JP3206477B2 - Mobile terminal device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal device having a current position detecting means and a map information storing means for providing information relating to a current position on a map. In addition, the present invention provides a mobile terminal device having a cellular mobile phone and a PH.
The present invention relates to an apparatus in which communication means such as S (Personal Handy Phone) is integrated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A portable GPS (Global Positioning System) is well known as a portable terminal device for providing information on a current position. The portable GPS detects and displays the latitude and longitude of the current position using satellite navigation. Further, as an example of a portable terminal device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is a portable navigation device described in JP-A-68643. The device detects and displays the current position and the movement locus after walking and moving from the start point by autonomous navigation using a walking sensor and a direction sensor.

[0003] Further, there is known a portable terminal device which stores map information together with GPS and the like. This type of portable terminal device detects a current position on a map using a current position detection result and map information, and provides information using this. For example, a map around the current position is displayed on a display provided in the main body, and a current position mark is displayed. Also,
Various kinds of information stored as map information are displayed on a display or emitted from a speaker.

[0004]

The portable terminal device is housed in a compact main body and can be carried around by the user. The user walks while carrying the portable terminal device,
It travels using various means of transportation, such as traveling by vehicle or traveling by public transportation such as a train. In the related art, information on which transportation mode is being used is acquired by the portable terminal device for the first time when the user inputs a transportation mode name. Alternatively, by setting the route to the destination and the transportation means to be used in advance before moving, the transportation means in use can be known on the portable terminal side. However, the conventional portable terminal device does not have a function of estimating the mode of transportation that is currently being used voluntarily. Therefore, the functions that can be realized by the mobile terminal device are limited.

[0005] In particular, the conventional portable terminal device cannot provide appropriate information according to the means of transportation. Information useful to the user differs depending on the means of transportation. For example, while driving a vehicle, the road map and the driving direction are useful information, while when the user is on a train, the route map and the name of a stop station are useful information. However, in order to know the information specific to the means of transportation, the user has to input the name of the means of transportation and derive such information or use another information source. As described above, in the related art, information that can be provided to the user is limited.

Further, in order to meet the demand for miniaturization of information equipment, there has been proposed a portable terminal device in which communication means is integrated with GPS and the like. Further, there has been proposed an apparatus having communication means capable of handling a plurality of media such as a cellular phone and a PHS. Here, which communication medium is preferable to use depends on the communication location and also on the mode of transportation in use. It is convenient to use PHS during walking. On the other hand, while traveling by train, the use of PHS is not possible, and the use of a cellular mobile phone is required. In the conventional device, such switching of the communication medium must be performed by the user himself. That is, when using the communication means, the user must consider the means of transportation being used and set the communication media so as to match the means of transportation. However, such a task is not only complicated, but also a desired communication may not be possible if the setting of the media is wrong.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to have a function of distinguishing means of transportation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a portable information providing device capable of improving the function of the device.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A portable terminal device according to the present invention has a current position detecting means and a map information storing means, and provides information relating to a current position on a map.
A transportation means data storage unit for storing transportation means data relating to a passage route for each transportation means, a movement data acquiring means for acquiring the moving speed and moving direction of the device itself, and a current position, a moving speed, a moving direction and traffic means data. A transportation means determining unit for determining the transportation means in use based on the information. In addition, the current position detection means, satellite navigation, autonomous navigation,
The present position is detected by a method such as radio navigation, and a plurality of the above methods may be used in combination.

The transportation means data includes, for example, road shapes, vehicle-only road shapes, train line shapes, route names, station positions,
It is data on timetables, air routes, voyage routes, pedestrian roads, and the like. In the present invention, from such various data,
Necessary items are selected according to the use and the like, and stored as transportation means data. In addition, a part of the transportation means data may be used as map information as appropriate.

