JP2003014484A - Information providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing device 200 capable of suppressing a communication cost, in provision of guide information to a moving body. SOLUTION: The guide information is provided to the moving body 100 through communication means 101, 201, and, when the moving body 100 exists in a guide area where the guide information is provided, the communication frequency of the communication means 101, 102 is changed high.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus for providing information on a route from a user's position to a destination via a communication line, and more particularly to an information providing apparatus for controlling a communication frequency in a predetermined guide area. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An information providing apparatus of this type includes an apparatus for constantly confirming the position of a moving user so as to provide information according to the position of the user.

[0003]

However, when the provided information is provided via the communication line,
There is a problem in that the communication line must be constantly connected in order to always confirm the position of the user, and the cost for acquiring information increases. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the conventional technique, and appropriately controls the communication frequency when information is provided to a moving user in a predetermined guide area through a communication line. It is intended to provide a providing device.

[0004]

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 relates to a guide area set on a route designated by a user from a starting point to a destination. An information providing device for providing guidance information to a user by communicating with the outside, user information including departure point information and destination information from the user, current position information of the user, and the user information. Receiving means for receiving guide area information derived from the guide information including the read map information, and the guide area and the current position of the user based on the guide area information and the current position information received by the receiving means. And a communication frequency changing means for changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result, and the guide area edited by communicating with the changed communication frequency. Information providing device and a providing means for providing guidance information relating to the user is provided. In this invention, it is preferable that the communication frequency changing means changes the communication frequency to a higher value when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area (claim 2), or the reception. The receiving means receives the speed information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means,
When it is determined that the user's moving position derived from the speed information and the current position information and the guide area are compared and the user's moving position is included in the guide area, the communication frequency is changed to a higher value. It is preferable to do so (claim 3).

In the present invention, either the user side or the external side has a communication frequency changing means for controlling the communication frequency of the communication line which enables communication between the user side and the external side according to a predetermined condition. The reception means receives the guide area information and the current position information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means compares the guide area with the current position of the user and changes the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result. Then, the providing means provides the user with the guide information regarding the guide area edited by communicating with the changed communication frequency.

In the present invention, the user information includes various kinds of information about the user, and the departure point information which can be the base point of the route including at least the starting point and the waypoint and the destination of the route including the end point and the waypoint of the route. The destination information including possible destination information is sent from the user side, and the receiving means receives the information. Similarly, the current position information of the user received by the reception unit may be information input by the user, and is automatically input from the GPS function, the autonomous positioning function, and other position detection units provided in the moving body. It may be information provided.

The guide information includes at least map information, and information about each position on the map information is stored in correspondence with the position. For example, information about a route, a route, a road type, etc., stores and facilities. Information relating to the user and all other information for guiding the user are stored in association with the position on the map. This guidance information may be stored on the user side or externally. From the map information and the guidance information associated in this way, guidance information about a certain guide area (point, position, area, etc.) can be derived.

[0008] The guide area information is, like the above-mentioned guide information, at least map information, and information on each position on the map information is stored corresponding to the position. For example, a route, a route, a road. Information about types and the like, information about stores and facilities, and other information for guiding the user are stored in association with positions on the map. The guide area information may be stored on the user side or may be stored externally. When the information is stored in the outside, the information providing device communicates with the outside to receive the guide area information, and based on this, the guide information regarding the predetermined guide area is edited. The range of the area that defines the guide area information is required to be set within a range in which the information provided by the moving user can be confirmed. This is because the amount of information that can be confirmed by the user, such as the moving direction of the user or the speed of the user (when moving is walking or when it is a vehicle), differs depending on the situation. Therefore, it is preferable that the range of the guide area, the interval, and the level of detail of information are appropriately set according to the usage situation of the user.

In the present invention, the "guide area information" accepted by the accepting means and the "guidance information regarding the guide area" provided to the user are treated as separate information. May partly or wholly overlap. That is, the guide area information may include a part or all of the information that constitutes the guide information regarding the guide area, and the guide area information is edited or left as it is to the user as the guide information regarding the guide area. Provided.

