated by the arithmetic unit 100, and is composed of a CRT or a liquid crystal display. The signal S1 between the arithmetic unit 100 and the display 101 is an RGB signal or NTSC (National Television).
vision system committee).

The information storage device 102 includes a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, IC
It is composed of a large-capacity storage medium such as a card, and stores map mesh data, guidance information, and the like required for map display.

The input device 104 is a unit for receiving an instruction from a user, and includes a hard switch such as a scroll key and a scale change key, a joystick, a touch panel attached on a display, and the like.

The sensor used for detecting the position in the mobile navigation measures the distance from the product of the circumference of the wheel and the measured number of rotations of the wheel, and further moves based on the difference between the number of rotations of the paired wheel. Wheel speed sensor 105 that measures the angle at which the body is bent, geomagnetic sensor 106 that detects the magnetic field held by the earth and detects the direction the mobile is facing, angle at which the mobile is rotated, such as an optical fiber gyro or vibration gyro The gyro 107 detects signals from GPS satellites, and measures the distance between the mobile and the GPS satellite and the rate of change of the distance for three or more satellites to determine the current position, travel speed, and travel of the mobile. It is composed of a GPS receiving device 108 for measuring an azimuth.

Further, it includes a LAN (Local Area Network) 109 for communicating between various devices installed in the moving body, that is, the two-way communication device 11 and the broadcast receiving device 12 and the information processing device 13. The LAN 109 operates so as to transfer request information from the user to the two-way communication device 11 by communicating with these devices, and to communicate the obtained answer information from the broadcast receiving device 12 or the two-way communication device 11. The two-way communication device 11 needs to be capable of data communication. Therefore, when data communication is not supported by the analog method, data communication is performed by installing a modem.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a processing block provided in the arithmetic unit 100. In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 100 includes a user operation analysis unit 120, a route calculation unit 121,
Route storage means 122, route guidance means 123, information display processing means
124, current position calculation means 125, map matching means 126, data reading means 127, search means 128, communication device control means 12
9 and a graphic processing means 130. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

The current position calculating means 125 includes a wheel speed sensor 105
By using the distance data and angle data obtained as a result of integrating the vehicle speed pulse data S5 measured at step S5 and the angular acceleration data S7 measured at the gyro 107, the data are integrated along the time axis to obtain the initial position. A process of calculating the position (X ′, Y ′) after traveling of the moving object from (X, Y) is performed. Here, the azimuth data S6 obtained from the geomagnetic sensor 106 is used in order to make the relationship between the angle of rotation of the moving body and the azimuth in which the mobile body advances.
Then, the angle data obtained by integrating the angular acceleration data S7 obtained from the gyro 107 is mapped in a one-to-one relationship, and the absolute azimuth of the direction in which the moving body is traveling is corrected. In addition, since the error of the sensor accumulates as the data obtained from the sensor is integrated, a process of canceling the accumulated error based on the position data S8 obtained from the GPS receiving device 108 in a certain time period is performed. And outputs the current position information.

Since the current position information includes an error of the sensor, the position accuracy is further improved with the aim of further improving the position accuracy.
The map matching process is performed by the map matching unit 126.
That is, the road data included in the map around the current location is read from the information storage device 102 by the data reading unit 127, and the traveling locus shape and the road shape obtained from the current position calculating unit 125 are illuminated with each other. This is the process of adjusting the current location to a high road. By performing the map matching process, the current position often coincides with the traveling road, and the current position information can be output with high accuracy.

The route calculation means 121 searches the map data for a link or node from the current location to the destination via the waypoint using the Dijkstra method or the like, and stores the resulting route in the route storage means 122. At this time, by changing the weights of the nodes, it is also possible to obtain a route with the shortest distance between the two points, a route that can be reached in the shortest time, a route with the lowest cost, and the like.

The route guidance unit 123 compares the link and node information of the guidance route stored in the route storage unit 122 with the current position information calculated by the current position calculation unit 125 and the map matching unit 126, and passes through an intersection or the like. Should you go straight before
The user is notified by voice using the voice input / output device 103 whether to make a right or left turn, or the information display processing unit 124 is used to generate a shape diagram of an intersection to be guided, and display a guidance arrow on the intersection to display the guidance arrow to the user. Notify the route.

The user operation analysis means 120 receives a request from the user through the input device 104, analyzes the contents of the request, and controls each block to execute a corresponding process.

The data reading means 127 operates to read map information and facility information stored in the information storage device 102.

The search means 128 controls the data reading means 127 to search for desired information, for example, location information of facilities, incidental information, video information and the like.

The communication device control means 129 controls and communicates with the two-way communication device 11 and the broadcast receiving device 12 installed on the mobile body via the LAN 109, and operates to read the information received by these devices.

The information display processing means 124 generates a graphics drawing command for drawing a map screen, a search screen, and a search result output screen, and outputs the graphics processing command to the graphics processing means 13.
Transfer to 0.

