JP7373144B2 - Route guidance method and device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to route guidance technology.

A service has been put into practical use that searches for content information in surrounding areas based on the current location information of a moving object (movers). For example, in a car navigation system or a mobile app that uses location information, a list of search results for restaurants and tourist spots near the current location is displayed, and detailed information about the target selected by the user and directions to that point are displayed. (route information, route information).

Services that send out notifications when a user approaches a location set by the user have also been put into practical use.

In addition, route search services such as car navigation systems manage attribute information such as the location and place name of junctions such as intersections, and when a moving object enters within a certain distance along the route, It is commonly used to display information.

Now, consider a case where a route search service is configured to go from point A to point C via point B for the purpose of ``seeing beautiful scenery'' (Figure 1). When you enter the area of point B, instead of going directly to point B and point C, it's lunch time and you want to eat a delicious lunch nearby. The user must perform a search process to find a "delicious restaurant" at point B. Also, in this case, even if there is a ``delicious restaurant'' at point D before coming from point A to point B, if you come to point B without noticing and go to the ``delicious restaurant'' at point D, There were problems such as a time loss caused by having to go back the same way to get to point D (Figure 2). Furthermore, since the destination is changed, resetting is required to go to point C, which is complicated.

Note that prior art documents related to this invention include JP-A No. 2018-004461 and JP-A No. 2005-308426. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-004461 discloses appropriately searching for facilities that are easy to visit based on the amount of deviation from a guide route. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-308426 discloses that a first route to the final destination via a stopover point and a second route to the final destination without a stopover point are calculated and saved together, and the vehicle The disclosure discloses that even if the vehicle deviates from the route, if the vehicle is on the second route, the vehicle is guided along the second route without recalculating.

Note that the present invention should not be understood to be limited by the above-mentioned problems, and the content thereof is defined in the claims, and will be explained in detail below using Examples.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-004461 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-308426

When guiding a user's movement, it is desirable to input another destination along the route, guide the user to the other destination, and then resume the original guidance.

According to this invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the configuration as described in the claims is adopted. Here, before explaining the invention in detail, the claims will be supplementarily explained with reference to FIGS. 12 and 14.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a route guidance method includes: inputting one or more first destinations (S12, point B and point C); a step of determining a first route based on the determined route (S12); a step of providing guidance based on the determined route (S13); a step of inputting a second destination while the guidance is being provided ( S16, S17, S11, S12); storing the unarrived portion related to the first destination when the second destination is input (S18); a step (S12) of determining a second route; a step (S13) of providing guidance based on the determined second route; and a step (S13) of providing guidance based on the second route; Steps of determining a route based on the unarrived portion related to the first destination (S14, S19, S23, S12); Step of providing guidance based on the route determined based on the unarrived portion (S13) and.

In this configuration, a step (S22) of selecting whether or not to determine a route based on the unarrived portion may be further provided.

In addition, the step of inputting the second destination includes selecting a theme (S17, S11), searching for a destination based on the selected theme), presenting the search results, and determining the destination from the presented search results. You may do so (S12).

Note that the present invention can be realized not only as a method but also as an apparatus or a system. It goes without saying that a part of such an invention can be configured as software. Naturally, a software product (computer program) used to cause a computer to execute such software is also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

The above-mentioned aspects and other aspects of the invention are described in the claims, and will be explained in detail below using Examples.

According to this invention, typically, when guiding a user's movement, another destination is input during the route and the user is guided to the other destination, and then the original guidance is returned. can be restarted, as described in the claims.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a mode in which a theme is changed during route guidance. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a problem caused by conventional route guidance. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating area blocks that are constituent elements of an area group. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between area blocks and area groups. It is a figure explaining the information given to an area group. It is a figure explaining the example of an area group and the example of the tag information addition range. It is a figure explaining the information given to a target theme. It is a figure explaining the example of the information of a target theme. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of point information. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of event information. It is a flow chart explaining an example of route guidance operation of an example. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation when a new theme is proposed during the route guidance operation of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation after route guidance based on a new theme is completed. It is a figure explaining another example of operation after route guidance based on a new theme is completed. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mobile terminal for realizing an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an idiom metaword that describes a theme. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating tag information given to a search target and information given to an idiom metaword. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an idiom metaword. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a search device according to another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a search device according to another embodiment.

Hereinafter, a route guidance device (also referred to as a navigation device) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration example of the route guidance device 100 according to the embodiment. It is configured to include a selection section 31, a search section 40, a search result presentation section 50, a search result selection section 51, a route determination section 60, a route display section 70, a destination recommendation database 80, and the like. The destination recommendation database 80 holds area definitions 81, theme information 82, and search target association data (destination candidate association data) 83 for each area (area group). The route guidance device 100 is typically configured using one or more computer resources (computer systems). The route guidance device 100 is realized, for example, by installing a computer program recorded on a recording medium 111 or a computer program transmitted via a communication network (not shown) into the computer system 110. The computer system 110 includes a CPU, a main memory, a bus, an external memory, various input/output interfaces, and the like, and may be a personal computer, a smartphone, an information home appliance, or the like. A configuration example of the smartphone will be described later with reference to FIG. 16. The travel destination recommendation database is not limited to presenting travel destinations such as destination candidates and transit point candidates, but separately or in addition to this, it also includes music, images, videos, etc. related to the current moment and the destination. Information such as detailed information may be recommended.

The route guidance device 100 is typically an in-vehicle car navigation system or a mobile terminal application, but is not limited thereto. The route guidance device 100 recommends travel destinations (destinations, transit points) depending on the area (area group), and provides route guidance accordingly.

Although the location information determination unit 10 is typically a GPS device, it may also acquire location information (for example, PHS location information) from a mobile station for mobile communication, and measures the distance traveled by a mobile object, such as a vehicle. It can be used as a supplement. The movement information may be actual location information or virtual location information. Route guidance can be simulated using virtual position information.

The area definition determination unit 20 refers to the position information from the position information determination unit 10 and the area definition (area group definition) 81 of the destination recommendation database 80, and typically determines whether the position information is an area. Determine if there is a conflict with the definition. It may be determined whether the location information conflicts with a region definition or a definition of its surrounding region. When the position information collides with any region definition (or the definition of the surrounding region), the region definition determination unit 20 specifies the region definition.

The area definition 81 is described using one or a plurality of adjacent area blocks. In this example, regional mesh data defined as latitude and longitude grids on a map is defined in order to digitize information on the map and obtain various statistical information. The mesh specifications may be based on information defined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, or may be defined independently by the service. Here, the mesh information on this map is expressed as a regional mesh shown in FIG. 4, and the minimum mesh range is defined as an area block.

The area definition 81 is defined as an area group, and this area group is a collection of one or a plurality of adjacent area blocks. FIG. 5 explains an example of area groups. In the example of FIG. 5, AG1 is a set of (b1), AG2 is a set of (b3, b4, c4), AG3 is a set of (e1, e2), and AG4 is a set of ( e6, d6). Note that an area block belonging to an area group may belong to another area group in duplicate. For example, by periodically acquiring GPS information of a moving object, the area block in which the moving object is currently located can be specified. If the current area block belongs to an area group, the mobile object can refer to the theme information 82, search object association data 83, etc. of the corresponding area group.

In this embodiment, area definition 81, theme information 82, and search target association data 83 for each area group are managed as area group information and target theme information, which will be explained below. but not limited to. The identifier of the target theme may be held for each area group, and the target theme information may be looked up from the target theme database based on this identifier. Alternatively, the identifier of the search target may be held for each area group, and the search target association data for each search target may be retrieved from the search target database based on this identifier.

