JP2002228471A - Method for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for navigation capable of outputting information of a more desired route for a user by simplifying a user's inputting operation. SOLUTION: The method for navigation is used to provide route information regarding a road between at least a present position and a previously designated destination for the user. The method comprises the steps of simultaneously receiving inputs regarding a plurality of destinations from the same user, generating the information of the routes regarding the plurality of the destinations, updating the information of the plurality of the routes corresponding to the plurality of the destinations in association with a user's movement, and providing one route information corresponding to the one destination selected according to the user's input for the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation method used to guide road information to a destination designated by a user using voice, text, a schematic map, a detailed map, and the like. For example, it can be used for controlling a car navigation system mounted on a vehicle, a portable information terminal, a server that provides information to the terminal via a network, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, by using a car navigation system or the like, information such as a map can be displayed so as to guide a route from a current position to a destination designated in advance. In such an apparatus, only one destination can be designated. When a destination is specified, a route from the current position to the destination is automatically searched using a map database, and information for guiding the user is output using the result.

[0003] As an output format of information for guiding a user, a voice format, a text format, a schematic map format, a detailed map format, and the like are known. The output format of the information is generally fixed to a format unique to the device. There are also devices that can selectively output information in one of a plurality of formats. In order to change the information output format, the user must explicitly give a selection instruction by operating a switch or the like.

[0004]

Considering the actual behavior of the user, if the moving distance is long, the user rarely moves from the starting point to the final destination without a break. Many users, for example, before arriving at their final destination
There is a high possibility that you will visit restaurants and convenience stores.

However, since only one destination can be designated by the conventional navigation method, the user is guided only to the route information corresponding to the final destination. When a detailed map is displayed, the user moves while searching for a mark of a restaurant or a convenience store displayed on the map, and determines whether to stop at that place.

Alternatively, a route search is performed by designating a restaurant at a rest point as a destination before departure, and after arriving at the restaurant which is the first destination, the next destination or the final destination is inputted, and the route is entered. Will be departed after re-searching and changing the route to be guided. In the former case,
This is very inconvenient because the user needs to find a resting point on the map while moving. In the latter case, every time the user arrives at the break point, the user must search for the next destination on a map or the like and perform an input operation, which is very troublesome. Further, since the search process is performed every time the destination is changed, it takes time from when the destination is changed to when a new route is output.

[0007] Even when a map is displayed, only the current position and the destination are displayed as special position information. Therefore, even when a place where the user has been in the past exists nearby, the user is unlikely to notice the existence of the place. For this reason, it is highly likely that it takes a long time to grasp the positional relationship between the current position and the destination, even in a place where the user should have a sense of the land.

When calculating a route, for example, search conditions such as giving priority to a wide road and giving priority to an expressway are applied. However, the user may want to select, for example, a narrow road that does not easily cause traffic congestion in a place with a sense of land, or may want to select a road that passes a specific gas station. Therefore, the automatically determined route does not match the user's intention and the time-consuming route changing operation is repeated, which may confuse the user.

[0009] Further, the choice of the information output format, such as a voice format, a text format, a schematic map format, or a detailed map format, is determined independently of the user's preference and usability. In order to match the format, the user had to operate a switch to specify the format each time it was used. Therefore, the operation is troublesome. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation method capable of simplifying a user's input operation and outputting information of a route more desirable for the user.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation method for providing a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance. Simultaneously accepts inputs from the same user for multiple destinations, generates route information for each of the multiple destinations,
Updating information on a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of destinations as the user moves, and providing the user with one piece of route information corresponding to one selected destination according to an input from the user It is characterized by.

According to the first aspect, since information on a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of destinations can be simultaneously managed, if the user specifies a plurality of destinations in advance, the selection of the destination can be made. Information on different routes can be output simply by switching. In addition, for each route, a search is performed when a destination is first specified, and the contents of the route are sequentially updated as the user travels. Route information can be output.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation method for providing a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein the same user has been in the past. Information on the destination specified for route calculation is stored as history information, and if the location of the destination in the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the purpose of the history information It is characterized in that information on the ground is provided to the user together with the map.

According to the present invention, when a place where the same user has visited before is present in the display range of the map, the position of the destination designated in the past is displayed on the map. Can grasp the positional relationship between the destination designated in the past and the current position. The navigation method according to claim 3 is a navigation method used to provide a user with route information on a road between at least a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein the same user has previously performed route calculation. For this reason, the information of the designated destination is stored as history information, and if the position of the destination of the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the destination passes through the destination of the history information It is characterized in that route information is calculated for a route, and information on a route passing through the destination in the history information is provided to the user.

