JP3354407B2 - Communication method of car navigation device with communication function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mobile communication means for linking location information that can be mapped on a map and detailed information related to the location information stored in a WWW (World Wide Wave) server on the Internet. The present invention relates to a car navigation system that is automatically performed via the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, GPS (Gl.
With the development of the Oval Positioning System, the on-vehicle navigation system has become widespread. In this system, map information stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM is read and displayed on the screen together with the position of the vehicle. A map around the current position is displayed, and a route in the traveling direction is displayed. It is very convenient to check and get guidance. Furthermore, recently, when traveling to a strange land, detailed information such as images and characters related to specific places on the map such as sightseeing spots and various facilities, along with car navigation system map data,
In some cases, the data is fixedly stored in a storage means in the system such as a CD-ROM or an IC card, and these data are used instead of a sightseeing guidebook.

For example, as a method of easily obtaining destination information even during a trip, detailed information of the destination is centrally managed in an external database (including position information and guidance information) and moved from a navigation system storing a map. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-26 discloses a method for obtaining the detailed information via body communication means.
No. 1661.

[0004] Further, on the rapidly developing Internet, WWW in which detailed information on an arbitrary place such as sightseeing information of each place is stored in the form of a homepage.
There are many servers scattered all over the world, not just the whole country, but the system only exchanges information within the Internet.

[0005]

As described above, the information stored in the storage means in the fixed device cannot be updated every day, even though real-time properties are required. Even if a CD-ROM, IC card, or the like is introduced, real-time information that changes every moment cannot be obtained. Further, in the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-261661, since data is managed intensively, it takes time and effort to respond to updates to local information. Furthermore, the data of the WWW server of the Internet, which is distributed even when utilizing information on the existing Internet, is not automatically linked to the map data of the GPS.

[0006] Therefore, if the present invention is provided with a car navigation system, detailed information such as position information and sightseeing information according to the purpose can be easily linked automatically and obtained in real time, regardless of the location. It is an object of the present invention to provide a car navigation device having a communication function capable of performing a task and a communication method thereof.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a GPS receiving means for receiving a radio wave from a GPS satellite and outputting current position data to a system control means. And map data storage means for storing map data associated with the current position data; and position data and URL of the position where detailed information of the specific position is stored in a WWW server on the Internet in the form of a homepage. Updatable access table storage means for storing correspondence with addresses, and updatable access point storage for storing telephone numbers of access points for accessing the Internet and position data ranges corresponding to the respective telephone numbers Means and the position table having the detailed information are all stored in the access table by the system control means. Reads from the storage means and controls the protocol for accessing the Internet by the command of the system control means and the temporary storage means for temporarily storing during the operation of the system, loads the source text data of the homepage and displays it on the display means Internet access means for displaying the home page on a browser, mobile communication means for connecting to a public line, self-calling under control of a communication interface, and communicating communication data with a communication interface, system control means, and the mobile communication A current interface is mapped on a map by referring to position data from a GPS receiving means and map data stored in the map data storage means, and / or a communication interface for performing protocol control of data communication with the means. And display data from system control means A car navigation device with a communication function, comprising: a display unit having a communication function, and an operation unit for giving a command to the system, wherein a GPS mode is selected on a main menu screen of the display unit, and a normal GPS function is provided. A map showing the current position is displayed on the display means, and the position data stored in the access table storage means is read by the system control means.
Transferring all of the data to temporary storage means when the system is started;
Linking the detailed information of the position data within the range of the map displayed on the current display means to the Internet,
Pointing to a display screen, selecting the pointed position by operating means, and instructing a link to an Internet homepage, system control means receiving the current position data from the GPS receiving means, Referencing and obtaining an access point telephone number corresponding to the current location data, causing the mobile communication means to self-call the telephone number via a communication interface, and connecting to a public line to the access point. Control means for referring to the access table storage means, receiving a URL address corresponding to the selected position data, and instructing the Internet access means to link to the URL address; And displaying a homepage screen on the display means in the form of a WWW browser of the Internet, thereby automatically accessing the Internet from any position on the GPS map and extracting the detailed information. Features.

