JP2007051884A - Navigation system, mobile terminal device and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify the user that the positioning information cannot be acquired from the OS (operating system) for a prescribed time, in a navigation system provided with a mobile terminal device, where the acquisition of the positioning information is controlled by the OS of the GPS-positioning means. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile terminal 20 comprises the display means 28 for displaying the map or guiding route distributed by the route search server 30, the present positional mark representing the present position positioned by the GPS positioning means 24, and the GPS icon images representing the acquisition conditions for the present positional information by the GPS positioning means 24; and the timer means 29. According to the case as to whether the navigation control module 223 can acquire or cannot acquire the present positional information obtained by the GPS positioning means 24 during a predetermined time lapse, while referring to the timer means 29, the different GPS icon images are displayed on the display means 28. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication-type navigation system using a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone equipped with GPS positioning means, a mobile terminal device, and a display method, and in particular, an operating control module (OS: operating system) of the mobile terminal device. In a navigation system in which the positioning information acquisition by the GPS positioning means is controlled by the system), when the predetermined time positioning information cannot be acquired from the OS, a navigation system configured to display the fact on the display means of the portable terminal device, The present invention relates to a portable terminal device and a display method.

  Conventionally, when visiting a destination place on an unknown land, the user arrives while checking the transportation, road, landmark and address drawn on the map by using a map book or the like. In a car equipped with a car navigation system (hereinafter simply referred to as a car navigation system), a guidance displayed on a monitor screen or a voice output guidance (navigation) by starting the car navigation system and inputting a destination. Information) was reached.

  The car navigation system uses a GPS (Global Positioning System), receives GPS signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the earth with a GPS antenna, and transmits the GPS signals to the GPS signals. The position is specified by analyzing the satellite position and clock information included. At least four GPS satellites are required. The single positioning accuracy of GPS is generally over 10 m, but it is improved to 5 m or less by adopting DGPS (Differential GPS). In particular, a positioning unit that is currently installed only in some mobile phones, for example, a GPS receiver that receives a signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and performs positioning, is called the third generation. Mobile phones tend to be installed in all models.

  As a technique for using a terminal device having such a positioning function, technologies in various fields have been proposed. For example, a navigation device (car navigation) for automobiles has been developed, and map / route information is obtained using a mobile phone as a terminal. A communication-type navigation system for pedestrians distributed from a route search server has been proposed.

  In recent years, the performance of mobile communication terminal devices such as mobile phones and PHS has been dramatically improved, and multi-functionalization has been progressing. In particular, the data communication function is strengthened in addition to the call function, and various data communication services are provided to the user via the Internet. A navigation service is one of them, and a communication type navigation system that provides route guidance from a current position to a destination for not only a driver of a car but also a mobile phone user has been put into practical use. In such a system, even if a vehicle-mounted navigation system is not installed, a user who is on the passenger seat can easily receive route guidance using a mobile phone and can navigate the driver.

  A general navigation device, a route search device and a route search method used in a communication navigation system are disclosed in, for example, the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-165681). This navigation system is configured to send information of departure and destination from a portable navigation terminal to a route search server, and search and guide a route that matches a search condition from road network and traffic network data by the route search server. Has been. As the search condition, there are means for moving from the departure place to the destination, for example, walking, automobile, combined use of railroad and walking, and the route is searched as one of the search conditions.

  The route search server uses roads (routes) of map data as nodes and node positions as the nodes, links connecting the nodes as links, and cost information (distance and required time) for all links as a database. ing. Then, the route search server refers to the database, sequentially searches for links from the departure node to the destination node, and traces the node and link with the smallest cost information of the link as a guide route. The shortest route can be guided to the portable navigation terminal. As such a route search method, a method called label determination method or Dijkstra method is used. Patent Document 1 also discloses a route search method using this Dijkstra method.

Of the routes from the starting point to the destination obtained by route search using the road network data as described above, the route with the minimum total cost (distance or time) of the route is determined as the optimum guide route. Guide route data is created. The guide route data includes map data and guidance data in addition to the data of the optimum route, and the guide route data is read from the guide data storage unit as necessary and displayed on the display unit.
In general, a guide route and a mark indicating the current position of the navigation device are superimposed on a map of a certain scale and range including the current position of the navigation device measured using the GPS receiver of the navigation device. The current position mark is displayed at the center of the display screen. When the navigation system has a voice guidance function, the guidance data is voice data, and guidance to the user is performed by voice output.

Such a navigation system and a route search method are disclosed by the present applicant as “a traffic network route search method and apparatus” in, for example, the following Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-258184).
This route search navigation system expresses the route from the departure point to the destination point as road network and traffic network data with the point as a node and the link between the points as a link. This is a search for walking section and transportation section.

  A navigation device provided with GPS positioning means is disclosed as, for example, “GPS navigation device” in the following Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-272380), and a navigation system using a mobile phone as a terminal device is: It is disclosed in the following Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-121531).

