JPH08292063A - Portable guide apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a portable guide apparatus that is confirmable even as walking by way of having a current position and a destination displayed on a scope in order to do guidance and inducement up to the ignorant destination. CONSTITUTION: In this portable guide apparatus 1, a GPS receiving antenna 3 is installed in the inner part of its body 2, while it has a built-in circuit centering on a central processing part 7 performing the storage of information on a map, a current position or the like, and its arithmetic processing and the like, and it is equipped with a GPS receiving part 8, converting a signal caught by a GPS receiving antenna 3. Guide information is written into an auxiliary storage part 10 from an external storage medium 6, and further another guide information from the outside, converted by a conversion processing part 13 at need is also stored in the auxiliary storage part 10. The guide apparatus 1 outputs the guide information to a display 5 via an input-output control part 11, while it displays the current position and destination and the like on the map displayed on the scope.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for outputting information (hereinafter referred to as "guidance information") relating to various types of guidance mainly on a map, and particularly to the distance between the present location and the destination on the map. The present invention relates to a portable guide device having a function of outputting a screen on a screen.

[0002]

[Prior Art] Visit an unfamiliar city and walk or train,
When you use a bus etc. to act on your own, you usually carry a guidebook with a map of the land, transportation, sights, etc., and refer to the map to check the current location if necessary, or They often act while selecting destinations and means of transportation to destinations with reference to tables and guidebooks. At this time, especially when visiting many places at once, the number of maps and guidebooks to carry is large and bulky, and it is very inconvenient to carry around. Moreover, it is troublesome to refer to maps, etc. flexibly, which is very inconvenient to confirm the current location and the route to the destination.

[0003] As a means for solving such complexity,
Conventionally, the destination of a travel destination is output by extracting the information of the sights of a designated city from a storage device and outputting it to an image display device that displays an image of a map of Japan, a world map, an enlarged map of a designated city, etc. In JP-A-59-193485, there is known a device that eliminates the inconvenience of carrying a map or a guidebook.

[0004]

However, although this device is preferable in that it eliminates the complexity of carrying a large number of maps and guidebooks, it is only capable of displaying information such as maps or tourist attraction guides on the screen. Met. Also, if you visit an unfamiliar place, you often do not know your current location. In this case, you can not associate the map on the screen with your current location, so this device works effectively when the current location is unknown. Was not. Also,
Even if the current location was known, the distance to the destination had to be calculated from the scale, and it was unsuitable for making an action plan such as calculating the required time from the distance to the destination.

In particular, in recent years, due to the development of transportation means and communication means, foreign countries have become more familiar, and due to the effect of the yen's appreciation, people often visit foreign tourist spots. It is not easy to ask the locals for directions, so if you get lost, this device will be completely useless.Therefore, there is a need for a device that effectively supports activities in unfamiliar cities, especially in foreign countries. Was there.

[0006] Not only when a foreign city is visited to act, but also at a destination in Japan, for example,
If you are not familiar with movie theaters, concert halls, golf courses, airfields, etc., you will need to confirm the location, nearest station, transportation, etc. with a map or guidebook. Such a problem was not limited to the case where the tourist destination of the travel destination was visited.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems generally seen when a destination is visited not only for tourist purposes but also when visiting an unfamiliar destination. Therefore, the purpose is not only to display a map, famous place information or other various information related to the purpose on the screen, but also to display the exact current location, the destination, the distance to the destination and the route on the screen. Along with
By making it portable, you can properly guide and guide you from your current location to your destination while you are walking toward your destination, for example, by referring to the screen display while walking. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable guidance device that can effectively support the action when visiting the.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a GPS antenna for capturing radio waves relating to the current location by using GPS, a keyboard for inputting required data, guidance information, etc. A central processing unit that includes a display that outputs a screen and an external storage medium that stores guidance information and the like, that performs arithmetic processing of information related to the current location, destination, and the like, and an electric wave that is received by the GPS antenna and receives electric waves. A GPS receiving unit that performs conversion processing into a signal, a communication control unit that controls exchange of signals between the central processing unit and the GPS receiving unit, and an auxiliary device that can write guidance information and the like stored in the external storage medium. A storage unit, an input / output control unit that controls the transfer of information to and from the keyboard or the display, an operation procedure in the central processing unit, and a processing of the central processing unit. A main body having a main storage unit that stores information to be stored and a conversion processing unit that performs conversion processing of guidance information taken from the outside and conversion processing of signals sent from the central processing unit It is characterized by being used as a mold guide device.