[0008]

That is, the detailed information is stored in the form of a homepage on a WWW server on the Internet, and the position data is linked to the homepage. The homepage can be updated successively by a server administrator, realizing real-time properties. Also, as the link method, GPS
When accessing the Internet from a certain location having the detailed information on the map of the system, the system control means uses the location information and the URL (Uniform Re-
(Source Locator) Reference is made to a plurality of access table storage hands storing the correspondence with the address as a table, the data is stored in the temporary storage means, and the position is explicitly indicated on the map displayed by the display means. Pointing display. When an arbitrary position indicated by pointing is selected by the operation means, GP
Based on the current position data received from the S receiving means, the system control means refers to the access point storage means in which a plurality of correspondences between Internet access points and position information are stored as a table, and through the communication interface, the mobile communication means A line is connected to the access point, and the source text data (including data such as images and sounds) of the home page of the URL address stored in the access table storage means is loaded by the Internet access means. Is displayed on the WWW browser to display.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the step of selecting an Internet access mode on the main menu screen of the display means of the car navigation device with a communication function, and the system control means displays the current position data and the access point storage means. Referencing and connecting to a corresponding access point via a public line,
Specifying an L address, loading the source text data of the homepage linked to the URL address by the Internet access means, displaying the homepage screen in the Internet WWW browser format on the display means, and loading the source text data. And the step of explicitly describing the position data on the GPS map of the link destination as a parameter, and the Internet access means displaying the position data on the GPS map screen on the homepage screen displayed on the display means. Displaying the linked information, and selecting the information displayed on the display means to which the position data is linked by operating means,
A step of instructing a link, and a step of the system control means referring to the map data in the map data storage means from the position data, mapping the position on the map, and causing the display means to display a pointing, so that GPS with detailed information displayed from homepage
It is characterized in that a map is automatically displayed.

That is, when a home page describing detailed information on the Internet is linked to a corresponding position on a GPS map, a reserved word for linking to the map is extended on the description of the home page. In this regard, the Internet access means can explicitly indicate, on the homepage, a location linked on the map when displaying the homepage on the display means, and by selecting the link from the operation means, The system control means causes the display means to switch to a GPS map display.

In the present invention, the access point storage means or the access table storage means accesses the Internet via a communication interface by the Internet access means and loads the latest data from a WWW server on the Internet. Set to update data in the access point storage means or access table storage means
It is also possible.

In other words, it is necessary to update the data table stored in the access table storage means and the access point storage means. By accessing the mobile communication means via the communication interface in the same manner as described above, the system control means can load the data into the Internet access means and update the data.

Further, in the present invention, the access point storage means has a telephone number correspondence table between the position data and the access point, and the table is used to specify the lowest telephone charge from any position data. Select an access point and set to communicate
It is also possible.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entire system representing one embodiment of the present invention. GPS receiving means 3 for receiving broadcast waves from GPS satellites and outputting current position data to the system control means, and map data storage means 9 for storing map data associated with the position data in an exchangeable medium. And location data of a specific location in which detailed information (images, characters, sounds, etc.) for the specific location is stored in a WWW server on the Internet in the form of a homepage, and a URL (Uniform ResourceL).
ocator) Updatable access table storage means 8 (shown in FIG. 2) in which the correspondence with the address is stored.
And an updatable access point storage unit 7 (shown in FIG. 3) in which a telephone number of an access point for accessing the Internet, a position data range corresponding to each telephone number are stored, and a position having detailed information. All data are read from the access table storage means 8 by the system control means 5 and a temporary storage means 6 for temporarily storing the data while the system is operating, and a protocol for accessing the Internet are controlled by the instructions of the system control means. Internet source means 4 for loading source text data (including multimedia data such as image data) of a home page and displaying the home page with a browser on a display means, and realizing a function of connecting to a public line such as a cellular phone or PHS. Self-call under the control of the communication interface 2 Mobile communication means 1 for communicating data with a communication interface, a communication interface 2 for performing protocol control of data communication between the system control means 5 and the mobile communication means 1, and displaying display data from the system control means 5. And an operation unit 11 for giving an instruction to the system.

In the GPS mode, display data obtained by mapping the current position on the map is output to the display means 10 by referring to the position data from the GPS receiving means 3 and the map data in the map data storage means 9. In the Internet access mode (including the data update mode), a command is issued to the Internet access means 4, a home page is output to the display means 10, and each of the storage means 6,
Data is read from and written to 7, 8, and 9 and is operated by a system control unit 5 that receives an instruction from the operation unit 11 and controls the entire system.

Here, two modes, a GPS reception mode for displaying map information on the display means 10 and an Internet access mode for displaying a homepage, and a link for each data of the two modes are described.
The data updating method of the access point storage means 7 and the access table storage means 8 will be described in detail below.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram when connecting to the Internet in each of the GPS reception mode and the Internet access mode, and stores detailed information at an arbitrary position and update data in the access table storage means and the access point storage means. A WWW server 22 is connected on the Internet 23, and a car navigation system 28 equipped with a GPS device is connected to an Internet access point 24 via a public network 26 by a mobile communication unit 25.

