Information providing device, information providing method, and program for providing information

Abstract

To provide an information providing device and the like that can provide guidance information to be provided in an easier-to-understand manner, even if guidance is provided mainly by voice or sound.SOLUTION: An information providing device acquires, in search of a route, information on a destination, and information on corresponding features having the attribute meeting the preference of a person who receives guidance and present within a predetermined range from the position of the destination (steps S25, S27), and on the basis of the acquired information on the destination and information on the corresponding features, provides guidance of the destination associated with the corresponding features by voice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to the technical fields of an information providing device, an information providing method, and an information providing program. More specifically, the present application relates to the technical fields of an information providing device and an information providing method for providing information on the movement of a moving body such as a vehicle, and a program for the information providing device. [Background technology]

[0002] As a navigation device that provides information regarding the movement of the above-mentioned moving body, in recent years, in addition to the conventionally common on-board navigation devices for moving bodies, there has been active research and development into navigation systems that utilize portable terminal devices such as smartphones.

[0003] In this case, when using the above-mentioned portable terminal device, due to limitations in the size of the display provided thereon, guidance using sounds including voice guidance becomes important. An example of a document disclosing prior art that addresses this background is the following Patent Document 1. The prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to output information about the vicinity of a destination setting point by voice, and to allow the user to confirm whether the destination is the intended point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4822575 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, in the above-mentioned guidance that mainly uses guidance voice, compared to conventional guidance that also uses images, it is required that the person receiving the guidance be guided in a way that is easier to understand (or easier to imagine) the location of the guidance location, such as the destination, but this point is not taken into consideration in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Therefore, the prior art cannot meet the above demand.

[0006] Therefore, the present application has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned demand, and one example of the objective thereof is to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program for said information providing device that are capable of providing guidance information in a more understandable manner, even if the guidance is mainly in the form of voice or sound. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises an acquisition means for acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations are searched for as candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route during a route search, a plurality of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes in line with the user's preferences and are located within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations, and a provision means for determining, during the search, the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on each of the acquired corresponding feature information, and providing the user with guidance information for the determined guide location by sound, wherein the guide location is configured to be selected and determined by the user.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 7 comprises an acquisition means for acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations are searched for as candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route during a route search, a plurality of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features to which the user has traveled in the past and which are present within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations during the search, and a provision means for determining, during the search, the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on each of the acquired corresponding feature information, and providing the user with guidance information for the determined guide location by sound, wherein the guide location is configured to be selected and determined by the user.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 8 is an information provision method executed in an information provision device equipped with an acquisition means and a provision means, and includes an acquisition step of, when a plurality of candidate locations that are candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route are searched for during a route search, acquiring a plurality of corresponding feature information by the acquisition means during the search, the corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes in line with the user's preferences and are located within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations, and a provision step of, during the search, determining the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on each of the acquired corresponding feature information, and providing guidance information for the determined guide location to the user by sound by the provision means, wherein the guide location is configured to be selected and determined by the user.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 9 is an information provision program that causes a computer to function as: an acquisition means that, when a plurality of candidate locations are searched for as candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route, acquires, during the search for the route, a plurality of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes in line with the user's preferences and are located within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations; and a provision means that, during the search, determines the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on each of the acquired corresponding feature information, and provides the user with guidance information for the determined guide location by sound, wherein the guide location is configured to be selected and determined by the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information providing device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a terminal device etc. of an embodiment, where (a) is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the terminal device, (b) is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a server of the embodiment, and (c) is a diagram illustrating the contents of personal data of the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing an overall navigation process according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing details of a navigation process according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information providing device according to the embodiment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, an information providing device S according to the embodiment includes an acquisition unit 1 and a providing unit 2.

[0014] In this configuration, the acquisition means 1 acquires guidance location information indicating a guidance location for which guidance information should be provided, and corresponding feature information indicating a corresponding feature that has attributes in line with the preferences of a person to whom the guidance information is to be provided and is located within a specified range from the location of the guidance location.

[0015] Then, when providing the guidance information to the person provided, the providing means 2 provides the guidance information of the guidance location associated with the corresponding feature by sound based on the guidance location information and corresponding feature information acquired by the acquiring means 1.

