荷兰专利NL1013676A1 Navigation system.

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公开号:NL1013676A1
申请号:NL1013676
申请日:1999-11-26
公开日:2000-05-30
发明作者:Kyohei John Murayama
申请人:Ascii Corp；Kyohei John Murayama；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

Navigation system
The present invention relates to a navigation system and a navigation method which provides voice guidance through a terminal, such as a telephone, which is connected to a public network and capable of broadcasting dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) signals, as well as on a computer program recorded on a recording medium that contains the programs for executing the navigation processes.
This application is based on patent application Hei 10-338269 filed in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
It is sometimes difficult for a tourist arriving close to a destination at a station to reach the actual intended location, for example when the traveler is unfamiliar with the local routes to the destination. Under such circumstances, a portable navigation system can provide assistance.
A portable device based on the world positioning system (GPS) is an example of such a portable navigation system. The GPS system uses satellite-broadcast signals to determine its current location and, by comparing the current location with maps stored in the system, provides navigation to a desired destination.
Although such portable GPS devices are getting smaller with increasing technology, they still have a certain weight and size, and are inconvenient for pedestrians, including tourists, who have to carry such a bulky device.
Furthermore, as a power source for all portable GPS devices, batteries are necessary, and when their capacity decreases, the GPS device becomes unusable.
An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation system which makes it possible to guide a pedestrian to a destination without having to use a portable device designed exclusively for navigation.
This objective is accomplished using a navigation system to provide voice navigation to a terminal capable of transmitting DTMF signals over a public communications network, including: a memory section for storing location information for specifying a location, and length - degree / latitude data related to the longitude and latitude of some locations; a current location determination section for determining a current location by receiving location information through a terminal that can generate DTMF signals, and is connected to a public communication network, searching in the longitude / latitude -Degree data and the longitude and latitude data of the current location are obtained; a destination location determination section for determining a destination location by receiving location information via the terminal and broadcast by DTMF signals, searching the longitude / latitude data and obtaining the longitude and latitude data with regarding the destination location; and a location calculation section for calculating at least a distance and / or a direction between the current location and the destination location, and providing a voice report of the calculated results to the terminal via the public communications network.
The present navigation system receives location information, related to the current location, which is entered by a user via a telephone set by means of dual-tone multi-frequency signals, obtains the longitude and latitude data, calculates the distance and direction of movement from the current location to the destination location and reports the results by voice reports. Accordingly, the user (pedestrian) can figure out the distance and direction to the destination location without having to carry a device intended for navigation purposes only.
The object is also achieved by a modification of the above system, comprising a navigation system for providing voice navigation to a terminal that can transmit DTMF signals via a public communications network, comprising: a memory section for storing location information for the specifying a location, and latitude / longitude data regarding the longitude and latitude of a number of locations, and transport facility data related to the longitude and latitude of transport facilities; a current location determination section for determining a current location by receiving location information through a terminal capable of generating DTMF signals and connected to a public communications network, searching the longitude / latitude data and the longitude and latitude data of the current location is obtained; a destination location determination section for determining a destination location by receiving location information via the terminal and broadcast by DTMF signals, searching the longitude / latitude data and obtaining the longitude and latitude data with regarding the destination location; and a section for determining the transport means for determining an optimal transport facility according to the longitude and latitude data of the current location and of the destination location, in relation to the transport facility data and providing a voice report to the terminal via the public communications network regarding the particular route.
The present navigation system receives location information regarding the current location and the destination location which are entered by a user via a telephone by means of dual-tone multi-frequency signals, obtains longitude and latitude of the current location and destination location, determines an appropriate transport facility according to the information obtained and provides a spoken report regarding the selected transport facility to the user. Accordingly, the user (pedestrian) does not have to carry a device designed solely for navigation purposes and is able to find a route to the destination location using ubiquitous public telephone systems.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which figure 1 shows a diagram of the overall structure of the navigation system according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of an example of the structure of the navigation system; Figure 3 is a schematic of an example of the structure of the transport facility terminal; Figure 4 is a flow chart of the operation of the navigation system; Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the details of step SO in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a schematic of an example of the configuration of longitude and latitude data; Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the details of Step S2 in Figure 4; Figure 8 is a flow chart showing the details of Step S3 in Figure 4; Figure 9 is a flow chart showing the details of step S4 in Figure 4; Figure 10 is a schematic of an example of commercial message configuration; Figure 11 is a flow chart showing the details of step S6 in Figure 4; Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal at a transport facility, and Figure 13 is a schematic of an example display screen at the terminal at the transport facility.
It is noted that the following embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. It is also noted that combinations of the features illustrated in the Embodiment Examples may not necessarily be required in all cases.
An embodiment of the navigation system and a method of using the navigation system will be provided hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, a person who has accessed or attempts to access the navigation system is referred to as "user".
