JP6174951B2 - Terminal device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device that outputs a character corresponding to an area visited by a user.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an in-vehicle navigation device that searches for a route to a destination set by a user has been developed (see Non-Patent Document 1).

“Easy Navi”, [online], Pioneer Corporation, [Search July 5, 2013], Internet [URL; http://pioneer.jp/carrozzeria/rakunavi/]

  In the conventional navigation device, the local character corresponding to the current area cannot be output according to the current area to which the current position belongs.

  The terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention stores at least one character management information that is information in which region information that is information indicating a region and a character image that is an image indicating a character corresponding to the region are associated with each other. A character management information storage unit, a current position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information indicating the current position, and a region that corresponds to the current position indicated by the current position information and that indicates the current region that includes the current position A character image acquisition unit that acquires a character image associated with the information from the character management information storage unit; a reception unit that receives an output instruction that is an instruction to output current region related information that is information related to the current region; The terminal device includes an output unit that outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the current region related information according to the output instruction.

  With such a configuration, a local character corresponding to the current area can be output according to the current area to which the current position belongs. As a result, the user can visually know which area the current area is or can know the local character corresponding to the current area.

  Further, the terminal device of the second aspect of the invention is a visit in which one or more pieces of visit area information, which is information indicating a visit area, which is an area that the user has visited in the past, is stored with respect to the first invention. The character information acquisition unit further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the current region is the visit region using the visit region information and the current position information. If the character image is associated with the region information indicating the current region from the character management information storage unit, and the output unit acquires the character image Is a terminal device that outputs a character image together with current region information according to the output instruction, and outputs current region related information according to the output instruction when the character image acquisition unit does not acquire the character image.

  With this configuration, if the current region is a region that has been visited in the past, the local character corresponding to the region is output, and if not, the local character corresponding to the region is output. You can turn off the output. Thereby, it is possible to promote the visit of the user to various regions for the purpose of outputting the local character.

  Further, in the terminal device according to the third aspect of the present invention, with respect to the first or second aspect, the reception unit receives destination information indicating a destination, is information indicating a map, and is one or more indicating roads. A route from the current position to the destination is searched using the map information storage unit that stores the map information that includes road information, the map information, the current position information, and the destination information received by the reception unit. A route search unit that acquires route information indicating the route, the character image acquisition unit acquires a character image associated with the region information indicating the current region from the character management information storage unit, and the output unit The terminal device outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the route information.

  With such a configuration, a local character corresponding to the current region can be output in accordance with a change in the current region accompanying traveling on the route. In addition, this allows the user to know which region the user is traveling from by the output character.

  Further, in the terminal device of the fourth aspect of the invention, in contrast to the third aspect of the invention, the output unit changes the character indicated by the character image being output and the character indicated by the acquired character image every time the current region changes. Is a terminal device that outputs the acquired character image so that and are interchanged.

  With such a configuration, a local character corresponding to the current region can be output in accordance with a change in the current region accompanying traveling on the route. In addition, this allows the user to know that the area in which the vehicle is traveling has changed by changing the character.

  Further, in the terminal device according to the fifth aspect of the invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the invention, the output unit acquires the character image acquisition unit at a position on the map corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information. A terminal device that outputs a character image.

  With such a configuration, a local character corresponding to the current region can be output in accordance with a change in the current region accompanying traveling on the route. In addition, this allows the user to know which region the user is traveling from by the output character.

  The terminal device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention provides a character management information storage for receiving the character management information and the character management information received by the reception unit for any one of the first to fifth inventions. The terminal device further includes a storage unit for storing in the unit.

  With such a configuration, character management information can be received and stored. Thereby, the user can add a character image relatively easily.

  The terminal device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention provides the terminal device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the character image acquisition unit has two or more regions when there are two or more region information indicating the current region. This is a terminal device that acquires, from the character management information storage unit, a character image associated with regional information that satisfies a predetermined condition among the information.

  With such a configuration, when the current region overlaps, a local character corresponding to one region that satisfies a predetermined condition can be output.

  The terminal device of the eighth invention is a terminal device in which the predetermined condition is that the area range indicated by the area information is the smallest with respect to the seventh invention.

  With such a configuration, when the current region overlaps, the local character corresponding to the one region having the smallest range can be output.

  In the terminal device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, with respect to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the reception unit receives application output information that is information output by an output application that is an application that outputs information. An output application storage unit in which one or more output applications are stored; and a regional information acquisition unit that acquires regional information from the application output information received by the reception unit. The character image associated with the same region information as the acquired region information is acquired from the character management information storage unit, and the output unit is a terminal device that outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit on the screen. .

  With such a configuration, the local character can be output according to the information output by the application.

  Further, in the terminal device of the tenth invention, the character management information corresponds to any one of the first to ninth inventions, the area information, the character image, and the dialect type information indicating the dialect type. The character image acquisition unit also acquires dialect type information associated with the character image together with the character image, and when the current region related information output by the output unit has text or sound, It further includes a dialect conversion unit that converts text or voice into a dialect of the type indicated by the dialect type information acquired by the character image acquisition unit, and the output unit is a terminal device that outputs information converted by the dialect conversion unit.

  With such a configuration, the information to be output can be output in the dialect of the local character. In addition, this makes it possible to show the local character of the local character prominently.

  According to the terminal device or the like according to the present invention, a local character corresponding to the current region can be output according to the current region to which the current position belongs.

Block diagram of terminal device 1 in the first embodiment Flow chart for explaining the overall operation of the terminal device 1 Flowchart explaining the determination process of whether or not the current region is a visited region The flowchart explaining the acquisition process of the area name information The figure which shows the example of the same character management information The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the example of the visit area information The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the example of the same application output information The figure which shows the output example of the same character image The figure which shows the output example of the same character image Block diagram of the terminal device 2 Block diagram of the terminal device 3 Overview of the computer system in the above embodiment Block diagram of a computer system in the above embodiment

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a terminal device and the like according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again. In addition, the format, content, and the like of each information described in this embodiment are merely examples, and the format, content, and the like are not limited as long as the meaning of each information can be indicated.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, a terminal device 1 that outputs a local character corresponding to a current area according to the current area to which the current position of the user belongs will be described. Here, the “current area” is an area corresponding to the current position and includes the current position.

  Note that the terminal device 1 in the present embodiment is, for example, a so-called car navigation system or a portable terminal having a navigation function.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a terminal device 1 in the present embodiment. The terminal device 1 includes a character management information storage unit 101, a visited area information storage unit 102, a map information storage unit 103, an output application storage unit 104, a current position information acquisition unit 105, a reception unit 106, a route search unit 107, and a determination unit 108. A regional information acquisition unit 109, a character image acquisition unit 110, a dialect conversion unit 111, an output unit 112, a reception unit 113, and a storage unit 114.

  The character management information storage unit 101 stores one or more character management information. “Character management information” is information for managing a character image that is an image showing a character corresponding to a region. “Character management information” is information in which regional information is associated with a character image.

  The “character” is a so-called mascot character. Further, the “character corresponding to the region” is a so-called “local character” or a so-called “Yuru character”. Further, the “character image” is preferably an image in which the character has movement (animation), for example.

  The “region information” is information indicating a region. “Region” usually means a prefecture, a municipality, a region, a district, or the like. The “region information” usually includes region name information indicating the name of the region and one or more region position information indicating the position of the region. The “region information” may include only one of region name information and region position information.

