JP2008145370A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To retrieve audio data, indicating the sound of the name of a guidance point and perform audio guidance, based on the audio data, when outputting the audio guidance. <P>SOLUTION: A navigation apparatus 10 is provided, which sets a route reaching a destination and performs the audio guidance at each prescribed guidance point. The navigation apparatus 10 comprises a specifying means 16 for specifying the guidance point existing on the route reaching the destination; a data memory means 15 for storing positional information, corresponding to the specified guidance point and the audio data representing the sound of the name of the guidance point so as to associate them with each other; a current position detecting means 14 for detecting the current position; an audio data retrieving means 11; and an audio output means 17. When audio guidance is to be output, on the basis of the current position information detected by the current position detecting means 14, the audio data retrieving means 11 extracts the audio data of the guidance point that corresponds to the detected position by referring to the data memory means 15, and the audio output means 17 outputs audio guidance, based on the extracted audio data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication type or in-vehicle type navigation device that searches for a route to a destination and performs voice guidance for each predetermined guidance point such as an intersection, and more particularly, voice guidance for a set destination or waypoint. The present invention relates to a navigation device that outputs voice guidance by extracting voice data of a guidance object.

  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 recently, a navigation service that provides route guidance from a current position to a destination in real time not only for automobile drivers but also for mobile phone users has been realized.

  In a navigation apparatus for providing these navigation services, guidance guidance is performed by displaying a map image of route guidance on a display means and displaying a location such as a destination. Furthermore, various ideas for performing navigation services using voice in order to improve the convenience of guidance are proposed.

  For example, the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-12581) discloses a technique that can select and output a specific portion of voice guidance.

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 stores voice data by a rule synthesis method in a first storage unit, stores voice data by a recording and editing method in a second storage unit, and outputs a guidance voice. In the guidance voice to be output, an emphasized part including important information such as an intersection, a place name, and a number is selected, and in accordance with this selection, the voice data of the rule synthesis method stored in the first storage means and The voice data of the recording and editing method stored in the second storage means is synthesized to generate and output a guidance voice.

  With this configuration, in the rule synthesis method, each syllable is slowly divided and synthesized, so that the user can easily recognize the content of the emphasized portion accurately, and as a result, the recognition rate of the guidance content can be improved. .

  Further, the following Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-105888) discloses a technique for guiding a name of a road where the vehicle is currently traveling and a name of a place in the traveling direction by voice.

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a vehicle position detection unit that detects a vehicle position, a map data storage unit that stores map information, and a guide point in which the vehicle position is set in the map data storage unit. A guidance output determination means for determining that the vehicle has passed, and a voice guidance output means for notifying the driver of the name of the road and the name of the traveling direction when the guidance output determination means determines to perform guidance. It is configured.

By comprising in this way, a driver | operator's vehicle position can be made to recognize, without confirming the map data of a display.
JP-A-7-12581 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-105888

  By the way, when the waypoint or the destination is known, it is easier for the user to notify the arrival using the name. In particular, when a plurality of waypoints are set, there is a problem that it is difficult to know the number of waypoints simply by being notified that “it is a stopover soon”.

  However, although the navigation techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above can improve the recognition rate of the user's guidance content by performing guidance guidance using voice, as described above, each route is actually However, it is not always convenient for users who wish to receive guidance with specific facility names.

  The inventor of the present application has conducted various studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, when voice guidance for a desired point is requested from the navigation device, voice data of a desired guidance object is obtained via voice data search means. The above-mentioned problems can be solved by extracting the voice data and extracting the voice data and outputting the voice guidance, and the present invention has been completed.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that searches voice data of a guidance object and provides voice guidance based on the voice data. Is.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
In a navigation device that searches for a route to a destination and provides voice guidance for each predetermined guidance point,
The navigation device associates and stores a designation means for designating a guide point existing in a route to a destination, and voice data indicating the position information corresponding to the designated guide point and the reading of the guide point name. Means, current position detection means for detecting the current position, voice data search means, and voice output means,
When outputting voice guidance, the voice data search means refers to the data storage means based on the current position information detected by the current position detection means, and extracts voice data of a guidance point corresponding to the position. The voice output means outputs voice guidance based on the extracted voice data.

  The navigation device according to claim 2 of the present application is characterized in that, in the navigation device according to claim 1, the designation means designates a guide point using a facility name.

  The navigation apparatus according to claim 3 of the present application is characterized in that in the navigation apparatus according to claim 1, the designation means designates a guide point using a telephone number of a facility.