As described above, the guide area information includes map information like the guide information, and the communication frequency changing means compares the guide area corresponding to the guide area information with the current position, and depending on the comparison result. Change the frequency of external communication. That is, the communication frequency changing means changes the communication frequency according to the relationship of the user's current position with respect to the guide area. The mode of changing the communication frequency is not particularly limited, and it suffices to realize a communication frequency with which the user's current position can be confirmed so that the guidance information regarding the guide area is provided at an appropriate timing. The communication frequency in an area far from the guide area may be reduced, the communication frequency may be gradually increased as the guide area is approached, or the communication frequency may be changed to be higher when the guide area is approached. By doing this, in the vicinity of a position where certain guide area information should be provided, it is possible to grasp the current position of the user with high frequency and to measure the timing of providing the guide information related to the guide area, while suppressing unnecessary communication. You can

Further, from the viewpoint that the guide area information is provided at an appropriate timing according to the position of the user, a mode of changing the communication frequency is when the current position of the user is determined to be included in the guide area. It is preferable to change the frequency of communication to a high degree, whereby the user's position is confirmed frequently and the appropriate timing for providing information to the user is measured, and the user's moving position is predicted in consideration of the user's speed. The guide area information can be provided at an appropriate timing according to the predicted moving position of the user.

When the communication frequency is changed at a predetermined position in this way, the current position information of the user at the position is frequently communicated, and the guide information regarding the predetermined guide area corresponding to the current position of the user is edited. The edited guidance information is provided to the user via a voice, guidance, map, text information or other transmission medium via a providing means such as a speaker or a display.

Thus, when information is provided to a moving user in a predetermined guide area via a communication line, the position of the user is appropriately confirmed, guidance information is provided at an appropriate timing, and the communication frequency is appropriately controlled. As a result, it is possible to provide the information providing device with reduced information acquisition cost.

(2) In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention of claim 4, the guide information about the guide area set on the route from the departure place to the destination designated by the user is provided to the outside. A car navigation system that communicates and provides to a user, receiving means for receiving user information including departure point information and destination information from the user, and input information including the current position information of the user,
Communication means for mutually transmitting and receiving information including the input information from the user and guide area information derived from the input information and the guide information including the read map information, and the guide received by the communication means. Communication frequency changing means for comparing the guide area and the current position of the user based on area information and the current position information of the user, and changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result; A car navigation system is provided, which includes a providing unit that communicates with the outside at a changed communication frequency and provides the user with guide information regarding the edited guide area. In the above invention, the communication frequency changing unit preferably changes the communication frequency to a higher value when the communication frequency changing unit determines that the current position of the user is included in the guide area. 5),
Alternatively, the reception means receives the speed information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means compares the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information with the guide area, When it is determined that the moving position of the user is included in the guide area, it is preferable to change the communication frequency to a higher value (claim 6). According to the present invention, the car navigation system is provided with communication frequency changing means, and information is provided to the user via the car navigation system. As a result, the same effect as the above invention can be obtained, and particularly, the acquisition cost of information obtained from the outside through the communication line can be reduced.

(3) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the invention of claim 7, the guide information on the guide area set on the route from the departure place to the destination designated by the user is provided to the user. An information providing server that communicates with and provides the user information, including user information including departure point information and destination information from the user, and current position information of the user, and guide information including map information. Based on guide area information and current position information derived from the storage means and the user information and the guide information, the guide area and the current position of the user are compared, and the comparison result is obtained. The communication frequency changing means for changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the communication frequency, and the guide information on the guide area edited by communicating with the changed communication frequency are provided to the user. The information providing server having a providing means. In this invention, it is preferable that the communication frequency changing means changes the communication frequency to a higher value when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area (claim 8), or the reception. The means receives the speed information of the user, the communication frequency changing means compares the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information with the guide area, and the moving position of the user is When it is determined that the communication frequency is included in the guide area, it is preferable to change the communication frequency to a high value (claim 9).

According to the present invention, the communication frequency changing means is provided in the server which can communicate with the outside, and the information is provided to the user via this server. As a result, the same effect as that of the above invention is obtained, and particularly regarding the information provision performed while confirming the position of the user by the communication with the user, the communication frequency of the communication from the server to the user or the communication from the user to the server. Can be changed to reduce the cost on the user side or the server side of the information obtained via the communication line.