The graphics processing means 130 executes the display processing by receiving the drawing command generated by the information display processing means 124, developing the screen image in the frame memory, and transferring it to the display 101.

Next, some processing examples will be described with reference to FIG. For example, it is assumed that the user instructs execution of a process for searching for information on a predetermined point. In this case, one of the following two processes is executed.

As a first processing case, it is determined that the answer information to the search request exists in the information storage device 102, that is, the moving body 10, and the processing contents will be described below.

The user operation analysis means 120 transfers data to the information display processing means 124 and the graphics processing means 130 so that the search screen is displayed on the display 101. The user inputs desired search contents from the display screen using a touch panel or a joystick provided on the input device 104, and determines the search contents from the designated position. Note that the search content may be received using a voice synthesis / voice recognition function provided in the voice input / output device 103. In this case, the speech synthesis function may be used to say, for example, "Please tell me the content of the search", and the corresponding user's answer voice may be analyzed using the voice recognition function.

The search contents are transferred to the search means 128, which controls the data reading means 127 to search for answer information corresponding to the request. The acquired answer information is transferred to the information display processing means 124, where it is converted into image data to be displayed on the display, and the answer information is displayed on the display 101.

Next, the second case will be described. In the above, the case where answer information corresponding to the request exists in the mobile unit 10 has been described, but this case is performed when the answer information does not exist in the mobile unit 10.

The user operation analysis means 120 operates in the same manner as in the first case, and fetches the search contents. The search content is transferred to the search means 128, which controls the data reading means 127 to search for answer information corresponding to the request. Here, the answer information corresponding to the request is stored in the information storage device 102, that is, the mobile unit 1
If it is determined that it is not recorded in 0, the request information is transferred to the communication device control means 129.

The communication device control means 129 connects the communication from the two-way communication device 11 to the information providing center 15 existing outside the moving body via the LAN 109, and transfers the request information.

The answer information output from the information providing center 15 returns the answer information to the mobile unit 10 using the two-way communication or digital broadcasting. If the reply information is returned via two-way communication, the two-way communication device 11 receives the reply information, and if the reply information is returned via digital broadcast, the broadcast receiving device 12 receives the reply information and controls the communication device via the LAN 109. Forwarded to means 129.

The acquired answer information is processed by the information display processing means 124.
The answer information is converted to image data to be displayed on the display, and the
Displayed in 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the broadcast receiving apparatus 12. In the present embodiment, the legal transmission / reception device includes a high-frequency unit 141, a demodulation unit 142, a decoding unit 143, a power control unit 144, a control unit 145, and a LAN 146. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

[0050] The broadcast receiving device 12 is provided in the mobile object 10,
It has a function of receiving digital broadcast waves transmitted by a broadcast station and separating broadcasts for general viewers and response information for its own receiver from the received broadcast waves.

First, the high-frequency unit 141 amplifies the signal strength of the radio wave captured by the antenna 140 and converts the frequency so that the frequency signal of the channel specified by the control unit 145 matches the intermediate frequency of the demodulation unit 142. The demodulation unit 142 demodulates the obtained intermediate frequency band broadcast signal and converts it into a digital signal. The decoding unit 143 separates the digital signal into a broadcast for an unspecified majority, and answer information transmitted to a user who has requested information.

There are various methods for separating the answer information transmitted to the user who has requested the information. For example, a different ID is set for each user, and a method for separating broadcast information that matches the ID,
A method of determining an ID and separating broadcast information that matches the ID can be considered.

The information obtained by the decoding unit 143 is transmitted to the LAN 146
Is transferred to the information processing device 13 via the.

The power control unit 144 turns on and off the power of each unit of the broadcast receiving device 12 according to the instructions of the information processing device 13 and the control unit 145. When power-on is instructed from the information processing device 13 via the LAN 146, the power control unit 144 supplies power to each unit and shifts to a standby state. Accordingly, even when the power of the broadcast receiving device 12 is turned off, the operation can be started in a timely manner, so that the system is characterized in that power saving is achieved.

The control unit 145 controls each unit of the broadcast receiving device 12 according to the instruction given from the information processing device 13. That is, when the information processing device 13 instructs the channel on which the answer information is to be broadcast, the high frequency unit 141 is controlled so that the target channel can be received. When the information processing apparatus 13 instructs the ID for identifying the answer information, the decoding unit 14
Set the ID to 3. Further, when the decoding unit 143 instructs the end of broadcast of the answer information, the power control unit 144
To power off each unit.

According to the above configuration, the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 operates so as to be turned off after receiving the answer information, so that the power saving of the system is achieved.

The LAN 146 communicates bidirectionally with each unit mounted on the mobile unit 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the information providing center 15. In the present embodiment, the information provision center 15
The first two-way communication terminal 200, the communication control device 201, the second two-way communication terminal 203, the answer information generation device 204, the content information server 205, the vehicle position estimation device 206, the road network server 20
7 and a broadcast station data server 208. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

The information providing center 15 collects content information necessary for the mobile unit 10 and records it on a server.
Search the server according to the user request and generate answer information,
It operates to return answer information to the user via the optimal communication path.

