JP5171364B2 - Navigation device, search method, and search program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus, and more particularly to a search method for searching for a destination or the like using kanji or alphabetic notation.

  The navigation device stores information such as facility names, place names, addresses, and road names as a database, and uses these to search for destinations and the like. Such information is memorized and used in a format according to the language of each country. In Chinese, there is not only Kanji notation, but also Pinyin notation that expresses the pronunciation of Kanji in alphabet. This Pinyin notation is customarily used in China. For example, “an” in the Chinese character notation “an” is “an”, and “road” is “lu” in the pinyin notation.

  Pinyin notation has a drawback that a character string becomes long when a place name or a road name is described because one kanji is expressed by at least two alphabets. For example, if “An'an Road” is expressed in Pinyin notation in Chinese character notation, it becomes “ananlu”, and if it is in Chinese characters, it can be expressed in 3 characters, but Pinyin notation becomes a 6 character alphabet.

  Therefore, in order to shorten a character string in Pinyin notation, there is an initial Pinyin notation in which only the initial character is Pinyin notation. For example, “A” is expressed as “A” when the initial Pinyin is used, “L” when “Road” is expressed as the initial Pinyin, and “AAL” when “An An Road” is used as the initial Pinyin.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a destination search method using initial pinyin notation in a navigation device. In Patent Document 1, an initial key is assigned to an initial pinyin, and the initial keys are arranged and displayed in the order of initials having a large number of search results.

JP 2005-115431 A

  When a navigation device searches for a destination or the like by inputting initial pinyin, a list of kanji characters corresponding to initial pinyin order, that is, alphabetical order, is displayed as the search result. In the case of a list display in alphabetical order, for example, if there are 100 facilities that begin with “AAA” as the initial pinyin, and the user searches for a name that begins with “ABA”, the user can display 100 kanji characters. It is necessary to scroll the list, and the operation becomes very complicated. Further, when a large number of kanji notations are displayed on the display, the corresponding kanji notation must be selected by visual inspection, and this work takes a lot of labor and time.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device, a search method, and a search program that can easily search for a search target of kanji notation.

  A navigation device according to the present invention has a function of performing road guidance using map data, and includes input means, search information indicating at least a search target in kanji notation, and alphabet notation corresponding to kanji notation. Storage means for storing correspondence information; search means for obtaining at least one of a search result in kanji notation and a search result in alphabet notation with reference to the search information and the correspondence information based on an input from the input means; Display control means capable of displaying the search result of the Chinese character notation or the search result of the alphabet notation on a display, wherein the display control means responds to the input from the input means or the search result of the Chinese character notation or The display of the search result in the alphabetical notation is selected.

  Preferably, the search means outputs a search result in kanji notation based on an alphabet input, and the display control means responds to the input in the input means and searches for an alphabet notation corresponding to the search result in the kanji notation Is displayed. Preferably, the display control means creates a screen representing a search result in Kanji notation and a screen representing a search result in alphabetical notation, and the display control means displays any screen in accordance with an input from the input means. indicate.

  Preferably, the input means includes a progressive command capable of selecting a first input state or a second input state, and when the progressive command is in the first input state, the display control means When a search result is selected and the progressive command is in the second input state, the display control means selects the search result in the alphabetic notation. Further, the progressive command can select a rotatable third input state, and the display control means can display the alphabet notation when the progressive command is in the second input state and in the third input state. You may make it scroll a search result.

  The search method or search program according to the present invention is to search a search target using a database storing at least search information indicating a search target in kanji notation, and correspondence information of alphabet notation corresponding to the kanji notation, A step of inputting an alphabet, a step of displaying a search result in kanji notation based on the input alphabet, a step of determining whether or not to switch the search result of kanji notation to a search result of alphabet notation, and determining to switch A step of displaying an alphabetical search result corresponding to the search result of the kanji notation, and when a specific alphabet notation is selected from the search result of the alphabetical notation, the kanji notation is based on the selected alphabet notation. To display the search results To.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to select a search result in kanji notation or a search result in alphabet notation, so that even if there are a lot of search results in kanji notation, it is possible to search for kanji notation by switching to the alphabet notation. It is possible to search for an object easily and at high speed.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment. The navigation apparatus 1 includes a self-contained navigation sensor 10 such as a gyro sensor and a distance sensor, a GPS receiver 12, a VICS / FM multiple receiver 16 that receives current road traffic information from an antenna 14, and a user input interface 20 (operation panel 22, voice). Input unit 24, remote control operation unit 26 and progressive command 28), storage device 30 such as a hard disk, data communication control unit 32 for performing data communication wirelessly or by wire, audio output unit 40 for outputting sound to speaker 42, display 52 includes a display control unit 50 for displaying an image, a program memory 60 for storing a program, a data memory 70 for temporarily storing data, and a control unit 80.

