JP4684661B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device that searches for a recommended route to a set destination and guides the host vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route.

  2. Description of the Related Art A navigation device that searches facilities corresponding to a facility genre designated by a user from map data and sets a facility selected from the facilities as a destination is widely known (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

JPO Standard Technology Collection “Car Navigation Device User Interface” Main Category 3-C

  In a conventional navigation device as disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to specify a search condition every time a facility is searched, which is troublesome for the user.

The navigation device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a first condition setting means for setting a search condition including at least a facility genre and a region based on an input from a user, and a search condition set by the first condition setting means. Registering means for registering a setting history of the user, second condition setting means for setting a search condition based on a setting history of search conditions registered in the past by the registering means, and the first or second condition setting means When searching for a facility corresponding to the search condition set by the search means, and when registering the search condition setting history by the registration means, the facility genre name as the first search condition and the second search condition as Name adding means for creating a name combining at least region names and automatically assigning the name to a setting history to be registered is provided.
The invention according to claim 2 is the navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the name assigning means extracts the facility genre name and the area name set in the lowest hierarchy as search conditions by the first condition setting means, A name is automatically given based on the extracted facility genre name and area name.

  According to the present invention, the facility search condition is set based on the input from the user, and the set search condition setting history is registered. Then, the search condition is set based on the search condition setting history registered in the past, and the facility corresponding to the set search condition is searched. Since it did in this way, when searching a plant | facility, it is not necessary to specify a search condition every time, and a user's effort can be saved.

  A configuration of a navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This navigation device is mounted on a vehicle and used to search for a facility corresponding to a search condition set by a user and perform route guidance using a facility selected from the facility as a destination. Furthermore, in order to save the user from setting the search condition, the search condition setting history registered in the past is stored, and the facility search can be performed by setting the search condition based on the setting history. it can. The navigation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a current location detection device 14, an image memory 15, a display monitor 16, an input device 17, and a disk drive 18. The disc drive 18 is loaded with a DVD-ROM 19 in which map data is recorded.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various processes and controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. In the control circuit 11, based on the map data recorded in the DVD-ROM 19, a facility search process as described later, a recommended route search process to a set destination, and the like are performed.

  The current location detection device 14 is a device that detects the current location of the host vehicle. For example, a vibration gyro 14a that detects the traveling direction of the host vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects a vehicle speed, and a GPS sensor that detects a GPS signal from a GPS satellite. 14c and the like. The navigation device 1 can determine a route search start point when searching for a recommended route based on the current location of the host vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14.

  The image memory 15 temporarily stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. The image data includes road map drawing data for displaying a road map, various graphic data, and the like, and is created by the control circuit 11 based on the map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 19. A road map is displayed on the display monitor 16 using the image data stored in the image memory 15.

  The input device 17 has various input switches for the user to set facility search conditions and select a destination facility from the searched facilities, and this is realized by an operation panel, a remote controller, or the like. That is, the user operates the input device 17 according to the screen instruction displayed on the display monitor 16 to input search conditions to the navigation device 1 to search for facilities corresponding to the search conditions, and to search for the searched facilities. You can select one of them and set it as your destination.

  The disk drive 18 reads map data for displaying a road map from the loaded DVD-ROM 19. This map data represents route calculation data used for route search to the destination, route guidance data used to guide the vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route, such as intersection name and road name, and roads Includes road data. The map data also includes background data representing map shapes other than roads such as rivers, railways, various facilities on the map (landmarks), and the like.

  In the road data, the minimum unit representing a road section is called a link, and each road is composed of a plurality of links. A point connecting the links is called a node, and each node has position information (coordinate information). The link shape, that is, the shape of the road is determined by the position information of this node. Although an example using a DVD-ROM is described here, the map data may be read from a recording medium other than the DVD-ROM, such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk.

  When causing the navigation device 1 to execute the facility search process, the user first inputs the search condition by operating the input device 17 or calls the registered search condition setting history to set the search condition. Do. Here, a facility genre and a region are set as search conditions. This search condition is set in a plurality of hierarchies for the facility genre and the region.

