JP2000242892A - Method, device and system for position notification - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make speedily securely reportable the current place of a moving body such as an automobile in an emergency state to the outside such as a management center, by recognizing the current position, converting spot information on the recognized current position into voice information, and transmitting the voice information to the outside. SOLUTION: A car navigation device 2 is equipped with a GPS 102 and various sensors for measuring the current position of its vehicle, and a speech synthesizing device 109 which converts the spot information on the latitude, longitude, etc., measured by the sensors into voice signal. A portable telephone 104 is connected to the car navigation device 2 and inputs the spot information on the current place of its vehicle which is sent from the speech synthesizing device 109 and converted into a voice and sends the spot information in voice to the management center 4. On the side of the management center 4, the position of the vehicle in the emergency state is confirmed with the sent voice and a person on the vehicle is asked about the situation through vocal communication.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position notifying method for notifying a current position of a moving body such as an automobile and a position notifying device or a position notifying system using the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a car navigation apparatus has been known as a means for self-recognizing a traveling position (current position) of a driving automobile. The car navigation device reproduces, for example, a CD-ROM on which road map data is recorded, displays a road map around the vehicle on a screen, and is mounted on a GPS (Global Positioning System) using satellite radio waves or mounted on an automobile. The traveling position of the vehicle, which is sequentially measured by the gyro sensor and the vehicle speed sensor, is displayed on the road map on the screen, so that the occupant traveling by car sees the display of the vehicle on the map. By doing so, the current location can be recognized.

In recent years, a May Day system using a car navigation device has been studied as an example of an emergency notification system in the event of a vehicle accident during driving. In the May Day system, various information data on the contracted vehicle (data on the registration number of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, the registration number of the mobile phone, etc.) is registered in advance in the management center in association with the individual recognition data. The vehicle is equipped with a dedicated device.

FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing one example. The management center 105 shown in FIG. 1 is a center for managing the May Day system, and the in-vehicle device 101 is mounted on a vehicle as communication means for making an emergency call to the outside such as the management center 105.

In FIG. 5, a vehicle-mounted device 101 includes a GPS 102 for measuring the current position of the vehicle, and sequentially detects data on the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle. Further, positioning data (latitude / longitude digital signal) of the GPS 102 is transmitted via a data adapter 103 to a mobile phone (PD).
C) It can be supplied to the data communication line 104.

The operation in the case where the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 101 is in an emergency state such as a vehicle failure or a traffic accident will be described. When the occupant of the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle device 101 operates, for example, a notification SW (not shown) provided on the on-vehicle device 101, the on-vehicle device 101 transmits the individual recognition data of the own vehicle together with data on the current location. Adapter 103
, And controls the mobile phone 104. Then, the individual recognition data and the data on the current location are communicated from the portable telephone 104 through the portable telephone network, and transmitted to the management center 105 through the ADP modem and the wired telephone network.

On the management center 105 side, the registration number of the mobile phone mounted on the vehicle in an emergency condition is specified based on the above-mentioned data sent, and the management center 105 makes a telephone call again to make a wired telephone call. A line of the mobile phone is called through a network, an ADP modem, and a mobile phone network to establish voice communication, and the occupant of the vehicle is interviewed by voice communication.

The management center 105 can obtain information on the current position of the vehicle and information on the vehicle based on the data on the current position and the individual recognition data of the vehicle sent from the vehicle in an emergency state. Thus, the information about the vehicle can be communicated to the police station, fire department, medical institution, etc. together with the current location of the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a detailed block diagram of FIG. In FIG. 6, the on-vehicle device 101 is a dedicated data adapter 1
03, a notification switch 113, and other devices dedicated to the May Day system, a car navigation device 111, and a display unit 1.
12 and a mobile phone 104 or the like. The car navigation device 111 is a vehicle position detecting means,
02 and various sensors (not shown) and the electronic map data 106
And a CPU block 107 for performing various controls, a drawing unit 108 for drawing the vehicle position and the electronic map, a voice synthesis 109 for performing route guidance and the like by voice, and a speaker (SP)
110. The display unit 112 is connected to the car navigation device, and displays a current position together with a map so that an occupant of the vehicle can grasp the position of the vehicle. Mobile phone 1
04 is for performing communication (data communication and voice communication) with the management center 105. As a device dedicated to the May Day system, a data adapter 103 for converting data (latitude and longitude information) from the car navigation device 111 into a format that can be transmitted by the mobile phone 104.
And a notification S for starting communication to the management center 105
W113.