  The GPS navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 3 is a device configured to measure the current position only by the GPS positioning means without using the positioning means based on autonomous navigation. The navigation system disclosed in Patent Document 4 is This is a system adapted to a case where a function such as a telephone call and a navigation application cannot be executed simultaneously in a mobile phone as a terminal device.

  That is, this navigation system includes a navigation device using a mobile phone having GPS means, a call control module for making a call with a navigation control module, another mobile terminal device, and an operation control module (OS) for controlling each module. When the OS detects a predetermined event while the navigation control module is operating, the navigation control module sends a suspend command to the navigation control module to suspend, and when the OS detects the end of the predetermined event, the navigation control module The resume control command is sent to the navigation control module to resume.

JP 2001-165681 A (FIGS. 1 and 2) JP 2000-258184 A (FIG. 4) JP-A-2-272380 (FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-121531 (FIG. 1)

  When a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone provided with GPS positioning means is used as a terminal device in a navigation system, as disclosed in Patent Document 4, the GPS positioning means as hardware is a navigation application (navigation control module). The positioning information acquisition by the GPS positioning means is controlled by the operating control module (OS: operating system) of the portable terminal device.

  The control here means that a positioning request (current position acquisition request) to the GPS positioning means and data of current position information measured by the GPS positioning means are transmitted to and received from the navigation control module via the OS. is doing.

  That is, the current position acquisition request from the navigation control module is sent to the OS in the form of a function call, and the current position information (latitude / longitude), which is the positioning result by the GPS positioning means, is also obtained as a result of the function call via the OS. Returned to the navigation control module. The reason for adopting such a configuration is that the mobile phone is not a terminal device dedicated to the navigation system, but the OS needs to centrally manage the operation control of the call control module, the navigation control module, and other application functions installed by the user. Because.

  As described above, in the navigation system, a map, a guide route, and a current position mark indicating the current position of the terminal device are displayed on the display means. The current position of the terminal device is measured at predetermined time intervals, and the map and the guide route are scrolled so that the current position mark becomes the center of the display screen as the current position moves. In such a portable terminal device, if positioning information acquisition by the GPS positioning means is controlled by an operating control module (OS: operating system) of the portable terminal device, a positioning result may not be acquired within a predetermined time. . The cause is, for example, a case where the GPS positioning unit fails in positioning (such as when reception of GPS satellite signals is unsatisfactory), and the OS repeats retry and a predetermined time elapses.

  If the navigation control module cannot acquire the current position at a predetermined time interval, the current position (display position of the current position mark) is not updated, and the scrolling of the map is also stopped. In such a state, the user remains on the display screen even though he / she is moving, and he / she misunderstood as a failure of the terminal device or a communication failure with the route search device. Problem arises. This is the same phenomenon as when the current position cannot be determined while entering the tunnel while traveling by the GPS positioning means without turning on the autonomous navigation means in the in-vehicle navigation system.

  The inventor of the present application has conducted various studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, in the navigation system in which the positioning information acquisition by the GPS positioning means is controlled by the operating control module (OS: operating system) of the mobile terminal device, Thus, when predetermined time positioning information cannot be obtained, the above problem can be solved by displaying the fact on the display means of the mobile terminal device, and the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention aims to solve the above problems, and in a navigation system in which positioning information acquisition by a GPS positioning unit is controlled by an operating control module (OS: operating system) of a mobile terminal device, It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation system, a portable terminal device, and a display method that can notify a user when time positioning information cannot be acquired.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
A portable terminal device including GPS positioning means, wherein the navigation control module acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via the operating control module 221; and connected to the portable terminal device via communication means; In a navigation system comprising: a route search server that searches for a route from a departure point to a destination based on the information and distributes a guide route including map data to a mobile terminal device;
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, A display means for displaying the timer, and a timer means, when the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the GPS positioning means has failed to acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means; Different GPS icon images are displayed on the display means when the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means can be acquired while a predetermined time elapses.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1,
The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and a past history value is stored from the count value stored in the count history storage unit. An average value of a predetermined number of count values is calculated and set as the predetermined time.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present application is characterized in that in the navigation system according to claim 1 or claim 2, the GPS icon image is displayed with different display colors.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 3,
A plurality of elapsed times are set as the predetermined time, and the GPS icon image is displayed in a plurality of different display colors depending on the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired.

The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1 or 2,
The icon image is an image of characters and / or figures representing GPS, and is displayed with the characters and / or figures different.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 2,
A plurality of threshold values are set stepwise from the average value, and the GPS icon image compares the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired with the plurality of threshold values, and a plurality of different display values. It is characterized by displaying in color.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present application is
A portable terminal device including GPS positioning means, wherein the navigation control module acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via the operating control module 221; and connected to the portable terminal device via communication means; A mobile terminal device that constitutes a navigation system including a route search server that searches a route from a departure point to a destination based on the information and distributes a guide route including map data to the mobile terminal device,
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, A display means for displaying the timer, and a timer means, when the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the GPS positioning means has failed to acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means; Different GPS icon images are displayed on the display means when the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means can be acquired while a predetermined time elapses.

