JP4788437B2 - Conversion dictionary generation device and kanji conversion device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for generating a Chinese conversion dictionary used in a navigation device and the like, and a technique for using the generated conversion dictionary.

Using a conversion dictionary that associates Chinese kanji and symbols (pinyin) representing their readings, the Chinese input conversion has the function to input chinese readings in pinyin, convert them into kanji, and output them. A processing apparatus is known (for example, Patent Document 1). Various other Chinese input conversion processing devices are known, and the functions of such Chinese input conversion processing devices are also used in navigation devices. For example, when setting a destination, a tourist name or facility name is input from the user by pinyin, converted to kanji, and POI-DB (Point Of Interest-DataBase) is searched by the converted kanji It is used to acquire position information.
JP 2001-229155 A

  In a conventional navigation apparatus, as a conversion dictionary that associates Chinese kanji and Pinyin, a conversion dictionary in which Pinyin is maintained only for Chinese characters defined in GB-2310 code (corresponding to Japanese JIS code) Was sometimes used. However, there are many cases where the kanji corresponding to the GB-2310 code alone cannot be converted into the kanji required by the user, which is not sufficient as a conversion dictionary. It is also possible to maintain Pinyin for all Kanji characters defined in Unicode, but the conversion dictionary will be huge, and even Kanji characters that are very infrequent will be maintained. Is considered to be inefficient (the degree of information utilization per predetermined conversion dictionary size is low).

  The present invention has been considered in view of such a problem, and is a conversion dictionary used in a navigation device or the like and capable of generating a conversion dictionary with high efficiency, and the generated It is an object of the present invention to provide a kanji conversion device that performs kanji conversion using a conversion dictionary.

In many cases, a navigation device used in a Chinese-speaking area has a POI-DB as a database in which a kanji character string representing a name and a pinyin string corresponding to the kanji character string are associated. The inventor of the present application paid attention to this database and considered creating a conversion dictionary from this database. Specifically, the acquisition unit acquires the kanji character string and the pinyin sequence from the database, the generation unit creates a pair of each kanji and the pinyin corresponding to the kanji, and accumulates the set. Thus, a conversion dictionary generation device for generating a conversion dictionary has been considered (claim 1). Further, the generation unit may be configured to decompose the kanji character and the pinyin sequence acquired by the acquisition unit, respectively, and create a set including one kanji character and the corresponding pinyin (claim 2).

  If the conversion dictionary is generated by such a conversion dictionary generation device, the kanji conversion information necessary when using POI-DB is completely covered. Therefore, the conversion dictionary generated by the conversion dictionary generation apparatus of the present invention is much more efficient than the conventional conversion dictionary as long as it is used when converting kanji registered in the POI-DB. Good (high information utilization per given conversion dictionary size).

By the way, it is considered that the POI-DB includes a plurality of place names including the same kanji with the same reading. For example, if the names “Beijing University” and “Beijing City” are included in the POI-DB, the kanji “north” is included in the two names with the same reading. Assuming such a case, when generating the conversion dictionary, the generation unit determines whether or not the same set has already been stored, and stores only the set that has been determined not to be stored. (Claim 3 ).

If this is the case, pairs of the same kanji and the same reading will not be accumulated repeatedly, so that the efficiency as a conversion dictionary is improved.
In addition, when it determines with the production | generation means having already accumulate | stored, the production | generation means adds the information regarding the frequency | count of affirmation determination so far to the group accumulate | stored in the conversion dictionary (because it has already been added It is better to update it (if there is any) (Claim 4 ). For example, when trying to register the Chinese character “north” in the conversion dictionary with the reading “Bei”, if it was already registered, the affirmative determination was made for that set already registered in the conversion dictionary. 1 is added to the value of “number of times”.

  If this is the case, the number of times the kanji is used in the POI-DB can be determined by looking at the number of times, and this information can be used when determining the order in which conversion candidates are displayed. Can be used.

Meanwhile, generation means, in addition to generating the conversion dictionary, the order traced Pinyin tree Pinyin string corresponding to the kanji character string may adapted to generate (claim 5). The Pinyin tree here refers to each node configured by Pinyin (for example, “bei”) or an alphabet (for example, “b”) that constitutes the Pinyin, and follows the node from the root direction to the leaf direction (for example, (B) → “E” → “I” → “J” → “I” → “N” → “G”...