  When inputting search conditions, the user sequentially inputs the search conditions from the upper level to the lower level. For the facility genre, for example, as a higher-level search condition, any one of travel purposes such as “sightseeing”, “shopping”, and “food” is first selected. Next, when “food” is selected in the upper hierarchy, for example, one of the restaurant categories such as “family restaurant” and “fast food” is selected as the search condition for the middle hierarchy. Finally, when “fast food” is selected in the middle hierarchy, for example, one of the fast food chain names such as “K fried chicken” and “T ice cream” is selected as the search condition in the lower hierarchy. . In this manner, the facility genre search conditions are sequentially input from the upper hierarchy to the lower hierarchy as the user sequentially selects from various search conditions displayed for each hierarchy.

  As for the region, for example, first, one of the prefecture names is selected as a search condition for the upper hierarchy. Next, for the prefecture selected in the upper hierarchy, one of the names of municipalities in the prefecture is selected as a search condition for the middle hierarchy. Finally, as a search condition for the lower hierarchy, one of the town names and character names in the municipalities selected in the middle hierarchy is selected. As described above, when the user sequentially selects from the region names displayed for each layer, region search conditions are sequentially input from the upper layer to the lower layer.

  When the facility genre and the region search conditions are input by the user as described above, for example, after the facility genre search conditions are all input from the upper layer to the lower layer, the input of the region search condition is started. Each of them may be input individually. Or you may make it input sequentially according to a predetermined order. For example, after entering the search criteria for the upper and middle hierarchies of the facility genre, enter the search criteria for the upper hierarchy of the region, and then enter the search criteria for the lower hierarchy of the facility genre and the middle and lower hierarchies of the region. The search conditions may be entered in order. Furthermore, the user may be allowed to input in an order arbitrarily set. In a specific example described later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, it is assumed that this input order is determined in advance.

  Also, for example, any hierarchy may be omitted, such as omitting a lower-level town name or letter name in the local search condition or omitting a lower-level chain store name in the facility genre search condition. . In specific examples to be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, the town name and character name corresponding to the lower hierarchy are omitted from the search conditions in the region, and the municipality name up to the middle hierarchy is input by the user. To do.

  The navigation device 1 can register the search condition setting history input as described above at an arbitrary setting stage in accordance with the user's operation. As a result, the user can set the search conditions without having to input them again by calling the search condition setting history registered in the past.

  When the facility genre and the search condition for the area are set as described above, the facility corresponding to the search condition is searched in the navigation device 1. Then, the facility selected by the user from among the searched facilities is set as the destination, and the current location detected by the current location detection device 14 is used as the route search start point, and a predetermined algorithm is calculated based on the above-described route calculation data. To search for a recommended route from the current location to the destination.

  The recommended route set as described above is displayed on the road map separately from other roads by changing its display form, for example, display color. Thus, the user can recognize the recommended route on the road map displayed on the display monitor 16. In addition, the navigation device 1 guides the user's vehicle by instructing the user to travel in the direction of the image or voice so that the user's vehicle can travel according to the recommended route. In this way, route guidance to the destination is performed by guiding the vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route.

  Next, a specific example of operation in the navigation device 1 when searching for a corresponding facility by setting a search condition and registering a setting history of the search condition will be described. When the user instructs the navigation device 1 to start inputting search conditions by operating the input device 17, a screen as shown in FIG. 2 is first displayed on the display monitor 16. In this screen, a list display field 21, a search condition display field 22, a facility search start button 23, and a search condition registration button 24 are displayed.

  The list display column 21 displays a list of search conditions for each of the facility genres and areas that can be selected by the user at that time. The items displayed in the list change according to the contents of the search conditions input so far. In FIG. 2, as a search condition to be input first by the user, items “sightseeing”, “shopping”, “food”, “accommodation”, and “transportation” corresponding to the upper hierarchy of the facility genre are displayed in a list. In addition, the text “genre selection” is displayed so that it can be seen that the facility genre is displayed. From this list, the user can select one by operating the input device 17. FIG. 2 shows a state where “food” is selected.

