Facility searching device, program, navigation device, and facility searching method

• US RE45,220 E1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SoundClear Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Inventors: Uchida, Hiromi, Hamanaka, Akihiko, Ueno, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/772,897
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/409, 701/411, 701/426, 701/431, 701/438, 340/995.1, 340/988, 340/990, 707/E17.005
• US Class Current: 701/438
• 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, a display unit 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, a voice input unit for inputting by voice an instruction relating to search for facilities, and unit (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 facility database related to various genres of facilities, the database including positional information of each of the genres of facilities;

a display unit adapted to display a map for a predetermined area on the basis of the map information;

a pointing device for implementing a positional input on a displayed map;

a voice input unit adapted to implement voice input;

a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under a genre name indicating a genre to which any facility in the facility database belongs;

a determination unit adapted to determine whether or not an input of a plurality of positions indicating a certain road on the map has been made as the positional input; and

a search unit adapted to respond if it has been determined within a predetermined time that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and that an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the position positional input, to implement a search for facilities which belong to the genre and which exist along the road or within a predetermined distance from the road,

wherein the input of a plurality of positions is an operation for moving a point position by the pointing device which pointing on the map, and

wherein it is determined that an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the position positional input, if the plurality of positions are within a predetermined distance from the road.

2. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection unit for acquiring a current position of the facility searching device, wherein the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities on a current position basis on the basis of the inputted genre name if it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name.

3. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether only one position is inputted as a positional input if the positional input is made within the predetermined time is made and it is determined that a word inputted by the voice input falls under the genre name, wherein

if it is made that only one position is inputted as a positional input, the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities on the one position basis and on the basis of the inputted genre name.

4. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the positional input when the plurality of positions exist within a predetermined distance from the road and a lastly inputted position of the plurality of positions exist exists on the road.

5. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining that determines whether or not a plurality of positions indicating a certain area on the map has been made as a positional input if the positional input within the predetermined time is made and it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name, wherein

if it is determined that a plurality of positions have been made as a positional input, the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities included in the certain area on the basis of the inputted genre name.

6. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether or not a plurality of positions on the map are inputted as a positional input and the plurality of positions indicate no road and area on the map, if the predetermined input within the predetermined time has been made and it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name, wherein if it has been that a plurality of positions are inputted as a positional input, the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities using as a basis a position intermediate between firstly and lastly inputted positions of the plurality of positions on the basis of the inputted genre name.

7. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein the input of the plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

8. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether or not an input tracing a single road or a plurality of roads intersecting or connected with each other on the map has been made as a positional input by the pointing device if the positional input within the predetermined time has been made and it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre, wherein

if it has been determined that the input tracing has been made as a positional input by the pointing device, the search unit operates to search for facilities on the basis of the inputted genre name, the facilities being along the one or plurality of roads or existing within a predetermined distance from the one or plurality of roads.

9. The facility searching device according to claim 1, the search for the facilities existing along the roads or within a distance from the roads is implemented in a range from a beginning position to an end position of the input tracing a single road or the like.

10. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising an input determination unit for determining that determines whether an input of only two positions by a first pointing operation and a second pointing operation made within a predetermined time from the first pointing operation if the positional input within the predetermined time has been made and it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and a determination unit for determining that determines that determines whether or not the two positions are on an identical road if it has been made that the input of only two positions has been made by the input determination unit, wherein

if it has been determined that the two positions are on an identical road, the search unit operates to implement the search for the facilities existing along the road or within a predetermined distance from the road on the basis of the inputted genre name.

11. The facility searching device according to claim 10, wherein the search for the facilities existing along the road or with a predetermined distance from the road is implemented in an area between the two positions.

12. The facility searching device according to claim 10, wherein if it has been determined that the two positions are not on an identical road, the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities on an intermediate position basis for the two positions on the basis of the inputted genre name.