[0010] The portable terminal device is portable and is used during the use of various transportation means. According to the present invention, the transportation mode in use is determined based on the transportation mode data as described above, the current position, the moving speed, and the moving direction. For example, if the current position is on a road and the moving speed is low, it is determined that the vehicle is walking, and if the moving speed is high, the vehicle is determined. In addition, for example, if it is located on a train line and moves in a moving direction along the route, it is determined that the train is being used. Therefore, the user can determine which transportation mode is used, and does not need to perform an operation related to the transportation mode, which is convenient. As described above, according to the present invention, the portable terminal device can be easily used, and the functions can be improved.

[0011] The apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a guide creating means for creating guide information according to the means of transportation determined by the means of transportation determination. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with information suitable for walking while walking and information suitable for driving while moving the vehicle. Further, during use of the train, appropriate information on the stop station and the like is provided according to the route in use and according to the type of each station stop, express or the like. At this time, the information content is automatically switched according to the means of transportation. Thus, according to the present invention, information suitable for the mode of transportation in use is automatically provided. Therefore, the user can use the portable terminal device more conveniently.

[0012] Further, in addition to the above configuration, the portable terminal device according to one aspect of the present invention further comprises a communication means corresponding to a plurality of types of communication media, and a communication medium used in accordance with the transportation means determined by the transportation means determination unit. Media switching means for switching the type. Therefore, the switching to the communication medium suitable for the means of transportation is automatically performed. Then, real-time information can be obtained using a communication medium suitable for the means of transportation. The user does not have to perform the operation of setting the communication medium in consideration of the transportation mode in use.
Therefore, the portable terminal device can be used more easily, and the setting mistake of the communication medium can be prevented.

[0013] Further, the portable terminal device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes:
It has an axis gyro and a 3-axis compass. This allows
Regardless of the orientation of the mobile terminal device, the amount of movement and the like can be accurately detected. Therefore, accurate information can be provided to the user, and switching of the communication means can be performed correctly.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the portable terminal device. The control device 10 controls the entire system, and is connected to the DGPS device 12, the 3-axis gyro 14, the 3-axis compass 16, and the map / transportation database 18.

The DGPS device 12 adjusts the position information from the GPS device that detects the current position using a signal from an artificial satellite to the error information in the GPS device supplied from FM multiplex broadcasting or the like, and obtains a more accurate current position. Perform detection.

The three-axis gyro 14 is a sensor that detects acceleration in three axial directions (xyz directions) in a space, and further calculates a relative moving speed and a moving distance by integrating detection results. When walking, the number of steps of the user is calculated from the stored data of the stride length and the detected value of the moving distance based on the output of the three-axis gyro 14, whereby the portable terminal device also functions as a pedometer. Also, 3-axis compass 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a sensor for detecting an absolute direction. The output of the three-axis compass 16 indicates the attitude of the portable terminal device.

The map / transportation database 18
Stores data such as a nationwide map including roads, address names, and intersection names. Further, the map / transportation database 18 stores data such as route maps of public transportation such as trains, station locations, station names, and timetables.

The control device 10 includes a dead reckoning calculation unit 20, an absolute position calculation unit 22, a transportation means determination unit 24, an information provision control unit 26, and a communication control unit 28, and has a clock function. The dead reckoning calculation unit 20 obtains an acceleration, a relative moving speed, a moving distance, and a moving direction based on outputs of the three-axis gyro 14 and the three-axis compass 16. In the present embodiment, by providing the three-axis gyro 14 and the three-axis compass 16, the relative movement amount and the like can be accurately detected regardless of the orientation of the portable terminal device. The portable terminal device is used in various postures, such as when a pedestrian is carrying it or when it is placed on a seat in a vehicle. In addition, it is necessary to consider variations in the detection values of the three-axis gyro 14 and the like. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the three-axis compass 16 to detect the absolute direction and use this for dead reckoning navigation.