The first two-way communication terminal 200 is a device for connecting the communication line 14 and the information providing center 15 and comprises a digital telephone or an analog telephone. When the first two-way communication terminal 200 is configured by an analog telephone, an analog signal is converted into a digital signal using a modem.

The communication control device 201 is a device for controlling the flow of data, and the request information transferred from the first two-way communication terminal 200 is sent to the answer information generating device 204 and to the answer information generated by the answer information generating device 204. Answer information first according to the type of
The two-way communication terminal 200 or the second two-way communication terminal 203
Is selected and transferred, and a process of disconnecting communication with the first two-way communication terminal 200 is also executed.

The response information generation device 204 analyzes the contents of the request information, extracts necessary information from the content information server 205, generates response information, and instructs the communication control device 201 on a response method according to the type of the response information. . further,
The current position information sent from the moving object, or the estimated position of the moving object output by the vehicle position estimating device 206, or the position of the moving object is determined from the position information of the base station connected to the moving object via the communication line 14, By searching the broadcast station data server 208, the broadcast station 16 whose service area is the position of the moving object is determined.

The content information server 205 is a device that collects and stores various kinds of dynamic information and static information. In addition,
Although not shown here, the content information server 205
Is connected to its own network or the Internet to collect external information, and always stores the latest information.

The vehicle position estimating device 206 operates to estimate the position of the moving body after a predetermined time has elapsed from the current position information, destination information, transit point information, route information and the like sent from the moving body. . In the estimation, the road network server
Using the road information stored in 207, that is, road link information, road type information, and the like, the position of the moving object is estimated from the average travel time of the road type. Also, the content information server 20
By using the traffic jam information stored in 5, it is also possible to adopt a configuration for performing a more accurate position estimation.

The second two-way communication terminal 203 connects the communication to the broadcasting station 16 selected by the response information generation device 204 and transfers the response information. The communication line to which the second bidirectional communication terminal 203 connects may be a public communication line network or a dedicated line.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the broadcasting station 16. In the present embodiment, the broadcast station 16 is a program supply unit 300 that creates a program to be broadcast, an information processing unit 310 that multiplexes information distributed from the program supply unit 300 and the information provision center 15,
And a broadcasting unit 320 for transmitting the processed information.
Hereinafter, each component will be described.

The program supply unit 300 includes a video camera 301 for converting video and video signals and the like, a microphone 303 for converting audio to audio signals, converting video and audio signals to digital signals, and transmitting the digital signals efficiently. A video encoder 302 and an audio encoder 304 for performing compression.

The information processing section 310 generates a bit stream in which a digital signal transmitted from one or more program supply sections 300 and the information providing center 15 is multiplexed into one packet by the multiplexer 312. An error code is added to the unified bit stream by the error correction code adding device 313, so that a bit error due to an external factor such as noise can be corrected. The modulation device 314 performs digital modulation with high efficiency and high error tolerance in consideration of the characteristics of the transmission path.

In the broadcasting section 320, one or a plurality of digitally modulated signals are converted into high-frequency signals by the transmitter 321 and the transmission antenna 322 broadcasts a program to an area where the broadcasting station is a service area.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the processing flow of the dynamic information search executed by the arithmetic unit 100 of the information processing device 13 mounted on the moving body. Hereinafter, the processing will be described with reference to a flowchart.

In step 1000, the user operation analysis means 12
It monitors 0 to determine whether the user has issued a search request. If no instruction has been given, the process returns to the original state, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the occurrence of a search request is checked again. In FIG. 6, a polling type processing flow is shown as an example, but an event driven type may be used.

To determine whether or not a search request has been issued, the status of the information information search switch outside the moving object may be monitored on the menu screen displayed on the display 101. on the other hand,
A search request may be issued from the user via the voice input / output device 103 in some cases. In this case, items to be set in the following steps 1001 to 1003 are set in a dialogue by voice.

In step 1001, when it is determined that a search request has been issued by the user, a search menu screen for setting details of an item to be searched is displayed on the display 101. It should be noted that the search menu screen may be a nested structure menu screen in which an outline is specified first and detailed information is sequentially displayed and set.

For example, when searching for certain hotel information, a screen for setting the prefecture where the hotel is located, a screen for setting the type of the next hotel, and a screen for setting the proper noun of the hotel The search menu screen is displayed in the order of. Finally, it is determined that the user request has been set when the unique hotel is instructed.

In step 1002, in order to obtain answer information to the search request content set in step 1001, whether to start communication with the information providing center 15 is displayed on the screen, and an instruction from the user is waited. When the search start is instructed, the process moves to the next step. When the resetting of the search request contents and the addition for setting a plurality of search request contents are instructed, the process shifts to step 1001 again to set the search request contents.

