JP5489221B2 - Information access device, information access method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information access device, an information access method, and a program for supporting access to various information (making the information available), and in particular, to facilitate access using a map. The present invention relates to an information access device, an information access method, and a program.

  In recent years, with the development of wired communication infrastructure such as optical fiber and wireless communication infrastructure such as mobile phone networks and public wireless access points, various information terminals that can freely access various information around the world using such communication infrastructure For example, personal computers, mobile phones, PDAs, smartphones and the like have been widely used.

  However, “free access to various information all over the world” means that access to information is complicated, and some kind of support measures to facilitate access are required. Yes.

  The HTML (HyperText Markup Language) language is one such support measure. This is because another document can be opened by simply clicking on a link embedded in the HTML document, and multi-layer information access can be performed by following the link.

  However, the information access of the HTML system is traced from one information to another information, and in short, it is only a point-to-point access, so that the whole information cannot be grasped. There is.

  In this regard, a “logical tree structure” (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below), which is one of information access interfaces conventionally used, manages a large amount of information in a hierarchy. At the same time, the user can be presented with a menu screen that is divided into multiple layers from the upper layer to the lower layer according to the hierarchical structure. It is possible to search for desired information and access the information while grasping the overall image of the information.

JP 2008-131434 A JP 2009-116486 A

  However, since the above-mentioned “logical tree structure” has a deep hierarchy in proportion to the amount of information, it is necessary to follow the hierarchy in several stages before reaching the desired information, which is troublesome and troublesome.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an information access apparatus, an information access method, and a program that can easily access desired information without taking time and effort while grasping an overall image of information.

The invention according to claim 1 is an information access device comprising an access means capable of accessing both external information located outside the own terminal and internal information located within the own terminal, wherein the access means comprises the own terminal Display means for displaying a map centered on the map, map range setting means for setting the range of the map, and external information for extracting the external information located within the map range set by the map range setting means Extraction means; first display control means for combining an index indicating external information extracted by the external information extraction means with a map in which a range is set by the map range setting means; Access means for accessing external information corresponding to the selected indicator when any of the indicators displayed in the section is selected, and And a second display control means for displaying a menu screen for accessing the internal information on the display section when the map range set by the figure range setting means reaches a predetermined range. To do.
The invention according to claim 7 is an information access method including an access step capable of accessing both external information located outside the own terminal and internal information located within the own terminal. A map display step for displaying a map centered on the map, a map range setting step for setting the range of the map, and an external information extraction for extracting the external information located within the map range set by the map range setting step A first display control step of combining an index indicating external information extracted by the external information extraction step with a map in which a range is set by the map range setting step and displaying the composite on the display unit; and the display unit An access step of accessing external information corresponding to the selected indicator when any of the indicators displayed on the map is selected. Range of the map set by the setting step is characterized in that it comprises a second display control step of displaying a menu screen for accessing the internal information when it is in a predetermined range on the display unit.
Furthermore, for the computer of the information access apparatus that can access both the external information located outside the terminal and the internal information located within the terminal, the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 1 are provided. A program for realizing the present invention is provided (the invention according to claim 8).
The invention described in claim 1 described above may be as follows.
The predetermined range is a range in which the map is enlarged to the maximum (the invention according to claim 2).
The map range setting means sets the range of the map corresponding to various virtual altitudes when the terminal is looked down from above with a fixed viewing angle (invention according to claim 3).
The map range setting means sets the range of the map corresponding to various viewing angles when the terminal is looked down from above at a certain virtual altitude (the invention according to claim 4).
The invention described in claim 3 described above may be as follows.
The predetermined range is a range corresponding to a minimum altitude among the various virtual altitudes (the invention according to claim 5).
The invention described in claim 4 described above may be as follows.
The predetermined range is a range corresponding to a minimum viewing angle among the various viewing angles (the invention according to claim 6).

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily access desired information without taking time and effort while grasping the overall image of the information.

1 is a conceptual overall configuration diagram of an embodiment. It is a conceptual block diagram of the terminals 6-8 and the servers 2-5. It is a conceptual diagram of map information. It is a conceptual diagram of a position information table and a web document table. It is the figure which conceptualized the technical idea of embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows another image of the technical idea of embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the relationship between altitude and information. It is a schematic diagram of inside / outside information switching. It is a figure (1/2) which shows the conceptual flow of the control program performed with the control part 12 of the own terminal 6. FIG. It is a figure (2/2) which shows the conceptual flow of the control program performed with the control part 12 of the own terminal 6. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the wide range map screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the middle range map screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the small range map screen. It is a figure which shows the menu screen for accessing internal information. It is a figure which shows the usage example of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the change method (the 1, 2, 3) of a map scale. It is a figure which shows the change method (the 4, 5, 6) of a map scale. It is a figure which shows the change method (the 7, 8, 9) of a map scale. It is a figure which shows the technique which can be used when not showing the figure which shows the taking-in modification of external information, and the various information icons currently displayed on the map.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration>
First, the configuration will be described.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual overall configuration diagram of the embodiment. In this figure, a network 1 is a communication path for transmitting data exchanged between servers 2-5 and terminals 6-8. For this network 1, for example, a packet communication system, that is, a system in which data is subdivided into units called packets and a source and destination address are attached to each packet for communication can be used. The network 1 may be an aggregate of various networks. In this case, a data distribution device called a router for distributing the above-described packet by address may be provided at a connection location (node) of each network. . Since the representative of the network 1 in such an aggregate format is the Internet today, the network 1 is also treated as being the Internet in this embodiment.

  The servers 2 to 5 each provide predetermined services to the terminals 6 to 8 connected to the network 1. For example, the servers 2 to 5 provide map information or one terminal (one of the terminals 6 to 8). ) Provide location information of other terminals (for example, those obtained using GPS satellites 9), or provide web documents such as documents and images, as well as email services and other Or provide services. Although only four servers 2 to 5 are shown in the figure, this is merely a convenience for avoiding congestion in the drawing. In reality, a large number (uncountable) of servers are connected to the network 1.

  Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the server 2 provides “map information”, the server 3 provides “location information”, and the servers 4 and 5 provide “web documents”, as necessary. In other words, the map information server 2, the position information server 3, and the web document servers 4 and 5. Note that, as described above, the types of servers connected to the network 1 are not limited to this, and there are various types such as mail servers. Therefore, the types of servers (providing map information, providing location information) (Providing web documents) is merely an example for explanation.

  Here, the illustrated terminals 6 to 8 represent some of a large number of terminals connected to the network 1, and for convenience of explanation, the terminals 6 are assumed to be “own terminals” owned by the own user, The other terminals 7 and 8 are assumed to be “other terminals” owned by other users. In this case, the user of the terminal 6 can request a desired service from the map information server 2, the position information server 3, the web document servers 4, 5, etc., as necessary. That is, map information can be acquired, position information of other terminals 7 and 8 can be acquired, or an arbitrary web document can be acquired.

  In addition, although the terminal 6-8 of illustration shows the information terminal (for example, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, etc.) which performs wireless communication between the wireless base stations 1a-1c connected to the network 1, this is shown. It is not limited to. For example, an information terminal such as a wired connection personal computer may be used. In this case, the personal computer and the network 1 are connected via a communication path such as an optical fiber or a wired connection device (such as an exchange or a router).

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual configuration diagram of the terminals 6 to 8 and the servers 2 to 5. As shown to (a), the terminals 6-8 are the communication part 10 which performs data communication with the network 1 at least, the position detection parts 11, such as GPS (Global Positioning System: Global Positioning System), and the terminals 6-8. 8, a program control system control unit 12 composed of a computer that controls the overall operation of the computer 8 and its peripheral circuits, a program storage unit 13 that stores a control program executed by the control unit 12, and stores arbitrary data The data storage unit 14 includes an operation unit 15 having various operation keys, a display unit 16 preferably having a touch panel such as a liquid crystal display, and a power supply unit 17 having a battery.

  Further, as shown in (b), the servers 2 to 5 are composed of at least a communication unit 20 that performs data communication with the network 1, a computer that controls the overall operation of the servers 2 to 5, and its peripheral circuits. A control unit 21 of a program control system, a program storage unit 22 for storing a control program executed by the control unit 21, data corresponding to service contents (map information in the server 2, and in the server 3 A data storage unit 23 for storing position information and a web document in the case of servers 4 and 5, an operation unit 24 having various operation keys, and a display unit 25 including a liquid crystal display. Yes.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the map information held in the server 2. This map information 30 covers the map information of each scale range from a wide range map such as a world map to a narrow range map such as a city map. This map information 30 may change each scale range step by step, or may change it continuously. In addition, the map information 30 may be so-called diagram information in which administrative divisions such as countries and regions, roads, and main features are represented by lines, but a real scene map using aerial photographs, satellite photographs, or the like. Alternatively, it may be a combination of them, for example, a composite diagram of a diagram and a real scene.

  A plurality of star symbols 31 to 37 written on the map information 30 are position information indexes shown as an example of the description. These position information indicators may be, for example, the black star symbol 31 as the current position of the terminal 6 and the white star symbols 32 to 37 as the current positions of the other terminals 7 and 8 and other terminals. Alternatively, the position information index indicated by the star symbols 31 to 37 may be the position (domain address) of the web document.

  FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the position information table held in the server 3 and the web document table held in the servers 4 and 5. First, as shown in (a), the position information table 38 includes a terminal ID field 38a and a position information field 38b, and the terminal ID field 38a stores the unique identification information (terminal numbers, etc.) of the terminals 6-8. At the same time, the position information field 38b stores the position information notified from each of the terminals 6 to 8 regularly or irregularly (detected by the position detecting unit 11: here, GPS information such as latitude and longitude). .

  Further, as shown in (b), the web document table 39 includes an information ID field 39a, an information type field 39b, and a position information field 39c. The information ID field 39a contains unique identification information (URL or the like) of the web document. ), The type of the web document (type of document or image) is stored in the information type field 39b, and the position information of the web document is stored in the position information field 39c.

  Here, “location information” of a web document refers to physical location information calculated from a unified resource location specifier such as a URL. That is, generally, a unified resource location specifier such as a URL has a character string structure of “scheme” + “domain” + “path name”, and a character string such as “aaa.co.jp”. Since the location of the actual computer name is managed and disclosed by a public organization (JPNIC in Japan), this domain location can be used as “location information of a web document”.

  Now, the technical problem in this embodiment is that it is easy and easy to grasp the overall picture of the information when selecting and using a wide variety of information widely distributed around us. It is to make it possible to access desired information. In other words, “logical tree structure”, one of the existing information access methods, searches the desired information by grasping the overall picture of the information by tracing the menu hierarchy from the top to the bottom. However, the “logical tree structure” has the disadvantage that the hierarchy becomes deeper in proportion to the amount of information, and what is required before reaching the desired information. There is a problem that it is troublesome and troublesome because the stage needs to follow the hierarchy.

  The present embodiment is intended to solve this problem. In short, in addition to the above two problems (understanding the overall image of information and accessing desired information), it is intended to reduce the effort. It is a problem.

FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptualizing the technical idea of the embodiment. In this figure, it is assumed that the user 40 carrying the terminal 6 is located at a certain point P1 on the earth. Assuming a case where the user 40 is looked down at a certain viewing angle α from a plurality of different altitudes (for example, low altitude H1, medium altitude H2, and high altitude H3) above the user 40, from the low altitude H1. The field of view (the size of the visible range) is within a circle with a radius R1 centered on the current position (point P1) of the user 40, and the field of view from the medium altitude H2 is within a circle with a radius R2 that is greater than the radius R1. The field of view from H3 is within a circle of radius R3 that is greater than radius R2, and eventually the field of view from each altitude is “π (R1) ² ” for H1, “π (R2) ² ” for H2, and H3. In this case, the magnitude is “π (R3) ² ”. Where π is the circumference ratio.

Accordingly, since the relationship of “π (R1) ² ” <“π (R2) ² ” <“π (R3) ² ” is satisfied, the medium altitude is higher than the field of view from the low altitude H1 (for convenience, the low altitude field of view). The field of view from H2 (for convenience, referred to as a medium altitude field of view) is increased, and the field of view from high altitude H3 (for convenience, referred to as a high altitude field of view) is further increased. The amount of information included in the field of view and the high altitude field of view is larger in the medium altitude field than in the low altitude field, and more in the high altitude field than in the medium altitude field.

  This relationship between altitude and visual field is well realized in daily life, and a typical example is the image in the brain when viewing a map. In other words, many people have an image of looking down from a high position in the sky when viewing a wide area map, and having an image with a lowered viewpoint altitude when viewing a detailed map such as a city map. This is because the task of finding the target object on a daily basis is performed while changing the scale from the wide area map to the detailed map.

  The inventors focused on the fact that such an image can be held by both men and women without special training. By using this image, anyone can easily and intuitively operate information access that is easy to use. I was able to provide an interface for

  In the above description, an example of looking down from several altitudes (H1, H2, H3) at a constant viewing angle α is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. This is because the image when changing the scale of the map includes, for example, another image of “changing the viewing angle with a constant altitude” (an image like a so-called camera zoom lens).

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing another image. Also in this figure, it is assumed that the user 40 carrying the terminal 6 is located at a certain point P1 on the earth. The difference from FIG. 5 is a bird's-eye view from a certain altitude H4 above the user 40 at several viewing angles (also referred to as angle of view; for example, a small viewing angle α1, a medium viewing angle α2, and a large viewing angle α3). In the point.

Here, the field of view with a small viewing angle α1 (the size of the visible range) is within a circle with a radius R1 centered on the current position (point P1) of the user 40, and the field of view with a middle viewing angle α2 is a radius R2 larger than the radius R1. And a field of view with a large viewing angle α3 within a circle with a radius R3 larger than the radius R2, the field of view from the altitude H4 is “π (R1) ² ” in the case of the small viewing angle α1, and the medium viewing angle α2. In this case, the magnitude is “π (R2) ² ”, and in the case of the large viewing angle α3, the magnitude is “π (R3) ² ”. Therefore, as in FIG. 5, “π (R1) ² ” <“π (R2)”. ² ”<“ π (R3) ² ”.

  Therefore, even in the case of having another image of “changing the viewing angle to α1 to α3 with a constant altitude H4” as shown in FIG. 6, that in FIG. 5, that is, with a constant viewing angle α. Since it can have the same feeling as when looking down from several altitudes (H1, H2, H3), you may design the information access interface according to any image (Figs. 5 and 6). .

  In this embodiment, a design example using the image of FIG. 5 is disclosed for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between altitude and information. In this figure, a double-ended arrow line 41 on the left side of the drawing represents an altitude axis, and the double-ended arrow line 41 has a high altitude as it goes up and a low altitude as it goes down. Represents the minimum altitude (H0). Here, this “minimum altitude” does not mean an exact value (zero altitude above sea level). “Minimum altitude” corresponds to the lowest end of the map range axis located on the right side of the line with double-ended arrows 41 (the one with a double-ended arrow line 42 becomes wider as it goes up and becomes narrower as it goes down). Yes. That is, the minimum altitude (H0) only needs to correspond to the scale of the most detailed map. In short, when the map scale is maximized (the most detailed map), the altitude index of the double-ended arrow line 41 is It only has to be “H0”. In the case of another image in FIG. 6, the minimum altitude (H0) is read as the viewing angle at which the narrowest range can be seen, that is, the minimum viewing angle.

  Here, the altitude index (H0) indicated by a double-ended arrow line 41 is used as a switching boundary between internal information and external information. The internal information refers to information located (existing) inside the own terminal 6, and the external information refers to information located (existing) outside the own terminal 6. For example, the external information is stored in the map information held in the data storage unit 23 of the server 2, the position information held in the data storage unit 23 of the server 3, or the data storage unit 23 of the servers 4 and 5. The internal information is a variety of information stored in the data storage unit 14 of the terminal 6 (documents, images, files such as music, information such as phone books, address books, etc.) It is.

  As can be seen from this figure, the map range can be changed stepwise or steplessly by changing the viewpoint altitude, and the desired information can be accessed while displaying a list of information contained in those map ranges. can do. In addition, according to this schematic diagram, not only access to external information but also internal information of the terminal 6 can be accessed at a predetermined altitude (H0). It is possible to obtain a special effect of eliminating the wall and seamlessly accessing both pieces of information.

