Vehicle-mounted device and its control method

Abstract

The present invention provides an in-vehicle device and a control method thereof. The in-vehicle device includes: a storage unit that stores map information; a current position detection unit that detects the current position of the vehicle; a receiving unit that receives messages; and a playback unit that plays back the messages received by the receiving unit in the order of reception by voice. The feature is that it further includes: a content confirmation unit that, when a message is received by the receiving unit, confirms whether the content of the message includes information on a point of interest (POI), i.e., POI information; a position determination unit that, when it is confirmed by the content confirmation unit that the content of the message includes POI information, determines, based on the map information stored in the storage unit, whether the POI is within a specified range of the current position detected by the current position detection unit; and a playback control unit that, when it is determined by the position determination unit that the POI is within the specified range, controls the playback unit to preferentially play back the message including the POI information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to in-vehicle devices and control methods thereof, and more particularly to in-vehicle devices capable of playing received messages and control methods thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of various social software, using social software to send and receive messages for communication between communication terminals such as smart phones has become an indispensable part of daily life. When using social software to send and receive messages, not only traditional text-based messages can be sent and received, but also voice-based messages can be sent and received.

[0003] Recently, the above-mentioned social software can be used not only on portable communication terminals such as smart phones, but also on in-vehicle devices such as in-vehicle navigation devices. Similar to social software applicable to smart phones, social software applicable to in-vehicle devices also has the function of sending and receiving messages. However, for driving safety considerations, the social software of in-vehicle devices can only input or play voice messages, and cannot input or display text messages. Even if a text message is received from an external device, the text message is converted into voice for playback.

[0004] In addition, in an in-vehicle device using social software, when multiple messages are received from one contact or multiple contacts in a short period of time, the received messages are sequentially played in the order of reception by voice. For example, if it is assumed that when a new message is received and there are still 3 unplayed messages in front, and the content length or playback time required for each message is 30 seconds, then this new message needs to queue up and will be played after 30 seconds * 3 = 90 seconds.

[0005] However, when there is a message containing location information in the multiple received messages, if the message is played in the order of reception, the vehicle may have passed the location when the message is played. For example, assume that there is a message from a family member asking to pick up a cake at a cake shop among the multiple messages received when the user is driving home from work. If the reception time of this message is relatively late compared to the reception times of other messages, due to the above message queuing situation, when the in-vehicle device plays this message, the vehicle may have passed the cake shop or missed the fork to the cake shop. For the user to go to this location, they must turn around or use another route. This not only wastes fuel consumption but also wastes time, which is very inconvenient for the user. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an in-vehicle device and a control method thereof that can adjust the playback order of received messages.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the vehicle-mounted equipment of the present invention comprises: a storage unit storing map information; a current position detection unit detecting the current position of the vehicle; a receiving unit receiving messages; and a playback unit playing the messages received by the above-mentioned receiving unit in sound according to the order of reception; the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted equipment is characterized in that it also comprises: a content confirmation unit confirming whether the content of the message contains information of a point of interest (POI), i.e., POI information, when the message is received by the above-mentioned receiving unit; a position judgment unit, when the above-mentioned content confirmation unit confirms that the content of the above-mentioned message contains POI information, judging whether the above-mentioned POI is within the specified range of the current position detected by the above-mentioned current position detection unit according to the map information stored in the above-mentioned storage unit; and a playback control unit, when the above-mentioned position judgment unit judges that the above-mentioned POI is within the above-mentioned specified range, controlling the above-mentioned playback unit to give priority to playing the message containing the above-mentioned POI information.

[0008] Therefore, when the received message contains surrounding POI information, the playback order can be adjusted to give priority to playing the message containing the POI, thereby avoiding as much as possible the trouble of the vehicle having passed the POI and needing to return when the message containing the POI is played, thereby improving the user experience.

[0009] Furthermore, the content confirmation unit may confirm the content of the message received by the receiving unit only when the vehicle is traveling.

[0010] Thus, by confirming the content of the message only when the vehicle is traveling, it is possible to give priority to playing messages including surrounding POIs and also to appropriately reduce the amount of processing.

[0011] Furthermore, the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device may also include: a destination information acquisition unit for acquiring information of the destination, i.e., destination information; and a POI confirmation unit for confirming, with respect to the above-mentioned POI confirmed by the above-mentioned content confirmation unit, whether it is not the above-mentioned destination and the path to the above-mentioned destination does not pass through the POI; when the above-mentioned position determination unit determines that the above-mentioned POI is within the above-mentioned prescribed range, and the above-mentioned POI confirmation unit confirms that the POI is not the above-mentioned destination and the path to the above-mentioned destination does not pass through the POI, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to give priority to playing the message containing the POI information.

