Information terminal device and method for route guidance

• US 6,336,073 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ihara, Yasuhiro, Fukuda, Hisaya, Suzuki, Akihiro, Nakano, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/626,122
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/201, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• 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 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In an information terminal device, a processor receives route information on a route from a start point to a destination and guidance information required for route guidance, in accordance with a standard communications protocol. The processor guides the route from the start point to the destination through an information presentation part by using first cartographic data having a basis on the received route information and the guidance information. The processor requests, as required, a specific information service center for point information in a tag format showing details of each important point (POI) on the route through an information request part. As a result, the processor receives the point information on the important point from the information service center in accordance with the standard communications protocol. The processor presents the received point information on the important point simultaneously with a map based on the first cartographic data to clearly indicate each of the important points on the route. With the aid of the tag format, the information terminal device is capable of receiving, using the standard communications protocol, various information in the suitable format for the route guidance.

Claims

1. An information terminal device structured to be mobile and having access to a plurality of information service centers on a network that uses a predetermined protocol for communications, wherein

each of the information service centers is structured as being capable of transmitting information in a tag format indicating attributes and contents of the information in accordance with the communications protocol, said information terminal device comprising:

a first receiving part operable to receive route information indicating a route from a start point to a destination and guidance information for guiding the route;

a route guidance part operable to guide the route from the start point to the destination by using first cartographic data having a basis on the route information and/or the guidance information received by said first receiving part; and

a second receiving part operable to receive, from each of the information service centers, point information in the tag format indicating details of each important point on the route guided by said route guidance part based on a distance to each of the important points wherein

said route guidance part, in guiding the route, is operable to present the point information received by said second receiver simultaneously with a map based on the first cartographic data.

2. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the guidance information includes ID information simply specifying each important point, and said device further comprises

a request part operable to send a request for a search for the point information using the ID information to each of the information service centers, as required, and

said second receiving part is operable to receive the point information from each of the information service centers after the request is sent by said request part.

3. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the ID information is any of a phone number, an address, and a zip code,

each of the information service centers converts any of the phone number, the address, and the zip code received as a keyword to a combination of longitude and latitude coordinates, and

said second receiving part is operable to receive the point information on each important point including the combination of the longitude and latitude coordinates thereof.

4. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the ID information is a combination of the longitude and latitude coordinates,

each of the information service centers converts the combination of the longitude and latitude coordinates received as a keyword to the phone number, the address and/or the zip code, and

said second receiving part is operable to receive the point information on each important point including the phone number, the address and/or the zip code thereof.

5. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the point information includes second cartographic data having a scale different from that of the first cartographic data, and

said route guidance part is operable to present a map based on the second cartographic data received by said second receiving part simultaneously with the map based on the first cartographic data.

6. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the second cartographic data is cartographic data for showing an enlarged map of a vicinity of the important point.

7. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the second cartographic data is cartographic data for three-dimensionally showing a vicinity of the important point.

8. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 5, wherein

said route guidance part is operable to present a map based on second cartographic data that has a largest data size simultaneously with the map based on the first cartographic data when said second receiving part receives a plurality of second cartographic data.

9. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 5, wherein

said route guidance part is operable to present a map based on second cartographic data that has a smallest data size simultaneously with the map based on the first cartographic data when said second receiving part receives a plurality of second cartographic data.

10. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 5, wherein

said route guidance part is operable to present a map based on a latest second cartographic data simultaneously with the map based on the first cartographic data when said second receiving part receives a plurality of second cartographic data.

11. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the point information is second cartographic data for showing details in a building or an underground mall as being the important point, and

said route guidance part is operable to present a map based on the second cartographic data received by said second receiving part simultaneously with the map based on the first cartographic data.

12. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a request part operable to send requests to the plurality of information service centers for searches for information relevant to a point a user is interested in, based on a keyword relevant to the point the user is interested in;

a third receiving part operable to search results from the plurality of information service centers after the requests are sent by said request part; and

a presentation part operable to present the search results received by said third receiving part to the user, wherein

said route guidance part is operable to guide a route to a point that is selected as the destination from among the search results presented by said presentation part.

13. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 12, wherein

said presentation part is operable to present a search result of a larger data size with higher priority when said third receiving part receives a plurality of search results.

14. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 12, wherein

said presentation part is operable to present a search result of a smaller data size with higher priority when said third receiving part receives a plurality of search results.

15. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 12, wherein

said presentation part is operable to present a search result of a later date of update with higher priority when said third receiving part receives a plurality of search results.

16. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the point information includes first information simply specifying the important point and second information specifying the important point in detail, and

the first information includes at least tags specifying a name and a phone number of the important point.

17. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the route information includes at least tags specifying a name of a road to be traveled, a name of a crossing being a branch point, a distance between the branch points, and a turning direction at the branch point.

18. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a crossing number is uniquely determined for each of nationwide crossings, and

the route information includes at least tags specifying the crossing number.

19. The information terminal device as claimed in claim 17, wherein

the guidance information includes the branch point described in the route information in the tag format, and information on at least a name and a phone number of a point being a landmark for the branch point.

20. A method for route guidance used for an information terminal device structured to be mobile and having access to a plurality of information service centers on a network that uses a predetermined protocol for communications, wherein

each of the information service centers is structured as being capable of transmitting information in a tag format indicating attributes and contents of the information in accordance with the communications protocol, said method comprising:

receiving route information indicating a route from a start point to a destination and guidance information for guiding the route;

guiding the route from the start point to the destination by using cartographic data having a basis on the received route information and/or the received guidance information; and

receiving, from each of the information service centers, point information in the tag format indicating details of each important point on the guided route based on a distance to each of the important points, wherein

in said guiding, the received point information is presented simultaneously with a map based on the cartographic data.