Figure 1 shows an overview configuration of the navigation system 1 which obtains information about a current location and a destination location via a telephone (terminal) 2 used by a pedestrian to receive voice navigation directions, as well as a transport facility terminal 4 which is, for example arranged in a transport facility such as a taxi center, to obtain / display information about the current location of the user according to the navigation system 1. The navigation system 1, the telephone 2 and the transport facility terminal 4 are connected to a public network 3 and alternate via the public network 3 provides information required for navigation.
In this case, the telephone is of the type capable of transmitting DTMF signals by pressing the digits [0] to [9] or other special keys such as [*] and [#], and by a line is connected to the public network 3.
The detailed construction of the navigation system 1 will be explained below.
Figure 2 shows an example of the construction of the navigation system 1 comprising: a processing section 5 for performing various processes required for a navigation; a memory section 6 for storing data necessary for performing the navigation; and a telephone card 7 for a connection to a public network, all of which are interconnected by a bus system 8.
The telephony card 7 provides the following functions: executing the communication protocol with the public network 3; detecting DTMF signals sent by the telephone 2 and identifying respective keys such as [*] or [#] and digits [0] to [9] corresponding to the signals; converting in a specific format, such as the wav format used for digitized music / speech signals, into analog signals for transmission to the public network 3.
The memory section 6 stores data used during navigation, such as audio guidance data 61; longitude / latitude data 62; district name audio data 63; transport facilities data 64; commercial shopping data 65.
In this case, the audio guidance data 61 consists of a number of digital files formed by digitizing voice signals necessary to provide an audio guide in a specific format, such as, in this case, wav files.
Longitude / latitude data 62 relates location information (phone number) for specifying a location to the longitude and latitude data.
District name audio data 63 relate a location to the voice files for naming the location (district name), and are assumed to be in the wav format.
Transport facilities data 64 relate longitude and latitude data to the information regarding the location of a train station or taxi station.
Commercial message data 65 refers to a number of voice files containing advertising audio messages, in the present case in the wav format.
Details of the contents of the above data will be explained later.
The memory section 6 consists of impermanent memory devices, such as a hard disk or an opto-magnetic disk.
The processing section 5 consists of: a section for determining the current location 50; a destination determination section 51; a location calculation section 52; a section for determining the transport means 53; an advertising processing section 54, and a transportation business advisory section 55.
The current location determination section 50 performs the steps of: receiving location information regarding the location of the informing telephone; searching the longitude / latitude data 62 using the location information as a search key; and obtaining longitude / latitude information regarding the current location. In this case, [location information] refers to information required to specify the current location or the destination location. In this embodiment, [location information] is provided by a telephone number.
The destination location determination section 51 performs the steps of: receiving DTMF signals sent from the telephone indicating the destination location; searching the longitude / latitude data 62 using the location information as a search key; and obtaining longitude / latitude information regarding the destination.
The location calculation section 52 performs the steps of calculating the distance and / or direction according to the longitude and latitude data received from the current location determination section 50 as well as the longitude and latitude data received from the destination location determination section 51 Also, the location calculation section 52 sends voice reports of the results of the calculation to the informing telephone.
The transport means determination section 53 performs the steps of determining an optimal transport route for reaching the destination from the current location, according to the longitude and latitude data for the current location obtained from the current location determination section 50 as well as the longitude and latitude data for the destination obtained from the destination location determination section 51, and, using this data as search keys, then searching the transport facilities data 64. Also, the transport means determination section 53 informs the user of the selected transport route by voice, by phone. In this embodiment, a transportation facility includes "walk," "taxi," and "train," so that the optimal facility consists of a combination of such means.
The advertising processing section 54 performs the steps of broadcasting commercial messages stored in the advertising message store 65 during the unused periods between processing steps, i.e. when no information is exchanged between the telephone and the navigation system 1.
The transport advisory section 55 performs the steps of informing the user of the transport means determined by the section for determining means of transport 53; for example, if the facility chosen is a taxi and the user requests this service, the transport advisory section 55 sends information necessary for calling a taxi, such as the current location determined by the current location determination section 50 and / or longitude- and latitude data, to the transport facility terminal 4 located in the taxi center.
In this case, the processing section 5 consists of memory devices and a central processing unit (CPU) and the functions for executing application programs (not shown in the diagrams) to provide various operations by computer means.
It is also assumed that peripheral devices, such as input devices and displays, are connected to the present navigation system 1, but these are not shown in the schematic. Input devices include a keyboard and a mouse and the like. Displays include a display tube and a liquid crystal display screen and the like.
The transport facility terminal 4 will be explained below.
Figure 3 shows an example of the structure of the transport facility terminal 4 which comprises: a processing section 41 for performing various processes with the information obtained from the navigation system 1; a memory section 44 for storing data necessary for processing information obtained from the navigation system 1; and a modem 47 for connection to the public network, all of which are connected by a bus system 48.
The memory section 44 stores a log file 45 and map data 46.
The log file 45 successively stores information sent by the navigation system 1.