  If such a pinyin tree is generated, by following this pinyin tree based on the pinyin or pinyin string already input by the user, the candidate of pinyin expected to be input next by the user is given to the user. It becomes possible to present.

Also, generating means, in addition to generating the converted dictionary, kanji constituting the kanji character string sequentially traced it may be adapted to generate a Kanji tree (claim 6). The kanji tree here refers to the fact that each node is composed of kanji, and the nodes are traced from the root direction to the leaf direction (for example, “North” → “Kyo” → “Large” → “Study”). A kanji string ("Beijing University") can be constructed.

  If such a kanji tree is generated, a kanji candidate that is expected to be input and confirmed next by the user by tracing this kanji string based on the kanji or kanji string already determined by the user. Can be presented to the user.

By the way, in addition to each means of the conversion dictionary generation apparatus mentioned above, the following means may be added and a Kanji conversion apparatus may be comprised. That is, a reception unit that receives an operation instruction from the user, a notification unit that notifies various information, and a kanji corresponding to Pinyin specified based on the operation instruction received by the reception unit are searched from the conversion dictionary and found. The kanji conversion device is configured by adding control means for informing at least one of the kanji characters to the notifying means and then determining the kanji corresponding to Pinyin based on the operation instruction received by the receiving means ( Claim 7 ).

With such a kanji conversion device, as long as the place names registered in the POI-DB are converted, the kanji conversion can be reliably performed, which is convenient for the user.
In addition, in the case of the kanji conversion device according to claim 7 , which includes each means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 4 , the number of times that the control unit makes an affirmative determination when notifying the notification unit of the found kanji character It is preferable that the notification means is made to give priority to kanji having a large number of characters (claim 8 ).

If it becomes like this, the operation amount of the user at the time of Kanji conversion can be reduced.
Further, in the case of the kanji conversion device according to claim 7 , comprising the respective means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 5 , the control means is configured to input the pinyin based on the pinyin or pinyin string already input after confirmation. Follow the tree, let the notification means notify the pinyin of the leaf side node connected to the node corresponding to the pinyin that was input last as the pinyin candidate to be input next, and accept the operation instruction that means the selection of the pinyin that was notified When the means accepts, the pinyin indicated by the operation instruction may be handled as the next input pinyin (claim 9 ).

If it becomes like this, the operation amount concerning a user's pinyin input can be reduced and a user's kanji conversion operation can be made easy.
In addition, in the case of the kanji conversion device according to claim 7 , comprising the respective means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 6 , the control means is configured to determine the kanji based on the kanji or kanji string already determined after the determination. Follow the tree, let the notification means notify the kanji of the leaf side node connected to the node corresponding to the last confirmed kanji as the candidate kanji to be confirmed next, and accept operation instructions that mean the selection of the notified kanji When the means accepts, it is preferable that the kanji indicated by the operation instruction is determined as a kanji that has already been determined or a kanji that follows the kanji string (claim 10 ).

  Even if it becomes like this, the operation amount concerning a user's pinyin input can be reduced and a user's kanji conversion operation can be made easy.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments, and various forms can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a navigation device 20 in which functions of a dictionary creation device and a kanji conversion device according to the present invention are incorporated. The navigation device 20 is assumed to be used in Chinese-speaking countries.

  The navigation device 20 is mounted on a vehicle, and a position detector 21 that detects the current position of the vehicle, an operation switch group 22 for inputting various instructions from a user, and various instructions as with the operation switch group 22 are input. A remote control terminal (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) 23a that is possible and separate from the navigation device 20, a remote control sensor 23b that inputs a signal from the remote control 23a, a packet communication network, etc. An external communication device 24 that performs communication, a map data input device 25 that inputs data from a map storage medium in which map data, audio data, and the like are recorded, a display unit 26 that displays a map and various types of information, A voice output unit 27 for outputting a guide voice or the like, a microphone 28 for outputting an electrical signal based on a voice spoken by a user, a vehicle An in-vehicle LAN communication unit 33 that communicates with various ECUs connected to the LAN, the above-described position detector 21, operation switch group 22, remote control sensor 23b, external communication device 24, map data input device 25, microphone 28, in-vehicle A control unit 29 that executes various processes in response to an input from the LAN communication unit 33 and controls the external communication device 24, the display unit 26, the audio output unit 27, and the in-vehicle LAN communication unit 33 is provided.