  A navigation device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the guide point is a destination or a waypoint.

The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is
A navigation device that is connected via a network to a route search server that searches for a route to a destination and transmits the route to the navigation device, and performs voice guidance for each predetermined guide point based on the route transmitted from the route search server. In
The navigation device associates and stores a designation means for designating a guide point existing in a route to a destination, and voice data indicating the position information corresponding to the designated guide point and the reading of the guide point name. Means, current position detection means for detecting the current position, voice data search means, and voice output means,
When outputting voice guidance, the voice data search means refers to the data storage means based on the current position information detected by the current position detection means, and extracts voice data of a guidance point corresponding to the position. The voice output means outputs voice guidance based on the extracted voice data.

  The navigation device according to claim 6 of the present application is characterized in that, in the navigation device according to claim 5, the designation means designates a guide point using a facility name.

  The navigation device according to claim 7 of the present application is characterized in that in the navigation device according to claim 5, the designation means designates a guide point using a telephone number of a facility.

  The navigation device according to claim 8 of the present application is the navigation device according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the guide point is a destination or a stopover point. The navigation device according to any one of 7.

  In the invention according to claim 1 or claim 5, the navigation device includes designation means for designating a guide point existing in the route to the destination, position information corresponding to the designated guide point, and a guide point name. Data storage means for storing voice data indicating reading in association with each other, current position detection means for detecting the current position, voice data search means, and voice output means. When outputting voice guidance, the voice data The search means extracts voice data of the guide point corresponding to the position based on the current position information detected by the current position detection means with reference to the data storage means, and the voice output means extracts the extracted voice data. A voice guidance is output based on the voice data.

  According to such a configuration, since the voice data indicating the reading of the position information corresponding to the guidance point designated by the data storage means and the guidance point name is stored in association with each other, the voice information is output when the voice guidance is output. Voice data of the corresponding guide point is searched by the data search means, and voice guidance can be given with a specific name of the guide point based on the voice data, so that the user can easily understand and move to an unfamiliar point This makes it easier to accurately grasp the current position.

  In the invention according to claim 2 or claim 6, in the navigation device according to claim 1 or claim 5, the designation means designates a guide point using a facility name.

  According to such a configuration, since the voice data indicating the position information corresponding to the guidance point designated by the data storage means and the reading of the guidance point name is stored in association with each other, Even if the place or waypoint is a guide point, the corresponding voice data is searched by the voice data search means, and based on the voice data, voice guidance can be given with a specific name of the destination or waypoint. Guidance that is easy to understand for the user can be provided, and even when moving to an unfamiliar point, it becomes easy to accurately grasp the current position.

  In the invention according to claim 3 or claim 7, in the navigation device according to claim 1 or claim 5, the designation means designates a guide point using the telephone number of the facility.

  According to such a configuration, the position information corresponding to the guidance point designated by the data storage means and the voice data indicating the reading of the guidance point name are stored in association with each other. Alternatively, even if the waypoint is a guidance point, the corresponding voice data is searched by the voice data search means, and based on the voice data, voice guidance can be provided with a specific name of the destination or waypoint. It is easy to understand for the user, and it is easy to accurately grasp the current position even when moving an unfamiliar point.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 4 or claim 8, in any one of claims 1 to 4, or any one of claims 5 to 7, the guide point is a purpose. It is a ground or transit point.

  According to such a configuration, when outputting voice guidance, voice data search means searches for voice data of a desired destination or waypoint, and based on the voice data, a specific destination or waypoint is specified. Since voice guidance can be provided by name, guidance that is easy for the user to understand can be provided, and it is easy to accurately grasp the current position even when moving at an unfamiliar point.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. However, the embodiments shown below exemplify a navigation device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and are not intended to specify the present invention for this navigation device. The present invention is equally applicable to navigation devices of other embodiments included in the scope.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle navigation device 10 includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a current position detection unit 14, a data storage unit 15, a display unit 16, a voice output unit 17, and the like.

  In addition, although a present Example shows the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 10, this invention is not restricted to this, The communication-type navigation system which consists of a navigation server and a navigation terminal device may be sufficient, In addition to travel by automobile, a navigation system that searches and guides routes using walking or public transportation may be used.

  The control circuit 11 is mainly composed of a microprocessor, and is connected to a memory such as a ROM 12 and a RAM 13 like a general computer device. The control circuit 11 controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM 12. The RAM 13 stores a recommended route searched by the control circuit 11.