  “Regional name information” is, for example, information indicating a prefecture name, a city name, a locality name, a district name, and the like. “Regional location information” is location information indicating the location of the region. The “position” is usually longitude and latitude, but may be coordinates on a map. The “position” may include, for example, altitude (height). Further, the “regional position” is usually a region range. Accordingly, the area range is indicated by one or more pieces of area position information included in the area information.

  In addition, the “region information” may include, for example, region address information indicating an address included in the region, region identification information that is information for identifying the region, region commentary information indicating a description of the region, and the like. Moreover, the number of local address information is usually 1 or more. The “region information” may be associated with information for identifying the region information, for example.

  The “character management information” may include dialect type information indicating the type of dialect, for example. In this case, the “dialect type information” indicates the type of dialect used in the area indicated by the area information included in the character management information.

  The “character management information” may include character name information indicating the name of the character, for example.

  The visited area information storage unit 102 stores one or more visited area information. “Visit area information” is information indicating a visited area, which is an area the user has visited in the past. The “visit area information” is usually area information. The “visit area information” may be information for identifying area information, for example.

  In addition, in the visited area information storage unit 102, for example, one or more pieces of visited position information may be stored. The “visit position information” is information indicating a visit position, which is a position that the user has visited in the past. The “visit position information” is usually position information.

In addition, a procedure for storing one or more pieces of visit area information in the visit area information storage unit 102 is as follows, for example.
(1) A visited area information acquisition unit (not shown) acquires area information indicating an area including a position indicated by current position information acquired by a current position information acquisition unit 105 described later.
(2) The accumulation unit 114 described later accumulates the area information acquired in (1) in the visited area information storage unit 102 as visited area information.

  In (1) above, the visited area information acquisition unit holds, for example, one or more pieces of area information. Then, the visited area information acquisition unit determines whether any of the areas indicated by the one or more pieces of area information includes the current position indicated by the current position information. Then, the visited area information acquisition unit acquires area information indicating an area determined to include the current position.

  In the above, the area information to be determined and acquired may be, for example, one or more area information stored in the character management information storage unit 101. Moreover, the said area information may be one or more area information which the map information stored in the map information storage part 103 has, for example.

  In addition, the visited area information acquisition unit normally acquires area information indicating the current area every time the current area changes. That is, the visited area information acquisition unit determines, for example, whether or not the current area is different from the previous current area. If they are different, area information indicating the current area is acquired.

  In (2) above, the area information accumulated by the accumulation unit 114 in the visited area information storage unit 102 is, for example, the area acquired by the determination unit 108 or the character image acquisition unit 110 described later as area information indicating the current area. It may be information.

In addition, a procedure for storing one or more pieces of visit position information in the visit area information storage unit 102 is, for example, as follows.
(1) The storage unit 114 described later stores the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition unit 105 described later in the visited area information storage unit 102 as visit position information.

  The map information storage unit 103 stores map information indicating a map. The type of map indicated by the “map information” and the data format of the “map information” are not limited.

  The “map information” usually includes one or more road information indicating roads. “Road information” includes, for example, information indicating the name of the road, the type of road, and the positions of both ends of the road. The “road information” includes, for example, a road score, information for identifying a road, and the like. The “score” is usually a “cost” used for route search. The “road information” may be associated with information for identifying road information.

  The “map information” may include one or more pieces of area information, for example.

  The “map information” may include one or more pieces of point information indicating points on the map, for example. The type of the “point” does not matter. The “point” is, for example, a tourist attraction, a park, a theme park, a landmark, a station, or the like. Further, the “point” may be, for example, an end point of a road. The “point information” includes at least position information indicating the position of the point. Further, the “point information” may include information indicating the name of the point, the type of the point, and the like. The “point information” may include information for identifying a point, for example. Further, the “point information” may be associated with information for identifying the point information.

  The output application storage unit 104 stores one or more output applications. An “output application” is an application that outputs information. An “application” is software called an application program or application software. Further, “application” is hereinafter referred to as “application” as appropriate. In addition, the “output application” may be any application as long as it is an application that outputs some information. The “output application” is, for example, a web browser application, a map application, a music playback application, or the like.

  Further, the information output by the “output application” is hereinafter referred to as “application output information” as appropriate. The format of “application output information” is preferably a character (text), but may be a voice.

  The current position information acquisition unit 105 acquires current position information indicating the current position. The current position information is position information indicating the current position. The current position information acquisition unit 105 normally acquires current position information regularly. The current position information acquisition unit 105 acquires current position information from a satellite navigation system (such as a GPS receiver) or a device that receives position information from a base station for mobile communication. In this case, the current position information acquisition unit 105 may have these devices or may be realized by these devices. The processing procedure of the current position information acquisition unit 105 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM.

  The accepting unit 106 accepts an output instruction. The “output instruction” is an instruction to output current region related information. Further, the “output instruction” may be an instruction for finally outputting the current region related information by the output unit 112 described later. Further, the “output instruction” may be an instruction for starting an output application, for example.

  The “current region related information” includes, for example, map information indicating a map of the current region, region commentary information indicating a description of the current region, route information indicating a route passing through the current region, and contents of the route guidance. Is route guidance information or the like. The “current region related information” is normally stored in a predetermined storage area.

  Moreover, the reception part 106 receives the destination information which shows a destination, for example. “Destination information” is information indicating a destination. “Destination information” is usually position information, but may be point information.

  Moreover, the reception part 106 receives application output information, for example. The application output information is usually application output information output by one or more output applications stored in the output application storage unit 104.

  In addition, the reception unit 106 may receive a route search instruction, for example. The “route search instruction” is an instruction to search for a route from the current position to the destination. In this case, the “route search instruction” usually has destination information. That is, the reception unit 106 may receive destination information by receiving a route search instruction, for example. Further, the “route search instruction” may be considered as an output instruction for outputting route information, for example.

  In addition, the reception unit 106 may receive, for example, a power-on instruction or a power-off instruction. When the receiving unit 106 receives these instructions, the terminal device 1 normally performs processing according to the received instructions.

  Acceptance refers to acquisition of information input from an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard, acquisition of information stored in a recording medium such as an optical disk, magnetic disk, or semiconductor memory, via a wired or wireless communication line. It is a concept that includes reception of information transmitted in the same manner.

  Further, the input means such as information and instructions in the receiving unit 106 may be anything such as a menu screen or a keyboard. The receiving unit 106 can be realized by control software for a menu screen, a device driver for input means such as a keyboard, and the like.

  The route search unit 107 searches for a route from the current position indicated by the current position information to the destination indicated by the destination information using the map information, the current position information, and the destination information. Then, the route search unit 107 acquires route information indicating the route.

  Specifically, the route search unit 107 normally applies current position information and destination information to map information. “Applying the current position information to the map information” means that the position on the map indicated by the current position information is set as the departure place. “Applying destination information to map information” means that a point on the map indicated by the destination information is set as the destination. The route search unit 107 searches for a route from the departure point to the destination. At this time, the route search unit 107 normally uses the score of the road information included in the map information as the cost of the route. In this case, the route search unit 107 normally searches for a route having the minimum score.

  In addition, the route information includes, for example, one or more pieces of position information indicating a position through which the route passes. Further, the route information includes, for example, point information indicating one or more points on the route. The route information includes road information indicating roads that connect one or more positions or points, for example.