  The position detector 21 receives a radio wave from a GPS (Global Positioning System) artificial satellite via a GPS antenna (not shown) and outputs a received signal, and a magnitude of rotational motion applied to the vehicle. A gyroscope 21b for detecting the distance and a distance sensor 21c for detecting a distance traveled from the longitudinal acceleration or the like of the vehicle are provided. And the control part 29 calculates the position, direction, speed, etc. of a vehicle based on the output signal from these sensors 21a-21c. Although there are various methods for obtaining the current position based on the output signal from the GPS receiver 21a, either a single positioning method or a relative positioning method may be used.

  The operation switch group 22 includes a touch panel configured integrally with the display surface of the display unit 26, mechanical key switches provided around the display unit 26, and the like. The touch panel and the display unit 26 are laminated and integrated. There are various types of touch panels such as a pressure-sensitive method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, or a combination of these methods. It may be used.

  The remote controller 23a is composed of a plurality of buttons. When any one of the buttons is pressed, a signal corresponding to the type of the button reaches the remote control sensor 23b via short-range wireless communication such as infrared rays. ing.

The remote control sensor 23 b receives a signal sent from the remote control 23 a and outputs the received signal to the control unit 29.
The external communication device 24 acquires accident information, traffic jam information, and the like from an information center of VICS (registered trademark) via an optical beacon or a radio beacon installed on the roadside.

  The map data input device 25 is a device for inputting various data stored in a map data storage medium (not shown) (for example, a hard disk or a DVD-ROM). The map data storage medium stores map data (node data, link data, cost data, background data, road data, mark data, intersection data, etc.), POI-DB, voice data for guidance, voice recognition data, and the like. ing. Instead of inputting these data from the map data storage medium, these data may be input via a communication network.

  Here, POI-DB will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. The POI-DB has information on sightseeing spots, facilities, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as “point of interest”), and for each point of interest, at least a “kanji string” representing the name of the point of interest in kanji and the point of interest. “Pinyin sequence” representing the name of the point by pinyin, “position coordinates” indicating the position of the point of interest, and “type” indicating information such as whether the point of interest is a facility or a tourist spot I remember it.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the display unit 26 includes a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and the like. On the display screen of the display unit 26, the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detector 21 and the map data input unit 25. Additional data such as a mark indicating the current location identified from the input map data, a guide route to the destination, a name, a landmark, and various facility marks can be displayed in an overlapping manner. Also, facility guides can be displayed.

  The microphone 28 outputs an electric signal (voice signal) based on the inputted voice to the control unit 29 when the user inputs (speaks) voice. The user can operate the navigation device 20 by inputting various sounds to the microphone 28.

  The in-vehicle LAN communication unit 33 is responsible for communication with various ECUs (engine ECU, AT-ECU, brake ECU, etc.) and various sensors (direction indicator sensor, door open / close sensor, etc.) connected to the in-vehicle LAN.

  The control unit 29 is configured around a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, SRAM, I / O, and a bus line connecting these components, and is based on a program stored in the ROM and RAM. Various processes. For example, the current position of the vehicle is calculated as a set of coordinates and traveling directions based on each detection signal from the position detector 21, and a map or the like near the current position read via the map data input device 25 is displayed on the display unit 26. Based on the current location display processing, the map data stored in the map data input device 25, and the destination set in accordance with the operation of the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a, the optimum route from the current position to the destination is determined. A route calculation process for calculating, a route guidance process for guiding the route by displaying the calculated route on the display unit 26 or outputting it as a voice to the voice output unit 27, and the like are executed.

[Description of operation]
Next, processing executed by the control unit 29 will be described. In addition, since the process (for example, a route setting process, a route calculation process, a route guidance process, etc.) normally performed by a general navigation apparatus is widely known, a description thereof will be omitted.

(1) Conversion Dictionary Generation Processing First, the conversion dictionary generation processing executed by the control unit 29 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The conversion dictionary generation process is started when the updated map data storage medium is set in the map data input device 25.

