JPH041898A - Voice guiding equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the length of a guide text in accordance with the speed of a vehicle by providing a reading time calculating means and a text selecting means for selecting the guide text and providing to a voice rule synthesizing means based on time required for reading parts of the guide text and priority given by a ranking means. CONSTITUTION:A reading time calculating means I and a text selecting means J for selecting a guide text and providing to a voice rule synthesizing means E based on time for reading parts of the guide text calculated by the reading time calculating means I and priority given by a ranking means H so that the guide text is substantially read within arrival time obtained by an arrival time predicting means G are provided. In accordance with the time for reading the parts of the guide text and the priority given by the ranking means H, the guide text is selected and provided to the voice rule synthesizing means E. The guide text is converted into a voice signal to start a voice guide. Thus, the contents of the guide text can be selected in accordance with the speed of vehicle with a proper guide.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention is a car navigation location system used for a moving object, such as a car, which detects the current position of the moving object and provides information to drivers, passengers, etc. near the current location. This invention relates to an audio guidance device that provides audio guidance on geographical information.

<Prior Art> Car navigation location systems have conventionally been provided that convey vehicle position information and route guidance information to drivers. This system is equipped with a geomagnetic sensor, a azimuth sensor such as a gyro, an odometer sensor that measures the distance traveled, a map memory, and a display.The system determines the current position of the vehicle and displays that position and the direction of travel in hectares on the display. It is displayed superimposed on the map.

The driver can see where the vehicle is on the map and in which direction it is moving by looking at the display.

In the above-mentioned car navigation location system, the driver has to look at the display while driving, which is dangerous, so the vehicle position information is displayed on the screen at the same time.
A device has been proposed that notifies the driver of place names, intersection names, and road names by voice so that the driver can obtain information without having to look at the screen (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 84-75911, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 64 (Refer to Publication No.-16915).

For example, when approaching an intersection, etc., it is possible to issue a voice such as ``1 kg more and you are at the intersection'' or ``please turn right at the three-way intersection'' to instruct the driver on the distance to the intersection or the direction to turn.

However, the above voice guidance device has the following problems.

■ ``The system only uses common names such as Intersection J and ``Three-way intersection'' and is not able to provide guidance based on actual place names such as ``Tokyo Station'' or ``Tenji X-chome intersection,'' so it has little power to appeal to drivers.

■“Then it’s XXX at Xk@” or “Please turn right.”
Since only a limited number of fixed phrases are uttered, the driver quickly gets tired of hearing them and stops paying attention to them.

Therefore, the present applicant has filed a patent application for the purpose of proposing an audio guidance device that can provide audio guidance based on actual place names and that can provide audio guidance by creating sentences that are varied and never tire of listening. (April 17, 1990, "Voice Guidance Device").

According to this audio guidance device, it is possible to create and audio-output guidance texts suitable for the local area on the spot, and it is possible to provide a wide variety of guidance texts.

Therefore, appropriate and abundant information can be provided to the driver while driving, and great assistance can be provided when the driver is geographically uncertain.

<Problem to be solved by the invention> However, one problem was how to set the timing for guiding the object.

For example, guidance may be started when the distance between the vehicle and the object approaches a certain distance, but if the vehicle is traveling at high speed or the guidance text is long, the guidance may be started before finishing reading the guidance text. This is inconvenient because the user passes by the object of guidance and has to turn around to see the object.

The present invention was made to solve this problem, and is an audio guide that can provide appropriate guidance to the driver and fellow passengers by controlling the length of the guidance text according to the speed of the vehicle. The purpose is to provide equipment.

Means and operation for solving the above-mentioned problems> As shown in FIG.
, a guide information storage means B which stores the name and description of a particular point in correspondence with the position of the particular point on the road map; a position detection means C which detects the vehicle position; When it is detected that approaching a specific point, text generation means searches for the name and description of the specific point and creates a guide sentence, and voice rule synthesis means E converts the created guide sentence into an audio signal. At the same time, based on the position obtained from the speed detection means F that detects the speed of the vehicle and the position detection means C, from a point a predetermined distance in front of the object to be guided,
The time taken to reach the target object is determined by the speed obtained from the speed detection means F, the road map storage means A, and the guide information storage means B.
Arrival time prediction means G calculates the arrival time using geographical information obtained from a reading time calculation means I that calculates the time required to read each part of the guidance text created by the method; and a reading time calculation means I that calculates the time required to read each part of the guidance text created by The time required to read each part of the guide text calculated by the time calculation means I and the ranking are determined according to the priority assigned by the means H.
A sentence selection means J selects guide sentences and provides them to a speech rule synthesis means E.

According to the voice guidance device described above, the position of the vehicle is determined by the position detecting means C and transmitted to the text generating means. The text generation means searches the road map storage means A and the guide information storage means B according to the position of the vehicle, and creates a guide text.

On the other hand, the arrival time prediction means G calculates the arrival time from a predetermined distance in front of the object to be guided until reaching the object. Sentence selection means J selects the time required to read each part of the guide sentence calculated by reading time calculation means I and ranks it by means H so that the guide sentence can be almost finished reading within the arrival time. Guide sentences are selected according to the priority order and provided to the voice rule synthesis means E. The voice rule synthesis means E converts the guidance sentence into a voice signal and starts the voice guidance.