The invention according to claim 8 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 7,
The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and a past history value is stored from the count value stored in the count history storage unit. An average value of a predetermined number of count values is calculated and set as the predetermined time.

  The invention according to claim 9 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the GPS icon image is displayed with different display colors.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 9,
A plurality of elapsed times are set as the predetermined time, and the GPS icon image is displayed in a plurality of different display colors depending on the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 7 or claim 8,
The icon image is an image of characters and / or figures representing GPS, and is displayed with the characters and / or figures different.

The invention according to claim 12 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 8,
A plurality of threshold values are set stepwise from the average value, and the GPS icon image compares the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired with the plurality of threshold values, and a plurality of different display values. It is characterized by displaying in color.

The invention according to claim 13 of the present application is
It is connected to a route search server that searches a route from a departure point to a destination based on route search conditions and distributes a guide route including map data to a mobile terminal device, and includes GPS positioning means, and a navigation control module is an operating control module 221 is a display method in a portable terminal device that acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via 221;
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, , Display means for displaying, and timer means,
When the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means cannot be obtained while a predetermined time elapses, and the GPS positioning means performs positioning while the predetermined time elapses. The present invention includes a step of displaying different GPS icon images on the display means when the current position information can be acquired.

The invention according to claim 14 of the present application is the display method according to claim 13,
The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display unit includes: The method includes a process of calculating an average value of a predetermined number of past counts from the count value stored in the count history storage unit and setting the predetermined time.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the display method according to the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display unit includes a process of displaying different display colors. Features.

The invention according to claim 16 of the present application is the display method according to claim 15,
The portable terminal device sets a plurality of elapsed times as a predetermined time, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means includes a plurality of times according to the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired. It includes a process of displaying in different display colors.

  The invention according to claim 17 of the present application is the display method according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means is a character and / or graphic image representing GPS, It includes a process of displaying the characters and / or figures differently.

The invention according to claim 18 of the present application is the display method according to claim 14,
The terminal device sets a plurality of threshold values in a stepwise manner from the average value, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means includes an elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is obtained. The method includes a process of comparing with the plurality of threshold values and displaying each with a plurality of different display colors.

In the invention according to claim 1, when the mobile terminal device displays the GPS icon image indicating the current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means on the display means, the navigation control module refers to the timer means, and a predetermined time has elapsed. Different GPS icon images depending on whether the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means cannot be acquired during the period of time and when the current position information acquired by the GPS positioning means can be acquired while a predetermined time elapses. Is displayed on the display means.
Therefore, the user of the mobile terminal device can easily determine whether or not the current position information has been normally acquired, and the current position mark is displayed on the display screen despite the movement. When stopped, it is possible to solve the problem of misunderstanding such as a failure of the mobile terminal device 20 or a communication failure with the route search server 30.

In the invention according to claim 2, in the navigation system according to claim 1, the portable terminal device further stores a count history storage means for storing a count value by the timer means until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired. And calculating an average value of a predetermined number of counts in the past from the count value stored in the count history storage means, and setting it as the predetermined time.
Accordingly, the user of the mobile terminal device can easily determine whether or not the current position information has been normally acquired, and the current position mark is displayed on the display screen despite the movement. When the operation stops, it is possible to solve the problem that the mobile terminal device 20 is misunderstood as a failure of the mobile terminal device 20 or a communication failure with the route search server 30.
Further, even if the function and performance of the operating control module are different and the response time until the current position information can be acquired from the GPS positioning means 24 between the portable terminal device models is different, the old model or the GPS positioning means Even if the response time is delayed depending on the reception environment, the threshold value is variably set from the past average, so that it can be dealt with.

  In the invention according to claim 3, in the navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, the GPS icon image is displayed with different display colors. Accordingly, the user of the mobile terminal device can easily and intuitively determine whether or not the current position information can be normally acquired by identifying the color of the GPS icon image.

In the invention according to claim 4, in the navigation system according to claim 3, a plurality of elapsed times are set as the predetermined time, and the GPS icon image is obtained until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired. A plurality of different display colors are displayed according to the elapsed time.
Therefore, the mobile terminal device can gradually notify the user of the progress of the current position information acquisition from the GPS positioning means from normal to failure.

  In the invention according to claim 5, in the navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, the icon image is an image of characters and / or figures representing GPS, and the characters and / or figures are displayed differently. To do. Therefore, the user of the mobile terminal device can easily and intuitively determine whether or not the current position information can be normally acquired by identifying the characters and / or graphics of the GPS icon image. .

In the invention according to claim 6, in the navigation system according to claim 2, a plurality of threshold values are set stepwise from the average value, and the GPS icon image is obtained until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired. Are compared with the plurality of threshold values, and are displayed in a plurality of different display colors.
Therefore, the mobile terminal device can gradually notify the user of the progress of the current position information acquisition from the GPS positioning means from normal to failure.