  In the search condition display column 22, a history of facility search conditions set by the user so far is displayed. Since no search condition has been set yet at the time of FIG. 2, nothing is displayed in the search condition display field 22.

  The facility search start button 23 is a button for starting the facility search. When the user presses this button by operating the input device 17, the facility search process is started based on the facility search conditions set by the user so far.

  The search condition registration button 24 is a button for registering a setting history of facility search conditions set so far. When the user presses this button by operating the input device 17, the search condition setting history displayed in the search condition display field 22 is registered in the navigation device 1. Thus, by calling the setting history registered previously, the user can set without inputting the search condition. Since no search condition is set yet at the time of FIG. 2, the search condition setting history cannot be registered even if the search condition registration button 24 is pressed.

  In the screen of FIG. 2, when the user selects “Food & Drink” among the search conditions in the upper hierarchy of the facility genre displayed in the list display column 21, a screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display monitor 16 next. . In this screen, the search condition display field 22 displays the search condition “food and drink” selected on the previous screen of FIG. When the facility search start button 23 is pressed at this time, facilities corresponding to restaurants all over Japan are searched using the facility genre “food” as a search condition. When the search condition registration button 24 is pressed, the facility genre “food” is registered as a search condition setting history, and the registered name is automatically given. Here, since only the facility genre “Food & Drink” is set as the facility search condition, “Food & Drink” is directly given as a registered name.

  In the list display column 21 of the screen of FIG. 3, “Family Restaurant”, “Fast Food”, “Japanese Restaurant”, “Western / Chinese Restaurant”, and “Tavern / Café” are search conditions to be input next by the user. "Is displayed in a list. Each of these items is a search condition corresponding to the middle hierarchy of the facility genre, and corresponds to a case where the search condition of the upper hierarchy of the facility genre is “food”. From these search conditions, the user can select one by operating the input device 17. FIG. 3 shows a state where “fast food” is selected.

  When the user selects “fast food” among the search conditions in the middle hierarchy of the facility genre displayed in the list display field 21 on the screen of FIG. 3, the screen as shown in FIG. Is done. In this screen, the search condition display field 22 displays the search condition “fast food” selected in the previous screen of FIG. 3 in addition to the search condition “food and drink”. When the facility search start button 23 is pressed at this time, facilities corresponding to fast food are searched from restaurants all over Japan using the facility genres “food” and “fast food” as search conditions.

  When the search condition registration button 24 is pressed, the facility genres “food” and “fast food” are registered as search condition setting histories, and the registered names are automatically given. At this time, since “Dining and drinking” and “Fast food” with different hierarchies are set in the search condition of the facility genre, only the search condition of the lowest layer, that is, “Fast food” is given as a registered name. . By doing so, it is possible to make the registered name easy to understand for the user when the search condition setting history is called later.

  In the list display field 21 of the screen of FIG. 4, items “Ibaraki Prefecture”, “Iwate Prefecture”, “Ehime Prefecture”, “Oita Prefecture”, and “Osaka Prefecture” are entered as search conditions to be input next by the user. List is displayed. Each of these items is a search condition for a prefecture in the upper hierarchy of the region. In addition, “Region selection” is displayed so that it can be seen that the displayed area is the region. From these search conditions, the user can select one by operating the input device 17. FIG. 4 shows a state where “Ibaraki Prefecture” is selected.

  When the user selects “Ibaraki Prefecture” from the search conditions in the upper hierarchy of the region displayed in the list display column 21 on the screen of FIG. 4, the screen as shown in FIG. . In this screen, the search condition display field 22 displays the search condition “Ibaraki Prefecture” selected in the previous screen of FIG. 4 in addition to the search conditions “food and drink” and “fast food”. When the facility search start button 23 is pressed at this time, a facility corresponding to fast food is searched from restaurants in Ibaraki prefecture using the facility genres “Food & Drink” and “Fast Food” and the region “Ibaraki Prefecture” as search conditions. .