[0012] Thus, when the POI included in the message is the destination or the route to the destination passes through the POI, the message including the POI is not played with priority because the vehicle must pass by the POI. This prevents excessive adjustment of the playback order and only performs meaningful priority playback.

[0013] Also, it is possible that the above-mentioned position determination unit further determines whether the above-mentioned POI is in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle; when it is determined by the above-mentioned position determination unit that the above-mentioned POI is not in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to preferentially play the message including the above-mentioned POI information.

[0014] Thus, for example, when the POI included in the message is behind the traveling direction of the vehicle, the message can be preferentially played, enabling the user to quickly know that the vehicle and the POI are in opposite directions, and avoiding greater losses due to the vehicle moving farther away from the POI.

[0015] Also, it is possible that the above-mentioned in-vehicle device further includes a passing determination unit, which determines whether the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order when it is determined by the above-mentioned position determination unit that the above-mentioned POI is in front of the traveling direction within the above-mentioned specified range; when it is determined by the above-mentioned passing determination unit that the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to preferentially play the message including the above-mentioned POI information.

[0016] Also, it is possible that when it is determined by the above-mentioned position determination unit that the above-mentioned POI is in front of the traveling direction within the above-mentioned specified range, the above-mentioned passing determination unit calculates the required playback time until the message including the above-mentioned POI information is played in the receiving order according to the receiving order and content length of the messages not yet played by the above-mentioned playback unit, calculates the required moving time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the above-mentioned POI according to the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the current position to the above-mentioned POI, and determines that the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order when the required moving time is less than the required playback time.

[0017] Thus, when the POI included in the message is within the specified range and the vehicle will pass the POI before playing the message in the receiving order, the message is preferentially played, thereby suppressing excessive adjustment of the playback order and only performing meaningful preferential playback.

[0018] Also, it is possible that the in-vehicle device further includes: a fork detection unit that, when it is determined by the position determination unit that the POI is ahead in the driving direction within the specified range, detects whether there is a fork leading to the POI ahead in the driving direction based on the map information; and a passing determination unit that, when a fork leading to the POI is detected by the fork detection unit, determines whether the vehicle passes the fork before the playback unit plays the message including the POI information in the received order; when it is determined by the passing determination unit that the vehicle passes the fork before the playback unit plays the message including the POI information in the received order, the playback control unit controls the playback unit to preferentially play the message including the POI information.

[0019] When a fork leading to the POI is detected by the fork detection unit, the passing determination unit calculates the required playback time until the message including the POI information is played in the received order based on the received order and content length of the messages not yet played by the playback unit, calculates the required travel time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the fork based on the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the current position to the fork, and determines that the vehicle passes the fork before the playback unit plays the message including the POI information when the required travel time is less than the required playback time.

[0020] Thus, by preferentially playing the message when there is a fork leading to the POI ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle will pass the fork before the message is played in the received order, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from taking a detour after passing the fork before the message is played, improving the user experience. Moreover, it is also possible to suppress excessive adjustment of the playback order and only perform meaningful preferential playback.

[0021] Also, it is possible that the passing determination unit, when the fork detection unit does not detect a fork leading to the POI, determines whether the vehicle passes the POI before the playback unit plays the message including the POI information in the received order; when it is determined by the passing determination unit that the vehicle passes the POI before the playback unit plays the message including the POI information in the received order, the playback control unit controls the playback unit to preferentially play the message including the POI information.

[0022] Thus, it is possible to further improve the user experience and only perform meaningful preferential playback.

[0023] In order to achieve the above object, a control method for an in-vehicle device according to the present invention, the in-vehicle device includes: a storage unit that stores map information; a current position detection unit that detects the current position of the vehicle; a receiving unit that receives messages; and a playback unit that plays back the messages received by the receiving unit in the order of reception by voice; the control method for the in-vehicle device is characterized by including: a content confirmation step of confirming whether the content of the message contains information of a point of interest (POI), i.e., POI information, when the message is received by the receiving unit; a position determination step of, when it is confirmed by the content confirmation step that the content of the message contains POI information, determining whether the POI is within a specified range of the current position detected by the current position detection unit according to the map information stored in the storage unit; and a playback control step of, when it is determined by the position determination step that the POI is within the specified range, controlling the playback unit to preferentially play back the message containing the POI information.

[0024] Thereby, when the received message contains POI information of the surroundings, the playback order can be adjusted to preferentially play back the message containing the POI, thus as much as possible avoiding troubles such as the vehicle having passed the POI when playing the message containing the POI and needing to return, etc., and improving the user experience.

