JPH11108685A - Electronic equipment, area information reporting method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect position information and area information and to output appropriate area information corresponding to movement between areas. SOLUTION: An emergency mode control part 22, an operation mode control part 23, a legal mode control part 24 and a currency mode control part 25 obtain the area information of emergency information, operation information, legal information and currency information through a data transmission/ reception part 26 and display the obtained information through a display control part 14 by an LCD 16 and a speaker 15. The data transmission/reception part 26 transmits and receives data through a radio communication network by a communication satellite at the time of obtaining the area information by the emergency mode control part 22, the operation mode control part 23, the legal mode control part 24 and the currency mode control part 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a PDA (Personal
al Digital Assistant) and other electronic devices suitable for portable information devices, such as palmtop computers and portable pocket computers typified by electronic organizers. The present invention relates to an electronic device, a local information notification method, and a recording medium that provide information suitable for use by a user having a wide range.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of computers has been remarkable, and computer networks in which computers are connected by communication lines to form a network have also remarkably developed. Initially, computers were developed as a means of efficiently performing military calculations, and were used during WWII for calculating ballistics of shells and the like. Since then, computers have become widespread for industrial and consumer use. So-called personal computers and the like have begun to be used not only in offices but also in homes as if they were stationery.

[0003] Nowadays, computers are mainly used for information processing by networking rather than as stand-alone systems, and are also commonly used as means for information communication or information transmission such as telephone and facsimile. I am doing it. The Internet and the like, which construct a large-scale computer network over a wide area by connecting computers all over the world by communication lines or the like, are the best.

[0004] Such a wide-area computer network such as the Internet provides: (a) a database of various kinds of information and sharing of global information; (b) high-speed information retrieval and / or information classification. (C) Immediate access to remote information. These are all difficult tasks that require a lot of time and labor in operations using conventional document media and the like.

[0005] On the other hand, along with the development of computer networks, digital wireless communication technology has also greatly advanced. With the advancement of the digital wireless communication technology, a large amount of information can be quickly collected by a terminal device from a host computer or the like without being restricted by a place.

Recently, PDAs, which are portable information terminals, have been in the limelight with the above-described computer network and digital wireless communication technologies as key technologies. A portable information terminal such as a PDA was first born as an “electronic notebook” used instead of a paper notebook. After that, the communication function was strengthened, the storage capacity increased, etc.
Nowadays, it has an information processing ability far beyond the concept of a mere notebook, and is sometimes called a palmtop computer or the like. By using such a PDA or the like, it is becoming possible to obtain necessary information from a computer network wherever it is.

Further, in recent years, in technologies other than information processing such as computers, GPS (Global Positioning Sys
tem), a wonderful position detection system was developed.
This was originally developed for military purposes, but recently its use in various fields such as so-called car navigation systems, aircraft and ship guidance, surveying, and weather forecasting has been rapidly spreading. . GP
The miniaturization, low power consumption, and low cost of the receiving unit in the S system have been advanced, and portable GPS receiving devices that display the latitude and longitude numerically are also commercially available.

With the development of science and technology as described above,
Means of transport have also developed significantly. Thanks to this benefit, people have more opportunities to travel in and out of their home and abroad both in public and private sectors. For example, in Japan, there is a change in the industrial structure, and there are many cases where employees stay for a short period of time overseas for business. In the United States, it is not uncommon for cars to travel across states. That is, in the business scene and the private scene of modern people, business trips, trips, and residences over a plurality of regions are neither special nor unusual.

[0009] By the way, there are differences in various aspects such as laws / systems / lifestyle / manner / safety / hygiene environment depending on the country or between the states or regions in the same country. For example, when comparing Japan and the United States, there is a great difference in the way of thinking about individual rights, and the judicial system is greatly different against this background. In the United States, there are state laws in addition to federal law, and these state laws have many provisions that vary from state to state.
Compared to the Japanese local government ordinance, US state law differs in "weight as law", and the difference in the provisions is significant.
In addition, as is well known, currency systems vary from country to country.

[0010]

The above-described regional differences must be fully understood when traveling, traveling or staying. However, it is actually difficult to obtain sufficient information on such regional differences.

Although books such as so-called travel guides and handbooks for living abroad are commercially available, it is difficult to obtain sufficient information with them. That is,
In many cases, they do not have the information they need. Further, it is not easy to find a book in which necessary information is published. By the way, it is not always possible to carry a collection of legal articles, such as the complete text of the Six Laws in all applicable regions. Even if you have such a book,
It is not easy to find necessary information from the book. Moreover, when you actually go to the site, the information you have obtained in advance may be too old to be useful. This type of information is not easily obtained and memorized correctly, nor is it immediately learned. An acquaintance who advises or compensates for the insufficiency should be close at hand, but such an acquaintance is not always accompanied.

However, if such information is not properly grasped, various problems and problems occur in many areas when traveling, passing or staying.

For example, in an area where one lives, one can be fined or even heavily penalized, depending on the area, even if he or she is neglected or performed normally. There is a gap in safety consciousness between Japan and other countries, and if we are careful, we may perform prohibited actions that were originally prevented and may be criminalized.

Although currency conversion for each country is always required, there are cases where it is absolutely necessary to take measures like this currency conversion. Conversely, there are benefits that you can enjoy if you have the knowledge in advance, but such benefits are
Without knowledge you will overlook it.

[0015] As described above, the social life system has a large difference depending on the region, that is, the country, the district or the region, and the knowledge of the region where one lives usually is not versatile. However, at present, there is no effective means to support such a lack of knowledge based on regional differences. There are no tools or devices for easily and accurately grasping such regional differences.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is capable of linking position information and regional information and outputting or secondary use of appropriate regional information in response to movement between regions. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electronic device.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a position detecting means for detecting its own position and obtaining position information; The information processing apparatus includes a regional information acquiring unit that acquires regional information related to a region corresponding to the acquired position information, and an information notifying unit that notifies a user of the regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring unit.

An electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises:
Position detecting means for detecting the position of the user to obtain position information, transmitting / receiving means for accessing an external system via a wireless communication line, and characteristic information about an area corresponding to the position information obtained by the position detecting means Regional information acquisition means for acquiring regional information from the database of the external system via the transmitting and receiving means, and information notifying means for notifying a user of the regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring means,
Is provided.

An electronic device according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises:
Position detecting means for detecting the position of its own to obtain position information, database storage means for storing area information including characteristic information about the area in association with the position information,
A region information acquisition unit that acquires region information corresponding to the position information obtained by the position detection unit from the database storage unit, and an information notification unit that notifies the user of the region information acquired by the region information acquisition unit. Have.

The position detecting means includes a position signal receiving means for performing position detection by receiving a position signal from a position detecting system using a satellite or a position signal transmitted from a position signal transmitter installed in each area. May be included.

[0021] The position detecting means may include means for discriminating at least one of a country and a district as the position information.

The area information obtained by the area information obtaining means may be operating information specific to the area, legal information specific to the area, currency conversion information specific to the area, and prompt action in the area. The information may include at least one of requested emergency information and information on a language used in the area.

[0023] The area information obtaining means includes, as the area information, information on a language used in the area.
The information processing apparatus may further include language setting means for setting a language to be used based on the information on the language to be used acquired by the area information acquiring means.

[0024] The area information obtaining means includes currency conversion information unique to the area as the area information, and further includes a currency conversion means for performing currency conversion based on the currency conversion information obtained by the area information obtaining means. May be included.

[0025] The area information obtaining means may include means for obtaining the area information based on a correspondence relationship with the area information in a preset reference area as reference area information. .

[0026] The area information acquiring means uses area information based on past acquisition history of the area information as reference area information,
A means for acquiring the area information based on the correspondence with the reference area information may be included.

The regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring means may be regional information obtained from a database in a communication network connected through a communication line, or a database managed by a host system connected through the communication line. May be included.

[0028] The communication line may be a wireless communication line.

The area information obtaining means includes a database means for storing the area information as a database in association with the position information, and an information search for extracting the area information by searching the database means based on the position information. Means.

The information processing apparatus may further include user information registration means for registering and storing information about the user in the database by a user operation.

[0031] The information processing apparatus may further include a regional information registration means for registering and storing at least a part of the regional information in the database by a user operation.

[0032] The information processing apparatus may further include mode setting means for selectively setting an operation mode according to the type of the regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring means in response to a user operation.

[0033] The information processing apparatus may further include means for preferentially controlling a part of the operation mode corresponding to the type of the area information acquired by the area information acquiring means.

A region information notifying method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a position detecting step of detecting a present position of the user and obtaining position information, and a method relating to a region corresponding to the position information obtained in the position detecting step. The method includes a regional information acquiring step of acquiring regional information, and an information notifying step of notifying a user of the regional information acquired in the regional information acquiring step.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for reporting local information, comprising the steps of: detecting a location of the user and obtaining location information; transmitting / receiving an external system via a wireless communication line; The area information acquisition step of acquiring the area-related information including the characteristic information about the area corresponding to the position information obtained in the position detection step from the database of the external system in the transmission / reception step, and the area information acquisition step. An information notification step of notifying the user of the area-related information.

[0036] A method of notifying local information according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a position detecting step of detecting the position where the user is present to obtain position information, and a region including characteristic information about the region in association with the position information. Using a database storing step of storing information, a regional information obtaining step of obtaining local information corresponding to the position information obtained in the position detecting step by the database storing step, and using the local information obtained by the local information obtaining unit step Information notification step of notifying the user.

A recording medium according to a seventh aspect of the present invention comprises:
A computer-readable recording medium that records a program that causes a computer to function as an electronic device, the computer comprising: a position detecting unit that detects position of itself and obtains position information; and a position obtained by the position detecting unit. A program is recorded that functions as area information obtaining means for obtaining area information related to the area corresponding to the information, and information notifying means for notifying a user of the area information obtained by the area information obtaining means.

The electronic device according to the present invention detects its own location and obtains location information, acquires area information including characteristic information on an area corresponding to the location information, and stores the area information. Notify the user. In this electronic device, when the user moves from one area to another area, the movement is detected by a position detection system, and the area information corresponding to the area is automatically obtained and displayed by, for example, characters or voice. The user can quickly obtain appropriate information in the area without any effort.

[0039]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 15, a PDA as an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention
Will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of the PDA, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the PDA shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific hardware configuration of the PDA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the external appearance of the PDA in FIG. And FIG. 5 shows the PDA of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of the entire system including the host computer system of FIG.

The PDA 1 shown in FIG.
1, mode setting unit 12, function control unit 13, display control unit 1
4, speaker 15, LCD (liquid crystal display) 16,
GPS receiving unit 17, position determining unit 18, priority control unit 19,
Input processing unit 20, user information storage unit 21, emergency mode control unit 22, operation mode control unit 23, legal mode control unit 2
4, a currency mode control unit 25 and a data transmitting / receiving unit 26 are provided.

The touch panel 11 inputs information by switch input to the PDA 1 by a user operation.
The touch panel 11 is formed to be transparent with a transparent electrode or the like, and is provided so as to overlap the LCD 16.
The input information is defined in association with the display contents of No. 6. By associating with the LCD 16 in this manner, it is possible to input various information with the touch panel 11.

The mode setting section 12 sets the PDA 1 to various operation modes based on an input operation on the touch panel 11. The function control unit 13 controls operations of various functions of the PDA 1, mainly functions other than the processing of the area information, according to the operation mode set by the mode setting unit 12. In general, functions controlled by the function control unit 13 include a calculation function including a currency conversion function, a schedule management function such as a schedule, and the like.
It has a personal data management function such as an address book and a telephone number book, and a data communication function such as e-mail and file transfer. Therefore, the function control unit 13 controls the data transmission / reception unit 26 as needed.

The display control unit 14 controls the speaker 15 and the LCD 16 according to the control of the function control unit 13, the emergency mode control unit 22, the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24, the currency mode control unit 25, and the like. . Controlled by the display control unit 14, required display information is transmitted to the speaker 15.
To display by voice, or to display by character or graphics on the LCD 16. The audio display by the speaker 15 is mainly used for displaying emergency warning information including a buzzer sound display and other important information that should not be overlooked, and the character / graphic display by the LCD 16 can be accurately displayed. , Used to display all information. That is, the LCD 16 is used for displaying all information related to the calculation function, the schedule management function, the personal data management function, the data communication function, and the area information display function, and the voice display by the speaker 15 is used as needed.