  When starting the execution of the conversion dictionary generation process, the control unit 29 first deletes the conversion dictionary and all the kanji trees (S105). Although details of the conversion dictionary and the kanji tree will be described later, both are stored in the SRAM in the control unit 29.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not all the above-mentioned POI-DB records have been read from the map data storage medium via the map data input device 25 (S110). If it is determined that all the records in the POI-DB have been read (S110: Yes), this process (conversion dictionary generation process) is terminated, and if it is determined that all the records in the POI-DB have not been read ( (S110: No), the process proceeds to S115.

  In S115, which proceeds when it is determined that all the POI-DB records have not been read, an unread record is read from the POI-DB, and a Chinese character string and a Pinyin string are extracted. Then, the extracted kanji string and pinyin string are respectively decomposed to create a set composed of one kanji character and the corresponding pinyin (S120).

Subsequently, one of the groups created in S120 is selected, and a conversion dictionary is searched by the group (S120).
Here, the configuration of the conversion dictionary will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. One record of the conversion dictionary includes “pinyin” corresponding to one character of kanji, “kanji” corresponding to the pinyin, and “number of positive determinations” indicating the number of positive determinations made in the determination of S130 in the conversion dictionary generation process. ].

  Returning to FIG. 4, in the subsequent S130, the process branches depending on the search result in S125 (S130). If the selected pair exists in the conversion dictionary (S130: Yes), the process proceeds to S140. If the selected pair does not exist in the conversion dictionary (S130: No), the process proceeds to S135. Migrate processing.

  In S135, which proceeds when the selected group does not exist in the conversion dictionary, Pinyin and Kanji characters that constitute the group are added to the conversion dictionary. In this case, “0” is set as the number of positive determinations. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S145.

On the other hand, in S140, which proceeds when the selected set exists in the conversion dictionary, the number of positive determinations of the corresponding record is increased by one. Then, the process proceeds to S145.
In S145, it is determined whether or not the conversion dictionary has been searched for all the groups configured in S120. As a result, when it is determined that the conversion dictionaries have been searched for all pairs (S145: Yes), the process proceeds to S150, and when it is determined that there is a pair that has not yet been searched for the conversion dictionary (S145: No), the process is returned to S125.

In S150, which proceeds when it is determined that the conversion dictionaries have been searched for all pairs, it is determined whether there is a Chinese character tree corresponding to the Chinese character string extracted in S115.
Here, an example of a Chinese character tree will be described using the explanatory diagram of FIG. In the kanji tree shown in FIG. 3, “north” is assigned to the root node 41. The root node 41 includes a node 42 to which “Kyo” is assigned and a node 43 to which “sea” is assigned. It is connected. Also, the node 42 to which “Kyo” is assigned is connected to the node 44 to which “Large” is assigned and the node 45 to which “City” is assigned. In addition, a node 46 assigned “public” is connected to the node 43 assigned “sea”. In addition, the node 44 to which “Large” is assigned is connected to the node 44 to which “School” is assigned, and the node 48 to which “garden” is assigned to the node 46 to which “Public” is assigned. Has been. Therefore, in the kanji tree shown in FIG. 3, a kanji string “Beijing University” can be constructed by following the route node 41 → node 42 → node 44 → node 47, and the root node 41 → node 42 → node. By following 45, a Chinese character string “Beijing” can be constructed, and by following route node 41 → node 43 → node 46 → node 48, a Chinese character string “Bokkai Park” can be constructed. . A plurality of such Chinese character trees are stored in the RAM of the control unit 29.

  Therefore, it is determined in S150 of FIG. 4 that “there is a Chinese character tree corresponding to the Chinese character string extracted in S115” means that there is a Chinese character tree that can follow a node by the Chinese character string.

  When it is determined in S150 that there is a Chinese character tree corresponding to the Chinese character string extracted in S115 (S150: Yes), the process returns to S110, and it is determined that there is no Chinese character tree corresponding to the Chinese character string extracted in S115. (S150: NO), the process proceeds to S155.

  In S155, which is performed when it is determined that there is no kanji tree corresponding to the kanji string extracted in S115, a kanji tree corresponding to the kanji string is generated. Specifically, if there is no kanji tree whose root node is the first kanji character in the kanji string, a new kanji tree that can follow the kanji string is generated, and the first kanji character in the kanji string is routed If a kanji tree that is a node already exists, the node is added so that the kanji string is traced to the kanji tree. Thereafter, the process returns to S110.