According to the third aspect, when a place where the same user has visited before is present in the display range of the map, a new route passing through the position of the destination designated in the past is automatically searched. The information of the route is output. Therefore, the user can move along a route including an area having a relatively intuitive sense of land.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation method according to the third aspect, a total sum of distances regarding the first route calculated in advance and a total sum of distances regarding the second route passing through the destination of the history information are calculated. By comparing the first path with the second path
One of the routes is automatically selected and the selected route is preferentially provided to the user. According to the fourth aspect, since a plurality of routes are selected by comparing the distances, a route having a short distance can be preferentially selected.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation method according to the third aspect, route information in a range from the destination of the history information to the current destination is provided to the user.
Assuming that the user understands the range from the current position to the destination specified in the past, there is no need to output information on the route in that range. In claim 5,
Since the route information is output for the range from the destination specified in the past to the current destination, the amount of route information to be guided can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation method for providing a user with at least route information related to a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein the same user has been in the past. The information of the road that has passed is stored as history information, and when a specific road that is frequently used in the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the route that passes through the specific road Is calculated, and information on a route passing through the specific road is provided to the user.

According to the present invention, when a road that the same user has passed before exists within the display range of the map, a new route that passes through the previously passed road is automatically searched for, and the new route of the route is automatically searched for. Information is output. Therefore, assuming that the user is always traveling by selecting a favorite road, a route including a known road that matches the user's preference is automatically selected.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the navigation method according to the sixth aspect, a total sum of distances regarding the first route calculated in advance and a total sum of distances regarding the second route passing through the specific road are calculated. One of the first route and the second route is automatically selected by comparison, and the selected route is preferentially provided to the user. In claim 7, since a plurality of routes are selected by comparing the distances, a route having a short distance can be preferentially selected.

In the navigation method according to the present invention, at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance is selected from a plurality of providing formats such as voice, text, schematic map, and detailed map. A navigation method used to provide a user with a specified format,
Maintains personal characteristic information indicating the user's gender, age, past behavior history, etc., and classifies characteristic information indicating various people's gender, age, behavioral tendency, etc. into a plurality of group information according to similarity. When the individual characteristic information is compared with the plurality of group information to search for specific group information having high similarity, and when specific group information having high similarity is detected, the specific The present invention is characterized in that a specified format included in the behavioral tendency in the group information is grasped, and route information is provided to the user according to the specified format.

According to the present invention, the desired designation format is selected according to the tendency of the group members similar to the user's gender, age, past action history, etc. Can output the route information. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation method according to the eighth aspect, history information of a designated format selected by the user in the past is stored as personal characteristic information of the user, and the user is provided based on the history information. When it is considered that only a single designated format is used, the route information is provided to the user according to the designated format of the history information.

In the ninth aspect, when the user prefers to use only one type of designated format, the route information is output in the designated format, so that the format according to the preference of the user is automatically set. You can choose. According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation method according to the eighth aspect, history information of a designated format selected by the user in the past is stored as personal characteristic information of the user, and the history information of a plurality of designated formats is stored in the history information. Is included, the specific specification format with the highest use frequency is detected, and as a result of comparison between the personal characteristic information and the plurality of group information, if similarity group information cannot be detected, And providing route information to the user in accordance with a specific designation format having the highest use frequency in the history information.

According to the tenth aspect, the route information is output in a specific designated format that is used most frequently by the user.
The format that suits the user's preference can be automatically selected.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) One embodiment of a navigation method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. This embodiment corresponds to claim 1.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a device to be used. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the accumulated data for each destination. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a display example (1) of the guide information. In this embodiment, it is assumed that guidance information such as a road route is provided to a user using a car navigation device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like mounted on a vehicle.

When using an offline terminal, the present invention is implemented in the terminal. However, when information is provided from a server connected to the Internet or the like to a user terminal, the server and the terminal are used. In any case, the navigation method of the present invention can be implemented.