[0025] The present invention can also be implemented as an in-vehicle system, a program for causing a computer to execute the control method for the in-vehicle device, and a recording medium recording the program, and corresponding technical effects can be obtained. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of an in-vehicle device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a control method for an in-vehicle device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of an in-vehicle device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a control method for an in-vehicle device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of an in-vehicle device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a control method for an in-vehicle device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the in-vehicle device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining an example of detecting a fork in the road to a POI.

[0034] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing the control method of the in-vehicle device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0035] Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device of the present invention and its control method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] (First Embodiment)

[0037] First, with reference to Figure 1 The in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 Only the mechanisms related to the technical idea of the present invention are shown, and other mechanisms are omitted.

[0038] As Figure 1 shown, the in-vehicle device 1 includes a storage unit 11, a current position detection unit 12, a reception unit 13, a playback unit 14, a content confirmation unit 15, a position determination unit 16, and a playback control unit 17.

[0039] The storage unit 11 is used to store map information. Specifically, information related to map drawing, route search, route guidance, etc. is stored. The storage unit 11 can be composed of various memories such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, DVD-ROM, magnetic disk, hard disk drive, etc.

[0040] The current position detection unit 12 is used to detect the current position of the vehicle. The current position detection unit 12 can be, for example, a position sensor such as a gyro sensor. However, it is not limited thereto. For example, the current position of the vehicle can also be obtained from a positioning system such as a GPS system.

[0041] The receiving unit 13 is used to receive messages, such as a wired or wireless communication interface or module capable of communicating with the outside. In addition, the received message can be a short message sent from a communication object to a base station received from the base station through SMS (Short Message Service) provided by a communication operator, or a friend message received by a social software installed on the vehicle-mounted device 1, and can also be a message sent to the vehicle-mounted device 1 by other software installed on a communication terminal associated with the social software. In addition, the type of the message is not limited to the specific examples given above, and can be a message received by any means. And the message received by the receiving unit 13 can be a text message or a voice message. The receiving unit 13 can also obtain time information such as the timing when the message is received.

[0042] The playback unit 14 plays the message received by the receiving unit 13 in voice, for example, through a vehicle-mounted audio system. For example, when a voice message is received by the receiving unit 13, the playback unit 14 plays the voice message directly. When a text message is received by the receiving unit 13, the playback unit 14 converts the text message into a voice message and plays it in voice.

[0043] In addition, when the receiving unit 13 receives multiple messages in a short period of time, the playback unit 14 plays these messages in the order of reception. For example, if a new message is received by the receiving unit 13 while the playback unit 14 is playing a message, the new message is in a playback waiting state and is automatically played after the currently playing message is played, or played according to the user's instruction.

[0044] The content confirmation unit 15, when a message is received by the receiving unit 13, confirms whether the content of the message contains POI (Point of Interest) information, and is composed of, for example, a CPU or an MCU, etc. A POI can be a house, a shopping mall, a bus stop, a restaurant, etc. Here, when the received message is a text message, it can be directly confirmed from the content of the text message whether it contains a POI. When the received message is a voice message, the content of the message can be obtained first through voice recognition, and then it is confirmed whether the content of the message contains POI information.

[0045] In addition, preferably, the content confirmation unit 15 only confirms the content of the received message when the vehicle is in a driving state. Since when the vehicle is stopped, the possibility that the vehicle passes by this POI in a short period of time is relatively small, the necessity of immediately informing the user of this POI also becomes relatively small. Therefore, such processing is more meaningful for the user and can appropriately suppress the processing amount.

[0046] When the content confirmation unit 15 confirms that the content of the received message contains POI information, the position determination unit 16 determines whether the POI is within a specified range of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 12 based on the map information stored in the storage unit 11. The position determination unit 16 is constituted by, for example, a CPU or an MCU. In addition, the specified range can be, for example, several kilometers, several hundred meters, etc., but is not limited thereto, and can also be appropriately set as needed or based on experience or experiments.

[0047] When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI included in the message is within the specified range, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information. The playback control unit 17 is constituted by, for example, a CPU or an MCU.

[0048] The control method of the in-vehicle device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 2 It is a flowchart showing the control method of the in-vehicle device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The process is executed in real time, for example, in a state where the in-vehicle device 1 is started.

[0049] As Figure 2 shown, first, in step S101, the receiving unit 12 receives a message from an external device by communicating with the external device, for example. If the receiving unit 12 does not receive a message (No in step S101), this step S101 is repeatedly executed. If the receiving unit 12 receives a message (Yes in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102.