Further, the external storage medium may have one or more card-type constitutions in which the guide information is stored by type and the stored information is selected and read out by type. More preferable.

[0010]

The guide information written from the external storage medium to the auxiliary storage unit is read out to the central processing unit in accordance with the operator's instruction input from the keyboard. Further, based on the signals received and converted by the GPS receiving unit, the central processing unit calculates the current position according to the operation procedure stored in the main storage unit, calculates the distance to the destination, and reads the read guidance. The information can be output to the display together with the information, and the guide information that has been externally fetched and converted by the conversion processing unit can be output on the screen. Also, since the main body is portable, it is possible to check the screen display while walking.
If the external storage medium is configured to store the guidance information by type and select and read the information by type, the required guidance information can be output to the display by type.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of a portable guide device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a portable guide device 1 according to the present invention. The portable guidance device 1 is a GPS "Global Positioning System".
(Global Positioning System) "is used to detect the current position of the operator, so that the operator's current position can be detected. Processing of such signals, processing of information input by the operator, and the like are performed by each member centered on the central processing unit provided inside the main body 2.

The portable guide device 1 has a GP inside the main body 2.
A GPS receiving antenna 3 for receiving signals from the S satellite Z is provided, a keyboard 4 for an operator to input required data, and a display for outputting various kinds of information such as a map, present location, and destination on a screen. 5
And an external storage medium 6 storing guide information for each type.

The main body 2 has a built-in circuit centering on a central processing unit 7 for storing information about a map, the present location, a destination, etc., arithmetic processing, and displaying its outer shape as shown in FIG. 5 has a shape that can be opened and closed, and has a size that can be carried with one hand.

The built-in circuit has a central processing unit 7 as a center, receives a signal relating to the current position via the GPS receiving antenna 3, and converts the received signal into an electric signal. A communication control unit 9 that controls the exchange of signals between the processing unit 7 and the GPS receiving unit 8.
And an input / output control for controlling information transfer between the auxiliary storage unit 10 for writing guide information from the external storage medium 6 and reading it to the central processing unit 7, the keyboard 4 or the display 5, and the central processing unit 7. The section 11, a main storage section 12 for storing a program for defining an operation procedure in the central processing section 7 such as calculation processing of the distance to the destination and information to be processed by the central processing section 7, and guidance information from the outside. The central processing unit 7 and the conversion processing unit 13 perform the conversion processing of the signal sent from the central processing unit 7, all of which are electrically connected.

Although the GPS receiving antenna 3 is built in the main body 2, it can be attached to the outside of the main body 2 as an extendable and retractable antenna. The signal captured by the GPS receiving antenna 3 is used as a GPS receiving unit 8 to be described later.
Is converted into an electric signal by and then sent to the central processing unit 7 via the communication control unit 9 at any time.

The keyboard 4 and the display 5 may have known configurations, but the keyboard 4 is preferably provided with function keys that enable key input corresponding to the operation of the main body 2. . For example, as shown in FIG. 3, alphabet keys 4a, numeric keys 4b, scroll keys 4c and function keys 4 are used.
d may be provided.

The external storage medium 6 is one in which various types of guide information, which will be described later, are converted into digital signals in advance and stored in respective IC cards. The guide information to be stored is information mainly based on a map. When the external storage medium 6 is set in the card drive 2a built in the main body 2, it is possible to write information stored in advance in the auxiliary storage unit 10. Further, the external storage medium 6 also stores information about a menu for selecting processing contents when the main body 2 is started up, and the processing menu is displayed on the display 5 at the same time when the main body 2 is started up as described later. I am able to do it.

The central processing unit 7 is mainly composed of a microprocessor, and guide information read from the auxiliary storage unit 10 according to a program stored in the main storage unit 12 and guidance converted by the conversion processing unit 13. The information is output to the display 5 via the input / output control unit 11.
At this time, the present position information received from the GPS receiving unit 8 is used to perform calculation processing such as calculation of the distance to the destination or calculation of the route to the destination, and the result is also output to the display 5.

