JP2006168437A - Navigation system, route search server and terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system capable of displaying a total guide route on a screen of a terminal device, easily selecting and displaying appropriate guide information by designating a guide point for the guide route. <P>SOLUTION: The route search server 30 has a guide data developer 35 developing the guide route data including the data of the route connecting the position index of a main point including the guide point on the guide route based on the searched guide route with the respective points, and guide information data relating to the guide point. The terminal device 20 has an image forming device 25 and a display device 23, and when the guide route data and the guide information data are received from the route search server 30, the image forming device 25 forms an image of the guide route so that the total guide route may be included in a screen of the display device 23 based on data of the route connecting the position coordinate of the main point with the main point, thus displaying the image of the guide route formed by the image forming device 25 in the display device 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication type navigation system including a terminal device such as a mobile phone and a route search server. In particular, when searching and guiding a route from a departure place to a destination using walking or transportation, the present invention provides position coordinates of main points of the guide route, route data based on the position coordinates, guide Point data and guidance information at the guide point are sent to the terminal device, and the terminal device relates to a navigation system, a route search server, and a terminal device that display the entire guide route on the screen regardless of screen size restrictions. It is.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are known navigation devices and navigation systems that guide users by searching for map data, road data, a route from a desired departure point to a destination, and such navigation devices and navigation systems are automobiles. Car navigation device that is installed in the vehicle to guide the route to the driver, a communication navigation system that sends a route search request to the route search server using a mobile phone as a navigation terminal, receives the result, and receives route guidance, etc. Has been put to practical use.

  In particular, the communication-type navigation system is a system that uses a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone as a navigation terminal, and is also used as a navigation system for pedestrians. As a navigation system for pedestrians, it is preferable to add a route guidance function including transportation, and in addition to searching and guidance for walking routes, train time data is stored in a route search server, There is also a navigation system that has a function of guiding a route (boarding candidate train) to a desired destination station in addition to searching and guiding a walking route.

  There is also known a route search system that searches and guides a route from a departure place to a destination using transportation means such as an airplane, a train, a train, and a bus. In general, such a route search system is an operation data DB (in which operation data of each transportation facility is converted into a database on the basis of route search conditions such as departure date and time, departure place, destination and arrival time specified by the user. Database)), each of the available transportation means connecting the departure point and the destination, including connections, is sequentially traced as a route, and one guide route (transportation means such as a train) that matches the route search condition is selected as one. Configured to present one or more. As route search conditions, it is generally possible to specify conditions such as required time, number of transfers, and fares.

  For example, when the road network for route search in the pedestrian navigation system or the car navigation system includes roads A, B, and C as shown in FIG. 10, the end points, intersections, bending points, etc. of the roads A, B, and C The road connecting each node is represented by a directional link, and node data (node latitude / longitude), link data (link number) and link cost (link distance or link travel) of each link The road network data is composed of link cost data using the required time required for data). That is, in FIG. 10, ◯ and ◎ indicate nodes, and ◎ indicates a road intersection. Directional links connecting the nodes are indicated by arrow lines (solid line, dotted line, two-dot chain line). As for the links, there are links facing in the upward and downward directions of the road, but in FIG. 10, only the links in the direction of the arrows are illustrated for the sake of simplicity.

  When route search is performed using such road network data as a route search database, links linked from the starting node to the destination node are traced to accumulate the link cost, thereby minimizing the accumulated link cost. Search and guide the route. That is, in FIG. 10, when a route search is performed with the departure point as the node AX and the destination as the node CY, the road travels from the node AX along the road A, turns right at the second intersection, enters the road C, and reaches the node CY. The link cost is accumulated sequentially, and a route that minimizes the accumulated link cost is searched for and guided. Although other routes from the node AX to the node CY are not shown in FIG. 10, in reality there are other such routes, so a possible route from the node AX to the node CY is similarly searched. Of these routes, the route with the lowest link cost is determined as the optimum route. This method is performed by, for example, a well-known method called a Dictusula method.

  Such a road network is static network data in which the link cost is fixed as schematically shown in FIG. 10 and the accumulated link cost is uniquely determined when the route is determined. The amount of data is also the road network. Is proportional to the amount of.

  On the other hand, for example, when the transportation network data of the transportation system is composed of the traffic routes A, B, and C as shown in FIG. 11, each station (in the aircraft route) provided on each traffic route A, B, C. Represents each airport) as a node, a section connecting each node is represented by a directional link, and node data (latitude / longitude) and link data (link number) are network data. In FIG. 11, ◯ and ◎ indicate nodes, ◎ indicates a transit point (such as a transfer station) on a traffic route, and a directional link connecting each node is indicated by an arrow line (solid line, dotted line, two points). This is indicated by a chain line). As links, there are links facing in the upward and downward directions of the traffic route. In FIG. 11, only the links in the direction of the arrows are shown for the sake of simplicity.