The mobile phone 104 is generally provided with a 16-pin standard connector for external control, and a serial I / O for performing dialing and data communication from the outside.
Transmitting / receiving unit 116, internal microphone 114, and speaker 115
Has a function (hands-free function) of switching to an external microphone and speaker (not shown). CPU block 107
Is connected to the serial I / O of the mobile phone 104 via the data adapter 103.

In addition, by registering data relating to the telephone number of the telephone 120 of the management center 105 in advance in the CPU block 107, for example, when the notification SW 113 is pressed by an occupant of the vehicle in an emergency, the CPU block 107 stores the data. By controlling the mobile phone 104 via the adapter, the mobile phone 104
No. 5 telephone 120 can be called to perform data communication through a digital line.

On the other hand, the management center 105 includes a modem 117 and a personal computer 118 as devices necessary for data communication.
Electronic map data 119 and display software for displaying a map on a display screen of a personal computer, software for displaying received latitude and longitude information on an electronic map, and a telephone 120 for talking with a mobile phone on the vehicle. And a switch 121 for switching the telephone line between the personal computer 118 and the telephone 120.

When the occupant pushes (operates) the notification SW 113 of the vehicle-mounted device 101 in the event of an emergency of the vehicle, the CPU block 107 causes the CPU block 107 to execute the traveling position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle and the telephone of the mobile phone 104. Number and management center 10
5 is supplied to the data line of the mobile phone 104 via the data adapter 103, and these various digital data are wirelessly transmitted from the data communication line of the mobile phone 104 to the mobile phone network. 122 (digital communication).

The mobile telephone network 122 is usually provided with an ADP modem 124 for converting received digital data to be put on a public telephone network 123 of an analog line. After the data is converted into an analog signal by the ADP modem 124, the data is transmitted to the management center 105 by the wired telephone network 123 (analog communication).

In the management center 105, a wired telephone network 123
In accordance with the type of the signal received from the personal computer (individual recognition data and current location data of the vehicle by a digital signal, or an analog voice signal), the switching operation of the telephone line by the switch 121 is performed, the voice reception by the telephone 120 and the personal computer 118
For receiving information data.

When the management center 105 receives each data based on the digital signal from the wired telephone network 123, the personal computer 118 performs an arithmetic processing to register the registration number of the transmission-side automobile, the telephone number of the transmission-side automobile, and the After the current location is specified, the call is switched to the telephone 120 and a voice call is made with the occupant of the car to grasp the current situation of the car.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific communication procedure between the in-vehicle device and the management center in the emergency state of the own vehicle by the operation of each component, and this will be sequentially described below.

(1) The CPU block 107 sends the notification S
Triggered by pressing of W113, the telephone 1 of the management center 105 registered in the CPU block 107 in advance.
A call is made to the telephone 120 via the data adapter 103 using the data relating to the telephone number 20.

(2) The data adapter 103 performs negotiation for exchanging digital data communication with the ADP modem 124 of the mobile telephone network 122. The negotiation between the data adapter 103 and the ADP modem 124 is performed for the following reason. The transfer rate and the transmission format information are transmitted and received between the data adapter and the ADP modem, and the data adapter transmits after receiving the reception permission signal (ACK signal) from the ADP modem. This time is the negotiation time between the data adapter and the ADP modem, and it takes several seconds.

(3) Switch 121 of management center 105
Is set on the modem 117 side in the initial state,
The modem 117 that has received the call signal from the ADP modem 124 performs an automatic response.

(4) A negotiation for determining a communication speed is performed between the ADP modem 124 of the mobile telephone network 122 and the modem 117 of the management center 105 for a predetermined time.

This negotiation is performed for the following reasons. The communication quality of the analog line wired telephone network 123 changes depending on the number and types of exchanges that pass through the communication line. Therefore, even if a call is made to the same place, the communication quality changes every time a call is made. Therefore, when performing data communication using an analog line, the data transfer speed also depends on the communication quality.