The GPS receiver 8 receives a signal relating to the time captured by the GPS antenna 3 as an input, measures the pseudo distance and the true distance after various corrections, and from this true distance, the longitude, latitude, and altitude of the present location. The built-in circuit for obtaining the information is sent to the central processing unit 7 via the communication control unit 9 as the current position information. Further, the conversion processing unit 13 uses a modem for converting the analog information from the analog signal to the guide information fetched from the outside by using the telephone line and converting the digital signal sent from the central processing unit 7 into the analog signal. Can be configured.

Next, the operation contents of the portable guidance device 1 will be described. By changing the external storage medium and appropriately changing the information to be written in the auxiliary storage unit 10, the portable guidance device 1 can be used not only for various types of guidance information but also externally converted by the conversion processing unit 13. It is characterized in that the guide information can also be used. As the guidance information, for example, as shown in Table 1, together with information mainly including characters such as the location of a target company, a telephone number, and a representative name, the location of the company is displayed together with the operator's current location on a peripheral map. "Business information guide for business",
Information such as train / bus / aircraft departure or departure times, destinations, vacant seats, etc. is displayed mainly in text, and a peripheral map including the locations of stations and airports and a map of stations and airports are displayed. Information guidance "or the like.
In addition, "Housing information guide", "Golf course information", or "Shopping information information", "Fishing area information information",
“Horse track information guide” and the like can be included, but each of them has image information for displaying the destination place.

[0021]

[Table 1]

It is preferable to classify the guide information into two types according to the content and character of the information, such as "business information guide for business" and "business information guide for employment". Regular updates are in time (for example,
Update every year) (“Update cycle A” in the table), and timely updates such as “Shopping information guide” and “Theater information guide” (“Update cycle B”) are updated in a timely manner. It is preferable to be able to do so. In the following description, each of the two update cycles A and B will be described using "business information guide for business" and "theater information guide" as examples.

4 to 6 show the operation contents of the apparatus 1 divided into three parts X, Y and Z, each of which is executed by a circuit centered on the central processing unit 7. Processing X, GPS antenna 3, GPS receiving unit 8, communication control unit 9, external storage medium 6, auxiliary storage unit 10, and conversion processing unit 1
3 shows a process Y in FIG. 3, an input process from the keyboard 4 and an output process Z to the display 5.

The operation contents of the device 1 are A in the update cycle,
All of the guide information of B are generally common, and first, as shown in FIG. 4, the initial control instruction processing a is executed at the same time when the power of the main body 2 is turned on. This initial control instruction processing a receives an instruction stored in the main storage unit 12 so as to prompt the operator to set the external storage medium 6 in the card drive 2a, and the central processing unit 7 displays the display 5
The message is sent to the user to output the screen.
When the operator sets the external storage medium 6 in the card drive 2a according to this message, the stored information is written into the auxiliary storage unit 10c, the central processing unit 7 reads the information, and the initialization process d is performed. Be seen. Next, the main menu display processing e is executed, and the main menu C as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display 5.

The external storage medium 6 stores guide information considered necessary for sales for each industry, and also stores information on the display contents of the main menu C. The contents of the main menu C are selected according to the type of company such as "publisher", "intermediary store", "bookstore", "publishing association" with information on the industry selected by the operator (illustrated in the publishing industry). When the operator selects using the scroll key 4c, the judgment f of the input contents is executed, the guide information is read from the corresponding auxiliary storage unit 10, and the company name display process g is executed. Then, the company name display screen D as shown in FIG. 8 can be displayed. The company name display screen D is a screen for displaying the stored company name and allowing the operator to arbitrarily select it.

When an input is made from the function key 4d to select "company guide" displayed in the function menu D1 displayed at the bottom of the screen shown in the figure, the company guide display processing h is executed and as shown in FIG. The company information screen E can be displayed. On this screen, the operator can obtain various information such as the location of the company selected, the name of the representative, the number of employees, etc. Therefore, the necessary information can be displayed on the screen without referring to guidebooks or various information magazines. You can check it at. In addition, a screen is prepared separately for processing such as "Daily report input" and "Travel expense adjustment", and this processing is performed on the function menu E on the company guide screen E.
It is preferable that the number 1 can be selected.

Furthermore, when "peripheral map" is selected from the function menu E1, a guide map display screen F as shown in FIG. 10 can be displayed. This guidance map display screen F is displayed on the GPS by the GPS receiving antenna 3.
The central processing unit 7 receives the current position information measured and obtained by the receiving unit 8 via the communication control unit 9, and subsequently executes the position determination process j and then the distance calculation display process k, and The result of executing the guide map display processing m after executing the reading 1 from the auxiliary storage unit 10 is displayed on the display 5.

