JP2003344093A - Pedestrian route guidance data distribution device, pedestrian route guidance data distribution system, and pedestrian route guidance data distribution program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] An operator as a pedestrian can appropriately recognize a current position even in a place where the current position is difficult to recognize, such as an underground shopping mall, and easily make a route to a destination. Be able to grasp. A route search unit for searching for an underground route based on map data, and a route guidance data creation unit for creating guide data for guiding the searched underground route based on the map data and guide signboard data. 15 and a transmission data creation unit 12 that creates transmission data for displaying the character string of the guide signboard on the display screen based on the created guidance data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedestrian route guidance data distribution device, a pedestrian route guidance data distribution system, and a pedestrian route guidance data distribution program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in navigation devices,
DVDs and CDs installed in vehicles such as automobiles
Based on the road map data stored in the storage means such as the ROM, the optimum route from the set starting point to the destination is searched and displayed on the display means.
In this case, when an operator such as a driver of a vehicle sets a starting point and a destination, the route is set so that the distance from the starting point to the destination is the shortest, and the required time is the shortest. It is designed to set a route to.

In recent years, with the development of Internet technology, a large amount of data is stored in a web server,
Personal computer, mobile phone, PDA (Per)
It has become commonplace to access the web server from an information terminal such as a personal digital assistant) via the Internet and appropriately download and use necessary data from the data stored in the web server. There is. Therefore, also in the navigation device, the software for searching the map data and the route is stored in the web server by applying such Internet technology, and the operator can set the departure point and the destination from the information terminal to the web site. A technique has been put into practical use in which a route from a departure place to a destination is searched for in the web server when the web server sends the route. In this case, the data of the searched route and the data necessary for performing route guidance as a navigation device along the route are returned from the web server to the information terminal, and the route guidance is performed by the information terminal. It is supposed to be.

Thus, the operator can use an inexpensive and portable information terminal such as a portable telephone or PDA without using a navigation device.
Even while walking, it is possible to easily grasp the appropriate route to the destination by using the route guidance.

[0005]

However, in the system using the conventional Internet technology, the route searched by the map data or software presupposed to be used in the navigation device is guided. . Therefore, in the route guidance, the map screen is scroll-displayed around the current position, or the current position moves along the route in the map screen.

On the other hand, the information terminal has a GPS (G
(Global Positioning System)
Since it does not have a position detecting means such as a receiving device, it is not possible to display the present location on the map screen, and it is not possible to provide easy-to-understand route guidance. As described above, when the current location is not displayed, the operator as a pedestrian needs to recognize the current location by himself / herself, and thus it is difficult to grasp the guided route.

In particular, when an underground mall is included in the route from the departure place to the destination, the scenery of the underground mall is less changed than that on the ground, and the passages are often formed in a grid pattern. It is difficult for the operator to recognize the current location by himself / herself while walking in the underground mall. In addition, there are almost no landmarks in ordinary underground malls that can be used as landmarks when guiding a route on the ground. Furthermore, even if the information terminal has a GPS receiver, it cannot receive radio waves from GPS satellites in the underground mall, so that the current location is not displayed on the map screen.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems,
Even in places where it is difficult to recognize your current location, such as
A pedestrian route guidance data distribution device and a pedestrian route guidance data distribution system that enable an operator as a pedestrian to appropriately recognize the current location and easily grasp a route to a destination. The purpose is to provide a route guidance data distribution program for pedestrians.

[0009]

In the pedestrian route guidance data distribution device of the present invention, a route search unit for searching an underground route based on map data, and based on the map data and the guidance signboard data, A guidance data creation unit that creates guidance data that guides the searched underground route, and a transmission data creation unit that creates transmission data that displays the character string of the guidance signboard on the display screen based on the created guidance data. Have.

In another pedestrian route guidance data distribution device of the present invention, the route search unit further executes a multimodal search for a route from a departure place to a destination included in the route search request.

In still another pedestrian route guidance data distribution device of the present invention, the guidance data creation unit further provides guidance for guiding a route searched for in each of the divided segments corresponding to each mode. Create the data.

[0012] In still another pedestrian route guidance data distribution device of the present invention, the pedestrian route guidance data distribution device further includes a representative facility search unit that searches for a representative facility on the side of the destination in the underground mall, and the route search unit has the purpose. When there is a representative facility on the ground side, a route with a guide sign for guiding the representative facility is preferentially searched.

In still another pedestrian route guidance data distribution device of the present invention, the pedestrian route guidance data delivery device further includes a data storage unit for storing guidance data for guiding a route, and the transmission data creation unit responds to a guidance data acquisition request. Corresponding guidance data is acquired from the data storage unit and transmission data is created.

In the pedestrian route guidance data distribution system of the present invention, a route search unit that searches an underground route based on map data, and guides the searched underground route based on the map data and the guidance signboard data. Pedestrian route guidance data including a guidance data creation unit for creating guidance data, and a transmission data creation unit for creating transmission data for displaying a character string of a guidance signboard on a display screen based on the created guidance data. It has a distribution device and a portable terminal provided with a display which displays guidance of the searched underground route.