Therefore, the ADP modem 124 actually connects to the receiving-side modem 117, checks the communication quality of the analog line and the transfer speed supported by the receiving-side modem 117, and selects the optimum transfer speed. There is a need to. In practice, an optimum transfer rate is selected by performing data communication at a plurality of transfer rates and detecting an error rate. The operation of setting the transfer rate is negotiation, and the time required for the negotiation generally takes about 20 to 30 seconds regardless of the amount of data to be communicated.

(5) When the negotiation is completed,
A data communication line is established and data communication becomes possible.

(6) Upon detecting the establishment of the data communication, the data adapter 103 issues a data request to the CPU block 107.

(7) Upon receiving the data request, the CPU block 107 starts transmitting various information data on the own vehicle and longitude / latitude information data indicating the current position of the own vehicle via the data adapter 103.

(8) Personal computer 11 of management center 105
Numeral 8 receives the longitude / latitude information data of the vehicle and displays the position of the vehicle on the electronic map displayed on the display screen of the personal computer 118. When all the information data have been completely received, the personal computer 118 sends a disconnection signal of the data communication line to the ADP modem 124 of the mobile telephone network 122 via the wired telephone network 123 and then switches the switch 121.
Switches the telephone line to the telephone 120 side.

(9) The data communication line disconnection signal received by the ADP modem 124 is transmitted to the portable telephone 104 through the portable telephone network 122. The mobile phone 104 transmits the disconnection signal to the data adapter 103. Upon receiving the disconnection signal, the data adapter 103 disconnects the data communication line of the mobile phone 104 and controls switching so that the voice communication line side can transmit and receive. Thereby, the voice communication between the mobile phone 104 and the phone 120 is established.

The disconnection signal from the personal computer 118 requires time for processing through a modem, an ADP modem, a mobile phone, an ADP modem and many other transit points. In actual measurement data, it takes about 10 to 20 seconds from the end of data communication to the start of conversation by voice communication.

(10) The occupant of the car is
The operator can explain the current situation in an emergency state by voice call to the operator No. 5 and make a dispatch request such as police or fire.

(11) When the voice conversation between the occupant of the car and the operator of the management center 105 ends, the lines of the mobile phone 104 and the telephone 120 are cut off. The initial state in which both the voice communication lines can be received is set again, and the switch 121 of the management center 105 is set in the initial state in which the modem 117 can receive, and the communication by this system ends.

As described above, the occupant of the vehicle in the emergency state transmits the data relating to the current location of the vehicle in the emergency state and the individual recognition data of the vehicle once from the data communication line side of the portable telephone 104 to the personal computer in the management center 105. 118 to notify the current location of the vehicle,
Is cut off from the management center 105 and the telephone 120 is re-established from the telephone 120 to the mobile telephone 104, and the telephone line is switched and connected so that the voice communication line side of the mobile telephone 104 can transmit and receive.

As a result, voice communication between the portable telephone 104 and the telephone 120 is established, so that the occupant of the automobile can explain the current situation to the operator of the management center 105 in detail.

[0034]

As described above, in the May day system which has been studied in the past, when reporting the emergency state of the vehicle to the management center 105, the data communication line of the mobile phone 104 of the vehicle-mounted device 101 is used. The management center 1 stores data on the current location of the vehicle and individual recognition data of the vehicle.
By transmitting the information to the management center 105, various information data relating to the own vehicle are also transmitted to the management center 105.

However, the data communication speed of the portable telephone (9
(600 bits / second = 1200 bytes / second), the data on the current location and the individual recognition data of the own vehicle are data amounts of about several tens of bytes. As described above, the negotiation time (20 to 30 seconds) between the ADP modem and the modem at the management center required for transferring these data, although the data can be transmitted to the Regardless, almost constant time is required.

Therefore, as a result, the data transmission time becomes longer than the data amount, and in a Mayday system requiring urgency, wasted time is spent for negotiation in emergency notification. In addition, useless time such as negotiation time between the data adapter and the ADP modem and time for switching from data communication to voice communication is consumed.

Further, a mobile phone requires only a frequency (channel) called a half rate in a voice call through a voice communication line, whereas a double channel called a full rate is required in a data transfer through a data communication line. Therefore, in an area (cell) where there are many users, data communication may not be possible (congestion) even though voice communication is possible.

When transmission is performed while a car is moving, cell switching (handover) is required, and congestion is likely to occur in this case as well. In addition, due to congestion at the time of handover, a line may be disconnected during data transmission, and reliable communication may not be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and uses a method for quickly and reliably reporting the current location of a mobile unit such as an automobile in an emergency state to an outside of a management center or the like, and a method for using the method. It is an object of the present invention to provide a position notification device or system that has been used.