For example, the navigation method of the present invention can be implemented by using an apparatus having a configuration as shown in FIG. 5 includes a control unit 11, a position information detection unit 12, an operation unit 13, a display unit 14, a map information DB.
(Abbreviation of database, the same applies hereinafter) 15 and route information DB
16 are provided. In FIG. 5, the control unit 11 can be configured by using a control circuit including a microprocessor and the like. The position information detector 12 is a device that acquires information on the current position of the device. For example, GPS (Glob
al Positioning System), and position information can be obtained by using a position detection function such as a mobile phone or a PHS (Personal Handy Phone System).

The operation unit 13 can be configured using a switch such as a numeric keypad. The display unit 14 can be configured using a liquid crystal display capable of displaying images such as maps and character strings. The map information DB 15 is a database for obtaining information such as a road map, and may be constituted by a storage medium such as a CD-ROM in which information such as a map is stored in advance, and a drive device for reading the information. it can.

The route information DB 16 is a database for registering route information, and can be configured using a RAM or a hard disk capable of reading and writing data. To obtain information on a route to a destination using the navigation device, the user needs to specify the destination. In a general navigation device, only one destination can be designated. But,
The device of this embodiment can simultaneously receive inputs of a plurality of destinations and manage a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of destinations at the same time.

That is, the processing shown in FIG. 1 is executed.
In step S101 of FIG. 1, the position information detecting unit 1
2 to obtain the current position information and the destination information input by the user. In step S102, the data of the map information DB 15 is searched, a route from the current position to the designated destination is calculated, and the route information is stored in the route information DB 16.

When the user specifies a plurality of destinations, the process returns from step S103 to S101 to acquire information on the next destination. Then, the route corresponding to the input destination is calculated again in step S102, and the route information is stored in the route information DB 16. Therefore, when the user inputs a plurality of destinations, the route information DB 16 holds information on a plurality of routes at the same time.

The data held in the route information DB 16 is
For example, it is configured as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 6, information of each route of the destination (A), the destination (B), the destination (C),... Is held independently. When the user inputs a plurality of destinations, the process proceeds from step S103 to S104 after the input is completed. Step S104
Then, in order to select any one of the plurality of routes, a destination selection input from the operation unit 13 by the user is received.

In step S105, step S104
A set of route information corresponding to one destination selected in the step is acquired from the route information DB 16. In step S106, the map including the current position and the selected destination is 1
The size of the display range (scale of the map) is automatically determined so as to appear in one display screen.

In step S107, map information including the current position and the selected destination is stored in the map information DB 15
And display it on the screen. Also, information indicating a route from the current position to the selected destination is displayed on the map. Further, the current position and the destination are displayed on the map with special marks. If a destination not selected is within the display range, the destination is also displayed on the screen at the same time.

Accordingly, for example, guidance information as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the screen. In the example of FIG. 7, the destination (A) is selected, and the route from the current position to the destination (A) is displayed. Also, two destinations (A,
The respective positions of B) and the current position are displayed on the screen. In step S108, the latest information on the current position is periodically acquired from the position information detector 12. Also, if the previously obtained location is different from the latest current location,
It is assumed that the user has moved. When the movement is detected, the process proceeds from step S108 to S109.

In step S109, the information of each route for each destination registered in the route information DB 16 is updated in accordance with the change of the current position. Also, the updated route information is reflected on the display contents of the screen. By the way, when a plurality of destinations are specified in advance in step S101,
The user can switch the selection of the destination as needed by operating the operation unit 13.

That is, when the user selects and inputs a destination from the operation unit 13, the process returns from step S110 to step S105, so that information on a route corresponding to the newly selected destination is displayed. In this example, information on a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of destinations is searched in step S102 and registered in the route information DB 16. Also, management is performed such that the information of each route is constantly updated in step S109 so as to match the change in the current position. Therefore, when the user switches the selection of the destination in step S110, the information of the new route can be immediately displayed on the screen.

Therefore, when the user wants to go to a final destination, the selection of the destination is changed by registering a rest point on the way in addition to the final destination in advance as a destination. The display of the route to the resting point and the display of the route to the final destination can be easily switched by simply. The time required for switching is also very short. (Second Embodiment) Another embodiment of the navigation method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing of this embodiment. This embodiment corresponds to claims 2 to 5.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the same method as in the first embodiment is used to implement the navigation method of the present invention. However, the apparatus used in this embodiment is further provided with a database for holding input history data of the destination specified by the user (the number of times specified for each destination). In step S11 in FIG. 2, information on the current position output from the position information detection unit 12 and information on the destination input from the user are acquired.