  When the search condition registration button 24 is pressed, the facility genres “Food & Drink” and “Fast Food” and the region “Ibaraki Prefecture” are registered as search condition setting histories, and the registered names are automatically given. At this time, since the search conditions for the facility genre are set to “food” and “fast food” at different levels, only the search condition of the lowest layer, that is, “fast food” is used as the registered name. It is done. In addition, “Ibaraki Prefecture” is used as the registered name for the local search condition. In combination, “Ibaraki Prefecture, Fast Food” is given as a registered name.

  In the list display column 21 of the screen of FIG. 5, “K fried chicken”, “T ice cream”, “M hamburger”, “S burger”, and “gyudon Y” are search conditions to be input next by the user. Each item is listed. Each of these items is a search condition corresponding to a lower hierarchy of the facility genre, and corresponds to a case where the search condition of the middle hierarchy of the facility genre is “fast food”. From these search conditions, the user can select one by operating the input device 17. FIG. 5 shows a state where “M hamburger” is selected.

  In the screen of FIG. 5, when the user selects “M hamburger” from the search conditions in the lower hierarchy of the facility genre displayed in the list display column 21, a screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display monitor 16. The In this screen, the search condition display field 22 displays the search condition “M hamburger” selected in the previous screen of FIG. 5 in addition to the search conditions “food”, “fast food”, and “Ibaraki Prefecture”. Yes. If the facility search start button 23 is pressed at this time, the facility genres “Food & Drink”, “Fast Food” and “M Hamburger” and the region “Ibaraki Prefecture” are used as search conditions, and the branch corresponds to each branch of M Hamburger in Ibaraki Prefecture. The facility is searched.

  When the search condition registration button 24 is pressed, the facility genres “Food & Drink”, “Fast Food” and “M Hamburger” and the region “Ibaraki Prefecture” are registered as the search condition setting history, and the registered name is automatically given. Is done. At this time, as the search condition for the facility genre, “food”, “fast food”, and “M hamburger” having different hierarchies are set, and therefore, the search condition for the lowest layer among them, that is, “M hamburger” only. Is used for the registered name. In addition, “Ibaraki Prefecture” is used as the registered name for the local search condition. Together, “Ibaraki Prefecture, M Hamburger” is given as a registered name.

  In the list display field 21 of the screen of FIG. 6, items “Makabe Town”, “Mizukaido City”, “Mito City”, “Minosato Town”, and “Miura Village” are entered as search conditions to be input next by the user. List is displayed. Each of these items corresponds to a search condition for a municipality corresponding to the middle level of the area, and corresponds to a case where the search condition of the upper level of the area is “Ibaraki Prefecture”. From these search conditions, the user can select one by operating the input device 17. FIG. 6 shows that “Mito City” is selected.

  In the screen of FIG. 6, when the user selects “Mito city” among the search conditions of the middle level in the area displayed in the list display column 21, the search conditions for the facility genre and all levels of the area are set. become. Then, since no more search conditions can be set, the search conditions set up to that point, that is, the facility genres “Food & Drink”, “Fast Food” and “M Hamburger”, and the region “Ibaraki Prefecture” and A facility search is performed by “Mito City”. As a result, a facility corresponding to each branch of the M hamburger in Mito city is searched.

  When the facility search based on the above search conditions is completed, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display monitor 16. In this screen, each facility searched in the list display column 21, that is, each branch of M hamburger in Mito city, “118 Mito Nakagauchi store”, “No. 50 bypass Mito store”, “No. 50 Mito Akatsuka store”, “No. 50 Mito Otsuka Store” and “No. 51 Oarai Inter Store” are displayed. Moreover, what is displayed is the result of the facility search, and the text “Destination selection” is displayed so that it can be seen that the destination is selected from among the results. The user can select one of these facilities by operating the input device 17. FIG. 7 shows a state where “No. 50 Bypass Mito Store” is selected.

