JP2008257587A - Navigation device and facility retrieval method for the same device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform an appropriate facility retrieval from a word a user can relatively easily image, particularly, a retrieval considering disturbance about which the user is concerned from the viewpoint of destination guidance peculiar to navigation. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation device comprises an input acquisition part 103 which acquires one or more keywords which do not directly contain a facility name but are related to a facility name; a fuzzy inference DB 19 which stores a fuzzy inference rule for performing facility retrieval; a fuzzy operation part 101 which substitutes the keywords acquired by the input acquisition part to the fuzzy inference rule stored in the storage part to calculate a matching degree and an evaluation degree of each facility-retrieved candidate facility, and corrects the calculated matching degree and evaluation degree based on a predicted disturbance to calculate an expected value of each candidate facility; and a retrieval output part 104 which rearranges and outputs the facility candidates based on the expected values output by the fuzzy operation part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that performs facility search and a facility search method in the device.

  In car navigation systems that enable facility searches, there are methods for searching by specific names and attributes such as “name search” and “address search”, but “close to station” or “large store” Searching with words (keywords) that such vague users are relatively easy to imagine has not been realized.

  By the way, in a mobile navigation device, a technique is known in which a target facility is extracted by performing a search from an ambiguous word for search input by a user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). On the other hand, a search method using fuzzy inference is used for Web (World Wide Web) search or the like, but there is no specific use record for a navigation device. Note that fuzzy inference here means that a variable can be made ambiguous so that the range of defense of one rule can be expanded, and the condition part is blurred even if the fact is ambiguous. To output content that fits the target.

JP 2002-169828 A

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and performs a proper facility search from words that are relatively easy for the user to image. In particular, the disturbance concerned by the user from the viewpoint of navigation-specific destination guidance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device and a facility search method in the device that enable a search considering the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the navigation device of the present invention stores an input acquisition unit that does not directly include a facility name and acquires one or more keywords related to the facility name, and a fuzzy inference rule that performs the facility search. The storage unit and the keyword acquired by the input acquisition unit are applied to the fuzzy inference rules stored in the storage unit, and the fitness and the evaluation score are calculated for each candidate facility searched for the facility. And the evaluation degree are corrected based on the predicted disturbance, and a fuzzy calculation unit that calculates an expected value for each candidate facility, and the facility candidates are rearranged and output based on the expected value output by the fuzzy calculation unit. And a search output display unit.

  Further, the facility search method in the navigation device of the present invention includes a step of acquiring one or more keywords related to the facility name without directly including the facility name, which are generated by operating the input device; Applying the keyword to the fuzzy inference rule stored in the storage unit, calculating the fitness and evaluation degree for each candidate facility searched and output from the storage unit, and the calculated fitness and evaluation degree are predicted. And a step of calculating an expected value for each of the facility candidates and a step of rearranging and displaying on the display device based on the calculated expected value.

  According to the present invention, a navigation device that performs a reasonable facility search from words that are relatively easy for a user to image, and in particular, enables a search that takes into account disturbances that the user is concerned from the viewpoint of navigation-specific destination guidance, and A facility search method in the apparatus can be provided.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the navigation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

The navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a navigation processing unit 10 as a control center, a main storage unit 11, a disk control unit 12, a user interface unit 13, a communication processing unit 14, and a GPS (Global Positioning). System) receiver 15, VICS (Vehicle Information Communication System) sensor 16, and self-contained navigation sensor 17.
Each of these control blocks is connected in common to a system bus (not shown) composed of a plurality of lines for address, data, and control, and data exchange is possible via this system bus.

The navigation processing unit 10 executes the original functions as a navigation device such as destination setting, map display, route guidance, and current location display based on a program allocated and stored in the main storage unit 11. The facility search by fuzzy reasoning is also performed by linking with the function. The facility search function based on fuzzy inference will be described later with reference to FIG.
The disk control unit 12 is connected to a large-capacity external memory (storage unit) storing a map database (DB) 18, a fuzzy inference rule DB 19, and a facility DB 20, and is read out by the navigation processing unit 10 as necessary. . The user interface unit 13 is connected to an input device 211 such as a remote controller and a key switch and a display device 212 such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Device), and transmits information between the navigation processing unit 10 and the user. Note that the input device 211 and the display device 212 may be replaced by the touch sensor 21.

