JPH08304099A - Item retrieving unit in navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To select a desired item through single action by inspecting an item selected in the past and one or a plurality of attributes belonging thereto at the time of retrieving an item thereby selecting an item having the same attributes as past ones. CONSTITUTION: A navigation system 4 is connected with a wheel sensor 1 for detecting the traveling distance of a vehicle, a gyro 2 for detecting the advancing azimuth, and a GPS receiver 8 for receiving a radio wave transmitted from a GPS satellite navigating on an orbit around the globe. Outputs from the wheel sensor 1, the gyro 2 and the CPS receiver 8 are fed to a body 4 where the current position of the vehicle is detected based on these outputs. Since the GPS receiver 8 can detect the current position of the vehicle directly based on the propagation delay time of received radio wave, it can be employed in the correction of current position of vehicle determined by self-contained navigation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an item searching device capable of quickly and easily searching and selecting an item such as a facility name or a place name desired by a user on a screen of a navigation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a road map memory such as a CD-ROM in which road map data including road and terrain information is stored is provided, and a map corresponding to the road map data stored in the road map memory is independently used. In addition, or a navigation device that displays it together with the current position of the vehicle has been put into practical use.

The road map memory has not only road map data but also information such as famous facility names, place names (facility classification, facility names, prefectures, municipalities, position coordinates, etc.). There is a case where the user wants to register a destination, a transit point or a registered place (where the user often goes) based on facility attributes such as resorts, hotels and restaurants, regional attributes such as prefectures and the like. At this time, the navigation device has a function of displaying a list on the screen and searching for a registration target (hereinafter referred to as “item”).

In order to perform this item search, a search screen is called and a joystick of a navigation device body or a remote control device attached to the navigation device is operated to select a desired facility attribute, area attribute or the like. For example, if you want to search for a specific "station," select the item "station" as the search target on the search screen. Then, it will change to the next screen and ask for the prefecture name. Next, select the prefecture name and you will be asked for the route name on the next screen. Therefore, when you select the route name, you will be asked for the station name on the next screen. In this way, when you can select a specific station, you can display a map centering on the specific station on the screen by operating the specified key. Can be registered as.

In addition to this, for an interchange on a highway, the item "Interchange" on the search screen is selected. Then, it will change to the next screen and ask for the prefecture name. Next, select the prefecture name, and you will be asked for the highway name on the next screen. So if you select a highway name,
The next screen shows a list of interchanges, and so on.

In addition, when registering a small place name, not only the prefecture name but also a list of city / ward names is displayed. Therefore, when a city or ward name is entered, a list of town / village names is displayed next. Therefore, the procedure of inputting the town name is necessary.

[0007]

Although the above example is only an example, in general, a certain procedure had to be followed when the user displayed and selected a list of items. In other words, it is necessary to call a list indicating the region attributes to which the search target belongs, select a region, etc., and then select the search target in the region.

However, since it is necessary to take a certain procedure as described above, it takes time and effort for a user to register a desired facility or the like. Considering that the navigation device is usually used while the vehicle is traveling, there has been a demand for an item search device capable of selecting facilities and the like more quickly and easily. On the other hand, there is also an empirical rule that the user often searches for content that is close to the content that was previously searched (see claim 15 of JP-A-6-331379).

In view of the above, the present invention focuses on the fact that the user often searches for content that is close to the content that was previously searched for, and allows the user to set items with simple operations. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

An item searching apparatus according to claim 1 for achieving the above object, when an item is searched for, stores the item together with an attribute to which the item belongs, When a command to search for an item is input and a command to search for an item is input by the search instructing unit, the item selected in the past and the attribute to which the item belongs are investigated. The search means and the display control means for determining and displaying a search screen for selecting an item having the same attribute as the attribute of the item selected in the past investigated by the surveying means.