  When one of the facilities searched in this way is selected and then the route search start button 25 is pressed, the facility is set as a destination and a recommended route is searched. That is, the recommended route with the destination of “No. 50 Bypass Mito Store” is searched. Thereafter, based on the searched recommended route, route guidance to the destination “No. 50 Bypass Mito” is performed. In the screen of FIG. 7, since the facility search has already been completed, the facility search start button 23 displayed in each screen of FIGS. 2 to 6 is not displayed because it is unnecessary.

  In the search condition display column 22, “food and drink”, “fast food”, “Ibaraki prefecture”, “M hamburger”, and “Mito city” which are search conditions at the time of facility search are displayed. When the search condition registration button 24 is pressed here, the setting history of the search condition is registered, and the registration name is automatically given. At this time, as the search condition for the facility genre, “food”, “fast food”, and “M hamburger” having different hierarchies are set, and therefore, the search condition of the lowest layer, that is, “M hamburger” only. Is used for the registered name. In addition, “Ibaraki Prefecture” and “Mito City”, which have different levels, are set for the local search conditions, so only the lowest-level search condition, that is, “Mito City” is used as the registered name. . Together, “Mito City, M Hamburger” is given as a registered name.

  As described above, it is possible to search for a corresponding facility by inputting a search condition and register a setting history of the search condition. The search condition setting history registered in this way can be called when the registered name is designated and the facility search process is started. Thereby, even if the user does not input the same search condition again, the search condition can be set based on the called setting history.

  FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of processing executed in the control circuit 11 when the search condition is set as described above, the corresponding facility is searched, and the search condition setting history is registered. In step S1, it is determined whether or not to call a registered destination search condition setting history in accordance with a user operation. When calling, the process proceeds to step S20. In this case, the current search condition is set based on the search condition setting history registered in the past. When not calling, it progresses to step S2. Hereinafter, the case where the process proceeds to step S2 will be described.

  In step S2, it is determined whether to display the facility genre or the area when the search condition to be selected by the user is displayed in the list display field 21 on the screen described with reference to FIGS. When the facility genre is displayed as a list, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the genre list in which the facility genres are arranged is displayed in the list display column 21, and the process proceeds to the next step S5. Thus, for example, a genre list including facility genre names such as “food”, “fast food”, “M hamburger” and the like is displayed. On the other hand, when displaying a list of regions, the process proceeds to step S4, where a region list in which the region names are arranged is displayed in the list display column 21, and the process proceeds to the next step S5. As a result, the area list including the area names such as “Ibaraki Prefecture” and “Mito City” is displayed.

  In step S2, as described above, it is determined which of the genre list and the area list is to be displayed according to a predetermined order. Alternatively, the user may select which of the genre list and the region list is to be displayed, and determine which to display according to the selection result.

  When the genre list or the region list is displayed in step S3 or S4, the genre list or the region list is displayed in order from the upper hierarchy as described above. For example, if it is a genre list, first display a list for each travel purpose such as “sightseeing”, “shopping”, “food”, “accommodation”, “transportation”, etc. Next, a list of restaurant types such as “Family Restaurant”, “Fast Food”, “Japanese Restaurant”, “Western / Chinese Restaurant”, “Tavern / Café” is displayed. When “Fast Food” is selected, the names of specific fast food chains such as “K Fried Chicken”, “T Ice Cream”, “M Hamburger”, “S Burger”, “Gyudon Y” will be added. Is displayed. For example, in the case of a region list, first, a list of prefecture names such as “Ibaraki Prefecture”, “Iwate Prefecture”, “Ehime Prefecture”, “Oita Prefecture”, “Osaka Prefecture”, etc. is displayed. Is selected, a list of municipalities such as “Makabe Town”, “Mizukaido City”, “Mito City”, “Minosato Town”, “Miura Village”, etc. is displayed.

  In step S5, it is determined whether one of the genre list displayed in step S3 or the area list displayed in step S4 has been selected by the user. If any one is selected, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not selected, the process proceeds to step S8. Hereinafter, the case where the process proceeds to step S6 will be described first.

