Apparatus and method for presenting navigation information based on instructions described in a script

• US 6,697,731 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takayama, Kuniharu, Naito, Hirohisa, Horai, Hisayuki, Sekiguchi, Minoru, Maeda, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/994,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.25, 340/995.26, 340/995.27, 340/995.28
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• 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 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A navigation script includes time and point information for navigation and information for guidance, and describes an instruction sequence which can represent these information in time series in a mark-up language. According to the structured data generated from the navigation script, an instruction corresponding to a current time or point is executed, so that information for guidance to be presented is output.

Claims

1. A portable navigation information providing apparatus for providing information to a user, comprising:

a conditional information storage storing pieces of information, each piece having attached thereto a presentation condition, including a time restriction in a predetermined format so that an appropriate piece of information from among the pieces of information can be provided to the user at an effective time satisfying the time restriction;

a unit checking the pieces of information at predetermined time intervals, and retrieving a piece of information with a time restriction satisfied by a current time; and

a unit providing the retrieved information to the user.

2. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising a range condition processing unit determining how to present information when the current time is included in a time range if the time restriction is a condition indicating the time range, and

wherein said unit providing the information provides the retrieved information according to said range condition processing unit when the time restriction is satisfied.

3. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit checking the pieces of information by using an estimating module estimating a future state if the time restriction is a relative condition.

4. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of information are represented by a navigation script composed of an instruction sequence based on a predetermined specification, in which at least one of time information and point information, and information for guidance to be output according to at least one of a presentation time and a presentation point are described using a set of combinations of a name which identifies a type of the information and the contents thereof.

5. A portable navigation information providing apparatus for providing information to a user, comprising:

a conditional information storage storing pieces of information, each piece having attached thereto a presentation condition, including a point restriction in a predetermined format so that when the user is in a position satisfying the point restriction, the piece of information corresponding thereto can be provided to the user;

a unit obtaining information about a point of a user;

a unit checking the pieces of information according to the point of the user, and retrieving a piece of information with a point restriction satisfied by the point of the user; and

a unit providing the retrieved information to the user.

6. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 5,

further comprising a range condition processing unit determining how to present information when the point of the user is included in a point range if the point restriction is a condition indicating the point range, and

wherein the unit providing the retrieved information provides the retrieved information according to said range condition processing unit when the point restriction is satisfied.

7. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a unit checking the pieces of information by using an estimating module estimating a future state if the point restriction is a relative condition.

8. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pieces of information are represented by a navigation script composed of an instruction sequence based on a predetermined specification, in which at least one of time information and point information, and information for guidance to be output according to at least one of a presentation time and a presentation point are described using a set of combinations of a name which identifies a type of the information and the contents thereof.

9. A portable navigation information providing apparatus for providing information to a user, comprising:

a conditional information storage storing information to which a presentation condition including a point restriction in a predetermined format is attached, so that when the user is in a position satisfying the point restriction, the information corresponding thereto can be provided to the user;

a unit obtaining information about a plurality of points of a plurality of users;

a unit checking the information with the point restriction, and retrieving a user at a point which satisfies the point restriction; and

a unit providing the information with the point restriction to the user retrieved by said checking unit.

10. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 9,

further comprising a range condition processing unit determining how to present information when a point of a user is included in a point range if the point restriction is a condition indicating the place range, and

wherein said unit providing the information provides the information according to said range condition processing unit when the point restriction is satisfied.

11. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a unit checking the information with the point restriction by using an estimating module estimating a future state if the point restriction is a relative condition.

12. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information with the point restriction is represented by a navigation script composed of an instruction sequence based on a predetermined specification, in which at least one of time information and point information, and information for guidance to be output according to at least one of a presentation time and a presentation point are described using a set of combination of a name which identifies a type of the information and the contents thereof.

13. A portable navigation information providing apparatus for providing information to a user, comprising:

a conditional information storage storing a plurality of pieces of information, each piece having a presentation condition attached thereto, including a time restriction and a point restriction is attached, the time and point restrictions respectively specifying an effective time and an effective point in predetermined formats so that at least one appropriate piece of information from among the pieces of information can be provided to the user when the time and point restrictions are satisfied by a current time and a location of the user;

a unit checking the pieces of information at predetermined time intervals, and retrieving a piece of information with a time restriction satisfied by the current time;

a unit obtaining information about a plurality of points of a plurality of users;

a unit performing one of a process of checking the pieces of information according to one of the points of the users and retrieving a piece of information with a point restriction satisfied by the one of the points of the users, and a process of checking a piece of information and retrieving a user at a point which satisfies the point restriction; and

a unit providing the retrieved information to the user retrieved by said performing unit.

14. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 13,

further comprising a range condition processing unit determining how to present information when one of the current time and a point of a user is included in a certain range if the presentation condition is a condition indicating the certain range, and

wherein said unit providing the retrieved information provides the retrieved information according to said range condition processing unit when the presentation condition is satisfied.

15. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a unit checking the pieces of information by using an estimating module estimating a future state if the presentation condition is a relative condition.

16. The navigation information providing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the pieces of information are represented by a navigation script composed of an instruction sequence based on a predetermined specification, in which at least one of time information and point information, and information for guidance to be output according to at least one of a presentation time and a presentation point are described using a set of combinations of a name which identifies a type of the information and the contents thereof.

17. A navigation information providing method for providing information to a user, comprising:

storing in a portable conditional information storage a plurality of pieces of information, each piece having attached thereto a presentation condition including at least one of a time restriction and a point restriction, the time and point restrictions respectively specifying an effective time and an effective point in predetermined formats so that at least one appropriate piece of information from among the pieces of information can be provided to the user when the time and point restrictions are satisfied by a current time and a location of the user;

retrieving at least one of a piece of information with a time restriction satisfied by the current time and a piece of information with a point restriction satisfied by the location of the receiving the provided information, with one of a method of checking the pieces of information at predetermined time intervals, and a method of checking the pieces of information according to the point of the user; and

providing the retrieved information to the user.

18. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for implementing with a computer a portable device which provides information to a user, and for causing the computer to execute a process comprising:

storing in a conditional information storage a plurality of pieces of information, each piece having attached thereto a presentation condition including at least one of a time restriction and a point restriction, the time and point restrictions respectively specifying an effective time and an effective point in predetermined formats so that at least one appropriate piece of information from among the pieces of information can be provided to the user when the time and point restrictions are satisfied by a current time and a location of the user;

retrieving at least one of a piece of information with a time restriction satisfied by the current time and a piece of information with a point restriction satisfied by the location of the user receiving the provided information, with one of a method of checking the pieces of information at predetermined time intervals, and a method of checking the pieces of information according to the point of the user; and

providing the retrieved information to a user.

19. A portable navigation information presenting apparatus for presenting navigation information to a user according to a state, comprising:

a unit dynamically selecting navigation information to be presented according to a change of at least one of time information and point information, at least one of an effective time at which the navigation information is to be presented and an effective point in which the navigation information is to be presented being described in a predetermined format in the selected navigation information and being used to select the navigation information to be presented; and

a unit outputting the selected navigation information according to at least one of the effective time at which the selected navigation information is to be presented

and the effective point in which the selected navigation information is to be presented.