JPH10178674A - Mobile body destination guide system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small destination guiding means that can always be carried by a user by specifying a location by using a personal handyphone system(PHS) and providing map information through a PHS communication. SOLUTION: A PHS mobile terminal 31 specifies a location with accuracy of almost installation intervals of base station 41. A user who wants to receive a destination guide service calls a service center 11 and sends a base station ID that is already acquired and a service request. In the center 11 which receives the request through the station 41 and an exchange 21, a controlling device 13 first acquires the location information of the station 41 from the base station ID and an ID-location table 15. Next, the device 13 retrieves the circumference of a location that is shown by location information and related map information from a map information database 14 and sends the map information to the terminal 31. The map information is shown in characters if a PHS terminal can display characters.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for guiding a traveling person to a destination, that is, a so-called navigation technique. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied as a technique for providing information on surroundings that is not directly related to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The destination guidance technology to which the present invention belongs is composed of two technologies, a technology for specifying a position and a technology for providing information on the surrounding geography and the location of an object (hereinafter referred to as map information).

As a technique for specifying a position, there are conventional examples using a radio beacon or an artificial satellite. A technology called GPS, which is one of the conventional examples using artificial satellites, can specify a position with an error of about 100 m using a portable terminal device.
In recent years, simplified mobile phones (the Radio Industry Association of Japan), the second generation cordless telephone system standard RCR STD-2
8. A technique for specifying a position using PHS has been put to practical use. According to this technique, the position can be specified with an accuracy of about the installation interval of the PHS base station (generally 100 to 200 m), and the portability of the terminal device is excellent.

[0004] In the map information providing technology, in addition to a map as a publication, an electronic map stored as electronic information on a CD-ROM has recently appeared. In many cases, the contents of the map information include road maps, tourist information, information on the location of facilities, and the like.

[0005] In addition, as a two-way information providing means, a human operator provides information by voice in response to a telephone inquiry.

[0006] Among the combinations of the above technologies, a conventional example having the highest portability uses the GPS as a position specifying means and the CD-ROM as a means for providing map information.
There is a thing using. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of this conventional example. In this conventional example, reference numeral 71 denotes a navigation device carried by a user who wants to receive destination guidance. The navigation device 71 has a CD-
It includes a ROM and its driving device 72. The navigation device 71 has a capability of receiving radio waves emitted from a plurality of artificial satellites 81 for GPS technology (only one is shown in the figure) and measuring its own position. Reference numeral 91 denotes a user who wants to receive destination guidance by the navigation device 71.

In this example, the size of the navigation device 71 is limited by the CD-ROM drive device 72, and the size of the navigation device 71 is approximately the same as a bag.

[0008]

In the conventional destination guidance technology, a user who wants to receive a destination guidance needs to carry at least a bag-sized device and cannot put the device in a pocket of clothes. Therefore, it is difficult to use the conventional device for the purpose of always carrying it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized destination guide means which allows a user to carry the device at all times.

[0010]

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, map information is provided by communication using the PHS. As a means for specifying the position, the PH
A position identification technique using S is used.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 31 denotes a PHS terminal of a user who wants to receive the destination guidance service.
The HS terminal 31 has a function of acquiring the ID of the base station with which the HS terminal 31 is directly communicating, and sending the ID as the communication content to the destination. Reference numeral 41 denotes a base station which is a direct partner with which the PHS terminal 31 is communicating, and has a role of receiving communication from the PHS terminal 31 and transmitting the communication to the exchange 21 through the line 51. Further, the base station 41 notifies the PHS terminal 31 of its own unique ID, and enables the PHS terminal 31 to include the ID of the base station 41 in the communication content to the destination as described above.

The exchange 21 has a role of performing line switching between the PHS terminal 31 and the service center 11 which is a destination specified by a telephone number.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a service center for providing a destination guidance service, which is connected to the exchange 21 via a line 52. The service center 11 includes a modem 12 that converts a telephone signal from the line 52 into a digital signal that can be read by the controller 13, a controller 13 that responds to a service request of the PHS terminal 31, and a map information database 14 that stores map information. And an ID-position table 15 in which the ID of the base station and its location are associated with each other.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the communication operation of this embodiment. Reference numerals 101, 102, and 103 denote communications transmitted from the PHS terminal 31 to the service center 11. The contents include a service request for a destination guidance service by a user and a direct request transmitted by the PHS terminal 31. It contains the ID of the base station 41 that is the partner. 104,10
5 and 106 are PHS terminals 3 from the service center 11.
1 is communication transmitted to the user 1 and the content is map information.

First, a user who wants to receive the destination guidance service calls the service center 11 through the PHS terminal 31. The PHS terminal 31 has acquired the base station ID of the nearest base station 41 before this time by the location registration procedure defined in the above “2nd generation cordless telephone system standard”, and calls the service center 11. , The communication contents including the service request and the base station ID are sent to the service center 11 as “service request + base station ID” 101. The “service request + base station ID” 101 is transmitted to the service center 11 via the base station 41 and the exchange 21.

The controller 13 of the service center 11 receiving the service request + the base station ID 103 firstly sets the base station ID
And the ID-position table 15 to obtain the position information of the base station 41. Next, the map information database 14 searches the surroundings of the position indicated by the position information and related map information, and sends the map information 104 to the PHS terminal 31.

The map information 104 includes the exchange 21 and the base station 4
1 and reaches the PHS terminal 31.

By the above operation, a user who wants to receive the destination guidance service can obtain map information around the current location and related map information.

The contents of the map information need not necessarily be drawings, and for example, when the PHS terminal has only a voice output, it is possible to provide guidance by synthetic voice.
Character information may be used if the terminal can display characters.

As another embodiment of the present invention, PHS
If a portable information device (hereinafter referred to as a PDA) or a portable FAX receiving device equipped with a display device is used together with the terminal, map information can be displayed as image data.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a communication sequence diagram of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 61 denotes a PDA which is connected to the PHS terminal 31 and can exchange information. The PDA 61 has a display device for displaying information obtained from the PHS terminal 31. In this embodiment, the map information stored in the map information database 14 includes image data that can be displayed on the PDA 61. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 114 denotes P through the connection between the PHS terminal 31 and the PDA 61 described above.
This is a destination guidance service request signal transmitted from the DA 61 to the PHS terminal 31. Reference numeral 118 denotes a PDA 61 from the service center 11 in response to the service request signal.
Is image information sent as map information to. When the image information 118 is transmitted to the PDA 61, it is displayed on the display device.

The present embodiment has an advantage that the contents of the map information can be easily visually recognized by the user as compared with the previous embodiment. In this embodiment, the PHS terminal 31 and the PDA 61
Can be operated if they are substantially connected, and the form of the connection is not relevant to the essence of the present invention.

Further, as still another embodiment of the present invention,
The line connection between the PHS terminal 31 and the service center 11 is 2
It can be divided into times or more. FIG. 5 shows a communication sequence diagram of another embodiment according to the present invention. 107,108,1
09 is an end-of-call guidance transmitted from the service center 11 to the PHS terminal 31, and the user disconnects the line according to the guidance. Reference numeral 110 denotes a set of map information transmitted from the service center 11 to the PHS terminal 31 and a telephone number of the PHS terminal 31 for connecting a line to the PHS terminal 31.

Reference numerals 111, 112 and 113 denote PHS terminals 31
Is a line disconnection request transmitted from the service center 11 to the service center 11. When the service center 11 receives this communication, it is assumed that the line is disconnected.

In this embodiment, as in the previous embodiment, the user sends a service request for destination guidance and a base station ID 101 to the service center 11. When the service center 11 receives the service request + the base station ID 103, the service center 11 transmits the end guidance 107 to the PHS terminal 31. This closing talk guidance may be, for example,
This is a voice instruction for urging the user to disconnect the line of the S terminal 31. The user shall disconnect the line according to the end-call guidance.

After the service center 11 sends out the end guidance, the service center 11 searches the ID-position table 15 and then searches the map information database 16.

The service center 11 has a PHS terminal 31
After the map information to be sent to the PHS terminal 31 is prepared, the telephone number 110 of the PHS terminal 31 and the map information are transmitted. The telephone number 110 of the PHS terminal 31 is transmitted to the exchange 21 by the PHS terminal 3.
The remaining map information 105 is sent to the PHS terminal 31 from the exchange 21 first.

After receiving the map information 106, the PHS terminal 31 transmits a disconnection request 111 to the service center 11.
The line to the HS terminal 31 is disconnected.

In the previous embodiment, the time when the service center 11 receives the telephone signal, the time when the ID-position table 15 and the map information database 14 are searched, and the map information as the search result are transmitted to the PHS terminal 31. According to the present embodiment, the service center 11 occupies only the time for receiving the telephone signal and the time for transmitting the search result.

Therefore, even if the time required for searching the ID-position table 15 and the map information database 14 becomes long, the telephone line is not occupied unnecessarily. This enables the service center 11 to further search an external map information database.

In the above embodiment, the user bears the communication cost for the entire communication time including the search time per service, but in the present embodiment, the user goes to the service center. Only the communication cost during transmission of the service request is borne, and the communication cost is borne by the service center 11 for the communication time for providing the map information from the service center 11 to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide a charging method for charging the user according to the number of times the service is used, regardless of the size of the map information sent.

[0034]

According to the present invention, since the map information is provided by communication, a large-capacity storage device for storing the map information is not required in the user-side device, so that the user-side device can be downsized. It can be always portable. Also, since there is no need to store the map information on the user side device, there is no need to update the map information on the user side, and only the map information on the service center side is updated, and the latest map information is always provided. There is also an effect that can be done.

Further, according to the present invention, since the PHS used as a communication device is also used for specifying a position, there is no need for a separate means for specifying a position, and it is effective to further reduce the size of the user device. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the communication operation of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a communication sequence diagram of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a communication sequence diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Service center 12 ... Modulator / demodulator 13 ... Controller 14 ... Map information database 15 ... ID-position table 21 ... Exchange 31 ... PHS terminal 41 ... Base station 51 ... Line 52 ... Line 61 ... PDA 71 ... Navigation device 72 ... CD -ROM drive device 81 ... artificial satellite 91 ... user 101, 102, 103 ... service request 104, 105, 106 ... map information 107, 108, 109 ... closing guidance 110 ... map information + PHS terminal telephone number 111, 112, 113 ... disconnection request 114 ... service request 115, 116, 117 ... image data 118 ... image information

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04M 11/08 H04B 7/26 109H

Claims (2)

[Claims] The present invention relates to a destination guidance means for instructing a traveling user on a route to a destination.
In a system including a simplified mobile phone base station, a telephone network, and a service center connected to the phone network and providing map information, a means for acquiring the simplified mobile phone base station ID and transmitting the ID as communication content is provided. The simplified portable telephone terminal, the receiving means for receiving the base station ID from the telephone network, the position searching means for searching the current position of the simplified portable telephone terminal from the base station ID, and the vicinity of the current position. A mobile destination guidance system, comprising: a service center having a map information search unit for searching map information and a transmission unit for transmitting the map information to a portable cellular phone terminal. 2. A portable information device is used as display means for displaying information on the course and the present location.
The mobile object destination guidance system according to claim 1.