The map data 46 is map mapping data corresponding to the longitude and latitude data, and is used to display the current location of the user accessing the navigation system 1 in an easy to understand manner.
In this case, the memory section 44 consists of an imperishable memory device, such as a hard disk and opto-magnetic disk.
The processing section 41 consists of a data reception section 42 and a display section 43.
In this case, the data reception section 42 performs the steps of collecting the information transmitted by the navigation system 1.
The display processing section 43 performs the steps of surveys in the map data 46 using the information gathered by the data receiving section 42, and displaying information about the current location of the user.
In this case, the processing section 41 consists of a memory and a CPU and the like, and performs the functions by loading the application programs stored in the memory and executing the programs (not shown) by computer means.
It is also assumed that the transport facility terminal 4 is connected to peripheral devices, such as input and display devices, but these are not indicated in the schematic. An input device includes a keyboard with mouse and the like. Displays include a display tube and a liquid crystal display screen and the like.
The operation of the navigation system 1 will be explained below. In the following description, the user dials the telephone number assigned to the network connected to the navigation system 1 using the telephone 2 shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4 shows a flow chart for the operation of the navigation system 1. The operation shown in Figure 1 starts when the telephony card 7 establishes a mains connection to the telephone 2 and after the processing section 5 has been notified of the establishment of the connection by the telephone card 7.
First, the current location determination section 50 performs the steps of receiving the location information from the DTMF signals transmitting telephone 2. The current location determination section 50 searches through the longitude / latitude data 62 using the location search key information to obtain the longitude and latitude data of the current location of the user (step S0).
Figure 5 shows the details of step S0 for determining the current location.
First, the current location determination section 50 performs the steps of providing a voice guidance to the user so that the user can enter information regarding the current location of the user (step S11). This means that the current location determination section 50 obtains a voice file associated with audio guidance data necessary for inputting the user's current location information from the data stored in the audio guidance data 61. Then, the section for current location 50 determines the digital data present in the obtained voice file to the telephony card 7. The telephony card 7 converts the input analog data into digital data and outputs the results as audio data to the telephone 2 via the public network 3, whereby it becomes possible for the user to hear the voice guidance message over the telephone 2 in order to obtain information regarding the data of the current location. An example of such a voice message could be: "To find out your location, please enter the telephone number of the public telephone you are using and press the (#) key after termination".
Such a process of converting the audio data stored in the voice file by means of the telephony card 7 is referred to in this system as [conduction process].
After hearing the voice guidance, the user enters the relevant phone number using the keys on the phone 2 and press the (#) key as the last step. This step prompts the telephone 2 to send the DTMF signals corresponding to the pressed keys.
Then, after detecting that DTMF signals have been input, the telephony card determines the numbers and characters corresponding to the DTMF signals according to the associated frequency components, and notifies processing section 5.
Notified by telephony card 7, the current location determination section 50 obtains the telephone number and digit key for indicating the end of the command entered at the informing telephone 2 by (step S12).
Next, the current location determination section 50 searches the longitude / latitude data 62 using the telephone number as a search key, and obtains longitude and latitude data as well as a postal code corresponding to the location (address) of the informing telephone whose telephone number has been forwarded (step S13). Figure 6 shows an example of the table of longitude / latitude data 62. The longitude / latitude data 62 are arranged in the table such that a zip code assigned to the location of the telephone 2 and the longitude and latitude data thereof corresponds to any phone number. The current location determination section 50 obtains the zip code, longitude and latitude by searching through the longitude / latitude data 62 using the telephone number as the search key. The precision of the longitude and latitude data is within 0.1 second, which is the same as the GPS related precision. Accordingly, it is possible to specify a location with high precision. In this case, 0.1 second corresponds to about 3.1 meters in the east-west direction, while near the 35th latitude, 0.1 seconds corresponds to about 2.5 meters in the north-south direction.
Next, the current location determination section 50 searches the district name audio data 63 using the zip code obtained as a search key in step S13, and finds a voice file for announcing the location name corresponding to the zip code (step S14). In the district name audio data 63, each zip code corresponds to the file name containing the voice file used when announcing the location name associated with the zip code. The speech file is assumed to be in the wav format.
The current location determination section 50 provides a voice guidance using the voice file specified during step S14 (step 15). An example of such voice guidance can be: "current location is street xx, house number xx, is this correct
By following such a guidance procedure, the user can confirm whether an error has occurred while entering the location information related to the current location.
Accordingly, the current location determination section 50 receives location information regarding the current location using the DTMF signals transmitted by the telephone, searching the longitude / latitude data 62 using the location information as the location information. search key to obtain the longitude and latitude data for the current location of the user. In this case, the location information regarding the current location, zip code, longitude data and latitude data is stored in a RAM in the processing section 5.