FIG. 5 shows examples of screen displays in various modes.
GPS mode, Internet access mode,
Select one of the data update modes. First, GPS
In the mode, a normal GPS function is realized and the display unit 11
Then, the map 18 showing the current position or another map is displayed. In this mode, the position data stored in the access table storage unit 8 is all transferred to the temporary storage unit 6 by the system control unit 5 when the system is started up, so that the map currently displayed on the current display unit 10 is always displayed. In the position data within the range, detailed information can be linked to the Internet and explicitly pointed, for example, as shown on a screen 18 in FIG. When the pointed position is selected by the operation unit 11 and a link to the Internet homepage is instructed, the system control unit 5 first receives the current position data from the GPS reception unit 3 and refers to the access point storage unit 7. Then, the access point telephone number corresponding to the current position data is obtained, the mobile communication means 25 makes the telephone number self-call via the communication interface 2, and the access point 24 is connected to the public line 26.
Then, the system control means 5 refers to the access table storage means 8 and refers to the URL corresponding to the selected position data.
It receives the address and instructs the Internet access means 4 to link to the URL address. And
The Internet access means 4 loads homepage source text data (including multimedia data such as image data) from the public line, and displays a homepage screen 21 on the display means 10 in the form of an Internet WWW browser.

On the other hand, if the Internet access mode is selected from the operation means 11 on the main menu screen 16, the system control means 5 refers to the current position data and the access point storage means 7 as described above, and Is connected to the public line, and if an arbitrary URL address is subsequently specified by the operation means 11, the Internet access means links to the URL address,
The source text data (including data such as images and sounds) of the homepage is loaded, and the homepage screen 17 is displayed on the display means 10 in the Internet WWW browser format. If the extended reserved word is defined in the source text data to be loaded here and the position data on the GPS map of the link destination is explicitly described as a parameter, the Internet access unit 4 can display the home page screen 17 displayed on the display unit 10. Can display information (characters or images) linked to the position data on the GPS map screen. Further, when information (characters or images) displayed on the display means 10 to which the position data is linked is selected by the operating means 11 and a link is designated, the system control means 5 converts the position data into the map data storage means 9. With reference to the map data, the position is mapped on the map (screen 20), and the display means 10 is displayed by pointing.

Next, a method of updating data stored in the access point storage means 7 and the access table storage means 8 will be described. When the data update mode is selected on the main menu screen 16 of the display unit 10 by the operation unit 11, the system control unit 5 connects to the public line 26 to the access point 24 similarly to the connection to the Internet, and the URL is registered in advance. A link is provided to a WWW server 22 of a data service center on the Internet 23 that stores update data. Homepage screen 1
9, there is a menu for loading the latest data to be stored in the access point storage means 7 and the access table storage means 8. The data is loaded by the Internet access means 4 in accordance with the Internet protocol, and 7 and the access table storage means 8 respectively.

In the access point storage means, the correspondence between the position data and the telephone number of the access point is stored as a table as shown in FIG. The telephone charge is stored so as to correspond to the specific access point with the lowest price. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a range of position data that can be represented as two-dimensional coordinate data is stored as position data corresponding to each access point. Basically, certain location data is associated with the access point telephone number installed in the city to which it belongs, and in the case of a telephone network where the communication fee system is converted by distance, the physical distance is the closest It has a table in which access point telephone numbers are associated and stored.

[0023]

As described above, according to the car navigation apparatus with communication function and the communication method of the present invention, data of detailed information such as characters, images, sounds, etc. related to an arbitrary position is stored in the apparatus. Location information that has mobile communication means and can be mapped on a map,
Since there is an updatable storage table in which the URL address of the WWW server on the Internet having the detailed information is associated, the position information and the detailed information can be automatically linked, and the latest detailed information can always be obtained. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a car navigation system with a communication function according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a table showing data contents of an access table storage means according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a table showing data contents of an access point storage unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram when connecting to the Internet in each of the GPS reception mode and the Internet access mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a display screen in each mode displayed by the display means according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an access point position data range table of the access point storage means according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile communication means 2 Communication interface 3 GPS receiving means 4 Internet access means 5 System control means 6 Temporary storage means 7 Access point storage means 8 Access table storage means 9 Map data storage means 10 Display means 11 Operation means 12 Detailed information position data Storage field 13 URL address storage field 14 Access point location data storage field 15 Access point telephone number storage field 16 Main menu display screen 17, 19, 21 Homepage display screen 18, 20 Map display screen 22 WWW server 23 Internet 24 Access point 25 Move Body communication means and public base station 26 Public line network 27 GPS satellite 28 Car navigation with communication function

