Facility Searching Device, Program, Navigation Device, and Facility Searching Method

• US 20070219714A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
• Inventors: Hamanaka, Akihiko, Ueno, Masahiro, Uchida, Hiromi
• Granted Patent: US 7,894,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A facility searching technique easier to operate and having high degree of freedom. A facility searching device is constructed from a database on map information, a database relating to various kinds of facilities and including positional information of the facilities, display means for displaying, based on the map information, a map of a predetermined area, a pointing device for inputting a position located on the displayed map, voice input means for inputting by voice an instruction relating to search for facilities, and means (25, 29, 30, 31) for performing the search for facilities upon receiving the input of a position or the input of an instruction (steps 21-22, 24, 26, 27, 28), the search being based on the inputted position and the instruction.

Claims

1. A facility searching device comprising:

a database related to map information;

a database, related to various kinds of facilities, that includes positional information for the facilities;

a display unit adapted to display a map for a predetermined area, based on the map information;

a pointing device for inputting a position in a displayed map to designate a search range in a map;

a voice input unit adapted to implement voice input to instruct to select at least one of the facilities; and

a search unit responsive to the input of the position or the instruction for selection by the voice input, for implementing a search related to the facilities in the search range based on the inputted position and/or on the basis of the instruction for selection.

2. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a current position acquisition unit adapted to acquire a current position of the facility searching device and a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not the instruction for selection input has been implemented without being accompanied by the position input, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with respect to a current position.

3. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, only one position has been inputted along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, wherein, in the case where the determination unit means positively determines, the search unit means implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with respect to the one position.

4. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, a plurality of positions that indicates a specific road in the map has been inputted along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with regard to facilities that exist along the specific road or within a predetermined distance from the specific road.

5. The facility searching device according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit makes a positive determination when the plurality of positions exists within a predetermined distance from the specific road and the position, among the positions, that is inputted last exists on the specific road.

6. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, a plurality of positions that indicates a specific area in the map has been inputted along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with regard to facilities included in the specific area.

7. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, a plurality of positions that, as the position input, is inputted along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice indicates neither any road nor any area in the map, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with respect to the middle position between the firstly inputted position and the lastly inputted position among the plurality of positions.

8. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein input of the plurality of positions is implemented through operation in which, by means of the pointing device, the pointing position is moved through pointing or dragging on the map.

9. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, input has been implemented, along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, in which a specific road in the map is traced or two or more roads that intersect each other or that are connected with each other are traced by means of the pointing device, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with regard to facilities that exist along the specific road or the two or more roads, or that exist within a predetermined distance from the specific road or each of the two or more roads.

10. The facility searching device according to claim 9, wherein, a facility search for facilities that exist along the specific road or within the predetermined distance from the specific road is implemented over a range from the beginning position to the final position of the input that is implemented in a tracing manner.

11. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an input determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, input of only two positions, through a first point operation and a second point operation carried out within a predetermined time period after the first point operation, has been implemented along with the instruction for selection by the voice.

12. The facility searching device according to claim 11, further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not the two positions are located on a same road, when the input determination unit determines that the input for only the two positions has been implemented along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with regard to facilities that exist along the specific road or within a predetermined distance from the specific road.

13. The facility searching device according to claim 12, wherein, a facility search for facilities that exist along the specific road or within the predetermined distance from the specific road is implemented over a range between the two positions.

14. The facility searching device according to claim 11, further comprising, a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not the two positions are located on a same road, when the input determination unit determines that the input for only the two positions has been implemented along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice, wherein, in the case where the determination unit negatively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to facilities, with respect to the middle position between the two positions.

15. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising, a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not, as the position input, input of three or more positions, through three or more point operation events, has been consecutively implemented without being interrupted for more than a predetermined duration, along with the input of the instruction for selection by the voice wherein, in the case where the determination unit positively determines, the search unit implements based on the instruction for selection a search related to the facilities, with regard to facilities that exist within a triangular or a polygonal area having as the vertexes the three or more positions.

16. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the voice input unit accepts input of the instruction for selection related to a search for facilities, in response to input of a position on the displayed map.

17. The facility searching device according to claim 2, wherein the search implemented with respect to a position lists and displays facilities within a predetermined distance from the position, in order of increasing distance from the position.

18. The facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the instruction for selection related to a search for the facilities includes at least one of the instruction of a genre name as a search subject, the instruction of a proper name as a search subject, and the instruction of the usage purpose, of a facility, as a search subject.

19. The facility searching device according to claim 4, wherein, a facility search for facilities that exist along the specific road or within the predetermined distance from the specific road is implemented within the range of the specific road displayed by the display unit.

20. A navigation device that is provided with the facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2 and shares the database related to map information with the facility searching device.

21. A program that causes a computer to function as each unit for configuring the facility searching device according to claim 1 or 2.

22. A facility searching method, the method being performed by computer and comprising the steps of:

displaying a map for a predetermined area, based on a database related to map information;

receiving input of a position in the displayed map, by means of a pointing device to designate a search range in a map;

receiving input by voice to instruct to select at least one of a plurality of facilities; and

implementing a search related to the facilities on the basis of the database related to map information, a database, related to various kinds of facilities, that includes positional information of the facilities, and the search range based on the inputted position and/or the instruction for selection.