  The storage device 30 stores programs and databases necessary for executing various navigation functions. The database includes search data such as addresses, place names, road names, and facility names in addition to road map data such as link (road) data and intersection data. The search data can be expressed in kanji notation, and the kanji notation can be expressed in alphabetic notation (pinyin notation or initial pinyin display). The correspondence information between kanji notation and alphabet notation is prepared, for example, by preparing a table showing the relationship between one kanji character and the corresponding alphabet notation, or converting from kanji notation to alphabet notation or from alphabet notation to kanji notation It can also be converted using a program.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between kanji notation and initial pinyin notation. As shown in Fig. 2, the Chinese character notation "An'an Road" corresponds to Pinyin notation "AAL", "Anbei North Road" corresponds to "ABBL", and "Anbei Northeast Road" corresponds to "ABBDL" “Anbei Northwest Road” corresponds to “ABBSL”, and “Antohoku Road” corresponds to “ABDL”. Such a correspondence can be obtained by referring to a table that defines the relationship between one Kanji character and its initial Pinyin as described above, or can be obtained by a conversion program that generates the correspondence. .

  The program memory 60 loads a program from the storage device 30. The program memory 60 includes a vehicle position detection program 62 that detects the position of the vehicle based on position information from the autonomous navigation sensor 10 and the GPS receiver 12, a route search program 64 that searches for a route to the destination, and a route to the destination. A route guidance program 66 for performing route guidance, a destination retrieval program 68 for retrieving destinations, and the like are included. The control unit 80 controls each operation according to these programs.

  The data memory 70 includes position data 71 obtained from the autonomous navigation sensor 10 and the GPS receiver 12, road map data 72 around the vehicle position read from the storage device 30, and search data 73 read from the storage device. The search result data 74 indicating the search result of the destination, the search screen data 75 for searching the destination, and the like are stored.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the function of the destination search program. The destination search program 68 of this embodiment mainly includes a search screen switching determination unit 90, a kanji search screen creation unit 92, a pinyin search screen creation unit 94, and a scroll discrimination unit 96.

  In the navigation device of the present embodiment, as described later, when searching for a destination or the like, it is possible to selectively display a search screen using kanji notation and a search screen using initial pinyin. It can be switched by user input.

  The search screen switching determining unit 90 preferably determines whether or not to switch the kanji search screen to the pinyin search screen in response to an input from the progressive command 28. FIG. 4 shows an overview of the progressive command. The progressive command has a manipulator 100 that is movable in the axial direction and rotatable. As shown in FIG. 4A, the first input state is given when the operation element 100 is not pushed in the axial direction, and the operation element 100 is pushed in the axial direction as shown in FIG. 4B. Sometimes giving a second input state. The third input state can be given by rotating the operating element 100 in the first and second input states. The search screen switching determination unit 90 determines the first and second input states of such a progressive command, and executes search screen switching according to the determination result.

  The kanji search screen creation unit 92 creates a search result screen showing the search target in kanji notation. This screen is created when searching for a destination or the like, or when switching from a search screen with initial Pinyin notation. This search screen can include an input screen as a user interface in order to enable input of a progressive command, a touch panel, or the like.

  The pinyin search screen creation unit 94 creates a screen that represents the search target in the initial pinyin notation. The screen is composed of a list expressed by initial Pinyin having a predetermined number of characters (for example, 3 characters) from the top. Therefore, for example, “Anbei North Road (ABBL)” and “Anbei Northwest Road (ABBSL)” are displayed by one initial pinyin item “ABB”. This screen is created when a search for a destination or the like is executed or when the screen is switched from the kanji notation search screen. Similar to the above, this search screen can include a selection screen as a user interface to enable input of a progressive command, a touch panel, or the like.

  The scroll discriminating unit 96 discriminates whether or not there is a scroll input when the search result screen is displayed. The kanji search screen creation unit 92 and the pinyin search screen creation unit 94 create a screen on which the search target is scrolled when a scroll is input (for example, the third input state of the progressive command).

  The created kanji search screen and pinyin search screen are stored as search screen data 75 in the data memory 70, and the display control unit 50 receives the discrimination result of the search screen switching discrimination unit 90 and receives the kanji search screen or pinyin search screen. Is displayed on the display 52.