(4) In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention as set forth in claim 10, the user information including the departure point information and the destination information from the user is communicated with the outside, and the current state of the user. Position information is received, guidance information including stored map information is read, a route is set from the departure point information and destination information of the user, and a guide area that provides guidance information on the set route is set. The set guide area is compared with the current position of the user, the frequency of communication with the outside is changed according to the comparison result, and communication is performed at the changed communication frequency and edited. An information providing method for providing a user with guidance information regarding a guide area is provided.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, claim 1
According to the first aspect of the invention, the computer is made to accept the user information including the departure point information and the destination information from the user and the current position information of the user, and the guidance information including the stored map information is read. Then, a route is set from the departure point information and the destination information of the user, a guide area for providing guidance information is set on the set route, and the set guide area and the current position of the user are set. And a program for causing the user to change the frequency of communication with the outside according to the comparison result, and to provide the user with the guide information regarding the guide area that has been edited by communicating at the changed communication frequency. Will be provided. In the present invention, it is preferable to compare the set guide area with the current position of the user, and when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area, the communication frequency is preferably changed to a high value. (Claim 12) Alternatively, the speed information of the user is accepted, the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information is compared with the set guide area, and the user's speed information is compared. When it is determined that the movement position is included in the guide area, it is preferable to change the communication frequency to be higher (claim 13).

The information providing method according to the present invention and the program for executing the provision of guidance information to the user can be applied to both the user side and the external side, and have the same effects as the above invention. Can play.

[0020]

According to the inventions of claims 1 to 13, when a moving user is provided with information through a communication line in a predetermined guide area, the position of the user is appropriately confirmed and guidance is provided at an appropriate timing. While providing information, it is possible to provide a program for executing information provision device, car navigation system, server, information provision method, and guidance information provision in which the communication frequency is appropriately controlled to reduce the information acquisition cost. .

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing each configuration of a car navigation system and a server according to this embodiment,
2 is a time chart diagram for explaining each operation of the car navigation system and the server according to the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication frequency changing process, and FIG. 4 is an example of information provision of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of guide information, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of guide area information.

As one form of the present invention, in the present embodiment,
The car navigation system 100 mounted on the vehicle in which the user is boarding and the server 200 communicate with each other via a communication line, and the guide information edited through this communication is provided by the providing means 107 such as a speaker and a monitor of the car navigation system 100. Information providing device 200 to provide to the user via
Will be described as an example.

Such a car navigation system 1
00 and the server 200 are shown in FIG. The car navigation system 100 includes a communication unit 101, a reception unit 110, and a provision unit 107, and the server 2 via the communication unit 101 and an information communication network such as an external Internet.
Communicate with 00. The accepting means 110 includes an input unit 111 that accepts departure point information and destination information from a user,
Current position information acquisition unit 1 for acquiring the current position information of the user
12, a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 113, and a guide area information acquisition unit that acquires guide area information from the server.

On the other hand, the server 200 has a communication means 201,
A receiving unit 210 that receives various kinds of information, a storage unit 208 that stores guide information such as map information, route information, facility / store information, a route setting unit 203 that sets a route from user information, and a guide area from the set route. It has a guide area setting unit 204 for setting, and a communication frequency control means 202 for controlling the communication frequency between the car navigation system 100 and the server 200. The car navigation system 100 and the server 200 connected in this way share each process, transmit and receive information as a result of the process, and the communication frequency control unit 2 based on the process result.
02 controls mutual communication frequency.

As described above, since the car navigation system 100 and the server 200 can freely transmit and receive processed information and processed information, the communication control means 202, the storage means 208, the route setting section 203, the guide area. The present embodiment can be implemented regardless of whether the components such as the setting unit 204 are arranged in the car navigation system 100 or the server 200, and the arrangement is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the vehicle equipment, it is preferable that the server 200 stores the guide information and performs the processing. Further, although the server 200 is shown as one in FIG. 1, the processing may be distributed to two or more divided servers, and the storage unit 208 may be distributed to two or more divided servers. Need only be connected by wire or wirelessly in a state where they can be exchanged with each other, and modification of arranging a certain configuration on the user side, externally, or dividedly is particularly limited within the scope of the present invention. is not.