[0050] In step S102, the content confirmation unit 15 confirms whether the content of the message received in step S101 contains a POI. If the content confirmation unit 15 confirms that the message content does not contain a POI (No in step S102), no processing is performed and the process returns. In this case, the playback unit 14 will play the received messages in the order of reception. In addition, if the content confirmation unit 15 confirms that the content of the message contains a POI (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0051] In step S103, the position determination unit 16 determines whether the POI confirmed in step S102 is within the specified range of the current position based on the map information stored in the storage unit 11. When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI is not within the specified range of the current position (No in step S103), it returns without performing any processing. In this case, the playback unit 14 will play the received messages in the order in which they are received. For example, when the current position is in front of a building in Beijing, if the location of the POI contained in the message content is a POI in Shanghai or even a POI abroad, the playback order of the message containing the POI information will not be adjusted, but will be played as usual in the order in which it is received.

[0052] When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI is within the predetermined range of the current position (Yes in step S103 ), the process proceeds to step S104 .

[0053] In step S104, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to give priority to playing the message containing the POI. In this case, the playback unit 14 plays the message containing the POI in priority according to the control of the playback control unit 17. For example, when the current location is in front of a building in Beijing, if the POI contained in the message content is a "drug store" around the building, the message containing the POI "drug store" is controlled to be played first.

[0054] Thus, according to the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the control method thereof of this embodiment, when the received message content includes POIs around the current location, the order of playing the messages is adjusted to give priority to playing the messages containing the POI information. Thus, the trouble of the vehicle having passed the POI and needing to return when playing the message containing the POI information can be avoided as much as possible, and the user experience can be improved.

[0055] (Second Embodiment)

[0056] In the present embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment are mainly described, and the same or similar parts as the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0057] Figure 3 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3As shown in the figure, in addition to having the same storage unit 11, current location detection unit 12, receiving unit 13, playback unit 14, content confirmation unit 15, location determination unit 16, and playback control unit 17 as the in-vehicle device 1 of the first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 1A of the present embodiment further includes a destination information acquisition unit 18 and a POI confirmation unit 19.

[0058] The destination information acquisition unit 18 acquires the information of the destination, that is, the destination information. Here, the destination may be a destination set by the user in the in-vehicle device 1A, but is not limited thereto, and the destination may also be acquired from the user's schedule.

[0059] The POI confirmation unit 19 confirms whether the POI confirmed by the content confirmation unit 15 is the destination acquired by the destination information acquisition unit 18 and whether the path to the destination passes through the POI.

[0060] In the present embodiment, when the location determination unit 16 determines that the POI is within the specified range and the POI confirmation unit 19 confirms that the POI is not the destination and the path to the destination does not pass through the POI, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information.

[0061] The control method of the in-vehicle device 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the control method of the in-vehicle device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The process of is executed in real time, for example, when the in-vehicle device 1A is started.

[0062] As Figure 4 shown, the processes of steps S201 to S203 are the same as the processes of steps S101 to S103 in the Figure 2 and will not be described herein again.

[0063] In Figure 4 , when the location determination unit 16 determines in step S203 that the POI included in the message content is within the specified range of the current location (Yes in step S203), it proceeds to step S204, and the destination information acquisition unit 18 acquires the destination information.

[0064] Next, in step S205, the POI confirmation unit 19 confirms whether the POI is the destination obtained in step S204. If it is confirmed that the POI is the destination obtained in step S204 (Yes in step S205), since the vehicle is surely going to this POI, no processing is performed and the process returns. At this time, the playback unit 14 plays the received messages in the order of reception. Further, if the POI confirmation unit 19 confirms that the POI is not the destination obtained in step S204 (No in step S205), the process advances to step S206.

[0065] In step S206, the POI confirmation unit 19 further confirms whether the route to the destination passes through this POI. If it is confirmed that the route to the destination passes through this POI (Yes in step S206), since the vehicle surely passes through this POI, no processing is performed and the process returns. At this time, the playback unit 14 plays the received messages in the order of reception. If the POI confirmation unit 19 confirms that the route to the destination does not pass through this POI (No in step S206), it is necessary to inform the customer of this POI as soon as possible. Therefore, in the next step S207, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information. In this case, the playback unit 14 preferentially plays the message including the POI information according to the control of the playback control unit 17.

[0066] In the above steps, steps S205 and S206 correspond to the POI confirmation steps.

[0067] According to the in-vehicle device 1A and its control method of the present embodiment, when the POI included in the message is the destination or the route to the destination passes through the POI, the message including the POI is not preferentially played. On the other hand, when the POI included in the message is not the destination and the route to the destination does not pass through the POI, the message including the POI information is preferentially played. Thereby, excessive adjustment of the playback order is suppressed, and only meaningful preferential playback is performed.