In the pedestrian route guidance data distribution program of the present invention, a route search unit for searching an underground route on the basis of map data by a computer, an underground route searched on the basis of the map data and the guide signboard data. A guidance data creation unit for creating guidance data for guiding a route, and
Based on the created guidance data, it functions as a transmission data creation unit that creates transmission data for displaying the character string of the guidance signboard on the display screen.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a pedestrian route guidance data distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is an information center as a route guidance data distribution device for pedestrians, which includes a CPU and an MPU.
And the like, a semiconductor memory, a storage unit such as a magnetic disk and an optical disk, a communication interface, and the like. Note that the computer may be a so-called distributed server in which a plurality of computers are organically combined, instead of a single computer. Further, another system may be built in the computer. Further, the information center 10 may be one of the systems built in another computer.

Reference numeral 31 is a portable terminal operated by the operator. Although the number of the mobile terminals is actually large, in the present embodiment, for convenience of description, the mobile terminal 31 is representative. Further, the operator is, for example, a pedestrian, but may be a driver of a vehicle such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, or a motorcycle, a passenger, or a public transportation user. May be

The mobile terminal 31 includes a CPU, MP
A computing device such as U, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a liquid crystal display, an LED (Light Emitting)
A display device such as a diode display, a CRT, an input device such as a keyboard, a joystick, a cross key, a push button, a touch panel, a display control device that controls the display device, and a transmission / reception unit such as a communication interface. The mobile terminal 31 is, for example, a mobile phone or a P
HS (Personal Handy-Phone S)
Although it is a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a PDA,
It may be any device such as an internet connection terminal, a small personal computer, a wearable computer, and a game machine.

Further, the portable terminal 31 may have a position detecting means such as a GPS sensor (not shown). Further, for example, in the case of a mobile phone, a mobile information terminal, etc., generally, the position of the base station is detected as the current location based on communication with the base station in which the mobile phone, mobile information terminal, etc. are located. You may do it.

Here, the information center 10 and the mobile terminal 31 are communicably connected to each other via a network 27. The network 27 may be a wired or wireless public communication line network, a dedicated communication line network, a mobile phone line network, the Internet, an intranet, a LAN (Local).
Area Network), WAN (Wide Ar)
ea Network), satellite communication network, or any other communication network, or a combination of these. In addition, CS broadcasting by broadcasting satellite and B
S-broadcasting may be used for communication, terrestrial digital television broadcasting may be used for communication, FM multiplex broadcasting may be used for communication, and light installed by the side of the road You may communicate using a beacon or a radio wave beacon.

The information center 10 creates a communication control unit 11 for controlling communication with the mobile terminal 31 and data to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 31 in a form that can be displayed on a display device of the mobile terminal 31. The transmission data creation unit 12, the map creation unit 13 that creates a map based on the map data, the map database 14 that stores the map data, and the guidance data for guiding the route based on the map data and the guidance signboard data. A guidance data creation unit 15, a guidance signboard database 16 that stores guidance signboard data as data related to a guidance signboard that guides a route in an underground mall, a route search unit 17 that searches a route based on map data or guidance signboard data, and each operator Data storage unit 21 for storing guidance data for guiding a route to a route, a plan for storing guidance data for each operator The data storage database 22, the representative facility search unit 23 that searches the representative facility based on the representative facility data, the representative facility database 24 that stores the representative facility data in the underground mall, the POI (the POI that searches the facility, the point, etc. according to the set search conditions) Point of In
terest) search unit 25 and POI database 26 for storing data such as facilities and points.

The pedestrian route guidance data distribution system in this embodiment is composed of the information center 10 and the portable terminal 31. In addition, the operator is
User ID previously registered in the information center 10
Who owns. The mobile terminals 31 are also registered.

Here, in the pedestrian route guidance data distribution system, the information center 10 searches for a route from a starting point to a destination which can be moved by various moving means such as vehicles, public transportation, and walking. It is like this. When a route that passes through an underground mall is included in the route and the route for the underground mall is searched, the route that has a guide signboard such as a destination guide signboard that is actually arranged in the underground mall should be preferentially passed. To search for a route. Further, when guiding the route of the underground shopping mall, the place name or name displayed on the guide sign is displayed as a screen on the display device of the mobile terminal 31 so that the correspondence between the display screen and the actual underground shopping mall can be easily understood. hand,
It is designed to guide you through the route.

That is, in the underground mall, a guide sign such as a destination guide sign is arranged on the ceiling or wall of the passage to guide the passage. The information center 10 has a guide sign database 16 that stores data related to guide signs such as the destination guide signs. When creating route guidance data from a starting point to a destination in an underground mall, the information sign 10 displays the guide signs. The route guidance data that provides guidance as a mark is created and transmitted to the mobile terminal 31.

By the way, in a device having a position detecting means such as a GPS sensor such as a navigation device for a vehicle, it is possible to detect the present position of the device itself, and therefore, it is displayed on the display device as the device itself moves. The map is automatically scrolled. In this case, in general, the current location of the device itself is always located in the center of the display screen, and the background map scrolls as the device itself moves.

However, the portable terminal 3 in the present embodiment
In the present embodiment, the guidance data for guiding the route includes a map for each key point of the route (intersection in a normal vehicle navigation device). (Map corresponding to the enlarged view of)
Is created as independent data that can be displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31. Here, each key point is a point where the guide sign is arranged. Further, the character string of the guide sign displayed on the display screen is displayed similarly to the character string of the actual guide sign. That is, it is displayed on the screen so that the display form and the arrangement of character strings are the same as those of the actual guide signboard. Thus, the operator can easily understand the map displayed for route guidance by comparing the character string of the guide sign displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31 with the character string of the actual guide sign. be able to.

Further, in the present embodiment, when searching for a route in an underground mall, the route is searched so that a route having a guide sign such as a destination guide sign actually arranged in the underground mall is preferentially passed. To do. Therefore, since the route with many guide signs is guided, the operator can proceed along the route without hesitation.

Furthermore, the operator sets a place, a facility, etc., which is not displayed on the guide sign, as a destination and sets the portable terminal 31.
May be entered in. In this case, the information center 10
Is a facility that is located near the input destination and is displayed on the guide sign (a facility included in the character string of the guide sign) from the representative facility database 24, and the extracted facility is route-guided. Guide data is created as the goal of.

The pedestrian route guidance data distribution system according to the present embodiment provides route guidance by searching not only underground routes but also above-ground routes. That is,
The information center 10 has not only a database relating to underground shopping centers but also a database relating to roads, public transportation, station premises, etc., and all routes from the starting point to the destination set by the operator and input to the mobile terminal 31. To create guidance data. In this case, the information center 10 divides the entire route from the starting point to the destination into partial routes, that is, segments for each moving means or moving mode. Then, when a part of the route in the segment passes through the underground mall, as described above, the route is searched so that the route with the guide sign preferentially passes, and the route is guided using the guide sign. The guide data for doing is created.

Next, the operation of the pedestrian route guidance data distribution system having the above configuration will be described. First, the operation of the information center 10 creating and transmitting the first guidance data will be described.

FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention. The second diagram showing an example of the display screen, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a third diagram showing an example of a guide data display screen created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an example of a guide data display screen created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a fifth diagram showing an example of a guide data display screen created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sixth diagram showing an example of a guide data display screen, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information center in the embodiment of the present invention for creating and transmitting the first guide data.

First, the operator operates his / her portable terminal 31 to set and input the departure point and the destination. Here, the case where the departure place is a home and the destination is a building (× Δ building) existing in a remote place where it is necessary to transfer to a train will be described as an example. Then, the operator operates his / her own mobile terminal 31 to transmit a route search request to the information center 10 via the network 27. The route search request includes the user ID of the operator in addition to the departure point and the destination.

When the information center 10 receives the route search request (step S101), the information center 10 extracts the starting point, the destination and the user ID included in the route search request (step S102). Here, when it is confirmed that the user ID belongs to the operator who is registered in advance, the route search unit 17 of the information center 10 searches for all routes from the departure place to the destination, that is, the entire route. Is executed (step S103). If the user ID does not belong to the operator registered in advance, the search for the entire route is not executed.

Here, in the search of the entire route, a multi-modal (route) search in consideration of a plurality of modes of transportation or modes of movement such as public transportation, vehicles, ground walking, and underground walking, that is, a mode. Multi Mo
dal) A search is performed. In the multi-modal search, a normal route search is performed without considering the guide sign.

Subsequently, the route searching unit 17 divides the searched entire route into partial routes corresponding to the respective modes, that is, segments (step S104). In this case, a series of routes in one certain mode is set as one segment.

Next, regarding each segment,
It is determined whether or not the route is an underground walking route (step S105). If the route is an underground walking route, the guidance data creating unit 15 creates guidance data for the underground walking route (step S106). If the route is not an underground walking route, the guidance data creation unit 15 creates guidance data other than underground as in a normal navigation device (step S107).

Subsequently, the data storage unit 21 stores the created guide data in the guide data storage database 22 (step S108). The guidance data is stored in a state of being associated with a user ID for each operator. Then, it is determined whether or not the guidance data has been created for all the segments included in the overall route (step S109). Here, if the guidance data is not created for all the segments, it is determined whether or not the route is an underground walking route for the next segment included in the overall route, and the guidance data is created.

When the guide data is created for all the segments included in the entire route, the transmission data creating unit 12 creates the first guide data as the transmission data to be sent to the portable terminal 31 (step S1).
10). In this case, the first guidance data is the mobile terminal 3
It is created in a form that can be displayed on one display device. And
The first guidance data is transmitted by the communication control unit 11 to the mobile terminal 31 via the network 27 (step S111).

Here, the entire route in the first guidance data is displayed as the display screen 32-1 shown in FIG. The display screen 32-1 is vertically long, and when the size of the display device of the mobile terminal 31 is small, the entire display screen cannot be displayed at once, but in this case, scroll display is performed. .

Then, the display screen 32-1 shows all routes from the home which is the departure place to the building (× Δ building) which is the destination, and the names of the transportation means or the transportation modes in each segment, It includes information such as required time, estimated departure time, and estimated arrival time. Here, display screen 3
By placing the cursor on the item displayed in 2-1 and clicking the item, the display screen is switched to a more detailed guide of the item.

For example, when the cursor is placed on the "Shinkansen" which is the name of public transportation on the display screen 32-1 and clicked, the display screen 32-2 for public transportation is displayed as shown in FIG. To be done. The display screen 32-
2 includes information such as the Shinkansen train number, fare, estimated departure time, estimated arrival time, and the like. In addition, the display screen 32
-Display the corresponding guide by placing the cursor on "View next guide", "View previous guide" and "View whole guide" posted on page -2 and click. It is designed to switch.

On the display screen 32-1, when the cursor is placed on the position "3 minutes on foot (underground)" indicating underground walking and clicked, as shown in FIG. 4, the entire underground route as one segment is displayed. The display screen 32-3 is displayed. The display screen 32-3 includes a map of the entire underground mall showing the route from the starting point to the destination in the underground route, and information such as the length of the route. Further, when the representative facility exists on the side of the destination, the name of the representative facility on the side of the destination is displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. Note that guide points A to D are shown on the underground route as the segment.

Here, the guidance point is an important point in the guidance of the underground route, and is the point where the enlarged screen is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the departure point is shown as a guide point A, the destination is shown as a guide point D, and points on the route along the guide sign are shown as guide points B and C. Then, “A displayed on the display screen 32-3 is displayed.
"Enlarge", "enlarge B", "enlarge C",
By placing the cursor on the location of "Enlarge D", "View the next ground guidance" and "View the entire guidance", the screen will be switched to display the relevant guidance. .

For example, when the cursor is placed on "enlarge A", "enlarge B", "enlarge C" and "enlarge D" on the display screen 32-3 and click, A display screen 32-4a of the underground route expansion A as shown in (a), a display screen 32-4b of the underground route expansion B as shown in FIG. 5 (b), and as shown in FIG. 6 (a). Display screen 32-4c of underground route expansion C and FIG.
Display screen 32 of underground route expansion D as shown in (b)
-4d is displayed.

On the display screen 32-1, when the cursor is placed on the position "5 minutes on the ground (ground)" indicating walking on the ground and clicked, as shown in FIG. 7, the walking path on the ground as one segment. Whole display screen 32-5
Is displayed. The display screen 32-5 includes a map of the entire underground mall showing a route from a starting point to a destination in a walking route on the ground, and information such as the length of the route. In the above route, the starting point and the destination in the ground walking route are indicated as A, the destination is indicated as C, and the intersection point is indicated as B. And display screen 3
Place the cursor on the location of "Enlarge A", "Enlarge B", "Enlarge C", "See next vehicle guide" and "See entire guide" posted on 2-5 By clicking the button, the display screen is changed to display the corresponding guide.

As the first guidance data, guidance data corresponding to all of the display screens 32-1 to 32-5 shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 may be transmitted to the portable terminal 31. It is desirable to divide the guidance data into a plurality of pieces and transmit the division including the guidance data corresponding to the display screen 32-1 as the first guidance data. As a result, the amount of data to be transmitted is reduced, the transmission time is shortened, and the operator receives the first guidance data within a short period of time after transmitting the route search request, and the display screen 32-
You can see the 1st screen. In this case, the data of the remaining sections is transmitted to the mobile terminal 31 when the information center 10 receives the next guide data acquisition request, as described later.

Next, the operation of creating guidance data for an underground walking route will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an operation of creating guide data for an underground walking route in the embodiment of the present invention.

Here, step S106 in FIG.
The operation of the guide data creating unit 15 shown as <1> to create guide data for the underground route will be described. In this case, the guidance data creation unit 15 extracts a starting point and a destination on the underground route as a segment (step S2).
01). The starting point and the destination exist for each segment. Then, the representative facility search unit 23 accesses the representative facility database 24 and executes the search for the representative facility at the starting point and the destination (step S202). Here, the representative facility is a famous and large facility that serves as a landmark when guiding an underground route, and the name is written on a guidance signboard such as a destination guidance signboard arranged in an underground mall, and the departure place or It is a facility that represents the destination.

Then, it is judged whether or not a representative facility exists on the destination side (step S203). Then, when the representative facility does not exist on the side of the destination, the guidance data creation unit 15 creates guidance data for guiding the underground route (step S207). In this case, the guide data of the underground route is created based on the result of the search of the entire route shown as step S103 in FIG.

If the representative facility exists on the destination side, it is determined whether or not the representative facility exists on the departure side (step S204). Then, when the representative facility does not exist on the side of the departure place, the route search unit 17 executes the route search in consideration of the signboard (step S206). In this case, a route search (guide signboard consideration search) is performed so as to preferentially pass through a route having a guide signboard that describes the name of the representative facility on the destination side. As a result, the route search will be executed twice for the underground route.

When the representative facility on the side of the departure place exists, it is judged whether or not the representative facility on the side of the departure place and the representative facility on the side of the destination are different (step S20).
5). Then, when the representative facility on the side of the departure place and the representative facility on the side of the destination are different from each other, the guidance signboard consideration search is executed. If the representative facility on the side of the departure place and the representative facility on the side of the destination are the same, guide data for the underground route is created without executing the guide signboard consideration search (step S207). ).

Next, the operation of searching for a route in consideration of the guide sign will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing data stored in the representative facility database according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation of searching a representative candidate facility in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation of specifying a representative facility in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a representative in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows operation which specifies a facility.

Here, step S202 in FIG.
The operation of searching (identifying) the representative facilities of the departure place and the destination, which are shown as, In this case, first
Position information of the starting point and the destination on the underground route as a segment is extracted (step S301). The position information includes the latitude and longitude of the departure place and the destination, and the floor number of the departure place and the destination. For example, as a result of searching the entire route, when the ticket gate of the station where the train exits is located on the second basement floor, the departure point on the underground route is the ticket gate, and the second floor basement is the floor number of the departure place. In addition, the exit of the underground mall located near the final destination as the destination on the entire route becomes the destination on the underground route. In this case, the basement floor is usually the floor number of the destination.

Subsequently, the representative facility search unit 23 accesses the representative facility database 24 based on the position information of the starting point and the destination to search for the representative facility candidates on the side of the starting point and the destination ( Step S302). Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the representative facility database 24 stores data for specifying the representative facility. In this case, the facility ID is an ID for identifying the representative facility, and is set so that the representative facility existing nationwide can be uniquely identified. That is, the facility ID is a unique ID nationwide. Further, the number of floors indicates on which basement floor the representative facility is located. Furthermore, the representative point is the latitude and longitude of the point representing the representative facility. The grouping area data is a coordinate string that represents a range in which grouping described below is performed.

In this case, the representative facility retrieving section 23 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, each of the representative points 42 of the representative facilities existing within a circle having a predetermined radius R centered on the starting point 41a and the destination 41b is searched. Then, the representative facility corresponding to the retrieved representative point 42 is set as a representative facility candidate. In the example shown in FIG. 11, since the three representative points 42a to 42c exist within the circle,
Three representative facility candidates are set.

Then, it is judged whether or not there is a representative facility candidate for each of the starting point and the destination (step S303). If no representative facility candidate exists, the process ends. If there is a representative facility candidate, the grouping area determination process is executed (step S304).

In the present embodiment, the representative facility whose data is stored in the representative facility database 24 corresponds to the landmark shown in the route guidance by the normal navigation device, and is used when guiding the underground route. It is a famous and large facility that serves as a landmark. And
A grouping area is set around each representative facility. Here, the grouping area is
This is an area for creating guidance data such that when any point in the area is set as the destination, the corresponding representative facility is set as the target point for route guidance.

As shown in FIG. 12, the grouping areas 44a to 44c for the representative facilities 43a to 43c are set as triangles, squares and hexagons. The grouping area may be polygonal, and does not necessarily have to be triangular, quadrangular or hexagonal. Further, the grouping area data as shown in FIG. 10 is obtained by converting the grouping area as a polygon into a coordinate sequence.

Here, FIGS. 11 and 12 explain the algorithm of the grouping area determination processing. That is, the procedure for determining whether or not the set starting point or destination is within the grouping area for the representative facilities existing in the vicinity thereof will be described. in this case,
Since it is inefficient to judge whether the starting point or the destination exists in the grouping area with respect to all the representative facilities, it is judged in two steps. There is.

First, as shown in FIG.
The representative points 42a to 42c of the representative facilities existing in a circle having a predetermined radius R centering on the destination 1a or the destination 41b are searched respectively. As a result, the departure place 41a or the destination 41b
Representative facilities in the vicinity of can be narrowed down as representative facility candidates. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12, regarding the representative facilities 43a to 43c narrowed down as the representative facility candidates, whether or not there is a departure place 41a or a destination 41b included in the corresponding grouping areas 44a to 44c. To judge. Then, the corresponding grouping area 44a
The representative facility candidate including the departure place 41a or the destination 41b within 44c is determined as the representative facility.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the destination 41b is included in the grouping area 44a corresponding to the representative facility 43a. Therefore, the representative facility 43a
Is set as a representative facility of the destination 41b.

Next, the operation of transmitting the guidance data in response to the guidance data acquisition request from the portable terminal 31 will be described.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of transmitting the next guidance data in the embodiment of the present invention.

In this case, when the information center 10 receives the next guidance data acquisition request from the operator's portable terminal 31 (step S401), the operator's user ID is extracted from the guidance data acquisition request (step S402). ). Then, the data storage unit 21 accesses the guidance data storage database 22 and acquires the next guidance data from the guidance data corresponding to the user ID (step S4).
03). Here, the guidance data is stored in a state of being associated with a user ID for each operator. In addition, a log (record) of the guidance data transmitted to the mobile terminal 13 is also stored. Therefore, the next guidance data can be specified.

Then, it is judged whether or not there is the next guidance data (step S404). If there is no such guidance data, the process is terminated. If there is the next guidance data, the transmission data creation unit 12 creates the next guidance data as the transmission data to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 31 (step S405). In this case, the next guidance data is created in a form that can be displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31. Then, the next guidance data is transmitted by the communication control unit 11 to the mobile terminal 31 via the network 27 (step S406).

Thus, for example, when the guidance data corresponding to the display screen 32-1 has already been transmitted as the first guidance data, the display screen 32-- is displayed as the next guidance data.
The guidance data corresponding to 3 to 32-5 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 31 and displayed.

Next, the guide signs displayed on the display screens 32-4b, 32-4c, etc. will be described.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing data stored in the guide sign database according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Is a first diagram showing an example of a display screen of a guide sign in an underground mall created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention,
17 is a diagram showing the data of the guide sign in the underground mall displayed in FIG. 16 in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the content of the data of the guide sign in the underground mall in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of a display screen of a guide sign in an underground mall created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a guide sign in the underground mall shown in FIG. 19 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing data, FIG. 21 is a third diagram showing an example of a display screen of a guide signboard in an underground mall created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 22 is displayed in FIG. 21 in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the data of the guidance signboard in the underground shopping center.

Here, in the guide sign database 16,
As shown in FIG. 15, data for displaying the guide signboard is stored. In this case, the ID is an ID for identifying the guidance signboard, and is set so that the guidance signboard can be uniquely identified. That is, I
D is a unique ID. In addition, the signboard position is identified whether it is attached to the ceiling (left, center, or right) or the left and right walls. Further, the signboard type identifies whether it is facility guidance or exit guidance. The signboard name is a character string indicating the name of the signboard itself displayed on the signboard. The arrow direction is the direction of guidance.
Further, the guide name array is a list of names displayed and guided on the signboard. And the facility ID list is
It is a list of facility IDs displayed and guided on a signboard. The guidance direction connection link ID is a link ID that connects in the guidance direction. The link ID will be described later.

Then, in the example shown in FIG. 16, the guide sign 53 is displayed in the enlarged screen 51 of the underground route. In this case, the character string of the guide sign 53 is displayed in the same manner as the character string of the actual guide sign. The arrow 52 indicates the direction in which to proceed at the position where the guide sign 53 is attached in the underground route. Here, the data corresponding to the guide signboard 53 is as shown in FIG. In addition, in the data shown in FIG.
Signboard positions, signboard types, and the meanings of the numbers shown as arrow directions are shown in FIG.

Further, FIG. 19 shows another enlarged screen 54. In this case, the actual signboard is like being placed on the ceiling at the intersection of the passage, and the enlarged screen 5
The guide signs 55a, 55b, and 55c in FIG. The arrow 52 is similar to the example shown in FIG. Then, FIG. 20 shows data corresponding to the guide signboard 55a. In addition, the guide signs 55b and 5
The data corresponding to 5c is omitted. Also, FIG.
In the data shown in FIG. 18, the meanings of the signboard position, the signboard type, and the numbers shown as arrow directions are the same as those in FIG.
Is shown in.

Then, FIG. 21 shows still another enlarged screen 56. In this case, the actual guide sign is as if it was placed on the wall of the passage, and the enlarged screen 56 is displayed.
The guide signs 57a and 57b in FIG. The arrow 52 is similar to the example shown in FIG. Then, FIG. 22 shows data corresponding to the guide signboard 57b. The data corresponding to the guide signboard 57a is omitted. Further, in the data shown in FIG. 22, the meanings of the signboard position, the signboard type, and the numbers shown as arrow directions are shown in FIG. 18 described above.

In this way, the display screens 32-4b, 32-
In the guide sign displayed on 4c or the like, the character string is displayed similarly to the character string of the actual guide sign. Therefore, the operator can easily understand the map displayed for route guidance by comparing the character string of the guide sign displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31 with the character string of the actual guide sign. You can

Next, the operation of the guide sign consideration search performed by the route search unit 17 will be described.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing underground link data for searching an underground route stored in the map database according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 24 is used for the underground route search according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a road network, FIG. 25 is a first diagram showing a result of an underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 26 is a second diagram showing a result of an underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27
Is a first diagram showing an underground route searching step in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 28 is a second diagram showing an underground route searching step in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a third diagram showing an underground route searching process in the embodiment, FIG. 30 is a fourth diagram showing an underground route searching process in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 31 is a searched underground in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing route guide points, and FIG. 32 is a diagram showing underground and ground road networks in the embodiment of the present invention.

Here, in the map database 14, FIG.
As shown in 3, the underground link data for searching the underground route is stored. By the way, the map database 14 includes data on a number of roads with respect to ground roads, and each road is divided at intersections of three or more roads and points where road types are changed as boundaries. It is composed of a large number of units called links. Similarly, the underground route is also composed of a large number of constituent units called links, and data regarding the links is stored as underground link data.

The map database 14 also stores data such as coordinates of a large number of nodes regarding roads on the ground. In this case, the nodes have an interval (for example, an interval of several tens of meters, which is sufficient for understanding the road shape
There are shorter intervals where the road is curved, and longer intervals where the road is straight. ) Is set on the road. As for the underground route, since the road is often a straight line, the node is usually a point such as an intersection that divides a link or an entrance / exit to an underground mall.

In the underground link data shown in FIG. 23, the link ID is an ID for identifying each link, and is defined so that links existing nationwide can be uniquely identified. That is, the link ID is a unique ID nationwide. The link length is the length of each link. Furthermore, the link shape is a coordinate string representing the shape of the link. The node data is information on the position of each node and a connection link that is a link connected to the node. Also, the signboard ID list (forward direction) and the signboard ID list (reverse direction)
Is an ID list of signboards arranged in the node.

Here, the operation when searching for an underground route will be described based on the example of the underground mall shown in FIG. In this case, the road network of the underground mall is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. Here, the frames surrounding the alphabets A to L respectively indicate nodes,
Node A is a starting point on the underground route as a segment, and node L is a destination on the underground route as a segment. In addition, it is assumed that the nodes C and H are provided with guide signs for guiding to the XX department store, which is the representative facility on the destination side. The straight line connecting each node indicates a link, and the number in the link indicates the search cost of the corresponding link.

Then, based on the road network shown in FIG. 24, when a normal route search, that is, a search without considering the guide signboard is executed, it becomes as shown in FIG. In FIG. 25, the number shown beside each node is the movement cost. The movement cost is the total search cost of links included in the route from the node A, which is the starting point, to each node. The links indicated by the dotted lines are the links that were not used in the calculation of the movement cost. Here, it can be seen that the route having the lowest movement cost to the destination node L is the route indicated by the arrow in FIG.

On the other hand, when the guide signboard-considered search, that is, the search considering the guide signboard is executed based on the road network shown in FIG. 24, the result is as shown in FIG. In this case, the search cost is reduced by 10% for the link corresponding to the direction shown on the guide sign. Therefore, the route with the lowest movement cost to the destination node L is the route indicated by the arrow in FIG. 26, that is, the representative facility on the destination side.
It can be seen that the route is through the nodes C and H where the guide signs for guiding to the department store are arranged.

The route searching unit 17 is shown in FIGS.
The guide sign consideration search is executed according to the process shown in FIG. 27 to 30, the nodes whose frames surrounding the alphabets A to L are thick lines are the nodes whose costs are fixed, and the other nodes are the nodes whose costs are pending. Also, the links shown by the solid lines are the links used for the calculation of the movement cost, and the links shown by the dotted lines are the links that were not used for the calculation of the movement cost.

As shown in FIG. 31, guide points are extracted based on the route searched by executing such guide signboard consideration search. In FIG. 31, the alphabet A
Circles enclosing ~ E respectively indicate guide points. The guide point A is a departure point on the underground route as a segment, and the guide point E is a destination on the underground route as a segment. In addition, the guide points B to D are intersections, and the guide points C and D therein are points where guide signs for guiding to the XX department store, which is the representative facility on the destination side, are arranged. In addition,
The guide points A to E are shown in FIGS.
As shown in (a) and (b), guidance is provided on the enlarged screen.

Further, since the underground and ground road networks are configured as shown in FIG. 32, for example, the route searching unit 17 searches the underground route for the cost at the connecting position with the ground road. You may consider.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when searching for a route in an underground mall, the information center 10 preferentially passes a route having a guidance signboard such as a destination guidance signboard actually arranged in the underground mall. Search the route as you would.

Therefore, the route with many guide signs is guided, and the operator as a pedestrian can proceed along the route without getting lost.

In addition, when guiding the route of the underground mall,
The place name or the name displayed on the guide sign is displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31 as a screen so that the correspondence between the display screen and the actual underground mall is easily understood and the route is guided.

Therefore, even when the operator passes through an underground mall where it is difficult to recognize the current location, the operator can properly recognize the current location and can easily grasp the route to the destination.

Furthermore, the character string of the guide sign displayed on the display screen is displayed in the same manner as the character string of the actual guide sign. Thus, the operator can easily understand the map displayed for route guidance by comparing the character string of the guide sign displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 31 with the character string of the actual guide sign. be able to.

Further, if there is a representative facility that is a famous and large facility that serves as a guide when guiding an underground route to the destination side, a route with a guide sign that describes the name of the representative facility A route that preferentially passes through is searched. Therefore, the operator can easily reach the destination.

The embodiment described above can also be configured as follows. That is, the pedestrian route guidance data distribution device includes (a) a receiving unit that receives, from the terminal, the start point and the end point of the underground mall passage for which the user desires route guidance,
An underground shopping mall database that stores data of underground shopping corridors and data of underground shopping mall signs installed in underground shopping malls,
(B) Route search means for searching a route from the start point to the end point based on the underground mall database, (c) Map data showing a point on the searched route where the underground mall signboard is installed Route guidance data creating means for creating route guidance data including the above, and (d) transmitting means for transmitting the created route guidance data to the terminal.

Here, the receiving means corresponds to the communication control section 11 shown in FIG. In addition to the case where the start point and the end point of the underground mall passage are directly transmitted from the terminal, the following cases are also possible. That is, when the information transmitted from the terminal is not the information of the underground city but the information of the user's origin and destination, the route from the origin to the destination is searched, and the underground part passage part included in the searched route is searched. It is also preferable to extract the start point and the end point of (underground mall start point end point extraction means). Further, the underground city database is a combination of the map database 14 and the guidance signboard database 16 shown in FIG. 1, the route searching means is the route searching section 17, the route guidance data creating means is the guidance data creating section 15, and the transmitting means is Transmission data creation unit 1
2 and the communication control unit 11 respectively.

Further, in the above pedestrian route guidance data distribution device, (e) the route guidance data creating means,
It is also preferable that the guide data is created using the name of the destination displayed on the underground mall signboard installed in the underground mall. That is, the guide data is created using the same character string as the destination character string displayed on the actual guide sign as the guide data displayed on another screen. Further, as the guide data displayed on the screen of the terminal, an image in which the actual guide signboard is designed may be created.

In the pedestrian route guidance data distribution device, (f) a facility located within a predetermined distance from the end point of the received underground mall passage and corresponding to the name of the destination display displayed on the underground mall signboard It is also preferable to further include representative facility specifying means for specifying, and (g) the guide data creating means to create guide data in which the specified facility is a target location for guidance.

This is equipped with a facility (herein, such facility is referred to as a representative facility) displayed as a destination on the guide sign of the underground mall as a database (corresponding to the representative facility database 24 in FIG. 1), and from the terminal. A representative facility located near the end point (within a predetermined range from the end point) of the received underground mall passage is extracted and specified from the representative facility database 24, and the specified representative facility is set as a guidance target. With this configuration, the same name as the name of the representative facility displayed on the guide sign is set as the target point for route guidance.
Since the route guidance displayed on the terminal can be compared with the actual guidance signboard, the user can more easily understand the route guidance.

[0100] Further, as a pedestrian route guidance data distribution device for searching and guiding not only an underground mall but also a route from a general starting point to a destination including the ground, (h) road,
Map database that stores map data of public transportation, station premises, etc., (i) underground city base that stores data of passages in underground malls and data of underground mall information signs installed in underground malls, (j) use from terminals Means for receiving the departure place and the destination of the person, (k) a route search means for searching a route from the departure place to the destination based on the map database and the underground mall database, (l) a searched route (M) A route that passes through the underground mall is included in the route that is searched for, including route guidance data creation means that creates route guidance data based on the above, and transmission means that sends the created route guidance data to the terminal. In this case, the route guidance data creating means is based on the underground mall database,
Create route guidance data using the name of the destination displayed on the underground mall signboard existing on the searched route,
It is also preferable to have a configuration.

In the above structure, "when the searched route includes a route passing through the underground mall" means that the multimodal search (a route in consideration of a plurality of moving means or moving modes) in the above-described embodiment is performed. This means extracting the part of the underground shopping street route by walking from the route searched in (Search). After the portion of the underground mall route is extracted, the features are the same as those described in (a) to (g) above.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0103]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in the pedestrian route guidance data distribution device, a route search unit for searching an underground route based on map data,
A guidance data creation unit that creates guidance data for guiding the searched underground route based on the map data and the guidance signboard data, and a character string of the guidance signboard on the display screen based on the created guidance data And a transmission data creation unit for creating transmission data.

In this case, the operator can properly recognize the current location even when passing through an underground mall where the current location is difficult to recognize, and can easily grasp the route to the destination.

Another pedestrian route guidance data distribution device further has a representative facility searching unit for searching for a representative facility on the side of the destination in the underground mall, and the route searching unit,
When there is a representative facility on the side of the destination, a route with a guide sign for guiding the representative facility is preferentially searched.

In this case, since the route with many guide signs is guided, the operator as a pedestrian can proceed along the route without getting lost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a pedestrian route guidance data distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a second diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a third diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a fourth diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a fifth diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sixth diagram showing an example of a display screen of guidance data created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation in which the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention creates and transmits first guidance data.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of creating guidance data for an underground walking route according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing data stored in a representative facility database according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation of searching a representative candidate facility in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation of specifying a representative facility in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of identifying a representative facility in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation of transmitting next guidance data according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing data stored in a guide sign database according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a first diagram showing an example of a display screen of a guide signboard in an underground mall created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing data of a guide sign in the underground mall displayed in FIG. 16 in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the content of data of a guide signboard in an underground mall in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a second diagram showing an example of a display screen of a guide signboard in an underground mall created by the information center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing data of a guide signboard in an underground mall displayed in FIG. 19 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a third diagram showing an example of the display screen of the guide signboard in the underground mall created by the information center in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing data of a guide signboard in an underground mall displayed in FIG. 21 in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing underground link data for searching an underground route stored in the map database according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a road network used for an underground route search according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a first diagram showing a result of an underground route search according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a second diagram showing a result of an underground route search according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a first diagram showing a process of an underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a second diagram showing a process of an underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a third diagram showing a process of an underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a fourth diagram showing the process of the underground route search in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing guide points of a searched underground route in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing underground and ground road networks in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 information center 12 transmission data creation unit 15 guidance data creation unit 17 route search unit 21 data storage unit 23 representative facility search unit 31 mobile terminals 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4a, 32-4
b, 32-4c, 32-4d, 32-5 Display screens 43a, 43b, 43c Representative facilities 53, 55a, 55b, 55c, 57a, 57b Information signboards

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2F029 AA07 AB13 AC08 AC14                 5H180 AA21 BB02 BB04 BB05 FF13                       FF22 FF27 FF33                 5K067 AA34 BB04 BB21 BB36 DD11                       DD52 EE02 EE10 EE16 FF03                       FF23 KK13 KK15

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A route search unit that searches for an underground route based on map data, and (b) creates guide data that guides the searched underground route based on the map data and guide signboard data. For a pedestrian, characterized in that it has a guide data creating unit for (c) and a send data creating unit for creating send data for displaying a character string of a guide sign on a display screen based on the created guide data. Route guidance data distribution device. 2. The pedestrian route guidance data distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the route search unit executes a multimodal search for a route from a departure place to a destination included in the route search request. 3. The pedestrian route guidance data distribution according to claim 2, wherein the guidance data creation unit creates guidance data for guiding a route searched for for each segment divided corresponding to each mode. apparatus. 4. A representative facility search unit that searches for a representative facility on the side of the destination in the underground mall, and the route search unit guides the representative facility if the representative facility on the side of the destination exists. The pedestrian route guidance data distribution device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which preferentially searches for a route having a guidance signboard. 5. A data storage unit for storing guidance data for guiding a route, wherein the transmission data creation unit obtains guidance data corresponding to a guidance data acquisition request from the data storage unit and creates transmission data. The pedestrian route guidance data distribution device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. (a) A route search unit that searches for an underground route based on map data, and guide data creation that creates guidance data that guides the searched underground route based on the map data and guide signboard data. Part, and a pedestrian route guidance data distribution device including a transmission data creation unit that creates transmission data for displaying a character string of a guidance signboard on a display screen based on the created guidance data, and (b) the search Pedestrian route guidance data distribution system having a mobile terminal provided with a display device for displaying the guidance of the stored underground route. 7. An (a) computer, (b) a route search section for searching an underground route based on map data, (c) a route guide for the searched underground route based on the map data and the guide sign data. And a pedestrian that functions as a transmission data generation unit that generates transmission data for displaying a character string of a guidance signboard on a display screen based on the generated guidance data. A route guidance data distribution program.