  Moreover, in the invention concerning Claims 7-12, the portable terminal device which comprises the navigation system concerning Claims 1-6, respectively can be provided now. In the invention according to claims 13 to 18, the navigation system according to claims 1 to 6, respectively, and the display method in the mobile terminal device according to claims 7 to 12, respectively, can be provided. It becomes like this.

  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. The navigation system 10 of FIG. 1 is a system comprising a mobile terminal device 20 having GPS positioning means and a route search server 30. However, the mobile terminal device 20 is not limited to a mobile phone, and has GPS positioning means. Any terminal device can be applied as long as it is controlled by the OS.

  The navigation system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a mobile terminal device 20 and a route search server 30 connected via a network 12. The mobile terminal device 20 is a mobile phone, and can communicate with a desired partner (a fixed phone, a mobile phone, a PHS, etc.) via a mobile communication base station or a telephone line network via a network 12 such as a mobile communication network. It is also possible to connect to the route search server 30 via the data communication service center and receive a route navigation service as described later.

  The mobile terminal device 20 is mainly configured by a control means (CPU) 21 composed of a microcomputer, and an operation control module 221 that is an operating system (OS), a call control module 222 for controlling telephone communication, A control program such as a navigation control module 223 for controlling the navigation service is stored.

  The operation control module 221 is a control program for controlling the overall operation of the mobile terminal device 20, and corresponds to an OS (operating system) of a general computer device. The navigation control module 223 is an application program that is generally referred to as a navigation application, and is incorporated in a mobile phone in the same manner as an application for other services. The operation control module 221 functions as an application platform that manages activation and termination of applications such as the call control module 222 and the navigation control module 223.

  The mobile terminal device 20 includes GPS positioning means 24 including a GPS receiver and the like, and can measure the current position of the user from the GPS satellite signal. The navigation control module 223 acquires the current position (latitude / longitude) information necessary for the navigation service from the GPS positioning means 24. The GPS positioning means 24 is controlled by the operating control module 221, and the current position acquisition request from the navigation control module 223 is sent to the operating control module 221 in the form of a function call, and current position information (latitude) as a positioning result by the GPS positioning means. (Longitude) is also returned to the navigation control module 223 via the operating control module 221 as a result of the function call.

  The mobile terminal device 20 includes a storage unit (RAM) 23, a communication unit 25, a power supply unit 26, an operation / input unit 27, a display unit 28, and a timer unit 29, similar to a normal mobile phone. These elements are connected to the internal bus and operate under the control of the control means 21. That is, the control unit 21 operates the mobile terminal device 20 by executing control programs such as the call control module 222 and the navigation control module 223 under the control of the operation control module 221 stored in the control memory 22.

  The GPS positioning means 24 is configured around a receiver that receives signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, and is based on a function call for a current position request sent from the navigation control module 223 via the operating control module 221 for a predetermined time. Signals from a plurality of GPS satellites are received at intervals, and information on the current position (latitude and longitude) is calculated based on the distance to each satellite. The calculated current position information is returned to the navigation control module 223 via the operating control module 221 as a result of the function call, and the navigation control module 223 acquires information on the current position of the mobile terminal device 20 at a predetermined time interval. .

  The timer unit 29 counts the time for the navigation control module to acquire the current position information from the GPS positioning unit 24. If the current position information cannot be acquired within a predetermined time, the timer unit 29 displays a notification display as described later. 28 and notifies the user to that effect.

  It is also possible to calculate the moving speed and direction of the mobile terminal device 20 by adding a time factor to the current position calculation result, and these data are also transmitted to the route search server 30 and other information distribution computer systems. be able to. In FIG. 1, the communication means 25 expresses the communication-related circuit functions as a whole in such data communication mode communication and original voice communication as a mobile phone.

  When the mobile terminal device 20 is in a standby state as a normal mobile phone by the operation of the operation / input unit 27, the operation control module 221 activates the call control module 222 and performs a predetermined time via the communication unit 25. A location registration signal is transmitted to the base station at intervals, and a control channel signal from the base station is received to check whether there is an incoming call for itself. When there is an incoming call for itself, the base station performs a link channel establishment process with itself and notifies the user of a ring tone (such as a melody), vibration, and incoming call display.

  On the other hand, when the user performs data communication such as mail transmission / reception by operating the operation / input unit 27, the operation control module 211 switches the mobile terminal device 20 to the data communication mode and operates the operation / input unit 27. Start the indicated application. For example, in the case of mail transmission, a corresponding application is started to display a mail creation screen, and thereafter, a mail document is entered from the mail destination, mail body, etc. that the user inputs from the operation / input means 27 based on the mail creation screen. The mail document created based on the transmission command input from the operation / input means 27 is transmitted.

  When the user wants to request a route search from the route search server 30, when the operation / input unit 27 is operated and the navigation control module 223 is activated, the operating control module 221 executes the navigation control module 223. The navigation control module 223 displays a service menu screen or a predetermined input screen on the display means 28, and the user searches for a route such as a departure point, a destination, a moving means (walking or a car), a scheduled departure time or a desired arrival time. Enter the conditions. When the current position is selected as the departure place, the current position determined by the GPS positioning means 24 is used as the departure place. This route search condition is transmitted to the route search server 30.

  When the route search server 30 receives a route search request from the mobile terminal device 20, the route search server 30 searches for an optimum route or a plurality of candidate routes according to the route search condition, and the mobile terminal as guide route data including a guide route, a map, guidance data, and the like. Delivered to the device 20. The configuration and operation of the route search server 30 will be described later.

  Guide route data distributed from the route search server 30 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 23. These distribution data are read from the storage unit 23 as necessary and displayed on the display means 28. At the time of display, the current position measured by the GPS positioning means 24 is displayed as a current position mark on the map together with a guide route.

  When the user follows the guidance route and approaches the node for which guidance is set, guidance (straight ahead or right / left turn guidance) is output via the display means 28 or the speaker. 3-6 is a figure which shows an example of the display image at the time of displaying the guidance route data delivered from the route search server 30 on the display means 28 of the portable terminal device 20. FIG. The mobile terminal device 20 in the present embodiment has two types of display modes, navigator mode (map display mode) and drive mode, for images displayed on the display means 28.

  The navigator mode is a display mode in which a user who rides in the passenger seat of the car receives route guidance using the mobile terminal device 20 and navigates the driver, a map image is displayed on the display means, and the guidance route is displayed. Or the company position, that is, the current position of the mobile terminal device 20 is displayed in an overlapping manner. On the other hand, the drive mode is a display mode that the mobile terminal device 20 is attached in the vicinity of the dashboard and used by the driver. In this case, since the display screen of the mobile terminal device 20 is small, no map is displayed, The image is displayed with a large arrow so that the deformed road image and the right and left turn directions at the next intersection can be seen at a glance.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image in the navigator mode. In the navigator mode, as shown in FIG. 3, a map M in a relatively narrow range including guidance points GN such as intersections and branch points on the route, a current position mark P indicating the current position, and a guidance image at the guidance point GN ( An arrow image indicating a straight or right / left turn direction) GD, an azimuth image D indicating the azimuth of the map M, and a GPS icon image GP indicating the acquisition status of the current position information from the GPS positioning means 24 are displayed on the display screen. The navigator can identify the map and guidance points displayed on the display screen and the guidance (straight or left / right turn) related to the guidance points and inform the driver.

  Since the GPS positioning unit 24 is controlled by the operating control module 221 as described above, the navigation control module 223 may not be able to acquire the current position information from the GPS positioning unit 24 within a predetermined time. If the information on the current position cannot be acquired, the current position cannot be updated, and the map and the current position mark P displayed on the display means 28 cannot be updated. The predetermined time is, for example, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or the like if the set value is fixed.

  When such a situation occurs, the user may misunderstand that the mobile terminal device 20 has failed or a communication failure has occurred in the network connection with the route search server 30, which causes the driver anxiety. . FIG. 3 shows a display image in a state in which the navigation control module 223 can acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means 24 at a normal time interval. The GPS icon image GP includes a “reception mark (antenna and radio wave reception)”. The mark indicating the inside) ”is displayed.

  On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a display image when the navigation control module 223 cannot acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means 24 within a predetermined time, and the GPS icon image GP indicates “out of range”. "Is displayed to notify the user to that effect. As a result, the user can easily determine whether or not the current position information has been successfully acquired. Therefore, even though the user is moving, the user remains on the display screen and misunderstands that the mobile terminal device 20 is faulty or the communication with the route search server 30 is faulty. Can be solved.

  In the state shown in FIG. 4, naturally, acquisition of the current position information has failed, and the latest current position information has not been acquired. Therefore, the display unit 28 does not scroll the map image. However, since the GPS icon image display process does not stop the operation of the navigation control module 223, if the current position information can be acquired thereafter, the normal display is restored at that time.

  5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating examples of display images in the drive mode corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the display image of the drive mode, the driver displays the guidance point and the guidance at the guidance point so that they can be instantly identified by merely looking at the display screen during the driving operation, as shown in FIG. Does not display map image, current position mark, direction mark, etc. A road or a route is displayed as a background image B as a deformed image having a depth, and is displayed as a guidance image GD indicated by a large arrow indicating guidance at a guidance point such as an intersection to be reached next. The distance L from the current position to the guidance point is displayed as a character image L, and the total travel distance is displayed as a bar display image TL. A GPS icon image GP indicating the acquisition status of the current position information from the GPS positioning means 24 is displayed on the display screen.

  FIG. 5 shows a display image in a state in which the navigation control module 233 can acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means 24 at normal time intervals. As in FIG. 3, the GPS icon image GP receives “Reception”. Mark (mark indicating reception of antenna and radio wave) "is displayed. FIG. 6 shows a display image when the navigation control module 223 cannot acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means 24 within a predetermined time, and the GPS icon image GP shows “out of range” as in FIG. "Is displayed to notify the user to that effect.

  The image that occupies the largest display area in the screen configuration of the display screen is the background image B, which is an image that the driver does not need to gaze at. The display color of the background image B is configured to change according to the distance from the current position to the guidance point. The background image B is not a map or a road, but a pseudo three-dimensional image that gives an image of the road. When the driver glances at the display image, it can give a feeling of traveling on the road. Further, the color of the background image B occupying the largest image on the screen changes depending on the distance from the current position to the guidance point.

  For example, the background image B is displayed in green when the distance to the guidance point is sufficiently large, the background image B is displayed in yellow when the distance range is reached, and the background image B is displayed in red when the distance is sufficiently close to the guidance point. With such a display, the driver can instantly recognize the meaning of the guidance that he / she glanced at the screen and approached the guidance point. As described above, since the color of the widest region of the display image of the mobile terminal device 20 changes when approaching the guidance point, the color change can be noticed even by the indirect visual field, and the degree of proximity to the guidance point can be determined. I can know. By combining with voice guidance, it becomes more effective guidance. Since no map is displayed, there is nothing to watch and does not hinder driving.

  It should be noted that the normal display of FIGS. 3 and 5 showing the state where the current position information can be normally acquired from the GPS positioning means 24 and that the current position information could not be acquired from the GPS positioning means 24 within a predetermined time. The display image of the GPS icon image GP in the notification display of FIGS. 4 and 6 to be notified is not limited to this example, and the GPS icon image GP may be displayed in green in the normal display and red in the notification display. it can. Alternatively, the entire GPS icon image GP may be normally displayed surrounded by a circle, and the entire GPS icon image GP may be marked with an X to be notified.

  In addition, a plurality of elapsed times are set as threshold values step by step as a predetermined time (threshold value), and displayed so as to change from green to yellow and red according to the elapsed time until the current position information is acquired. May be. For example, the threshold is set to 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. If the current position information can be acquired within 10 seconds, the GPS icon image is displayed in “green”, and the current position information can be acquired within 10 to 20 seconds. The GPS icon image can be displayed in “yellow”, and the GPS icon image can be displayed in “red” after 20 seconds or more. Thereby, it becomes possible to gradually notify the user of the progress of the current position information acquisition from the GPS positioning means 24 from normal to failure.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the route search server 30 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a distribution data editing unit 33, a guide route data creation unit 34, a map data (DB) 35, a route search unit 36, and search network data 37. , Voice data (DB) 38 in which voice data for guidance is stored is provided. The voice data for guidance is, for example, data such as “Turn right at 200m, OO street, △ Chome intersection, turn right”.

  The search network data 37 includes road network data 371 for route search by automobile and pedestrian network data 372 for route search for pedestrians. The road network data 371 does not include road data in areas where vehicles are prohibited such as pedestrian roads and parks, and the pedestrian network data 372 does not include road data such as expressways that are prohibited from pedestrian traffic. . The data structure of the search network data 37 will be described later.

  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 communication unit 32 is an interface for communicating with the mobile terminal device 20 via the network 12. The route search means 36 searches the optimum route with reference to the search network data 37 in accordance with the route search conditions transmitted from the mobile terminal device 20.

  The guidance route data creation means 34 sets guidance points in the guidance route obtained as a result of the route search, refers to the voice data (DB) 38, extracts voice data corresponding to the guidance content at each voice guidance point, Create as guidance data. The guidance route and guidance data created by the guidance route data creation unit 34 are edited into data for distribution to the mobile terminal device 20 by the distribution data editing unit 33 together with the map data acquired from the map data (DB) 35, and communication is performed. It is distributed to the mobile terminal device 20 via the means 32.

  The road network data 371 and the pedestrian network data 372 for searching for a route by a pedestrian or a car are configured as follows. For example, when the road is composed of roads A, B, and C as shown in FIG. 7, the end points, intersections, and bending points of the roads A, B, and C are used as nodes, and the roads connecting the nodes are directed links. Link cost data and configuration, which is expressed as node data (node latitude / longitude), link data (link number), and link cost of each link (link distance or time required to travel the link) Is done.

  That is, in FIG. 7, ◯ 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. 7, only the links in the direction of the arrows are shown 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. 7, 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. 7, 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 known method called the Dijkstra method. Therefore, the searched guide route is expressed as the order of nodes and / or links that guide (guide) the user.

  Next, an operation procedure for displaying the current position information acquisition status from the GPS positioning unit 24 in the navigation control module 223 by the mobile terminal device 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process for one cycle of the current position acquisition of the navigation control module 223.