The absolute position calculation unit 22 is a DGPS device 12
, The calculation result of the dead reckoning calculation unit 20, and the map information of the map / transportation database 18, the absolute current position is obtained. DGPS in tunnels and underground malls
If the device 12 cannot detect the current position, the relative position and the direction of movement based on the point at which the DGPS device 12 has stopped functioning are obtained from the dead reckoning calculation unit 20 to determine the current position. The map information is used for performing a map matching process to correct the detection result of the current position. Preferably, communication means with a navigation device mounted on the vehicle is provided. Thus, the current position during the movement of the vehicle can be obtained from the in-vehicle navigation device. Further, the current position may be obtained as needed using the current position service of the PHS.

The means for determining transportation means 24 includes a dead reckoning calculation section 2
0, the calculation result of the absolute position calculation unit 22, and the data of the map / transportation database 18,
Determine the transportation mode currently in use.

A display 30 and a speaker 32 are connected to the information provision control unit 26 as output devices. The information provision control unit 26 creates guidance information for display based on the current position and guidance information for voice guidance. At this time, guidance information having contents corresponding to the means of transportation determined by the means of transportation determination unit 24 is created. The created information is displayed on the display 30 or announced from the speaker 32.

The communication control unit 28 is connected to a cellular mobile phone 34 and a PHS 36 as communication means. The communication control unit 28 switches communication means according to the transportation means in use, and makes one communication means usable. Further, the communication control unit 28 sets and releases the handsfree mode of the mobile phone 34. As is well known, the hands-free mode is a mode in which the mobile phone 34 can be used without being held by hand.

The communication control unit 28 further includes a road information communication device 38 for communicating with the road management center 100,
Further, a public transportation communication device 40 for communicating with the public transportation management center 102 is connected. Information useful for driving a vehicle such as traffic congestion is obtained by the road information communication device 38. Information such as a schedule change is obtained by the communication device 40 for public transportation. Various information to be stored in the map / transportation database 18 may be obtained by these communication devices. Communication control unit 28
Controls both communication devices to obtain necessary information from outside. At this time, the switching control of the communication device to be used is performed according to the transportation means in use.

The portable terminal device having the above configuration is housed in a compact main body (not shown). The user can carry the portable terminal device, walk, move by vehicle, and use transportation such as a train, a monorail, an aircraft, and a ship. More specifically, the present device may be incorporated in an electronic organizer, a PDA, or a portable personal computer. Next, the operation of the portable terminal device will be described.

The dead reckoning calculation unit 20 includes a three-axis gyro 1
4. The acceleration, relative moving speed, relative moving distance, and moving direction are obtained from the output of the three-axis compass 16, and the absolute position calculating unit 2
2 and send it to the means of transport determination 24. Absolute position calculator 22
Detects the current absolute position using the output of the DGPS device 12, the information on the relative movement distance and the movement direction, and the map information, as described above.
4. Send to the information provision control unit 26 and the communication control unit 28.

The means for determining transportation means 24 includes the dead reckoning calculation section 2
0, the processing shown in FIG. 2 is performed using the information sent from the absolute position calculation unit 22 and the data stored in the map / transportation database 18 to detect the transportation means in use. Here, land transportation such as trains, bullet trains, and monorails are mainly considered as public transportation. The method of determining other transportation means will be described later.

First, the means for determining transportation means 24 determines whether or not the traveling speed is less than 10 km / h and the traveling acceleration is less than 0.4 G (S10). Here, “G” is the gravitational acceleration. If step S10 is YES, since the moving speed is slow and there is no sudden movement, it is determined that the transportation means is on foot (S12). However, the determination here is made based on the average speed during the predetermined time and the maximum acceleration within the predetermined time. The vehicle stops at a traffic light or travels slowly at an intersection or the like, and a train or the like stops at a station. This is to prevent the situation from being judged as walking in such a situation.

If step S10 is NO, it is considered that a means of transportation other than walking is being used. Then, it is determined whether or not the current position is on the route of public transportation (S
14). If it is not on the route of public transportation, it is determined that the transportation means is a vehicle or a bicycle (S16).