The GPS receiver 17 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite 6 described later. The position determination unit 18
Based on the GPS signal received by the PS receiver 17, the position where the PDA 1 is present at that time is determined, and a position information signal is output. That is, the GPS receiving unit 17 and the position determining unit 18 receive the GPS signal radio waves from the plurality of GPS satellites 6, detect the current position based on the difference between the propagation velocities, and generate position information. . The position determining unit 18 determines the current position at regular intervals, for example, in response to a clock signal supplied from a timer (not shown), and determines whether or not the PDA 1 has entered a different area.

The priority control unit 19 determines P based on the position information.
When DA1 enters a different area, the display of the area information is performed. At this time, the priority order of the area information processed by the priority control unit 19 may be set in advance according to its importance. In this case, if the importance of the regional information differs for each region, a priority is set for each region.

The input processing unit 20 operates in a mode by operating the touch panel 11 when selecting the calculation function, the schedule management function, the personal data management function, and the data communication function, or when registering the user's personal information related to the regional information. The information input of the user via the setting unit 12 is processed and stored in the user information storage unit 21. The user information storage unit 21 stores personal information of a user related to schedule management, personal data management, data communication, and regional information display.

The emergency mode control unit 22, the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24, and the currency mode control unit 25
Controls operations for acquiring, displaying, and using local information. The emergency mode control unit 22 acquires, via the data transmission / reception unit 26, emergency information as unique local information that is particularly urgent and has a significant effect on life and behavior, and displays the acquired information on the display control unit 14 LCD 16 via
And display by the speaker 15. The driving mode control unit 23 acquires driving information such as a region-specific traffic regulation as regional information on transportation means such as an automobile via the data transmitting / receiving unit 26, and transmits the acquired information via the display control unit 14. The display is provided by the LCD 16 and the speaker 15.

The legal mode control unit 24 obtains legal information as legal local information via the data transmitting / receiving unit 26, and displays the obtained information on the LCD 16 and the speaker 15 via the display control unit 14. Offer. Currency mode control unit 25, via data transmission and reception unit 26,
In addition to acquiring currency information as regional information on currencies circulating in the region, the acquired information is displayed by the display control unit 1.
4 for display by the LCD 16 and the speaker 15. The currency information also includes currency conversion rate information, and sets the currency type and conversion rate of the currency conversion function in the calculation function controlled by the function control unit 13.

The area information acquired in each of the emergency mode, the driving mode, the legal mode, and the currency mode is not merely provided for output such as display, but may be used as required, such as the conversion rate in the conversion mode. And secondary use as appropriate.

The data transmission / reception unit 26 is operated by the emergency mode control unit 22, the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24 and the currency mode control unit 25 to transmit emergency information, operation information,
When acquiring local information such as legal information and currency information, data is transmitted and received, for example, via a wireless communication network using communication satellites. The data transmitting / receiving unit 26 includes the function control unit 1
It is also used for data communication in the data communication function controlled by the control unit 3. The data communication by the data transmitting / receiving unit 26 is not limited to data transmission / reception via a wireless communication network using a communication satellite or the like, and data transmission / reception via a communication network via a public line such as a telephone line may be performed. .

A database system as shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the PDA 1 shown in FIG. FIG.
Are a host system 2, a ground network 3, an emergency database 4a, an operation database 4b, a legal database 4c, and a currency database 4d.
It has.

The host system 2 is connected to a data transmitting / receiving unit 26 of the PDA 1 by a wireless communication system via a communication satellite 7 as described later. Host system 2
Has a data transmitting / receiving unit 31 and a data searching unit 32.

The data transmission / reception unit 31 transmits / receives data to / from the data transmission / reception unit 26 of the PDA 1. The data search unit 32 searches for regional information requested from the PDA 1 via the data transmission / reception unit 31 via the ground network 3. The ground network 3 has an emergency database 4a,
It is a network such as the Internet coupled to the driving database 4b, the legal database 4c, and the currency database 4d. The emergency database 4a, the driving database 4b, the law database 4c, and the currency database 4d store emergency information, driving information, legal information, and currency information in association with each area.

That is, the data search unit 32 of the host system 2 responds to requests from the emergency mode control unit 22, the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24 and the currency mode control unit 25 of the PDA 1, and 3, an emergency database 4a, an operation database 4b,
The legal database 4c and the currency database 4d are searched, and emergency information, driving information, legal information, and currency information as regional information are transmitted to the PDA 1.

The data search unit 32 of the host system 2
Based on the position information (latitude / longitude) given from the PDA1, the area such as the country where the PDA1 currently exists is determined,
The database 4a stores the determined local laws and other information.
4d, information is selectively selected in accordance with the attributes initially registered by the user and the operation mode being executed.
The information thus selected is transmitted from the data transmitting / receiving unit 31 to the PDA 1 via the communication satellite.

The PDA 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be constituted by hardware as shown in FIG. 3, the PDA 1 includes the touch panel 11, the speaker 15, and the LCD 16 shown in FIG. 1, and further includes a CPU (central processing unit) 41, a GPS radio wave reception unit 42, a GPS
Antenna 43, data communication transmitting / receiving unit 44, data communication antenna 45, RAM (random access memory)
46 and a power supply 47.

The GPS radio wave receiving unit 42 includes the GPS receiving section 17 shown in FIG. The data communication transmission / reception unit 44 includes the data transmission / reception unit 26 shown in FIG. The RAM 46 is configured as, for example, a nonvolatile RAM backed up by a power supply 47, and includes the user information storage unit 21 illustrated in FIG. Other components shown in FIG. 1, that is, mode setting unit 12, function control unit 13, display control unit 14, position determination unit 18, priority control unit 19, input processing unit 20, emergency mode control unit 22, operation mode control The unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24, and the currency mode control unit 25 are all configured as functions of the CPU 41 by executing a program installed in advance.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the external appearance of the PDA 1.
In the PDA 1 shown in FIG. 4, the GPS antenna 43 and the data communication antenna 45 are integrated, and as described above, the LCD 16 integrated with the touch panel 11 displays characters and graphics of information in each function.

The PDA 1 shown in FIG. 1 forms a system as shown in FIG. The system shown in FIG.
PDA 1, host system 2, terrestrial network 3, database 4, database server 5, GPS satellite 6,
A communication satellite 7 and a terrestrial antenna 8 are provided, and a wide area network 9 including a wireless communication system is constructed by these. The ground communication network 3 such as the Internet may include a wireless communication system.

The PDA 1 is a GPS radio receiving unit 42
And a plurality of GPS satellites 6 by the GPS antenna 43
And detects the location of the PDA 1 itself. As is well known, position detection by GPS utilizes the difference in the propagation velocities of GPS signal radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites 6 to detect the current position. The detection of the current position is performed at regular intervals in response to a clock signal supplied from the timer. However, even when the detection is performed at a timing lower than the preset load reference of the CPU 41, the current position is detected in response to an input on the touch panel 11. You may go.

The PDA 1 includes a data transmitting / receiving unit 26, that is, a data communication transmitting / receiving unit 44 and a data communication antenna 4
5 is coupled to the host system 2 on the terrestrial network 3 via one or more communication satellites 7 and a terrestrial antenna 8. The host system 2 includes a terrestrial network 3
Each database 4 is accessed via one or more database servers 5 above.

In each of the emergency mode, the driving mode, the legal mode and the currency mode selected by the mode setting section 12, each area information of emergency information, driving information, legal information and currency information is obtained. In the emergency mode, the emergency mode control unit 22 accesses the emergency database 4a on the terrestrial network 3 and acquires emergency information as regional information. In the operation mode, the operation database 4b on the ground network 3 is accessed by the operation mode control unit 23, and operation information as regional information is acquired. In the legal mode, the legal mode control unit 24 accesses the legal database 4c on the terrestrial network 3 to acquire legal information as regional information. Then, in the currency mode, the currency mode control unit 25 accesses the currency database 4d on the terrestrial network 3 and acquires currency information as regional information.

As shown in FIG. 6, each of the emergency information, the driving information, the legal information, and the currency information in each of the emergency mode, the driving mode, the legal mode, and the currency mode, A region is associated with the information, and is composed of messages MA to MD and currencies RA to RZ to be displayed as region information for each mode for each region. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the position coordinates of Japan are ( _xn-3 , yn _-3 ), ( _xn-2 , yn _-2 ), ( _xn-1 , yn).
_n-1) and (x _n, shall be surrounded by four points y _n).
In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, (x _n−3 to
x _n, when the coordinate information of the range of y _n-3 ~y n) is obtained, determines that the area PDA1 is located is a Z countries namely Japan. Such an area determination is performed by the position determination unit 18 in FIG.

Next, the PDA 1 configured as described above
The usage and operation of will be described with a specific example. First, prior to use, user information is registered in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. While the power is on, the mode setting unit 1 is operated by operating the touch panel 11.
When the registration of the user information is designated via 2, the registration processing of the user information is performed by the input processing unit 20. When the process is started, it is checked whether or not the user information has already been registered (step S1). If not, the user is prompted by the LCD 16 to input information on a predetermined registration item. Required (step S
2) (When the already registered user information is changed, the check in step S1 is not performed).

When the user inputs the information of the corresponding registration item from the touch panel 11 according to the request (step S
3) It is checked whether input for all items is completed (step S4). If the input of all items is not completed, the process returns to step S2, and the input for each registered item is sequentially repeated. When the input of all items is completed, the process is terminated. The personal information of the user registered here includes the current address, age, gender, drinking / smoking status, presence / absence of driver's license (if you have one, its type), driving frequency, credit card,
The information includes family information and the presence or absence of a gun-related license (for example, in the United States). When acquiring the regional information, at least a part of the user's personal information may be transmitted to the host computer system 2 and used for selecting the extracted regional information.

If it is not time to change the already registered user information, if it is determined in step S1 that the user information has already been registered, the process is immediately terminated. In addition, when the registered user information is changed, the registered information may be displayed on the screen of the LCD 16 so that the correction input can be performed.

The display operation of the basic area information is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the power switch of the PDA 1 is turned on (step S11), the reception of the GPS data by the GPS receiver 17 is waited (step S1).
2). When the GPS data is received by the GPS receiver 17, the GPS data is processed (step S13),
The position determination unit 18 determines the position data, that is, the longitude / latitude of the location of the PDA 1 (step S14), and determines whether the corresponding position coordinates are the position coordinates of the area corresponding to the area information as shown in FIG. Is determined (step S1
5).

If it is determined in step S 15 that the position coordinates correspond to the area, the emergency mode control unit 22 via the mode setting unit 12, according to the priority order of the priority control unit 19,
At least one of the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24, and the currency mode control unit 25 obtains the corresponding message data of the regional information via the data transmission / reception unit 26 (step S16).

Data transmitting / receiving unit 26 and host system 2
, The message data acquired from the database 4 on the ground network 3 is displayed on the LCD 16 via the display control unit 14 (step S17). Further, if necessary, a voice display output is output from the speaker 15 (step S18), and the process ends. If it is determined in step S15 that the position coordinates do not correspond to the area, the process ends immediately.

The conversion of the currency is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the currency mode, usually, the position determination unit 18 and the priority control unit 1
It is not automatically selected in the mode setting section via 9
When the currency mode is selected in the mode setting unit 12 by operating the touch panel 11 as needed by the user (step S21), it is determined whether or not positional information has been acquired by the GPS receiving unit 17 and the position determining unit 18. Is determined (step S22), and if not acquired, the position information is acquired (step S23).

Then, by inputting the amount of the home currency to be converted (home information is registered in advance as the user's personal information) or the local currency (step S24)
Currency conversion is performed by the currency mode control unit 25, and the conversion result is displayed on the LCD 16 (step S2).
5). Currency conversion is performed in such a manner that, when a home currency is input, the local currency is converted and displayed, and when a local currency is input, the home currency is converted and displayed.

After displaying the conversion result in step S25, it is determined whether or not the end of the currency mode has been selected by the user (step S26). If not, the process returns to step S24 to repeat the input of the amount. .
If the end of the currency mode is detected in step S26, the processing of the currency mode is ended. In step S22,
When it is determined that the position information has already been acquired, step S23 is skipped.

It is desirable that the display message of the regional information described above is appropriately selected and weighted according to various conditions such as the necessity or the degree of importance. The regional information in each mode may have lower-level categories.For example, in the legal mode, there are law categories such as traffic regulations, drinking-related laws and the like, and these lower-level categories are operated by the user. Can be arbitrarily selected.

Next, a detailed function of the above-described PDA 1 and an operation example at the time of use will be described with reference to specific display messages. First, the emergency mode, that is, the emergency announcement will be described. This function is used when the user travels, travels, stays or moves to another area, and selectively outputs an urgent matter related to the user's attribute. For example, a matter that becomes a major problem if not immediately known when entering the relevant area is automatically displayed and output when moving.

For example, it is assumed that a person travels from Japan to Singapore. Upon arrival in Singapore, PDA1
By the GPS receiver 17 and the position determining unit 18, the range of the position information shown in FIG. _{6 (x 1 ~x 4, y} 1 ~y 4), that is, it has entered Singapore (A country) is detected. In response to this detection, the mode setting unit 12 obtains the message MA in FIG. 6 via the emergency mode control unit 22.
Thereby, the warning information of the message MA is automatically displayed together with the warning sound.

That is, as in the display example shown in FIG.
"W" indicating the warning is displayed on the top line of the LCD 16 screen.
The heading "ARNING" flashes and says, "You are a smoker, but smoking is not allowed in public places in Singapore here.
XX will be collected. Is displayed. At the same time, the speaker 15 emits a warning sound such as a buzzer sound or a chime sound.

Next, the operation mode will be described. This function is mainly used when the user is a car or motorcycle,
Used while traveling between regions, related to driving,
Displays what is directly related to the action at that time.

For example, suppose a case where a driver crosses a state border with different driving conditions while driving in the United States. Exceeding the state line, the GPS receiver 17 and the position determination unit 18 of the PDA 1, the range of the position information shown in FIG. _{6 (x 5 ~x 8, y} 5 ~y 8), i.e. in the United States (B country), Crossing a predetermined state border is detected. In response to the detection, the mode setting unit 12 obtains the message MB of FIG. 6 via the operation mode control unit 23. Thereby, the information of the message MB is automatically displayed together with the audio display.

That is, as in the display example shown in FIG.
On the top line of the screen of the LCD 16, a heading “DRIVE” indicating that it is a driving notice is displayed, and “You have entered △△△ state from your current address xxx state. The maximum speed and the driver's license possession rules are different in the XXXX state. "The maximum speed in this state is 8 per hour
"0 miles. A driver's license must be carried at all times. If you do not have a driver's license, you will be fined and you will lose 2 points." At this time, if the message does not fit on the display screen of the LCD 16, the display of the portion other than the headline character portion of the uppermost line is scrolled at an appropriate speed that does not hinder reading, and the message is displayed. At this time, the same message may be repeatedly scroll-displayed. At the same time, from the speaker 15,
"Our maximum speed is 80 miles per hour."

In this case, when the state crosses the state border of 口 State to □ State □, “I have just entered the state of □ State from 口 State. "The maximum speed in our state is 75 miles per hour" is displayed, and the maximum speed in our state is 75 miles per hour.
Only the voice is repeatedly announced.

Next, the legal mode will be described. This function is also used when the user travels, travels, stays or moves to another area, and allows the user to arbitrarily select a desired legal category and output the information. For example,
When "traffic" is selected as a category, items to be noted about traffic laws are different from those in other regions. At this time, items related to the attributes of the user are selectively output, and accompanying information is also output. In addition, not only the difference information but also all traffic-related laws and regulations in the area may be searched.

For example, assume that in the United States, a user who has lived in New York State will stay in New Jersey for one year. The user is required to drive a car at the place of stay. Then, when the user arrives in New Jersey, when the category of “traffic” is selected from the legal mode, difference information on traffic in New Jersey and New York is displayed. When entering the state of New Jersey, the GPS receiving unit 17 and the position determining unit 18 of the PDA 1 use the position information (x ₉ to
x ₁₂ , y _{9 to} y ₁₂ ), that is, in the United States (Country B),
It is detected that the state has entered the state of New Jersey (State C). The mode setting unit 12 and the legal mode control unit 24 select the category of “traffic” in the legal mode, thereby acquiring the message MC in FIG. 6 that is the difference information on traffic in New Jersey from New York. Thereby, information of the message MC is displayed. As described above, not only the difference information, but also all traffic laws and regulations in New Jersey may be searched and displayed.

That is, as in the display example shown in FIG.
On the top line of the screen of the LCD 16, "LAW" indicating the legal mode and "TRAFFIC" indicating the category of "traffic" are displayed, and "Your current state of New Jersey and New Jersey here are There are three differences in the traffic regulations: (1) The amount of unsecured car insurance You have to drive the car frequently, so please update it immediately. …. ”Is displayed. At this time, if the message does not fit on the display screen of the LCD 16, the display of the portion other than the headline character portion of the uppermost line is scrolled at an appropriate speed that does not hinder reading, and the message is displayed.

Further, for example, when the user moves to the state XXX with the family and the whole family has a hobby of drinking, when the user arrives in the state XXX, the category “Drinking” is selected from the legal mode. Then, the difference information from the original place of residence regarding the drinking in the XXXX state is displayed. PDA1 when you enter the state
By the GPS receiver 17 and the position determining unit 18, enters the position information shown in FIG. _{6 (x 9 ~x 12, y} 9 ~y 12) range, that is the United States (B country) ××× York (York C) Is detected. The mode setting unit 12 and the legal mode control unit 24 select the category of “drinking” in the legal mode, so that the message MD in FIG. 6 which is the difference information regarding the original place of residence and drinking in the state Xxxx is obtained. You. As a result, information of the message MD is displayed. As described above, not only the difference information but also all the drinking-related laws and regulations in the state xxx may be searched and displayed.

That is, as in the display example shown in FIG.
On the top line of the screen of the LCD 16, “LAW” indicating the legal mode and “DRLINK” indicating the category of “drinking” are displayed. There is nothing to keep in mind in the state, but be careful about drinking your child. The local age of drinking is 21 years old or older, unlike your current address. " At this time, if the message does not fit on the display screen of the LCD 16, the display of the portion other than the headline character portion of the uppermost line is scrolled at an appropriate speed that does not hinder reading, and the message is displayed.

Next, the currency mode will be described. This function is also used when the user travels, travels, stays or moves to another area, and performs currency conversion. When the user selects the currency mode, the conversion function for automatically converting the currency of the region, that is, the currency of the relevant country to the currency of the user's own country is automatically enabled regardless of where the user is. In this conversion function, the input amount data is automatically converted to the currency of the country corresponding to the position information and displayed, and when the amount data of the currency of the country is input, it is automatically converted to the user's own currency and displayed.
(Refer to the flowchart of FIG. 10)

When entering the country, the GPS receiver 1 of the PDA 1
7 and the position determination unit 18 detect that the vehicle has entered the country based on the position information. By selecting the currency mode for currency conversion by the mode setting unit 12 and the currency mode control unit 25, the mode is set to the conversion mode, and by inputting the amount data, the conversion of the currency of the country concerned and the display of the conversion result are performed. .

For example, it is assumed that a Japanese user travels abroad in the UK, Germany and the United States. When the user arrives in the UK and selects the currency mode, as shown in FIG. 15, the conversion mode is a conversion mode between yen (￥) and pound (£), which is the British currency RE, and the amount data entered in yen is Automatically converts to pounds and displays, and automatically converts pounds entered into yen and displays.
When the user arrives in Germany, he selects the currency mode, and as shown in FIG.
The conversion mode is changed to the mark (DM) which is G, and the amount data input in yen is automatically converted to the mark amount and displayed, and the amount data input in mark is automatically converted to yen and displayed. Further, when the user arrives in the United States and selects the currency mode, as shown in FIG. 15, the conversion mode is a conversion mode between yen (￥) and US currency RB dollar (＄),
The amount data entered in yen is automatically converted to dollar amounts and displayed, and the amount data entered in dollars is automatically converted to yen and displayed.

For example, in the United States, when 120 yen is input, the position at that time is detected, and the position information (x,
When it is detected that the terminal is in the United States from y), if 120 yen is one dollar, one dollar is displayed as a conversion result.

In the system using the PDA 1 described above,
Using the position detection function based on the GPS satellite 6 and linking it with the terrestrial network 3 to appropriately select or display the regional information combined with the accompanying information in the form of characters or characters and voices to provide the user with: Or secondary use. In this way, the user can easily know in real time the necessary and sufficient up-to-date information and feel inconvenience when going out of the area where he or she lives.
Problems and disadvantages can be reduced.

In the first embodiment described above, P
The DA1 is linked with the terrestrial network 3 so that the area information obtained from the database 4 on the terrestrial network 3 is used as it is. At least a part of the display message of the area information is stored in the PDA in advance by the user. Alternatively, the display mode of the regional information may be set in accordance with the request of the user. For example, FIG. 16 schematically shows a configuration of a PDA as an electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, to which such a function is added.

The PDA shown in FIG. 16 includes a touch panel 11, a display control unit 14, a speaker 15, an LCD 16,
GPS receiving unit 17, position determining unit 18, priority control unit 19,
The system includes a user information storage unit 21, an emergency mode control unit 22, an operation mode control unit 23, a legal mode control unit 24, a currency mode control unit 25, and a data transmission / reception unit 26. Also,
The PDA of FIG. 16 includes a mode setting unit 112, a function control unit 113, and an input processing unit 120 slightly different from the mode setting unit 12, the function control unit 13, and the input processing unit 20 of FIG. 101 is provided.

The mode setting section 112 controls the touch panel 11
The PDA is set to various operation modes including the message registration mode on the basis of the input operation of (1). Function control unit 113
Controls the operation of various functions other than the processing of the PDA's area information, for example, the function including the message registration function related to the area information, according to the operation mode set by the mode setting unit 112. The functions controlled by the function control unit 113 include a general calculation function including a currency conversion function, a schedule management function such as a calendar, a personal data management function such as an address book and a telephone directory, and e-mail and file transfer. In addition to the data communication function, etc., a message registration function related to local information is included. The message registered by the message registration function is used to display the acquired display message of the regional information in a message format defined by the user instead of displaying the content given from the host system 2 as it is.

The input processing unit 120 has a message registration function in addition to when a calculation function, a schedule management function, a personal data management function, and a data communication function are selected, or when a user's personal information related to area information is registered. When it is selected, the information processing of the user through the mode setting unit 112 by the operation of the touch panel 11 is processed and stored in the user information storage unit 21 and the registration message storage unit 101. The registration message storage unit 101 is configured by a nonvolatile RAM backed up by a battery similarly to the user information storage unit 21. That is, while the user information input unit 21 stores the user's personal information related to schedule management, personal data management, data communication, and regional information display, the registration message storage unit 101 stores the acquired regional information display message. , Is used for displaying in a message format defined by the user.

The message registration by the message registration function relating to the area information is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. The message in this case is registered in association with each of the emergency mode, the driving mode, the legal mode, and the currency mode for the regional information.

That is, when the message registration mode is selected, first, the user selects one of the emergency mode, the driving mode, the legal mode, and the currency mode (step S31), and furthermore, the registration items in each mode. Is selected (step S32). When the user inputs a message to be used for registration in the corresponding item (step S33), the message is stored in the registration message storage unit 101 in association with the item (step S34). Then, it is confirmed whether or not there is a registration end request (step S35). If there is no end request, the process returns to step S31 to repeat the registration operation for each mode and item.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, the PDA 1 is linked with the terrestrial network 3 to acquire the regional information from the database 4 on the terrestrial network 3. The base may be built in the terminal, and the information processing of the regional information in the PDA may be completed as a stand-alone system. This is the third embodiment of the present invention.

For example, FIG. 18 schematically shows a configuration of a PDA as an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The PDA shown in FIG. 18 is the touch panel 1 shown in FIG.
1, mode setting unit 12, display control unit 14, speaker 1
5, LCD 16, GPS receiver 17, position determiner 18,
A priority control unit 19, an input processing unit 20, and a user information storage unit 21 are provided. Further, the PDA of FIG. 18 includes the function control unit 13, the emergency mode control unit 22, the operation mode control unit 23, the legal mode control unit 24, and the currency mode control unit 2 of FIG.
5 includes a function control unit 213, an emergency mode control unit 222, an operation mode control unit 223, a legal mode control unit 224, and a currency mode control unit 225, which are slightly different from each other. Built-in. The database 201 stores the user information storage unit 2
The required data is stored in a non-volatile RAM or ROM backed up by a battery in the same manner as in 1, and includes an emergency information storage unit 202, an operation information storage unit 203, a legal information storage unit 204, and a conversion information storage unit 205. ing.

The emergency mode control unit 222, the operation mode control unit 223, the legal mode control unit 224, and the currency mode control unit 225 cooperate with the function control unit 213 to store the emergency information storage unit 202 and the operation information storage unit 20 of the database 201.
3. The local information corresponding to the position information is acquired from the legal information storage unit 204 and the conversion information storage unit 205 and provided for display.

In this case, the built-in area information has a limit in terms of capacity and update, but the area information is displayed more quickly and always than when information is obtained via a communication line. And so on.

Further, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the user-defined information can be included in the built-in database. FIG. 19 schematically shows a configuration of a PDA as an electronic device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The PDA shown in FIG. 19 includes a touch panel 11, a display control unit 14, a speaker 15, and an LCD 1 similar to those in FIG.
6, GPS receiving unit 17, position determining unit 18, priority control unit 1
9 and a user information storage unit 21. FIG.
9 is an emergency mode control unit 22 similar to FIG.
2. Operation mode control unit 223, legal mode control unit 224
And a currency mode control unit 225. Further FIG.
The PDA 9 has a function control unit 313 slightly different from the function control unit 213 in FIG. 18, an input processing unit 320 slightly different from the input processing unit 120 in FIG. 16, and a mode setting unit 11 in FIG.
2 is provided with a mode setting unit 312 slightly different from the mode setting unit 3. Also,
The PDA of FIG. 19 incorporates a database 301 instead of the database 201 of FIG. Database 3
Numeral 01 is constituted by storing required data in a non-volatile RAM backed up by a battery similarly to the user information storage unit 21, and includes an emergency information storage unit 302, a driving information storage unit 303, a legal information storage unit 304, a conversion information Storage unit 3
05 and a definition information storage unit 306.

[0103] The mode setting unit 312
The PDA is set to various operation modes including the area information definition mode based on the input operation of. Function control unit 313
Controls the operation of various functions other than the processing of the PDA's area information, for example, functions including a user-defined function related to the area information, according to the operation mode set by the mode setting unit 312. The functions controlled by the function control unit 313 include:
General functions such as calculation function including currency conversion function, schedule management function such as schedule, personal data management function such as address book and telephone directory, data communication function such as e-mail and file transfer, etc. It includes a definition function for related messages and the like. The definition registered by this user-defined function is stored in the emergency information storage unit 30 of the database 301.
2. To display the content of the regional information message acquired from the driving information storage unit 303, the legal information storage unit 304, and the conversion information storage unit 305 in a message format or the like defined by the user instead of displaying the content or the like as it is. Used for

The input processing unit 320 is used to select the calculation function, the schedule management function, the personal data management function, and the data communication function, or to register the user's personal information related to the area information. When the definition function is selected, the information processing of the user through the mode setting unit 312 by the operation of the touch panel 11 is processed,
The information is stored in the user information storage unit 21 and the definition information storage unit 306.

As in the case of the PDA shown in FIG. 18, the emergency mode control unit 222, the operation mode control unit 223, the legal mode control unit 224, and the currency mode control unit 225 cooperate with the function control unit 213 to store the emergency Information storage unit 302, driving information storage unit 303, legal information storage unit 30
4 and the area information corresponding to the position information is acquired from the conversion information storage unit 305, and is provided for output such as display according to the definition information stored in the definition information storage unit 306.

The electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to a PDA, but is configured as various devices that can be carried or carried on a car or the like, such as a car navigation system or a sub-notebook computer. In any of the modes, the present invention still presents appropriate regional information to the user as the user moves.

The PDA 1 in the above embodiment stores a plurality of languages to be used for display and the like (for example, English, French, German, etc.) in advance, and uses the detected current position (latitude / longitude) to determine the country or country. The region may be specified, and the language used may be automatically selected. Further, a time difference from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) may be specified from the detected current position (latitude / longitude), and the date / time may be automatically set. This is the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

For example, FIG. 20 schematically shows a configuration of a PDA as an electronic apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The PDA shown in FIG. 20 includes a CPU 51, a key input unit 52, a display unit 53, a registration unit 54, a position measurement unit 55, a position identification unit 56, a language setting unit 57, a date calculation unit 58, a date and
A time setting unit 59 is provided.

First, automatic language selection according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. For example, suppose a trip from Germany to France. When arriving in France, the CPU 51 controls the position measuring unit 55 to measure the current position (latitude / longitude) (step S41). Next, the CPU 51 controls the position specifying unit 56 to specify that the vehicle has entered France from the current position (latitude / longitude) information acquired via the position measuring unit 55 (step S42). Next, the CPU 51
Selects the language corresponding to the country information of France specified via the position specifying unit 56, that is, French, from the language information corresponding to the country and region recorded in the registration unit 54 in advance (step S43). Next, the CPU 51
French which is the acquired language information is set in the language setting unit 57 (step S44). Thereafter, the PDA 1 changes the language to be used (for example, the language displayed on the display unit 53) from German to French.

Next, automatic date / time setting according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. For example, suppose a trip from the UK to Japan. When arriving in Japan, the CPU 51 controls the position measuring unit 55 to measure the current position (latitude / longitude) (step S51). Next, the CPU 51 controls the position specifying unit 56 to specify that the vehicle has entered Japan from the current position (latitude / longitude) information acquired via the position measuring unit 55 (step S52). Next, the CPU 51 obtains the time difference information (+9 hours) corresponding to the country information of Japan identified by the position identification unit 56 from the time difference information from Greenwich Mean Time corresponding to the country and region recorded in the registration unit 54 in advance. Is selected (step S53). Next, C
The PU 51 controls the date calculator 58 based on the acquired time difference information (+9 hours) to calculate a date / time (step S54). Next, the CPU 51 sets the date / time calculated by the date calculation unit 58 in the date / time setting unit 59 (step S55). Thereafter, the PDA 1 changes the date / time to be used (for example, the date / time displayed on the display unit 53) to the date / time in Japan.

Note that the electronic apparatus of the present invention can be realized by using a normal computer system without using a dedicated system. For example, an electronic device that executes the above-described processing can be configured by installing the program from a medium (a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, or the like) storing the program for performing the above-described operation in a computer.

The medium for supplying the program to the computer may be a communication medium (a medium that temporarily and fluidly stores the program, such as a communication line, a communication network, or a communication system). For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS) of a communication network and distributed via the network. Then, by starting this program and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS, the above-described processing can be executed.

[0113]

As described above, the electronic device according to the present invention detects the position where the device exists, obtains the position information, and includes the region including the characteristic information about the region corresponding to the position information. The information is acquired, and the area information is displayed in a display form including at least one of a character and a voice. In this electronic device, when a user moves from a certain area to another area, the movement is detected by a position detection system, and the area information corresponding to the area is automatically obtained and displayed by text or voice. Without effort
Appropriate information in the area can be obtained promptly. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device that links position information and region information and that can output or secondary use appropriate region information in response to movement between regions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a related portion of the electronic apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of a main part of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an external configuration of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system configuration of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining functions of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining position information related to the description of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a registration process of user information in the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining position detection and display processing in the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a currency conversion process in the electronic device of FIG. 1;

11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a display form for explaining an operation in the electronic device of FIG. 1;

12 is a diagram for explaining another example of a display form for explaining an operation in the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

13 is a diagram for explaining another example of a display form for explaining an operation in the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

14 is a diagram for explaining still another example of a display form for explaining an operation in the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically illustrating a currency conversion operation in the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a process of storing message data in the electronic device of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic language selection process of an electronic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an automatic date / time setting process of an electronic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), 2. Host computer system, 3. Terrestrial network, 4.
Database 4a Emergency database 4b Driving database 4c Law database 4d Currency database 5 Database server 6 GPS (Glob
al Positioning System) satellite, 7: communication satellite, 8: ground antenna, 9: wide area network, 11: touch panel, 12, 112, 312: mode setting unit, 13, 11
3, 213, 313: function control unit, 14: display control unit,
15 speaker, 16 LCD (liquid crystal display),
Reference Signs List 17 GPS receiving unit 18 Position determining unit 19 Priority control unit 20, 120 320 Input processing unit 21 User information storage unit 22, 222 Emergency mode control unit 2,
3, 223: operation mode control unit, 24, 224: legal mode control unit, 25, 225: currency mode control unit, 26,
31 data transmission / reception unit, 32 data retrieval unit, 41 C
PU (central processing unit), 42: GPS radio wave receiving unit, 43: GPS antenna, 44: data communication transmitting / receiving unit, 45: data communication antenna, 46: RAM (random access memory), 47: power supply, 51: CPU,
52 key input unit, 53 display unit, 54 registration unit, 55
... Position measuring unit, 56 ... Position specifying unit, 57 ... Language setting unit,
58 date calculation unit, 59 date / time setting unit, 101
Registered message storage unit, 201, 301 ... built-in database, 202, 302 ... emergency information storage unit, 203, 30
3 ... driving information storage unit, 204, 304 ... legal information storage unit, 205, 305 ... conversion information storage unit, 306 ... definition information storage unit

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A position detecting means for detecting position of the self to obtain position information, a region information obtaining means for obtaining region information related to a region corresponding to the position information obtained by the position detecting device, An electronic device, comprising: an information notifying unit that notifies a user of the regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring unit. 2. A position detecting means for detecting position of the self to obtain position information, a transmitting / receiving means for accessing an external system via a wireless communication line, and an area corresponding to the position information obtained by the position detecting means. Regional information acquisition means for acquiring regional information including characteristic information from the database of the external system via the transmitting / receiving means, and information notifying means for notifying a user of the regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring means. An electronic device, comprising: 3. A position detecting means for detecting position of the self to obtain position information, a database storing means for storing area information including characteristic information on the area in association with the position information, Area information acquisition means for acquiring area information corresponding to the position information obtained by the means from the database storage means, and information notification means for informing the user of the area information acquired by the area information acquisition means. Electronic equipment characterized by the following. 4. A position signal receiving means for detecting a position by receiving a position signal from a position detection system using a satellite or a position signal transmitted from a position signal transmitter installed in each area. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a unit. 5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position detecting means includes a discriminating means for discriminating at least one of a country and a district as the position information. . 6. The local information obtained by the local information obtaining means includes operating information specific to the area, legal information specific to the area, currency conversion information specific to the area, and prompt action in the area. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic device includes at least one of emergency information required to perform the operation and information on a language used in the area. 7. The area information acquiring means includes, as the area information, information on a language used unique to the area, and sets a language to be used based on the information on the language acquired by the area information acquiring means. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a language setting unit. 8. The regional information acquiring means includes currency conversion information unique to the region as the regional information, and performs currency conversion based on the currency conversion information acquired by the regional information acquiring means. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: 9. The method according to claim 9, wherein the area information acquiring means includes means for obtaining the area information based on a correspondence relationship with the area information in a preset reference area as the area information. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: 10. The regional information acquiring means sets regional information based on past acquisition history of the regional information as reference area information, and acquires the regional information based on a correspondence relationship with the reference area information. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic device includes: 11. The regional information acquired by the regional information acquiring means includes: regional information obtained from a database in a communication network connected via a communication line;
4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising regional information obtained from a database managed by a host system connected via a communication line. 12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein said communication line is a wireless communication line. 13. The area information obtaining means: database means for storing the area information as a database in association with the position information; and searching the database means based on the position information to extract the area information. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an information search unit. 14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user information registration unit for registering and storing information about the user in the database by a user operation. 15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a local information registering means for registering and storing at least a part of said local information in said database by a user operation.
The electronic device according to any one of the above. 16. A system according to claim 1, further comprising mode setting means for selectively setting an operation mode according to a type of said regional information acquired by said regional information acquiring means by a user operation. The electronic device according to any one of the above. 17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: means for preferentially controlling a part of an operation mode corresponding to a type of the area information acquired by the area information acquiring means. 18. A position detecting step of detecting the position of the user to obtain position information to obtain position information; a region information obtaining step of obtaining region information related to a region corresponding to the position information obtained in the position detecting step; An information notifying step of notifying a user of the area information acquired in the area information acquiring step. 19. A position detecting step of detecting the position of the user and obtaining position information, a transmitting / receiving step of accessing an external system via a wireless communication line, and an area corresponding to the position information obtained in the position detecting step. A region information acquisition step of acquiring region-related information including characteristic information from the database of the external system in the transmission / reception step; and an information notification step of notifying a user of the region-related information acquired in the region information acquisition step. A regional information notification method, comprising: 20. A position detecting step of detecting the position of the user to obtain position information to obtain position information; a database storing step of storing region information including characteristic information on a region in association with the position information; A region information acquisition step of acquiring region information corresponding to the position information obtained in the step by the database storage step; and an information notification step of notifying a user of the region information acquired in the region information acquisition unit step. A local information notification method characterized by the following. 21. A computer-readable recording medium for recording a program for causing a computer to function as an electronic device, the computer comprising: a position detecting means for detecting an existing position of the computer to obtain position information; A computer that records a program that functions as area information acquisition means for acquiring area information related to an area corresponding to the location information obtained in step 1, and information notification means for notifying a user of the area information acquired by the area information acquisition means. A readable recording medium.