  When the mobile terminal device 20 activates the navigation control module 223, first, in the process of step S10, the navigation control module 223 requests the operating control module 221 to acquire the current position information, and the operating control module 221 uses the GPS positioning means. 24 is requested for information on the current position. In step S11, the operating control module 221 resets the timer means 29 and starts counting time.

  Next, the navigation control module 223 determines the count value of the timer means 29 in the process of step S12, and determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the operating control module 221 was requested to acquire current position information. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, it is determined whether the current position information has been acquired from the operating control module 221 in the process of step S13. If the current position information cannot be acquired, the process returns to the time determination process in step S12.

  If the navigation control module 223 has acquired the current position information from the operating control module 221 in the determination process of step S13, the process proceeds to the process of step S14, and the display image of the GPS icon GP displayed on the display means 28 is set as the normal display. (See Fig. 3 and Fig. 5)

  On the other hand, if the navigation control module 223 determines the count value of the timer means 29 in the process of step S12 and the in-house time has elapsed, the current position information cannot be acquired from the operating control module 221. Then, the display image of the GPS icon GP displayed on the display means 28 is set as notification display (see FIGS. 4 and 6).

  With this process, the user of the mobile terminal device 20 can visually recognize whether the display of the GPS icon GP displayed on the display screen is a normal display or a notification display. It becomes possible to easily identify whether or not the current position information is normally acquired by the GPS positioning means 24. As a result, even if the map on the display screen and the current position mark are not updated, it can be understood that the cause is the failure in obtaining the current position information from the GPS positioning means 24, and the mobile terminal device 20 is broken or communication failure occurs. It becomes possible to determine that it is not a thing.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the navigation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the navigation system 10 according to the first embodiment, the navigation control module 223 determines whether or not the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit 24 can be acquired from the operating control module 221 within a predetermined time. Although the example which displays the image of the GPS icon to display with a different image was shown, another embodiment is also employable.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the mobile terminal device 20 includes a count history storage unit 291 that further stores the count history of the timer unit 29 in addition to the configuration of the mobile terminal device 20 shown in FIG. Other components are the same as those in FIG. 1, and the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, in order to simplify description, the description about the component which show | plays the function similar to the portable terminal device 20 of FIG. 1 is abbreviate | omitted in the following description.

  In the mobile terminal device 20 shown in FIG. 9, the count history storage unit 291 stores the count history of the timer unit 29. In this embodiment, the navigation control module 223 does not determine whether or not the elapsed time from the request for the current position acquisition to the operating control module 221 until the current position information is acquired is within a predetermined time. The count value of the timer means 29 until the current position information is acquired is stored as a history, and the current position information is obtained when the count value becomes significantly larger than the count value when the current position information can be acquired in the past. The configuration is such that it is determined that the data could not be acquired normally.

  That is, in this embodiment, the predetermined time is not set to a fixed value. For example, the timer value when the current position information can be acquired in step S13 in FIG. In step S12, for example, if the time exceeding three times the average value is exceeded, it is determined that the acquisition of the current position information from the GPS positioning means 24 has failed.

  Thus, if the threshold value is variably set from the past average, the following advantages can be obtained. That is, since the navigation control module 223 is installed in many mobile phones, the functions and performances of the operating control module 221 vary from mobile phone to mobile phone. Accordingly, the response time until the current position information can be acquired from the GPS positioning means 24 between the mobile phone models varies. Depending on the old model and the reception environment of the GPS positioning means 24, the response time may be delayed. If 10 seconds is a predetermined value, there is a model in which positioning exceeds 10 seconds under bad conditions. This can be dealt with by setting the threshold value variably from the past average as in the mobile terminal device of FIG.

  Further, the threshold value is divided into several stages, and the color of the GPS icon image displayed on the display means 28 is changed from “green” to “yellow” and “red” according to the stage, and is displayed. 1 is possible, and it becomes possible to gradually notify the user of the progress of the current position information acquisition from the GPS positioning means 24 from normal to failure.

  The present invention is suitable for use in a navigation system that uses a mobile phone or the like centering on satellite navigation (GPS positioning means) as a terminal. In addition, it can cope with many mobile phones having different performances, and can also cope with the acquisition of general-purpose GPS via the OS.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation system concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the route search server in the navigation system of FIG. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of the display image at the time of displaying guidance route data on a display means in navigator mode, and shows the display screen when the positional information acquisition by GPS is performed normally. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of the display image at the time of displaying guidance route data on a display means in navigator mode, and shows a display screen when position information acquisition by GPS is not performed within a predetermined time. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of the display image at the time of displaying guidance route data on a display means in drive mode, and shows the display screen when the positional information acquisition by GPS is performed normally. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of the display image at the time of displaying guidance route data on a display means in drive mode, and shows the display screen when position information acquisition by GPS is not performed within a predetermined time. It is a schematic diagram explaining the structure of the road network for a route search. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure in which a portable terminal device displays the present position information acquisition condition from the GPS positioning means in a navigation control module. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation system concerning Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation system 12 ... Network 20 ... Mobile terminal device 21 ... Control means 22 ... Control memory 221 ... Operation control module 222 ... Call control module 223 ... Navigation control module 23 ... Storage unit (RAM)
24 .... GPS positioning means 25 ... Communication means 26 ... Power supply unit 27 ... Operation / input means 28 ... Display means 29 ... Timer means 30 ... Route search server 31 ... Control means 32 ... Communication means 33 ... Distribution data editing means 34 ... Guide route data creation means 35 ... Map data 36 ... Route search Means 37 .... Network data for search 371 ... Road network data 372 ... Pedestrian network data 38 ... Voice data (DB)