Then, the destination location determination section 51 obtains location information regarding the destination location transmitted by the telephone 2 using the DTMF signals. The destination location determination section 51 searches the latitude / longitude data 62 using the destination information as the search key to obtain longitude and latitude data for the destination (Figure 4, step SI). In this case, the details of the steps performed by the destination location determination section 51 are roughly the same as those performed by the current location determination section 50. However, the voice guidance during step S11 in Figure 5 announces a message such as : "To enter a destination, please enter the phone number of the destination location and press (#) key when done".
In this case, the location information, such as destination location information, post codes, longitude and latitude data, is stored in the RAM in the processing section 5.
Then, the location calculation section 52 performs the steps of calculating the linear distance and direction between the current location and the destination according to the longitude and latitude data obtained in the current location determination section 50 and the longitude and latitude data obtained in the destination location determination section 51. Also, the location calculation section 52 speech-communicates the results of the calculation to the telephone 2 (Figure 4, step S2).
Figure 7 shows the details of this process and will be used to explain the steps in step S2.
First, the location calculation section 52 calculates a longitude distance D α based on the longitude difference Δ α obtained during step S21 (step S22),
Similarly, the location calculation section 52 calculates a latitude difference D β based on the latitude difference Δ β (steps S23, 24).
Then, the location calculation section 52 calculates the linear distance between the current location and the destination location according to the longitude distance D α and the latitude distance D β (step 25).
Also, the location destination direction 52 calculates the direction to the destination according to the vectors (D α, D β) determined by the longitude distance D α, and the latitude distance D β (step 26). Since an approximation of direction is sufficient for direction guidance, in this case, location calculation section 52 selects one of 45 ° separated directions, ie [north], [northwest], [west], [southwest], [south], [southeast ], [east] or [northeast].
Then, the location calculation section 52 provides a spoken report of the results of the calculation during steps S25, 26 on the telephone 2 (step S26). That is, the location calculation section 52 sends a voice message according to a guidance process based on the calculated results and a voice file stored in the audio guidance data 61. An example of the voice message may be: "the distance to the destination is xx meter and the direction is xx ".
Accordingly, the location calculation section 52 reports the linear distance and the direction between the current location and the destination location. The calculated results are stored in the RAM in the processing section 5.
Next, the transport means determination section 53 performs the steps for determining an optimal route from the current location to the destination location, by searching the transport facility data 64 using the search keys, the longitude and latitude data which are obtained in the current location determination section 50, or the longitude and latitude data obtained in the destination location determination section 51, or the calculation results obtained in the location calculation section 52 (Figure 4, step S3).
Figure 8 shows the details of this processing, which will be referred to in explaining the processing details during step S3.
First, the transport means determination section 53 determines whether the movement from the current location to the destination location can be performed in progress (step S31). An example of such a determination process is that if the distance calculated by the location calculation section 52 is less than, for example, 1 kilometer, it is decided that walking is possible. If walking is deemed possible, the transport means determination section 53 decides that the optimal facility is walking (S32) and performs this step.
If walking is considered unsuitable during step S31, the transport means determination section 53 performs the following calculations using the longitude and latitude data of the current location and the destination location as well as the transport facility data 64: (1) looking up longitude and latitude data from a local train station closest to the current location and the linear distance from the local train station; and (2) looking up longitude and latitude data of a destination train station closest to the destination location and the linear distance to the destination train station (step S33). In this case, the transport facilities include data 64, longitude and latitude data relating to all relevant train stations.
Subsequently, the section for determining means of transport 53 examines whether a taxi is a suitable means of transport from the current location to the destination location (step S34). An example of such an investigation process is described below. When the linear distance between the current location and the destination location, calculated in the location destination section 52, is indicated by [A] and the linear distance between the current location and the nearest local train station, obtained during step S33, is indicated by [ B], and the linear distance between the destination location and the nearest destination train station is indicated by [C], then if B + C >> A> 2km only a journey by taxi is considered an appropriate means of transport. If only a journey by taxi is considered suitable, the section for determining means of transport 53 decides that the optimal means of transport is the taxi, and closes step S3.
On the other hand, if a taxi journey is deemed unsuitable, the section for determining means of transport 53 examines a suitable combination of [walk], [taxi], [train] (step S36). It uses information such as local station, destination station, linear distances from the current location to the local station and from destination station to the destination location, and an optimal combination of means of transport, including trains, is determined. For example, if the linear distances between the current location and the destination location as well as to and from their respective stations are less than 1 km, a displacement is run between these points, otherwise a taxi is selected. Also, the transport facility data 64 includes information about train running and train travel times, and the transport means determination section 53 consults such data files and determines an optimal route from the current location to the destination location.
By following the steps described above, the section for determining transport means 53 determines the optimal transport facilities from the current location to the destination location. Also, information regarding the selected transport facilities is stored in the RAM in the processing section 5.
At the same time, while the transport means determination section 53 determines the optimal transport facilities, the advertising weaving section 54 simultaneously sends advertising messages stored in the advertising data 65 to the telephone 2 (Figure 4, step S4).