  That is, in the conventional information access interface, for example, the “logical tree structure” described at the beginning, it is necessary to provide an external information access interface and an internal information access interface (menu) separately. When switching from to internal information or vice versa, the menu must be changed each time, which is troublesome and cumbersome.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the viewpoint altitude is higher than H0, it is possible to switch to external information, and when it is lower than H0, it is possible to switch to internal information. This makes it possible to seamlessly access internal and external information without having to be more conscious of whether it is internal or internal), and in the end there is no need for conventional menu switching operations, thus reducing labor. And improve usability.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the inside / outside information switching. In this figure, a circle 43 indicates a field of view at a high altitude H3, and a concentric hatched small circle 44 located near the center of the circle 43 represents internal information. The portion excluding the small circle 44 in the area of the circle 43 represents the map range, and the map range becomes narrower as the viewpoint altitude decreases (H3 → H2, H2 → H1). Further, when the viewpoint altitude is lower than H0, the circle 43 is moved to the inside of the small circle 44, whereby the information access destination is switched from the external information to the internal information of the own terminal 6. .

<Action>
Next, the operation will be described.
9 and 10 are diagrams showing a conceptual flow of a control program executed by the control unit 12 of the own terminal 6. In this figure, when the control program is started, first, the display range (scale) of the map displayed on the display unit 16 of the own terminal 6 is determined (step S1). The display range of the map immediately after the start of the program is a predetermined initial value, and this initial value may be, for example, a system setting value (a fixed scale or a scale set in advance by the user), or the previous display The scale at the end of the program may be used.

  When the display range of the map is determined, next, the map information of the display range is read from the server 2 (step S2), and various information located in the map range is further extracted (step S3). Here, “extraction of various information” refers to obtaining necessary information from services available to the user 40 of the terminal 6 among various services provided on the network 1. “Required information” refers to information included in the map range determined in step S1. Specifically, when the information to be extracted is, for example, position information of other terminals 7-8. This refers to the position information of the other terminals 7 to 8 located in the map range (position information in the position information table 38 in FIG. 4), or when the information to be extracted is a web document, for example, the map. This refers to the position information of the web document whose domain address is included in the range (position information of the web document table 39 in FIG. 4). Various types of information are not limited to these examples (position information of other terminals 7 to 8 and position information of web documents). For example, it may be position information such as an acquaintance calculated from the address of a destination mail address registered in a mail server (not shown).

  Once the various information is extracted, the map information read in step S2 and the various information extracted in step S3 are combined (step S4), and the combined image is displayed on the display unit 16 (step S4). S5).

  Next, whether information on the screen has been selected by the user 40 (step S6), whether the scale of the map has been changed (step S7), or whether the control program has been terminated (step S8) is sequentially looped. Judge by repeating.

  Then, if the control program end operation is performed, the program is immediately ended, or if information selection is performed, the access to the selected information is executed (step S9), and then the program is ended. Alternatively, when the scale of the map is changed, first, it is determined whether or not the scale has been changed to the narrowest scale (corresponding to the above-mentioned H0) (step S10). On the other hand, if the determination result is YES, that is, if the scale of the map is changed to the narrowest range corresponding to H0, the internal information of the terminal 6 is accessed. After displaying a predetermined menu screen (step S11), the program is terminated.

  11 to 13 are diagrams showing several map display screens having different scales. For example, FIG. 11 shows an example of the wide-area map screen 45. In the wide-area map screen 45, several information icons 45b to 45f are superimposed and displayed on a map 45a imitating the earth. The information icon 45b in the center of the screen indicates the position of the terminal 6, and the other information icons 45c to 45f indicate the positions of web documents such as news.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the intermediate range map screen 46. In the intermediate range map screen 46, several information icons 46b to 46u are superimposed on the map 46a of the range. The information icon 46b at the center of the screen indicates the position of the own terminal 6, and the other information icons 46c to 46u indicate the position of a message written on a bulletin board or the like, a registrant of a telephone book or mail address list, for example. Yes.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of the small range map screen 47. In this small range map screen 47, several information icons 47b to 47g are superimposed on the map 47a of the range. The information icon 47b in the center of the screen indicates the position of the own terminal 6, and the other information icons 47c to 47g are, for example, messages written on a bulletin board or the like, phone book or mail address list registrants, positions such as landscapes Is shown.