In step 1003, the type of the communication device mounted on the moving object is checked using the LAN 109, and if it is determined that the broadcast receiving device 12 is not mounted on the moving object, the answer information is obtained by two-way communication. To skip the display of the communication method setting screen. This suppresses the display of a menu screen that cannot be selected, thereby improving operability.

On the communication mode setting display screen, options such as "prioritize two-way communication", "prioritize broadcasting", and "select an optimal communication path" are displayed, and wait for user input. Note that "
"Priority on two-way communication" refers to a method of obtaining answer information via two-way communication, "broadcasting" refers to a method of obtaining answer information via a broadcast, and "Select optimal communication route" for answer information and communication. That is, the method is to judge from the line quality and the like, and to select a method of returning the answer information at high speed and at low cost.
The communication line information set here is superimposed on the request information and transferred to the information providing center 15.

In step 1004, the telephone number for connecting to the information providing center 15 is transferred to the two-way communication device 11,
The communication connection is requested by dialing the information providing center 15 via the communication line 14 using the bidirectional communication device 11.

In step 1005, the communication line 14 is checked to determine whether or not the first two-way communication terminal 200 in the information providing center 15 has been connected, or whether the terminal has been blocked and cannot be connected. Is executed again from the processing of step 1004 after a predetermined time has elapsed. Further, a display is displayed on the display screen indicating that the connection to the information providing center 15 could not be established.

In step 1006, the ID and password for logging in to the information providing center 15 are sent out, and it is confirmed that the user of the mobile is a customer of the information providing center 15. If the customer can be confirmed, the process moves to the next step. If the ID and the password do not match, information indicating that is displayed and the communication is cut off.

At step 1007, the search request information set by the user at step 1001, the communication method information set by the user at step 1003, and the current position information of the moving object output by the current position calculating means 125 and the map matching means 126 Transfer to the information service center 15. Further, when the broadcast receiving device 12 mounted on the mobile is operating, the receiving channel information of the receiving device is also transferred.

In step 1008, in response to the request transferred to information providing center 15 in step 1007,
Receives the communication method of the reply information returned from 15. The communication method of answer information that can be used in the present embodiment is one of two-way communication or broadcasting.

At step 1009, the subsequent information processing method is switched according to the communication method of the answer information obtained at step 1008. If two-way communication is not specified as the response information communication method, the process proceeds to step 1013 in FIG. 8, and if two-way communication is specified, the process proceeds to step 1010.

In step 1010, the process is started when reply information is returned via two-way communication, that is, through the two-way communication device 11, and receives reply information to the search request information requested by the user from the information providing center 15. I do.

In step 1011, when it is determined that the reception of the answer information has been completed, the communication started in step 1004 is disconnected. Note that the information providing center 15 may determine that the communication line has been disconnected and disconnect the communication line.

In step 1012, the answer information received in step 1010 is displayed together with the request information, and the search result is displayed to the user. When the vehicle is running or when the user instructs to provide information via voice, the voice input / output device 103 is used to output answer information in voice. Thereby, the user can grasp the information sent from the information providing center 15.

Step 1013 is activated when the reply information is broadcast, that is, when the reply information is returned via the broadcast receiving apparatus 12.
Here, information such as the broadcast station transmitting the broadcast, the broadcast channel, the scheduled broadcast start time, the scheduled broadcast end time, the data amount of the response information, and the ID and password for obtaining the response information to be received from the broadcast is transmitted to the two-way communication device. And then disconnect the communication line of the two-way communication.

By obtaining the scheduled broadcast start time, it is possible to recognize a margin for turning on the power of the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 and a channel switching timing. Also, by obtaining the scheduled broadcast end time, it is possible to grasp whether the reply of the reply information using the broadcast has been completed normally. That is, if the response information is not obtained even at the scheduled broadcast end time, it is determined that normal reception has not been performed, and control may be performed so as to request information again from the information providing center 15.

In step 1014, it is confirmed whether the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 is operating, and if not, a command to turn on the power is transferred to the power control section 144 in the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 via the LAN 109. Then, the broadcast receiving device 12 is started.
Note that an operation may be performed to activate the broadcast receiving device 12 earlier by a predetermined margin time than the scheduled broadcast start time obtained in step 1013. According to such a configuration, the broadcast receiving apparatus
Since the operation can be started in a timely manner even when the power supply of 12 is turned off, it is possible to save power of the system.

At step 1015, information such as the broadcast station and the broadcast channel for transmitting the broadcast received at step 1013 is
The data is transferred to the control unit 145 in the broadcast receiving device 12 via the LAN 109. According to this information, control section 145 sets the reception channel of high-frequency section 141.