  Note that the route search usually uses a solution (algorithm) of the shortest route problem. “Solving the shortest path problem” is, for example, the Dijkstra method or the A * algorithm. Since these solutions are well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Further, since the method and procedure for acquiring the route information are well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area. “Determining whether or not the current area is a visited area” means determining whether or not the current area is an area where the user has visited in the past. In other words, the determination is to determine whether or not the current position is a position within the visited area.

Further, the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current position is the visited region by a different method according to the information stored in the visited region information storage unit 102, for example.
(A) When visiting area information is stored in the visiting area information storage unit 102 (B) When visiting position information is stored in the visiting area information storage unit 102

In the case of (A), the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area by one of the following methods, for example.
(A1) Method of specifying the current region (A2) Method of not specifying the current region

In the case of (B), the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area by one of the following methods, for example.
(B1) Method of specifying the visited area (B2) Method of not specifying the visited area

Method (A1): This method is a method for specifying a current area that is an area corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information. “Identify the current area” is to acquire area information indicating the current area. The method (A1) uses character management information, visited area information, and current position information. The specific procedure of the method (A1) is, for example, as follows.
(1) It is determined whether any of the areas indicated by the one or more pieces of area information included in the character management information includes the current position.
(2) The area information indicating the area determined to include the current position in (1) is acquired from the character management information storage unit 101. The area information is area information indicating the current area.
(3) It is determined whether or not the same area information as the area information acquired in (2) is stored in the visited area information storage unit 102.
(4) In (3), when the same area information as the area information acquired in (2) is stored in the visited area information storage unit 102, it is determined that the current area is the visited area, otherwise If so, determine that the current area is not the visited area.

  In (1) above, the determination unit 108 may use, for example, one or more pieces of area information included in the map information instead of one or more pieces of area information included in the character management information. In this case, in (2) above, the determination unit 108 acquires area information indicating the current area from the map information.

  In (1) above, it is assumed that the current position information is, for example, “(N34.1112, E135.1112)”. The area information is, for example, “(N34.111, E135.1111), (N34.1111, E135.1114), (N34.1113, E135.1114), (N34.1113, E135.111)”. Suppose there is. In such a case, the determination unit 108 determines that the area indicated by the area information includes the position indicated by the current position information.

  In (1) above, it is assumed that the current position information is, for example, “(N34.1155, E135.1166)”. The area information is, for example, “(N34.111, E135.1111), (N34.1111, E135.1114), (N34.1113, E135.1114), (N34.1113, E135.111)”. Suppose there is. In such a case, the determination unit 108 determines that the area indicated by the area information does not include the position indicated by the current position information.

Method (A2): This method is a method that does not specify the current area that is the area corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information. Further, the method (A2) is a method using the visited area information and the current position information. The specific procedure of the method (A2) is, for example, as follows.
(1) It is determined whether any of the areas indicated by the one or more visited area information stored in the visited area information storage unit 102 includes the current position.
(2) In (1), if the current position is included, it is determined that the current area is the visited area, and otherwise, it is determined that the current area is not the visited area.

Method (B1): This method is a method of specifying a visited area that is an area visited by the user in the past. “Specifying the visited area” means obtaining area information indicating the visited area. The method (B1) uses character management information, visit position information, and current position information. The specific procedure of the method (B1) is, for example, as follows.
(1) One or more pieces of region information indicating a region including a position indicated by one or more pieces of visit position information stored in the visit region information storage unit 102 are acquired from the character management information storage unit 101.
(2) It is determined whether any of the areas indicated by the one or more area information acquired in (1) includes the current position indicated by the current position information.
(3) When included in (2), it is determined that the current area is a visited area, and otherwise, it is determined that the current area is not a visited area.

  In the above (1), the determination unit 108 may acquire one or more pieces of area information from the map information storage unit 103, for example.

Method (B2): This method is a method that does not specify a visited area, which is an area visited by the user in the past. The method (B2) is a method using visit position information and current position information. Moreover, the specific procedure of the method (B2) is as follows, for example.
(1) It is determined whether or not the same position information as the current position information is stored in the visited area information storage unit 102.
(2) When stored in (1), it is determined that the current area is a visited area, and otherwise, it is determined that the current area is not a visited area.

  The area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area information from the application output information received by the reception unit 106. Specifically, the area information acquisition unit 109 normally acquires area name information included in the application output information from the application output information. Further, the area information acquisition unit 109 normally acquires one area name information. Moreover, the area information acquisition unit 109 may acquire, for example, two or more area name information.

  Moreover, the area information acquisition part 109 acquires area name information normally from a target character. The target character is a character from which area name information is acquired. That is, for example, when the application output information received by the receiving unit 106 is a character, the regional information acquisition unit 109 acquires the character as a target character. For example, when the application output information received by the receiving unit 106 is a voice, the regional information acquisition unit 109 normally performs voice recognition on the voice. Then, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires a character that is a result of the voice recognition as a target character. Since voice recognition is a known technique, detailed description thereof is omitted.

In addition, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area name information from the target character by, for example, any one of the following methods.
(A) Method of using area name list (B) Method of using morphological analysis (C) Method of inquiring outside

  Method (A): This method is a method for acquiring region name information from target characters by using a region name list. The area name list is a set of one or more area name information. In addition, the area name list is usually held by the area information acquisition unit 109. The area name list may be, for example, one or more area name information stored in the character management information storage unit 101. Moreover, the said area name list | wrist may be 1 or more area name information which the map information stored in the map information storage part 103 has, for example.

Moreover, the specific procedure of the method (A) is as follows, for example.
(1-1) Sort one or more area name information in the area name list in descending order of length.
(1-2) It is determined whether or not one or more pieces of area name information included in the sorted area name list are included in the target character in order from the top of the sorted area name list. If it is included, the area name information is acquired.
(1-3) When the region name information is included in the target character in (1-2), the region name information is deleted from the target character.

Moreover, the specific procedure of the method (A) may be as follows, for example.
(2-1) One or more characters that are nouns (hereinafter, as appropriate, noun characters) are acquired from the target character.
(2-2) For one or more noun characters acquired in (2-1), it is determined whether or not the noun characters are included in the area name list. When it is included, the noun character is acquired as area name information.

  In addition, the method, procedure, etc. which acquire the noun character in said (2-1) are not ask | required. The acquisition of the noun character is performed by, for example, morphological analysis. Moreover, since morphological analysis is a well-known technique, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In addition, the determination in (2-2) may be, for example, determining whether the noun character matches any one or more area name information included in the area name list. In this case, the area name information included in the area name list and the area name information matching the noun characters may be acquired.

  Regarding the method (B): This method is a method of acquiring region name information from the target character by using morphological analysis.

Specific procedures of the method (B) are as follows, for example.
(1) Morphological analysis is performed on the target character to obtain one or more morphemes.
(2) Among the one or more morphemes acquired in (1), morphemes classified as “region name” or region name (morpheme whose type is “region name”) are acquired as region name information.

  Method (C): This method is a method for acquiring area name information included in the target character from an external device or the like. The “external device” is a device other than the terminal device 1. The “external device” is a device that acquires, for example, area name information included in received characters, and transmits the acquired area name information to a device that has transmitted the characters. Further, the method or procedure for the “external device” to acquire the area name information from the characters is, for example, the method or procedure (A) or (B) described above.

The specific procedure of the method (C) is, for example, as follows.
(1-1) The target character is transmitted to an external device.
(1-2) In response to the transmission in (1-1), one or more pieces of regional name information are received from an external device.