  In addition, the above information icons (things other than the position of the own terminal 6) are only examples. In addition, the map screens of large, medium, and small scales (large range map screen 45, medium range map screen 46, and small range map screen 47) are shown here, but this is only an example. It may be a map with a more multi-scale scale, or a map in which the scale is continuously changed.

  “Access to the selected information” in step S9 is a display of various information icons (other than the position of the own terminal 6) superimposed on these wide-range map screen 45, medium-range map screen 46, or small-range map screen 47. ). For example, when one of the information icons 45c to 45f on the wide-range map screen 45 is selected, it is possible to access predetermined information associated with the icon. For example, if the information is a web document such as news, the news is displayed. I can read it. Alternatively, when any one of the information icons 46c to 46u on the intermediate range map screen 46 is selected, predetermined information associated with the icon can be accessed. For example, if the information is a message written on a bulletin board, a message is displayed. Can read. Alternatively, when any one of the information icons 47c to 47g on the small range map screen 47 is selected, predetermined information associated with the icon can be accessed. For example, if the information is information on a landscape, You can read the detailed explanation.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, various information icons are superimposed and displayed on the map of each scale set corresponding to the virtual viewpoint height, and when an arbitrary information icon is selected, Since the information associated with the icon can be accessed, the location of various information and the access to the information can be efficiently and intuitively performed. It is possible to provide a useful technique that allows users to easily access desired information while grasping the information without trouble.

  In addition, in this embodiment, when the scale of the map is most detailed, that is, when the viewpoint altitude is set to H0 or less, a menu screen for accessing the internal information of the own terminal 6 is opened (see FIG. 10 (see step S11), it is possible to seamlessly switch between the external information located (existing) on the network 1 and the internal information located (existing) inside the terminal 6 itself. It is possible to provide a useful technique capable of easily accessing desired information without taking time and effort.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a menu screen for accessing internal information. In this figure, the menu screen 48 displays various information icons 48b to 48k. For example, the information icon 48b is an image folder icon, the information icon 48c is a music folder icon, the information icon 48d is a memo folder icon, the information icon 48e is a calendar application shortcut icon, the information icon 48f is a timer application shortcut icon, and the information icon 48g is set. The folder icon and information icon 48h are computer application shortcut icons, the information icon 48j is a camera application shortcut icon, and the information icon 48k is a ToDo list application shortcut icon.

  Needless to say, these information icons 48b to 48k are merely examples, but any icon is associated with internal information such as a folder or application located (existing) in the terminal 6 itself. After all, according to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to easily access internal information only by setting the viewpoint altitude to H0 or less, and there is no need to intentionally switch menus as in the prior art. An easy-to-use user interface can be provided.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of use of the present embodiment. In this figure, the upper level shows the virtual viewpoint altitude above the user 40, and the higher the altitude is, the lower the altitude is. The lower row shows the map range corresponding to the viewpoint altitude. The map range becomes wider as the altitude increases, and the map range becomes narrower as the altitude decreases. Further, on the right side of the given altitude (H0) as a boundary, external information located (existing) outside (on the network 1) is superimposed on the map, and on the left side it is located inside the terminal 6 (existing) A menu screen 54 (corresponding to the menu screen 48 in FIG. 14) for accessing internal information is displayed. As understood from this figure, the user 40 can appropriately display various scales of the maps 55 to 61 only by changing the virtual viewpoint altitude, and various types of images superimposed on the maps can be displayed. The user can freely access desired information by selecting an information icon, and can also seamlessly access internal information of the terminal 6 simply by setting the viewpoint altitude to H0 or less. Can be performed without being aware of switching to and from the opposite direction, making it easy to access a wide variety of information regardless of the location of the information (external or internal) It is possible to achieve a special effect that can be performed without taking time and effort.

  In addition, embodiment is not limited to the above description, Various modifications and development examples are included. For example, the following may be used.

<Change of map scale / part 1>
FIG. 16A is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (part 1). As shown in this figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the magnitude of the force for gripping the casing of the terminal 6 itself. For example, the force can be detected by a pressure sensor 62 provided in the housing. If the pressure sensor 62 is provided on the side surface of the housing, the scale of the map can be changed according to the grasping force in the lateral direction with respect to the housing as illustrated. Or you may provide the pressure sensor in the bottom face and upper surface of a housing | casing. In this case, the scale of the map can be changed according to the vertical grasping force with respect to the housing.