In step 1016, information such as an ID, password, and data amount of the answer information for obtaining answer information to be received from the broadcast signal received in step 1013 is transmitted via the LAN 109 to the control unit 145 in the broadcast receiving apparatus 12. Transfer to In accordance with this information, the control unit 145 sets an ID and a password for decoding the target answer information in the decoding unit 143. The data amount of the answer information is used to determine whether the answer information has been sent correctly by comparing the data amount of the broadcast information with the data amount of the broadcast information.

In step 1017, when the reception of the broadcast answer information is completed, the answer information is transferred to the information processing apparatus 13. When the broadcast receiving channel is switched in step 1015, the receiving channel before the channel switching is executed. Change to

Further, on condition that the power of the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 is turned on in step 1014, a command to turn off the power of the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 is sent to the power control section 144 in the broadcast receiving apparatus 12 via the LAN 109. Then, the broadcast receiving device 12 is stopped. According to such a configuration, the operation can be started in a timely manner even when the power of the broadcast receiving device 12 is turned off, so that power saving of the system is achieved.

In step 1018, the answer information received in step 1017 is displayed together with the request information, and the search result is displayed to the user. When the vehicle is running or when the user instructs to provide information via voice, the voice input / output device 103 is used to output answer information in voice. Thereby, the user can grasp the information sent from the information providing center 15.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the processing flow of the communication line setting executed by the answer information generating device 204 of the information providing center 15. Hereinafter, the processing will be described with reference to a flowchart.

In step 1100, search request information and communication method information set by the user are sent from the two-way communication device 11 of the mobile unit 10 to the information providing center 15 via the communication line 14 and the first two-way communication terminal 200. , And the current position information of the moving object output by the current position calculating means 125 and the map matching means 126 are stored therein.

[0097] Note that the position information of the mobile unit is obtained by specifying the base station connected to the mobile unit when the mobile unit is wirelessly connected to a ground station constituting the mobile communication network. It may be a position.

In steps 1101 and 1101a, step 1100
The communication method information stored in step (1) is analyzed, and the subsequent processing method is determined. That is, if “broadcasting priority” is selected, the process 2 (step 1113) in FIG. 10 is performed. If “bidirectional communication priority” is selected, step 1110 is selected. Step if "" is selected
The process transitions to 1102.

In step 1102, the time required to generate answer information corresponding to the search request from the user is estimated. The time required for generating the answer information is the time for accessing the content information server 205 and extracting the information necessary for generating the answer information. If the information does not exist in the content information server 205, access the external database and collect the data. , And an integrated value such as a time for shaping the response information into a predetermined format.

In step 1103, when it is determined that it takes time to prepare the data for a predetermined time or more from the time required to generate the answer information obtained in step 1102, the process returns to step 1113, that is, the answer information is returned by broadcasting. The operation is performed so as to transition to the processing of This is because, when the time required for preparation is long, useless time occurs in which no data is exchanged in the two-way communication.

By using this function, it is possible to shorten the communication time of two-way communication and to reduce the communication cost.

In step 1104, the data amount of the answer information corresponding to the search request from the user is estimated. The data amount of the answer information depends on the image information, audio information,
This is the total amount of moving image information and the like.

In step 1105, when it is determined from the data amount of the response information obtained in step 1102 that the data amount is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step 1113, that is, the process returns to the process of returning the response information by broadcasting. Operate. This means that if the data volume of the answer information becomes enormous, the communication time will increase in two-way communication where the data transfer speed of the communication line is slow, the communication cost will increase, and the communication may be interrupted along with the movement of the mobile body This is because the property becomes higher.

When the response information is enormous by using this function, a broadcast having a high data transfer rate is selected. Therefore, the information providing center can be provided in a short time, at low cost, and with a high probability.
The effect that data can be transferred from 15 to the mobile body can be obtained.

In step 1106, the time dependency of the answer information corresponding to the search request from the user is calculated. The time dependency of the response information means the number of hours within which the response is required, meaning whether the user is requesting the information to be returned immediately or whether the information can be returned after a predetermined time. It is. For example, road congestion information near the destination is information necessary when approaching the destination and does not require urgency, but it is desirable to immediately obtain road congestion information near the own vehicle position. The time dependency is represented by an index such as time.

In step 1107, if it is determined that the time dependency of the answer information obtained in step 1102 is low, that is, if the answer information has low urgency, the step
In step 1113, the operation is shifted to the process of returning the answer information by broadcasting. This is because transferring information with low urgency through two-way communication increases the communication cost.

If the response information is information with low urgency by using this function, a broadcast with a lower communication cost is selected. Therefore, data is transferred from the information providing center to the mobile at a low cost and with a high probability. The effect of being able to transfer is obtained.

At step 1108, the communication line quality of the communication line 14 is calculated. The quality of a communication line can be determined by the ratio between the rated data transfer speed of the communication line and the data transfer speed during data transfer. As the data transfer rate, a method of checking a data transfer error with parity or the like and reducing the data transfer rate until a data transfer rate at which no error occurs in data transfer is generally used. Alternatively, a method of calculating the data transfer rate from the effective data transfer amount excluding the data transfer error may be used.

