Information providing system

• US 6,324,467 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Abe, Keiko, Matsuo, Shigeru, Machii, Kimiyoshi, Yokota, Toshimi, Atarashi, Yoshitaka, Koga, Kazuyoshi, Kuzunuki, Soshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/518,908
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/204, 701/208, 701/209, 701/212, 701/213
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• 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 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters

Abstract

An information providing system is capable of rendering map-information services even if the size of a free area in a memory employed in a terminal becomes small, disallowing all details of a map to be downloaded. A server employed in the information providing system has a search engine for searching a map data base for a map suitable for a destination and the present position of the terminal as received from the terminal, a route computing unit for computing a guide route from the present position to the destination, a map display location determination unit for determining a location at which route information including a map based on the calculated guide route is to be transmitted to the terminal and a thinning determination unit for thinning the information to be transmitted based on information on the terminal received from the terminal. The thinning determination unit has a priority-level definition table for defining priority levels assigned to map elements stored in the map data base.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination;

a server for providing information to said terminal including at least a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination; and

an information providing timing determination means in either said server or said terminal for determining timing to transmit information including at least said map from said server to said terminal.

2. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein:

said terminal comprises;

destination setting means for setting a destination;

position detection means for detecting the present position of said vehicle;

display control means for generating picture data for said route guide by using information received from said server and transferring said picture data to a display means; and

terminal-side communication means for carrying out communications with said server,

said information providing timing determination means including means for determining whether or not said vehicle has arrived at a location determined in advance by using the position of said vehicle detected by said position detection means; and

wherein

information including at least said map is downloaded from said server to said terminal when said vehicle is determined to have arrived at said location determined in advance.

3. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein said terminal has means for allowing a user to determine whether or not information including at least said map is to be downloaded with said timing to transmit said information including at least said map from said server to said terminal as determined by said information providing timing determination means.

4. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein said server comprises:

means for forming a judgment as to whether or not a user of said terminal is a member cataloged in said information providing system; and

means for providing at least one of vector map data and image map data to said terminal if a result of said judgment indicates that said user is a member or said image map data to said terminal if said result of said judgment indicates that said user is not a member.

7. An information providing system according to claim 2 wherein said location determined in advance is one of the following:

a location at which a map serving as a route guide is to be displayed in said terminal;

a position corresponding to said location;

a crossing at which a user of said terminal is supposed to make a turn;

a position corresponding to said crossing; and

a position set by using a guide route found on the basis of said destination and the present position of said vehicle.

8. An information providing system according to claim 2 wherein said display control means employed in said terminal executes control to display nothing or to show no detailed display on said display means when said vehicle is on a route guide at a position different from said location determined in advance.

9. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein:

either said terminal or said server is provided with;

means for forming a judgment as to whether or not said vehicle having said terminal mounted thereon has slipped off from a route provided by said route guide; and

means for re-computing guide leading to said destination in case a result of said judgment indicates that said vehicle has slipped off said route guide, and

said information providing timing determination means determines a location to transmit information including at least said map to said terminal by using said re-computed guide route.

10. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein said terminal has a user setting means for setting an identifier of user of said terminal and including said identifier in a communication packet transmitted to said server.

11. An information providing system according to claim 10 wherein said terminal further has storage means for storing said user identifier and said destination until said vehicle arrives at said destination.

12. An information providing system according to claim 2 wherein said terminal uses a portable telephone as said terminal-side communication means.

13. An information providing system according to claim 12 wherein said terminal-side communication means executes control to connect said terminal-side communication means to said server when communication becomes necessary and to disconnect said terminal-side communication means from said server when said communication is completed.

14. An information providing system according to claim 10 wherein said terminal uses a portable telephone as a means of communication with said server and the telephone number of said portable telephone is used as said user identifier.

15. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein:

said terminal further has means for changing information received from said server in order to allow said received information to be displayed three-dimensionally; and

said display control means of said terminal uses said changed information to generate picture data for a three-dimensional display.

16. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein said terminal has means for computing a route based on map data received from said server.

21. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein said information providing timing determination means determines timing to transmit information including at least said map to said terminal by using at least one of information on resources currently available in said terminal and information on a guide route leading to said destination.