Further, when displaying the search screen, it is preferable that the display control means displays the search screen in a state in which an item selected in the past can be selected by an operation of one action (claim 2). ). Further, in the search screen displayed by the display control means, when it is desired to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the item selected in the past, there is further provided an attribute changing means capable of changing only the attribute. It is preferable that the display control means, when any of the attributes is changed by the attribute changing means, decides and displays a search screen for selecting an item of the changed attribute (claim) 3).

Further, the storage means stores, when an item has been searched a plurality of times in the past, those items together with the attribute to which the item belongs, and when the changed attribute search screen is displayed. If there is an item selected in the past, it is preferable to display the search screen in a state in which the item can be selected by operating one action (claim 4).

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an item searching apparatus, wherein a command for searching for an item is input, and a command for searching for an item by the search commanding unit. Is entered, display control means for deciding and displaying a search screen from which that item can be selected, and if an item having an attribute different from the displayed content is to be searched, only that attribute can be changed. The display control means determines and displays a search screen on which the item of the changed attribute can be selected when any of the attributes is changed by the attribute changing means. There is (claim 5).

[0014]

According to the structure described in claim 1, when the user wants to search for an item, the user inputs a command to search for the item by the search instruction means. Then, the survey means determines that the item selected in the past and the item to which the item belongs
Alternatively, a plurality of attributes are investigated, and the display control means determines and displays a search screen on which an item having the same attribute as the attribute of the item selected in the past can be selected.

Therefore, when the user wants to retrieve an item, if the attribute of the item is the same as that of the item retrieved in the past, the user can enter the attribute of the item without inputting the attribute of the item. A search screen is displayed on which an item having the same attribute as the attribute can be selected, so that the user can immediately select the desired item using the screen.

According to the configuration of claim 2, when the user wants to select the same item as the item selected in the past, the user can select the item by a very simple operation of only one action. it can. According to the configuration of claim 3, when it is desired to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the item selected in the past on the search screen displayed by the display control means, the attribute is simply changed. , A search screen that allows you to select the item with the desired attribute is displayed. Compared with the regular procedure of selecting the item and the attribute, select the desired item with the omitted procedure. be able to.

According to the structure described in claim 4, when the changed attribute search screen is displayed, if there is an item selected in the past, it is a very simple operation of only one action. You can select the item. Claim 5
According to the configuration described in (1), if you want to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the displayed item on the search screen, you can select the item with the desired attribute simply by changing the attribute. Since the search screen is displayed, it is possible to select a desired item in the omitted procedure as compared with the regular procedure of selecting an item and an attribute.

[0018]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a screen display device 6, a navigation device body 4, and a joystick remote controller 7, which constitute a navigation device including the item search device of the present invention. However, the navigation device is not limited to this, and instead of the joystick remote control device 7, for example, as shown in FIG.
The operation unit may be provided in the.

The following description will be made on the premise of the navigation device of FIG. 3 equipped with the joystick remote controller 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the navigation device body 4 is transmitted from a wheel speed sensor 1 that detects the traveling distance of the vehicle, a gyro 2 that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a GPS satellite that is orbiting the orbit of the earth. G receiving radio waves
It is connected to a PS (Global Positioning System) receiver 8. The outputs of the wheel speed sensor 1, the gyro 2 and the GPS receiver 8 are given to the navigation device body 4, and the navigation device body 4 detects the current position of the vehicle based on the given outputs. The GPS receiver 8
Can directly detect the current position of the vehicle based on the propagation delay time of the received radio wave, so it is possible to use this current position of the vehicle to correct the current position of the vehicle obtained by so-called self-contained navigation. it can.