In step S12, the size of the display range (the scale of the map) so that a map including the current position and the destination input by the user appears on one display screen.
Is determined automatically. In step S13, the map information D
The data of B15 is searched, a route (1) from the current position to the designated destination is calculated, and the route information is stored in the route information DB16.

In step S14, the destination inputted in the past is searched in the present display range with reference to the data of the input history of the destination. That is, each position information of the destination input in the past is compared with the coordinates of the current display range to check whether or not the past destination is included in the display range. If no past destination is included in the display range, the process proceeds to step S15, and the route (1) is displayed as guidance information. In this case, since no special information is displayed, a map, a current position, a destination, and a route are displayed on the screen, for example, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if the past destination is included in the display range, the process proceeds from step S14 to S16. In step S16, it is determined whether there is one or more past destinations included in the display range. When there are a plurality of past destinations included in the display range, the process proceeds to step S17, and among the plurality of past destinations included in the display range, the number of times (frequency ) Is automatically selected.

In step S18, the data of the map information DB 15 is searched, and a route (2) passing between the current position and the past destination and between the past destination and the present destination is calculated. In step S19, the sum L1 of the distances when moving along the route (1) calculated in step S13.
And the sum L2 of distances when moving along the route (2) calculated in step S18. Then, the distance (L2-L1) is compared with a predetermined threshold Th1.

If ((L2−L1) ≦ Th1), the process proceeds to step S21. If ((L2−L1)> Th1), the process proceeds to step S20. That is, if it is expected that the vehicle travels along the route (2) and the route (1) is considerably detoured, the process proceeds to step S20. If the route (2) is not a detour, the process proceeds to step S21. Step S
At 20, the content of the route (1) calculated first is displayed as guidance information. Also, past destinations within the display range are displayed on the screen. By displaying the location of the destination specified in the past, the user can know that the destination specified in the past (the area that has been in the past) exists near the current location, so the map It helps to understand the positional relationship above.

In step S21, the route between the past destination and the current destination is displayed as easy information. Also, the current position is displayed on the screen. According to this indication,
The user can change the route so as to follow the route to the current destination after passing through the past destination.

(Third Embodiment) Another embodiment of the navigation method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing of this embodiment. This embodiment corresponds to claims 6 and 7. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the navigation method of the present invention is performed by using the same device as in the first embodiment. However, the devices used in this mode include:
A database holding history data of the roads that the user has passed in the past (the number of passes for each road) is further added.

In step S31 in FIG. 3, information on the current position output from the position information detecting unit 12 and information on the destination input from the user are obtained. Step S
At 32, the size of the display range (scale of the map) is automatically determined so that a map including the current position and the destination input by the user appears on one display screen.

In step S33, the data in the map information DB 15 is searched, a route (1) from the current position to the designated destination is calculated, and the route information is stored in the route information DB 16
To save. In step S34, the route (1) calculated in step S33 is displayed on the screen as guidance information.

In step S35, the history data is referenced to search for a frequently used road (A) that has passed in the past within the current display range. That is, for each of the roads that have passed a predetermined number of times in the past, the position information is compared with the coordinates of the current display range, and it is determined whether a frequently used road (A) exists in the display range. Find out. If there is a frequently used road (A) within the display range,
The process proceeds from step S35 to S36. In step S36, it is determined whether there is one or more frequently used roads (A) in the display range. If there is more than one, step S37
Execute

In step S37, the road with the highest use frequency is automatically selected from the plurality of frequently used roads (A) in the display range. In step S38, the contents of the map information DB 15 are searched, and a new route (2) from the current position to the destination via the frequently used road (A) is calculated. In step S39, step S3
The total sum L1 of the distance when moving along the route (1) calculated in 3 and the total sum L2 of the distance when moving along the route (2) calculated in step S38 are calculated. Then, the distance (L2-L1) is set to a predetermined threshold T.
h2.

If ((L2−L1) ≦ Th2), the process proceeds to step S40. That is, if it is expected that the vehicle does not make a detour as compared with the route (1) even when moving along the route (2), the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, information on route (2) is displayed on the screen as guidance information. Also, the current position is displayed on the screen.

In other words, when the process of FIG. 3 is executed, if there is a road (A) that the user frequently passes near the predetermined route (1), the road (A)
The route guidance information is automatically changed to pass through the route (2) passing through the route. Therefore, as long as the vehicle does not make a detour, the contents of the route guided to the user are automatically changed according to the user's preference (history).