The destination recommendation database 80 holds the following information in association with each area group (FIG. 6).
(1) Area group ID, area group name (2) Area block ID belonging to the area group
(3) Tag information assigned to the entire area group Examples: Yokohama Bayside Area, Standard, Tourist Spot, Sophisticated,...
(4) Tag information by category associated with area group Examples:
<Eat_Drink> Category (Gourmet Information): Local, Family, Homely, Specialty <See> Category (Tourist Information): Scenery, Samurai Residence, Museum, Majestic, Open Feeling <Buy> Category (Shopping Information): Fresh, Local produce, vegetables <local event> Category: flea market, animal, rabbit, contact Point information and event information associated with the area group may be retained.
Examples of point information and event information are as follows.
<Tourist Information> Category "Red Brick Warehouse": Retro, stylish, fun, suitable for a date,...
"Yamashita Park": View to the sea, suitable for a date, stroll, romantic,...,
<Gourmet Information> Category "Chinatown": Chinese food, delicious, enjoyable, filling, souvenirs,...
<Shopping information> Category "Queen's Square": Sophisticated, rich in variety, urban,...
<Local event information> Category "Yokohama street performance 2020": interesting, fun, unique, lively, smiling,...
"Motomachi Charming Sale": Branded products, fashion, great deals, small luxury,...
(5) Selection list of objective themes starting from the location of the area group

The area definition 81 includes (1) an area group ID, an area group name, and (2) an area block ID belonging to the area group, but is not limited thereto.

The theme information 82 includes (5) a selection list of target themes starting from the location of the area group, but is not limited thereto. The target theme selection list includes the target theme as an element, which will be described later. The selection list may be a list of IDs of target themes, and information on the target themes included in the selection list may be obtained based on the IDs of the target themes. The objective theme may include tag information consisting of weighted metawords as described below, and based on score matching between the tag information of the objective theme and the tag information for each category of the area group, one or more desired objectives can be determined. A theme may be associated with an area group and determined as an element of the selection list. The tag information of the entire area group may be used to determine the target theme that becomes an element of the target theme selection list.

The search target association data 83 includes, but is not limited to, tag information of point information and event information associated with area groups, as described in relation to item (4). Although the tag information is an importance-weighted metaword associated with a search target, for example, "red brick warehouse," it is not limited thereto. In the example (4) above, no weighting is shown.

Although the tag information given to the entire area group in item (3) is a weighted metaword, it is not limited to this. Using the tag information assigned to the entire area group, it is possible to select an area group that matches the desired search input. Similarly, it is possible to select an area group that matches a desired search input using tag information assigned to each area group category.

In this example, the tag information for items (3) and (4) given to the area group is obtained from point information and event information (also referred to as search target) around the area group, as shown in Figure 7. derived. That is, FIG. 7(B) shows an example of the range of point information/event information to be used for the area group of FIG. 7(A). In this example, we include up to a certain ratio of the area blocks adjacent to the area group, but the method is not limited to this method. Point information and event information within a distance range may also be included. Further, the width of the range may be different between urban areas and other areas. The range of point information/event information to be searched may also be defined by FIG. 7(B).

The tag information assigned to the entire area group in item (3) is obtained by combining the tag information assigned to each point information and event information included in the range shown in Figure 7 (B) by combining similar words. The score value indicates the importance of the word (tag information) (the larger the value, the greater the importance). Item (4) tag information associated with area groups and classified by category is the tag information given to each point information and event information included in the range shown in Fig. 7(B), and similar words are classified by category. They are merged after matching names, etc., and the score value indicates the importance of the word (tag information) (the larger the value, the greater the importance).

As an example, tag information by category given to area group AG2 in FIG. 5 is as follows.
<Eat_Drink> Category Local: 0.32, Family: 0.24, At Home: 0.21, Commitment: 0.10
<Enjoy> Category Strawberry picking: 0.27, Strawberry: 0.22, Ice cream: 0.21, Sweet: 0.17
<See> Category Spectacular view: 0.37, Samurai residence: 0.26, Museum: 0.19, Majestic: 0.12, Openness: 0.08
<Buy> Category Fresh: 0.44, Locally produced: 0.39, Vegetables: 0.15
<Regional Event> Category Flea market: 0.31, Animal: 0.30, Rabbit: 0.27, Fureai: 0.16

The objective themes assigned to each area group are selected from those with a high matching score with the tag information added to each objective theme against the category-specific tag information associated with the area group, but are limited to this. Not done.