[0040]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A position notification method characterized by recognizing a current position, converting the recognized point information of the current position into voice information, and transmitting the voice information to the outside. By using this method, voice information can be transmitted to the outside through a voice communication line, so negotiations are not required as compared with the case of using a digital communication line, and the current position of the vehicle in an emergency state can be quickly determined. Can be notified outside. Also,
The voice communication line reduces the possibility of congestion during communication as compared with the digital communication line. Therefore, by transmitting the voice information to the outside through the voice communication line, the voice information can be reliably transmitted to the outside. Further, a dedicated data adapter is not required for the contract vehicle, and the cost of the device of the entire system can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the position notification method according to the first aspect, after transmitting the voice information to the outside, the user communicates with the outside using the line to which the voice information has been transmitted to the outside. It is characterized by the following. By using this method, the user can explain the current situation in an emergency state in detail by conversation with the outside.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the position notification method according to the first or second aspect, the point information is a road name. As a result, it is possible to accurately specify a point even in a place where a point cannot be specified only by latitude and longitude information, for example, in a place where an automobile exclusive road or the like overlaps with a general road.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the position notification method according to the first or second aspect, the point information is an address or an intersection name. This makes it easier for the operator to identify a point than to listen to numerical information, such as latitude and longitude, when listening to point information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a current position recognizing means for recognizing a current position, a voice converting means for converting the recognized point information of the current position into voice information, and a communication for transmitting the voice information to the outside. Output means for outputting the audio information to the means. According to this device, since voice information can be transmitted to the outside through a voice communication line, negotiation is not required as compared with the case where a digital communication line is used, and the current position of the vehicle in an emergency state can be quickly externalized. Can be notified. In addition, the voice communication line is less likely to cause congestion during communication than the digital communication line, and therefore, by transmitting voice information to the outside through the voice communication line, the voice information can be reliably transmitted to the outside. . further,
Since a dedicated data adapter is not required for the contract vehicle, the cost of the equipment of each vehicle is reduced, and the cost of the entire Mayday system can also be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the position notification device according to the fifth aspect, the point information is a road name. As a result, it is possible to accurately specify a point even in a place where a point cannot be specified only by latitude and longitude information, for example, in a place where an automobile exclusive road or the like overlaps with a general road.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the position notification device according to the fifth aspect, the point information is an address or an intersection name. This makes it easier for the operator to identify a point than to listen to numerical information, such as latitude and longitude, when listening to point information.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the position notifying device according to the fifth to seventh aspects, the output means electrically connects the voice conversion means and the communication means, and the voice conversion means converts the voice. The audio information is output to the communication means as an electrical signal. This makes it possible to compare the point information, which is an electric signal, with a speaker connected to the sound converting means, to temporarily output the sound, propagate through the air, input the sound with the microphone of the communication means, convert the information again to an electric signal, and transmit the electric signal. Therefore, since it is not necessary to propagate in the air, even when the surroundings are noisy, it is possible to efficiently transmit the point information and to shorten the time until the transmission.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position notification system using the position notification device according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, wherein after transmitting voice information to the outside, the line used for the transmission is continued. It is characterized in that the user makes a telephone call directly with the outside. According to the present location system, after transmitting voice information to the outside through a voice communication line, the user can immediately have a conversation with the outside, so that the current situation of the user can be quickly explained, and Accordingly, the current location can be notified in detail.

The invention according to claim 10 is the same as that in claim 9
The position notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the current location recognition unit and the voice conversion unit are provided in a navigation device for guiding to a destination, and the communication unit is a mobile phone. According to the present system, it can be easily mounted on a moving body such as an automobile, and when the moving body is in an emergency state, the current location of the moving body can be promptly and reliably notified to the outside. Further, since a general-purpose product is used, the cost of the device of the entire system can be reduced.