(Fourth Embodiment) Another embodiment of the navigation method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 9, and FIG. This form is defined in claims 8 to
This corresponds to claim 10. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing of this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the user DB. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the group DB.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the navigation method of the present invention is carried out using the same device as in the first embodiment. However, the apparatus used in this mode is further provided with a user DB as shown in FIG. 9 and a group DB as shown in FIG. User DB is
As shown in FIG. 9, personal information (attribute information) for each user is held. Specifically, the sex, age, and occupation of the user and the history data of the user are held as personal information. Further, the history data includes information providing formats used in the past and data of destinations designated in the past.

In order to guide a user on a moving route, information may be provided in various formats. For example,
It is also possible to display the route on a detailed map as in the display examples of FIGS. 7 and 8, to display the route by character string information as in the display example of FIG. 11, or to output the route information by voice. it can. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user uses a device that can output route guidance information in a plurality of types. Then, in the history data of the user DB, information of the information provision format actually specified by each user in the past is stored as the number of times of use for each format.

The contents of the group DB indicate the tendency of personal information of various people acquired in advance, and are composed of data of a plurality of groups classified according to similarity. As shown in FIG. 10, the information of each group includes data of gender, age, occupation, information provision format, and positional familiarity. The positional intimacy indicates the intimacy of each user belonging to the group with respect to the destination (the number of times the destination is designated: frequency). The information provision format of each group represents the information provision format used most frequently by the users belonging to the group.

In step S51 of FIG. 4, the information of the current position outputted from the position information detecting section 12 and the information of the destination inputted by the user are obtained. Step S
At 52, the data of the map information DB 15 is searched to calculate the route from the current position to the designated destination. In step S53, attribute information of the user is acquired from the user DB.

In step S54, the number (type) of information provision formats used in the past is detected from the history included in the attribute information. For example, in the case of the user (A) in FIG.
It can be seen that three types of formats (1), (2) and (3) were used. If the user has provided route guidance information using only one format so far,
Proceeding from step S54 to S55, the only information providing format used in the past is selected.

If the user has received route guidance information using a plurality of formats, the process proceeds from step S54 to S56. Step S56
Then, with reference to the group DB, a similar group similar to the attribute of the user is searched. That is, data such as gender, age, and occupation of the attribute information acquired from the user DB in step S53 is compared with gender, age, occupation, and the like in each group of the group DB to check similarity, and a group having a high similarity is determined. Check for the presence of

If no similar group is found, the process proceeds from step S56 to S57. In this case, step S
At 53, based on the history data of the attribute information acquired from the user DB, a specific information providing format that is used most frequently by the user is selected. For example, when using the attribute information of the user (A) in the user DB of FIG.
(1), Format (2) and Format (3) are used 5 times and 1 respectively.
Since the number of times is twice, the format (1) with the largest number of uses is selected.

On the other hand, if a similar group is found in step S56, the flow advances to step S58 to automatically select a specific information providing format having the highest use frequency in the similar group. For example, when the group (G1) is detected as a similar group in the group DB of FIG. 10, the data of the "information provision format" held in the group (G1) is selected.

In step S59, step S5 is performed.
The route information is output as guide information in accordance with the information provision format selected in any one of S5, S57, and S58. For example, when the information providing format of the detailed map is selected, the guide information is displayed in a format as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and when the information providing format of the character string information (text) is selected, for example, The guidance information is displayed by a character string as shown in FIG.

For example, assuming that a certain user is not good at reading a map, and assuming that only information provided in a character string format has been received up to that time, the history of that user is 1
Since only the selection of one information provision format (character string format) is recorded, the information provision format of the character string format is selected in step S55. In other words, once a preferred information provision format is selected, information can be received in the same format thereafter.

Further, for example, from the contents of the attribute information of a certain user, it is determined that “male”, “30s”, “company employee”, “use a plurality of providing formats”, and “the user has not come near the current location”. If you have, "male", "30s", "company employee",
A group that satisfies all the conditions of “positional affinity is low” is selected as a similar group. Then, when the information providing format of the detected similar group is “detailed map”,
Route guidance information is output in the form of "detailed map".

It is also possible to carry out the navigation method of the present invention by combining the contents of the respective processes of FIGS. 1 to 4 with each other. When the navigation method of the present invention is implemented in a server connected to the Internet or the like, only the input and output portions of each processing of FIGS. 1 to 4 are connected to a terminal connected to the server via a communication network. It is sufficient to execute it.