  However, the transportation network for transportation is basically different in link cost from the road network. That is, in the road network, the link cost is fixed and static. However, in the transportation network, as shown in FIG. 11, trains and airplanes (hereinafter referred to as individual trains and airplanes) that operate the traffic route are used. Each route is referred to as a means of transportation), the time of departure from a certain node and the time of arrival at the next node are determined for each means of transportation (specified by timetable data and operation data), and Individual paths may not always link to adjacent nodes. This is the case, for example, with express trains and trains that stop at each station. In such a case, a plurality of different links exist on the same traffic route, and the required time between nodes may differ depending on the transportation means.

  In the transportation network illustrated in FIG. 11, a plurality of transportation means (routes) Aa to Ac... Are connected to the same link of the transportation route A, and a plurality of transportation means (routes) Ca to Cc.・ There will be. Therefore, unlike a simple road network, the transportation network of a transportation system has a data amount proportional to the total number of means of transportation (routes of individual aircraft, trains, etc.) for each node, link, and link cost. Compared to the amount of data, the network data has a huge amount of data. Accordingly, much time is required for route search accordingly.

  In order to search for a route from a certain departure point to a certain destination using such transport network data, all the means of transportation that can be used (ride) when arriving from the departure point to the destination are searched. Thus, it is necessary to specify the transportation means that matches the search conditions. For example, in FIG. 11, when performing a route search in which the departure point is a node AX of the traffic route A and a certain departure time is specified and the node CY of the traffic route C is the destination, the route operates on the traffic route A. All of the transportation means after the departure time are sequentially selected as the departure route from among the transportation means Aa to Ac, and the transportation route C is operated on the basis of the arrival time at the transit node to the transportation route C. Among all the transportation means Ca to Cc..., All the combinations of transportation means after the time that can be boarded at the transit node are searched and the required time of each route and the number of times of transfer are accumulated and guided.

  By the way, in such a navigation system, guidance data related to the guidance route searched by the route search server and the guide point in the middle of the route is sent to the terminal device and displayed on the display screen of the terminal device. Various methods have been studied for displaying guidance routes in terminal devices. For example, an optimum route searching device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-182578) and a navigation device disclosed in the following Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-313581) are known. Yes.

  The optimal route search apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-182578) includes position information for each entrance of each station in route network data included in timetable data of a CD-ROM. When a search condition for a departure point, a destination, and a scheduled departure date and time is specified by the operation unit and a search is instructed, the optimum route search unit uses the road data on the CD-ROM and the timetable data of the transportation system to start the departure. Specify one or more departure station candidates near the destination and one or more destination station candidates near the destination, and specify the combination of walking and transportation among the combinations of each departure station candidate and each destination station candidate. An optimum route that can move from the departure point to the destination in the shortest time is searched according to the search condition, and the result is stored in the storage unit. Then, when the departure station candidate has a plurality of entrances, the optimum route is searched by using the one entrance closest to the departure place as the departure station candidate station position.

In such an optimum route searching apparatus, the guide route is displayed by character data. For example, in the conventional navigation system as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is assumed that the route from Narita Airport to Tokyo Tower is searched and the following optimum route search result (guide route) is obtained.
10:43 departure Narita Airport 10:43 departure Keisei Main Line limited express (no express charge required), vehicle ride from the front, behind
Travel time 52 minutes, fare 840 yen 11:35 Keisei Hachiman Station 11:35 transit 5 minutes walk 11:40 Toei Shinjuku Line Motoyawata waiting time 3 minutes 11:43 departure Toei Shinjuku Line Express 5th car ride Time required 21 minutes Fee 360 yen 12:04 arrival Jimbocho Station 4 minutes 12:08 departure Toei Mita Line 8 minutes 12:16 arrival Onarimon Station Exit A1
12:16 walk 0.9Km Travel time 11 minutes 12:27 arrival Tokyo Tower

  Based on the results of this search, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the route from the departure point to the destination (the train to be instructed to ride) is changed, including the walking section, the arrival time, departure time, and transfer of major points. Time, doorway information, etc. are displayed as character data. Such a display method is a display method that is generally performed when a mobile phone is used as a terminal device because the display screen size is limited.

  In addition, the navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-313581) is a car navigation device for automobiles, and the optimum route calculated by the route calculation function is displayed on one road map. The entire process is configured to be displayed on the display screen. For this reason, when the entire route of the optimum route is long, the scale of the display map is switched accordingly, and the entire route is always stored on one map screen. The display is performed with a plurality of circles, and the vehicle current location mark and the destination mark are also displayed on the same screen.