[0068] In addition, in Figure 4In the case where it is determined in step S203 that the POI is within the specified range, the processes of step S204 to S206, such as obtaining the destination, determining whether the POI is the destination, and whether the route to the destination passes through the POI, are further performed. However, it is not limited to this. The order of the process of step S203 and the processes of step S204 to step S206 may be swapped, or when it is determined in step S202 that the message content includes a POI, the process of step S203 and the processes of step S204 to S206 may be performed in parallel. As long as the playback control unit 17 can control the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information when the POI is within the specified range, and the POI is not the destination and the route to the destination does not pass through the POI, any order is acceptable.

[0069] (Third Embodiment)

[0070] Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 1B and its control method according to the third embodiment will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, the description will be centered on the differences from the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used for the parts that are the same as or similar to those in the first embodiment, and the repeated descriptions will be appropriately omitted.

[0071] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle device 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 5 shown, the in-vehicle device 1B of the present embodiment further includes a determination unit 20 in addition to the same storage unit 11, current position detection unit 12, reception unit 13, playback unit 14, content confirmation unit 15, position determination unit 16, and playback control unit 17 as those of the in-vehicle device 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, the difference between the in-vehicle device 1B of the present embodiment and the in-vehicle device 1 of the first embodiment also lies in the functions of the position determination unit 16 and the playback control unit 17.

[0072] In the present embodiment, in addition to determining whether the POI included in the message content is within the specified range, the position determination unit 16 also determines whether the POI is in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle. Here, "front" not only refers to the strict front, but may also refer to a certain angular orientation relative to the due front, or it can be said to include the due front, the front left, and the front right.

[0073] When the determination unit 20 determines that the vehicle has passed the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the forward direction within the specified range as determined by the position determination unit 16. That is, it is determined that if the playback unit 14 plays the messages in the order of reception, whether the vehicle has passed the POI when playing the message including the POI. In other words, it is determined whether the playback unit 14 can play the message including the POI information before the vehicle passes the POI.

[0074] As a specific determination method, there is the following method: The passing determination unit 20 calculates the playback required time until playing the message including the POI information in the order of reception based on the reception order and content length of the messages not yet played by the playback unit 14. For example, when there are 3 unplayed messages and the lengths of each message are 30 seconds, 50 seconds, and 40 seconds respectively, the message including the POI information is played after 120 (=30 + 50 + 40) seconds, and the playback required time is 120 seconds. Here, when the message is an audio message, the content length of the message can be directly obtained. When the message is a text message, the content length is the time required to play the text message in audio. And the passing determination unit 20 calculates the movement required time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the POI based on the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the current position to the POI. Then, the calculated playback required time and movement required time are compared. When the movement required time is less than the playback required time, the passing determination unit 20 determines that the vehicle has passed the POI before playing the message including the POI information in the order of reception, or it can be said that the playback unit 14 cannot play the message including the POI information before the vehicle passes the POI.

[0075] In the present embodiment, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information when the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI included in the message content is not in the forward direction of the vehicle's travel, and when the position determination unit determines that the POI included in the message content is in the forward direction of the vehicle's travel and the vehicle has passed the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the order of reception.

[0076] Hereinafter, the control method of the in-vehicle device 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing the control method of the in-vehicle device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The process is executed in real time, for example, when the in-vehicle device 1B is started.

[0077] As Figure 6As shown, the processing of steps S301 to S303 is the same as that of steps S101 to S103 in the first embodiment, and will not be elaborated here. Figure 2 In ,

[0078] , when the position determination unit 16 determines in step S303 that the POI is within the specified range of the current position (Yes in step S303), the process proceeds to step S304.

[0078] In Figure 6 In step S304, the position determination unit 16 further determines whether the POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction. When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI is not in front of the vehicle's traveling direction (No in step S304), it means that the vehicle will get farther away from the POI if it continues to move forward, so it is necessary to inform the user as soon as possible, and the process proceeds to step S306.

[0079] In step S306, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information. At this time, the playback unit 14 preferentially plays the message including the POI information according to the control of the playback control unit 17.

[0080] When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction (Yes in step S304), the process proceeds to step S305.

[0081] In step S305, the determination unit 20 compares the movement required time to reach the POI and the playback required time to play the message including the POI information, and determines whether the vehicle will pass the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order. When it is determined that the movement required time is greater than the playback required time and the vehicle will not pass the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order (No in step S305), it means that even if played in the reception order, when the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information, the vehicle has not passed the POI yet, that is, it is in time to play in the reception order, so no processing is performed and the process returns. In this case, the playback unit 14 will play in the reception order.