Examples of objective themes are as follows.
I want to see a spectacular view, I want to see the sunset, I want to go to a hot spring, I want to take a break, I want to experience history, I want to visit a shrine, I want to go to a hidden famous store, I want to go to a quiet place, I want to take a forest bath, I want to buy souvenirs, I want to go to a shopping mall. I want to go, I want to eat, I want to eat local cuisine, I want to eat Italian food...

Each objective theme includes the following information (Figure 8).
(1) Objective theme ID, objective theme name (2) Objective theme category (buy, eat, watch, enjoy...)
(3) Introductory text for the objective theme (4) Tag information for the objective theme (5) Number of objective achievement points (1 to N) (For example, if you want to eat, you only need to go to one place to achieve the objective)
(6) Target theme selection conditions Area block ID immediately before entering the area group
Real-time information such as season, time of day, weather, etc. Information on currently set promotional themes

Although the above-mentioned target theme information may be included in the target theme selection list of the area group, the target theme information is managed as a database and only the ID of the target theme is retained in the target theme selection list of the area group. The information on the desired target theme may be obtained by searching the database based on this ID.

Based on the determination result of the area definition determination unit 20, the theme presentation unit 30 refers to the theme information 82 and presents to the user a selection list of target themes for area definitions (area groups) that conflict with the position information. The user can use the theme selection section 31 to select a desired theme from the selection list or reject the selection. When a target theme is selected from the target theme selection list, the search unit 40 retrieves point information/event information that has a high degree of association with the tag information of the target theme even by referring to the search target association data 83, and retrieves the search result. The presentation unit 50 presents the search results. The user uses the search result selection section 51 to select desired point information/event information as a destination/way point. The route determining unit 60 determines a route using location information of point information and event information selected as destinations and transit points. The route can be determined using an algorithm for solving an optimal route problem, such as Dijkstra's algorithm. That is, if there are multiple routes from a certain point to a destination and the costs vary depending on the route, the optimal route to the destination can be determined. As for the cost between points, in addition to information such as distance, traffic congestion information, and road width, a matching score for user appeal to the next destination is taken into consideration. Which destination (selected location) to select may be determined based on the cost of the route. The user can check the guide route on the route display section 70.

Next, an example of the operation of proposing a target theme will be described. For example, assume that the example of the group configuration of area group 2 in FIG. 13 is area group AG2 in FIG. 7(A). It is assumed that the area information (point information, event information) shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is included in the information provision range of this area group (FIG. 7(B)). In that case, examples of tag information by category associated with area groups are shown below. These are the tag information added to each location, which has been merged by merging similar words by category. The score value indicates the degree of importance of the word (a larger value indicates a greater degree of importance).
<Eat_Drink> Category Local: 0.32, Family: 0.24, At Home: 0.21, Commitment: 0.10
<Enjoy> Category Strawberry picking: 0.27, Strawberry: 0.22, Ice cream: 0.21, Sweet: 0.17
<See> Category Spectacular view: 0.37, Samurai residence: 0.26, Museum: 0.19, Majestic: 0.12, Openness: 0.08
<Buy> Category Fresh: 0.44, Locally produced: 0.39, Vegetables: 0.15
<Regional Event> Category Flea market: 0.31, Animal: 0.30, Rabbit: 0.27, Fureai: 0.16
Further, it is assumed that the target theme selection list included in area group 2 in FIG. 13 is defined as shown in FIG. 9 .

Here, assume that "I want to see a nice view" is selected as the objective theme setting at point A in FIG. 1, and as a result, the route from point A to point B to point C is selected. On the route, the information included in area group 2 is referenced at the timing when the moving object enters area group 2 while moving from A to B. Since a target theme selection list is defined for area group 2, a proposal for changing the target theme is made. If the user enters Area Group 2 during lunch time, such as 12:30, it is assumed that "I want to taste the local flavors" and "I want to have fun with my family" are extracted as selection candidates for changing the purpose theme.

