JP2986100B1 - Voice guidance system for PHS terminal position - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for providing accurate position information of a PHS terminal by voice is provided. Kind Code: A1 A map information in which a position number N of an individual position, a position of a mark F, and a position of a PHS base station 2 are recorded is provided in a guide center 10 in a database. A binary response indicating that the position of the base station 2 is detected from the information of the base station 2 and the map information in the guidance request signal from the calling PHS terminal 1 and the specific mark F near the base station 2 is visible or invisible. A voice confirmation question of the type is sent to the calling terminal 1. An estimation process of trying to estimate the position of the calling terminal 1 on a map that has been made into a database based on the binary response from the calling terminal 1 and a binary response in which another specific mark F is visible or invisible when estimation is impossible. The details of the position of the calling terminal 1 are estimated by repeating a cycle consisting of a re-interrogation process in which a type of voice reconfirmation question is created and sent to the calling terminal. The estimated location number N of the detailed position of the calling terminal 1 is detected from the map, and the calling terminal 1 is detected.
And send it out by voice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a PHS terminal (Perso
nal Handyphone System terminal, hereinafter referred to as terminal. ) Is a system that provides voice guidance of the location, especially when the user of a portable terminal moves by walking, or by train, bus,
The present invention relates to a system for guiding a current position, a moving route, and the like when traveling by an aircraft or the like by voice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to guide a current position and a moving route,
A so-called navigator system using a global positioning system (hereinafter referred to as a GPS) is mainly used for vehicles.

[0003] Since the GPS is basically a visual type, it is inconvenient for a visually impaired person to use it alone. To overcome this, attempts have been made to combine GPS with mobile phones.

[0004] As a position confirmation using PHS, a service for confirming the location of a user who carries a terminal is provided. A navigator system combining PHS and GPS is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-185609.

[0005]

If a navigator system using GPS is used for confirming a pedestrian's current position and guiding movement, accurate position confirmation and movement guidance can be performed. However, the use of GPS has problems such as high cost, visual type, many accessories, and inconvenience in carrying.

[0006] The combination of the GPS and the mobile phone makes the accuracy of the position grasp of the GPS open to the visually impaired by using voice. However, this combination has a problem that not only the inevitable cost problem inherent to GPS but also the inconvenience associated with the use of two types of wireless systems cannot be avoided.

[0007] The service using the PHS for confirming the location of the terminal user is inexpensive compared to the GPS, but since the location is confirmed only by one-way signals, the accuracy of the location information is about 100 m. It is extremely low on the order, and there remains a problem that the accuracy is insufficient depending on the application.

[0008] Conventional navigator combining PHS and GPS
The system mainly focuses on grasping the approximate location of the traveler and providing local information such as sightseeing around the location, and the cost problem inherent in GPS remains unresolved. Further, the above-mentioned patent publication does not mention improving the accuracy of grasping the approximate position of a traveler.

[0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for guiding an accurate position of a PHS terminal by voice in order to solve these problems.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor provides a signal between a guidance center and a terminal, which performs signal processing related to the position of the terminal, to thereby improve the accuracy of terminal position detection. Note that it can be improved.

Referring to the embodiment of FIGS.
The voice guidance system for the PHS terminal position has a map (hereinafter, may be referred to as map information) 502 in which the location number N, the positions of a plurality of marks F, and the position of the PHS base station 2 are written, and the calling terminal. The position of the base station 2 in the guide request signal is determined by the information on the base station 2 in the guide request signal from the map 1 and the map 502, and a specific mark F in the vicinity of the determined base station 2 is seen or seen in a specific direction. A binary answer type voice confirmation question is sent to the calling terminal 1, the position of the calling terminal 1 is estimated based on the answer from the calling terminal 1 to the confirmation question, and the location number N of the estimated position is mapped to the map. It is obtained from 502 and transmitted to the calling terminal 1. The lot number N is, for example, an administrative residence display, coordinates such as latitude and longitude, and other position identification symbols.

The mark F is, for example, a sign of an intersection name, a sign of a station name, a nameplate of a building name, a signboard, etc., and is required to be easy for the user of the terminal 1 to see and recognize. In order to improve the accuracy of the position detection of the terminal 1, it is desirable to provide many marks F. The answer to the binary answer type voice confirmation question is not necessarily limited to voice. For example, the answer may be easily and clearly transmitted by assigning a yes / no key to the terminal.