The communication processing unit 14 takes in information acquired via an information network such as the Internet or exchanges information with a center server connected via a communication line. The GPS receiver 15 acquires information on latitude, longitude, and time from a GPS satellite, measures the current position by an arithmetic circuit (not shown), and supplies the current position to the navigation processing unit 10. In addition, the self-contained navigation sensor 17 such as the vehicle speed sensor 171 and the gyro sensor 172 corrects the current position measurement by GPS, detects the behavior of the vehicle, and the navigation processing unit 10 acquires the speed, distance, and rotation angle. The original data is generated.
The VICS sensor 16 receives road traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic regulations transmitted from a VICS center (not shown) in real time and supplies it to the navigation processing unit 10.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an expanded function of the internal configuration of the navigation processing unit 10 shown in FIG. 1. Here, only functional blocks that perform facility search using the fuzzy inference method are extracted and shown.
As shown in FIG. 2, the navigation processing unit 10 includes a main control unit 100, a fuzzy calculation unit 101, an input / output interface unit 102, an input acquisition unit 103, a search output unit 104, and a disturbance information acquisition unit 105. And a disturbance information generation unit 106. In FIG. 2, blocks with the same numbers as the blocks shown in FIG. 1 are blocks having the same names and functions as the blocks shown in FIG.

The fuzzy calculation unit 101 applies the keyword acquired by the input acquisition unit 103 to the fuzzy inference rule described in the fuzzy inference rule DB 19, calculates the fitness and evaluation degree for each candidate facility searched for the facility, and calculates the calculated It has a function of correcting the fitness and evaluation based on the predicted disturbance and calculating the expected value for each candidate facility.
The input / output interface unit 102 serves as a data exchange path between the fuzzy arithmetic unit 101, the input acquisition unit 103, and the search output unit 104. The input acquisition unit 103 acquires one or more keywords related to the facility name without directly including the facility name, and supplies the acquired one or more keywords to the fuzzy operation unit 101 via the input / output interface unit 102. The search output unit 104 rearranges the facility candidates to be searched and output based on the expected value output from the fuzzy calculation unit 101, and outputs it to the display device 212 via the user interface unit 13 shown in FIG.

The disturbance information acquisition unit 105 has a function of acquiring road traffic information such as VICS from the outside through communication and supplying the information to the fuzzy calculation unit 101. Further, the disturbance information generation unit 106 calculates the distance from the current position to the facility candidate based on the map information and information acquired via the externally connected GPS receiver 15, the self-contained navigation sensor 17, etc. It has a function of supplying to the calculation unit 101.
The main control unit 100 serves as a control center of a navigation device that searches for facilities using fuzzy inference, and controls the sequence control of each of the control blocks 101 to 106 described above.

Prior to the description of the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a general description of fuzzy inference will be given.
In the fuzzy inference, fuzzy operation is performed based on a predetermined fuzzy rule (inference rule) for one or a plurality of inputs, and the result is output as an inference result. Here, a search using fuzzy reasoning is performed for facility search. It is assumed that the user can arbitrarily specify a plurality of input words, that is, keywords. For example, if the input keyword is “JR Umeda Station”, “Electrician”, “5 stories or more”, even if “facility name” is not directly included, a desired facility can be searched as a search result. Is. In addition, search conditions can be added or further refinement can be made by name.

Below, the specific example in the case of applying a fuzzy reasoning to a car navigation apparatus is demonstrated. For example, when the name of a property is inferred from the size of the property using the simple reasoning method, the following fuzzy rules (1) to (3) are set and given.
(1) Rule # 1 IF (Property size is large store) THEN (Property name is Store A)
(2) Rule # 2 IF (Property size is medium-sized store) THEN (Property name is Store B)
(3) Rule # 3 IF (Property size is small point) THEN (Property name is Store C)

In this case, “Property size” is the antecedent part and “Property name” is the consequent part. If these three rules are illustrated by triangular fuzzy sets, they are expressed as shown in FIGS.
Assume that the size of the property is “slightly large” (0.8) for these rules (this 0.8 is set as “keyword input by the user”). Let's apply this fact to each of the above three rules. As a result, the following fitness is obtained.
・ Fitness of large stores: 0.6
・ Medium point fit 0.4
・ Suitability of small shops 0.0

By performing AND operation and OR operation from the above data, a fuzzy set as an inference result is obtained. The state of the calculation is shown in FIG.
Here, if the evaluation degree is α _n ,
・ Store A: α ₁ = 0.6
・ Store B: α ₂ = 0.4
・ Store C: α ₃ = 0.0 (1)

If the goodness of fit is β _n ,
・ Store A: β ₁ = 1.0
・ Store B: β ₂ = 0.5
・ Store C: β ₃ = 0.0 (2)

Disturbances that the user is expected to be concerned about with this output result (the larger the value, the more likely to be a concern) are calculated by the following equation (3) (where m is the number of disturbances):

For example, if only the distance from the vehicle position to the property is targeted, m = 1, and if the distances are x ₁₁ , x ₁₂ ,..., X _1n , the total x ₁ can be calculated by the following formula ( 4).

Further, the average −x ₁ is obtained by the following arithmetic expression (5).

On the other hand, the correction coefficient ε _1n is obtained by the following arithmetic expression (6).