JP 2003-182578 A (FIG. 1, FIG. 11, paragraph [0029]) JP-A-5-313581 (FIGS. 1 and 3, paragraphs [0029] to [0035])

  In the car navigation device as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the method for displaying the entire guidance route on the display screen is a display whose main purpose is to check whether the route is acceptable at the time of departure. It is not intended to drive while closely observing the map displayed on the screen. For this reason, the main purpose can be achieved even if the scale of the map including the entire process is changed and displayed on the display screen so that the entire map is displayed quite small.

  On the other hand, it has been considered that a man navigation system that provides navigation services to people who move using transportation or walking does not necessarily display the entire route as a map. This is because it was thought that people who use the navigation service can reach their destination without knowing the geographical route along the way, if they correctly transfer the guided transportation system, except in the walking section. is there. Therefore, as described above, when a terminal having a screen size restriction such as a mobile phone is used as the terminal device of the navigation system, information on the searched route and information on guide points along the route are displayed as character information. The method was adopted.

  However, in the man navigation system, when the display method as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is adopted, there is a problem that it takes time to understand the contents because the text information is the center, and the route is As you progress, you will not be able to know which section of the route you are currently in, and you will not be able to instantly understand what action you should take next (for example, action at a transfer station) There was a point. In addition, the sense of distance and direction of the route is not known, and the way to contact the map information becomes sparse. As a result, even when moving, it has begun to be recognized that there is no sense of interest at all, or the so-called land intuition is not learned at all.

  Then, as in the car navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the map of the entire route should be displayed on the display screen. In the man navigation system, a monotonous driving operation is performed as in the car navigation device. However, there are complicated elements such as walking sections, getting on trains guided in several sections along the way, connecting, and getting off from the train. Therefore, it is difficult to display the entire guidance route on the screen and to express all the complex elements as described above.

  In particular, it is very difficult to display such a terminal device such as a mobile phone in which the display screen size is limited. In order to design a screen so that such display is possible, it is necessary to configure screen transitions in multiple layers and switch the information to be displayed sequentially, and it takes time to reach the target information. In addition, there is a problem that the operation method becomes difficult to understand and lacks convenience.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present application, as a result of searching for a route from the departure point to the destination by using walking or transportation, guides the main of the guidance route. The position coordinates of the point, route data based on the position coordinates, guide point data, or guidance information related to the guide point and data such as link data to the guidance information are sent to the terminal device, and the terminal device is limited in screen size. Regardless, the present invention has been completed with the idea of eliminating the above-mentioned problems by configuring the entire guide route so that it can be easily understood and displayed on the display screen so that geographical information can be understood. It has come to be.

  That is, the present invention has an object to solve the above problems, and includes a terminal device and a route search server. In a navigation system that searches and guides a route from a departure place to a destination, the screen of the terminal device is displayed. A navigation system, a route search server, a terminal device, and a program thereof configured to display an entire guide route and to easily select and display guide information related to the guide point by designating a guide point of the guide route The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. In
The route search server, based on the searched guide route, guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route and route data connecting the main points, and guidance related to the guide points. A guide data creation means for creating information data;
The terminal device includes an image creating unit and a display unit, and when the guide route data and the guidance information data are received from the route search server, the image creating unit is configured to display a route connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point. Based on the data, an image of the guide route is created so that the entire guide route falls within the screen of the display means, and the image of the guide route created by the image creation means is displayed on the display means.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the main points include a departure point, a destination, and a transportation station on the guide route.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1,
The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. The content is displayed and content based on guide information data related to the corresponding guide point is displayed on the display means in accordance with the operation of the guide pointer.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1,
The guide information data includes content related to the guide point or link information to a location where the content exists, and the content is one or a combination of characters, sounds, still images, animations, and moving images. And

The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 4,
In order to display the content, the route search server and the terminal device include a common platform application for processing the content.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present application is
A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A route search server comprising
The route search server includes route search means and guidance data creation means, and based on the guide route searched by the route search means, the guide data creation means includes main points including guide points on the guide route. Guide route data including route coordinates connecting position coordinates and main points, and guide information data related to the guide points are created.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present application is the route search server according to claim 6,
The main points include a departure point, a destination, and a transportation station on the guide route.

The invention according to claim 8 of the present application is the route search server according to claim 6,
The guide information data includes content related to the guide point or link information to a location where the content exists, and the content is one or a combination of text, sound, still image, animation, and video. Features.

The invention according to claim 9 of the present application is the route search server according to claim 8,
The route search server includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the terminal device to process the content, and creates the guide information data.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present application is
A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A terminal device comprising:
The terminal device includes image creation means and display means, and guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points; Receiving the guidance information data related to the guide point, and the image creating means so that the entire guide route fits within the screen of the display means based on the route data connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point. An image of a guidance route is created, and an image of the guidance route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present application is the terminal device according to claim 10,
The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. The content is displayed and content based on guide information data related to the corresponding guide point is displayed on the display means in accordance with the operation of the guide pointer.