  The current position detection unit 14 receives various sensor outputs such as GPS receiving means for receiving signals from a plurality of GPS satellites at a fixed period and positioning the current position, and an acceleration sensor and a steering angle sensor provided in the vehicle. Thus, a self-contained navigation means for calculating the current position and performing dead reckoning navigation is provided. Since each of these position detection means has an error having a different property, it is generally configured to be used while being interpolated. In the case where the navigation terminal device is a portable terminal device that does not have a vehicle-mounted function, the self-contained navigation means is not necessarily required.

  The data storage unit 15 is map data composed of data representing each road as a node and a link, the type of each link (general road, highway, etc.), node type (existence of intersection signal, etc.), cost data, etc. 15-1. Concerning various facilities existing in the map area, it is composed of attributes (types) and location, detailed information of each facility, that is, facility name and telephone number or facility information related to the business of the facility. The facility data 15-2 and a plurality of voice messages composed of fixed phrases are stored.

  Furthermore, in the facility data 15-2 according to the embodiment of the present invention, data indicating “reading” of the facility name corresponding to the name of the facility can be stored as voice data. Therefore, the voice output unit 17 is configured to be able to output the facility name as voice by performing voice synthesis based on the “reading” data which is voice data.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the facility data 15-2 accumulated in the data storage unit 15. In the data example of FIG. 2, as the facility data, for each facility name, the “reading (yomi)” data (voice data), the telephone number, the attribute of the facility, the coordinates (latitude / longitude) as the location, and An example is shown in which store opening times are associated and stored as facility information. For example, for the facility name “XX cafeteria”, the voice data is “XX shokudo”, the phone number is “000-0000-0000”, the attribute is “restaurant”, and the coordinates are “XX ° XX'XX”. “, XX ° XX′XX” ”and“ 10: 0 to 22:00 ”are stored as the opening time.

  In addition, you may comprise this facility data so that it may acquire and update from an external information provision means via a communication means. For example, if the facility is a parking lot, the VICS system provides information on whether there is an empty space or the vehicle is full. Can be updated at intervals. In addition, when the facility is a store, detailed facility information such as business days and business hours can be acquired from store information provided by various servers and home pages.

  The display unit 16 is a display / operation unit composed of a liquid crystal display unit and a touch panel, displays a map image and a recommended route, operates various functions of the navigation device 10, and inputs required numerical values and characters. It is something to do.

  The voice output unit 17 is a predetermined voice message stored in the data storage unit 15 according to a signal from the control unit 11 or voice data of the facility name stored in the facility data 15-2 of the data storage unit 15. Is used for synthesizing and outputting a guidance sentence.

  In the in-vehicle navigation device 10, when there is a navigation request by setting a desired departure point and destination from the touch panel of the display unit 16, the control circuit 11 refers to the map data 15-1 and makes a shortest distance between the two points. The recommended route to be connected is searched by the Dijkstra method. The recommended route searched by the control circuit 11 is displayed on the display unit of the display unit 16 together with the map image. The map image is displayed on the display unit 16 based on a predetermined range of map data centered on the current position calculated by the current position detection unit 14, and a current position mark indicating the current position is displayed on the map image.

  Furthermore, when the on-vehicle navigation device 10 approaches within a predetermined distance range of a guidance object such as a waypoint or a destination set in advance based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 14, and when it is time to perform the guidance, The control circuit 11 searches the facility data 15-2 in the data storage unit 15 and extracts voice data of the corresponding facility name. Then, the voice output unit 17 uses the extracted voice data to synthesize and notify a voice message such as “I will soon be a XX person” or “I will soon arrive at △△ Ryokan”.

  On the other hand, if the control circuit 11 searches the facility data 15-2 in the data storage unit 15 and the voice data of the corresponding facility name is not extracted, the voice output unit 17 uses the predetermined standard stored in the data storage unit 15. Using a voice message composed of phrases, a voice message such as “I am about to stop” or “I will soon arrive at my destination” is announced.

  Next, an operation procedure of voice guidance in the in-vehicle navigation device 10 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation procedure of the in-vehicle navigation device 10 according to the present embodiment. Note that the operation procedure shown in FIG. 3 is realized by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 connected to the control circuit 11.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3, when the user makes a navigation request by setting a desired starting point and destination from the touch panel of the display unit 16 in step S30, the control circuit 11 uses the facility name input at that time. It is then determined whether the destination and waypoint settings are instructed. If the destination or waypoint setting does not depend on the facility name, the process proceeds to step S32. The setting not based on the facility name is a case where a desired point is input on the map image displayed on the display unit 16 by a cursor or a touch panel, or is directly input from an operation input unit (not shown).