(2) Conversion Process Next, the conversion process executed by the control unit 29 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The conversion process is executed, for example, when the user inputs a destination pinyin by operating the remote controller 23a or the operation switch group 22 and presses a conversion key (not shown) when setting the destination in the route setting process. Be started.

  When starting the execution of the conversion process, the control unit 29 first searches the conversion dictionary for kanji corresponding to the input pinyin (S205). For example, if a pinyin “Bei” is input, a record having the pinyin is searched from the conversion dictionary.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the corresponding record is found (S210). If it is determined that the corresponding record has been found (S210: Yes), the process proceeds to S220. If it is determined that the corresponding record has not been found (S210: No), the process proceeds to S215.

  In step S215 that is performed when it is determined that the corresponding record is not found, an error message is displayed on the display unit 26. Specifically, a message or the like indicating that no conversion candidate kanji was found is displayed. Then, this process (conversion process) is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that a corresponding record has been found, the process proceeds to S220, where “Kanji” included in the found record is displayed on the display unit 26. If there are a plurality of found records, they are displayed side by side in descending order of the “number of positive determinations”.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not an operation that means selecting a Chinese character displayed on the display unit 26 has been performed by the user (S225). This is performed by monitoring an operation input to the remote controller 23a or the operation switch group 22.

  If it is determined in S225 that a kanji selection operation has been performed (S225: Yes), the process proceeds to S230, and if it is determined that a kanji selection operation has not been performed (S225: No), a kanji selection operation is performed. Stay in this step until

  In step S230, which is performed when it is determined that a kanji selection operation has been performed, the selected kanji is determined. Here, “determined” means that the correct kanji corresponding to the pinyin input by the user is determined and displayed on the display unit 26.

  Subsequently, a kanji tree traced by kanji or kanji strings already determined is searched (S235). The “already confirmed kanji or kanji string” mentioned here is a specific group (for example, word unit) including the kanji that has been confirmed immediately before, and means a single kanji or a plurality of kanji. The search for the kanji tree is, for example, when the phrase “already confirmed kanji or kanji string” is “Beijing University”, in the kanji tree whose root node is “north”, It is to determine whether or not “north”, “kyo”, and “large” are traced in order from the leaf to the leaf. When a kanji tree having a root node of “north” exists and can be traced in the kanji tree, it is determined that “a kanji tree has been found”.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not a kanji tree is found (S240). If it is determined that a kanji tree has been found (S240: Yes), the process proceeds to S245. If it is determined that a kanji tree has not been found (S240: No), this process (conversion process) is terminated.

  If it is determined that a kanji tree has been found, the process proceeds to step S245. In the found kanji tree, whether a node is further connected to the leaf side of the last node when the tree is traced by “an already established kanji or kanji string”. Determine if. If such a node exists, the kanji of the node is displayed on the display unit 26. For example, when the Chinese character tree of FIG. 3 is traced to “Beijing”, the last node traced is the node 42, and the leaf-side nodes connected to the node are the node 44 and the node 45. Therefore, “large” and “city” are displayed on the display unit 26.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not an operation for selecting the kanji displayed on the display unit 26 in S245 has been performed (S250). This is done by monitoring the operation input made to the remote controller 23a or the operation switch group 22. If it is determined that a kanji selection operation has been performed (S250: Yes), the process proceeds to S255, and if it is determined that a kanji character selection operation has not been performed (S250: No), the process proceeds to S260.

In step S255, which is performed when it is determined that a kanji selection operation has been performed, the selected kanji is handled as a confirmed kanji. Then, the process returns to S235.
On the other hand, in step S260 that is performed when it is determined that the operation for selecting a Chinese character is not performed, it is determined whether or not a cancel operation is performed. This is also performed by monitoring an operation input made to the remote controller 23a or the operation switch group 22. If it is determined that the cancel operation has been performed (S260: Yes), the process returns to S250, and if it is determined that the cancel operation has not been performed (S260: No), this process (conversion process) is terminated.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the navigation device 20 of the above embodiment, the conversion dictionary generation process is executed, whereby a conversion dictionary that completely covers the kanji conversion information necessary when using the POI-DB is generated. Therefore, as long as the place names registered in the POI-DB are converted, kanji conversion can be performed reliably. Compared to the conventional conversion dictionary with Pinyin only for Kanji defined in GB-2310 code and the conversion dictionary with Pinyin for all Kanji defined in Unicode, the efficiency as a conversion dictionary is improved. Very good.