The invention according to claim 12 of the present application is the terminal device according to claim 11,
The terminal device includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the route search server to process the content, and displays the guidance information data.

The invention according to claim 13 of the present application is
A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A terminal device comprising:
The terminal device includes image creation means and display means, and guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points; , Information related to the guide point or the link information to the place where the content exists is received, and the image creation means displays based on the route data connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point An image of a guide route is created so that the entire guide route is within the screen of the means, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit.

The invention according to claim 14 of the present application is the terminal device according to claim 13,
The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. Displaying and acquiring the corresponding content based on link information to the location where the content exists in the guide information data related to the corresponding guide point according to the operation of the guide pointer and displaying it on the display means It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 15 of the present application is the terminal device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the terminal device has a platform application common to a platform application provided for the route search server to process the content. And displaying the guidance information data.

  In the first and second aspects of the invention, the route search server includes position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route and route data connecting the main points based on the searched guide route. Guide route data and guide information data related to the guide point are created, and when the terminal device receives the guide route data and the guide information data, the image creating means connects the position coordinates of the major points and the major points. Based on this data, an image of the guide route is created so that the entire guide route falls within the screen of the display means, and the image of the guide route is displayed on the display means. Accordingly, the entire guide route can be displayed as a deformed image together with the guide points on the terminal device, and the user can visually recognize the entire guide route as an image that is easily understood geographically.

  In the invention according to claim 3, in the navigation system according to claim 1, the terminal device includes guide pointer setting means, and the guide pointer setting means sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route. Then, an image of the guidance route created by the image creation means is displayed on the display means, and content based on guidance information data related to the corresponding guide point is displayed on the display means in accordance with the operation of the guide pointer. Therefore, the user can select a desired guide point from the image of the entire guide route displayed on the terminal device, and can easily display the guide information related to the guide point.

  In the invention according to claim 4, in the navigation system according to claim 1, the guide information data includes content related to the guide point or link information to a place where the content exists, and the content includes text, sound, One or a combination of still images, animations, and movies. Therefore, the user can display the guidance related to the guide point with characters, voices, still images, animations, and videos prepared in the route search server. Compared with the conventional display using only characters, the terminal device At the guide point, the action to be taken next by the user can be easily displayed.

  In the invention according to claim 5, in the navigation system according to claim 1, in order to display the content, the route search server and the terminal device are provided with a common platform application for processing the content. As a result, the route search server and the terminal device can handle various contents.

  In the inventions according to claim 6 and claim 7, the route search server includes a guide route in which the guide data creating means includes position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route and route data connecting the main points. Data and guidance information data related to the guide point are created and transmitted to the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device creates a display image of the guide route so that the entire guide route fits within the screen of the display means based on the data of the route connecting the position coordinates of the main point including the guide point and the main point. Can be displayed.

  In the invention according to claim 8, in the route search server according to claim 6, the content related to the guide point or the link information to the place where the content exists is included, and the content includes text, sound, still image, animation , One or a combination of videos. Therefore, the terminal device can display the guidance related to the guide point with characters, sounds, still images, animations, and videos prepared in the route search server, compared with the conventional display using only characters. However, at the guide point, the next action that the user should take can be displayed in an easily understandable manner.

  In the invention according to claim 9, in the route search server according to claim 8, the terminal device includes a platform application common to the platform application provided for processing the content, and creates the guide information data. As a result, the route search server and the terminal device can handle various contents.

  In the invention according to claim 10, the terminal device includes guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points, and the guide points. Related guidance information data, and the image creation means displays an image of the guidance route so that the entire guidance route fits within the screen of the display means based on the data of the route connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point. The guidance route image created by the image creation means is displayed on the display means. Therefore, the terminal device can display the entire guide route together with the guide points as a deformed image, and the user can visually recognize the entire guide route as an image that is easily understood geographically.

  In the invention according to claim 11, in the terminal device according to claim 10, the guide pointer setting means sets the guide pointer to the guide point included in the image of the guide route, and the image creation means creates the display means. An image of a guide route is displayed, and content based on guide information data related to the corresponding guide point is displayed on the display means in accordance with the operation of the guide pointer. Therefore, the user can easily select guide information related to the guide point by selecting a desired guide point from the entire guide route image displayed on the terminal device.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device according to the eleventh aspect, the terminal device includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the route search server to process the content. As a result, the route search server and the terminal device can handle various contents.

  In the invention according to claim 13, the terminal device includes guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points, and the guide points. Guidance information data including link information to the related content or the location where the content exists, and the image creation means within the screen of the display means based on the data of the route connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point An image of the guide route is created so that the entire guide route is covered, and the image of the guide route created by the image creating unit is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, the terminal device can display the entire guide route together with the guide points as a deformed image, and the user can visually recognize the entire guide route as an image that is easily understood geographically.