  On the other hand, if setting by facility name is instructed, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the reading of the facility name is stored as voice data in the facility data 15-2 of the data storage unit 15, and the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the control circuit 11 searches for a recommended route from the departure place to the destination by the Dijkstra method or the like. The searched recommended route is stored in the RAM 13.

  Next, in step S33, the control circuit 11 displays a map image on the display unit of the display unit 16 with reference to the map data 15-1 stored in the data storage unit 15 and displays the searched recommended route. The route guidance is performed by displaying the name of the waypoint or the name of the destination as necessary.

  In step S34, based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 14, it is determined whether or not it is time to approach a guidance object such as a preset transit point or destination and perform guidance, and at the guidance timing. If there is, the process proceeds to step S35, and if it is not the timing for guidance, the process returns to step S33, and the route guidance process in step S33 and the determination process in step S34 are repeated.

  In step S35, it is determined whether or not the reading of the facility name that is the object to be guided is stored in the facility data 15-2 of the data storage unit 15 as voice data. The voice data of the corresponding facility name is read from the facility data 15-2 of the storage unit 15, and the process proceeds to step S38.

  On the other hand, if the facility name voice data is not stored in the facility data 15-2 in step S35, the process proceeds to step S37, a voice message including a predetermined fixed phrase is read from the data storage unit 15, and the process proceeds to step S38. The fixed phrase is, for example, a general voice guidance such as “I will soon be my destination” or “I will be a stopover soon”.

  In step S38, the guidance message is synthesized using the voice data read in step S36 or the voice message read in step S37. In step S39, the message is synthesized in step S38 via the voice output unit 17. The received guidance message is notified by voice (voice output).

  Next, in step S40, the control circuit 11 determines whether or not it has arrived at a preset destination based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 14, and if it is determined that it has arrived at the destination, processing is performed. If it is determined that the destination has not arrived at the destination, the process returns to step S33, and the processes after step S33 are repeated.

  In the above embodiment, the facility name reading is stored in the facility data 15-2 of the data storage unit 15 as voice data when the destination or waypoint setting is instructed using the facility name input. However, when setting of the destination or waypoint is instructed using the telephone number input of the facility, the facility name reading is stored in the facility data 15-2 of the data storage unit 15 as voice data, and this voice data is stored. It may be used to notify a guidance message.

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present invention, when outputting voice guidance, voice data of a desired guidance object is searched by the voice data search means, and the guidance object is searched based on the voice data. Since voice guidance can be provided with a specific name, guidance that is easy to understand for the user can be provided, and it is easy to accurately grasp the current position even when moving to an unfamiliar point.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus concerning the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the facility data accumulate | stored in a data storage part. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the voice guidance of the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus concerning a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

10 .... In-vehicle navigation device 11 .... Control circuit 12 .... ROM
13 ... RAM
14 .... Current position detector 15 ... Data storage 15-1 ... Map data 15-2 ... Facility data 16 ... Display unit 17 ... Audio output unit

Claims (8)

In a navigation device that searches for a route to a destination and provides voice guidance for each predetermined guidance point,
The navigation device associates and stores a designation means for designating a guide point existing in a route to a destination, and voice data indicating the position information corresponding to the designated guide point and the reading of the guide point name. Means, current position detection means for detecting the current position, voice data search means, and voice output means,
When outputting voice guidance, the voice data search means refers to the data storage means based on the current position information detected by the current position detection means, and extracts voice data of a guidance point corresponding to the position. The navigation device characterized in that the voice output means outputs voice guidance based on the extracted voice data.   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit specifies a guide point using a facility name.   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit specifies a guide point using a telephone number of a facility.   The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guide point is a destination or a waypoint. A navigation device that is connected via a network to a route search server that searches for a route to a destination and transmits the route to the navigation device, and performs voice guidance for each predetermined guide point based on the route transmitted from the route search server. In
The navigation device associates and stores a designation means for designating a guide point existing in a route to a destination, and voice data indicating the position information corresponding to the designated guide point and the reading of the guide point name. Means, current position detection means for detecting the current position, voice data search means, and voice output means,
When outputting voice guidance, the voice data search means refers to the data storage means based on the current position information detected by the current position detection means, and extracts voice data of a guidance point corresponding to the position. The navigation device characterized in that the voice output means outputs voice guidance based on the extracted voice data.   The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the specifying unit specifies a guide point using a facility name.   The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the specifying unit specifies a guide point using a telephone number of a facility.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the guide point is a destination or a transit point.

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