For example, the distance from the present to the store is
・ Store A: 30km
・ Store B: 20km
・ Store C: 10km
When it is, it becomes as follows.
・ Ε ₁₁ = 0.16
・ Ε ₁₂ = 0.33
_{· Ε 13 = 0.50 ... (7} )

・Ｅ₁＝０．０９６
・Ｅ₂＝０．０６６
・Ｅ₃＝０．０００
このことにより、具体的な出力結果と並び順は、
１． 店舗Ａ
２． 店舗Ｂ
となる。 Subsequently, each expected value E is calculated using the results of (1), (2), and (7) described above. Here, when the expected value En is _expressed by the following equation (8),

E ₁ = 0.096
E ₂ = 0.066
・ E ₃ = 0.000
With this, the specific output results and the order of arrangement are
1. Store A
2. Store B
It becomes.

  This is a search for specific properties based on the characteristics of the property that could not be realized by the conventional “name search”, and a search in an order that takes into account the information that the user is concerned about (the degree of traffic congestion and the distance to the property). It means that display is possible.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when a facility search is performed using the fuzzy inference of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The facility search operation of the navigation processing unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When there is a keyword input (step ST501 “YES”), the navigation processing unit 10 (main control unit 100) sends the keyword acquired by the input acquisition unit 103 to the fuzzy calculation unit 101 via the input / output interface unit 102. Supplied.
The fuzzy operation unit 101 refers to the fuzzy inference rule DB 19 based on the acquired keyword, applies the fuzzy inference rules stored in the fuzzy inference rule DB 19 (step ST502), and matches each candidate facility searched and output from the facility DB 20. The degree and the evaluation degree are calculated (step ST503).

When the disturbance information acquisition unit 105 acquires traffic jam information by VICS or the like (step ST504 “YES”), the fuzzy calculation unit 101 further includes the disturbance information generation unit 106 under sequence control by the main control unit 100. The distance data generated by the above is acquired, and the previously calculated fitness and evaluation are corrected as disturbance (step ST505).
Subsequently, the fuzzy computing unit 101 calculates an expected value E for each facility candidate based on the corrected fitness and evaluation value (step ST506). The expected value E is calculated by executing the above-described arithmetic expression (8). After calculating the expected value E, the fuzzy computing unit 101 performs sorting by executing the sort process in the order of evaluation degree or fitness, and displays the result on the display device 212 via the input / output interface unit 102 and the search output unit 104 (step ST507). ). Here, the priority for sorting is evaluated degree <conformance degree.

  When further narrowing is required (step ST508 “YES”), the user decides whether to perform further fuzzy inference search (step ST509 “YES”) or character string search (step ST509 “NO”). be able to. Here, when performing a search by further fuzzy inference, the keyword is acquired again by the input acquisition unit 103 (step ST510), and the above operation is repeated with reference to the inference rule DB 19 by the fuzzy operation unit 101. Moreover, when performing a character string search, the input acquisition part 103 acquires the character string (step ST511), and the search output part 104 performs the character string search output of facility DB20 (step ST507). The above process ends when the narrowing is no longer necessary (step ST508 “NO”).

6 and 7 show examples of screen transitions when the navigation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention performs facility search based on the above-described fuzzy reasoning.
Here, first, it is assumed that the keyword search menu is selected on the destination setting screen shown in FIG. As a result, the screen shifts to the keyword search screen of FIG. 6B, and the navigation processing unit 10 prompts the input of keyword settings in the fields indicated by the search conditions 1 to 3. Here, it is assumed that the user inputs “Electrician”, “JR Umeda Station”, and “Large Store” as keywords by operating the input device 211. As a result, the screen transitions to the screen shown in FIG. Here, some store names that are hit by “Electrician”, “Near JR Umeda Station”, and “Large Store” searched by fuzzy reasoning are information that the user is concerned about (from traffic jam information and current location) Are displayed in an order that takes into account disturbances such as distances.

Here, when the user who has confirmed the screen needs to narrow down, either the “Add narrowing condition” button or the “Filter by name” button arranged at the bottom of the screen is pressed. Here, when the “add refinement condition” button is pressed, a refinement condition addition screen shown in FIG. 6D is displayed. Here, a search condition is added, and the search button is pushed further. A search by fuzzy inference is performed. And it changes to the place name screen shown in FIG.7 (f), and the electric shop narrowed down is displayed.
On the other hand, when the “narrow by name” button is pressed on the place name screen in FIG. 6 (c), a transition is made to the “narrow by name” screen shown in FIG. 7 (e), where the keys displayed on the screen are displayed. By pressing and pressing the search button, a normal character string search is executed, and finally a desired electronic store displayed on the place name screen of FIG. 7G can be searched.

  That is, when the keyword is “Electrician”, “JR Umeda Station”, or “Large Store”, the desired facility name can be acquired as a search result even if the facility name is not directly included.