Figure 4 shows an example of the table of advertising message data 65 to be searched by the advertising processing section 54. As shown in the table, the commercial message data 65 is contained in a voice file, in this case an advertisement file name 91 associated with rank information 92, district information 93 and time window information 94. In this case, it is assumed that the [commercial message file] has the wav format.
In this case, rank information 92 is information related to the order of priority of the messages to be proclaimed, and contains an arrangement that e.g. is indicated by [S], [1], [2], [3] ... The rank S indicates the highest priority that the message must be proclaimed without restriction. For example, information such as traffic jams or natural disasters is given this rank (S) so that the message can be proclaimed in any district and during any time window.
District information 93 is information related to the district to which the advertisement is directed. It becomes possible to send a message tailored to a specific district by providing a district information 93. In this case, the district information 93 is represented by one or more postcodes.
Time window information 94 is information related to the time windows for proclaiming the message. By providing time window information, it becomes possible to advertise for specific companies that are active during certain time windows. In this case, the time windows are as follows: α ... 7:00 - 11:00 β ... 11:00 ~ 16:00 γ ... 16:00 ~ 22:00 'δ ... 22:00 - 7:00 so that one or more time windows are part of the time window information 94.
Figure 9 shows the details of the processing steps performed by the advertising processing section 54 during step S4.
First, the advertising processing section 54 focuses on the rank information 92 in the advertising message data 65, and examines whether to announce priority messages (step S41). In practice, the advertising processing section 54 checks whether there are commercial messages of [S] rank.
If there is a priority message, the advertisement processing section 54 obtains a file name of the advertisement message and performs a guiding process for announcing the advertisement message using the wav file (step S42).
When there is a priority message or when the step of announcing the priority message has been completed, the advertising processing section 54 searches the district information 93 where as search keys information regarding the current location obtained during step SO and information related to the destination location obtained during step S1 is used, and obtains relevant data (step S43). In practice, the advertising processing section 54 obtains data (files) with the postal codes of the current location or destination location as district information 93.
Then, the advertising processing section 54 performs the steps of searching the files obtained during the step S43, using the current time as a search key, and obtains relevant files (step S44). In practice, the advertising processing section 54 restricts the selection by selecting those files whose current time window is in the time window information 94.
Then, the advertising processing section 54 successively announces messages in the order of precedence from the limited file during step S44, in other words, conducts a guidance process (step S45).
In this case, processing stops at step S45 when various specific messages have been announced or when the process of determining a transport facility by the section for determining transport means 53 (Figure 4, step S3) has been completed.
Accordingly, the advertising processing section 54 performs the steps of announcing commercial messages tailored to individual districts and time windows.
Next, the transport means determination section 53 performs the steps of reporting to the telephone the transport facility selected during step S3 (Figure 4, step S5). That is, the transport means determination section 53 notifies the telephone 2 by performing a conducting process using the transport means selected during step S3 and the voice file stored in the audio guidance data 61. When walking has been determined as an optimal means of transport, the report can be announced as follows: "the destination location can be reached from the current location by walking, the distance is xx meters and is in the xx direction".
Also, if a taxi has been determined as an optimal means of transport, the report may sound as follows: "a taxi is suitable for reaching the destination location from the current location, the distance is xx meters and is located in the xx direction".
Subsequently, the transport facility advisory section 55 performs the steps for ordering a taxi if the user requires such a service, and sends information to the transport facility terminal 4 necessary for driving a taxi (Figure 4, step S6),
Figure 11 shows the details of the process and will be referred to during explanation of the steps taken during step 6.
First, the transport facility advisory section 55 checks whether during step S3 a taxi was selected as the means of transport by the section for determining means of transport 53 (step S61). If a taxi was chosen as the means of transport to move from the current location to the destination location, or from the current location to the nearest train station, the transport facility advisory section 55 judges that a taxi has been chosen as the means of transport. Transport facility advisory section 55 terminates the process on this point if it finds that no taxi has been selected.
If it is judged that a taxi has been selected, the transport facility advisory section 55 performs a guidance process for driving a taxi using a voice file stored in the audio guidance data 61 (step 62). In this case, the guidance provided can be announced as follows: "a taxi will be sent to the destination location (or a nearest train station), so if a taxi is desired, please press 1 and #, if the nearest taxi station is desired please press 2 and #, and if you wish to terminate the navigation service please press 0 and # ".
After such guidance instructions, the telephone 2, when the user uses the keys on the telephone 2 accordingly, sends DTMF signals. The DTMF signals are detected by the telephony card 7 and a detected result, "1, #", "2, #" or "0, will be sent to the processing section 5.
When a message is received from the telephony card 7 by the transport facility advisory section 55, the transport facility advisory section 55 produces an operation result indicating the choice of the user (step S63).
Then, using the trading results obtained in step S63, the transport facility advisory section 55 judges whether the content of the trading results is the message of a telephone number of the nearest taxi company (step S64). That is, when the operation result obtained in step S63 is "2, #", the transport facility advisory section 55 judges that the content of the operation result is a message from a telephone number of the nearest taxi company.
When the content of the trading result is judged to be a telephone number of the nearest taxi company, the transport facility advice section 55 turns to the transport facility data 64 to find the telephone number of the nearest taxi center and reports the telephone number by voice (step S65). In this case, the transport facility data 64 includes relevant information, such as the center's longitude and latitude data, its telephone number and company name, and the like. Subsequently, the transport facility advisory section 55 searches the transport facility data 64 using the longitude and latitude data of the current location as a search key, and obtains information regarding the telephone number of the taxi station nearest to the current location as well as the company name, and performs a guidance processing using the speech file stored in the audio guidance data 61. The voice message can sound as follows: "The telephone number of the nearest taxi company is xx. The name of the taxi company is xx".
When the processing according to step S65 has ended, the transport facility advisory section 55 has completed the processing steps of S6.
If, during step S64, the transportation facility advisory section 55 judges that the content of the operation is not the message of the telephone number of the nearest taxi company, it judges whether the content of the operation is the sending of a taxi or not, by focus on the operation result obtained in step S63 (step S66). That is, if the operation result obtained in step S63 is "1, #", the transport facility advisory section 55 judges that the content of the operation is to send a taxi.
If the transportation facility advisory section 55 judges that the content of the act includes sending a taxi, it will look for the telephone number for contacting the transportation facility terminal 4 located in the taxi center by targeting the transportation facility data 64 Next, the transport facility advisory section 55 sends information to the transport facility terminal 4 necessary to send a taxi (step S67).
In this case, the transport facility data 64 includes relevant information, such as the longitude and latitude data of the exchange, the telephone number associated with the terminal 4 and the company name and the like. Next, the transport facility advisory section 55 searches the transport facility data 64 using the longitude and latitude data of the current location as a search key, and obtains information regarding the taxi number of the taxi nearest to the current location and its company name .
Subsequently, the transport facility advisory section 55 accesses the transport facility terminal 4 using a network different from the network connected to the user, and transmits information necessary for driving a taxi. In this case, [information necessary to send a taxi] is at least the current location of the user. Therefore, the transport facility advisory section 55 sends at least the telephone number of the current location or through the. section for determining current position 50 obtained longitude and latitude data. Furthermore, the transport facility advisory section 55 may also transmit other information, such as the zip code or district name corresponding to the zip code and destination location information.
The operation of the transport facility terminal 4 receiving data from the navigation system 1 is shown in Figure 12. In this case, operation is started when the modem 47 establishes the connection to the navigation system 1 and a report thereof is received by the processing section 41.
First, the data reception section 42 obtains information sent through the modem 47 by the navigation system 1 (step S71). In this case, information sent by the navigation system 1 refers to longitude and latitude data of the current location, the district name of the current location and the district name of the destination location.
Then, the display processing section 43 obtains street information about the environment of the current location by searching the map data 46 (step S72). In this case, the map data 46 connect longitude and latitude data to the map image.
Then, the display processing section 43 displays an image such as that shown in Figure 13 (step S73). In Figure 13, the current location of the user is indicated by the reference numeral 95.
The operator operating at the display processing section 43 controls a taxi according to the contents of the display, and clicks [OK] as shown in Figure 13 to indicate completion of the taxi steering process, and then reports the display processing section 43 to the navigation system, that the step of sending a taxi has been completed (step S74). The display processing section 43 sends the information obtained in step S71 to the log file 45 and instructs the modem to disconnect to complete the process.
After receiving a report from the transport facility terminal 4 that the taxi sending process has been completed, the transport facility advisory section 55 performs a guidance process for announcing that a taxi was sent using the voice file stored in the audio guidance data 61. The report may sound as follows: "a taxi from xx company has been sent".
Thus, as previously described, the transport facility advisory section 55 performs the steps of sending a taxi according to the request by the user.
In this embodiment, the current location determination section 50 and the destination location determination section 51 collect the telephone number as the location information. This approach is desirable in order to specify the current location and the destination location more precisely than normal, but the method is not limited to this approach. For example, the location information can be represented by a zip code. In such a case, the longitude and latitude data 62 may include a specific location in a district specified by a zip code, for example, a central location in the district.
In this embodiment, the current location determination section 50 also gathers location information according to the user's instructions (Figure 5, steps S11, 12). On the other hand, if the telephony card 7 has the ability to acquire a telephone number from a destination contact by means of a communication service, the steps S11, 12 may be omitted so that the current location determination section 50 receives the current location information. via the telephone card 7.
Also in this embodiment, the location calculation section 52 calculated both a linear distance and a direction between the current location and the destination location, but this is not the only method. For example, the location calculation section 52 may calculate either a distance or a direction for reporting. .
In this embodiment, if the transport facility data 64 includes street data with respect to longitude and latitude data and, in addition, the location calculation section 52 has the ability to provide a route according to the street data based on the longitude and latitude data, then the location calculation section 52 also report a route distance according to the route information, instead of a linear distance between the current location and the destination location.
In this embodiment, the location calculation section 52 also calculates / reports the linear distance and direction between the current location and the destination location and the means of transportation determination section selects an optimal transport facility to move from the current location to the destination location, and then reports an optimal transport facility , resulting in double reporting. The system may be configured so that the transport means determination section 53 has all functions except for the reporting means shown in Figure 7, step S27, so that the linear distance and direction information is included in a message regarding optimal transport facility that takes place during a report.
In this embodiment, the transport facility data 64 may also include (1) train schedules and ticket prices and (2) taxi fares so that, if the taxi or train are selected as optimal means of transport, the section for determining means of transport 53 is the time as well as the costs required. can report in order to move from the current location to the destination location.
In this embodiment, the section for determining transport means 53 selected one or more transport means from a group of means "walking", "taxi", and "train", but the method is not limited to this approach. If the transport facility data 64 contains information that deviates from the above, it can be included in the recital.
In this embodiment, the advertising processing section 54 also announced commercial messages while the transport means determination section 53 performs the process of determining a transport facility, but the method is not limited to this approach. It may be performed such that the advertising processing section 54 announces commercial messages during unused periods between the user and the navigation center 1 or at other specified times.
In this embodiment, the commercial messages were also associated with rank information 92 indicating the priority order of messages, with district information 93 indicating the target district and time window information 94 indicating the time window in a day of message proclamation. Tailored messages need not be limited to such methods. For example, a reasonably effective reaching of markets can be obtained by choosing one or two aspects from rank information 92, district information 93 and time window information 94. Commercial messages can also be proclaimed in a particular order without being subject to rank information 92, district information 93 and time window information 94.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transport facility terminal 4 was located at the location of the taxi center and the navigation system 1 sent information to the terminal 4 necessary to send a taxi when the user requires such a service.
However, the method is not limited to such an approach. If the transport facility terminal 4 is located at another transport facility, the navigation system may send a transport facility information to another facility if another facility is relevant to means for transporting the user.
In this embodiment, the user also accessed the navigation system 1 via a public telephone connected to a public network 3 via a line. This method is desirable because of the ease in identifying the current location based on the telephone number, but the method is not limited to such an approach. For example, a portable telephone or a mobile telephone may also access the navigation system 1. In such a case, the user of the portable telephone or mobile telephone may enter the telephone number of the nearest fixed public telephone. Or the navigation system 1 can determine the location of the general service station cooperating with the portable telephone or mobile telephone.
In this embodiment, the navigation system 1 also operates in combination with a telephony card 7 which has the ability to generate DTMF signals. However, the method is not limited to such an approach. The navigation system 1 may be provided with a modem capable of working with signals in audio frequency ranges outside of the voice communication protocol to be processed in the processing section 5. In such a case, the processing section 5 is also provided with a signal discrimination section for software perform a DTMF signal detection by detecting and distinguishing DTMF signals from the results of a spectrum analysis of spectra obtained by a frequency conversion of DTMF signals.
In this embodiment, it is also assumed that the voice files are in the wav format, but the method is not limited to such an approach. Other file formats are equally applicable.
The navigation system 1 can also be applied by recording computer readable application programs on a recording medium, and by performing the processing steps of the processing section shown in Figure 2 by a computer system. Also, the processing section 41 can be operated by recording computer-readable application programs on a recording medium, and processing by a computer system an information transmitted by the navigation system 1. In this context, computer system includes all operative systems (OS) and peripheral hardware. Computer readable recording media include portable media such as floppy disks, opto-magnetic disks, ROM, CD-ROM, as well as memory devices such as hard disks contained in computer systems. Furthermore, computer readable recording media include dynamic short-term memories (transmission media with wave signals) used in transmission applications by network resources such as the Internet or telephone networks, as well as other short-term memories, such as volatile memories used in servers and client computer systems.
An application program can perform some of the functions described or it can be used in combination with pre-recorded programs stored in computer systems, i.e. the so-called differential files (difference programs).
The embodiments of the present invention have been explained with reference to the drawings, but specific designs of the navigation system are not limited to those shown in the text and drawings. Other modifications can be made within the scope of the voice navigation principle shown in the present invention.
As explained above, the navigation system, its methods and the computer program products containing the processing methodology provide the following features.
The present navigation system provides a transmission of voice reports to guide the user from a current location to a destination location via ubiquitous public telephones, by receiving location information regarding the current location and the destination location transmitted via a public digital phone based on DTMF signals that provide latitude and longitude data, and calculate the displacement distance and direction from the current location to the destination location, and report the results using voice reports. Accordingly, the user (pedestrian) can find the distance and direction to the destination location without having to carry a device intended for navigation purposes only.
The present navigation system also provides a transmission of voice reports to guide the user from a current location to a destination location via ubiquitous public telephones, by receiving location information regarding the current location and the destination location transmitted through a public digital phone based on DTMF signals that provide longitude and latitude data, and calculate the displacement distance and direction from the current location to the destination location, and report the results via voice reports. Accordingly, the user (pedestrian) is able to receive a navigation service in order to move to a destination location without having to carry a device intended only for navigation purposes.
The present navigation system uses a telephone number or a postal code as location information for the current location or the destination location. Accordingly, the user need only perform the simple tasks of pressing keys on the digital telephone in order to input current and destination location data into the navigation system according to the present invention.
The present navigation system also includes commercial messages at intervals in the navigation service, making it possible to provide information in addition to the navigation information.
Also, in the present navigation system, commercial messages to be communicated to a user are determined on the basis of more than one information items arranged in the groups of rank information, district information or time window information, thereby providing highly targeted commercial messages. to potential users of commercial companies.
When the means of transport selected for the user is a taxi, the present navigation system for sending a taxi sends necessary information to the transport facility terminal located in a taxi station, enabling a user to easily obtain a taxi by himself. provide access to the navigation system.

权利要求:
Claims (8)
[1]
Navigation system (1) for providing a voice navigation service to a terminal (2) capable of transmitting DTMF signals via a public communications network, comprising: a memory section (6) for storing location information for specifying a location, and longitude / latitude data (62) relating to the longitude and latitude of a number of locations; a current location determination section (50) for obtaining a current location by receiving location information through a terminal capable of generating DTMF signals and connected to a public communications network, in which longitude / latitude degree data is searched and the longitude and latitude data of the current location is obtained; a destination location determination section (51) for obtaining a destination location by receiving location information through the terminal and broadcast by DTMF signals, searching the longitude / latitude data and obtaining the longitude and latitude data related to the destination location; and a location calculation section (52) for calculating at least a distance and / or a direction between the current location and the destination location, and providing a voice report of the calculated results to the terminal via the public communications network.
[2]
Navigation system (1) for providing a voice navigation service to a terminal (2) capable of transmitting DTMF signals via a public communications network, comprising: a memory section (6) for storing location information for specifying a location , and longitude / latitude data (62) related to the longitude and latitude of a number of locations, and transportation facility data (64) related to the longitude and latitude of transportation facilities; a current location determination section (50) for obtaining a current location by receiving location information through a terminal capable of generating DT-MF signals, and connected to a public communications network, longitudinally - search for degree / latitude data and obtain the longitude and latitude data of the current location; a destination location determination section (51) for obtaining a destination location by receiving location information through the terminal and broadcast by DTMF signals, searching the longitude / latitude data and obtaining the longitude and latitude data related to the destination location; and a section for determining the transport means (53) for determining an optimal transport facility according to the longitude and latitude data of the current location and of the destination location, in relation to the transport facilities data and providing the terminal via the public communications network. a spoken report regarding the determined route.
[3]
Navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location information is either a telephone number or a zip code.
[4]
The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the memory section (6) further stores advertising message data (65) containing recorded commercial voice messages, and the navigation system (1) also includes an advertising processing section (54) for transmission. of the commercial voice messages contained in the advertising message data.
[5]
The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the commercial messages in the advertising data (65) are associated with a rank information indicating a priority order of the commercial message proclamation and / or district information indicating a district for the commercial message announcing and / or time window information indicating time windows for announcing the commercial messages; and the advertising processing section (54) searches the commercial messages according to a current time, location information obtained by the current location determination section, location information obtained by the destination location determination section in relation to the information of announces the commercial messages and selected commercial messages.
[6]
The navigation system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the navigation system (1) further comprises: a transport facility advisory section (55) for transmitting information obtained by the current location determination section and necessary to control a vehicle, at a transportation facility terminal located in a selected transportation facility, when a transportation facility selected by the transportation facility determination section is a taxi.
[7]
7. Computer-based method of navigation with steps of: obtaining a current location (step SO) by receiving location information through a terminal, which can generate DTMF signals and is connected to a public communication network, the searching latitude / longitude data and obtaining longitude and latitude data regarding the current location; obtaining a destination location (step S1) by receiving location information via the terminal and transmitted by DTMF signals, searching longitude / latitude data and obtaining longitude and latitude data relating to the destination location and calculating (step S2) at least a distance and / or a direction between the current location and the destination location, and providing a spoken report of calculated results to the terminal via the public communications network.
[8]
Computer program capable of operating a computer, so that the system with the computer program and the computer perform the method according to claim 7.

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法律状态:
2000-08-01| AD1A| A request for search or an international type search has been filed|

2003-12-01| RD2N| Patents in respect of which a decision has been taken or a report has been made (novelty report)|Effective date: 20031015 |

2004-02-02| PD2B| A search report has been drawn up|

2005-08-01| VD1| Lapsed due to non-payment of the annual fee|Effective date: 20050601 |

优先权:

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JP33826998|1998-11-27|

JP10338269A|JP3036696B1|1998-11-27|1998-11-27|Navigation system, method, and recording medium recording the program|

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