On the guide map display screen F, in addition to the peripheral map of the target company, the operator's current position P obtained after executing the position determination process j is displayed as a black circle on the screen, and the company name display screen is displayed. The location of the company selected on D is displayed as a destination Q with a white circle. Of course, these display methods are arbitrary such as "* mark" and "# mark". By referring to the guide map display screen F, the operator can directly confirm his / her current location and also the location of the destination company can be specifically confirmed on the map.

The position determining process j is performed by the GPS receiving unit 8
The latitude and longitude of the current position information obtained by the
After comparing with the latitude and longitude that are pre-installed in the image information to be displayed as a map read from, the latitude and longitude that match both are calculated, and the position corresponding to the calculated latitude and longitude Is displayed as a current position P on the display 5 by a black circle as shown in the figure.

Furthermore, on the guide map display screen F, a distance display R for displaying the distance from the current position P to the destination Q,
Among the routes from the current position P to the destination Q, a route display S for displaying the optimum route in any manner such as a dotted line on the screen is provided. As a result, the operator not only knows the specific locations between the current location P and the destination Q, but also knows the distance between the stores and the optimal route among the routes (routes) from the current location P to the destination Q. Will be possible. Therefore, the operator does not need to refer to a guidebook or the like even if the location of the destination company is unfamiliar, and since the device is portable, it can be used while walking, for example, while walking. Also, if necessary, you can check the current location and destination at any time.
By following the path of following, you can reach your destination efficiently without getting lost. Thus
The device 1 contributes to the route guidance of the operator and effectively supports the action.

The distance display R and the route display S are the results obtained by executing the distance calculation display process k displayed on the screen. This distance calculation display processing k performs a movement simulation in which each route is moved at a constant speed with respect to an arbitrary route from the current position P to the destination Q, and the route with the shortest movement time is obtained as the shortest route and the route is displayed. Along the screen display as S, the distance along the route is calculated as the actual distance from the scale of the map, and the result is displayed as the distance display R.

Next, the operation contents of this apparatus in the case of the guide information of the update cycle B will be described by taking "theater information guide" as an example. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the update cycle A from the initial control instruction processing a to the main menu display processing e.
The same processing as in the case of is performed, and as a result, the main menu G as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. Here, the content of the guide information can be selected according to the content such as "movie", "concert", "drama", or the like. Then, the external reception process o is executed after the judgment n of the input contents according to the selected contents.

The external reception process o is a process for fetching required guide information from the outside. External reception processing o is
A signal is sent from the central processing unit 7 to the conversion processing unit 13 via the communication control unit 9 and an instruction signal from the central processing unit 7 is sent to the conversion processing unit 13 to convert and transmit the signal. , The conversion processing unit 13 converts the signal sent from the central processing unit 7 by the instruction signal, and then accesses the communication network station q through the public telephone line p to obtain necessary information. The information of the acquired analog signal is converted into a digital signal and then written and stored in the auxiliary storage unit 10 via the communication control unit 9 so that the auxiliary information is received and stored in the auxiliary storage unit 10. It is something to remember.

By reading u from the auxiliary storage unit 10 as shown in FIG. 6, the guidance information received from the outside can be used as if it were the information written from the external storage medium 6 to the auxiliary storage unit 10. it can. That is, subsequently, by executing the reception content display processing v, the guide information received from the outside is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 12, and the names of the movies released in the theater and the works to be released soon are displayed. You will be able to do it. Further, it is preferable that the processing content of the received content display processing v is appropriately changed so that a screen according to the content of the received guidance information can be displayed. For example, in the received guidance information, the name of a movie theater is displayed. When including a telephone number or the like, it can be displayed as a theater guide screen I as shown in FIG.

When the received guide information includes a map of the surrounding area including the location of the movie theater and also includes image information incorporating the longitude and latitude, the peripheral map is displayed from the received image information, and Similarly to the above, by using the current position information obtained by using the GPS receiving antenna 3 and the like, the position determination process j and the distance calculation display process k are executed, and further the guide map display process m is executed, so as shown in FIG. It is also possible to display the peripheral guidance map J including the current location P, the destination Q, etc.