Moreover, the specific procedure of the method (C) may be as follows, for example.
(2-1) One or more characters that are nouns (hereinafter, as appropriate, noun characters) are acquired from the target character.
(2-2) For one or more noun characters acquired in (2-1), an external device is inquired as to whether or not the noun characters are regional name information. When it is area name information, the noun character is acquired as area name information.

  The “external device” in the above (2-2) determines, for example, whether or not the received character is area name information, and sends information indicating the result of the determination to the device that transmitted the character. It is a device that transmits. Further, the method or procedure for determining whether or not the character received by the “external device” is the area name information is, for example, the method (A) or the procedure described above.

  In addition, the area information acquisition unit 109 may acquire, for example, area address information or an area image that is an image showing the outline of the area from the application output information. When acquiring the area address information, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires the area address information by a method or procedure similar to the method or procedure of acquiring the area name information described above, for example. Moreover, when acquiring an area image, the area information acquisition part 109 acquires an area image by methods, such as what is called pattern matching, for example. When the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area address information, the character management information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 usually includes area address information as area information. When the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires an area image, the character management information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 usually includes an area image as area information.

  In addition, the area information acquisition unit 109 may acquire area information from the information output from the output unit 112, for example.

  The character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image corresponding to the current region. In other words, the “character image corresponding to the current position” is “a character image corresponding to the current position information” and “a character image corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information”. In addition, the character image acquisition unit 110 normally acquires a character image associated with region information indicating a region including the current position indicated by the current position information from the character management information storage unit 101. Specifically, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether any of the regions indicated by the one or more pieces of region information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 includes the current position indicated by the current position information. . Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the character management information storage unit 101, a character image associated with the area information indicating the area determined to include the current position.

  In addition, the character image acquisition unit 110 may acquire a character image, for example, according to the determination result by the determination unit 108. In this case, for example, when the determination unit 108 determines that the current region is a visited region, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image. For example, when the determination unit 108 determines that the current region is not the visited region, the character image acquisition unit 110 does not acquire a character image. Moreover, when acquiring a character image, the character image acquisition part 110 may acquire a character image by a different method according to the method which the judgment part 108 used, for example.

  For example, when the determination unit 108 uses the method (A1), the character image acquisition unit 110, for example, a character image associated with the same region information as the region information indicating the current region acquired by the determination unit 108. Is acquired from the character management information storage unit 101. Specifically, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not one or more pieces of region information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 are the same as the region information indicating the current region. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image associated with the area information determined to be the same as the area information indicating the current area.

  Further, for example, when the determination unit 108 uses the method (A2), the character image acquisition unit 110 displays, for example, the region information indicating the visit region that the determination unit 108 has determined to include the current position as the visit region information. Obtained from the storage unit 102. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the character management information storage unit 101, a character image associated with the same region information as the acquired region information.

  For example, when the determination unit 108 uses the method (B1), the character image acquisition unit 110 receives, for example, the region information indicating the region that the determination unit 108 has determined to include the current position from the determination unit 108. get. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the character management information storage unit 101, a character image associated with the same region information as the acquired region information.

  For example, when the determination unit 108 uses the method (B2), the character image acquisition unit 110, for example, selects a character image associated with area information indicating an area including the current position indicated by the current position information. , Acquired from the character management information storage unit 101.

  When the determination unit 108 uses the above method (A2) or (B1), the character image acquisition unit 110, for example, uses the method when the determination unit 108 uses the method (B2). May be obtained.

  When there are two or more pieces of area information indicating the current area, the character image acquisition unit 110 normally satisfies the predetermined condition (hereinafter referred to as priority condition) among the two or more pieces of area information. Is acquired from the character management information storage unit 101. The phrase “there are two or more area information indicating the current area” usually means that there are two or more areas including the current position (there are two or more area information indicating the areas including the current position). The priority conditions are, for example, that the range (area) is minimum, the range is maximum, the distance from the current position is the longest, the distance from the current position is the shortest, For example, the number of visits is the smallest and the number of past visits is the largest. The “distance from the current position” is, for example, the shortest distance among the distances between the current position and one or more positions constituting the boundary line of the region.

  For example, when acquiring the character image, two or more pieces of area information indicating the area including the current position indicated by the current position information are stored in the character management information storage unit 101. In such a case, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not the priority condition is satisfied for each of the two or more pieces of regional information. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image associated with the area information satisfying the priority condition from the character management information storage unit 101.

  The character image acquisition unit 110 normally acquires a character image every time the current region changes. In other words, for example, the character image acquisition unit 110 does not acquire a new character image while the current region is the same. That is, for example, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not the current region is different from the previous current region. If they are different, a character image corresponding to the current region is acquired.

  The determination as to whether the current area is different from the previous current area is, for example, as follows. First, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether any of the regions indicated by the one or more pieces of region information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 includes the current position indicated by the current position information. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires identification information associated with the area information indicating the area determined to include the current position. Then, for example, the character image acquisition unit 110 performs the above determination and acquires the identification information every time the current position information acquisition unit 105 acquires the current position information. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not the acquired identification information is the same as the previously acquired identification information. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines that the current area is different from the previous current area when the acquired identification information is different from the previously acquired identification information.

  Further, the “every time the current region changes” includes “every time the current region is likely to change”. In this case, the character image acquisition unit 110 is, for example, an area that matches the traveling direction of the terminal device 1, and a distance to an area adjacent to the current area (hereinafter, appropriately adjacent area) satisfies a predetermined condition. Judge whether it is short or not. Then, when the distance to the adjacent area is short enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image corresponding to the adjacent area.

  When the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area information, the character image acquisition unit 110 may acquire a character image using the area information. The area information is usually area name information. Therefore, in this case, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the character management information storage unit 101, a character image associated with the same region name information as the region name information acquired by the region information acquisition unit 109. Specifically, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether the one or more pieces of regional name information stored in the character management information storage unit 101 are the same as the regional name information acquired by the regional information acquisition unit 109. Judging. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image associated with the area name information determined to be the same as the area name information acquired by the area information acquisition unit 109.

  The character image acquisition unit 110 may acquire information associated with the character image together with the character image. The “information associated with the character image” is, for example, dialect type information, character name information, region name information, region position information, and the like.

  The dialect conversion unit 111 converts the current region related information output by the output unit 112 described later into a dialect of the type indicated by the dialect type information. The dialect type information is dialect type information acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110. Specifically, the dialect conversion unit 111 determines, for example, whether or not the current region-related information has a sentence or a voice. And when the said current area relevant information has a sentence or an audio | voice, the dialect conversion part 111 converts the said text or an audio | voice into the dialect of the kind which the said dialect kind information shows.

  For example, when the dialect type information is “Osaka dialect”, the dialect conversion unit 111 converts the current region related information into the Osaka dialect. When the dialect type information is “Kumamoto dialect”, the dialect conversion unit 111 converts the current region related information into the Kumamoto dialect.

  Since a method for converting speech into text (characters), a method for converting text (characters) into a predetermined type of dialect, and the like are well known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The output unit 112 normally outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110. Output refers to display on a display, projection using a projector, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage on a recording medium, processing results to other processing devices or other programs, etc. It is a concept that includes delivery. In addition, regarding transmission, accumulation, and delivery of processing results, an output target is finally presented to the user.

  When outputting a character image, the output unit 112 normally outputs the character image together with one or more other information. The “other one or more information” is usually current region related information according to the output instruction. Also, “outputting a character image” usually includes hiding the character image being output.

  For example, when the output instruction is an instruction for outputting route information, the output unit 112 outputs a character image together with the route information acquired by the route search unit 107. At this time, for example, the output unit 112 may output a character image on a position corresponding to the current position on the route indicated by the route information.

Moreover, when outputting route information, the output unit 112 normally also outputs route guidance information according to the progress of the route. “Route guidance information” is information indicating the contents of route guidance, and is information for guiding a route. “Route guidance information” is information indicating, for example, turning right or left at an intersection, distance to the intersection, arrival at the vicinity of the destination, and the like. Therefore, the output unit 112 may output the route guidance information and the character image, for example, as if the character indicated by the character image is performing route guidance using the route guidance information. For example, the route guidance information and the character image are adjacent to each other.

  Note that the route guidance information is usually stored in a predetermined storage area. The storage area may be, for example, the map information storage unit 103. Further, since a method and a procedure for outputting the route guidance information according to the progress of the route are known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  For example, when the output instruction is an instruction for outputting area commentary information, the output unit 112 outputs a character image together with the area commentary information included in the map information. At this time, the output unit 112 may output the region commentary information and the character image, for example, as if the character indicated by the character image is explaining the region with the region commentary information. . For example, the area comment information and the character image are adjacent to each other.

  For example, when the character image acquisition unit 110 does not acquire a character image, the output unit 112 does not output a character image. This is the case, for example, when the determination unit 108 determines that the current region is not the visited region, or when the region information acquisition unit 109 has not acquired the region information. In this case, the output unit 112 normally outputs one or more other information.

  The character image acquisition unit 110 normally outputs a character image every time the current region changes. Therefore, the output unit 112 normally hides the character image being output and outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110 every time the current region changes. At this time, the output unit 112 outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110 so that, for example, the character indicated by the character image being output is replaced with the character indicated by the acquired character image. May be.

  The above-mentioned “to switch” means, for example, that the character image being output is faded out and then the acquired character image is faded in or the acquired character image is faded in and then the character image being output is output. The character indicated by the character image being output makes a baton touch to the character indicated by the acquired character image (the character indicated by the character image being output relays with the character indicated by the acquired character image). Etc.).

  In addition, for example, when the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image in association with the region information acquisition unit 109 acquiring the region name information from the application output information, the output unit 112 normally outputs the output application The acquired character image is output on the screen. At this time, the position on the screen where the character image is output may or may not be determined in advance.

  For example, when the dialect conversion unit 111 converts the current region related information output from the output unit 112 into a dialect of the type indicated by the dialect type information, the output unit 112 outputs the current region related information after the conversion. To do.

  Further, the output unit 112 may or may not include an output device such as a display or a speaker. The output unit 112 can be realized by driver software of an output device or driver software of an output device and an output device.

  The receiving unit 113 receives character management information. The character management information is usually character management information having area information that is area name information, but this need not be the case. Moreover, the apparatus which transmits the said character management information to the terminal device 1 is portable terminals, such as a mobile telephone and PDA, for example. In addition, the character management information is accumulate | stored in the said portable terminal, and the method, a procedure, etc. which the said character management information is transmitted to the terminal device 1 are not ask | required.

  In addition, the receiving unit 113 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by a means for receiving a broadcast.

  The accumulation unit 114 accumulates the character management information received by the reception unit 113 in the character management information storage unit 101.

  The character management information storage unit 101, the visited area information storage unit 102, the map information storage unit 103, and the output application storage unit 104 are preferably non-volatile recording media, but can also be realized by volatile recording media. . Further, the process in which the predetermined information is stored in the character management information storage unit 101 or the like does not matter. For example, the predetermined information may be stored in the character management information storage unit 101 or the like via a recording medium, a communication line, an input device, or the like.

  In addition, the route search unit 107, the determination unit 108, the area information acquisition unit 109, the character image acquisition unit 110, the dialect conversion unit 111, and the storage unit 114 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. Also, the processing procedure of the route search unit 107 and the like is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. Note that the determination unit 108 and the like may be realized by hardware (a dedicated circuit).

  Next, the overall operation of the terminal device 1 will be described using a flowchart. Note that the i-th information in the predetermined information is described as “information [i]”. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the terminal device 1.

  (Step S201) The terminal device 1 determines whether or not the receiving unit 106 has received a power-on instruction. If accepted, the process proceeds to step S202; otherwise, the process returns to step S201.

  (Step S202) The terminal device 1 performs a power ON process.

  (Step S203) The current position information acquisition unit 105 starts acquiring current position information. Thereafter, the current position information acquisition unit 105 normally continues to acquire the current position information regularly until the terminal device 1 is powered off.

  (Step S204) The route search unit 107 determines whether the reception unit 106 has received destination information. If accepted, the process proceeds to step S205; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S219.

  (Step S205) The route search unit 107 uses the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103, the current position information acquired in step S203, and the destination information received in step S204, from the current position. A route to the destination is searched, and route information indicating the route is acquired.

  (Step S206) The output unit 112 outputs the route information acquired in step S205.

  (Step S207) The character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not to output a character image corresponding to the current region only when the current region is the visited region. In the determination, for example, only when the current area is a visited area, information indicating whether or not to output a character image corresponding to the current area is stored in a predetermined storage area, and the information is used. Do it. If the character image corresponding to the current area is output only when the current area is the visited area, the process proceeds to step S210. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S208.

  (Step S208) The character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image corresponding to the current position information from the character management information storage unit 101. At this time, the character image acquisition unit 110 also acquires dialect type information associated with the character image to be acquired.

  (Step S209) The output unit 112 outputs the character image acquired in step S208. At this time, for example, the output unit 112 outputs a character image at a position corresponding to the position indicated by the current position information, which is the position on the route indicated by the output route information.

  (Step S210) The determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area. Details of this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The result of the determination is stored in the variable visited.

  (Step S211) The character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not “visited” is true. If true, the process returns to step S208. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S212.

  (Step S212) The route search unit 107 determines whether it is time to output route guidance information. This determination is made using, for example, current position information and route information. If it is time to output the route guidance information, the process proceeds to step S213. If not, the process proceeds to step S217.

  (Step S213) The dialect conversion unit 111 determines whether to convert the route guidance information into a dialect. The determination is performed using, for example, information indicating whether or not the route guidance information is converted into a dialect and stored in a predetermined storage area. And when converting route guidance information into a dialect, it progresses to step S215, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S214.

  (Step S214) The output unit 112 outputs route guidance information.

  (Step S215) The dialect conversion unit 111 converts the route guidance information into a dialect of the type indicated by the dialect type information acquired in step S208.

  (Step S216) The output unit 112 outputs the route guidance information converted into a dialect in step S215.

  (Step S217) The character image acquisition unit 110 determines whether or not the current region is different from the previous current region. If they are different, the process returns to step S207; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S218.

  (Step S218) The route search unit 107 determines whether or not the destination has been reached. This determination is made using, for example, current position information and route information. And when it arrives at the destination, it progresses to step S223, and when that is not right, it returns to step S212.

  (Step S219) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether the reception unit 106 has received application output information. If accepted, the process proceeds to step S220; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S223.

  (Step S220) The area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area name information from the application output information received in step S219. Details of this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S221) The character image acquisition unit 110 outputs a character image corresponding to the area name information acquired in step S220.

  (Step S222) The output unit 112 outputs the character image acquired in step S221.