Note that the guide information storage means B may store the name and description of the location as well as the priority order corresponding to each part of the description. Rank calculation by means H is no longer necessary for ranking, and means H can be omitted for ranking.

Alternatively, the guide information storage means B may store the names and descriptions of locations, as well as the reading times for each part of the description. According to this, reading time calculation means I
It is no longer necessary to calculate the reading time by , and the reading time calculation means (2) can be omitted.

<Example> Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the voice guidance device. The voice guidance device is installed in the vehicle body 11, and includes: - a road map database 4 that stores road map data; - a unique name for a specific point on the road map that corresponds to the location information of that point. - Geomagnetic sensor 10 installed on the roof of the vehicle body 11, - Wheel speed sensor 9 installed on the wheel of the vehicle body 11, - Direction information of the geomagnetic sensor 10 and travel information of the wheel speed sensor 9 A position/speed detection unit 8 that calculates the travel trajectory based on distance information and detects the current vehicle position and speed; - When it is detected that the vehicle is approaching a specific point on the map, it detects the current position and speed of the vehicle; A text generation unit 2 that searches for the unique name and explanatory text of the point based on the location information, and creates a guide text by combining it with a fixed form text. - The text generation unit 2 reaches the object to be guided. Arrival time prediction is calculated using the vehicle position and speed obtained from the position/speed detection unit 8, road information obtained from the road map database 4, and the position of the object obtained from the guidance information database 1. Part 12, ・Ranking of the guide sentences created by the text generation unit 2 from the sentence that appears first is performed in Part 13, ・The ranking of the guide sentences created by the text generation unit 2 is performed in Part 13.・The information necessary to read each part of the guide sentences created by the text generation unit 2 A reading time calculation unit 14 that calculates the time, - Within the arrival time calculated by the arrival time prediction unit 12,
Sentence selection section 1 discards guidance sentences according to the priority assigned by ranking section 13 so that the guidance sentences are almost completely read.
5. ・Speech rule synthesis unit 3 that converts the created guide text into an audio signal. ・Speaker 7 that outputs the synthesized voice. ・Map obtained from the road map database 4 and position/speed detection unit 8.
The display controller 5 includes a display control section 5 for displaying the current vehicle position detected by the vehicle on the display 6, and a display 6.

The speaker 7 may be prepared exclusively, or a part of the audio equipment such as a car stereo installed in the vehicle may be used.

Note that the configuration of the voice guidance device is not limited to the above. For example, instead of the geomagnetic sensor 1o, a gyro (mechanical gyro, laser gyro, optical fiber gyro) may be used to detect the turning angular velocity of the vehicle body, and azimuth information may be obtained by time-integrating. Instead of the wheel speed sensor 9, the distance traveled may be determined using an odometer attached to the vehicle. Further, the position/speed detection unit 8 matches the detected position of the vehicle with the road on the map, and corrects the error in the position of the vehicle by utilizing the constraint that the car only runs on the road. It is also possible (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 148115/1983).

The guide information database 1 may be constituted by, for example, a CD-ROM, and various media such as a thin optical disk, a magnetic disk, and a semiconductor memory can be used. To reduce hardware costs, e.g. one CD-ROM
The area may be divided and shared between the road map database 4 and the guide information database 1.

The guidance information database 1 includes the unique name of the guidance target,
Coordinates and detailed description are stored. An example of stored data is shown in Table 1.

The sentence generation unit 2 in Table 1 is composed of, for example, the functions of a microcomputer, and has a fixed sentence such as ``XXXX will be coming soon.'' This “xxxx
A unique name obtained by searching the guide information database 1 is applied to the part corresponding to J, and a detailed explanation is also searched from the guide information database 1 and outputted as voice.

When the text generation section 2 and the display control section 5 are provided by the functions of one microcomputer, they can be shared by one piece of hardware, thereby reducing the burden of hardware development and reducing costs.

Since the functions of the arrival time prediction unit 12, reading end time calculation unit 13, and guidance start control unit 14 can also be realized using a microcomputer, it is also possible to realize all of these functions in one microcomputer.

The speech rule synthesis unit 3 uses a so-called text synthesis device that uses sentences containing kanji and kana as its mainstay. In the case of text synthesis, sentences containing kanji and kana are checked against a built-in dictionary, converted into readings, and then synthesized into speech.

It is also possible to display the text on the display 6.

In the voice guidance system described above, the position/velocity detection section 8 detects the current vehicle position, and when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching Yamada Shrine, the position information is transmitted to the text generation section 2. The text generation section 2 searches the guide information database 1 according to the location of the vehicle, creates a guide regarding Yamada Shrine, and sends it to the speech rule synthesis section 3.

For example, (I) ``Yamada Shrine will be there soon.'' (2) ``It's a miraculous shrine for matchmaking.Seasonal flowers such as cherry blossoms, plums, and azaleas are in full bloom.'' Most of it was destroyed in a big fire, but it was rebuilt in the Taisho era.'' (4) ``A night stall opens on the 15th of every month.''