Claims (18)

A portable terminal device including GPS positioning means, wherein the navigation control module acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via the operating control module 221; and connected to the portable terminal device via communication means; In a navigation system comprising: a route search server that searches for a route from a departure point to a destination based on the information and distributes a guide route including map data to a mobile terminal device;
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, A display means for displaying the timer, and a timer means, when the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the GPS positioning means has failed to acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means; A navigation system, wherein different GPS icon images are displayed on the display means when the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means can be acquired while a predetermined time elapses.   The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and a past history value is stored from the count value stored in the count history storage unit. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein an average value of a predetermined number of count values is calculated and set as the predetermined time.   The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the GPS icon image is displayed with different display colors.   A plurality of elapsed times are set as the predetermined time, and the GPS icon image is displayed in a plurality of different display colors depending on the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by GPS positioning means is acquired. Item 4. The navigation system according to item 3.   The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the icon image is an image of characters and / or figures representing GPS, and the characters and / or figures are displayed differently.   A plurality of threshold values are set stepwise from the average value, and the GPS icon image compares the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired with the plurality of threshold values, and a plurality of different display values. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the navigation system is displayed in color. A portable terminal device including GPS positioning means, wherein the navigation control module acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via the operating control module 221; and connected to the portable terminal device via communication means; A mobile terminal device that constitutes a navigation system including a route search server that searches a route from a departure point to a destination based on the information and distributes a guide route including map data to the mobile terminal device,
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, A display means for displaying the timer, and a timer means, when the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the GPS positioning means has failed to acquire the current position information measured by the GPS positioning means; A mobile terminal device that displays different GPS icon images on the display means when the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means can be acquired while a predetermined time elapses.   The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and a past history value is stored from the count value stored in the count history storage unit. The mobile terminal device according to claim 7, wherein an average value of a predetermined number of count values is calculated and set as the predetermined time.   The mobile terminal device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the GPS icon image is displayed with different display colors.   A plurality of elapsed times are set as the predetermined time, and the GPS icon image is displayed in a plurality of different display colors depending on the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by GPS positioning means is acquired. Item 10. The mobile terminal device according to Item 9.   The mobile terminal device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the icon image is an image of characters and / or figures representing GPS, and the characters and / or figures are displayed differently.   A plurality of threshold values are set stepwise from the average value, and the GPS icon image compares the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired with the plurality of threshold values, and a plurality of different display values. The mobile terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the mobile terminal device is displayed in color. It is connected to a route search server that searches for a route from the departure point to the destination based on route search conditions and distributes a guide route including map data to the mobile terminal device, and includes GPS positioning means, and the navigation control module is an operating control module. 221 is a display method in a portable terminal device that acquires current position information from the GPS positioning means via 221;
The mobile terminal device includes a map or a guide route distributed from the route search server, a current position mark indicating a current position measured by the GPS positioning means, a GPS icon image indicating a current position information acquisition status by the GPS positioning means, , Display means for displaying, and timer means,
When the navigation control module refers to the timer means and the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means cannot be obtained while a predetermined time elapses, the GPS positioning means performs positioning while the predetermined time elapses. A display method comprising a step of displaying different GPS icon images on the display means when the current position information can be acquired.   The portable terminal device further includes a count history storage unit that stores a count value obtained by a timer unit until the current position information measured by the GPS positioning unit is acquired, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display unit includes: The display method according to claim 13, further comprising a process of calculating an average value of a predetermined number of past counts from the count value stored in the count history storage unit and setting the predetermined time.   The display method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means includes a process of displaying the GPS icon image with different display colors.   The portable terminal device sets a plurality of elapsed times as a predetermined time, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means includes a plurality of times according to the elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is acquired. The display method according to claim 15, further comprising a process of displaying with different display colors.   14. The step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means is a character and / or graphic image representing GPS, and includes a process of displaying the character and / or graphic differently. Or the display method of Claim 14.   The terminal device sets a plurality of threshold values in a stepwise manner from the average value, and the step of displaying the GPS icon image on the display means includes an elapsed time until the current position information obtained by the GPS positioning means is obtained. The display method according to claim 14, further comprising a process of comparing with the plurality of threshold values and displaying each with a plurality of different display colors.

Images