When these two options are displayed and proposed to the user as changes to the purpose theme, if "I want to taste local flavors" is selected, tag information is selected from the regional information in the category "Eat_Drink" of this purpose theme. The system presents and suggests to the user one or several potential locations with a large matching score for "Local: 0.52, Specialty: 0.31, Fresh: 0.25". If the user agrees to the proposal, a new objective theme is set and the route is changed. Only a limited number of location candidates may be selected.

In this example, the number of goal achievement points for the goal theme is 1, so the goal theme is completed when the user reaches the destination. In that case, the next route is determined by proposing a new theme, including the previous target theme, and asking the user to select one.

In this selection of target theme candidates, a selection may be made from themes that are different from the category of the current target theme. Furthermore, selectable target themes may be selected based on the current season, time of day, weather, and day of the week. Furthermore, the words to be matched may be weighted based on preference information obtained from the user's past selection history.

The point information extracted by matching with this information tag is selected from those within the same area group and those within a certain distance from the current location. The search range may be changed for each category. For example, the search distance for "eat_drink" may be short and the search distance for "view" may be long.

The location search process may be performed in real time, or may be periodically performed in advance through back-end processing and the information may be saved.

Here, the information of the previous target theme may be inherited and added to the information tag of the new target theme with a lower score value, and this information may be used to search for point candidates. Alternatively, when the new objective theme is finished, you may search for destination point candidates again using the previous objective theme and reset the route, or you may propose a new objective theme without inheriting that information. .

Events that diverge from the guide route are processed as follows. Mesh information at a specific location is defined as a mesh area group. At the timing when it is detected that the user has entered a new mesh area group as the user moves, it is determined whether the branch event can be selected, and if it is selectable, the timing is set to the previous selection timing. After considering the time interval, the user is notified that a branch selection is possible. The notification may be on screen, audio, or both. The timing of notifying users can also be determined by taking into consideration road information and operating conditions. If the user selects a target theme that is different from the currently selected target theme (idiom tag), at that point the route search is performed by searching for shops and sightseeing spots that match the target theme.

The basic function of this method is to extract multiple points that match the target theme. In addition, the order in which to visit each location can be determined based on the distance from the current location and the matching score between the destination theme and each location. In the navigation systems that are in practical use, in addition to setting the current location and destination, by setting the order of waypoints, it is possible to present and set a route that takes into account road information, traffic congestion information, and route distance. .

When linking with an existing navigation service, by sending and setting the spot information determined above and the order to go to the navigation system, detailed route information can be obtained without changing the existing functions of the car navigation system. I can do it. Alternatively, by providing the navigation service with the matching score of each point and the recommended time for each point, users can receive more appropriate navigation information that takes into account the importance of the point, estimated arrival time, and recommended time. can be provided.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the operation of the route guidance device 100 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. Although the operation example shown in FIG. 12 is processed as follows, the process is not limited thereto.
[Step S10]: The route guidance device 100 starts operating.
[Step S11]: Set a target theme. An initial theme can also be selected using the theme selection section 31. Even if there is a branching event, the target theme can be selected via node B.
[Step S12]: Select point information (FIG. 10) and event information according to the selected objective theme, perform route calculation, and determine a guide route.
[Step S13]: Start route guidance using the set guidance route.
[Step S14]: Determine whether or not the destination has been reached, and if the destination has been reached, proceed to step S19. If the destination has not been reached, the process advances to step S15.
[Step S15]: Determine whether the mobile object is associated with an area group. For example, it is determined when a moving object enters an area group. If the mobile object is associated with the area group, the process advances to step S16; otherwise, the process returns to step S14.
[Step S16]: Determine whether the area group has a theme list. If there is a theme list, the process advances to step S17; otherwise, the process returns to step S14.
[Step S17]: Determine whether the user has selected a theme. When it is determined that the user has selected a theme, the process advances to step S18.
[Step S18]: The unarrived route portion of the existing guide route is stored in the storage unit, and the process proceeds to step S11 via node B, where a theme is selected. The subsequent operation is as described above.
[Step S19'': If it is determined in step S14 that the destination has been reached, it is determined whether there is a saved route, and if there is a saved route, the process proceeds to step S20; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S24. The route guidance process ends.
[Step S20]: Even if the guidance route is saved, if the user chooses to end the guidance, the process advances to step S24 and ends; if the user chooses to continue the guidance, the process continues. Proceed to S21.
[Step S21]: The user may select to inherit the saved guide route, or may ignore the saved guide route and select a new theme.
[Step S22]: Determines whether the preservation guide route is inherited or the theme is newly updated. If the inheritance is selected, the process proceeds to step S23; if the theme is newly updated, the theme setting is performed in step S11 via node B. conduct.
[Step S23]: Succession selection is performed, the saved unarrived route portion is read out, the process proceeds to step S12 via node A, and route setting is performed.
[Step S24]: End the route guidance process.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation when a new theme is proposed during the route guidance operation of the embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation after route guidance based on a new theme is completed.