Among these, (I) is the sentence pattern "There is XXXXX soon." and the proper name "Yamada Shrine" is applied, and (21, (3), (4) are information). This information was obtained by searching for detailed information in the information database 1.

The reading time calculation unit 14 calculates the time required to receive and finish reading this sentence aloud.

For example, if the output rate is about 8 syllables per second, in this example, (I) has 15 syllables, so it would be predicted to take about 2 seconds, and (2
) has 40 syllables, so it is expected to take about 5 seconds, and (3) takes about 6 seconds.
Since there are 5 syllables, it is predicted to take about 8 seconds, and (4) has about 18 syllables, so it is predicted to take about 2.3 seconds.

On the other hand, the arrival time prediction unit 12 predicts the time at which the vehicle will arrive at Yamada Shrine. For example, if we consider a point 150m in front of Yamada Shrine as a reference point, when the average speed of the vehicle is 60km, it is 9.
It is predicted to take 13.5 seconds when the average vehicle speed is 40 km/h, and 18 seconds when the average vehicle speed is 30 km/h.

Ranking part 13 is (I), (2), (31',
Rank the sentences in (4). Since (I) is essential for understanding the guidance target, it is given the highest rank [0], and (2
), (3), and (4) are respectively [1] according to the database description.

[2], [3].

The sentence selection section 15 selects sentences in descending order of priority within the time predicted by the arrival time prediction section 12 and sends them to the speech rule synthesis section 3 . for example,
If the arrival time is 9 seconds, choose (I) and (2) (reading time is 7 seconds). If the arrival time is 13.5 seconds, then (I
), (2), and (4) (reading time is 9.3 seconds).

If the arrival time is 18 seconds, choose (I), (2), (3), and (4) (reading time is 17.3 seconds).

The speech rule synthesis unit 3 receives the selected sentence, converts it into speech, and outputs the speech. Therefore, you will be able to pass around Yamada Shrine by the time the audio guidance text is finished being output.

The output audio signal passes through an audio amplifier (not shown), is output from the speaker 7, and is heard by the driver and fellow passengers.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the ranking section 13 may be omitted and the priority order of each explanation section may be stored in the guide information database 1. According to this, the stored contents of the guide information database 1 will be as shown in Table 2.

Table 2 Furthermore, the reading time calculation unit 14 may be omitted and the reading time of each part of the explanation may be stored in the guidance information database 1.

Furthermore, the speech rule synthesis unit 3 is not limited to a text synthesis device, if it is not intended to be displayed on the display 6 in the form of sentences mixed with kanji and kana. The sentence generation section 2 may directly generate a sentence expressed in the form of phonetic characters, and the speech rule synthesis section 3 may convert it into speech. In this case, it is preferable that the guide information database 1 is also registered in a reading format.

Furthermore, it is also possible to apply the present invention to mobile objects such as ships and aircraft (for example, pleasure boats and pleasure airplanes).

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the voice guidance device of the present invention, the content of the guidance message is changed according to the priority order so that the guidance object can be passed just when the guidance is finished. You can pick and choose.

Therefore, the user always passes the object to be guided around the time the guidance is finished, and the relationship between the content of the guidance and the object can be seen, and guidance can be provided in accordance with the actual situation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a voice guidance device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a voice guidance device according to an embodiment. A... Road map storage means, B... Guidance information storage means, C... Position detection means, D
...Sentence generation means, E...Speech rule synthesis means, F.
... Speed detection means, G... Arrival time prediction means, H...
・Ranking is by means, I...reading time calculation means, J...
・Sentence selection means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Road map storage means (A) storing road map data
, a guide information storage means (B) that stores the name and description of a particular point in correspondence with the position of the particular point on the road map; a position detection means (C) that detects the vehicle position; a text generating means (D) that searches for the name and description of the specific point and creates a guide text when it detects that the person approaches a specific point on the map; and converts the created guide text into an audio signal. Based on the position obtained from the voice rule synthesis means (E) that detects the speed of the vehicle, the speed detection means (F) that detects the speed of the vehicle, and the position detection means (C), from a point a predetermined distance in front of the object to be guided. The time taken to reach the target object is determined by the speed obtained from the speed detection means (F), the road map storage means (A), and the guide information storage means (B).
arrival time prediction means (G) that calculates using the geographical information obtained from the information, and ranking means (H) that prioritizes each part of the guide text created by the text generation means (D). , a reading time calculation means (I) that calculates the time required to read each part of the guidance text created by the text generation means (D), and within the arrival time calculated by the arrival time prediction means (G). The reading time calculation means (I
), and according to the priority assigned by the ranking means (H), the guidance sentences are selected and put into the voice rule synthesis means (E).
) a sentence selection means (J) for providing sentence selection means (J). 2. The ranking means (H) is omitted and the guide information storage means (
2. The voice guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the location name and description as well as the priority order of each part of the explanation are stored in B). 3. Claim 1, wherein the reading time calculation means (I) is omitted, and the guide information storage means (B) stores the name and description of the spot as well as the reading time of each part of the explanation.
The voice guidance device described.