[0013]

For PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 2, the guide claims signal calling from the terminal 1 of the starting point A near the PHS network 3 _1, base station 2 ₁₁ and the upper network 4 in proximity to the terminal 1 Is transmitted to a PHS guidance center (hereinafter, referred to as a guidance center) 10 via the Internet. The guide claims signal received by the guide center 10, the base station 2 adjacent to the calling terminal 1, because it contains the identification signal of the base station 2 ₁₁ when for example in Figure 2, identify the base station 2 ₁₁ from the received signal And map its location
502 (refer to FIG. 1) can be set as a lot number N such as a house display. The position of the base station ₂₁₁ which defines this way, can be used as approximate location of the calling terminal 1.
In the currently used PHS system, this method specifies the approximate position of the calling terminal 1 with an accuracy of about 100 m.

A map around each base station, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, is provided in the guidance center 10 for all areas where guidance requests are expected, and the base station ₂₁₁ is detected from the received guidance request signal. In response to this, a binary answer type voice confirmation question in which the specific mark F is visible or invisible can be created in the guidance center 10. In the case of the example of FIG. 3, examples of such a confirmation question and an answer are as follows.

[0015] or west entrance G ₁ of the station S is visible. I see (Jesus). Triangle mark of the sign (mark F ₂₎ Can you see. Invisible (no). X mark signboard (mark F
₁ ) Can you see? I see (Jesus). Do you see Metropolitan Expressway E on the right side with Station S facing the front? I see (Jesus). Can you see a large pedestrian bridge H about 50m ahead on the left with the same attitude? I see (Jesus).

In the case of FIG. 3, a binary answer to these confirmation questions, for example, yes or no, can be presumed to indicate that the calling terminal 1 is at the position of the black circle. If the location number N such as a house display is written on the map, the information center 10 gives a voice to the caller, that is, the user or the caller, saying, "Your current location is in ○○○ ward ◎◎◎ town ▲▲ ▲ It is the address. " However, the number of round trips of the voice confirmation question and answer required for estimating the detailed position of the terminal 1 is not limited to the five times in the above example, but depends on the actual position of the terminal 1 and the surrounding conditions. It is determined.

In the PHS information center 10 shown in FIG. 1, a network connection circuit 20 is an interface with an external circuit for input / output signals. The sender individual information memory 30 stores information on the sender in the calling terminal 1. The memory 30 stores a position of the calling terminal 1 determined by a detailed question associated with the position of the mark F near the position of the base station 2, and the like. The unit 302, the action direction confirmation unit 303, the destination registration unit 304, the terminal position detail confirmation information (question) unit 305, the action direction confirmation information (question) unit 306, and the route guidance information unit 307 are individually provided for each caller. You can register and cancel the registration after a certain period of time.

The information collating circuit 40 collates the guidance information database with the inquiry information in response to the inquiry from the sender, and provides route guidance information, terminal position detailed confirmation information (question),
Create action direction confirmation information (question). At this time, the created information is registered in the sender's individual information memory. In addition, an example of the collation in the collation circuit 40 of each information includes the identification name of the specific base station 2 detected as the first approximate value of the position of the calling terminal 1 and registered in the terminal location confirmation unit 301,
This is to determine the lot number N of the position of the base station 2 detected by collating with the base station 2 on the map 502 in the guidance information database 50.

The guide information database 50 links information such as names and addresses of individuals and corporations on a map 502, registers their telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, and the like. , Public information, advertisements, etc. are registered and made into a database. A display 501 is connected to the database 50, and various data are displayed on the display 501 to facilitate the operation, inspection, and maintenance.

The voice conversion circuit 70 converts the information into voice and transmits the voice so that the user can receive the information from the guidance center 10 by voice. That is, the character / numeric signal from the sender individual information memory 30 is converted into a voice signal, and the output is sent to the calling terminal 1 via the network connection circuit 20.

The door-to-door information registration / cancellation circuit 80 connects to the guidance center 10 and registers the destination and the like in order for the caller to receive the guidance service. The required registration time is set according to the route, and the registration of the individual caller information is canceled when the set time elapses.

The PHS guidance center 10 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 can provide voice guidance regarding the position of the calling terminal 1. Thus, the object of the present invention, that is, the provision of the "system for guiding the accurate position of the PHS terminal by voice" is achieved.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to the present invention, since the position of the calling terminal 1 can be specified accurately, it is possible to provide movement guidance information such as which direction and road to move to, and which landmark should be moved as a reference. Can be considered in detail. For example, in FIG. 3, it is possible to provide detailed guidance information of the walking route from the calling terminal 1 (caller current position) to the building of the signboard F ₂ of triangle.

In this case, the telephone number and the destination identification data of the building of the sign F ₂ of the triangle mark as the destination are used.
The address and the like are sent from the terminal 1 to the guidance center 10, and a route guidance for the movement is requested. Information center 10 according to the claims, first the individual information by the operation of registration / cancellation circuit 80, caller individual information memory 3 the triangular marks Signs F ₂ buildings as the destination
The destination is registered in the destination registration unit 304 of 0.

Next, a question for confirming the terminal position details and a question for confirming the action direction are created by various collation circuits 40. Thus, the position of the calling terminal 1 is obtained, and the map information
By matching the 502 detects the position of the signboard F ₂ of triangle. The X-mark sign F
Make sure ₁ is visible.

Furthermore, based on the positions of the signboard F _1, F ₂ of the starting point A that already confirmed and detected by the matching circuit 40 of the information, and straight until X mark mark signboard F ₁ seen from "current position, Turn left to create a moving route such as "the third building on the right side of the road", use this as route guidance information 307 in the caller-specific information memory 30, and use the voice conversion circuit 70 to make a voice call to the calling terminal 1. Send out. If necessary during the movement, the user of the terminal 1, that is, the caller, can use the guidance system of the present invention, in particular, the use of the caller's individual information memory 30 including the question of confirming the terminal position details and the question of confirming the action direction. An appropriate moving direction can always be confirmed.

In practicing the present invention, a display (not shown) is provided on the calling terminal 1, and a part related to the confirmation question in the map information 502 is simultaneously displayed with the confirmation question.
To the terminal 1 and display it on the display, thereby making it possible for the user of the terminal 1, that is, the calling party.

Further, for the movement from the departure point A to the destination B in FIG. 2 including the use of the railway, the destination identification data of the destination B can be sent from the terminal 1 to the guidance center 10 to request the guidance. In response to the request from the terminal 1, the information center 10 checks the terminal position confirmation unit 30 of the caller individual information memory 30.
The location registration of the departure place A is performed by the terminal location detail confirmation unit 302 and the destination B is registered by the destination registration unit 304. The departure point A → confirmation point (1) → station S ₁ → railway R → station S ₃ → confirmation point (2) shown in FIG.
A moving route such as “→ confirmation point (3) → confirmation point (4) → destination B” is created and registered in the route guidance information 307 of the sender individual information memory 30.

In the case of a relatively long travel route such as from the departure point A to the destination B in FIG. 2, the same terminal 1 may repeatedly request guidance. If the position of the terminal 1 is confirmed from the beginning for each repetitive request, a waste time increases. In order to avoid the wasted time, information on the position and the moving route of the calling terminal 1 is stored in the guidance center 10 for a predetermined time after being transmitted from the guidance center 10, respectively.
When a request for guidance is received from the same caller within the predetermined time, the information is used as reference data, and the requested information can be promptly provided. The length of the predetermined time is the departure point A
Can be appropriately determined based on the estimated required time for the travel from the destination to the destination B.

If necessary, relevant information such as an appropriate train name, its departure / arrival time, required time, and fare can be added to the route information from the guidance information database 50. The route information to which the related information is added or not added is sent to the calling terminal 1 by voice via the voice conversion circuit 70. For speech conversion, the information may be translated into a foreign language by a translator (not shown). Also in the case of using the railway R, the caller can always confirm an appropriate moving route and direction by using the guidance system of the present invention.

Individuals in the guidance information database 50 of FIG.
The corporate information 503, the name information 504, the telephone number information 505, the address information 506, and the like can be used for a billing operation associated with the guidance service of the present invention. Further, the advertisement information 507 can be stored and appropriately added to the output of the sender individual information circuit 60 for use. In the advertisement information 507, many kinds of guidance information such as various kinds of information on commercial facilities, information on transportation, and public information are registered as a database on a map, for example. It can be a possible interactive information system.

At the time of outputting the travel route information of the sender individual information memory 30, a binary answer type voice approval question of either approval or rejection for the travel route in the output is added and sent to the calling terminal 1, and the call is transmitted to the calling terminal 1. If the binary answer from the call terminal 1 is not approved, another route from the departure point A to the destination B is displayed on the map 50.
The alternative route may be sent to the calling terminal 1 by voice along with a binary answer type voice approval question of either approval or disapproval of the alternative route after being created based on the second and transportation means information 508. In this case, guidance on different moving routes can be repeatedly attempted until a satisfactory route is found on the calling terminal 1 side.