Here, each information handled in this embodiment will be described. First, the departure point information input by the user may be the user's current position or a waypoint to reach the destination, and the destination information may be the user's final destination or the waypoint to reach the destination. . The departure point information and the destination information accepted by the accepting unit 110 of the car navigation system 100 are transmitted to the server 200 and serve as basic information for route setting in the route setting unit 203,
When the route is set, the guide area setting unit 203 sets a guide area which is a predetermined area existing on the route, and guide area information regarding the set guide area is guided.

The guide information read when deriving the guide area information includes at least map information, route information corresponding to the position on the map, route guidance information, route guidance information, facility information, store information, All information useful for moving users such as road information and congestion information is included and stored in the guide information storage unit 208 of the server 200 (of course, the car navigation system 100).
May be provided with a primary or permanent recording means, or C
It may be stored in a readable recording medium such as D, MD, MO, DVD). Based on this guide information, guide information regarding a guide area in a predetermined range on the set route is guided as guide area information. In the present invention, the “guidance information regarding the guide area” and the “guide area information” presented to the user may be the same information or different information, but in the present embodiment,
The “guidance information regarding the guide area” and the “guide area information” have substantially the same content, and the reception unit 110
The guide area information received by the user is presented to the user as it is (with the same contents) only by performing a fine edit on the screen display.

The guide area information is guidance information about a guide area centered on a predetermined position, and is, for example, information presenting a route at an intersection. Since this guide area information is preferably information that can be confirmed by the moving user, the guide area is set in the moving direction of the user, the moving means of the user (when walking, biking, or vehicle) or the user. It is preferable to appropriately set the range of the guide area, the interval, the level of detail of the provided information, etc., depending on the situation such as when the moving area is an ordinary road or an expressway. For example, the area of the guide area information on the highway is preferably set in a wide range in consideration of the speed of the user (vehicle), while the area of the guide area information on the narrow street is slowly traveled by the user (vehicle). Therefore, it is preferable to set it in a narrow range. The current position information of the user is acquired together with the guide area information by the current position information acquisition unit 11.
2, and is sent to the server 200 via the communication means 101 and 201. This current position information may be input individually by the user, and the GPS (Global Positioning System) in the car navigation system 100 may be used.
It may be automatically input using a function, an autonomous positioning function of determining a position by detecting a moving distance / direction of a vehicle using a speed sensor and a vibration gyro.

The communication control means 202 (or 102) judges the change of the communication frequency on the basis of the present position information and the guide area information. In this judgment, the vehicle speed acquired via the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 113 is further judged. It is preferable to consider information. This vehicle speed information is information indicating the traveling speed of the user, and vehicle speed information acquired by a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle can also be used. Since the guide area information is associated with the position information, it is preferable to refer to the moving speed of the user, that is, the vehicle speed information of the vehicle when the user predicts the timing of reaching the guide area.

As described above, the communication frequency changing means compares the position of the guide area corresponding to the guide area information with the current position, and changes the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result. That is, the communication frequency changing means changes the communication frequency according to how the current position is related to the position of the guide area. However, the mode of changing the communication frequency is not particularly limited, and the guide frequency is not limited. It suffices to realize a communication frequency that can secure a communication frequency that can provide information about the area at an appropriate timing (at the time when it can be provided as useful information to the user), and lower the communication frequency in the area far from the guide area. Alternatively, the communication frequency may be gradually changed to be higher as the guide area is approached, or the communication frequency may be changed to be higher when the guide area is approached. By doing so, it is possible to grasp the current position of the user with high frequency and measure the timing of providing the guide information regarding the guide area, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary communication.

