Method and apparatus for automatically generating pedestrian route guide text and recording medium

• US 6,510,379 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Hiroshi, Doi, Miwako, Hasegawa, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/716,303
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/200, 701/206, 701/201, 701/202, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/212, 701/213, 701/214, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A pedestrian route guide apparatus includes an input section which inputs a departure place and destination, a route data storage section for storing route data, a landmark storage section which stores a landmark, a route computation section which computes a route from the departure place to the destination on the basis of route data, a route editing section which edits the route, a landmark selector section which selects a landmark at each point on the route on the basis of the route obtained by the route editing section, a route guide text generator section which generates a route guide text on the basis of the route obtained by the route editing section and the landmark information selected by the landmark selector section, and a route text output section which presents the route guide text.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically generating a pedestrian route guide text, comprising:

an input section which inputs a departure place and destination;

a route data generator section which outputs route data;

a landmark information generator section which outputs a landmark serving as a guide for a pedestrian and information associated with an expression form of the landmark;

a route computation section which computes a route from the departure place to the destination, which are input through said input section, on the basis of route data obtained from said route data generator section;

a route editing section which edits the route to remove a noise element that causes a guidance error from the route obtained by said route computation section;

a landmark selector section which selects a landmark at each point on the route on the basis of the route obtained by said route editing section;

a route guide text generator section which generates a route guide text on the basis of the route obtained by said route editing section and landmark information selected by said landmark selector section; and

a route text output section which presents the route guide text generated by said route guide text generator section.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said landmark selector section extracts a landmark within a predetermined distance range, and said route text output section, when a plurality of landmarks are extracted, presents at least one of the extracted landmarks.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route text output section presents the route guide text by means of at least one of presentation using a landmark name and presentation using an expression representing a characteristic feature.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a straight path on said route exceeds a predetermined length, said landmark selector section selects a landmark midway along the straight path.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route guide text generator section generates a guide text by expressing a distance from a given point to a next point on a route using at least one of expressions of an absolute distance, a necessary time, and the number of necessary steps.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route guide text generator section expresses a distance or walking direction from a given point to a next point on a route upon rounding off within a range in which a pedestrian is not misled.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route guide text generator section emphasizes and presents a landmark name.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route guide text generator section presents a type of landmark with an icon being attached thereto.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said route guide text generator section presents a route guide text upon deleting a portion thereof which corresponds to a place where the pedestrian has already walked.

10. A method of automatically generating a pedestrian route guide text, comprising the steps of:

setting a departure place and a destination;

preparing route data;

computing a route from the set departure place to the set destination using the route data;

editing the route to remove a noise element that causes a guidance error from the route obtained in the computing step;

selecting a landmark at each point on the route using the edited route;

generating route guide text based on the edited route and selected landmark(s); and

presenting the generated route guide text.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said landmark selecting step extracts a landmark within a predetermined distance range, and when a plurality of landmarks are extracted in the landmark selecting step, said route text generating step presents at least one of the extracted landmarks.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route text generating step presents the route guide text by means of at least one of presentation using a landmark name and presentation using an expression representing a characteristic feature.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein when a straight path on said route exceeds a predetermined length, said selecting step selects a landmark midway along the straight path.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route guide text generating step generates a guide text by expressing a distance from a given point to a next point on a route using at least one of expressions of an absolute distance, a necessary time, and the number of necessary steps.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route guide text generating step expresses a distance or walking direction from a given point to a next point on a route upon rounding off within a range in which a pedestrian is not misled.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route guide text generating step emphasizes and presents a landmark name.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route guide text generating step presents a type of landmark with an icon being attached thereto.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein said route guide text generating step presents a route guide text upon deleting a portion thereof which corresponds to a place where the pedestrian has already walked.

19. A recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to generate a pedestrian route guide text, said program including:

a command to set a departure place and a destination;

a command to acquire route data;

a command to compute a route from the departure place to the destination on the basis of the route data;

a command to edit the route to remove a noise element that causes a guidance error from the route obtained by the command to compute;

a command to select a landmark at each point on the route using the edited route;

a command to generate route guide text based on the edited route and selected landmark(s); and

a command to present the generated route guide text.

20. An apparatus for automatically generating a pedestrian route guide text, comprising:

an input section which inputs a departure place and destination;

a route data storage section which stores route data;

a landmark storage section which stores a landmark serving as a guide and information associated with an expression form of the landmark;

a route computation section which computes a route from the departure place to the destination, which are input through said input section, on the basis of route data stored in said route data storage section;

a route editing section which edits the route to remove a noise element that causes a guidance error from the route obtained by said route computation section;

a landmark selector section which selects a landmark at each point on the route on the basis of the route obtained by said route computation section and said route editing section;

a simplified map display landmark selector section which selects a landmark to be displayed on a simplified map from the selected landmarks;

a simplified map drawing section which generates a simplified map for the route on the basis of the route obtained by said route computation section and the landmark information selected by said simplified map display landmark selector section;

a route guide text generator section which generates a route guide text based on the route obtained by said route computation section and said route editing section and the landmark information selected by said landmark selector section and said simplified map display landmark selector section; and

a route text output section which presents the route guide text generated by said route guide text generator section and the simplified map generated by said simplified map drawing section.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said simplified map display landmark selector section selects the landmarks from the landmarks, which are located along the route and obtained by said route editing section, in the descending order of priorities of the landmarks.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said simplified map display landmark selector section prevents selected landmarks from concentrating on the same place by decreasing a priority of a landmark located near a selected landmark.

23. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said route text output section presents a route guide text and simplified map while assigning identical marks to both the route guide text and the simplified map.