[0050]

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system block diagram as a position notification system of the Mayday system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the position notification system of the Mayday system in the first embodiment. 1 and 2, the same components as those of the conventional Mayday system in FIGS. 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The management center 2 shown in FIG. 1 is a center for managing the May Day system.
And the like, which is mounted on an automobile as a communication means for making an emergency call to the outside. In the May Day system, various information data on the contracted vehicle (data on the registration number of the vehicle, the vehicle type, the registration number of the mobile phone, etc.) is registered in the management center in advance as individual recognition data. The contracted vehicle has a dedicated device.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle-mounted device 1 includes a car navigation device 2 and a mobile phone 104. The car navigation device 2 includes a G for positioning the current position of the vehicle.
It includes a PS 102 and various sensors (not shown), and a voice synthesizer 109 that converts point information such as the latitude and longitude of the current position measured by the GPS 102 and various sensors into voice information. The mobile phone 104 is connected to the car navigation device 2, inputs control signals and location information of the current location of the vehicle converted into voice from the voice synthesizer 109, and sends the information to the management center 4 via a communication line. The location information of the current location of the vehicle is transmitted by voice.

Further, the management center 4 side confirms the position of the vehicle in the emergency state based on the sent voice, and listens to the occupant of the vehicle by voice communication.

The management center 4 can obtain detailed information data on the current location of the vehicle based on the location information on the current location sent from the vehicle in an emergency state. In addition, a medical institution and the like can be notified of the current location of the vehicle together with the information data of the vehicle.

The position notification system according to the first embodiment has a GPS as a current position recognizing means included in a car navigation device 2 in which the current position of the own vehicle in an emergency state is mounted.
The current position is measured by 102 or various sensors (not shown),
The speech synthesis 109 of the location information such as latitude and longitude positioning the current location as the voice conversion means under the control of the CPU block 3 for performing various controls in the audio information (audio signal indicating the location information, such as current location of the latitude and longitude) After conversion, the voice information is supplied from an external microphone terminal of the mobile phone 104 as a wireless communication means, and is transmitted to the management center 4 through the voice communication line of the mobile phone 104. This is a system that reports the current location.

The position notification system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the on-vehicle device 1 includes a device dedicated to the May Day system and a car navigation device 2.
, A display unit 112, a mobile phone 104, and the like. The car navigation device 2 is a vehicle position detecting unit,
GPS 102 and various sensors (not shown), electronic map data 106, CPU block 107 for performing various controls, drawing means 108 for drawing the vehicle position and the electronic map, and voice synthesis 109 for performing route guidance and the like by voice And a speaker (SP) 110. The display unit 112 is connected to the car navigation device, and displays the current position measured together with the map to make the occupant of the vehicle grasp the own vehicle position, and displays the latitude and longitude, address, road name, and the like of the point information of the current position. Displays the name of the store. The mobile phone 104 is for performing voice communication with the management center 4. As a device dedicated to the May day system, there is a notification SW 113 for starting communication to the management center 105.

The mobile phone 104 is generally provided with a 16-pin standard connector for external control, and a serial I / O for performing dialing and data communication from the outside.
Transmitting / receiving unit 116, internal microphone 114, and speaker 115
Has a function (hands-free function) of switching to an external microphone and speaker (not shown). CPU block 107
The data output side of the mobile phone 1 via the serial I / O
04 serial I / O.

Further, by registering data relating to the telephone number of the telephone 120 of the management center 4 in advance in the CPU block 3, for example, when the notification SW 113 is pressed in an emergency by an occupant of the vehicle, the CPU block 107 transmits the serial number. By controlling the mobile phone 104 via the I / O, the mobile phone 104
0 can perform voice communication. Then, under the control of the CPU block 3, the speech synthesis 109 converts the
The voice information (voice signal indicating the location information such as the latitude and longitude of the current location) supplied from the external microphone input side is transmitted to the management center 4 via the voice communication line.

The CPU block 3 outputs a control signal (microphone switching signal) to the mobile phone 104 in parallel with these operations, and the mobile phone 10
By switching the internal microphone 114 of FIG. 4 to an external microphone, the occupant of the automobile can immediately explain the situation of the own vehicle to the management center 4 by voice communication.

On the other hand, the management center 4 includes a modem 117 among the components of the conventional management center 105 described above.
In place of the personal computer 118, a voice modem 8 for inputting voice signals to a personal computer and a personal computer 5 having a voice recognition device for converting voice signals into digital data are used instead of the personal computer 118. The switch 121 of the management center 4 is initially set on the voice modem 8 side in the same manner as the switch 121 of the management center 105, and switches incoming voice information transmitted from the mobile phone 104 to the switch. Automatically responds to the voice modem 8 via the
To supply.