  In step S6, either the facility genre or the region selected in step S5 is added to the search condition. Thereby, for example, facility genres such as “Food & Drink”, “Fast Food”, “M Hamburger”, and regions such as “Ibaraki Prefecture”, “Mito City” are added to the search conditions, and the search conditions are set. In the next step S7, it is determined whether or not the list of all hierarchies of the facility genre and the region has already been displayed in steps S3 and S4 executed so far. If the list of all layers has already been displayed, the process proceeds to step S9 described later. On the other hand, if there is a hierarchy that has not been displayed yet, the process returns to step S2 and the above processing is repeated. At this time, in step S3 or S4, a list one level lower than the list displayed so far is displayed.

  Next, a case where the process proceeds from step S5 to step S8 will be described. In step S8, it is determined whether or not the facility search start button 23 shown in FIGS. If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step S9, and if it is not pressed, the process proceeds to step S17. Hereinafter, the case where the process proceeds to step S9 will be described first.

  In step S9, based on the facility search condition set in step S6 executed so far, the facility corresponding to the search condition is searched from the map data. In the next step S10, the facilities searched in step S9 are displayed as a list. As a result, the facility search results are displayed in a list in the list display field 21 of FIG. 7, for example, the names of the branches of the M hamburger in Mito city.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not the route search start button 25 shown in FIG. 7 has been pressed. If the button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S12, and the facility selected in the list display field 21 at that time is set as the destination. In the next step S13, a recommended route to the set destination is searched based on the map data. If step S13 is performed, the flowchart of FIG. 8 will be complete | finished. Thereafter, route guidance to the set destination is performed according to the searched recommended route.

  On the other hand, if the route search start button 25 is not pressed in step S11, the process proceeds to step S14 to determine whether or not the search condition registration button 24 is pressed. If the button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S15, and the following processing is executed to register the search condition setting history. If not, the process returns to step S11.

  In step S15, the facility genre name and the region set in the lowest hierarchy from the search condition setting history set in step S6 so far, that is, from each search condition displayed in the search condition display field 22 of FIG. Extract each name. For example, if “Food & Drink”, “Fast Food” and “M Hamburger” are set as the search criteria for the facility genre, and “Ibaraki Prefecture” and “Mito City” are set as the search criteria for the area, Extract “M Hamburger” and “Mito City” respectively. In the next step S16, the facility genre name and the region name extracted in step S15 are assigned, and the search condition setting history is registered. The registered search condition setting history is stored in the navigation device 1 and can be recalled in step S20 when the user sets the search condition later. Thereby, it is possible to save the trouble of setting again the search condition once set by the user in the past. If step S16 is performed, it will return to step S11.

  Next, the case where it progressed to step S17 from step S8 is demonstrated. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the search condition registration button 24 shown in FIGS. If the button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S18, and processing as described below is executed in order to register the setting history of the search condition set so far. On the other hand, if the search condition registration button 24 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S5 and repeats the process already described.

  In step S18, from the search condition setting history set in step S6 so far, that is, from the search conditions displayed in the search condition display column 22 of FIGS. And the area name are extracted in the same manner as in step S15. In the next step S19, as in step S16, the facility genre name and the area name extracted in step S18 are assigned and the search condition setting history is registered. After executing step S19, the process returns to step S5 to repeat the process described above.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S1 to step S20, in step S20, the search condition setting history registered in step S16 or step S19 executed so far is called and displayed. At this time, the name given at the time of registration is displayed so that the contents of the setting history can be understood at a glance. In step S21, it is determined whether any of the search condition setting histories displayed in step S20 has been selected by the user. If either is selected, the process proceeds to the next step S22, and the setting history is set as a search condition.