  Next, the destination search operation by the navigation device will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the destination search operation of this embodiment. First, when the navigation device is set to the destination search mode, the destination search program 68 is executed (step S101). Next, when an alphabet indicating initial pinyin is input from the input interface (step S102), the destination search program 68 refers to the search data stored in the storage device 30 and represents the kanji notation corresponding to the initial pinyin. Are searched for (step S103). Next, the kanji search screen creation unit 92 creates a search result screen for the searched kanji notation (step S104), and this screen is displayed on the display 52 (step S105).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the destination has been determined from the currently displayed kanji search screen (step S106). If the destination has been determined, the destination search operation ends. On the other hand, when the destination has not been determined from the currently displayed kanji search screen, the search screen switching determining unit 90 determines whether or not there is a switching input from the kanji search screen to the pinyin search screen (step S107). Preferably, the search screen switching determination unit 90 determines whether or not the progressive command has been switched from the first input state to the second input state. When search results for a large number of kanji notations are displayed, it becomes complicated to select the corresponding kanji notation from among them, so it is effective to switch to the initial pinyin search results at such times. .

  When the switching input is determined by the search screen switching determination unit 90, in response to this, the pinyin search screen creation unit 94 creates a pinyin search screen by initial pinyin notation corresponding to the search result of kanji notation (step S108). ), The created Pinyin search screen is displayed on the display 52 (step S109). As described above, the pinyin search screen creation unit 94 refers to a table showing the correspondence between kanji and initial pinyin, or uses a conversion program between kanji and initial pinyin to convert kanji notation to initial pinyin. Change to notation.

  Next, the scroll discriminating unit 96 discriminates whether or not there is scroll input (step S110). The scroll discriminator 96 preferably discriminates whether or not the progressive command operator 100 has been rotated. When the scroll input is determined, the pinyin search screen creation unit 94 creates a screen so that the search target of the initial pinyin notation is scrolled, and this is displayed on the display 52.

  Next, when initial pinyin notation is selected from the pinyin search screen (step S111), the kanji search screen creation unit 92 creates a search screen for kanji notation corresponding to the selected initial pinyin (step S104). This is displayed on the display 52 (step S105). The destination is determined by such a procedure.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific search example using a progressive command. FIG. 6A shows an example of a search screen for Kanji notation displayed in step S105. The kanji search screen 200 displays a list of a plurality of search objects in kanji notation in a kanji display area 210 that displays a plurality of search objects arranged in Pinyin alphabetical order. At this time, the progressive command operator 100 is in the first input state. If the progressive command is rotated, the search target of the kanji notation in the kanji display area 210 can be scrolled.

  FIG. 6B is an example of the pinyin search screen 300 displayed in step S108. By pressing the progressive command operator 100 to enter the second input state, the Chinese character search screen is switched to the pinyin search screen 300. The pinyin search screen 300 includes a pinyin display area 310 for displaying a search target of the initial pinyin notation, and the search in the pinyin display area 310 is performed by rotating the operation command 100 of the progressive command left and right from the second input state. The target can be scrolled. Even when there are a large number of search items, if such pinyin search is used, search items having similar pinyin can be collected, and the destination can be searched with a smaller number of scrolls than in the past.

FIG. 6C shows a Chinese character search screen 200A after the initial pinyin is selected in FIG. 6B. By selecting one of the initial pinyin in the pinyin display area 310 by rotating the operator 100 of the progressive command, the operator 100 is selected by switching from the second input state to the first input state. A search screen for kanji notation corresponding to the initial pinyin is created and displayed. In the example of FIG. 6B, the initial pinyin 312 of “AB D ” is selected, and as shown in FIG. 6C, the Chinese character notation “An Northeast Road” 312A corresponding to “AB D ” is changed. The search target that contains is displayed.

  If the progressive command is used in this way, the search screen can be switched and scrolled at a very high speed. In the case where the destination is determined from the display area shown in FIG. 6A or 6C, for example, a determination input button (not shown) can be selected.

  FIG. 7 shows a search example when a touch panel, other progressive commands, a mouse, or the like is used. As shown in FIG. 7A, the search result screen 200 in Kanji notation includes upper and lower scroll keys 220, 222, 230, and 232, and a pinyin search button 240 for instructing switching to the pinyin search screen. . When the pinyin search button 240 is selected, as shown in FIG. 7B, an initial pinyin search screen 300 corresponding to FIG. 7A is displayed. The search screen 300 includes upper and lower scroll keys 320, 322, 330, and 332, and a Chinese character search button 340 that instructs switching to the Chinese character search screen. When this button 340 is selected, the screen is switched to the kanji search screen.

When the initial pinyin “AB D ” is selected on the Pinyin search screen 300 shown in FIG. 7B, as shown in FIG. 7C, the Chinese character search screen including the Chinese character notation corresponding to “AB D ” 200A is displayed. On the Chinese character search screen 200A, search objects including the Chinese character notation “An Northeast Road” 312A corresponding to “AB D ” are displayed. Further, since the kanji search screen 200A is displayed for the second time, a guidance route search button 250 may be displayed. When the guide route search button 250 is selected in a state where “An Northeast Road” is selected, a route to “An Northeast Road” is searched.