The road map memory 5 is composed of a CD-ROM, for example, 1 / 2,500 / 5000.
1 / 10,000, 1 / 10,000, 1 / 5,000
It stores road map data in 10 different scales, such as 1/00. The road map data of each scale is composed of mesh units obtained by dividing the Japanese road map so as to correspond to each scale. In addition to road map data, there is also facility data necessary for searching for all facilities such as stations, golf courses, hotels, department stores, ferries, marinas, interchanges, gas stations, resorts, museums, airports, and place names. Remembered These facility data include data such as facility names, area classifications, facility classifications (route names, highway names, etc.), municipalities, position coordinates, and the like.
Further, detailed information data such as a telephone number, an address, business contents, etc. are stored for a specific facility.

The road map data is read from the road map memory 5 and held in a bit map memory 45 described later. Further, the current position data of the vehicle and the road map data are given to the screen display device 6, and the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the screen display device 6 in an overlapping manner on the road map in the vicinity thereof. The wheel speed sensor 1 may be replaced with, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, and as the gyro 2, various types such as a vibration gyro, a gas rate gyro, and an optical fiber gyro can be applied. In addition, the wheel speed sensor 1,
It is also possible to perform all functions of the wheel speed sensor 1 and the gyro 2 by the GPS receiver 8 without installing the gyro 2. Further, the road map memory 5 has a CD-ROM.
Besides, for example, an IC card or a mini disk can be applied.

The navigation device body 4 is further provided with a CPU (central processing unit) 41 which controls the center of control of the navigation device, a facility name, a region name, a route name, etc. to which the retrieved item belongs when the item is retrieved. A non-volatile ROM 43 that functions as a storage unit that stores the data described above and a bitmap memory 45 that temporarily holds the screen display data are included.

Table 1 shows the contents stored in the ROM 43. Table 1
Is a facility name, area name,
It is stored in correspondence with the route name. Since the storage capacity of the ROM 43 can be set appropriately, for example, only one item retrieved immediately before may be stored, or a fixed number of items retrieved in the past may be stored. Alternatively, one or a plurality of items may be stored for each combination of the facility attribute, the area attribute, and the route name. In the present embodiment, the description will proceed assuming that a plurality of items are stored for each combination of facility attribute, area attribute, and route name.

[0024]

[Table 1]

The screen display device 6 is composed of a CRT, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, etc., and its screen size and the number of display dots are arbitrary. A power switch 61 for activating the navigation device is provided around the display screen. The joystick remote control device 7
It is connected to the navigation device body 4 and is always installed, for example, near the driver's seat so that the user can easily operate it while driving.

The joystick remote controller 7 is, in connection with the implementation of the present invention, a map button, a search button, an enlargement / reduction button, a setting button, a return button,
It has a menu button and a joystick. These buttons may be configured with mechanical switches, but a touch switch or the like is provided on the main body of the joystick remote controller 7, and when the touch switch or the like is pressed, the screen display device 6 is interlocked with the display of the screen. You may be able to perform the following functions. Alternatively, a switch may be displayed on the screen of the screen display device 6 so that the joystick can be used for selection.

The "map button, search button" switches between the map screen centering on the vehicle position and the search screen. When the map screen is switched to the search screen, the initial search screen is displayed. Switching to the map screen can be switched from any stage of the search screen display. "Enlarge / Reduce button"
Is to change (enlarge / reduce) the scale of the displayed map.

The "set button" is a button operated when the search items displayed on the search screen are decided. The "return button" is a button operated when returning to the previous screen. The “menu button” is a button for calling the menu screen. The "joystick" is used to select search items and switch search screens when the search screen is displayed, and is used to scroll the map screen when the map is displayed.

Next, the item search procedure will be described. The user wants to search a golf course as a search target and set it as a destination while the vehicle is traveling. While the vehicle is traveling, a map screen centering on the vehicle is displayed. In this state, the user presses the search button.

As a result, the contents stored in the ROM 43 are searched, and the screen used for the previous search is immediately displayed. For example, if a golf course was searched last time, a golf course search screen appears as shown in FIG. It should be noted that even when no search has been performed last time (for example, when this navigation is used for the first time), some items have been input at the time of shipment of the device, and a search screen corresponding to that item appears.

In FIG. 6, the upper left column (golf course) in the upper part of the screen
And the upper right column (Osaka) displays the contents retrieved last time. In the present invention, the facility attribute and the prefecture in which it is located are
There is no need to select it again, and the facility attributes “golf course” and “Osaka” that were previously searched are used as the search conditions. Therefore, on the search screen (see FIG. 6), the list of golf courses in Osaka appears in alphabetical order without selecting a prefecture.

Further, in this list, "Hanna CC" which is the golf course selected last time is displayed at the top. The reason for doing so is that the user is likely to select the previously selected golf course again. The user
If the previously selected corfu field is to be selected again, it is sufficient to press the setting button without operating the joystick, so the number of operations is reduced compared to the conventional selection method.

In the conventional case, the user first calls the menu screen (not shown) by using the menu button, and the menu screen is displayed by scrolling the map at high speed to search by map and search by facility name. , And the search method name of search by place name is displayed in each column, the user moves the joystick up and down, and selects, for example, search by facility name with the setting button, and further, from the facility name, golf course Had to set the prefecture name where he / she was located, call the golf course list, and set the desired golf course.

This series of operations includes menu button operation, operation of joystick and setting button for setting "search by facility name", operation of joystick and setting button for setting "search for golf course", It is necessary to operate the joystick and the setting button for selecting the prefecture name and the joystick and the setting button for selecting the "target golf course".

Therefore, according to the procedure of the present invention, if the previously selected item is selected, the item can be selected with far fewer operations than the conventional operation. Returning to the procedure of the present invention, if the user wants to select a golf course in another prefecture instead of Osaka, he or she operates the joystick to select the "Osaka" field and presses the return button. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the screen shifts to a search screen for prefectures.

On the screen of FIG. 7, prefectures arranged in the order of Japanese syllabary are displayed starting from the item "Osaka". The reason why "Osaka" is at the top is that the item selected last time is likely to be selected again, so that the item can be reset without operating the joystick. If the user wants to select another prefecture, for example, Okayama, he operates the joystick to set it to Okayama and presses the setting button.
Then, the screen shifts to a golf course search screen as shown in FIG. Since the golf course in Okayama has not been selected in the past (that is, the facility names corresponding to "golf course" and "Okayama" are not stored in the ROM 43), the golf course here is in alphabetical order. Displayed from the very beginning. The user may operate the joystick to scroll the list in alphabetical order, set the desired golf course, and press the setting button.

After that, by following a predetermined procedure, a screen of a map including "desired golf course" can be displayed, and detailed information such as the telephone number, address, and business content of the "desired golf course" can be called. You can also Next, it is assumed that the search target is changed from the golf course to another facility or hotel from the screen of FIG.

If the user wants to search for a hotel, he operates the joystick to select the "golf course" field and presses the return button. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the screen changes to a facility change screen. The user operates the joystick to select the "hotel" field and presses the setting button. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, assuming that Osaka is selected as the prefecture, the hotels in Osaka are displayed in alphabetical order. However, the reason why "Umeda OSH" is displayed in the uppermost column is that the previously selected item is stored and it is highly likely that the same item will be selected again.

If you want to change the area after this, operate the joystick to select the "Osaka" field and press the return button. The screen (not shown) similar to that shown in FIG. 7 described above appears. The user can operate the joystick to select another prefecture. Then, the screen shifts to a search screen for hotels in other prefectures, and the user can operate the joystick to scroll the list in alphabetical order, set a desired hotel, and press the setting button.

In the explanation up to now, a list of facility names was displayed for each prefecture, and the desired facility was selected. However, since the number of facilities is too large for each prefecture, the search range is limited to another level. An example of selecting by selecting will be described. For example, a method of searching a station will be described. Assume a case of starting from the facility change screen of FIG. On the same screen, the user operates the joystick to select the "Station" column and presses the setting button. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the station names are displayed in the order of the Japanese syllabary as if "Osaka", which was previously selected as the prefecture, was selected, and "Hankyu Electric Railway" that was previously selected as the electric railway company was selected. . However, "Toyonaka" is displayed in the top column because the last selected station is stored.
This is because there is a high possibility that this station will be selected again.

If the user is searching for a station of another electric railway company, for example, Hanshin Electric Railway, he or she operates the joystick to select the "Hankyu Electric Railway" column and presses the return button.
Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the route name search screen is displayed, and the user selects a desired route name from the list of route names. The above operation is the same not only when searching for a station, but also when searching for an interchange on an expressway or a place name. If it is an interchange, there are too many facilities in each prefecture, so it is necessary to limit the search range to expressway names, and if it is a place name, it is too wide in prefectures. This is because it is necessary to limit the selection to the unit of municipality name.

The above retrieval procedure of the present invention can be summarized in a flow chart as shown in FIGS. First, when the user presses the search key to instruct the search screen (step S1), the CPU 41 searches the POM 43 to obtain the previous (for example, immediately preceding) search content (step S2). Then, the facility attributes and area attributes corresponding to this search content are displayed in the upper left and upper right of the screen (step S3),
Depending on the item, the route name, the expressway name, etc. are displayed (step S4). Then, the item list is displayed starting from the item selected last time (step S5). The reason that the item is displayed at the top is that the item selected last time can be selected by one operation of the “setting button”.

Next, it is checked whether or not there is an instruction to change the attribute by operating the joystick (step S6).
If there is no change and the item is selected (step S7),
The CPU 41 stores the selected item in the POM 43 together with the facility attribute, the regional attribute, etc. (step S8), and enters another procedure (for example, setting of a destination or a waypoint). If there is an attribute change instruction in step S6, step S1
1 (FIG. 2), a screen for changing attributes (for example, FIG. 7) is displayed. On this screen, when the attribute is changed (step S12), it is checked whether or not there is a search history with the same attribute as the changed attribute (step S13), and if there is a search history, the previously searched item is set to the top. The item list is displayed (step S14), and if there is no search history, the item list is displayed in the normal order (for example, the Japanese syllabary order) (step S14). The procedure after this is step S7,
Similar to 8.

The embodiment of the present invention is as described above.
The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made. For example, when the user presses the search key to instruct the search screen, the immediately preceding search content is acquired and displayed. However, when the user wants to change the search content, the search key is pressed again and stored in the ROM 43. It is also possible to display the contents of the previous search before the search.

In the above embodiment, when the user inputs an instruction to search for an item when he or she wants to search for the item, the contents of the previous search are acquired, and the facility attribute and area attribute corresponding to this search content are acquired. It was necessary to display the search screen related to, but regardless of the acquisition and display of the previous search contents, the attribute of the item that is different from the attribute of the displayed item is displayed on the arbitrary item search screen being displayed. When searching for an item, it is possible to change to a search screen in which an item having a desired attribute can be selected simply by changing the attribute (corresponding to claim 5). For example, the procedure of shifting from FIG. 6 to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 of the drawings, the procedure of shifting from FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 and the procedure of shifting from FIG. 11 to FIG. In this embodiment, it is possible to quickly search for and select a desired item by the omitted procedure as compared with the conventional procedure.

Other various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0047]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, when the user inputs a command to search for an item when he or she wants to search for the item, the attribute to which the item selected in the past belongs Determine and display a search screen that allows you to select items with the same attributes. Therefore, when the user wants to search for an item, if the attribute of the item is the same as that of the item searched in the past, the user does not have to enter the attribute of the item and the attribute of the item selected in the past is the same. A search screen for selecting the item of the attribute is displayed, so that the user can immediately select the desired item using the screen. Therefore, the search item can be searched and selected quickly and easily.

According to the invention of claim 2, the user is
If you want to select the same item that you selected in the past,
The item can be selected by a very simple operation of only one action. This is based on the fact that the same item as the item selected in the past is often selected, and if the item is the same as the item selected in the past, the user immediately searches for and selects the item. be able to.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when it is desired to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the item selected in the past on the displayed search screen, it is only necessary to change the attribute. Compared with the regular procedure of selecting an item and selecting an attribute, a desired item can be quickly searched and selected by the omitted procedure. According to the invention described in claim 4, when the changed attribute search screen is displayed, if there is an item selected in the past, this item and the attribute are stored and selectable by one-action operation. Since the search screen is displayed, the item can be selected by a very simple operation of only one action.

According to the invention of claim 5, when it is desired to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the displayed item on the displayed search screen, the desired attribute is simply changed. Since a search screen that allows you to select items is displayed, compared with the regular procedure of selecting items and attributes, you can quickly search for and select the desired item with the omitted procedure. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a search procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a search procedure of the present invention (FIG.
Is a continuation of).

FIG. 3 is an external configuration diagram of a navigation device that implements the item search device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external configuration diagram of another navigation device that implements the item search device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal electrical configuration of the navigation device body.

[Fig. 6] A screen that displays the facility attributes and area attributes corresponding to the previous search contents, which appear when an item search is instructed, in the upper left and upper right of the screen, and displays the item list with the previously selected item at the top. It is a figure.

FIG. 7 is a screen view for changing an attribute, which is displayed when an instruction to change the area attribute (Osaka → Okayama) is given.

FIG. 8 is displayed after instructing to change the area attribute,
It is a screen figure for item selection.

FIG. 9 is a screen diagram for changing attributes, which is displayed when an instruction to change facility attributes is given.

FIG. 10 is a screen diagram for selecting items, which is displayed after instructing to change the facility attribute (golf course → hotel).

FIG. 11 is a screen view for selecting an item, which is displayed after an instruction to change facility attributes (golf course → station).

[Figure 12] Displayed after instructing to change the route name,
It is a screen figure for changing a route name.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Navigation device body 5 Road map memory 6, 6a Screen display device 7 Joystick remote control device

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An item search device used in a vehicle-mounted navigation device for supporting a driver's vehicle travel, wherein when an item is searched, the item is stored together with the attribute to which the item belongs, and a storage means for storing the item. A search instruction means for inputting a command to search, and a search means for investigating an item selected in the past and an attribute to which the item belongs when a command to search an item is input by the search instruction means And an item search in a navigation device, characterized by comprising: and a display control unit for determining and displaying a search screen capable of selecting an item having the same attribute as the attribute of the item selected in the past investigated by the surveying unit. apparatus. 2. The display control means, when displaying the search screen, displays the search screen in a state in which an item selected in the past can be selected by an operation of one action. Item search device in the navigation device according to 1. 3. If the user wants to search for an item having an attribute different from the attribute of the item selected in the past on the search screen displayed by the display control means, the attribute changing means can change only the attribute. The display control means further determines and displays a search screen for selecting an item of the attribute after the change when any of the attributes is changed by the attribute change means. Item retrieval device in the described navigation device. 4. The storage means stores the item together with the attribute to which the item belongs when the item has been searched a plurality of times in the past, and the display control means retrieves the changed attribute. The item in the navigation device according to claim 3, wherein when the screen is displayed, if there is an item selected in the past, the search screen is displayed in a state in which the item can be selected by an operation of one action. Search device. 5. An item search device used in a vehicle-mounted navigation device for assisting a driver to drive a vehicle, the search instruction means inputting a command to search for an item, and the search instruction means searching for an item. When a command to do so is input, the display control means that determines and displays the search screen from which that item can be selected, and if you want to search for an item with an attribute different from the displayed content, select only that attribute. The display control means determines a search screen from which the item of the changed attribute can be selected when any of the attributes is changed by the attribute changing means. An item search device in a navigation device, characterized by being displayed.