In step 1109, based on the communication line quality obtained in step 1108, the quality of the communication line is compared with the rating.
When it is determined that the quality is lower than the predetermined quality, the operation proceeds to step 1113, that is, the process transits to the process of returning the answer information by broadcasting. This is to prevent the use of a communication path with poor communication line quality from lengthening the communication time and thus increasing the communication cost.

If the quality of the communication line is degraded by using this function, a broadcast having higher communication quality is selected, so that the information providing center can be provided at low cost and with high probability.
The effect that data can be transferred from 15 to the mobile body can be obtained.

Step 1110 is started when reply information is returned in two-way communication when the above steps are executed. Access is made to the content information server 205 from the search request set by the user stored in step 1100 to generate reply information. The necessary information is extracted, and the response information is shaped into a predetermined format.

In step 1111, the reply information generated in step 1110 is returned to the bidirectional communication device 11 provided in the mobile unit 10 via the first bidirectional communication terminal 200 and the communication line 14.

In step 1112, the communication line connected to the first two-way communication terminal 200 is disconnected on condition that the transmission of the response information has been completed.

Step 1113 shown in FIG. 10 is started when reply information is returned by broadcasting, and the current position information of the moving object stored in step 1100 and the service of each broadcast station stored in broadcast station data server 208 are stored. The areas are compared, and it is determined whether the moving object exists within the service area of any of the broadcasting stations. If the mobile is not within the service area of any of the broadcasting stations, it is not possible to return the response information using the broadcast, so the process returns to step 1110, which is the process of returning the response information using the two-way communication. Transition.

After receiving the position information from the moving body,
When replying the answer information by broadcasting after a predetermined time, the operation is performed to select the broadcast station 16 to which the answer information is to be broadcast from the estimated position information of the moving object at the current time estimated by the vehicle position estimating means 206. .

[0116] In step 1114, the broadcasting station 16 whose service area is the area where the searched mobile unit is located,
An inquiry is made as to whether or not a sufficient line capacity remains for superimposing the answer information in the broadcast signal from the present time to a predetermined time. The predetermined time may be set short according to the time dependency of the answer information when reply information needs to be returned in a short time, and long when the time dependency is low. Note that the second bidirectional communication terminal 203 is used for the inquiry.

In step 1115, if it is determined in step 1114 that there is not enough line margin, the process proceeds to step 11115.
10, ie, the method of returning answer information by two-way communication, and when an answer is obtained that there is room in the line, the process shifts to step 1116, ie, the method of returning answer information by broadcast, respectively.

At step 1116, information such as the broadcast station to which the broadcast is to be transmitted, the broadcast channel, the scheduled broadcast start time, the scheduled broadcast end time, the data amount of the answer information, and the ID and password for obtaining the answer information to be received from the broadcast are stored. Determined, and the two-way communication means (the first two-way communication terminal 200, the communication line 14,
The mobile body is notified via the two-way communication device 11).

As the broadcast station 16 for transmitting a broadcast, a broadcast station whose service area is the area where the mobile is located is selected based on the information on the service area of each broadcast station stored in the broadcast station data server 208. As the broadcast channel, a channel being received by the broadcast receiving device 12 in the mobile object 10 is preferentially selected. The scheduled broadcast start time and the scheduled broadcast end time are estimated from the congestion degree of the broadcast signal. Here the congestion degree is
For example, it is calculated as (broadcast data amount already reserved when answer information is broadcast / maximum data amount of broadcast line). That is, the higher the congestion degree, the more reserved data, and it becomes difficult to add broadcast data later.

In step 1117, the communication line connected to the first two-way communication terminal 200 is disconnected on condition that the information communication in step 1116 has been completed.

At step 1118, the content information server 20 retrieves from the search request set by the user stored at step 1100.
Access 5 and extract the information necessary for generating the answer information,
The response information is shaped into a predetermined format.

In step 1119, the response information generated in step 1118, the channel information, the ID and the password for obtaining the response information to be received from the broadcast are entered using the second bidirectional communication terminal 203, Is transmitted to the broadcasting station 16 having the service area as a service area.

[0123] The broadcasting station 16 provides an information providing center for general broadcasting.
The information transmitted from 15 is superimposed and broadcast. This signal is received by the broadcast receiving device 12 in the mobile object 10, and the target answer information can be obtained by decoding the target answer information.

[0124]

According to the present invention, in the above-described broadcast-type information providing system, an optimal communication path and an optimal broadcasting station are selected, and operation is performed so as to provide answer information to the user. Response information can be sent to the body at high speed, at low cost, and stably.