<Change of map scale / part 2>
FIG. 16B is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (part 2). As shown in this figure, the scale of the map may be changed in accordance with an operation of moving own terminal 6 toward or away from user 40. Such a change in the position of the own terminal 6 can be performed by, for example, the three-dimensional acceleration sensor 63 provided inside the own terminal 6. Since the three-dimensional acceleration sensor 63 can individually detect the XYZ triaxial acceleration, the movement of the terminal 6 (the movement toward or away from the user 40) can be grasped in real time based on the detected value. Because. Alternatively, when the terminal 6 is equipped with a camera, the user's 40 face is photographed with the camera, and the above movement (movement approaching or moving away from the user 40) is grasped from the change in the size of the face. You may do it.

<Change of map scale / part 3>
FIG. 16C is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (part 3). As shown in this figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the movement of the wrist of the user 40. Such movement can also be detected by the three-dimensional acceleration sensor 63 provided in the terminal 6 itself.

<Change of map scale / part 4>
FIG. 17A is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (No. 4). As shown on the left side of this figure, the scale of the map may be changed by detecting the vertical movement of the terminal 6 or, as shown in the center of this figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the snap of the wrist. Alternatively, as shown on the right side of the figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the movement of the hand held over the terminal 6 itself. The vertical movement of the own terminal 6 and the snap of the wrist can also be detected by the three-dimensional acceleration sensor 63 provided inside the own terminal 6, and the movement of the hand held over the own terminal 6 can be detected by the camera of the own terminal 6. 64 can be detected.

<Change of map scale / part 5>
FIG. 17B is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (No. 5). As shown on the left side of the figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the operation of opening and closing two fingers on the screen of the own terminal 6, or as shown in the center of the figure. The scale of the map may be changed according to the operation of the slider control 65 provided on the screen, or, as shown on the right side of this figure, the “−” button 66 provided on the screen, The scale of the map may be changed according to the operation of the “+” button 67. The movement of the two fingers can be captured from the detection signal of the touch panel 68 of the display unit 16, and the slider control 65, the "-" button 66, and the "+" button 67 are used for general basic programs (operating system). Therefore, the interface screen should be designed appropriately using these components.

<Change of map scale / Part 6>
FIG. 17C is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (No. 6). In the map scale changing method (part 1), the scale of the map is changed in accordance with the magnitude of the force for gripping the casing of the terminal 6; The scale of the map is changed according to the grip part of the case. For example, the map is enlarged when the upper part of the casing is grasped, and the map is reduced when the lower part is grasped. In this figure, there are two places, the upper part and the lower part of the housing, but the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it does not matter if there are more than two.

<Change of map scale / part 7>
FIG. 18A is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (No. 7). As shown on the left side of this figure, the scale of the map may be changed according to the number of touches on the screen of the terminal 6 itself. For example, it may be enlarged (or reduced) by a predetermined amount each time it is touched, and inverted (enlarged → reduced / reduced / reduced → enlarged) when reaching the upper limit value (lower limit value of reduction). Alternatively, as shown on the right side of the figure, the scale of the map may be changed in accordance with the number of impacts applied to the terminal 6, and in this case, each time an impact is applied, the map is enlarged (or reduced) by a predetermined amount. The image may be reversed (enlarged → reduced / reduced / reduced → enlarged) when the upper limit value of expansion (lower limit value of reduction) is reached. Alternatively, the map may be enlarged or reduced according to the touch or impact rhythm.

<Change of map scale / Part 8>
FIG. 18B is a diagram showing a map scale changing method (No. 8). As shown on the left side of the figure, the scale of the map may be changed in accordance with the movement of a slide type mechanical button (slide button 69) provided on the side of the terminal 6, or As shown on the right side, the scale of the map may be changed according to the pressing operation of two push buttons (“+” button 70 and “−” button 71) provided on the side surface of the terminal 6 itself.

<Change of map scale / No. 9>
FIG.18 (c) is a figure which shows the map scale change method (the 9). As shown in this figure, when the terminal 6 has a voice recognition function, the scale of the map may be changed according to the voice instruction of the user 40.