Continuation of front page (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01C 21/00 G01S 5/02 G01S 5/14 G08G 1/0969 G09B 29/10

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A GPS receiving means for receiving a radio wave from a GPS satellite and outputting current position data to a system control means, a map data storing means for storing map data associated with the current position data, Updatable access table storage means for storing the correspondence between the location data and the URL address of the location where the detailed information of the location is stored in a WWW server on the Internet in the form of a home page, and for accessing the Internet. Updatable access point storage means in which the telephone number of the access point and the position data range corresponding to each telephone number are stored, and the position data having the detailed information are all stored in the access table storage means by the system control means. Temporary storage means for reading and temporarily storing while the system is operating; A protocol for accessing the Internet is controlled by a command from the system control means, the source text data of the home page is loaded, and the display means displays the home page with a browser.
Self call control of over scan, a mobile communication means for communicating communication data and communication Reuters face, a communication interface for performing data communication protocol control of the mobile communication means and system control means, GPS receiving means Display means for mapping a current position on a map or / and displaying display data from a system control means by referring to the position data from the system and the map data stored in the map data storage means; A car navigation device with a communication function equipped with operation means for giving commands
Then , the GPS mode is displayed on the main menu screen of the display means.
The mode is selected by selecting the mode and normal GPS functions.
Display a map showing the current location on the
System data on the position data stored in the
By means of control, all data is transferred to temporary storage when the system starts up.
Sending the map and the map displayed on the current display
Detailed information on the location data within the range
Linking to and pointing to the display screen,
Select the pointed position by operating means
And give a link to the Internet homepage
Stage and system control means are present position from GPS receiving means
Received the location data and refer to the access point storage means
Access point phone number corresponding to the current location data
Issue, and through the communication interface,
Instruct the mobile communication means to call the telephone number
Connection to the public line and the system
The column refers to the access table storage means and selects the selected position.
Receives the URL address corresponding to the
-Link to the URL address to the net access means
And Internet access means.
Load and display homepage source text data
In the form of Internet WWW browser,
Displaying a home page screen,
Automatically connect to the Internet from any location on the PS map
Accessing and extracting the detailed information.
Communication method for a car navigation device with a communication function . 2. Receiving radio waves from GPS satellites,
Receiving means for outputting location data to system control means
And map data associated with the current location data
Map data storage means, and detailed information of a specific location
Is a WWW server on the Internet in the form of a homepage
The position data and URL address of the position stored in the bar
Updatable access table that stores the correspondence with
Bull storage means for accessing the internet
Access point phone numbers and the rank corresponding to each phone number
Updatable access point that stores the
And the location data having the detailed information
Storing the access table by the system control means
Read from the means and temporarily store while the system is running
Temporary storage means and an instruction from the system control means.
-Controls the protocol for accessing the
Load the source text data of the home page and display it
To display the home page with a browser
Connection to public access lines and a communication interface
Self-calls under the control of the
Mobile communication means for communicating with the source, system control means,
Protocol control of data communication with the mobile communication means
Communication interface to perform and the position from the GPS receiving means
Location data and the location stored in the map data storage means.
Map the current position on the map by referring to the figure data
Or / and display data from system control means.
Display means for displaying data, and operation for giving instructions to the system.
Car navigation device with communication function equipped with
In the main menu screen of the display means,
Selecting the net access mode and system control
Means for storing current position data and access point storage means;
Browse and connect to the corresponding access point via public line
Specify an arbitrary URL address by the stage and the operation means
The Internet access means is a URL address
Link to the homepage, and save the homepage source text data
Load and display the Internet WWW browser
In the form of displaying the homepage screen and loading
Define extended reserved words in source text data
Specify location data on the linked GPS map as data
And the Internet access means
GPS map on the homepage screen displayed on the display means
Displaying information linked to location data on the screen
And the location data is displayed on the linked display
Step to select the information that is
The floor and the system control means convert the location data into map data.
Refers to the map data in the storage means and maps the position on the map.
And pointing to the display means.
By having a website on the Internet
Automatically displays a GPS map displaying detailed information
Communication method for a communication function equipped car navigation device, characterized in that to.