  (Step S223) The terminal device 1 determines whether or not the receiving unit 106 has received a power-off instruction. When it receives, it progresses to step S224, and when that is not right, it returns to step S204.

  (Step S224) The terminal device 1 performs a power-off process. Then, the process returns to step S201.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process may be terminated by powering off or a process termination interrupt.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not the current area is a visited area in step S210 of the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S301) The determination unit 108 sets false to the variable visited.

  (Step S302) The determination unit 108 determines whether the information stored in the visited area information storage unit 102 is visited area information or visited position information. If it is the visited area information, the process proceeds to step S303, and if not, the process proceeds to step S313.

  (Step S303) The determination unit 108 sets 1 to the counter i. It is assumed that the determination unit 108 holds m pieces of area information.

  (Step S304) The determination unit 108 determines whether or not the position indicated by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition unit 105 is included in the area indicated by the held area information [i]. If included, the process proceeds to step S305, and if not, the process proceeds to step S306.

  (Step S305) The determination unit 108 acquires area information [i].

  (Step S306) The determination unit 108 determines whether i is m. When it is m, it progresses to step S308, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S307.

  (Step S307) The determination unit 108 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S304.

  (Step S308) The determination unit 108 sets 1 to the counter i. Here, it is assumed that the visited area information storage unit 102 stores n visited area information.

  (Step S309) The determination unit 108 determines whether or not the area information acquired in step S305 is the same as the visited area information [i] stored in the visited area information storage unit 102. If they are the same, the process proceeds to step S310; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S311.

  (Step S <b> 310) The determination unit 108 sets true to “visited”. Then, the process returns to the upper process.

  (Step S311) The determination unit 108 determines whether i is n. If n, the process returns to the upper process, and if not, the process proceeds to step S312.

  (Step S312) The determination unit 108 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S312.

  (Step S313) The determination unit 108 sets 1 to the counter i. Here, it is assumed that p pieces of visit position information are stored in the visit area information storage unit 102.

  (Step S314) The determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition unit 105 is the same as the visit position information [i] stored in the visit area information storage unit 102. . If they are the same, the process proceeds to step S317, and if not, the process proceeds to step S315.

  (Step S315) The determination unit 108 sets true to “visited”. Then, the process returns to the upper process.

  (Step S316) The determination unit 108 determines whether i is p. When it is p, it returns to a high-order process, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S317.

  (Step S317) The determination unit 108 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S314.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the area name information acquisition process in step S220 of the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the area information acquisition unit 109 holds an area name list having m pieces of area name information. The area name list is sorted in descending order of the length of the area name information.

  (Step S401) The area information acquisition unit 109 acquires the target character using the application output information received by the reception unit 106.

  (Step S402) The region information acquisition unit 109 determines whether the method of acquiring the region name information is a method using a region name list, a method using morphological analysis, or a method of inquiring the outside. For example, information indicating a method for acquiring the area name information is stored in a predetermined storage area, and the determination is performed using the information. If the method uses a region name list, the process proceeds to step S403. If the method uses morphological analysis, the process proceeds to step S408. If the method uses an external inquiry, the process proceeds to step S414.

  (Step S403) The area information acquisition unit 109 sets 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S404) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether or not the area name information [i] included in the area name list is included in the target character. If included, the process proceeds to step S405, and if not, the process proceeds to step S406.

  (Step S405) The area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area name information [i].

  (Step S406) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether i is m. If m, the process returns to the upper process, and if not, the process proceeds to step S407.

  (Step S407) The area information acquisition unit 109 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S404.

  (Step S408) The area information acquisition unit 109 performs morphological analysis on the target character. As a result, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires n morphemes.

  (Step S409) The area information acquisition unit 109 sets 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S410) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether or not the type of the morpheme [i] acquired in step S408 is “area name”. If it is an area name, the process proceeds to step S411, and if not, the process proceeds to step S412.

  (Step S411) The area information acquisition unit 109 acquires a morpheme [i].

  (Step S412) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether i is n. When it is n, it returns to a high-order process, and when that is not right, it progresses to step S413.

  (Step S413) The area information acquisition unit 109 increments i by 1. Then, the process returns to step S409.

  (Step S414) The area information acquisition unit 109 transmits the target character to an external device.

  (Step S415) The area information acquisition unit 109 determines whether or not area name information has been received from an external device. If it has been received, the process returns to the upper process, and if not, the process returns to step S415.

(Concrete example)
Next, a specific example of the operation of the terminal device 1 will be described. In this specific example, it is assumed that the character management information storage unit 101 stores the character management information shown in FIG. The character management information includes an ID for uniquely identifying a record, region name information (item name: name), region position information (item name: range), character name information (item name: name), It has a character image (item name: image) and dialect type information (item name: dialect).

(Example 1)
In this example, an example of acquiring a character image corresponding to the current region will be described. In this example, it is assumed that the terminal device 1 is a car navigation device (hereinafter referred to as “car navigation”).

  First, it is assumed that the user gets into the car and turns on the engine. Then, the car navigation power is turned on. The current position information acquisition unit 105 starts acquiring current position information.

  Next, it is assumed that the user operates the car navigation system and sets the destination of the route. Then, the reception unit 106 receives destination information. And a user starts driving | running | working with a motor vehicle.

  Next, the route search unit 107 searches for a route from the current position to the destination using the map information, the current position information, and the destination information stored in the map information storage unit 103. Then, the route search unit 107 acquires route information indicating the route.

  Next, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines which of the area ranges indicated by the area position information in FIG. 5 includes the current position indicated by the current position information. Here, the area range indicated by the area position information “(N34.XX11, E135.XX88),..., (N34.XX13, E135.XX90)” of “ID = 019” in FIG. It is assumed that the current position indicated by the information is included. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires the character image “hyogyotan.jpg” of “ID = 019” in FIG.

  Next, the output unit 112 outputs the route information acquired by the route search unit 107 and the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110. At this time, the output unit 112 outputs a character image at a position on the route indicated by the route information and corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information. The situation at this time is, for example, FIG.

  Next, it is assumed that it is time to output route guidance information before approaching an intersection that turns right. Then, the output unit 112 outputs route guidance information indicating that the vehicle turns right at the intersection and a character image “hyogyotan.jpg”. The state at this time is, for example, FIG.

  Next, suppose that the car entered another area. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a new character image. It is assumed that the character image is “naniwan.jpg” with “ID = 016” in FIG. Then, the output unit 112 changes to the character image “hyogyotan.jpg” which is the position on the route indicated by the route information and is output to the position corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information, and “naniwan.jpg”. Is output to this position. The output unit 112 outputs “naniwan.jpg” together with route guidance information indicating that the vehicle has entered another area. At this time, the output unit 112 outputs “naniwan.jpg” so that the character indicated by the character image “hyogyotan.jpg” being output and the character indicated by “naniwan.jpg” are interchanged. The situation at this time is, for example, from FIG. 8 to FIG.

  First, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the output unit 112 causes “naniwan.jpg” to fade in (slide in) into an area where route guidance information is output. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the output unit 112 moves “naniwan.jpg” until it overlaps with “hyogyotan.jpg”.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the output unit 112 causes “hyogotan.jpg” to fade out (slide out) outside the area where the route guidance information is output. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the output unit 112 moves “hyogyotan.jpg” until the output unit 112 moves outside the area where the route guidance information is output.