If YES in step S14, it is determined whether or not the actual moving direction matches the direction of the route of the public transportation (S18). At a railroad crossing or the like, the vehicle is also located on the route of the public transport, but in this case, the moving direction does not match the route of the public transport. Therefore, step S
18 is determined as NO, and the means of transportation is determined to be a vehicle or a bicycle (S16). In step S18, it may be determined whether or not the moving trajectory up to the present coincides with the route shape of the public transportation. This determination is equivalent to comparing and determining the route direction and the moving direction.

If step S18 is YES, the route map and the timetable of the public transportation system corresponding to the route whose moving direction matches are referred to (S20). The route map and the schedule are stored in the map / transportation database 18. Then, the position of the stop station in front of the current position and the stop time at the stop, which is close to the current time, are extracted (S22). The number of the preceding stop station may be one, but preferably a plurality. Then, the extracted station position and stop time are compared with the past movement history, and it is determined whether or not both match (S2).
4). The past movement history is the movement locus and the time at each point on the locus, and is obtained using the output of the absolute position calculation unit 22 and the clock function. The control device 10 stores the movement history in a storage device (not shown). Then, the movement history data of the full storage device is updated as needed.

Step S24 will be described. There are cases where the road and the route of public transportation run in parallel, and the calculation result of the absolute position calculation unit 22 involves an error. Therefore, there is a possibility that both the above steps S14 and S18 are determined to be NO, even though the vehicle is running. Therefore, in order to confirm once again whether or not the vehicle is running, it is determined in step S24 whether or not the vehicle is traveling as a diagram. If yes, transportation
It is determined that the public transportation is applicable (S26).

If the determination in step S24 is NO, an inquiry is made to the information center (not shown) for the schedule delay information using the communication device 40 for public transportation. If there is a diamond delay, it is determined whether or not the delayed diamond matches the movement history (S28). If they match, timetable information is created (S30), and the means of transportation is determined to be the relevant public transportation (S2).
6). If step S28 is NO, transportation means cannot be determined. Therefore, the process returns to step S14, and the determination process is performed again.

With the above processing, the transportation mode in use is determined. Information indicating the determined means of transportation is sent from the means of transportation determination 24 to the information provision control unit 26 and the communication control unit 28. If the means of transportation is public transport,
The flight number in use at the time of the process related to the schedule such as step S24 is also known. The flight number is also sent to the information provision control unit 26 at the same time. Further, when the time delay information is created in step S30, this information is also sent to the information provision control unit 26.

The information provision control unit 26 includes a current position and a map
Guidance information for providing to the user is created using the data of the transportation database 18, displayed on the display 30, and emitted from the speaker 32. At this time, the content of the guidance information is changed according to the result of the determination of the means of transportation as described below.

(1) "Walk": The display 30
An enlarged map around the current position is displayed, and a current position mark is displayed. In addition, the display of the address of the current location,
Information about nearby facilities is also displayed. From the speaker 32, a guidance such as "Here is @ town @ chome" is issued. Thus, while walking, local information near the current position is provided (FIG. 3A).

(2) Vehicle: A road map is displayed on the display 30, and a current position mark is displayed.
A wider range of maps is displayed than when walking. For the road on which the vehicle is traveling, color-coded display is performed. In addition, an enlarged display of the intersection is performed. From the speaker 32, a guidance such as "Currently traveling on National Highway No. 〇〇" is issued. As described above, while the vehicle is moving, information suitable for driving is provided (FIG. 3B).

(3) Public transportation: A route map is displayed on the display 30. The route map displays the station name to the end point, the required time, and transfer information as needed. Further, a current position mark is displayed on the route. Further, the diagram delay information created in step S30 of FIG. From the speaker 32, a guidance such as "The next stop is 〇〇" is issued. Further, based on the information on the flight number sent from the means of transportation means determination unit 24, a guidance such as "This train is No. 〇〇" is also issued. In this way, while traveling by public transportation, information on its use is provided (FIG. 3 (c)).