[0066]

As described above, according to the navigation method of the present invention, information of a plurality of routes corresponding to a plurality of destinations is simultaneously managed, so that the user can perform a simple selection operation and a short time. It is possible to switch between the route of the final destination and the route of a rest point or the like by time.

The user understands the positional relationship of the map by displaying the destination specified by the user in the past or automatically changing the route to be guided in consideration of the destination specified in the past. Will be easier. In addition, by determining a route so that a road frequently used by the user is included in the route, it is possible to provide a route suitable for the user's intention. Further, by determining the route guidance format in consideration of the characteristics of the user, it is possible to provide the route information in a format that is easy for the user to understand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a process according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a process according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a process according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a process according to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device to be used.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of accumulated data for each destination.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a display example (1) of guidance information.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a display example (2) of guide information.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a user DB.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a group DB.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a display example (3) of guidance information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Control part 12 Position information detection part 13 Operation part 14 Display part 15 Map information DB 16 Route information DB

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasufumi Kikuchi 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term in Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (reference) 2C032 HC08 HC11 HD21 HD26 2F029 AA02 AB05 AB07 AB13 AC02 AC08 AC09 AC13 AC14 AC17 AC18 AC19 AC20 5H180 AA01 BB05 CC12 FF05 FF10 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF33 FF35

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A navigation method used to provide a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein an input relating to a plurality of destinations from the same user is provided. At the same time, generate route information for each of multiple destinations, update multiple route information corresponding to multiple destinations as the user moves, and select according to the input from the user And providing the user with one piece of route information corresponding to the one destination. 2. A navigation method for providing a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein the same user has previously designated for route calculation in the past. The destination information is stored as history information, and if the location of the destination of the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the destination information of the history information is stored together with the map. A navigation method characterized by providing to a user. 3. A navigation method for providing a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein the same user has previously designated for route calculation in the past. The destination information is stored as history information, and if the location of the destination of the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the route passing through the destination of the history information is A navigation method comprising calculating information and providing information of a route passing through a destination of history information to a user. 4. The navigation method according to claim 3, wherein a total sum of distances for the first route calculated in advance and a total sum of distances for the second route passing through the destination in the history information are calculated, and the distances are compared. A navigation method characterized in that either one of a first route and a second route is automatically selected, and the selected route is preferentially provided to a user. 5. The navigation method according to claim 3, wherein route information in a range from the destination of the history information to the current destination is provided to the user. 6. A navigation method for providing a user with at least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance, wherein information on a road that the same user has passed in the past is provided. In the case where a specific road frequently used in the history information is included in the range of the map provided to the user, the route information is calculated for the route passing through the specific road. And providing a user with information on a route passing through the specific road. 7. The navigation method according to claim 6, wherein a total sum of distances calculated in advance for the first route and a total sum of distances for the second route passing through the specific road are calculated, and the sum of the distances is calculated by comparing the distances. A navigation method characterized by automatically selecting one of a first route and a second route and providing the selected route preferentially to a user. 8. At least route information on a road between a current position and a destination designated in advance is provided by voice, text,
A navigation method used to provide a user with a specified format selected from among a plurality of provided formats such as a schematic map and a detailed map, and personal characteristics representing the user's gender, age, past action history, and the like. Information is stored, and characteristic information indicating various people's gender, age, behavioral tendency, etc. is divided and stored into a plurality of group information according to similarity, and the personal characteristic information is stored in the plurality of groups. Search for specific group information with high similarity in comparison with the information, and when specific group information with high similarity is detected, grasp the specified format included in the behavioral tendency in the specific group information. And providing the route information to the user according to the designated format. 9. The navigation method according to claim 8, wherein history information of a designated format selected by the user in the past is stored as personal characteristic information of the user, and the user is provided with the information based on the history information. A navigation method characterized by providing route information to a user in accordance with the specified format of the history information when it is considered that only a single specified format is used. 10. The navigation method according to claim 8, wherein history information of a designated format selected by the user in the past is stored as personal characteristic information of the user, and a plurality of designated format histories are stored in the history information. Is included, a specific specification format having the highest use frequency is detected, and as a result of comparing the personal characteristic information with the plurality of group information, if similarity group information cannot be detected, Providing a route information to a user in accordance with a specific designated format having the highest use frequency in the history information.