  Although the example which searches the destination of a navigation apparatus was shown in the said Example, it can apply also to searches other than the search of a destination. For example, the present invention can be applied to a facility name search and a road name search. Further, when switching from the Chinese character search screen to the Pinyin search screen, the Chinese character notation and the Pinyin notation may be displayed together. For example, the Pinyin search screen 300 shown in FIG. 6B may include kanji notation as shown in FIG.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments according to the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Deformation / change is possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the navigation apparatus based on the Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between a Chinese character notation and Pinyin notation. It is a functional block diagram of the destination search program shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a progressive command. It is a flowchart which shows the destination search operation | movement of the navigation apparatus which concerns on a present Example. FIG. 6A shows a preferable search example when a progressive command is used, FIG. 6A shows a Kanji search screen, FIG. 6B shows a Pinyin search screen switched from FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6C shows FIG. The kanji search screen switched from (b) is shown. Fig. 7A shows another search example, Fig. 7A shows a Chinese character search screen, Fig. 7B shows a Pinyin search screen switched from Fig. 7A, and Fig. 7C shows a switch from Fig. 7B. The kanji search screen is shown. It is a figure which shows the other example of a pinyin search screen.

Explanation of symbols

10: Navigation device 10: Autonomous navigation sensor 20: User input interface 28: Progressive command 30: Storage device 40: Audio output unit 50: Display control unit 60: Program memory 68: Destination search program 70: Data memory 80: Control unit 90: Screen switching discrimination unit 92: Kanji search screen creation unit 94: Pinyin search screen creation unit 100: Operator 200: Kanji search screen 210: Kanji display area 300: Pinyin search screen 310: Pinyin display area

Claims (9)

A navigation device having a function of performing road guidance using map data,
Input means;
Storage means for storing at least search information indicating a search target in kanji notation and correspondence information in alphabet notation corresponding to kanji notation;
Search means for obtaining at least one of a search result in Chinese characters and an alphabetical search result by referring to the search information and the corresponding information based on an input from the input means;
Display control means capable of displaying the search result of the Chinese character notation or the search result of the alphabet notation on a display;
In response to an input from the input unit, the display control unit selects display of the search result in the Chinese character notation or the search result in the alphabet notation ,
The input means includes a progressive command capable of selecting a first input state or a second input state, and when the progressive command is in the first input state, the display control means is a search result of the kanji notation When the progressive command is in the second input state, the display control means selects the search result in the alphabetical notation . The search means outputs a search result in kanji notation based on an alphabet input, and the display control means displays a search result in alphabet notation corresponding to the search result in the kanji notation in response to an input of the input means. The navigation device according to claim 1. The display control means creates a screen representing a search result in kanji notation and a screen representing a search result in alphabetical notation, and the display control means displays any screen in response to an input from the input means. The navigation device according to claim 1. The progressive command can further select a rotatable third input state, and the display control means can display the alphabetical notation when the progressive command is in the second input state and in the third input state. The navigation device according to claim 1 , wherein the search result is scrolled. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the alphabetic notation is an initial Pinyin notation for Chinese characters. A search method for searching for a search object using a database storing at least search information indicating a search target in kanji notation and correspondence information in alphabet notation corresponding to the kanji notation,
Entering the alphabet,
Displaying search results in Kanji notation based on the entered alphabet;
Determining whether or not to switch the search result in Kanji notation to a search result in alphabetical notation;
When it is determined to switch, a step of displaying an alphabetical search result corresponding to the search result of the Chinese character notation;
Displaying a search result of kanji notation based on the selected alphabet notation when a specific alphabet notation is selected from the search result of the alphabet notation ,
In the determining step, when a progressive command capable of selecting the first input state or the second input state is in the first input state, the search result in the kanji notation is selected, and the progressive command is A search method for selecting a search result in the alphabetical expression when in an input state . A search program for searching for a search object using a database storing at least search information indicating a search target in kanji notation and correspondence information in alphabet notation corresponding to the kanji notation,
Entering the alphabet,
Displaying search results in Kanji notation based on the entered alphabet;
Determining whether or not to switch the search result in Kanji notation to a search result in alphabetical notation;
When it is determined to switch, a step of displaying an alphabetical search result corresponding to the search result of the Chinese character notation;
Displaying a search result of kanji notation based on the selected alphabet notation when a specific alphabet notation is selected from the search result of the alphabet notation ,
In the determining step, when a progressive command capable of selecting the first input state or the second input state is in the first input state, the search result in the kanji notation is selected, and the progressive command is A search program for selecting a search result in the alphabetical expression when in an input state . The method or program according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the search method or search program is executed in searching for a destination in a navigation device. The method or program according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the alphabetic notation is an initial Pinyin notation for Chinese characters.

Images