<Importing external information>
FIGS. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing a modification example of taking in external information. In the previous embodiment, external information is taken in via the network 1, but when the terminal 6 is equipped with a camera, it is possible to take in external information around it using that camera. For example, when there is a signboard or the like displaying a QR code (registered trademark) nearby, the external information included in the QR code (registered trademark) is captured in the terminal 6 by photographing the signboard with a camera. Can be captured. Alternatively, character information can be taken out from a camera image using OCR technology, and the character information can be taken in as external information. (A) is a normal use state before taking in external information, (b) is a startup state diagram of the camera when taking in external information. The camera is activated by changing the posture of the terminal 6 as in (a) to (b), and QR code (registered trademark) and characters can be photographed.

<Hiding information icons>
FIG. 19B is a diagram showing a technique that can be used when various information icons displayed on the map are hidden. As shown in this figure, the information icon may be hidden when the terminal 6 is shaken lightly. The operation of shaking the terminal 6 lightly is as if the information icon is thrown away, and can be an intuitive operation. In the figure, the information icon 72 is depicted as popping out from the terminal 6, but this is for the convenience of illustration and merely represents the above image (throw away) conceptually.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the map information is acquired from the server 2 on the network 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, you may use what was previously hold | maintained at the data storage part 14 of the own terminal 6. FIG.

6 Self-terminal 10 Communication unit (external information extraction means, access means)
12 control unit (access means, computer, first display control means, second display control means)
15 Operation part (map range setting means)
16 Display section (map display means)
α, α1, α2, α3 Viewing angle H0 Minimum altitude H1, H2, H3, H4 Virtual altitude S1 step (map range setting process)
S3 step (external information extraction process)
S4 step (first display control step)
S5 Step (Map display process)
S9 step (access process)
S11 step (second display control step)

Claims (8)

In an information access apparatus comprising an access means capable of accessing both external information located outside the terminal and internal information located within the terminal,
The access means is:
A map display means for displaying a map centered on its own terminal;
Map range setting means for setting the range of the map;
External information extraction means for extracting the external information located within the map range set by the map range setting means;
First display control means for combining the index indicating the external information extracted by the external information extraction means with the map whose range is set by the map range setting means and displaying it on the display unit;
Access means for accessing external information corresponding to the selected indicator when any of the indicators displayed on the display unit is selected;
Furthermore, a second display control unit is provided for causing the display unit to display a menu screen for accessing the internal information when the map range set by the map range setting unit reaches a predetermined range. An information access device.   The information access apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is a range in which the map is enlarged to the maximum.   The information access device according to claim 1, wherein the map range setting unit sets the range of the map corresponding to various virtual altitudes when the terminal is viewed from above with a constant viewing angle. .   The information access device according to claim 1, wherein the map range setting means sets the range of the map corresponding to various viewing angles when the terminal is viewed from the sky at a certain virtual altitude. .   The information access apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined range is a range corresponding to a minimum altitude among the various virtual altitudes.   The information access apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined range is a range corresponding to a minimum viewing angle among the various viewing angles. In an information access method including an access step capable of accessing both external information located outside the own terminal and internal information located within the own terminal,
The access step includes
A map display process for displaying a map centered on the terminal,
A map range setting step for setting the range of the map;
An external information extraction step for extracting the external information located within the map range set by the map range setting step;
A first display control step of combining the index indicating the external information extracted by the external information extraction step with the map in which the range is set by the map range setting step and displaying the composite on the display unit;
An access step of accessing external information corresponding to the selected indicator when any of the indicators displayed on the display unit is selected,
And a second display control step of causing the display unit to display a menu screen for accessing the internal information when the map range set by the map range setting step becomes a predetermined range. Characteristic information access method. To the computer of the information access device that can access both external information located outside the terminal and internal information located within the terminal ,
A map display means for displaying a map centered on its own terminal;
Map range setting means for setting the range of the map;
External information extraction means for extracting the external information located within the map range set by the map range setting means;
First display control means for combining the index indicating the external information extracted by the external information extraction means with the map whose range is set by the map range setting means and displaying it on the display unit;
Access means for accessing external information corresponding to the selected indicator when any of the indicators displayed on the display unit is selected;
Implementing a function as second display control means for displaying on the display unit a menu screen for accessing the internal information when the map range set by the map range setting means reaches a predetermined range. Program for.

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