The personal computer 5 includes electronic map data 119 and display software for displaying a map on the display screen of the personal computer, software for displaying the received point information on the electronic map, and supplied audio information. It has a voice recognition function for converting into latitude and longitude data. Therefore, the personal computer 5 displays the vehicle position mark on the electronic map displayed on the display screen of the personal computer 5 based on the point information such as the latitude and longitude obtained by performing the voice recognition processing on the supplied voice information, and , Point information and the like can be displayed.

When the transmission of the voice information of the vehicle is completed, the management center 4 immediately switches the switch 121 to the telephone 120 side. As a result, a voice conversation between the telephone 120 and the mobile phone 104 can be performed without disconnecting the communication line. Therefore, the vehicle occupant can explain the current situation to the operator of the management center 105 in detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific communication procedure between the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the management center 4 in the emergency state of the own vehicle by the operation of each component in the first embodiment. explain.

(1) The CPU block 3 sends the notification SW 11
3 is pressed, the mobile phone 104 is controlled, and data on the telephone number of the telephone 120 of the management center 4 stored in the CPU block 3 is used.
The telephone is called to the telephone 120 and the mobile telephone 104 and the telephone 12 are called.
Establishes voice communication with the voice communication line with 0. Also,
At the same time, the CPU block 3 switches the internal microphone 114 of the mobile phone 104 to an external microphone according to the microphone switching signal.

(2) Since the switch 121 of the management center 4 is set to the initial state in which the voice modem 8 can receive, the voice modem 8 receiving the incoming call from the mobile phone 104
Makes an automatic response, and in response, the personal computer 5 automatically responds and sets itself in a voice recognition input waiting state.

(3) After the response from the management center 4, the CPU block 3 instructs the speech synthesizer 109 to read out the location information such as latitude and longitude. The voice synthesis 109 receives the GP
In S102, the location information of the current position of the vehicle based on the positioning data of various sensors is converted into voice information, and the voice information is output to the mobile phone 104.

(4) The portable telephone 104 transmits the sound information to the management center 4 through the portable telephone network 122 and the wired telephone network 123. In this case, since the voice information is transmitted through the voice communication line, negotiation at the time of transmission is not necessary as in the case of the above-described transmission using the conventional digital communication line, and the voice information is transmitted promptly. You.

(5) The personal computer 5 of the management center 4 recognizes the voice information received through the switch 121 and the voice modem 8 and converts it into latitude / longitude data, and displays the data on the electronic map displayed on the display screen. The position of the vehicle at the latitude and longitude is displayed. Thus, the current location of the own vehicle is notified to the management center 4 side.

(6) The management center 4 switches the switch 121 to the telephone 120 when the data reception is completed. The switching unit 121 may be switched by the personal computer 5 detecting the completion of reception of the data, or may be manually switched by an operator of the management center 4. As a result, the time required for switching from data communication to voice communication can be reduced.

On the other hand, the CPU block 3
9 detects that audio information has been output,
The external microphone of the currently connected mobile phone 104 is switched to the internal microphone 114 according to the microphone switching signal. As a result, the occupant of the automobile can immediately have a voice conversation with the management center 4 side, so that an emergency situation such as an accident is explained to the operator of the management center 4 by conversation, and a request for dispatch of police or fire is made.

(7) The management center 4 uses the personal computer 5 to identify the current location of the vehicle in the emergency state, and
When the status is grasped by directly talking with the occupant of the vehicle by 0, the emergency notification including the position notification from the on-board unit 1 to the management center 4 ends.

As described above, in the position notification system according to the first embodiment, when notifying the current position of the own vehicle to the management center, the current position of the own vehicle is determined by the GPS of the navigation device of the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the own vehicle. Is obtained, the obtained data is converted into voice information by voice synthesis, and transmitted from the mobile phone to the management center via a voice communication line.

The management center converts the received voice information into data relating to the current position by a voice recognition function of the personal computer, and displays the current position of the vehicle together with the electronic map on the display screen of the personal computer. Therefore, the time required for the negotiation is reduced as compared with the case where the current location data is transferred using the on-board unit digital communication line. In addition, since the voice communication line has less possibility of congestion during communication than the digital communication line, voice information can be reliably transmitted to the management center.

In the position notification system according to the present invention, the voice information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 1 and notified to the management center side does not always need to be received by the personal computer 5 of the management center side. May directly receive the voice information via the telephone 120. Such a case will be described with reference to a second embodiment described below.

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram of a Mayday system as a position notification system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is a Mayday system that notifies the management center 6 of a position using the in-vehicle device 1 of the first embodiment described above.

In the respective components of FIG. 4, the same components as those of the Mayday system in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The detailed description of is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the management center 6 includes a telephone 120 for talking with the vehicle-mounted device 1 and a paper map 7 displaying latitude and longitude. Note that the telephone 120 has a number display function of displaying the telephone number of the mobile phone 104 of the in-vehicle device 1 on the transmitting side in order to identify the sender.

In the second embodiment, a specific communication procedure between the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the management center 6 in the emergency state of the own vehicle is performed as follows.

(1) The CPU block 3 sends the notification SW 11
3 is pressed, the telephone 120 is called based on data on the telephone number of the telephone 120 of the management center 6 registered in the CPU block 3 in advance, and the voice communication between the mobile telephone 104 and the telephone 120 is performed. Establish voice communication by line. At the same time, the CPU block 3 sends the internal microphone 1 of the mobile phone 104 in response to the microphone switching signal.
14 is switched to an external microphone.

(2) The operator of the management center 6 answers the telephone after confirming the transmitting side by displaying the number display of the telephone 120.

(3) After the response from the management center 6, the CPU block 3 instructs the speech synthesis 109 to read out the latitude and longitude.
In response to this instruction, the voice synthesizer 109 converts the current position data of the own vehicle based on the positioning data of the GPS 102 into voice information, and outputs the voice information to the mobile phone 104.

(4) The portable telephone 104 transmits the sound information to the management center 4 through the portable telephone network 122 and the wired telephone network 123. In this case, since the voice information is transmitted through the voice communication line, negotiation at the time of transmission is not necessary as in the case of the above-described transmission using the conventional digital communication line, and the voice information is transmitted promptly. You.
The transmitted voice information is directly received by the operator via the telephone 120 as latitude and longitude information by voice. The operator of the management center 6 can thereby confirm the current location of the vehicle in an emergency state, and as a result, the management center 6 is notified of the current location of the vehicle.

(5) The CPU block 3 performs the speech synthesis 10
9 detects that audio information has been output,
The external microphone of the currently connected mobile phone 104 is switched to the internal microphone 114 according to the microphone switching signal. Thus, the occupant of the automobile can immediately have a voice conversation with the management center 4 side, so that an emergency situation such as an accident is explained to the operator of the management center 6 by conversation, and a request for dispatch of police or fire is made.

(6) The management center 6 uses the personal computer 5 to grasp the current location of the vehicle in the emergency state, and
When the status is grasped by directly talking with the occupant of the vehicle by 0, the emergency notification including the position notification from the on-board unit 1 to the management center 4 ends.

As described above, in the position notification system according to the second embodiment, when notifying the current location of the own vehicle to the management center, the GPS and various sensors of the navigation device of the on-vehicle device mounted on the own vehicle use the position notification system. The current position of the car is measured, the obtained data is converted into voice information by voice synthesis, and the data is transmitted from the mobile phone to the management center via a voice communication line. Since the present location is confirmed, the time required for negotiation is reduced as compared with the case where the current location data is transferred using a digital communication line. Further, the voice communication line does not cause congestion during communication as compared with the digital communication line, so that the voice information can be reliably transmitted to the management center.

In the above embodiment, the on-vehicle device is
When the occupant of the vehicle mounted presses the notification SW in an emergency, the CPU block detects this and starts communication to the management center. However, the present invention is not limited to this. An electric signal (for example, a deployment signal of an airbag) output by the mounted vehicle in an emergency
The configuration may be such that the PU block is detected and communication with the management center is started.

In each of the above embodiments, the notification SW
Is provided exclusively for the in-vehicle device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be selected from a menu of a car navigation device, for example.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the voice information transmitted from the mobile phone to the management center via the voice communication line is composed of voice signals indicating latitude and longitude. However, the voice information is not limited to this, and the voice information is not limited to this. Any signal can be used as long as it is a voice signal that can notify the current location of the vehicle-mounted device by voice recognition by a personal computer or an operator. For example, in order to allow the operator to recognize efficiently, an address, a road name, or an intersection name is transmitted as a voice signal and transmitted. You may do so.