  In the invention according to claim 14, in the terminal device according to claim 13, in the terminal device, the guide pointer setting means sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and creates an image on the display means. The image of the guide route created by the means is displayed, and the corresponding content is acquired based on the link information to the location where the content exists in the guide information data related to the corresponding guide point according to the operation of the guide pointer. And displayed on the display means. Therefore, the user can select the desired guide point from the image of the entire guide route displayed on the terminal device and easily display the guide information related to the guide point.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device according to the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the route search server includes a platform application that is common to the platform application that is provided for processing the content. Therefore, the route search server and the terminal device can handle various contents.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a guide route display screen displayed on the terminal device in the navigation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen of guidance information related to an arbitrary guidance point selected on the guidance route display screen of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen of guidance information related to any other guidance point on the guidance route display screen of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram of a display screen showing a state in which the guide route display of FIG. 2 is rotated according to the orientation of the terminal device. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a display screen showing a state where the walking section is highlighted and displayed on the guide route display screen of FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an operation sequence of the navigation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The navigation system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a terminal device 20 that communicates via networks 11 and 12 such as the Internet, a route search server 30, a road network DB 51, and transportation means operated by various transportation facilities. The operation network DB (database) 52 in which the operation data is stored and the content server 40 are provided.

  The road network DB 51 stores the data of the road network described with reference to FIG. 10, and the route search server 30 refers to the road network DB 51 and searches for a route when searching for a travel route by foot or by car. Further, the operation network DB 52 stores the data of the operation network of the transportation means explained in FIG. 10, and the route search server 30 refers to the operation network DB 52 when searching for the movement route by the transportation means. Perform a search. The content server 40 is a server for providing the terminal device 20 or the route search server 30 with content of guidance information related to guidance points on the guide route searched by the route search server 30. In the first embodiment, the road network DB 51 and the operation network DB 52 may be configured in the route search server 30.

  The route search server 30 includes a control means 31, a route guidance means 32, a display means 33, a communication means 34, a guidance data creation means 35, a route search means 36, a content DB 37, and a link information DB 38. Although not shown, the control unit 31 is a microprocessor having a RAM, a ROM, and a processor, and controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM. The display means 33 is a monitor display means of the route search server 30, and the communication means 34 is an interface for communicating with the terminal device 20, the road network DB 51, the operation network DB 52, the content server 40, etc. via the networks 11 and 12. is there.

  The route search means 36 searches for the optimum guide route with reference to the road network DB 51 and the operation network DB 52 according to the route search conditions transmitted from the terminal device 20. The guide route data searched by the route searching means 36 is sent to the guide data creating means 35, and the guide data creating means 35 creates guide route data and guide information data described later. The guidance route data and the guidance information data created by the guidance data creation unit 35 are temporarily stored in the route guidance unit 32 and transmitted to the terminal device 20 that has transmitted the route search request to the route search server 30 via the communication unit.

  The guide route data created by the guide data creating means 35 is a straight line connecting these points based on the main points of the guide route searched by the route searching means 36, for example, the position coordinates (latitude / longitude) of a station or intersection. When the terminal device 20 displays the guide route image on the display means 23 based on the guide route data, the guide route on the road map or the railway map may be displayed as a deformed route image. it can. The terminal device 20 recalculates the vector data so that the entire guide route can be displayed within the range of the screen size of the display means 23, as will be described later, with respect to the guide route data transmitted from the route search server 30. Create an image of

  The guidance route data created by the guidance data creation means 35 includes the departure point (departure station), the transit station, the getting-off station, the destination (destination station), etc. on the guidance route searched by the route search means 36. Guide points are set, and the position coordinates (latitude and longitude) of those guide points are included. The terminal device 20 sets a guide pointer at this guide point, and the user can easily shift to display of guide information related to the guide point by operating the guide pointer.

  The guidance information data created by the guidance data creation means 35 is content DB 37 of the route search server 30 in advance, such as content of guidance information related to guide points, such as images of trains to be boarded, structural photographs and videos of transfer stations. It is various contents made easy. Accordingly, the terminal device 20 causes the display unit 23 to easily display various contents related to the guide point by operating the guide pointer set to the guide point of the guide route image displayed on the display unit 23. be able to. If this content exists in a content server outside the route search server 30, the terminal device 20 is added to the content server 40 by adding the link information stored in the link information DB 38 to the guidance information data. It can also be obtained by linking.

  On the other hand, the terminal device 20 includes a control unit 21, an input unit 22, a display unit 23, a communication unit 24, an image creation unit 25, and a guide pointer setting unit 26. Although not shown, the control unit 21 is a microprocessor having a RAM, a ROM, and a processor, and controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM. The input means 22 is an input means composed of numbers, alphabet keys, other function keys, selection keys, and the like, and selects a desired menu and guide pointer from the menu screen displayed on the display means 23 or displays numbers. Or the alphabet key is operated to input a route search condition, switch the image displayed on the display means 23, or advance the screen transition. The communication unit 24 is an interface for communicating with the route search server 30 via the network 11. Route search conditions such as departure place, destination, departure date and time, arrival date and time are performed using the input means 22 and the display means 23.

  The image creating means 25 receives the guide route data created as described above by the route search server 30 and is based on the linear vector data connecting the position coordinates of the main point and each position coordinate included in the guide route data. Then, the vector data is recalculated so that the entire guide route can be displayed within a circle inscribed in the screen size of the display means 23, and an image of the guide route is created. The reason for recalculating the vector data so that the entire guide route is within the range of a circle inscribed in the screen size of the display means 23 is as follows. This is because the display can be rotated.

  The image creating means 25 also includes guide points (departure point (departure station) on the guide route, transit station, drop-off station, destination (included in the guide route data) created by the route search server 30 as described above. Guide point display image based on the position coordinates (latitude / longitude) of the destination station), for example, a numerical image shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 to be described later, a process selection image for transition to the next display process, etc. The display image is added to the guide route image.

  The guide pointer setting means 26 performs processing for setting a guide pointer for the guide point image created by the image creation means 25. Thus, when a guide pointer operation for designating a guide point is performed by the display screen of the display means 23 or the input means 22, guidance information data related to the designated guide point (guidance information data transmitted from the route search server 30). Is displayed on the display means 23.

  The terminal device 20 requests the route search from Narita Airport to Tokyo Tower as described above, receives the guide route data transmitted from the route search server 30, and the image creation means 25 performs the above processing. The image is displayed on the display means 23 like the display image shown in FIG. 2 re-calculates the straight line vector data connecting the position coordinates (latitude / longitude) of the main points such as stations and the respective position coordinates as described above, and lays out so that the entire guide route enters the screen. The position coordinates (latitude / longitude) are set with a point having guidance information such as a departure point, a boarding station, a transfer station, a getting-off station, and a destination as guide points. Since the coordinates of the passing station on the way are also used, it is close to the actual geographical route. However, if a rougher route image is acceptable, the route image may be created using only guide points. In addition, when the whole image is displayed so as to fit within the inscribed circle of the screen, it is possible to perform a display rotated by an azimuth display (azimuth image 211) using an electronic compass as shown in FIG. (Because it is a vector display, icons etc. do not tilt by rotation)

  In FIG. 2, numerical images “1” to “4” are guide points, “1” is Narita Airport as the departure point, “2” is Keisei Hachiman Station at the transfer station, Motoyawata Station on the Toei Subway, “3” Is the location of Jimbocho Station for subway transfers, and “4” is the location of Onarimon Station, the stop station. An orientation image 211 indicates the orientation in which the terminal device is facing, a process selection image 222 is a menu screen display process, and a process selection image 223 is an image for selecting the next display process. A guide pointer for selecting these guide points is prepared internally and initialized. When the destination is a guide point, a character image indicating the destination guide point may be displayed as “G (goal)”. Similarly, the guide point indicating the departure place may be displayed as a character image “S (start)”.

  When the numeric key “1” or the process selection image 223 for selecting the next display process is designated in the state where the guide route image of FIG. 2 is displayed (when the guide pointer is operated), the guide point “1” is selected. 3 is displayed on the screen of the display means 23. The display image shown in FIG. An image 311 is a still image or a moving image of a train that rides at Narita Airport as a guide point, and a character display image 312 displays departure time, fee, and required time (boarding time, etc.) as guidance information about the boarding train. In addition to the above, the guide information displayed on the image 311 and the character display image 312 includes the boarding platform (numbered line), the optimal boarding vehicle position, shopping information at the transfer station (information on special products and ekiben), etc. May be.

  As described above, the guidance data creating means 35 acquires the guidance information data related to the guide points displayed in the image 311 and the character image 312 from the content DB 37 or the content server 40 as described above. It is collected into contents such as pictures, animations, and moving pictures (movies) and sent to the terminal device 20. When the terminal device 20 reproduces the guidance information data (content), for example, when the terminal device 20 is a mobile phone, the terminal device 20 is called a Macromedia Flash Player (Macromedia Flash Player) of Macromedia. Application platform can be used. For this purpose, the route search server 30 also needs to transmit guide route data and guide information data created and stored using the same application platform to the terminal device 20.

  When guide point “2” is operated, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide information for the transfer station is displayed. As the transfer station guide information, as shown in the figure, the structure of the transfer station, the character image 411 such as transfer time, the process selection image 412 to the transfer route guidance display, the process to the transfer station exit live video display of Example 2 to be described later The selected image 413 is laid out and displayed. In addition, if there is a walking section between stations or after getting off at the transfer station (guide point 2) or getting off station (guide point 4), the walking section is shorter than the train route and cannot be seen on the same scale. Therefore, it can be highlighted by a method of displaying an enlarged deformed image or a method of displaying only the direction by an arrow. FIG. 6 is a display example showing a guide point having a walking section. In the case of FIG. 6, an arrow line indicating a walking direction is displayed and highlighted on the guide point display at the getting-off station.

  The procedure of the operation described above will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when a route search condition is input to the terminal device 20 by a user operation in the sequence of step S10, the terminal device 20 transmits the route search condition to the route search server 30 in the sequence of step S11. To do. In the route search server 30, in the sequence of step S12, when the route search unit 36 searches for a route that matches the route search condition and obtains a guide route as a route search result, the guide data creation unit 35 uses the above-mentioned guidance as route guide information. Route information and guide information data at guide points are created. Then, the route search server 30 transmits the guide route data and the guide information data created by the guide data creation means 35 in the sequence of step S13 to the terminal device 20.

  The terminal device 20 that has received the guide route data and the guide information data displays a guide route image on the display means 23 in the sequence of step S14, and when a guide pointer operation is performed by a user operation in the sequence of step S15, step S16. In this sequence, a display image (see FIGS. 3 and 4) corresponding to the operated guide pointer is displayed on the display means 23.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an operation sequence of the navigation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a streaming image is reproduced on the terminal device by the process of FIG. In the navigation system of FIG. 1, a streaming image can be displayed as a display image displayed on the terminal device 20.

  Hereinafter, the navigation system 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Example 2 will be described below using an example in which guide route data is transmitted from the route search server 30 and the guide route image of FIG. 2 is displayed on the display means. In FIG. 2, when the “NEXT” key (process selection image) or the numeric key (ten key) “2” is pressed, information on the transfer station is displayed. In this example, a transfer is made to another station that can be reached on foot. When this operation is performed, the image shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, transfer information indicating that the contact is on foot is displayed at the top, and buttons for more detailed rich content are displayed at the bottom of the screen. An arrow icon for selecting it is also displayed, and it can be selected by moving the arrow icon with a cursor key. For example, when “station exit live video” is selected, the state of the exit of the transfer station is displayed through the live camera at that point. You can know in advance whether it is raining around the exit.

  This mechanism is like the processing sequence shown in FIG. That is, when a route search condition is input to the terminal device 20 by a user operation in the sequence of step S20, the terminal device 20 transmits the route search condition to the route search server 30 in the sequence of step S21. In the route search server 30, in the sequence of step S22, when the route search unit 36 searches for a route that matches the route search condition and obtains a guide route as a route search result, the guide data creation unit 35 uses the above-mentioned guidance as route guide information. Route information and guide information data at guide points are created. At this time, the guide data creating means 35 creates link information to the corresponding content (streaming video) of the content server 40 that provides the live video at the transfer station exit and adds it to the guide information data. The route search server 30 transmits the guide route data and the guide information data created by the guide data creation means 35 in the sequence of step S23 to the terminal device 20.

  The terminal device 20 that has received the guide route data and the guide information data displays a guide route image on the display means 23 in the sequence of step S25, and when a guide pointer operation is performed by a user operation in the sequence of step S26, step S27. In this sequence, the terminal device 20 makes a content reproduction (streaming reproduction) request to the route search server 30. In response to the request, the route search server 30 transmits the content data requested for streaming playback to the terminal device 20 in the sequence of step S27. The terminal device 20 receives the content data transmitted from the route search server 30 in the sequence of step S28 and performs streaming playback.

  Creation of guide information for streaming playback in the route search server 30 is performed as follows. That is, after the route search server 30 performs route search, an address that is link information for streaming playback of content such as exit video is generated and returned to the platform application for guidance points that require route guidance. Is realized. If the content can be streamed directly from the platform application, that may be sufficient (the terminal device 20 may receive streaming data directly from the content server 40), but the terminal device may stream from the content server 40 due to problems such as billing. If the data cannot be directly downloaded, the route search server 30 once fetches the content from the content server 40 as described in the sequence of FIG. 8, and the route search server 30 should prepare for distribution of this content. The usage fee is settled separately between the route search server 30 and the source (content) manager of the content server 40. (For content that requires real-time properties, the generation time must be clearly specified or updated at predetermined intervals)

  When “Station Exit Live Video” is selected, a streaming playback request is sent to the server, and when content data download starts, streaming playback is started as in the example of the display image shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the live video at the station exit is streamed and reproduced on the display means 23 of the terminal device 20.