Further, according to the present invention, the broadcast receiving device provided in the moving body operates so that the power is dynamically turned on and off depending on whether or not the response information is returned, so that the system can be operated with low power consumption. It also contributes to electric power.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration example of a broadcast-type information providing system.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a processing block of the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a processing block provided in a calculation unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a broadcast receiving device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of an information providing center.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a broadcasting system.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow executed by a calculation unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow executed by a calculation unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing flow executed by the answer information generation device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow executed by the answer information generation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: mobile body, 11: two-way communication device, 12: broadcast receiving device,
13 information processing device, 14 communication line, 15 information providing center, 16 broadcast station, 100 arithmetic unit, 101 display, 10
2 information storage device, 103 voice input / output device, 104 input device, 105 wheel speed sensor, 106 geomagnetic sensor, 107 gyro, 108 GPS receiver, 109 LAN, 120 user operation analysis means, 121: route calculation means, 122: route storage means,
123 ... route guidance means, 124 ... information display processing means, 125 ... current position calculation means, 126 ... map matching means, 127 ... data reading means, 128 ... search means, 129 ... communication device control means, 13
0 ... graphics processing means, 140 ... antenna, 141 ... high frequency section, 142 ... demodulation section, 143 ... decoding section, 144 ... power control section, 145 ... control section, 146 ... LAN, 200 ... first bidirectional communication terminal , 201: communication control device, 203: second two-way communication terminal, 204: answer information generation device, 205: content information server, 206: vehicle position estimation device, 207: road network server, 300
... Program supply unit, 301 ... Camera, 302 ... Video encoder,
303: microphone, 304: audio encoder, 310: information processing unit, 312: multiplexing device, 313: error correction coding device, 31
4 modulation device, 320 broadcasting section, 321 transmitter, 322 transmission antenna.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kozo Nakamura 7-1-1, Omikacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshio Fujiwara 7-1, Omikamachi, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture No. 1 Inside Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi Laboratory (72) Inventor Kenichiro Kurata 7-1-1, Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi Laboratory (72) Inventor Hideo Hiroshige Omika, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi 1-1, Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Kuroda 7-1-1, Omikacho, Hitachi, Ibaraki Pref. Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Ichiro Hondo Kanagawa 2499-1, Hironodai, Zama-shi, Japan F-term (reference) in Xanavi Informatics, Inc. 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 BB13 CC12 EE18 FF04 FF05 FF13 FF22 FF25 FF32 FF33 5K067 AA21 BB21 DD23 EE02 EE10 FF02 FF03 FF23 GG01 HH05 HH21 HH22 JJ52 JJ71 KK00 5K101 KK16 LL12