The point information may be, for example, a voice signal indicating the current address of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device or a voice signal indicating the name of the intersection. In this case, when the management center 6 receives the voice information, an operator of the management center 6 receives the voice information by telephone to recognize an address or an intersection, and a paper map (in this case, the latitude and longitude are not necessarily the same). It does not have to be displayed.) To know the current location of the vehicle. When the management center 4 receives the voice information, the personal computer 5 can recognize the current location of the vehicle by converting the voice information into latitude and longitude data.

Further, the point information may be an audio signal indicating a road name. In such a case, the accident site can be accurately identified by notifying the accident site, such as when the accident site cannot be identified in one place using only the latitude and longitude, such as when a dedicated motorway passes over a general road. And can be helpful when considering how to access the scene of the accident.

Further, only the point information indicating the current position is converted by voice synthesis to exchange information with the management center to reduce the communication time. May be configured so that the individual recognition data stored in advance is also converted into voice and sent to the management center.

Further, the speech converted by the speech synthesis is output through the speaker of the navigation device and is inputted through the microphone of the portable telephone. The speech converted by the speech synthesis is transmitted to the serial I / O. By inputting directly to mobile phones as electrical signals via O,
The voice information may be transmitted efficiently irrespective of the surrounding noise.

Further, in order to specify the sender, the telephone 12
At least one of 0 and the personal computer 118 may have a number display function for displaying the telephone number of the transmitting side, so that the management center can make a call again if necessary.

[0094]

According to the present invention, the current location of a mobile such as an automobile in an emergency can be promptly and reliably notified to the outside of a management center or the like. In addition, the voice communication line is less likely to cause congestion during communication than the digital communication line, and therefore, by transmitting voice information to the outside through the voice communication line, the voice information can be reliably transmitted to the outside. . Further, by using the voice synthesizing means mounted on the navigation device, a dedicated data adapter is not required for the contract vehicle, and the cost of the device as a whole system can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a May day system as a position notification system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a May day system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific communication procedure between the vehicle-mounted device and the management center according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram of a May day system as a position notification system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing an example of a conventional Mayday system.

FIG. 6 is a detailed block diagram of the conventional Mayday system of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific communication procedure between the on-vehicle device and the management center in an emergency state of the own vehicle by the operation of each component.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... On-board unit 2 ... Car navigation device 3 ... CPU block 4, 6 ... Management center 5 ... Personal computer 7 ... Paper map 8 Voice modem 102 GPS 104 Mobile phone 109 Voice synthesis 113 Notification SW 120 Telephone 122 ..Cellular telephone network 123 ..... Wired telephone network

Continuation of the front page F term (reference) 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA37 AA44 BB12 BB46 BB64 DD02 DD03 DD08 DD13 EE07 EE15 FF01 FF02 FF23 5H180 AA01 BB05 CC12 EE08 FF04 FF05 FF22 FF25 5K067 AA34 BB36 NN NN NN UU19

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A position notification method comprising: recognizing a current position; converting the recognized point information of the current position into voice information; and transmitting the voice information to the outside. 2. The position notification method according to claim 1, wherein after transmitting the voice information to the outside, a user talks with the outside using a line to which the voice information is transmitted. 3. The position notification method according to claim 1, wherein the point information is a road name. 4. The position notification method according to claim 1, wherein the point information is an address or an intersection name. 5. A current position recognizing means for recognizing a current position, a voice converting means for converting the recognized point information of the current position into voice information, and outputting the voice information to a communication means for transmitting the voice information to the outside. A position notification device, comprising: output means. 6. The position notification device according to claim 5, wherein the point information is a road name. 7. The position notification device according to claim 5, wherein the point information is an address or an intersection name. 8. The output means electrically connects the voice conversion means and the communication means, and outputs the voice information converted by the voice conversion means to the communication means as an electric signal. The position notification device according to claim 5, wherein: 9. The system according to claim 5, wherein, after the communication means transmits the voice information to the outside, the user directly communicates with the outside by continuously using the line used for the transmission. A position notification system using the position notification device according to any one of claims 8 to 8. 10. The position according to claim 9, wherein said current location recognition means and said voice conversion means are provided in a navigation device for guiding to a destination, and said communication means is a mobile phone. Notification system.