(Example 2)
In this example, an example of acquiring a character image corresponding to the current area when the current area is a visited area will be described. In the present example, the terminal device 1 is assumed to be a car navigation system as in the first example. Further, it is assumed that the visited area information storage unit 102 stores the visited area information shown in FIG. The visited area information includes an ID for uniquely identifying a record, area name information (item name: name), and area position information (item name: range).

  First, similarly to Example 1, it is assumed that the user is driving a car after setting a destination.

  Next, the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area. Specifically, the determination unit 108 determines which area range among the area ranges indicated by the area position information in FIG. 12 includes the current position indicated by the current position information. Here, the area range indicated by the area position information “(N34.XX11, E135.XX77),..., (N34.XX13, E135.XX89)” of “ID = 011” in FIG. It is assumed that the current position indicated by the information is included. Then, the determination unit 108 determines that the current area is a visited area.

  Next, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires a character image in the same manner as in Example 1. Here, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires the character image “ishikiri-sun.jpg” of “ID = 018” in FIG. Note that an example of outputting the acquired character image is the same as that in Example 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, suppose that the car entered another area. Then, the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the current area is a visited area, as described above. Here, it is assumed that the determination unit 108 performs the same processing as described above and determines that the current region is not the visited region.

  Next, the output unit 112 outputs an image indicating that the current region is not the visited region, instead of the character image being output. The state at this time is, for example, FIG. FIG. 13 is obtained by changing the character image output in FIG. 11 into an image indicating that the current position is not the visited area.

(Example 3)
In this example, an example of acquiring a character image corresponding to information output by an application will be described. In addition, in this example, the terminal device 1 shall be what is called a smart phone (henceforth a smart phone).

  First, it is assumed that the user operates the smartphone and activates the guidebook application. The “guidebook application” is an application for browsing the guidebook, and is an output application.

  Next, it is assumed that the user operates the smartphone and displays the information shown in FIG. 14 in the guidebook application. The information indicates a certain page in the guide book. The information is application output information.

  Next, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires, for example, area name information “Kyoto Prefecture” from the application output information of FIG.

  Next, the character image acquisition unit 110 corresponds to the “ID” associated with the same region name information “Kyoto Prefecture” as the region name information “Kyoto Prefecture” acquired by the region information acquisition unit 109 from the character management information of FIG. = 014 ”character image“ kyoto-sun.jpg ”is acquired.

  Next, the output unit 112 outputs the character image “kyoto-sun.jpg”. The situation at this time is, for example, FIG. In FIG. 15, the output unit 112 outputs a character image on the screen of the output application.

  Further, it is assumed that the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires, for example, area name information “Hikone City” from the application output information of FIG.

  Next, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines from the character management information of FIG. 5 that the character image “ID = 013” associated with the region name information “Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture” including the region name information “Hikone City”. hikomaru.jpg ". The character image is output in the same manner as in FIG.

  As in this example, when the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area name information, the character image acquisition unit 110 corresponds to, for example, area name information including the area name information acquired by the area information acquisition unit 109. The attached character image may be acquired.

(Example 4)
In this example, an example in which the region-related information output by the output unit 112 is converted into a dialect will be described. In the present example, the terminal device 1 is assumed to be a car navigation system as in the first example.

  First, similarly to Example 1, it is assumed that the user is driving a car after setting a destination.

  Next, in the same manner as in Example 1, the character image acquisition unit 110, together with the character image “hyogitan.jpg” of “ID = 019” in FIG. 5 corresponding to the current region, dialect type information associated with the character image. It is assumed that “Kobe dialect” has been acquired.

  Next, it is assumed that it is time to output route guidance information before approaching an intersection that turns right. The route guidance information is route guidance information indicating a right turn at an intersection. Then, the dialect conversion unit 111 converts the route guidance information into “Kobe dialect” according to the dialect type information. Then, the output unit 112 outputs the dialect type information converted into the dialect and the character image “hyogyotan.jpg”. The state at this time is, for example, FIG.

(Example 5)
In this example, an example in which current areas overlap will be described. In the present example, the terminal device 1 is assumed to be a car navigation system as in the first example. In this example, it is assumed that the priority condition is “minimum area”. The priority condition means that the area is minimum.

  First, similarly to Example 1, it is assumed that the user is driving a car after setting a destination.

  Next, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines which of the area ranges indicated by the area position information in FIG. 5 includes the current position indicated by the current position information. Here, the area range indicated by the area position information “(N34.XX11, E135.XX00),..., (N34.XX13, E135.XX12)” of “ID = 011” in FIG. The area range indicated by the location information “(N34.XX11, E135.XX11),..., (N34.XX13, E135.XX23)” of “ID = 012” is the current location information indicated by the current location information. Include location. Further, regarding the areas indicated by the two area position information, the area indicated by the area position information “ID = 012” in FIG. 5 has a smaller area. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines that the priority condition is satisfied for the area information “ID = 012” in FIG. 5. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires the character image “ottu.jpg” of “ID = 012” in FIG.

  Next, suppose that the car entered another area. This area shall be Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture.

Next, in the same manner as described above, the character image acquisition unit 110 determines which region of the region indicated by the region location information in FIG. 5 includes the current location indicated by the current location information. . Here, the current region is Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture. Therefore, the character image acquisition unit 110 normally acquires a character image associated with the regional information corresponding to Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture. However, in FIG. 5, there is no regional information corresponding to Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture. Further, here, the area range indicated by the area position information “(N34.XX11, E135.XX00),..., (N34.XX13, E135.XX12)” of “ID = 011” in FIG. It is assumed that the current position indicated by the current position information is included. Then, the character image acquisition unit 110 acquires the character image “shigatan.jpg” with ID = 011 in FIG.

  An example of acquiring the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110 is the same as in Example 1 and Example 2, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, according to the terminal device 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to output a local character corresponding to the current region according to the current region to which the current position belongs. Thereby, the user can know visually which area is the present area, for example. Further, the user can know the local character corresponding to the current region, for example.

  According to the terminal device 1 according to the present embodiment, if the current area is an area that has been visited in the past, the local character corresponding to the area is output, and if not, the local character is output to the area. The corresponding local character can be prevented from being output. As a result, the user can be encouraged to visit various regions for the purpose of outputting the local character, which can be used to activate the local economy and promote the region.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal device 1 is a terminal device 2 including, for example, a character management information storage unit 101, a current position information acquisition unit 105, a character image acquisition unit 110, and an output unit 112. Also good. The block diagram of the terminal device 2 is FIG. Further, in this case, the character management information storage unit 101 stores one or more character managements that are information in which region information that is information indicating a region and character images that are images indicating characters corresponding to the region are associated with each other. Information is stored. The current position information acquisition unit 105 acquires current position information indicating the current position. The character image acquisition unit 110 is an area corresponding to the current position indicated by the current position information, and when there are two or more area information indicating the current area that includes the current position, the character image acquisition unit 110 A character image associated with region information that satisfies a predetermined condition among the region information is acquired from the character management information storage unit 101. The output unit 112 outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal device 1 includes, for example, a character management information storage unit 101, an output application storage unit 104, a reception unit 106, a region information acquisition unit 109, a character image acquisition unit 110, and an output The terminal device 3 provided with the part 112 may be sufficient. The block diagram of the terminal device 3 is FIG. Further, in this case, the character management information storage unit 101 stores one or more character managements that are information in which region information that is information indicating a region and character images that are images indicating characters corresponding to the region are associated with each other. Information is stored. The output application storage unit 104 stores an audio output application that is an application for outputting audio. The “voice output application” is, for example, a music playback application. The accepting unit 106 accepts sound output from the sound output application. Further, the area information acquisition unit 109 acquires area information from the sound received by the reception unit 106. The character image acquisition unit 110 also acquires, from the character management information storage unit 101, a character image associated with the same region information as the region information acquired by the region information acquisition unit 109. The output unit 112 outputs only the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit 110.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, it goes without saying that two or more communication units existing in one apparatus may be physically realized by one medium.