FIG. 16 shows a configuration example when a mobile terminal 300 is used as the computer system 110 in FIG. , and an audio circuit section 350. Each of the components can be implemented in hardware, including signal processing integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits, software, or a combination of these, as appropriate. Radio frequency circuitry 340 is used to transmit and receive information to and from other devices over a wireless link or network, and includes antenna systems, RF transceivers, amplifiers, tuners, oscillators, etc. to perform this function. Including, but not limited to, digital signal processors, CODEC chipsets, memory, and other well-known circuitry. The high frequency circuit section 340 supports mobile communications such as time division multiple access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA), wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11g and/or IEEE802.11N), and Bluetooth. Although communication protocols such as (IEEE802.15.1, registered trademark) and Wi-MAX (IEEE802.16) can be used, the present invention is not limited thereto. The audio circuit section 350 is connected to an audio speaker 351 and a microphone 352. Processing system 310 includes a processor 311, a memory controller 312, and a peripheral device interface 313. Memory 320 stores code and data that processor 311 executes. Memory 320 may include any storage device such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, disk drives, magnetic tape, etc. Processor 311 executes various software components stored in memory 320. For example, the software components include an operating system 321, a communications module 322, a touch/motion module 323, a graphics module 324, an application 325, a timer module 326, and a web browser module 327. Applications 325 include a browser, address book, email, encryption, positioning functionality such as Global Positioning System (GPS), and a two-dimensional barcode decoder. The route guidance device 100 (FIG. 3) of this embodiment is typically implemented as one of the applications 325. The input/output subsystem 330 controls the touch panel 331 and the like. By installing a corresponding application in the memory 320, the mobile terminal 300 is realized as a route guidance device (or search device).

The target theme in this example may be defined by, but is not limited to, idiom metawords. The idiom metaword consists of a basic metaword group and a sensitive metaword group, as shown in FIG. Basic metawords are conventional search tags, and affective metawords are affective tags. An idiom metaword is composed of one or more basic metawords, one or more affective metawords, and their score values (weighting coefficients). Specifically, an idiom metaword is defined as a complex metaword whose semantic interpretation is expressed as a collection of multiple affective metawords and basic metawords (hereinafter also referred to as metaword factors). By adopting idiom metawords for the target theme, it becomes possible to specify multiple point information and event information based on the target theme request from a user with a high level of abstraction.

The metaword factors (basic metawords, emotional metawords) included in this idiom metaword are fixedly defined as shown in Figure 17 (A), and vary depending on the content type, season, situation, user age/gender, etc. It consists of things that Only the maximum number of factors included in the sensitivity metaword group and the basic metaword group is defined, and the number of factors may vary. Further, there may be no variation factor. However, the minimum and maximum numbers of factors included in an idiom metaword are defined. The emotional metaword group and the basic metaword group include individual metawords and their respective score values, as shown in FIG. 17(B).

Although the metaword factors in the idiom metaword may be arranged in a mixed order, in this explanation, fixed metawords and variable metawords are arranged from front to back in descending order of score value. In response to requests from users, by searching based on this idiom metaword, it is possible to obtain content information corresponding to the meaning of the idiom metaword without considering variable factors such as content type or season. Become.