  In addition, in the conversion dictionary generation process, pairs of Pinyin and Kanji already registered in the conversion dictionary are not registered redundantly (in the case of No in S130). Therefore, a pair having the same kanji and having the same reading is not registered in the conversion dictionary, so that the efficiency as the conversion dictionary is increased.

  Further, in the conversion dictionary generation process, when it is determined that the above-described group has already been accumulated, the number of positive determinations made so far is added to the registered group in the conversion dictionary. (S140). Then, during the conversion process, kanji having a large number of positive determinations is preferentially displayed on the display unit 26 (S220). That is, it is displayed with priority as a conversion candidate.

  Therefore, if the user wants the preferentially displayed kanji, it is only necessary to confirm the kanji, so there is no need to perform operations such as sequentially selecting conversion candidates. That is, the operation amount of the user when selecting kanji is reduced.

  In addition, in the conversion dictionary generation process, in addition to generating the conversion dictionary, a kanji tree that sequentially traces the kanji that constitute the kanji character string is generated (S155). Then, a kanji tree is searched in the conversion process (S235) and displayed as a kanji that follows the kanji that has already been determined (S245). Further, the kanji selected from the displayed kanji can be determined as a kanji that follows the already determined kanji (S255).

Therefore, the amount of operation required for the user's pinyin input can be reduced, and the user's kanji conversion operation can be facilitated.
[Other Embodiments]
In the above embodiment, a kanji tree is generated (S130), the kanji tree is searched for conversion to kanji (S235), and the kanji that is likely to be determined next is displayed on the display unit 26. However (S245), instead of the kanji tree, a pinyin tree may be generated and used in the same manner.

  Here, an example of the Pinyin tree will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. In the Pinyin tree shown in FIG. 6, “B” is assigned to the root node 51, and the root node 51 includes a node 52 to which “E” is assigned and a node 53 to which “I” is assigned. It is connected. In addition, a node 54 to which “X” is assigned exists ahead of the generation of the node 52 to which “E” is assigned in the leaf direction. Further, the node 54 to which “U” is assigned is connected to the node 54 to which “X” is assigned, and “E” is assigned to the node 55 to which “U” is assigned. Node 56 is connected. For this reason, the Pinyin tree shown in FIG. 6 is called “BE... XUE” (intended for Bei Jin Da Xue) by following the route node 51 → node 52 →... → node 54 → node 55 → node 56. Pinyin trains can be configured. Note that a plurality of such pinyin trees can be stored in the RAM of the control unit 29.

  Then, instead of S150 in the dictionary generation process, it is determined whether or not there is a Pinyin tree corresponding to the Pinyin sequence extracted in S115. If it is determined that there is no such Pinyin tree, instead of S155 Then, a pinyin tree corresponding to the pinyin sequence is generated. Specifically, if there is no Pinyin tree in which the first alphabet in the Pinyin string is the root node, a new Pinyin tree that can follow the Pinyin string is generated, and the first alphabet in the Pinyin string is the root. If a pinyin tree that is a node already exists, the node is added so that the pinyin sequence is traced to the pinyin tree.

  On the other hand, in the conversion process, instead of S235, a pinyin tree that can be traced by a pinyin or pinyin sequence corresponding to an already established kanji or character sequence is searched. Specifically, if the “Kanji or Chinese character string already determined” is “Beijing University”, in the Pinyin tree whose root node is “B”, “BEI in order from the root node to the leaf” Judge whether “JIN DA” or not. If it is determined that tracing is performed, the nodes are further traced in the leaf direction from the node connected to the last “A” by the number of nodes constituting Pinyin (for example, “X” → “U” → “E”). Then, Pinyin constituted by them is displayed on the display unit 26 (for example, “XUE”).

  If this is the case, the user simply selects the pinyin to be input next from the proposed pinyin candidates (that is, without inputting a new alphabet constituting the pinyin). Pinyin can be input. Therefore, convenience for the user is improved.