22. An information providing system according to claim 1 wherein:

said server comprises;

route computing means for computing a route to be traveled by said vehicle;

map transmission location determination means for determining a location on said computed route to transmit a map to said terminal; and

passing-through-time prediction means for predicting a time at which said vehicle will pass through said location on said computed route to transmit a map to said terminal, and wherein

said information providing timing determination means is provided in said server and determines said time predicted by said passing-through-time prediction means as timing to transmit a map.

5. An information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination;

a server for providing to said terminal, information including at least a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination; and

means provided in either said terminal or said server and used for acquiring information on resources presently available in said terminal as well as calculating the amount of information including at least said map in accordance with said information on resources,

wherein said server generates information to be transmitted to said terminal in accordance with said calculated amount of information.

6. An information providing system according to claim 5 wherein said information on resources available in said terminal includes at least one of a memory size, a communication rate and a display type.

17. An information providing system according to claim 5 wherein:

said server has means for generating information on a guide route leading to said destination; and

said means for generating information on a guide route assigns priority levels to map elements to be included in map data constituting said information on a guide route and generates said information on a guide route to be transmitted from time to time in accordance with said assigned levels.

18. An information providing system according to claim 17 wherein the highest one among said priority levels is assigned to a road used as a route provided by said route guide.

19. An information providing system according to claim 18 wherein the second highest one among said priority levels is assigned to a main road and a road existing in the vicinity of a road used as said route provided by said guide.

20. An information providing system according to claim 19 wherein said main road is either an expressway or a national road.

23. A terminal of an information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination; and

a server for providing information to said terminal including at least a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination, wherein;

said terminal comprises;

destination setting means for setting a destination;

position detection means for detecting the present position of said vehicle;

display control means for generating picture data for said route guide by using information received from said server and transferring said picture data to a display means;

terminal-side communication means carrying out communications with said server; and

information providing timing determination means for determining timing to transmit information including at least said map from said server to said terminal.

24. A server of an information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination; and

a server for providing information to said terminal, including at least a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination, wherein;

said server comprises;

server-side communication means for communicating with said terminal;

map-data storage means for storing map;

processing means for generating information including at least said map data by utilizing information on said destination and the position of said vehicle received from said terminal and for transmitting said generated information to said terminal by way of said server-side communication means; and

information providing timing determination means for determining timing to transmit information including at least said map from said server to said terminal.

25. An information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination; and

a server for providing said terminal with information including at least a place name and a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination,

wherein said server comprises;

candidate place name providing means for executing the steps of;

receiving a string of characters entered by user to said terminal and transmitted by said terminal to said server wherein said string of characters represents a portion of the place name of a destination to be used in said route guide showing directions to said destination;

searching a data base of place names by using index information formed from said string of characters for candidates for the place name of said destination matching said string of characters;

transmitting said candidates to said terminal; and

requesting said terminal to select one of said candidates; and

a map providing means for transmitting to said terminal a map for a selected candidate for the place name of said destination transmitted by said terminal to said server.

26. An information providing system according to claim 25 wherein map data provided by said map providing means is vector map data.

27. An information providing system according to claim 26 wherein, when said server receives the place name of a candidate selected by said terminal as requested by said server, said map providing means clips a predetermined range centering at said candidate from said map and transmits said range to said terminal.

29. An information providing system according to claim 25 wherein:

said data base comprises literal phonetic transcriptions of place names and correct spellings of said place names; and

said candidate place name providing means searches said data base for a candidate one of said place names matching index information formed from any string of characters included in an input literal phonetic transcription and transmits said candidate place name to said terminal.

30. An information providing system according to claim 25 wherein:

said candidate place name providing means has a character transition table comprising transitions among at least two characters pertaining to any string of characters included in any one of said literal phonetic transcriptions and indexes associated with said transitions; and

said index information is formed from any string of characters included in an input literal phonetic transcription by said candidate place name providing means by executing the steps of;

searching said character transition table for particular ones of said indexes matching any of said transitions in said string of characters included in said input lateral phonetic transcription; and

composing said index information from said particular indexes.

28. A server of an information providing system comprising:

a terminal mounted on a vehicle and used for providing a route guide showing directions to a destination; and

a server for providing said terminal with information including at least a place name and a map used in said route guide showing directions to said destination,

said server comprising;

a server-side communication means for communicating with said terminal;

map-data storage means for storing map data; and

place-name storage means for storing literal phonetic transcriptions and correct spellings of place names; and

processing means for generating information including at least said map by utilizing information on said destination and the position of said vehicle received from said terminal and for transmitting said generated information to said terminal by way of said server-side communication means.