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A broadcast-type information providing system comprising: a mobile device mounted on a mobile device; and an information providing device for providing information to the mobile device. Position measuring means for measuring the position of the moving body, moving body side communication means for performing two-way communication with the information providing apparatus, request information indicating the content of the user request and the measured position information of the moving body, An information requesting unit that transmits to the information providing device by the mobile unit-side communication unit; a receiving unit that receives response information to the request information transmitted from the information providing side device; Information presenting means for presenting, wherein the information providing apparatus comprises: a first information providing communication means for performing bidirectional communication with the mobile communication means; and Response information editing means for generating response information to the request information sent from the mobile via communication means; and a specific service area for transmitting the response information to the mobile. As a second information providing communication means for communicating with a broadcasting facility that is broadcasting, and from the position information sent from the mobile via the first information providing communication means, Select a broadcast facility that includes the location where the mobile receives the answer information in its service area, and transmit the answer information to the selected broadcast facility via the second information providing communication means. ,
Control means for broadcasting the answer information from the selected broadcasting facility. 2. A broadcast-type information providing system comprising: a mobile device mounted on a mobile device; and an information providing device for providing information to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes a cell. Mobile side communication means for performing two-way communication with the information providing apparatus via a base station arranged in a matrix, and information for transmitting request information indicating user's request contents to the information providing apparatus by the mobile body communication means Request means, receiving means transmitted from the information providing apparatus, receiving means for receiving response information to the request information, and information presenting means for presenting the received response information to a user, the information comprising: A providing device, a first information providing communication device that performs two-way communication with the mobile communication device, and information from a position of a base station that has passed through the communication with the mobile communication device. Position measuring means for measuring the position of a moving object; answer information editing means for generating answer information to the request information sent from the moving object via the first information providing side communication means; In order to transmit information to the mobile unit, a second information providing communication unit that performs communication with a broadcasting facility that is broadcasting to a specific service area, and the measured by the position measurement unit. From the position information of the moving object, select a broadcasting facility including the position where the moving object receives the answer information in its service area, and select the broadcasting facility via the second information providing communication means. Control means for transmitting said answer information to said selected broadcast facility and causing said selected broadcast facility to broadcast said answer information. 3. A broadcast-type information providing system comprising: a mobile device mounted on a mobile device; and an information providing device for providing information to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes: A mobile communication unit that performs two-way communication with the information providing device; an information requesting unit that transmits request information requested by a user to the information providing device via the mobile communication device; and a transmission from the information providing device. Receiving means for receiving response information to the requested information, and information presenting means for presenting the received response information to a user. First information providing communication means for performing bidirectional communication, and response information for generating response information to the request information transmitted from the mobile via the first information providing communication means Report editing means, a second information providing side communication means for communicating with a broadcasting facility that is broadcasting to a specific service area in order to transmit the answer information to the mobile object, and the answer Evaluate a predetermined item with respect to generation and transmission of information, and according to the evaluation result of the item, which of the first information providing communication means and the broadcast facility should be passed when sending the answer information A broadcast-type information providing system, comprising: 4. The broadcast-type information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit of the information providing device includes a degree of congestion of a broadcast signal in a broadcasting facility that broadcasts the answer information, the information providing communication device, The communication speed between the mobile-side communication means, the data amount of the answer information, the time required to generate the answer information, and at least one of the time dependencies of the answer information, items to be evaluated, A broadcast-type information providing system, wherein a communication path to be used when transmitting the answer information is determined according to an evaluation result of the item. 5. The broadcast-type information providing system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile device further comprises a selection unit for selecting a communication path to be used when said response information is transmitted, and Request means for transmitting the information on the selection together with the request information to the information providing apparatus, the control means of the mobile side apparatus, according to the selection information, a communication path for transmitting the answer information And a broadcast-type information providing system. 6. The broadcast-type information providing system according to claim 3, further comprising: a position measuring unit that measures a position of the moving body in one of the moving body side device and the information providing side device. The control unit of the providing-side apparatus, instead of evaluating a predetermined item with respect to the generation and transmission of the response information, according to the measured position of the moving object, when sending the response information, the first information A broadcast-type information providing system, which determines which of a providing-side communication unit and the broadcast facility should be passed. 7. The broadcast-type information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises destination setting means for setting a destination of the mobile object, wherein the information requesting means includes the request information, The information on the destination is transmitted to the information providing device together with the position information, and the control unit on the information providing side, based on the position information and the destination information sent from the moving body, A broadcast-type information providing system, comprising: position estimating means for estimating a position of the moving object at the time of receiving answer information. 8. A broadcast-type information providing system comprising: a mobile device mounted on a mobile device; and an information providing device for providing information to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes: A mobile communication unit that performs two-way communication with the information providing device; an information requesting unit that transmits request information indicating a user's request to the information providing device by the mobile communication device; and a broadcast from the information providing device. Broadcast receiving means for receiving response information to the requested information, and information presenting means for presenting the received response information to a user, wherein the information providing device is bidirectionally communicated with the mobile communication device. First information providing side communication means for performing, and response information editing means for generating response information to the request information sent from the mobile via the first information providing side communication means, Broadcasting means for transmitting the answer information to the mobile object, wherein the mobile device controls the broadcast receiving means in order to receive the broadcast of the answer information by the broadcasting means. A broadcast-type information providing system, further comprising: 9. The broadcast-type information providing system according to claim 8, wherein said apparatus control means includes said reply information sent via said first information providing communication means and said mobile communication means. A broadcast-type information providing system, wherein at least one of turning on / off a power of the broadcast receiving unit and switching of a receiving channel is executed according to the information on the broadcast schedule. 10. An information providing device of a broadcast-type information providing system for providing information to a mobile device mounted on a mobile device, wherein the first information providing communication performs bidirectional communication with the mobile device. Means, answer information editing means for generating answer information to request information sent from the mobile via the first information providing communication means, and transmitting the answer information to the mobile. A second information providing communication means for communicating with a broadcasting facility broadcasting on a specific service area; and a position where the mobile unit receives the answer information in the service area. Control means for selecting a broadcast facility, transmitting the answer information to the selected broadcast facility via the second information providing side communication means, and broadcasting the answer information from the selected broadcast facility; To have Information supplying device as the broadcasting information providing system according to symptoms. 11. An information providing device of a broadcast-type information providing system for providing information to a mobile device mounted on a mobile device, wherein the first information providing communication performs bidirectional communication with the mobile device. Means, answer information editing means for generating answer information to the request information sent from the mobile via the first information providing side communication means, and transmitting the answer information to the mobile. In order to perform communication with a broadcasting facility that is broadcasting for a specific service area, a second information providing communication unit, and evaluates a predetermined item regarding the generation and transmission of the answer information. A broadcasting type, comprising: a first information providing side communication means and a control means for determining which of the broadcasting facilities should be passed when sending the answer information according to the evaluation result of the item. Emotion Information supplying side apparatus providing system. 12. A mobile device of a broadcast-type information providing system mounted on a mobile device and transmitted from the information providing device via broadcast, the mobile device performing bidirectional communication with the information providing device. Communication means; information request means for transmitting request information indicating the contents requested by the user to the information providing device by the mobile communication means; and receiving response information to the request information broadcast from the information providing device. Broadcast receiving means, information presenting means for presenting the received answer information to a user, and device control means for controlling the broadcast receiving means for receiving the answer information transmitted via the broadcast. A mobile device of a broadcast-type information providing system, comprising: