JPH10161534A - Information acquisition device in on-vehicle navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect to an internet by a communication means and acquire latest information by URL related to position information in the vicinity of an area where a vehicle is currently running. SOLUTION: A current position of a vehicle is calculated and specified (S1) according to information from various sensors. It is judged (S2) whether a place wherein the calculated position of the vehicle and URL exist has approached to a fixed distance (S2) or less and is also judged (S3) whether URL information is stored in a first memory, and if it is not stored, a communication means acquires URL information through an internet and stores it in the first memory (S4). A map image, a current position mark, and the information memorized in the first memory are plotted superimposed by using the map data (S5). Thus, it is possible to acquire URL information by a communication means and a latest information on the vicinity of a current position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a moving body, and more particularly to an information acquisition device in a vehicle-mounted navigation system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional navigation apparatus for a vehicle-mounted navigation system of this type is configured as shown in a block diagram of FIG. In FIG. 7, 1 is a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, 2 is a vehicle speed sensor, 3 is an azimuth sensor,
4 is a GPS receiver for calculating an absolute position, 5 is a CD driver, 6 is a CD-ROM on which map data is recorded, 7 is a video memory for temporarily storing map data, 8 is a display controller, and 9 is a display controller. It is a display.

The CPU 1 includes various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor 2, a direction sensor 3, a GPS receiver 4, a CD driver 5 for reading map data from a CD-ROM 6, and map data temporarily stored in a video memory 7. A display controller 8 that draws a map, a mark of a current position, and the like on the display 9 is connected.

Next, the operation will be described. When the power of the navigation device is turned on, the CPU 1 obtains the speed, traveling direction, latitude, longitude, and other information from the various sensors of the vehicle speed sensor 2, the direction sensor 3, and the GPS receiver 4 based on the information.
Calculate the approximate current position of the vehicle. Then, through the CD driver 5, a certain range of map data including the current position is read out from the CD-ROM 6, stored in the video memory 7, and the map is matched using the map data to specify the current position of the vehicle.

[0005] The display controller 8 reads the map data stored in the video memory 7, draws a map image on the display 9 from the map data, and
A mark indicating the presence of a vehicle is drawn over the current position on the map image.

[0006] The map data is composed of figures divided into regions of appropriate size for each scale level, and each figure is divided into four units. Further, the map data is composed of data such as roads, backgrounds, characters, and the like. In particular, road data is data necessary for performing map matching.

[0007]

However, in the navigation apparatus of the conventional vehicle-mounted navigation system having such a configuration, the map data necessary for map matching and display of the map screen is stored on a non-rewritable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The newest stores and buildings are not displayed on the map or new information cannot be added, so the latest information is obtained. There was a problem that you can not.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem of the prior art, and includes not only map data but also Internet URL (Uniform Resource Code) associated with location information.
cator) is stored, when the traveling vehicle approaches the position where the URL exists,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information acquisition device in an in-vehicle navigation system that can connect to the Internet and acquire the latest information using communication means such as a mobile phone and a PHS.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, an information obtaining apparatus for an in-vehicle navigation system according to the present invention comprises: a storage medium storing Internet URLs associated with map data and position information; It is characterized by comprising a display for displaying a map, communication means for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly, and storage means for storing information obtained by the communication means.

[0010] Further, a storage medium storing map data and an Internet URL associated with location information.
And a storage means in which is stored.

[0011] Further, a storage medium storing an Internet URL associated with map data and position information, a display for displaying a map, route calculation means for calculating a route from a current position to a destination, wirelessly The communication system includes communication means for transmitting and receiving information and storage means for storing information obtained by the communication means.

According to the above configuration, when the vehicle approaches the place where the URL exists, the vehicle is connected to the Internet by the communication means to obtain the URL information.
Even if the data stored in the storage medium becomes old, the latest information related to the position can be obtained.

A storage medium for storing map data;
By providing storage means for storing the URL in association with the location information, without replacing the storage medium,
The latest information of the URL can be obtained only by updating the contents of the storage means.

Further, when the location where the URL exists is near the route calculated by the route calculating means, the latest information near the route is obtained by obtaining the URL information using the communication means. Can be obtained.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information obtaining apparatus in an in-vehicle navigation system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, components corresponding to the components described in FIG. 7 showing the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same applies to the following drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a vehicle speed sensor, 3 denotes an azimuth sensor, 4 denotes a GPS receiver, 7 denotes a video memory, 8 denotes a display controller, 9 denotes a display, 11 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, and 12 denotes a storage medium to be described later. A signal processing means for reading map data and URL-related information stored in a storage medium; 13, a storage medium using a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or the like in which map data and URL information are recorded; Communication means for communicating with the Internet by giving and receiving the information, and a first memory 15 which is a storage means for storing information obtained by the communication means 14.

In a storage medium 13 such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM, a URL of the Internet is stored along with map data, in association with the contents of the URL and position information. For example, if the content of the home page indicated by the URL is to introduce Meiji Jingu, it is stored in association with the location information of Meiji Jingu. The URL refers to the address of a WWW server on the Internet. This UR
L can be used to access information resources in a computer on the Internet. For example, http: / ww
w.ntt.jp is the home page of NTT (registered trademark), and by specifying this, the home page of NTT can be accessed.

Further, communication with the Internet can be performed by the communication means 14, and information on the Internet is obtained. For example, a device that transmits and receives information by wireless, such as a mobile phone and a PHS, is used.
The information obtained by 14 is temporarily stored in a first memory 15 as storage means. The information stored in the first memory 15 is drawn on the display 9 by the display controller 8.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration example of a display portion of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, 20 is a screen, 21 is a selection key for selecting an item displayed on the screen, 22 is an execution key for fixing the selected item, 23 is when the user wants to obtain information indicated by the URL of the Internet, and Information keys used to display acquired information, 24 is a scroll key, 25
Is the enlargement key, 26 is the reduction key, 27 is the current position mark, 28
a and 28b are URL marks.

On the screen 20, a map around the current position, a current position mark 27 indicating the current position, and URL marks 28a and 28b indicating URL information are displayed.
Of the map and URL mark 28 displayed by
The selection of a and 28b and the operations such as enlargement and reduction of the screen are performed by the enlargement key 25 and the reduction key 26.

Next, FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the information obtaining apparatus in the vehicle-mounted navigation system according to the first embodiment. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG.

When the navigation device shown in FIG. 1 is turned on, the CPU 11 executes a vehicle speed sensor 2, a direction sensor 3, a GP
From various sensors of S receiver 4, speed, heading, latitude,
The current position of the vehicle is calculated based on information such as longitude. Then, a predetermined range of map data including the current position is read out from the storage medium 13 through the signal processing means 12 and stored in the video memory 7, and map matching is performed using the map data to specify the current position of the vehicle (S1). .

It is determined whether or not the calculated position of the vehicle is closer than a certain distance to any one of the locations where the URL is stored in the storage medium 13. If the determination at this time is Yes, the process proceeds to step S3, and if No, the process proceeds to step S6. Also, a certain distance is, for example, 500 m
May be determined, or the user may be allowed to make the setting himself (S2).

It is determined whether the URL information stored in the storage medium 13 is stored in the first memory 15 or not. If the determination at this time is No, the process proceeds to step S4, and if Yes, the process proceeds to step S5 (S3).

When the URL information is not stored in the first memory 15, the communication means 14 transmits the URL from the Internet.
RL information is obtained and temporarily stored in the first memory 15. For example, a URL mark 28a existing at a certain distance or less from the current position mark 27 shown in FIG. 2 is targeted (S4).

Here, there may be a case where the user needs URL information irrelevant to the current position. A method for obtaining information in that case will be described with reference to the front view of the display portion shown in FIG. The screen 20 displays a map around the current position, a current position mark 27 indicating the current position, and URL marks 28a and 28b indicating URL information. A mode in which the user can select an arbitrary URL mark by pressing the information key 23 is set. If there are a plurality of URL marks on the screen, the required URL mark 28b is selected by using the scroll keys 24 and the execution key 22 is pressed to confirm the selection. The communication means 14 selects the selected U
The information of the RL mark 28b is obtained from the Internet and stored in the first memory 15.

Next, the display controller 8 reads the map data stored in the video memory 7, draws a map image on the display 9 using the map data, and determines the presence of the vehicle at the current position on the map image. The indicated mark and the information stored in the first memory 15 are overlaid and drawn. Of course, the map and the information may not be superimposed and displayed on one screen, but the map and the current position mark may be normally displayed to display the information when the user needs it.
(S5).

Here, a display example of information will be described with reference to a front view of a display portion shown in FIG. When the information is stored in the first memory 15, the UR on the map on the screen 20 is displayed.
The color or shape is changed like the L marks 28a and 28b from the state before the information is stored. This allows the user to distinguish between a URL whose information is already stored in the first memory 15 and a URL whose information is not stored. The user selects a URL mark 28 whose information is to be displayed on the display by using the scroll keys 24 and presses the execution key 22 to determine the URL information to be displayed. Display controller 8
Reads the information of the selected URL from the first memory 15 and draws this information on the display 9.

If there is no place where the URL exists within a certain distance from the calculated position of the vehicle, the display controller 8 reads the map data stored in the video memory 7 and uses this map data to display the map on the display 9. And a mark indicating the presence of the vehicle is drawn at the current position on the map image (S
6).

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
A storage medium storing a URL associated with the map data and the position information, a display for displaying the map, communication means for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly, and storage means for information obtained by the communication means; When the vehicle approaches the place where the vehicle is going, the information of the URL is obtained by the communication means, so that the latest information near the current position can be obtained even if the information of the storage medium becomes old.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information obtaining apparatus in a vehicle-mounted navigation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 2 is a vehicle speed sensor, 3 is a direction sensor, 4 is a GPS receiver, 7 is a video memory, 8 is a display controller, 9 is a display, 11 is a CPU, 12 is signal processing means, 13 is a storage medium,
Reference numeral 14 denotes communication means, reference numeral 15 denotes a first memory, and reference numeral 16 denotes a second memory of storage means for storing the URL of the Internet in association with its contents and position information.

The configuration of the second embodiment is obtained by adding a second memory 16 to the configuration of FIG. 1 showing the first embodiment.
Only the difference will be described. In the first embodiment, the map data and the contents of the URL and the position information are stored in the storage medium 13 in association with each other. In the second embodiment, only the map data is stored in the storage medium 13 and the contents of the URL are stored. And the position information are stored in the second memory 16 in association with each other.

The operation of the second embodiment is basically the same as the operation of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, since the URL information is stored in the second memory 16 separately from the storage medium 13 such as a CD-ROM, the latest information from the Internet is obtained by updating the contents of the second memory. , Can be held. For example, the second memory itself as the storage means can be replaced with a second memory for storing the latest information, or the contents of the URL of the second memory can be updated via the communication means 14.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the contents of the second memory 16 can be updated from the Internet without replacing the storage medium 13 as compared with the first embodiment. You can get the latest information.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information obtaining apparatus in the vehicle-mounted navigation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, 2 is a vehicle speed sensor, 3 is a direction sensor, 4 is a GPS receiver, 7 is a video memory, 8 is a display controller, 9 is a display, 11 is a CPU, 12 is signal processing means, 13 is a storage medium,
14 is a communication means, 15 is a first memory, and 17 is a route calculation means for calculating a route from the current position to the destination. The configuration of the third embodiment has a configuration obtained by adding a route calculation unit 17 to the configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the information obtaining apparatus in the vehicle-mounted navigation system according to the third embodiment. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 while referring to FIG.

In FIG. 5, when the power supply of the navigation device is turned on, the CPU 11 makes the vehicle speed sensor 2, direction sensor 3, G
The current position of the vehicle is calculated from various sensors of the PS receiver 4 based on information such as speed, heading, latitude, longitude, and the like. Then, a predetermined range of map data including the current position is read from the storage medium 13 through the signal processing device 12 and stored in the video memory 7, and the current position of the vehicle is specified by performing map matching using the map data (S11). .

It is determined whether the route calculating means 17 has calculated the route from the current position to the destination. If this is Yes, the process proceeds to step S13, and if this is No, the process proceeds to step S16 (S
12).

It is determined whether or not the location where the URL stored in the storage medium 13 exists is less than a certain distance from the route calculated in step S12. This is Y
If es, the process proceeds to step S14, and if No, the process proceeds to step S16. The certain distance may be determined to be, for example, 500 m, or a messenger may set the distance by himself (S13).

The communication means 14 obtains the URL information from the Internet and temporarily stores it in the first memory 15 (S14).

The display controller 8 reads the map data stored in the video memory 7, draws a map image on the display 9 using the map data, and displays a mark indicating the presence of a vehicle at the current position on the map image.
And the information stored in the first memory 15 is superimposed and drawn
(S15).

Of course, the URL information on the route need not be displayed at one time. For example, when the vehicle is moving along the route, the calculated position is stored in the first memory 15 as the URL. When one of the existing positions approaches a certain distance or less, the display controller 8 stops displaying the map data and the mark indicating the current position,
The information stored in the first memory 15 may be drawn.

If the route is not calculated in step S12, or if the UR is less than a certain distance of the route calculated in step S13.
If there is no place where L exists, the display controller 8 reads the map data stored in the video memory 7, draws a map image on the display 9 using the map data, and displays the current position on the map image. A mark indicating the presence of the vehicle is drawn over the image (S16).

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the storage medium in which the URL associated with the map data and the position information is recorded, the display for displaying the map, and the optimum route from the current position to the destination , A communication unit for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly, and a storage unit for storing information obtained by the communication unit, and the location where the URL exists is near the route calculated by the route calculation unit. In this case, by obtaining the URL information by the communication means, it is possible to obtain the latest information around the route from the current position to the destination even if the storage medium becomes old.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A storage medium storing a URL associated with the map data and the position information, a display for displaying the map, communication means for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly, and storage means for information obtained by the communication means; When approaching the vicinity of a place to be accessed, by connecting to the Internet using communication means and obtaining URL information, the latest information near the current position can be obtained even if the information on the storage medium becomes old. .

Further, since the URL information is stored in a second memory separate from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM,
By updating the contents of the second memory without replacing the storage medium, the URL information can be kept up to date.

Further, when the location where the URL is located is close to the route calculated by the route calculating means, the route calculating means for calculating the optimum route from the current position to the destination is used. By obtaining the information, it is possible to obtain the latest information near the route from the current position to the destination even if the information on the storage medium becomes old.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information acquisition device in an in-vehicle navigation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration example of a display portion of the navigation device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information obtaining apparatus in the vehicle-mounted navigation system according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information acquisition device in a vehicle-mounted navigation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information acquisition device in a vehicle-mounted navigation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information obtaining apparatus in the vehicle-mounted navigation system according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a navigation device of a conventional vehicle-mounted navigation system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11 CPU, 2 vehicle speed sensor, 3 direction sensor, 4 GPS receiver, 5 CD driver, 6 C
D-ROM, 7: video memory, 8: display controller, 9: display, 12: signal processing means, 13: storage medium, 14: communication means, 15: first memory, 16: second memory, 17: path calculation Means, 20 ... Screen, 21 ... Select key, 22 ... Execute key, 23 ... Information key, 24 ... Scroll key, 25 ... Enlarge key, 26 ... Reduce key, 27 ... Current position mark, 28a, 28b ... URL mark.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage medium storing an Internet URL associated with map data and location information,
What is claimed is: 1. A navigation device comprising: a display for displaying a map; communication means for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly; and storage means for storing information obtained by the communication means, wherein a vehicle is provided near a location where the URL exists. An information obtaining apparatus for an in-vehicle navigation system, wherein when the vehicle approaches, the communication means connects to the Internet to obtain the URL information. 2. The information acquisition in the on-vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage medium in which map data is stored, and storage means in which an Internet URL associated with the position information is recorded. apparatus. 3. A storage medium on which an Internet URL associated with map data and location information is recorded,
It comprises a display for displaying a map, route calculation means for calculating a route from the current position to the destination, communication means for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly, and storage means for storing information obtained by the communication means. A navigation device, wherein when the location where the URL is located is near the route calculated by the route calculating means, the communication means is used to connect to the Internet to obtain information on the URL. An information acquisition device for an in-vehicle navigation system, comprising: