Route guidance system and method for a pedestrian

• US 6,339,746 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Hiroshi, Doi, Miwako, Hasegawa, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/651,095
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200-215, 701/23-26, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995, 340/996, 340/989, 340/988, 340/993, 340/323.R, 342/456, 342/457, 342/451, 342/450, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

A route guidance system for a pedestrian. An input unit inputs a departure point and a destination point of the pedestrian. A route data memory stores route data representing position and connection of each route comprising a road network. A route calculation unit calculates a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to the route data in said route data memory. A landmark memory stores landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation; a landmark represents a signpost of the departure point, the destination point, and the route. A landmark selection unit selects the landmark data corresponding to the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory. A presentation unit presents a route guidance to the pedestrian using the calculated route and the selected landmark data.

Claims

1. A route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising:

an input unit configured to input a departure point and a destination point of a pedestrian user;

a route data memory configured to store route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to the route data in said route data memory;

a landmark memory configured to store landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route;

a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data along the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory; and

a presentation unit configured to present a route guidance to the pedestrian using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit, and to indicate to the pedestrian to confirm the landmark in the route guidance whenever said presentation unit presents each landmark along the route;

wherein said input unit inputs a response including a confirmation by the pedestrian for each landmark presented by said presentation unit.

2. The route guidance system according to claim 1,

wherein the landmark data comprises a landmark ID, a name, a class, a position of each landmark, and a pedestrian aptitude of each class, the pedestrian aptitude is evaluation to confirm the landmark belonging to the class.

3. The route guidance system according to claim 1,

wherein said input unit determines the present time,

wherein said landmark memory stores an aptitude time of each landmark, the aptitude time is a time segment for the pedestrian to confirm the landmark, and

wherein said landmark selection unit selects the landmark data whose aptitude time coincides with the present time.

4. The route guidance system according to claim 1,

wherein said presentation unit outputs the selected landmark positioned along the route on a map through a portable display, or interactively outputs speech to lead the user to the destination through a headphone.

5. The route guidance system according to claim 1,

whenever said presentation unit presents each landmark along the route until the pedestrian'"'"'s arriving at the destination point,

wherein said input unit inputs the response including the confirmation by the pedestrian for each landmark in order.

6. The route guidance system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a position acquisition unit configured to acquire a present position of the pedestrian, an accuracy of position acquisition being predetermined;

a position accuracy decision unit configured to determine an accuracy of position confirmation between the present position and actual position by referring to a response of the pedestrian; and

a route guidance control unit configured to control the presentation method of the route guidance according to the accuracy of position acquisition and the accuracy of position confirmation.

7. The route guidance system according to claim 6,

wherein said route guidance control unit changes a presentation timing of the route guidance to the user according to the accuracy of position acquisition of said position acquisition unit.

8. The route guidance system according to claim 6,

wherein said route guidance control unit changes an explanation mode representing whether the confirmation of the user is necessary according to the accuracy of position confirmation determined by said position accuracy decision unit.

9. The route guidance system according to claim 6,

wherein,

if the present position is not the destination, said presentation unit presents a landmark for confirming an advance direction, and,

if the confirmation for the landmark is input from said input unit,

said presentation unit instructs the pedestrian to walk along the advance direction.

10. The route guidance system according to claim 6,

wherein said landmark memory stores a viewable distance of daytime and nighttime of the pedestrian for each landmark, and

further comprising a move distance acquisition unit configured to acquire a distance the user walks.

11. The route guidance system according to claim 10,

wherein said route guidance control unit determines a start point to present a next landmark according to the distance traveled by the user, the position and the viewable distance of the next landmark, and

wherein said presentation unit presents the next landmark when the present position of the user coincides with the start point.

12. The route guidance control system according to claim 11, wherein,

if the next landmark is used for a branch point and the confirmation of the next landmark is input from said input unit,

said presentation unit instructs the user to turn in a predetermined direction at the branch point.

13. The route guidance control system according to claim 10,

wherein said landmark memory additionally stores a confirmation level representing one of name, class, and number of stories as confirmable data of each landmark, and

wherein, if the confirmation level of the landmark to be presented is already stored in said landmark memory,

said presentation unit presents the landmark representing the confirmation level to the user.

14. The route guidance control system according to claim 13, wherein,

if the confirmation level of the landmark is not stored in said landmark memory,

said presentation unit presents the landmark in order of the number of stories, the class, the name, and urges the user to input whether the landmark is confirmed whenever each confirmation level of the landmark is presented.

15. The route guidance control system according to claim 14,

further comprising a landmark information editing unit configured to set the confirmation level of higher order if the landmark is confirmed by the user to said landmark memory.

16. The route guidance control system according to claim 10,

further comprising an uneasiness degree acquisition unit configured to detect whether the user is uneasy, and

wherein, when said uneasiness degree acquisition unit detects that the user is uneasy,

said presentation unit presents a landmark neighboring the present position of the user to remove the uneasiness.

17. The route guidance control system according to claim 6,

wherein said input unit is a speech recognition unit to recognize a number of the user'"'"'s words, and

wherein, if a maximum number of recognizable words is N,

said route guidance control unit registers landmark names neighboring the present position of the user whose number is below N as recognition object vocabularies of the speech recognition unit in order for the user to speak the neighboring landmark name.

18. The route guidance control system according to claim 17, wherein,

if the number of landmark names neighboring the present position of the user is above N,

said route guidance control unit first registers classes of the landmark names as the recognition object vocabularies of the speech recognition unit, and, if one class is selected by the user'"'"'s speech through the speech recognition unit, registers landmark names belonging to the one class as the recognition object words of the speech recognition unit.

19. The route guidance control system according to claim 17, wherein,

if one landmark name selected by the user'"'"'s speech is not on the route calculated by said route calculation unit,

said route calculation unit calculates a new route based on the one landmark as a departure place in order to present the route guidance again.

20. The route guidance control system according to claim 6,

wherein said input unit is a menu selection unit for the user to select from a plurality of selection items on a display, and

wherein, if a number of displayable selection items is N,

said route guidance control unit registers landmark names neighboring the present position of the user whose number is below N as display object selection items of the menu selection unit in order for the user to select the neighboring landmark.

21. The route guidance control system according to claim 20, wherein,

if the number of landmark names neighboring the present position of the user is above N,

said route guidance control unit first registers classes of the landmark names as the display object selection items of the menu selection unit, and if one class is selected by the user through the menu selection unit, registers landmark names belonging to the one class as the display object selection items of the menu selection unit.

22. The route guidance control system according to claim 20, wherein,

if one landmark name selected by the user is not on the route calculated by said route calculation unit,

said route calculation unit calculates a new route based on the one landmark as a departure place in order to present the route guidance again.

23. A route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive data representing a departure point and a destination point transmitted from a portable terminal;

a route data memory configured to store route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to the route data in said route data memory;

a landmark memory configured to store landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route;

a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data along the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory; and

a transmitter configured to transmit route guidance data using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit to the portable terminal, and to transmit an indication for the pedestrian to confirm each landmark in the route guidance data to the portable terminal;

wherein said receiver receives a response including a confirmation for each landmark from the portable terminal.

24. A route guidance method for a pedestrian, comprising:

inputting a departure point and a destination point of a pedestrian user;

calculating a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to prestored route data, the route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

selecting landmark data along the calculated route from restored landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route;

presenting a route guidance to the pedestrian using the calculated route and the selected landmark data;

requiring the pedestrian to confirm the landmark in the route guidance whenever each landmark is presented along the route; and

inputting a response including a confirmation by the pedestrian for each presented landmark.

25. A computer readable memory containing computer readable instructions, comprising:

an instruction unit for causing a computer to input a departure point and a destination point of a pedestrian;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to prestored route data, the route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to select landmark data along the calculated route from prestored landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to present a route guidance to the pedestrian using the calculated route and the selected landmark data;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to indicate to the pedestrian to confirm the landmark in the route guidance whenever each landmark is presented along the route; and

an instruction unit for causing a computer to input a response including a confirmation by the pedestrian for each presented landmark.

26. A route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising:

an input unit configured to input a departure point, a destination point, and the present time as the pedestrian'"'"'s actual walk time;

a route data memory configured to store route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to the route data in said route data memory;

a landmark memory configured to store landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure place, the destination point, and the route, the landmark data including an aptitude time of each landmark, the aptitude time is a time segment for the pedestrian to confirm the landmark;

a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data along the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory, the aptitude time of the landmark data selected coincide with the present time; and

a presentation unit configured to present a route guidance to the pedestrian using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit.

27. A route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive data representing a departure point, a destination point, and the present time as the pedestrian'"'"'s actual walk time, transmitted from a portable terminal;

a route data memory configured to store route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to the route data in said route data memory;

a landmark memory configured to store landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route, the landmark data including an aptitude time of each landmark, the aptitude time is a time segment for the pedestrian to confirm the landmark;

a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data along the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory, the aptitude time of the landmark data selected coincides with the present time; and

a transmitter configured to transmit route guidance data using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit to the portable terminal.

28. A route guidance method for a pedestrian, comprising:

inputting a departure point, a destination point, and the present time as the pedestrian'"'"'s actual walk time;

calculating a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to prestored route data, the route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

selecting landmark data along the calculated route from prestored landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route the landmark data including an aptitude time of each landmark, the aptitude time is a time segment for the pedestrian to confirm the landmark, the aptitude time of selected landmark data coincides with the present time; and

presenting a route guidance to the pedestrian using the calculated route and the selected landmark data.

29. A computer readable memory containing computer readable instructions, comprising:

an instruction unit for causing a computer to input a departure point, a destination point, and the present time as the pedestrian'"'"'s actual walk time;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to calculate a route from the departure point to the destination point by referring to prestored route data, the route data including path positions and connections of a road network;

an instruction unit for causing a computer to select landmark data along the calculated route from prestored landmark data for the pedestrian'"'"'s confirmation, each landmark representing a signpost of one of the departure point, the destination point, and the route, the landmark data including an aptitude time of each landmark, the aptitude time is a time segment for the pedestrian to confirm the landmark, the aptitude time of selected landmark data coincides with the present time; and

an instruction unit for causing a computer to present a route guidance to the pedestrian using the calculated route and the selected landmark data.