  In step S23, it is determined whether or not a new search condition is added to the search condition set in step S22 according to the operation content from the user. If the user has selected to add a search condition, the process proceeds to step S2, and the processes after step S2 as described above are executed. As a result, the newly input search condition is added to the search condition set by the past setting history called by the user, and the search condition is set. On the other hand, if the user has not selected to add a search condition, the process proceeds to step S9, and the processes after step S9 as described above are executed. Thereby, the facility search is performed according to the registered setting history of the search condition. As described above, the current search condition can be set based on the search condition setting history registered in the past, and the facility corresponding to the search condition can be searched.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) By adding the facility genre and region selected by the user to the search condition, the facility search condition is set based on the input from the user (step S6), and the search condition registration button 24 is pressed. Then, the search condition setting history at that time is registered (steps S16 and S19). Then, the search condition setting history registered in the past is called (step S20), the search condition is set based on the contents (step S22), and the facility corresponding to the set search condition is searched. (Step S9). Since it did in this way, when searching a plant | facility, it is not necessary to specify a search condition every time, and a user's effort can be saved.

(2) When registering a search condition setting history, a name is assigned based on the registered contents. Specifically, the facility genre name and the region name set in the lowest hierarchy as the search condition are extracted (steps S15 and S18), and the name at the time of registration is given by the extracted facility genre name and region name. (Steps S16 and S19). Since it did in this way, when calling the setting history of search conditions later, a name easy to understand for a user can be given.

  In the above embodiment, the facility genre and the region are set as the search conditions. However, other conditions such as a distance from the current location may be added to the search conditions. Any search condition may be set as long as it includes at least the facility genre and the area.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the navigation device searches for destination candidates based on map data recorded on a storage medium such as a DVD-ROM. However, the present invention is not limited to this content. Not. For example, the present invention can be applied to a communication navigation apparatus that downloads map data from an information distribution center using wireless communication using a mobile phone or the like.

  In that case, processing such as setting and registration of search conditions as described above and calling of a setting history registered in the past are performed in the navigation device, and the set search conditions are transmitted from the navigation device to the information distribution center. Based on this information, a facility corresponding to the search condition set in the information distribution center is searched, and a list of search results is transmitted to the navigation device. In the navigation apparatus, a list of facility search results transmitted from the information distribution center is displayed and the user is made to select, and the selection result is transmitted to the information distribution center. Thereafter, a route search to the facility selected in the information distribution center is performed, and a map along the route is distributed to the navigation device. In this way, the present invention can be applied. That is, the navigation device has means for setting and registering search conditions, and means for setting search conditions based on a history of setting search conditions registered in the past, and the information distribution center has a search set in the navigation device. And means corresponding to the conditions.

  In the above embodiment, each means described in the claims is realized by the processing of the control circuit 11. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the technical aspects of the present invention are not limited thereto. Other aspects conceivable within the scope of the idea are also included within the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the screen displayed first when inputting search conditions. It is an example of the screen displayed after the screen of FIG. It is an example of the screen displayed after the screen of FIG. It is an example of the screen displayed after the screen of FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displayed after the screen of FIG. 5. It is an example of the screen displayed when a facility search is completed. It is a flowchart of the process performed when setting search conditions, searching applicable facilities, and registering the search condition setting history.

Explanation of symbols

1 Navigation device 11 Control circuit 12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Current location detection device 15 Image memory 16 Display monitor 17 Input device 18 Disk drive 19 DVD-ROM
21 List display field 22 Search condition display field 23 Facility search start button 24 Search condition registration button 25 Route search start button

Claims (2)

First condition setting means for setting a search condition including at least a facility genre and a region based on an input from a user;
Registration means for registering a search condition setting history set by the first condition setting means;
Second condition setting means for setting search conditions based on a search condition setting history registered in the past by the registration means;
Search means for searching for a facility corresponding to the search condition set by the first or second condition setting means;
When registering the search condition setting history by the registration means, a name combining at least the facility genre name as the first search condition and the area name as the second search condition should be created, and this name should be registered A navigation device, comprising: name assigning means for automatically assigning to a setting history . The navigation device according to claim 1.
The name assigning means extracts the facility genre name and area name set in the lowest hierarchy as search conditions by the first condition setting means, respectively, and automatically based on the extracted facility genre name and area name A navigation device characterized by assigning a name to the device.

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