[0082]

[0083] ​When it is determined that the vehicle will pass the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the received order because the time required for movement is less than the time required for playback (Yes in step S305), it means that if playback is performed in the received order, the vehicle has already passed the POI when the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information. Therefore, at this time, the process proceeds to step S306, and the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information. The playback unit 14 preferentially plays the message including the POI information according to the control of the playback control unit 17.

[0084] According to the in-vehicle device 1B and its control method of the present embodiment, when the POI included in the message content is not in front of the vehicle traveling direction, the message including the POI information is preferentially played. Thereby, it is possible to enable the user to adjust the route as soon as possible, minimize losses in terms of fuel consumption, time, etc., and further improve the user experience. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle passes the POI before playing the message including the POI information in the received order, the message including the POI information is preferentially played, thereby avoiding excessive adjustment of the playback order and only performing meaningful preferential playback.

[0085] In addition, what is described in the present embodiment Figure 6 The flow is only an example and can be variously modified. For example, some of the steps can be combined into one step, or the order can be changed or they can be executed in parallel.

[0086] Moreover, in the present embodiment, it is described based on the first embodiment. However, it is not limited thereto, and the present embodiment can also be combined with the second embodiment.

[0087] Furthermore, only a part of the present embodiment can be applied to the first embodiment and the second embodiment. For example, the determination process of "whether the POI is in front of the vehicle traveling direction" in the present embodiment can be separately applied to the first embodiment and the second embodiment. When applied to the first embodiment, if the POI included in the message content is not in front of the traveling direction within the specified range, the message is preferentially played. When applied to the second embodiment, it can be that if the POI included in the message content is the destination or the path to the destination passes through the POI, the message is not preferentially played, but if it is detected that the POI is not in front of the vehicle traveling direction, it is considered that the vehicle has passed the POI and the message is preferentially played.

[0088] Actually, the determination process of "whether the POI is in front of the vehicle during driving" can be executed at any stage. That is, regardless of when, as long as it is detected that the POI is not in front of the vehicle during driving, it is considered that the vehicle has passed the POI, and the message containing the POI information is preferentially played. Thus, the losses in terms of fuel consumption and time can be minimized.

[0089] (Fourth Embodiment)

[0090] Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 1C and its control method according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail. This embodiment is actually a more preferable embodiment of the third embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description will be centered on the differences from the third embodiment, and the same reference numerals will be used for the parts that are the same as or similar to those in the third embodiment, and the repeated descriptions will be appropriately omitted.

[0091] Figure 7 A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the in-vehicle device 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 7 shown, the in-vehicle device 1C of this embodiment further includes a fork detection unit 21 in addition to the storage unit 11, the current position detection unit 12, the receiving unit 13, the playback unit 14, the content confirmation unit 15, the position determination unit 16, the playback control unit 17, and the passing determination unit 20, which are the same as those of the in-vehicle device 1B in the third embodiment.

[0092] When the position determination unit 16 determines that the POI included in the message content is in front of the vehicle in the driving direction within a specified range, the fork detection unit 21 detects whether there is a fork in the driving direction ahead leading to the above POI according to the map information stored in the storage unit 11. Specifically, the fork detection unit 21 first detects whether there is a fork in the driving direction ahead. If there is a fork, it then determines whether the path to the above POI branches off from this fork. If the path to the above POI branches off from this fork, this fork is detected as the fork leading to the above POI.

[0093] Here, an example of detecting the fork leading to the POI will be described with reference to Figure 8 Figure 8 In the case of (a), there is a fork A in the driving direction ahead and the path to the POI branches off from this fork A. Therefore, the fork detection unit 21 detects this fork A as the fork leading to the POI. And, in Figure 8 the case of (b) of Figure 8 ​In the case of (c), there is no fork in the front of the driving direction. At this time, the fork detection unit 21 also cannot detect the fork to the POI.

[0094] Return to Figure 7 , in the present embodiment, when the fork detection unit 21 detects a fork to the above-mentioned POI, the passing determination unit 20 determines whether the vehicle passes through the fork before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the reception order. That is, it is determined that if the playback unit 14 plays the messages in the reception order of the messages, whether the vehicle has passed through the fork when playing the message including the POI information. In other words, it is determined whether the playback unit 14 can play the message including the POI information before the vehicle passes through the fork.