[Correspondence with Claims]
The correspondence between the terms used in the embodiment and the terms described in the claims is shown. The map data input device 25 corresponds to the acquisition unit, the dictionary generation process executed by the control unit 29 corresponds to the function as the generation unit, the operation switch group 22 and the remote controller 23a correspond to the reception unit, and the display unit 26 notifies the user. The control unit 29 corresponds to the control means.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a navigation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating POI-DB and a conversion dictionary. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of a Chinese character tree. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a conversion dictionary production | generation process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a conversion process. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of a pinyin tree.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Navigation apparatus, 21 ... Position detector, 21a ... GPS receiver, 21b ... Gyroscope, 21c ... Distance sensor, 22 ... Operation switch group, 23a ... Remote control, 23b ... Remote control sensor, 24 ... External communication device, 25 ... Map data input device, 26 ... display section, 27 ... voice output section, 28 ... microphone, 29 ... control section, 33 ... in-vehicle LAN communication section.

Claims (10)

Kanji character string representing the name and the database having at least a Pinyin string corresponding to the kanji character string,
Obtaining means for obtaining the kanji character string and the pinyin string from the database ;
Generation that creates a pair in which each Chinese character and Pinyin corresponding to the Chinese character are paired from the Chinese character string and the Pinyin sequence acquired by the acquisition means, and generates the conversion dictionary by accumulating the pair Means,
A conversion dictionary generation device comprising: In the conversion dictionary production | generation apparatus of Claim 1,
The generating means decomposes the kanji character and pinyin sequence acquired by the acquiring means, respectively, and creates the set composed of one kanji character and pinyin corresponding thereto;
A conversion dictionary generation device characterized by In the conversion dictionary production | generation apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2 ,
The generating means determines whether or not the same set is already stored when generating the conversion dictionary, and stores only the set determined not to be stored;
A conversion dictionary generation device characterized by In the conversion dictionary production | generation apparatus of Claim 3 ,
When the generation unit determines that the set has already been accumulated, the information is added to the set stored in the conversion dictionary with information on the number of times that the determination has been made so far.
A conversion dictionary generation device characterized by In the conversion dictionary generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The generating means further generates a Pinyin tree for sequentially tracing a Pinyin string corresponding to the Kanji character string acquired by the acquiring means;
A conversion dictionary generation device characterized by In the conversion dictionary production | generation apparatus of any one of Claims 1-5,
The generating means further generates a kanji tree that sequentially traces kanji characters constituting the kanji character string acquired by the acquiring means;
A conversion dictionary generation device characterized by In addition to each means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
further,
Accepting means for accepting operation instructions from the user;
An informing means for informing various information;
The kanji corresponding to Pinyin specified based on the operation instruction received by the reception unit is searched from the conversion dictionary, and at least one of the found Chinese characters is notified to the notification unit, and then the reception unit Based on the received operation instruction, control means for determining the Chinese character corresponding to the Pinyin,
Kanji conversion apparatus comprising: a. The kanji conversion device according to claim 7 , comprising each means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 4.
The control means, when notifying the informing means of the found kanji, prioritizes the informing means to give priority to kanji having a large number of positive determinations;
Kanji conversion device characterized by. The kanji conversion device according to claim 7 , comprising each means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 5.
After the determination, the control means follows the pinyin tree based on the pinyin or pinyin string already input, and then inputs the pinyin of the leaf side node connected to the node corresponding to the pinyin input last. When notifying the notification means as a pinyin candidate and receiving the operation instruction meaning selection of the notified pinyin, the pinyin indicated by the operation instruction is handled as the next input pinyin,
Kanji conversion device characterized by. The kanji conversion device according to claim 7, comprising each means of the conversion dictionary generation device according to claim 6.
The control means follows the kanji tree based on the kanji or kanji string that has already been decided after the decision, and then decides the kanji of the leaf side node connected to the node corresponding to the kanji that has been finally decided. When the notification means is notified as a candidate kanji and the receiving means accepts an operation instruction that means selection of the notified kanji, the kanji indicated by the operation instruction is determined as a kanji that has already been confirmed or a kanji that follows the kanji string. Letting
Kanji conversion device characterized by.

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