On the other hand, when the received guidance information does not include image information, the peripheral guidance map J can be displayed as follows. That is, the image information relating to the surrounding map including the location of the movie theater and the latitude and longitude is stored in the external storage medium 6 in advance, and the writing from the external storage medium 6 to the auxiliary storage unit 10 is performed. After performing the search, the information in the auxiliary storage unit 10 is searched according to the information (for example, the theater name) input as the destination location from the keyboard 4, and the necessary information is extracted. The peripheral guidance map J can be displayed by executing the position determination process j, the distance calculation display process k, and the like as described above. In this case as well, the operator can confirm the current position P and the destination Q, as well as the optimum route and distance from the current position P to the destination Q at the same time at any time during the action, and can act efficiently. Further, since the information is acquired from the outside, it is preferable that the guide information can be updated in a timely manner.

Furthermore, the guide information is not limited to the above, and for example, by displaying guide information such as tourist cities and tourist attractions in the world with a map for the purpose of tourist guide, it is possible to display an undesired tourist spot. Even in the course of walking, it is possible to act while checking the current location and the destination even during the course of walking, which is particularly preferable when visiting a tourist destination in a foreign country. Note that the portable guidance device 1 can be configured as an existing electronic notebook provided with the GPS receiving antenna 3, the GPS receiving unit 8, and the like, or a so-called liquid crystal television having a liquid crystal display screen can receive the GPS receiving antenna 3, It can also be configured as having the GPS receiver 8 and the like.

In addition to the above, the portable guide device 1 has a built-in radio antenna 14 for receiving radio waves as shown in FIG. 15 and a radio receiving section 15 for converting received radio waves into electric signals. Can also be, in this case,
In addition to the guide information obtained as described above, the guide information can be obtained even by wireless, which is even more preferable.

[0039]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Since the portable guide device of the present invention outputs guide information such as sight-seeing guides and company information guides, which are mainly maps, on the screen, it is possible to save time and effort to carry a map and act in an unfamiliar place. Even in this case, it is possible to carry the device and act lightly while referring to the screen each time. In addition, since the operator's current location and the distance to the destination and the route are displayed on the map, the map on the screen and the current location can be kept consistent at all times, and even if the destination is unknown As a result, the behavior when visiting an unfamiliar destination can be effectively supported. It is also suitable when making an action plan by appropriately referring to the guidance information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a portable guide device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a portable guide device.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of key arrangement of a keyboard.

FIG. 4 is a processing chart showing the operation contents of the portable guidance device.

FIG. 5 is a processing chart showing the sequel to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a processing chart showing another processing content.

FIG. 7 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of a main menu of the portable guidance device.

FIG. 8 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of a display screen.

9 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of a screen subsequent to FIG. 8. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a screen display content diagram showing an example of display content of a screen including a map subsequent to FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of another main menu.

FIG. 12 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of a screen following that of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a screen layout diagram showing an example of a screen following that of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a screen display content diagram illustrating an example of display content of a screen including a map subsequent to FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of another portable guide device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Portable Guidance Device 2 Main Body 3 GPS Antenna 4 Keyboard 5 Display 6 External Storage Medium 7 Central Processing Section 8 GPS Reception Section 9 Communication Control Section 10 Auxiliary Storage Section 11 Input / Output Control Section 12 Main Storage Section 13 Conversion Processing Section

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yoshifumi Mashima 5-3-3 Honmachi, Hoya-shi, Tokyo (72) Inventor Minoru Sato 3-17-20 Higashisuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo Music Plaza Higashisuna 201

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A GPS antenna for capturing radio waves relating to the current location by using GPS, a keyboard for inputting required data, a display for outputting screens such as guide information, and an external storage medium storing guide information and the like. And a central processing unit that performs arithmetic processing of information relating to the current location, destination, etc., a GPS receiving unit that receives radio waves captured by the GPS antenna and performs conversion processing to an electric signal, and the central processing unit. And a communication control unit that controls the exchange of signals with the GPS reception unit, an auxiliary storage unit that can write guidance information and the like stored in the external storage medium, and the exchange of information with the keyboard or the display. An input / output control unit, a main storage unit that stores the operation procedure in the central processing unit and information to be processed by the central processing unit, and a guide for importing from the outside. A portable guide device, wherein a main body having a conversion processing unit for converting information and converting a signal sent from the central processing unit is made portable. 2. The external storage medium has one or two or more card-type constitutions in which guidance information is stored by type and the stored information can be selected and read out by type. The portable guide device according to claim 1.