[0095] As a specific determination method, it is similar to the method in the third embodiment, and is as follows: The passing determination unit 20 calculates the required playback time until playing the message including the POI information in the reception order according to the reception order and content length of the messages not yet played by the playback unit 14. For example, when there are 3 messages not yet played, and the lengths of each message are 30 seconds, 50 seconds, and 40 seconds respectively, the message including the POI information is played after 120 (=30 + 50 + 40) seconds, and the required playback time is 120 seconds. Here, when the message is an audio message, the content length of the message can be directly obtained. When the message is a text message, the content length is the time required to play the text message in audio. And the passing determination unit 20 calculates the required movement time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the detected fork according to the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the current position to the detected fork. Then, the calculated required playback time and required movement time are compared. When the required movement time is less than the required playback time, the passing determination unit 20 determines that the vehicle passes through the fork before playing the message including the POI information in the reception order.

[0096] In addition, when the fork detection unit 21 does not detect a fork to the above-mentioned POI, the passing determination unit 20 determines whether the vehicle passes through the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the reception order. The specific determination method at this time is the same as the method described in the third embodiment, so the detailed description is omitted.

[0097] In addition, when the passing determination unit 20 determines that the vehicle passes through the fork before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the reception order, and when the passing determination unit 20 determines that the vehicle passes through the POI before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the reception order, the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information.

[0098] Hereinafter, a control method for the in-vehicle device 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 9 It is a flowchart showing the control method for the in-vehicle device 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 The process is executed in real time, for example, when the in-vehicle device 1C is started.

[0099] As Figure 9 shown, the processes of steps S401 to S404 are the same as those of steps S301 to S304 in the Figure 6 third embodiment, and thus will not be described herein.

[0100] In Figure 9 , when the position determination unit 16 determines in step 404 that the POI included in the message content is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction (Yes in step S404), it proceeds to step S405.

[0101] In step S405, the fork detection unit 21 detects whether there is a fork in the traveling direction in front within a specified range that leads to the POI. When the fork detection unit 21 detects a fork leading to the POI (Yes in step S405), then, in step S406, the passing determination unit 20 determines whether the vehicle passes through the fork before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order. For example, in Figure 8 case (a), the passing determination unit 20 determines whether the vehicle passes through the fork A before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order by comparing the time until the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order and the time required for the vehicle to move from the current position to the fork A.

[0102] When it is determined in step S406 that the vehicle will not pass through the fork before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the reception order (No in step S406), it means that even if played in the reception order, when the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information, the vehicle has not passed through the fork, that is, the playback unit 14 can play the message including the POI information before the vehicle passes through the fork. Therefore, no processing is performed. In this case, the playback unit 14 will play in the reception order.

[0103] In addition, when it is determined in step S406 that the vehicle will pass through the fork before the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information in the received order (yes in step S406), it means that if the playback is performed in the received order, when the playback unit 14 plays the message including the POI information, the vehicle has already passed through the fork. Therefore, at this time, it advances to step S407, and the playback control unit 17 controls the playback unit 14 to preferentially play the message including the POI information. The playback unit 14 preferentially plays the message including the POI information according to the control of the playback control unit 17.

[0104] In addition, when the fork detection unit 21 does not detect a fork to the POI in step S405 (no in step S405), it advances to step S408. Step S408 is the same as step S305 in Figure 6 the third embodiment, so the detailed description is omitted.

[0105] According to the in-vehicle device 1C and its control method of the present embodiment, when there is a fork to the POI ahead and the vehicle will pass through the fork before playing the message including the POI, the message including the POI information is preferentially played. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the trouble that the user misses the fork and needs to re-plan the route, and further improve the user experience. Also, it is possible to avoid excessive adjustment of the playback order and only perform meaningful preferential playback.

[0106] In addition, the Figure 9 process described in the present embodiment is only an example, and various modifications can be made. For example, some of the steps can be combined into one step, one step can be split into two steps, or they can be executed in parallel.

[0107] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the fork detection unit detects a fork in step S405 and the path to the POI branches off from the fork, the process of the next step S406 is performed. However, more preferably, when the fork detection unit detects a fork and the optimal path to the POI branches off from the fork, the process of the next step S406 is performed.

[0108] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments or their modifications are included in the scope or gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the scope of the claims and its equivalents.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device, comprising: A storage unit that stores map information; A current position detection unit that detects the current position of the vehicle; A receiving unit that receives messages; and A playback unit that plays the messages received by the receiving unit in the order of reception using sound; The in-vehicle device is characterized in that it further comprises: A content confirmation unit that, when a message is received by the receiving unit, confirms whether the content of the message contains information on a point of interest (POI), i.e., POI information; A position determination unit that, when the content confirmation unit confirms that the content of the message contains POI information, determines whether the POI is within a specified range of the current position detected by the current position detection unit based on the map information stored in the storage unit; and A playback control unit that, when the position determination unit determines that the POI is within the specified range, controls the playback unit to preferentially play the message containing the POI information; The in-vehicle device further comprises: A destination information acquisition unit that acquires information on the destination, i.e., destination information; and A POI confirmation unit that, for the POI confirmed by the content confirmation unit, confirms whether it is not the destination and the path to the destination does not pass through the POI; When the position determination unit determines that the POI is within the specified range and the POI confirmation unit confirms that the POI is not the destination and the path to the destination does not pass through the POI, the playback control unit controls the playback unit to preferentially play the message containing the POI information.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, characterized in that The above-mentioned content confirmation unit confirms the content of the message received by the above-mentioned receiving unit only when the vehicle is in motion.

