JP2000112347A - Information processing device that reports surrounding area information - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To display map information that enables a user to easily find a registered location by notifying that the location of a location personally registered by the user is immediately nearby. To provide an information processing device. An information processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a display unit 2 for displaying map information including place name information indicating a specific point, a place name extraction unit 11 for extracting the place name information from the map information, Storage means 6 for storing target information to be input and the place name information corresponding to the target information
Proximity determining means 4 for determining whether or not the point indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extracting means 11 is within a predetermined distance from the point indicated by the place name information stored in the storage means 6 When the proximity determining means 4 determines that the vehicle is approaching, it notifies that the vehicle is approaching.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying map information, and in particular, a point indicated by place name information in information registered by a user is close to an area indicated by a currently displayed map. The present invention relates to a device capable of displaying the fact.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been many devices for displaying a map including a current position or a designated position and navigating a user.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a conventional map display system. The system shown in FIG. 8 includes a fixed station side device 23 and a mobile device 24. Such a system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-232865.

[0004] In the system shown in FIG. 8, a fixed station side device 23 includes an upper station 21 connected to a general public telephone network,
And a base station 22 thereunder. Either the upper station 21 or the base station 22 has a map information transmitting unit 28.

[0005] On the other hand, the mobile unit 24 is provided with the map information requesting means 2.
5, map information storage means 26, map information display means 27
And The mobile device 24 wirelessly communicates with the fixed station side device 23.

The following is a brief description of the principle of operation of the system shown in FIG.

The map information requesting means 25 in the mobile device 24
The fixed station side device 23 transmits the map information request signal via a wireless line.
To request the provision of map information. Upon receiving the map information request signal from the map information requesting means 25, the fixed station side device 23 recognizes the area where the mobile device 24 is located within the service area from the number of the base station 22 to which the mobile device 24 is connected. . The fixed station side device 23 selects the map information of the area by the map information transmitting means 28 and transmits the selected map information to the mobile device 24. The map information sent to the mobile device 24
Is stored in the map information storage means 26. The map information stored in the map information storage means 26 is stored in the map information display means 27.
Displayed by As the map information sent from the base station 22 by the map information sending means 28, the map information of the zone where the base station 22 to which the mobile device 24 is connected and the surrounding area is used.

In the above system, when a map information request is made from the mobile device 24 side, by specifying an area (area) number or a direction from the current position, not only the map information of the area, but also the surrounding area. There is disclosed a technique for also displaying map information.

[0009] On the other hand, in the field of car navigation systems, a product that registers data of information on a surrounding area in advance and, if there is data registered near the current location, displays it on a map has already been developed. Have been.

[0010]

According to the system shown in FIG. 8, the user of the mobile device 24 can obtain not only the map information of a certain point or the present location but also the map information of the surrounding area. However, for information registered in advance by the user (for example, a database in which names of restaurant guides, shopping guides, leisure information, and the like correspond to place name information), even if the location of the restaurant is near the current location, Cannot be recognized by the mobile unit 24 with the currently displayed map. In this case, in order to know the relationship between the information registered by the user and the displayed map, the user must know the relationship by himself. So, in most cases,
The user misses the opportunity to visit a restaurant or the like without knowing the fact that he has come to the immediate vicinity.

Further, when data of information on a surrounding area is registered in the car navigation system as described above, if there is data registered near the current location, the data can be confirmed by display. it can.
However, data contained in a database created by an individual using the car navigation system by storing information obtained from media such as newspapers, magazines, and television, unless this data is registered in the system. There is no way to know if there is data around the.

As described above, according to the prior art, even if the user personally creates data in which the name and the place name information correspond, it is possible to know the relationship between the map displayed by the system and the data. Did not. Therefore, there has been a need for a map display system capable of knowing a relationship between data created by a user and a displayed map.

[0013] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem. Specifically, the user is notified of the fact that the location of a location personally registered by the user is immediately nearby, thereby facilitating the location registration by the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus that displays map information that allows the user to find information.

Further, in the above information processing apparatus, if there is too much data registered as personal information, the information processing can arrange the personal information and notify the user, for example, by time, location, etc. The purpose is to provide the device.

[0015]

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a display means for displaying map information including place name information indicating a specific point; a place name extraction means for extracting the place name information from the map information; Storage means for storing target information input by a user and the place name information corresponding to the target information; and a place indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extraction means, wherein the place name stored in the storage means is stored. And proximity determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance from the point indicated by the information. When the proximity determination means determines that the vehicle is approaching, it notifies that the vehicle is approaching.

[0016] When the proximity judging means judges that the objects are close to each other, the display means may display the target information corresponding to the place name information stored in the storage means.

[0017] The information processing apparatus may further include a current position obtaining means for obtaining a current position, and the display means may display information on the current position.

[0018] The information processing apparatus may further comprise: a direction obtaining means for obtaining a direction in which the point indicated by the place name information stored in the storage means exists with respect to the point indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extraction means. And the display unit may display the direction acquired by the direction acquisition unit when the proximity determination unit determines that the vehicle is approaching.

The information processing apparatus, when the proximity determining means determines that the vehicle is approaching, the location indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extracting means and the place name information stored in the storage means. Display control means for changing the display method of the display means according to the distance to the point indicated by.

[0020] The user may be able to designate the place name information stored in the storage means, wherein the proximity determination means determines whether or not the approach is performed within a predetermined distance.

[0021] The information processing apparatus may include a grouping unit that divides the target information and the place name information stored in the storage unit into a plurality of groups, and whether the proximity determination unit is close within a predetermined distance. A determination distance changing unit that changes the predetermined distance according to which of the plurality of groups the place name information stored in the storage unit determines whether to perform the determination. Good.

[0022] The information processing apparatus may further include priority setting means for setting a priority for each of the plurality of groups, and the order in which the proximity determining means determines the order may be in accordance with the priority. Good.

The priority setting means may set the priority according to time.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portable information terminal 1 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a portable information terminal 1 includes a display unit 2, a touch panel 3, a central processing unit (CPU) 4, a read-only memory (ROM) 5, a random access memory (RAM) 6, a communication control unit 7,
Touch panel control unit 8, analog / digital (A /
D) Converter 9, display memory 10, map information acquisition unit 1
1 and a current position acquisition unit 12.

The portable information terminal 1 displays map information on the display unit 2 according to a user operation on the touch panel 3. The display unit 2 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and displays map information that is the content of the display memory 10. The touch panel 3 is a transparent analog resistive film that covers the display unit 2. The touch panel 3 is transparent, and the user visually recognizes information displayed on the display unit 2 through the touch panel 3. The touch panel 3 is connected to a touch panel control section 8 and an A / D converter 9.

The CPU 4 is a device for performing an operation on data stored in the RAM 6 or the like. Further, the CPU 4 controls the operation of each component of the portable information terminal 1. For example,
The CPU 4 instructs the display unit 2 to display the data stored in the display memory 10. ROM5
Is a read-only memory for storing system information necessary for the portable information terminal 1. The ROM 5 stores, for example, a system program of the portable information terminal 1 and the like. RA
M6 is a readable and writable memory for temporarily storing information necessary for the portable information terminal 1. The RAM 6 stores, for example, data input from the map information acquisition unit 11. The RAM 6 includes a map information storage unit, an extracted place name storage unit, a personal information management unit, and the like.

The communication control unit 7 controls communication using a PHS, a mobile phone, or the like. The touch panel control unit 8 applies a voltage to the touch panel 3. A / D converter 9
Converts an analog signal, which is a voltage value from the touch panel 3, into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the CPU 4 or the like.

The display memory 10 stores contents displayed by the display unit 2. The data stored in the map information storage section of the RAM 6 is written into the display memory 10 by the CPU 4 or the like.

The map information acquisition unit 11 is provided with a CD-ROM,
The map information of an arbitrary point is read from a medium storing the map information such as a VD-ROM or the like, and is stored in the map information storage unit in the RAM 6. The map information may be directly read from a medium storing the map information, or may be read from a database on a network via the communication control unit 7.

The current position obtaining unit 12 obtains the current position where the user is currently present by receiving position information from a connected base station such as a PHS or a mobile phone via the communication control unit 7. Using this information on the current position, the map information acquisition unit 11 can read the map information on the current position.

Next, the operation of the portable information terminal 1 will be described.
The data stored in the map information storage unit in the RAM 6 is written into the display memory 10. The data written in the display memory 10 is displayed on the display unit 2 according to a command from the CPU 4. The data displayed on the display unit 2 is visually recognized by the user through the transparent touch panel 3.

The user touches the touch panel 3 covering the display unit 2
Is touched with a finger, a pen or the like. When the user touches the touch panel 3, the touch panel control unit 8 outputs a voltage value corresponding to the touched position. The voltage value output from the touch panel control unit 8 is converted from an analog output to a digital signal by the A / D converter 9. When a signal output from the A / D converter 9 is input to the CPU 4, the CPU 4 detects a position where the user touches the touch panel 3.

The CPU 4 can continuously detect the position where the user touches the touch panel 3. Therefore, when the user traces the touch panel 3 with a finger, a pen or the like, the CPU 4 continuously detects the position on the traced path. The CPU 4 displays the trajectory on a portion of the display unit 2 corresponding to the detected position.
Write the required data to Thereafter, when the CPU 4 instructs the display unit 2 to display the contents of the display memory 10, the locus of the user tracing the touch panel 3 is displayed on the display unit 2.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the user designates place name information while map information is displayed on the display unit 2. The designation of the place name information displayed on the display unit 2 is performed based on a locus of the user tracing the touch panel 3. The place name information designated by the user is stored in the extracted place name storage section of the RAM 6. In FIG. 2, station #, intersection XX, and the like are place name information, and broken lines indicate trajectories traced by the user on the display unit with a pen. In this case, the user has designated "@ station" as the place name information. As described above, when the user specifies the displayed place name, the place name is extracted.

The place name extraction is performed by a method other than the method of the user designating the displayed place name. For example, a place name may be extracted from the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 12, or information attached to the map acquired by the map information acquisition unit 11 (for example, information such as a map around XX city station). ) May be used to extract place names. In addition, by combining the above methods, the place name is extracted from the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 12 or the information attached to the map acquired by the map information acquisition unit 11, and only when the extraction is not possible, the user The place name may be extracted by designating the place name information.

Using the portable information terminal 1, the user can use the information he or she likes, such as restaurant information, shopping information, leisure guide, etc., as the target information (for example,
(Name, service content, etc.) and place names can be input as a database in a form to correspond to each other. Such a database is stored in the personal information management unit of the RAM 6.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the contents of the database registered by the user are displayed. For simplicity of description, it is assumed in FIG. 3 that only a portion of the database registered by the user whose location corresponds to Higashi-ku, Osaka is displayed. In the database shown in FIG. 3, two pieces of restaurant information “XX restaurant” and “Japanese cuisine OO”, one friend “Taro Yamada” as a friend, one piece of “△△ corporation” as a business, In addition, one case of “souvenir shop” is registered.

The place name information of the database stored in the personal information management unit of the RAM 6 and the place name information designated by the user from the map information displayed on the display unit 2 are transmitted to the center on the network via the communication control unit 7. Sent to. The center on the network searches for the distance and direction between the point indicated by the place name information in the database and the point indicated by the place name information specified by the user. The portable information terminal 1
After receiving the search result of the center by the communication control unit 7,
The display unit 2 displays the received search results.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method of judging the proximity and the direction. The flowchart of FIG. 4 is a continuous one flowchart, and reference numeral “A” indicates the same node. With reference to FIG. 4, a method for proximity determination and direction determination in portable information terminal 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the portable information terminal 1 transmits the place name information stored in the extracted place name storage section of the RAM 6 to the database of the center on the network via the communication control section 7 (step S1). In the example of FIG. 2, the place name information “△△ station” is transmitted from the portable information terminal 1 to the center database.

The database of the center on the network stores place name information and point information (location information) corresponding to the place name information. The center transmits the location information corresponding to the place name information to the portable information terminal 1. The portable information terminal 1 receives the location information transmitted from the center, and stores it in the extracted place name storage together with the place name information (step S2). The portable information terminal 1 receives the place name information “△△
When “station” is transmitted to the database, for example, location information “Higashi-ku, Osaka-shi △ 2-chome 2-5” is transmitted from the center to the portable information terminal 1.

The portable information terminal 1 stores the place name information and the location information sent from the center in the extracted place name storage section of the RAM 6. The portable information terminal 1 transmits the place name information and the location information stored in the extracted place name storage section of the RAM 6 to the center again as a “reference point” (Step S).
3).

Next, the portable information terminal 1 transmits the information on the name and the location included in the database registered by the user to the center as the "target point" (step S).
4).

The center receives the data of the reference point and the target point transmitted from the portable information terminal 1. The center calculates a distance from the reference point to the target point and a direction from the reference point to the target point based on the position of the reference point and the position of the target point. The center transmits the calculated distance and direction to the portable information terminal 1. The portable information terminal 1 receives the distance and the direction transmitted from the center and stores them in the RAM 6 (step S5).

The portable information terminal 1 and the center on the network perform the processing in steps S4 and S5 described above.
This operation is repeated while data included in the database registered by the user and for which proximity determination is specified exists (step S6).

The portable information terminal 1 determines whether or not there is a database registered by the user whose distance from the reference point is equal to or less than a value (for example, 2 km) set as a distance that is short beforehand. (Step S
7).

As a result of the determination in step S7, if there is a value that is smaller than the preset value as the close distance, the direction information and the distance are displayed along with the map information together with the place name information. Then, the user is notified (step S8).

FIG. 5 shows an example in which proximity determination is performed on a database registered by a user. The situation shown in FIG.
In this step S6, the distance and the direction from the reference point of the data designated to perform the proximity determination in the database registered by the user are stored.
In the example of FIG. 5, the distance and the direction from the reference point measured when the reference point is “△△ Station” are RA RA, respectively.
It is stored in M6. For example, it is stored in the RAM 6 that “○ × Restaurant” is 1 km north and “Yamada Taro” is 1.5 km south.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which information on the names of nearby places is displayed on a map. When notifying that the point indicated by the place name information is approaching, it is also possible to perform color coding according to the approaching distance and display the color. In the example of FIG. 6, the solid line frame indicates that the distance from the reference point is within 1 km, and the broken line frame indicates that the distance from the reference point is within 2 km.

In the case of this measurement result, △△ Co., Ltd. is not displayed because the distance from the reference point is 3 km and exceeds 2 km which is determined to be close. However, it is needless to say that the proximity can be displayed by changing the proximity determination distance.

In the above-described example, it has been described that the user individually specifies whether or not to perform the proximity determination on the data included in the database registered by the individual.
However, it is also possible to specify whether or not to perform the proximity determination for each group (restaurant, business, etc.).

Further, in the above-described example, it has been described that the distance determined to be close is uniformly set to 2 km. However, it is also possible to change the distance determined to be close for each group. In this case, for example, business is 2 km, restaurant is 1
The distance can be realized by managing the distance for each group such as km.

FIG. 7 shows an example showing proximity results for each group. This example shows proximity results for a group of restaurants.

In the case where the distance determined to be close is managed for each group, it is possible to change the group for performing close determination according to the time zone to which the current time belongs. In this case, the time zone to which the current time belongs is determined by obtaining the time by the built-in clock of the portable information device 1. Thereby, for example, lunch time (from 11:00 to 14
In this case, it is possible to determine the proximity of a restaurant group.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The scope of the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments.

[0057]

According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the point indicated by the place name information extracted from the map information is within a predetermined distance from the point indicated by the place name information stored in the storage means. In addition, an information processing apparatus is provided for notifying a user of the proximity when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching.

As described above, the result of the proximity determination is notified to the user, so that when the user comes near the point where the object stored in the storage device is located, the user is notified of the fact. Therefore, the user does not lose his chance to go to the place because he does not know that he is coming close to the place while coming close to the place. Thereby, the user can effectively use the personally registered information according to his / her own activity range.

Further, the place name information, the current position, the direction of the proximity point, and the degree of proximity of the proximity point are displayed on the display means, so that the user can easily go to the proximity point even if the land is unfamiliar. be able to. In addition, when the user specifies the information for which the proximity is to be determined, it is possible to protect the privacy of the individual by preventing the information of the proximity point from being displayed. Further, by dividing the registered information into groups and setting the priority of proximity determination for each group, efficient information retrieval according to each individual's situation can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portable information terminal employing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which place name information is designated from displayed map information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database registered by a user.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining proximity and a direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which proximity determination is performed on a database registered by a user.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of place name information in the vicinity.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example showing proximity results for each group.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a conventional map display system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Personal digital assistant 2 Display part 3 Touch panel 4 CPU 5 ROM 6 RAM 7 Communication control part 8 Touch panel control part 9 A / D converter 10 Display memory 11 Map information acquisition part 12 Current position acquisition part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C032 HB02 HB11 HB25 HC08 HC14 HD03 HD11 5B075 KK37 ND20 NK02 NK25 PP10 PP22 PQ02 PQ34 UU14

Claims (9)

[Claims] A display means for displaying map information including place name information indicating a specific point; a place name extraction means for extracting the place name information from the map information; target information input by a user; Storage means for storing the corresponding place name information, and a point indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extraction means is located within a predetermined distance from a point indicated by the place name information stored by the storage means. An information processing device, comprising: proximity determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is approaching, and, when the proximity determination means determines that the vehicle is approaching, an alert that the vehicle is approaching. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the target information corresponding to the place name information stored in the storage unit when the proximity determination unit determines that the objects are close to each other.
The information processing device according to claim 1. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a current position acquisition unit for acquiring a current position, wherein the display unit displays information on the current position. 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: a direction acquisition unit that acquires a direction in which a point indicated by the place name information stored in the storage unit exists, with respect to the point indicated by the place name information extracted by the place name extraction unit. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the proximity determining unit determines that the vehicle is approaching, the display unit displays the direction acquired by the direction acquiring unit. 5. 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the location is close to the location indicated by the location name information extracted by the location name extracting unit and the location indicated by the location name information stored in the storage unit. 2. A display control means for changing a display method of the display means according to a distance between the display means.
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The user can designate the place name information stored in the storage unit, wherein the proximity determination unit determines whether or not the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance.
The information processing device according to claim 1. 7. A grouping unit that divides the target information and the place name information stored in the storage unit into a plurality of groups, and determines whether the proximity determination unit is close to a predetermined distance. 7. A determination distance changing means for changing the predetermined distance according to which of the plurality of groups the place name information stored in the storage means belongs to. An information processing device according to any one of the above. 8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a priority setting unit configured to set a priority for each of the plurality of groups, wherein an order determined by the proximity determining unit is an order according to the priority. Information processing device. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said priority setting means sets a priority according to time.