As described above, according to the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the keyword search using the fuzzy inference method is performed for the facility search, and the conformity and / or evaluation degree according to the fuzzy inference result is determined. By displaying the items in descending order, it is possible to search for specific properties based on the characteristics of the property, which could not be realized by conventional name search, and also to search in the order in which the information concerned by the user is considered. It can be. This makes it possible to provide a navigation device that is easy to use.

  The facility search method in the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention stores, for example, at least the input device 211, the fuzzy inference rule for performing the facility search, and a plurality of corresponding facility names in FIG. A facility search method in a navigation device comprising a fuzzy inference DB 19, a facility DB 20, a computing device (navigation processing unit 10) that searches for facilities according to a fuzzy inference method, and a display device 212, A step (ST301 “YES”) of acquiring one or more keywords related to the facility name without directly including the facility name, which is generated by operating the input device, and the acquired keyword as the fuzzy inference DB Is applied to the fuzzy inference rules stored in the Steps (ST502, ST503) for calculating fitness and evaluation for each candidate facility to be output, and correcting the calculated fitness and evaluation based on a predicted disturbance, and an expected value for each facility candidate Are calculated (ST504 to ST506) and rearranged based on the calculated expected value and displayed on the display device (ST507).

  According to the facility search method in the navigation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, it is possible to perform a proper facility search from words that are relatively easy for the user to imagine. In other words, fuzzy reasoning is applied to deal with vague data, and search that takes into account disturbances such as distance to the destination and traffic jam information that the user is worried about from the viewpoint of navigation that is unique to navigation It becomes possible.

  Note that all the functions of the constituent blocks included in the navigation device described above may be realized by software, or at least a part thereof may be realized by software. For example, data processing in the navigation processing unit 10 (main control unit 100, fuzzy calculation unit 101, input / output interface unit 102, input acquisition unit 103, search output unit 104, disturbance information acquisition unit 105, disturbance information generation unit 106) It may be realized on a microprocessor by one or a plurality of programs, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware. At this time, the fuzzy inference DB 19 and the facility DB 20 are allocated and stored in a storage device (external memory).

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the block diagram which expanded and showed the function of the internal structure of the navigation processing part shown in FIG. It is the figure which expressed the reasoning rule in fuzzy reasoning with the triangular fuzzy set. It is an operation | movement conceptual diagram which shows the mode of operation of a fuzzy set. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the navigation apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the search screen transition of the navigation apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the search screen transition of the navigation apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10 navigation processing unit, 11 main storage unit, 12 disk control unit, 13 user interface unit, 14 communication processing unit, 15 GPS receiver, 16 VICS sensor, 17 self-contained navigation sensor, 18 map DB, 19 fuzzy inference rule DB, 20 facility DB, 100 main control unit, 101 fuzzy operation unit, 102 input / output interface unit, 103 input acquisition unit, 104 search output unit, 105 disturbance information acquisition unit, 106 disturbance information generation unit, 171 vehicle speed sensor, 172 gyro sensor, 211 input Device, 212 display device.

Claims (5)

An input acquisition unit for acquiring one or more keywords related to the facility name without directly including the facility name;
A storage unit storing fuzzy inference rules for performing facility searches;
The keyword acquired by the input acquisition unit is applied to the fuzzy inference rule stored in the storage unit, the fitness and the evaluation are calculated for each candidate facility searched for the facility, and the calculated fitness and the evaluation are calculated. A fuzzy computing unit that corrects based on predicted disturbance and calculates an expected value for each candidate facility;
A search output unit for rearranging and outputting the facility candidates based on the expected value output by the fuzzy operation unit;
A navigation device characterized by comprising: A disturbance information acquisition unit that acquires traffic information from outside by communication and supplies the traffic information to the fuzzy calculation unit,
The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising: Based on map information and information acquired via an externally connected sensor, a disturbance information generation unit that calculates a distance from the current position to the facility candidate and supplies the distance to the fuzzy calculation unit,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The search output unit
Narrow down the candidate facilities by a character string search,
The navigation device according to claim 1. Navigation comprising at least an input device, a storage device storing fuzzy inference rules for performing facility searches and a plurality of corresponding facility names, a computing device for searching for facilities according to the fuzzy inference method, and a display device A facility search method in an apparatus,
Obtaining one or more keywords related to the facility name without directly including the facility name, generated by operating the input device;
Applying the acquired keyword to a fuzzy inference rule stored in the storage unit, calculating a fitness and an evaluation level for each candidate facility retrieved from the storage device;
Correcting the calculated fitness and evaluation based on predicted disturbance, and calculating an expected value for each facility candidate;
Reordering based on the calculated expected value and outputting to the display device;
The facility search method in the navigation apparatus characterized by having.

Images