The time chart of FIG. 2 shows the processes of the car navigation system 100 and the server 200 based on the above information. The outline of the operations of the car navigation system 100 and the server will be described with reference to FIG. First, at least three pieces of information of the user's departure point information, destination information, and current position information are sent from the car navigation system 100 on the user side to the server (S101). The route setting unit 20 that has received this information
A user sets a route to a destination, a guide area setting unit 204 sets a guide area, and sends this information to the communication control means 202 via the reception means 210 or directly, and before and after this. In the communication control means 202, the user's car navigation system 100 is the server 200.
Instruct to start communication with (S201). In response to this, the car navigation system 100 starts communication with the server 200 at the first communication frequency (S102,
S202). In the communication performed according to the first communication frequency, the car navigation system 100 sends the vehicle's current position information and vehicle speed information to the server (S1).
03). The server 200 receiving these pieces of information compares the position of the guide area with the current position of the user (S20).
3) It is determined whether the guide area includes the user's current position, or if the vehicle speed is taken into consideration, the user's current position (future position) is included (S204). In this determination, the first communication frequency is changed when the user's current position is included in the guide area, but here the communication frequency is changed to be higher when the user reaches the vicinity of the guide area. The communication control means 202 of the server 200 commands the car navigation system 100 to communicate at the changed second communication frequency (S205), and the user obtains the current position information of the own vehicle at the second communication frequency of the server 2.
00 to inform the user of the position of the user (vehicle) accurately, edit the guide information regarding the guide area according to the position of the user (vehicle), and then to receive the guide area information reception unit of the car navigation system 100 on the user side. It is sent to 114 (S206).

Next, the operation of the communication control means 202 provided in particular will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, when the destination information is input by the user, the receiving unit 110 receives the destination information (step 1). Subsequently, when the departure position information is input from the user, the reception means 110 receives the departure place information (step 2). This input may be directly input by the user or may be automatically input from the current position information acquisition unit 112 such as a GPS or an autonomous positioning device provided in the car navigation system 100. The starting point information and the destination information are Internet 109
Is transmitted to the server 200 via the communication means 201, and the route setting unit 203 performs route search based on the information (step 3), and the guide area setting unit 204 guides the guide information based on the position of this route. See
The guide area information is set (step 4). When the guide area information is set, the server 200 obtains the vehicle speed information of the vehicle from the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 113 and determines the first communication frequency which is the reference communication frequency (step 5). The first communication frequency is set in a relatively long cycle, and in this embodiment, communication is performed in a cycle of 1 second. The first contact frequency is not limited to being specifically determined in this step,
It may be set in advance at a predetermined time interval and a predetermined traveling distance interval (skip from step 4 to step 6). In this way, the user-side car navigation system 100 communicates with the server 200 at the first communication frequency determined or set in advance, and the current position information of the vehicle, the vehicle speed information, etc. are transmitted to the server 200, and the route setting and the guide area are set. Prepare for setting and acquisition of guide area information (step 6). In this embodiment, the communication control means 202 is the server 20.
Since it is provided at 0, an instruction to change the frequency of communication from the car navigation system 100 is sent to the car navigation system 100, and the communication frequency of the car navigation system 100 is controlled.

Next, the position comparison unit 1 of the communication control means 102
05 starts and compares the position of the guide area with the current position to determine whether the current position is included in the guide area. If the current position is not included in the guide area, return to step 6 to continue communication at the first communication frequency, or if it is determined that the vehicle speed is slow (in traffic), further extend the cycle for about 3 seconds. The communication may be performed in a long cycle of. On the other hand, when the current position approaches the guide area, when it enters a position that is actually included, or when it is predicted that the vehicle position is included in the guide area considering the vehicle speed, the communication frequency changing unit 206 determines The communication frequency of 2 is determined (step 8). This second communication frequency is a cycle shorter than the first communication frequency, and is 5 in this embodiment.
With a short cycle of 0 ms, the car navigation system 100 is instructed to communicate with the server 200 at the second communication frequency. In this way, in addition to the case of increasing the communication frequency (shortening the communication cycle), the line may be left in the connected state. Also, in this example, the change of the communication frequency is explained only in two steps, but it is also possible to set a plurality of guide areas along the traveling direction for the guide information having the same contents, and to overlap the guide areas of large and small. It can be set, and the communication frequency may be changed stepwise according to the plurality of guide areas.

In this way, the short cycle (second communication frequency)
Car navigation system 100 and server 2 frequently
00 is transmitted / received (step 9), accurate user position information is frequently sent to the server 200, and the guide area setting unit 204 sets the guide area according to the user's accurate current position or predicted current position. Information is set, and this guide area information is output to the user of the car navigation system 100 (step 10). Communication at this second communication frequency is continued until the current position of the user goes out of the guide area, and when the current position is outside the range of the guide area (step 11), step until the vehicle reaches the destination. Repeat from 6 (Step 1
2). The process shown here is a process when the vehicle is located on the set route. Whether the vehicle is traveling according to the set route is determined by the current position information of the vehicle and the set route. Determine by comparing with position. If it is determined that the vehicle is off the set route, the current position information of the vehicle is treated as the departure location information as the departure location information, and the departure location information (route location information) and the purpose It is preferable to re-execute the processing from step 3 of performing a route search from the geographical information.

Next, the provision of specific guide area information will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is map information showing the progress of the vehicle used by the user. The vehicle travels from the starting point P in the a direction, turns left at the intersection Q and travels in the a'direction, and travels along the route to the destination R. To do.
It is assumed that this route follows a route derived from the departure point information and the destination information that the user has input in advance. On the route set by the route setting unit 203, the guide area set by the guide area setting unit includes a guide area Q, which includes route points A, B, and C around the intersection Q, which are route guide points. A guide area A including the guide area B, a guide area B including the point B, and a guide area C including the point C are set. As described above, a plurality of guide areas may be provided for the information regarding one point, or may be provided so as to be a plurality of overlapping layers.

The information about this guide area is that "turn left at the intersection Q", but the intersection Q
In the guide area Q leading up to, it is "near the route guide point", in guide area A "turn left 100m ahead" and in guide area B "front 5"
Turn left 0m ahead. ”In guide area C,
The guide content "Please turn left 10 meters ahead" is set.

When the vehicle travels in the direction a from the departure point P and travels according to the set route, the position comparison unit 205 determines that the vehicle is included in the guide area Q when approaching point D. Then, the communication frequency changing unit 206 changes the communication frequency (second communication frequency). Further, when the position of the vehicle is included in the guide area A, the communication frequency changing unit 206 further increases the communication frequency (third communication frequency) and frequently confirms the current position of the vehicle. When the vehicle is included in the guide area B, the communication frequency (fourth communication frequency) is further set, and when the vehicle is included in the guide area C, the line is connected and the current position of the vehicle is continuously confirmed while checking the current position of the vehicle. Induce.

At this time, the car navigation system 10
0 and the form of information transmitted and received between the server 200 are shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 is a table in which distance information and direction indicating information are coded and arranged, and are stored in the car navigation system 100 and the server 200. In this embodiment, since the area guide information is transmitted from the server 200 to the car navigation system 100, the server 200 encodes the distance information and the direction instruction information and transmits them to the car navigation system 100. The car navigation system 100 converts the content of the information corresponding to the coded distance information and the direction indication information into a voice, an image, a character, etc., and provides it to the user.

Taking the provision of the guide area information shown in FIG. 4 as an example, the guide area information in this case is shown in FIG.
The distance information and the direction indication information are coded and stored in the storage unit 208 for each of the guide points A, B, and C. The server 200 transmits the transmission information “0102” to the car navigation system 100 at the timing when the vehicle is included in the guide area A. The car navigation system 100 having received this, referring to the table shown in FIG. 5, replaces the distance information 01 with “100 m ahead” and reads the direction instruction information 02 “to the left” just before passing the point A. Or read "please turn left". The guide area information thus replaced is provided to the user as voice, characters, or an image.
This is the same for both the guide area B and the guide area C.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when information is provided to a moving user in a predetermined guide area via a communication line, the user's position is appropriately confirmed and guidance information is provided at an appropriate timing. At the same time, the information acquisition cost can be reduced by appropriately controlling the communication frequency.

The embodiments described above are described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and not for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element and each numerical value disclosed in the above-described embodiments are intended to include all design changes and equivalents within the technical scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing each configuration of a car navigation system and a server according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a time chart diagram for explaining each operation of the car navigation system and the server according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a communication frequency changing process.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of information provision of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of guide area information.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Car navigation system, information providing device 200 ... server, information providing device 101, 201 ... Communication means 102, 202 ... Communication control means 203 ... Route setting section 204 ... Guide area setting section 205 ... Position comparison unit 206 ... Communication frequency changing unit 208 ... Storage means 107 ... Providing means 109 ... Internet 110, 210 ... Reception means 111 ... Departure / destination information input section 112 ... Current position information acquisition unit 113 ... Vehicle speed information acquisition unit 114 ... Guide area information acquisition unit

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toshiro Muramatsu             Nissan, Takaracho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Nissan             Inside the automobile corporation F-term (reference) 2C032 HB22 HD29                 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB13 AC02                       AC08 AC09 AC13 AC18 AC20                 5B075 ND06                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 EE02 FF04                       FF05 FF13 FF24 FF25 FF27

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An information providing apparatus which communicates with outside and provides the user with guidance information about a guide area set on a route from a departure place to a destination designated by the user, the departure information from the user. Receiving means for receiving user information including location information and destination information, current position information of the user, and guide area information derived from guide information including the user information and the read map information; A communication frequency changing unit that compares the guide area and the current position of the user based on the guide area information and the current position information received by the unit, and changes the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result. An information providing apparatus having a providing unit configured to provide a user with guide information regarding the guide area edited and communicated at the changed communication frequency. 2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication frequency changing unit changes the communication frequency to a higher value when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area. 3. The receiving means receives the speed information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means compares the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information with the guide area, The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication frequency is changed to a higher value when it is determined that the user's moving position is included in the guide area. 4. A car navigation system which communicates with outside to provide a user with guidance information about a guide area set on a route from a departure point to a destination designated by the user, the departure from the user. User information including location information and destination information, reception means for receiving input information including the current position information of the user, input information from the user, and guidance information including the input information and the read map information. Based on the guide area information and the user's current position information received by the communication means, the communication means for mutually transmitting and receiving information including guide area information derived from Communication frequency changing means for comparing the current position and changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result; and the changed communication frequency. And a providing means for providing a user with guide information concerning the guide area edited by communicating with the outside. 5. The car navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the communication frequency changing means changes the communication frequency to a higher value when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area. 6. The receiving means receives the speed information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means compares the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information with the guide area, The car navigation system according to claim 4, wherein when it is determined that the user's moving position is included in the guide area, the communication frequency is changed to a higher value. 7. An information providing server which communicates with a user and provides guidance information on a guide area set on a route from a departure place to a destination designated by the user, the departure place from the user. User information including information and destination information, a reception unit that receives the current position information of the user, a storage unit that stores guide information that includes map information, and a guide unit that is derived from the user information and the guide information Communication frequency changing means for comparing the guide area and the current position of the user based on the guide area information and the current position information, and changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result; An information providing server having a providing means for providing a user with guide information relating to the guide area, which has been edited by communicating at the specified communication frequency. 8. The information providing server according to claim 7, wherein the communication frequency changing unit changes the communication frequency to a higher value when it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area. 9. The receiving means receives the speed information of the user, and the communication frequency changing means compares the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information with the guide area, The information providing server according to claim 7, wherein the communication frequency is changed to a higher value when it is determined that the moving position of the user is included in the guide area. 10. Communicating with the outside, receiving user information including departure point information and destination information from the user and current position information of the user, reading guidance information including stored map information, A route is set based on the departure point information and the destination information of the user, a guide area for providing guidance information is set on the set route, and the set guide area is compared with the current position of the user. Then, the information providing method of changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result, and providing the user with the guide information regarding the guide area edited and communicated at the changed communication frequency. 11. A computer is caused to accept user information including departure point information and destination information from a user and current position information of the user, and read guidance information including stored map information, A route is set based on the user's departure point information and destination information, and a guide area for providing guidance information is set on the set route, and the set guide area is compared with the current position of the user. A program for changing the communication frequency with the outside according to the comparison result, and providing the user with the guide information regarding the guide area which is edited by communicating with the changed communication frequency. 12. The communication frequency is changed to a higher value when the set guide area is compared with the current position of the user and it is determined that the current position of the user is included in the guide area. 11. The program according to 11. 13. The speed information of the user is accepted, the moving position of the user derived from the speed information and the current position information is compared with the set guide area, and the moving position of the user is determined. The program according to claim 11, wherein the communication frequency is changed to a higher value when it is determined that the communication area is included in the guide area.