As shown in FIG. 18(A), the tag added to the point information/event information may consist of a basic metaword and a sensitive metaword. The idiom metaword holds information as shown in FIG. 18(B). The metaword factors associated with the idiom metawords may be changed or optimized depending on the user's profile (age, gender, preference trends), the season, time of day, environmental conditions such as the weather, and the like. "Idiom name" is a display name of an idiom metaword. Examples of idiom metawords and corresponding metaword factors are shown in FIG.

Next, another embodiment of the invention will be described. This embodiment implements a search device 120. In FIG. 20, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 3 are given corresponding symbols. In FIG. 20, the search device 101 includes a location information determination section 10, a region definition determination section 20, a theme presentation section 30, a theme selection section 31, a search section 40, a database 80, and the like. The search unit 40 supplies point information and event information as search results to the route guidance device 130. The route guidance device 130 is a normal navigation system, and determines a guidance route using point information and event information as search results.

The search target may be content to be viewed. For example, the service content provided to the user regarding the selected theme is not limited to the presentation of destination candidates and route point candidates, but also includes information such as music, images, videos, detailed information related to the current moment and destination. Good to supply.

FIG. 21 shows yet another embodiment. In FIG. 21 as well, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 3 are given corresponding symbols. In FIG. 21, the search section 40 performs a search based on a search input input from a search input section 41. In FIG. The search result selection unit 51 selects the search results presented in the search result presentation unit 50 and performs display/audio-visual processing or processing depending on the content. The search results may be point information, event information, or content such as music, images, videos, and detailed information related to the current moment or destination.

This concludes the description of the embodiment.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

10 Location information determination unit 20 Area definition determination unit 30 Theme presentation unit 31 Theme selection unit 40 Search unit 41 Search input unit 50 Search result presentation unit 51 Search result selection unit 60 Route determination unit 70 Route display unit 80 Destination recommendation database 81 Area definition 82 Theme information 83 Search object association data 100 Route guidance device 110 Computer system 111 Recording medium 120 Search device 121 Search device 130 Route guidance device

Claims (5)

inputting one or more first destinations based on a user's selection operation ;
determining a first route based on the input first destination;
providing guidance based on the determined first route;
inputting a second destination based on a user's selection operation while the guidance based on the first route is being provided;
saving the unarrived portion associated with the first destination when the second destination is entered;
determining a second route based on the input second destination;
interrupting guidance based on the first route and providing guidance based on the determined second route;
When the guidance based on the second route is completed, determining a route based on the saved unarrived portion related to the first destination;
A route guidance method comprising the step of providing guidance based on the route determined based on the unarrived portion. 2. The route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting , based on a user's selection operation, whether or not to determine the route based on the unarrived portion. The step of entering the second destination is
Select a theme based on the user's selection operation ,
Search for destinations based on selected themes,
Present search results,
3. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein a destination is determined from the presented search results based on a user's selection operation . to the computer,
inputting one or more first destinations based on a user's selection operation ;
determining a first route based on the input first destination;
providing guidance based on the determined first route;
inputting a second destination based on a user's selection operation while the guidance based on the first route is being provided;
saving the unarrived portion associated with the first destination when the second destination is entered;
determining a second route based on the input second destination;
interrupting guidance based on the first route and providing guidance based on the determined second route;
When the guidance based on the second route is completed, determining a route based on the saved unarrived portion related to the first destination;
A computer program for route guidance, characterized in that it executes the step of providing guidance based on the route determined based on the unarrived portion . means for inputting one or more first destinations based on a user's selection operation ;
means for determining a first route based on the input first destination;
means for providing guidance based on the determined first route;
means for inputting a second destination based on a user's selection operation while the guidance based on the first route is being provided;
means for storing unarrived portions associated with the first destination when the second destination is entered;
means for determining a second route based on the input second destination;
means for interrupting guidance based on the first route and providing guidance based on the determined second route;
When the guidance based on the second route is completed, means for determining the route based on the saved unarrived portion related to the first destination;
A route guidance device comprising means for providing guidance based on a route determined based on the unarrived route.

Images