The communication control unit 28 switches communication means according to the means of transportation. If walking, PHS36
Switch to. On the other hand, when the vehicle is moving, or when using public transportation, the mobile phone is switched to the mobile phone 34. However, while one of the communication means is in use, switching is not performed even if the transportation means is changed. If the vehicle is moving, set the hands-free mode. When the movement by the vehicle ends, the hands-free mode is canceled. By setting the hands-free mode, even while driving the vehicle,
Mobile phone can be used easily. When the mobile phone 34 does not have the hands-free mode function, the communication control unit 28 suppresses the function of the mobile phone during driving of the vehicle.

The communication control unit 28 further controls switching between the road information communication device 38 and the public transportation communication device 40 according to the means of transportation. When the vehicle is moving, the road information communication device 38 performs communication, and when the vehicle is using public transportation, the communication device 40 for public transportation communicates. Neither communication device is used when walking.
Then, the obtained information is sent to the information provision control unit 26,
It is displayed on the display 30 as appropriate, and the speaker 3
Announced from 2.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. According to the present embodiment, the portable terminal device spontaneously detects the transportation mode being used by providing the transportation mode determination unit 24. In addition, it is possible to provide information with contents according to the means of transportation, and to change the expression method at the time of providing the information. Further, switching to communication means suitable for transportation is performed. As described above, even if the user does not perform an operation for specifying the means of transportation, the portable terminal device automatically operates according to the means of transportation. Therefore, by applying the present embodiment, the function of the mobile terminal device can be improved.

The portable terminal device according to the present embodiment may be provided with a pedometer. The output of the pedometer is the DGPS device 12
Together with the output of the dead reckoning calculation unit 20 and the output of the dead reckoning calculation unit 20.

In the transportation mode discrimination processing shown in FIG. 2, a train or the like is mainly assumed as a public transportation system. On the other hand, whether or not the transportation means in use is an airplane may be determined based on the traveling speed. If it is moving at a very high speed, it is determined that it is on an airplane.
The determination as to whether or not the means of transportation is a ship may be made based on the current position and the map information. If the current position is on the sea, it is determined that the person is on a ship.

Further, by applying step S24 in FIG. 2, it is possible to discriminate between a vehicle (or a bicycle) and a bus.
Assume that the current position is on a road, and that road is a bus route. At this time, the bus stop position and the bus schedule are compared with the movement history. As a result of the comparison, if they match, it is a bus, and if they do not match, it is a vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process for determining transportation means in the portable terminal device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing contents of information provision according to a means of transportation.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 control device, 12 DGPS device, 14 3-axis gyro, 16 3-axis compass, 18 map / transportation database, 20 dead reckoning calculation unit, 22 absolute position calculation unit, 24 means of transportation determination unit, 26 information provision control unit, 2
8 Communication control unit, 30 display, 32 speaker, 34 mobile phone, 36 PHS.

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G08G 1/005 G01C 21/00 G08G 1/09 G09B 29/10 H04Q 7/38

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A portable terminal device having current position detection means and map information storage means for providing information relating to a current position on a map, wherein: means of transportation means for storing transportation means data relating to a route for each transportation means. A data storage unit, a movement data acquisition unit for acquiring a movement speed and a movement direction of the device itself, and a transportation means on foot, a vehicle, a train, or the like based on the current position, the movement speed, the movement direction, and the transportation means data. see containing and a transportation judgment unit for judging, according to transport it said transportation judging unit has determined
A portable terminal device comprising a guide creating means for creating guide information . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a communication unit corresponding to a plurality of types of communication media; and a transportation unit determined by said transportation unit determination unit.
Switching means for switching communication media types
And a portable terminal device comprising: 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
And a three-axis gyro and a three-axis compass .