  The present invention is not limited to a device equipped with current position acquisition means such as GPS. If the current position cannot be acquired, it is difficult to carry out walking navigation. However, the present invention can be used without a current position acquisition means in a usage method in which actions are performed while sequentially watching guidance points. In addition, the terminal device is not limited to a mobile phone. For example, if a music player can display the same level as a mobile phone, a similar service can be provided by accessing a route search server using a communication line for downloading music data. It is possible to do it. In this case, search condition input can be performed by using a touch panel as the display means.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation system concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the guidance route displayed on a terminal device in the navigation system concerning Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen for guidance information related to an arbitrary selected guidance point on the guidance route display screen of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the guidance information relevant to arbitrary other guidance points in the guidance route display screen of FIG. It is a figure of the display screen which shows the state by which the guidance route display of FIG. 2 was rotated and displayed according to the direction of the terminal device. It is a figure of the display screen which shows the state which emphasized and displayed the walk area in the guidance route display screen of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement sequence of the navigation system concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement sequence of the navigation system concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state by which the streaming image was reproduced | regenerated by the terminal device by the process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the road network data in a general navigation system. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the operation network data of the means of transportation in a general navigation system. It is a figure which shows the example of the route guidance display screen in the terminal device of the conventional navigation system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation system 11, 12 ... Network 20 ... Terminal device 30 ... Route search server 40 ... Content server 51 ... Road network DB
52 .... Operating network DB
21... Control means 22 ... Input means 23 ... Display means 24 ... Communication means 25 ... Image creation means 26 ... Guide pointer setting means 31 ... Control means 32 ... Route guidance means 33 ... Display means 34 ... Communication means 35 ... Guide data creation means 36 ... Route search means 37 ... Content DB
38 ... Link information DB

Claims (15)

A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. In
The route search server, based on the searched guide route, guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route and route data connecting the main points, and guidance related to the guide points. A guide data creation means for creating information data;
The terminal device includes an image creating unit and a display unit, and when the guide route data and the guidance information data are received from the route search server, the image creating unit is configured to display a route connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point. A navigation system characterized in that an image of a guide route is created so that the entire guide route falls within a screen of a display means based on data, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation means is displayed on the display means. .   The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the main points include a departure point, a destination, and a transportation station on the guide route.   The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the content is displayed and content based on guide information data related to the corresponding guide point is displayed on the display means in accordance with an operation of the guide pointer.   The guide information data includes content related to the guide point or link information to a location where the content exists, and the content is one or a combination of text, sound, still image, animation, and video. The navigation system according to claim 1.   5. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the route search server and the terminal device include a common platform application for processing the content for displaying the content. A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A route search server comprising
The route search server includes route search means and guidance data creation means, and based on the guide route searched by the route search means, the guide data creation means includes main points including guide points on the guide route. A route search server characterized by creating guide route data including position coordinates and route data connecting main points, and guide information data related to the guide points.   The route search server according to claim 6, wherein the main point includes a departure point, a destination, and a transportation station on the guide route.   The guide information data includes content related to the guide point or link information to a location where the content exists, and the content is one or a combination of text, sound, still image, animation, and video. The route search server according to claim 6, wherein:   9. The route search server according to claim 8, wherein the route search server includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the terminal device to process the content, and creates the guide information data. . A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A terminal device comprising:
The terminal device includes image creation means and display means, and guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points; Receiving the guidance information data related to the guide point, and the image creating means so that the entire guide route fits within the screen of the display means based on the route data connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point. A terminal device that creates a guide route image and displays the guide route image created by the image creation unit on the display unit.   The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the terminal device displays content based on guide information data related to a corresponding guide point in accordance with an operation of the guide pointer.   The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the terminal device includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the route search server to process the content, and displays the guidance information data. A navigation system in which a route search server searches for a route from a departure place to a destination based on route search conditions input from a terminal device, sends a guide route to the terminal device, and the terminal device displays the guide route on a display means. A terminal device comprising:
The terminal device includes image creation means and display means, and guide route data including position coordinates of main points including guide points on the guide route from the route search server and route data connecting the main points; , Information related to the guide point or the link information to the place where the content exists is received, and the image creation means displays based on the route data connecting the position coordinates of the main point and the main point A terminal device, wherein an image of a guide route is created so that the entire guide route falls within a screen of the means, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit.   The terminal device includes a guide pointer setting unit, the guide pointer setting unit sets a guide pointer at a guide point included in the image of the guide route, and an image of the guide route created by the image creation unit is displayed on the display unit. Displaying and acquiring the corresponding content based on link information to the location where the content exists in the guide information data related to the corresponding guide point according to the operation of the guide pointer and displaying it on the display means The terminal device according to claim 13.   15. The terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal device includes a platform application common to a platform application provided for the route search server to process the content, and displays the guidance information data. apparatus.

Images