  The terminal device in each of the above embodiments may be, for example, a stand-alone device or a server device in a server / client system.

  In each of the above embodiments, each process or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or distributed by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. It may be realized by being processed.

  In each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

  Moreover, the software which implement | achieves the terminal device in each said embodiment is the following programs, for example. That is, this program stores character management information in which one or more character management information that is information in which region information that is information indicating a region is associated with a character image that is an image indicating a character corresponding to the region. A computer that can access the storage unit, a current position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information indicating a current position, and a region that corresponds to the current position indicated by the current position information and that includes the current position A character image acquisition unit that acquires a character image associated with region information indicating a region from the character management information storage unit, and an output instruction that is an instruction to output current region related information that is information related to the current region And an output for outputting the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the current region related information according to the output instruction. Is a program for functioning as a.

  In the program, the functions realized by the program do not include functions that can be realized only by hardware.

  The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like) is read out. May be executed. Further, this program may be used as a program constituting a program product.

  Moreover, the computer which performs the said program may be single, and plural may be sufficient as it. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  FIG. 19 is an overview of the computer system 9 that executes the above-described program to realize the terminal device and the like of the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

  In FIG. 19, the computer system 9 includes a computer 901 including a CD-ROM drive 9011 and an FD drive 9012, a keyboard 902, a mouse 903, and a monitor 904.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram of the computer system 9. In FIG. 20, a computer 901 is connected to an MPU 9013, a ROM 9014 for storing a program such as a boot-up program, and an MPU 9013 in addition to a CD-ROM drive 9011 and an FD drive 9012, and temporarily commands the application program. And a hard disk 9016 for storing application programs, system programs, and data, a CD-ROM drive 9011, an FD drive 9012, an MPU 9013, etc. 9017. Although not shown here, the computer 901 may further include a network card that provides connection to a LAN.

  A program that causes the computer system 9 to execute the functions of the terminal device or the like of the above-described embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 9101 or FD 9102, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 9011 or FD drive 9012, and further stored in the hard disk 9016. May be forwarded. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 901 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 9016. The program is loaded into the RAM 9015 when executed. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 9101, the FD 9102, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS), a third-party program, or the like that causes the computer 901 to execute the functions of the terminal device according to the above-described embodiment. The program only needs to include an instruction portion that calls an appropriate function (module) in a controlled manner and obtains a desired result. How the computer system 9 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the terminal device according to the present invention has an effect that the local character corresponding to the current region can be output according to the current region to which the current position belongs, and the car navigation system. Useful as such.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 101 Character management information storage part 102 Visited area information storage part 103 Map information storage part 104 Output application storage part 105 Current position information acquisition part 106 Reception part 107 Route search part 108 Judgment part 109 Area information acquisition part 110 Character image acquisition Unit 111 dialect conversion unit 112 output unit 113 reception unit 114 storage unit

Claims (9)

A character management information storage unit that stores one or more character management information that is information in which region information that is information indicating a region and a character image that is an image indicating a character corresponding to the region is associated;
A current position information acquisition unit for acquiring current position information indicating the current position;
Character image acquisition that acquires from the character management information storage unit a character image that corresponds to the current position indicated by the current position information and that corresponds to the area information indicating the current area that includes the current position. And
A receiving unit that receives an output instruction that is an instruction to output current area related information that is information related to the current area;
An output unit that outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the current region related information according to the output instruction ,
The character image acquisition unit
When there are two or more area information indicating the current area, a character image associated with area information satisfying a predetermined condition among the two or more area information is acquired from the character management information storage unit. Terminal device to do. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the area range indicated by the area information is the smallest. The reception unit
Accept destination information indicating the destination,
A map information storage unit for storing map information, which is information indicating a map, and is information having one or more road information indicating roads;
A route search unit that searches for a route from the current position to the destination by using the map information, the current position information, and the destination information received by the reception unit, and acquires route information indicating the route; Further comprising
The character image acquisition unit
A character image associated with the region information indicating the current region is acquired from the character management information storage unit,
The output unit is
The route guidance information according to the progress of the route indicated by the route information is acquired, and the character indicated by the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit performs route guidance according to the route guidance information. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein route guidance information and a character image are output together with the route information . The output unit is
4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein each time the current region changes, the acquired character image is output so that the character indicated by the character image being output and the character indicated by the acquired character image are switched. A receiving unit for receiving character management information;
The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: an accumulation unit that accumulates the character management information received by the reception unit in the character management information storage unit. The reception unit
Accept application output information that is output by the output application that is the application that outputs information,
An output application storage unit that stores one or more output applications;
A region information acquisition unit that acquires region information from the application output information received by the reception unit;
The character image acquisition unit
A character image associated with the same region information as the region information acquired by the region information acquisition unit is acquired from the character management information storage unit,
The output unit is
The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit is output on a screen. The character management information is information in which regional information, a character image, and dialect type information indicating a dialect type are associated with each other.
The character image acquisition unit
Acquire the dialect type information associated with the character image along with the character image,
A dialect conversion unit that converts the text or voice into a dialect of the type indicated by the dialect type information acquired by the character image acquisition unit when the current region-related information output by the output unit includes text or voice; Prepared,
The output unit is
The terminal device as described in any one of Claims 1-6 which outputs the information which the said dialect conversion part converted. A character management information storage unit that stores one or more character management information that is information in which region information that is information indicating a region and a character image that is an image indicating a character corresponding to the region is associated;
An information processing method performed using a current position information acquisition unit, a character image acquisition unit, a reception unit, and an output unit,
The current position information acquisition unit,
A current position information acquisition step for acquiring current position information indicating the current position;
The character image acquisition unit
Character image acquisition that acquires from the character management information storage unit a character image that corresponds to the current position indicated by the current position information and that corresponds to the area information indicating the current area that includes the current position. Steps,
The reception unit
An accepting step of accepting an output instruction that is an instruction to output current area related information that is information related to the current area;
The output unit is
An output step of outputting the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the current region related information according to the output instruction,
In the character image acquisition step,
When there are two or more area information indicating the current area, a character image associated with area information satisfying a predetermined condition among the two or more area information is acquired from the character management information storage unit. Information processing method. Accessible to a character management information storage unit in which one or more character management information, which is information in which region information indicating information indicating a region and character images corresponding to characters corresponding to the region are associated with each other, is stored. Computer
A current position information acquisition unit for acquiring current position information indicating the current position;
Character image acquisition that acquires from the character management information storage unit a character image that corresponds to the current position indicated by the current position information and that corresponds to the area information indicating the current area that includes the current position. And
A receiving unit that receives an output instruction that is an instruction to output current area related information that is information related to the current area;
A program for functioning as an output unit that outputs the character image acquired by the character image acquisition unit together with the current region related information according to the output instruction,
The character image acquisition unit
When there are two or more area information indicating the current area, a character image associated with area information satisfying a predetermined condition among the two or more area information is acquired from the character management information storage unit. A program that causes a computer to function.