13. The facility searching device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether or not an input of three or more positions by three or more pointing operations has successively made without leaving time spaces more than a predetermined time if the positional input within a predetermined time has been made and it has been determined that a word inputted by the voice unit falls under the genre name, wherein if it has been determined that an input of three or more positions has been successively made, the search unit operates to implement the search for facilities existing a triangular area or a polygonal area having its vertexes three or more positions on the basis of the inputted genre name.

14. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein the voice input unit shifts to an input acceptable state, in which an input of a genre name by voice can be accepted, in response to the input of a position on the displayed map.

15. The facility searching device according to claim 14, wherein the shift to the input acceptable state is performed after outputting a predetermined voice in response to the input of the position.

16. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein if the number of facilities searched by the search unit is more than a predetermined number, a voice for prompting to make a voice input of a name for narrowing a searching range is outputted, and the voice input of the name is accepted to narrow the searching range.

17. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein if a word inputted by the input unit falls under a word indicating a predetermined utilization purpose, the input is regarded as being an input of a predetermined plurality of genre names corresponding to the utilization purpose and it is determined that a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name.

18. The facility searching device according to claim 1, wherein the search for the facilities existing along the road or within a predetermined distance from the road is implemented within an area of the roads that are displayed by the display unit.

19. A navigation device which has the facility searching device recited in any of claims 1 to 18 and which shares a map database of the facility searching device.

20. A computer readable medium storing a program, the program causing a computer to function as the determination unit adapted to determine whether or not a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under a genre name indicating a genre to which any facility in the facility database belongs and search unit recited in any of claims 1 to 18.

30. The facility searching device according to claim 4, wherein the input of the plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

31. The facility searching device according to claim 5, wherein the input of the plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

32. The facility searching device according to claim 8, wherein the input of the plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

21. A facility searching method to be performed by a computer having a map database for map information and a facility database including positional information of each of various genres of facilities, the facility searching method comprising the steps of:

displaying on a display unit a map for a predetermined area on the basis of the a map database;

accepting an input for positions on the displayed map via a pointing device;

accepting an input by voice;

determining firstly whether or not a word inputted by the a voice input unit falls under a genre name indicating a genre to which any facility in the a facility database belongs;

determining secondly whether or not an input of a plurality of positions indicating a certain road on the map has been made as the a positional input; and

searching facilities which belong to a genre and which exist along the road or within a predetermined distance from the road, in response to determining that it has been determined within a predetermined time that, a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and that an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the positional input,

wherein the input of a plurality of position positions is an operation for moving a point position by the pointing device which pointing on the map, and

wherein if the plurality of positions are within a predetermined distance from the road, it is determined that an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the positional input.

22. The facility searching method according to claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether or not an input of a plurality of positions indicate any specific encircled area; and

searching facilities which belong to a genre and which exist within the encircled area, when a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and an input of a plurality of positions made as the positional input.

23. The facility searching method according to claim 21, further comprising;

determining whether or not an input of only one position has been made within a predetermined time; and

searching facilities which belong to a genre and which exist within a predetermined distance from the position, when a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and an input of a position has been made as the positional input.

24. The facility searching method according to claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether or not input tracing a plurality of roads intersecting or connected with each other on the map has been made; and

searching facilities which belong to a genre and which exist along or predetermined distance from the plurality of roads intersecting or connected with each other on the map, when a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the positional input.

25. The facility searching method according to claim 21, further comprising:

searching facilities which belong to a genre and which exist the road or within a predetermined distance from the road as far as between the first input of a plurality of positions and the last input of a plurality of positions, when a word inputted by the voice input unit falls under the genre name and an input of a plurality of positions has been made as the positional input.

26. The facility searching method according to claim 21, wherein the input of a plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

27. The facility searching method according to claim 22, wherein the input of a plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

28. The facility searching method according to claim 24, wherein the input of a plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.

29. The facility searching method according to claim 25, wherein the input of a plurality of positions is performed by a drag operation.