When the calling terminal 1 wants to know the moving direction from the current position, the request signal for the moving direction from the calling terminal 1 can include a moving direction guide request.
When providing the moving direction, after creating the above route, the moving direction of the route from the estimated position of the calling terminal 1 based on the route is determined based on the map 502, and information on the moving direction is generated. It is converted to voice and sent to the call terminal 1.

[0034]

As described in detail above, the PH of the present invention
In the guidance center, the voice guidance system for the S terminal position creates a binary answer type voice confirmation question in which a specific landmark is visible or invisible from the calling terminal, and sends the confirmation question to the calling terminal. Since the details of the location of the calling terminal and the like are estimated by repeating the re-question and re-answer based on the binary answer from the calling terminal, the following remarkable effects are obtained.

(A) The position of the calling terminal can be quickly and accurately estimated. (B) A route (moving route) to be followed by the calling terminal can be determined with high accuracy and quickly and provided as guidance information. (C) The guidance center is provided with an extensive database including transportation information, weather information, local event information, and the like, and can provide powerful guidance information. (D) High-accuracy guidance can be realized at low cost using only voice that does not require a visual display. (E) The display can be used in combination, and the information can be provided to the calling terminal accurately and easily. (F) If you have a PHS terminal, you can always get low-cost guidance to the destination and the latest information on the surrounding area, so for individuals, shopping, sightseeing, emergency outing, Japanese language inconvenience It can meet the needs of foreign tourists, salesmen in charge of new customers, small and medium-sized courier services, and private taxis.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a configuration example of a guidance center according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a communication system to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a map around a calling terminal;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... PHS terminal 2 ... PHS base station 3 ... PHS network 4 ... Higher-level network 10 ... Guidance center 20 ... Network connection circuit 30 ... Sender individual information memory 40 ... Various information collation circuit 50 ... Guidance information database 70 ... Speech conversion circuit 80… Individual information registration / cancellation circuit

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01C 21/00 G08G 1/005 H04Q 7/34 H04Q 7/38

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A map having a location number, the position of a plurality of landmarks, and the position of a PHS base station, wherein the guide is obtained from information of the base station in a guide request signal from a calling PHS terminal and the map. The position of the base station in the request signal is determined, and a specific landmark in the vicinity of the determined base station is sent to the calling terminal as a binary answer type voice confirmation question that is visible or invisible in a specific direction to the calling terminal. Estimate the location of the calling terminal based on the answer to the confirmation question,
A voice guidance system for a PHS terminal position, wherein the location number of the estimated position is obtained from the map and transmitted to the calling terminal by voice. 2. The guidance system according to claim 1, wherein a display is provided at said calling terminal, and a part relating to said confirmation question in said map is sent to said calling terminal simultaneously with said confirmation question, and is displayed on said display. A voice guidance system for PHS terminal locations. 3. The guidance system according to claim 1, wherein
In accordance with a route guidance request to the destination in the guidance request signal, a transportation route from the estimated position of the calling terminal to the destination is created based on the map and the transportation information. Further, a voice guidance system for the position of the PHS terminal which transmits the route to the calling terminal as voice route guidance. 4. The guidance system according to claim 3, wherein a binary answer type voice approval question of approval or disapproval for the created route is sent to the calling terminal, and the answer to the approval question of the calling terminal is disapproved. At the time, another route of the movement is created based on the map and the transportation means information, and the different route is sent by voice to the calling terminal together with a binary answer type voice approval question of approval or disapproval of the other route. The PH
Voice guidance system for S terminal location. 5. The guidance system according to claim 3, wherein
After creating the route, including the moving direction guidance in the route guidance, the moving direction of the route from the estimated position of the calling terminal by the route is determined by the map, and information on the moving direction is sent to the calling terminal. A voice guidance system for the PHS terminal position, which is sent as guidance in the direction of movement by. 6. The voice guidance system for a PHS terminal position according to claim 1, wherein a location number and / or a route of said calling terminal is stored for a predetermined time after said transmission. 7. The guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the advertisement information is provided to the calling terminal and the advertisement information is also sent to the calling terminal when transmitting the lot number, the route or the moving direction to the calling terminal. Voice guidance system of PHS terminal position sent by voice. 8. A guide system according to claim 1, further comprising a translator for translating from Japanese to a predetermined foreign language, wherein said translator translates information to be sent to said calling terminal into a predetermined foreign language. A voice guidance system for PHS terminal positions sent by voice.