3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The above-mentioned position determination unit also determines whether the above-mentioned POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction; When the above-mentioned position determination unit determines that the above-mentioned POI is not in front of the vehicle's traveling direction, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to preferentially play the message including the above-mentioned POI information.

4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3, characterized in that It further includes a passing determination unit that, when the above-mentioned position determination unit determines that the above-mentioned POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction within the above-mentioned specified range, determines whether the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order; When the above-mentioned passing determination unit determines that the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to preferentially play the message including the above-mentioned POI information.

5. The in-vehicle device according to claim 4, characterized in that When the above-mentioned position determination unit determines that the above-mentioned POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction within the above-mentioned specified range, the above-mentioned passing determination unit calculates the required playback time until the message including the above-mentioned POI information is played in the receiving order based on the receiving order and content length of the messages not yet played by the above-mentioned playback unit, calculates the required movement time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the above-mentioned POI based on the vehicle's moving speed and the distance from the current position to the above-mentioned POI, and determines that the vehicle passes the above-mentioned POI before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order when the required movement time is less than the required playback time.

6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 3, characterized in that It further includes: An intersection detection unit that, when the above-mentioned position determination unit determines that the above-mentioned POI is in front of the vehicle's traveling direction within the above-mentioned specified range, detects whether there is an intersection leading to the above-mentioned POI in the traveling direction based on the above-mentioned map information; And A passing determination unit that, when the above-mentioned intersection detection unit detects an intersection leading to the above-mentioned POI, determines whether the vehicle passes the above-mentioned intersection before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order; When the above-mentioned passing determination unit determines that the vehicle passes the above-mentioned intersection before the above-mentioned playback unit plays the message including the above-mentioned POI information in the receiving order, the above-mentioned playback control unit controls the above-mentioned playback unit to preferentially play the message including the above-mentioned POI information.

7. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 6, characterized in that When the determination unit detects an intersection leading to the above POI, it calculates the required playback time to play the messages containing the above POI information in the order of reception based on the reception order and content length of the messages not yet played by the above playback unit, calculates the required movement time for the vehicle to move from the current position to the above intersection based on the moving speed of the vehicle and the distance from the current position to the above intersection, and determines that the vehicle passes through the above intersection before the above playback unit plays the messages containing the above POI information in the order of reception when the required movement time is less than the required playback time.

8. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that When the above determination unit does not detect an intersection leading to the above POI, it determines whether the vehicle passes through the above POI before the above playback unit plays the messages containing the above POI information in the order of reception. When the above determination unit determines that the vehicle passes through the above POI before the above playback unit plays the messages containing the above POI information in the order of reception, the above playback control unit controls the above playback unit to preferentially play the messages containing the above POI information.

9. A control method for a vehicle-mounted device, the vehicle-mounted device comprising: A storage unit for storing map information; A current position detection unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle; A receiving unit for receiving messages; and A playback unit for playing the messages received by the receiving unit in the order of reception by voice; The control method of the above vehicle-mounted device is characterized by including: A content confirmation step of confirming whether the content of the message contains information about a point of interest (POI), i.e., POI information, when the above receiving unit receives the message; and A position determination step of determining whether the above POI is within a specified range of the current position detected by the above current position detection unit based on the map information stored in the above storage unit when it is confirmed by the above content confirmation step that the content of the above message contains POI information; and A playback control step of controlling the above playback unit to preferentially play the messages containing the above POI information when it is determined by the above position determination step that the above POI is within the above specified range; The above control method further includes: A destination information acquisition step of acquiring information about the destination, i.e., destination information; and A POI confirmation step of confirming whether the above POI identified in the above content confirmation step is not the above destination and the path to the above destination does not pass through this POI; When it is determined in the above position determination step that the above POI is within the above specified range and it is confirmed in the above POI confirmation step that this POI is not the above destination and the path to the above destination does not pass through this POI, in the above playback control step, the above playback unit is controlled to preferentially play the messages containing the information of this POI.

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