[0016] As described above, according to the operation of the information providing device S of the embodiment, when guidance information is provided to the person to whom it is provided, the guidance information for the guide location associated with the corresponding feature is provided by sound based on the acquired guide location information and corresponding feature information, so that even when the guidance information is provided by sound, the guidance information for the guide location can be provided in an easy-to-understand manner in relation to the corresponding feature having attributes that meet the preferences of the person to whom it is provided. Note that "guidance" in this embodiment does not include, for example, guidance along a route itself (the provision of information such as "turn left" or "turn right" during guidance), but includes guidance (provision) of information on points or facilities that can be the destination or intermediate point of the guidance. EXAMPLES

[0017] Next, specific examples corresponding to the above-mentioned embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 5. The examples described below are examples in which the present application is applied to route guidance using sound (audio) in a navigation system consisting of a terminal device and a server connected so as to be able to transmit and receive data to each other via a network such as the Internet.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the navigation system of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the terminal device of the embodiment, Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall navigation process of the embodiment, and Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the navigation process. In Fig. 3, the same component numbers as those of the information providing device S according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 are used for the components of the embodiment corresponding to the components of the information providing device S.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the navigation system SS of the embodiment is configured by one or more terminal devices T1, T2, T3, ..., Tn (n is a natural number) each used in the vehicle by a passenger of the vehicle (more specifically, the driver or passenger of the vehicle), a server SV, and a network NW such as the Internet that connects the terminal devices T1, T2, T3, ..., Tn, and the server SV so that data can be exchanged. In the following description, when describing a configuration common to the terminal devices T1 to Tn, these will be collectively referred to as "terminal device T". At this time, the terminal device T is specifically realized as, for example, a so-called smartphone or a tablet-type terminal device. In the following description, the embodiment will be described in the case where a passenger using the terminal device T is on board a vehicle as an example of a moving body.

[0020] In this configuration, each terminal device T separately transmits and receives various data to and from the server SV via the network NW, and provides information about travel to passengers using each terminal device T. The data transmitted and received at this time includes search data for searching for a route the vehicle should travel, route data showing the searched route, and guidance data for providing guidance after the vehicle starts traveling along the route.

[0021] Here, due to limitations on the size of the display for display provided in the terminal device T, limitations on the processing load, or to avoid staring at the screen, the navigation system SS mainly uses voice or sound to search for the route and to guide the passenger about the movement. For this reason, the search data exchanged between each terminal device T and the server SV includes destination voice data of the embodiment and answer voice data of the embodiment transmitted from each terminal device T to the server SV, and inquiry voice data of the embodiment and destination confirmation voice data of the embodiment transmitted from the server SV to each terminal device T. At this time, the destination voice data of the embodiment is voice data corresponding to the destination voice uttered by the passenger using the terminal device T, indicating the destination of the movement. On the other hand, the inquiry voice data of the embodiment is voice data corresponding to the inquiry voice (inquiry voice by automatic voice for confirming the destination) transmitted from the server SV when the server SV cannot confirm a destination sufficient for searching the route only from the contents of the destination voice corresponding to the destination voice data. Furthermore, the answer voice data of the embodiment is voice data corresponding to the passenger's answer voice to the inquiry voice. Furthermore, the destination confirmation voice data in the embodiment is voice data for confirming a point or the like to be finally used as the destination of the route.

[0022] On the other hand, since voice or sound is mainly used for the guidance of information related to the movement, the guidance data transmitted from the server SV to each terminal device T includes voice data for the guidance by voice or sound. In the following description, the voice data for guidance is simply referred to as "guidance voice data".

[0023] Next, the configuration and operation of each terminal device T and server SV will be described with reference to FIG. 3. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), each of the terminal devices T of the embodiment is composed of an interface 5, a processing unit 6 consisting of a CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., a memory 7 including a volatile area and a non-volatile area, an operation unit 8 consisting of a touch panel and operation buttons, etc., a speaker 9, a sensor unit 10 consisting of a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor and / or an independent sensor, etc., a display 11 consisting of a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc., and a microphone 12. The processing unit 6 is also composed of a route search unit 6a and a guidance voice output control unit 6b. At this time, the route setting unit 6a and the guidance voice output control unit 6b may be realized by a hardware logic circuit including the above-mentioned CPU constituting the processing unit 6, or may be realized by software by the CPU or the like reading and executing a program corresponding to a flowchart showing the processing as the terminal device T among the navigation processing of the embodiment described later.

[0024] In the above configuration, the interface 5 controls the transmission and reception of data with the server SV via the network NW under the control of the processing unit 6. On the other hand, the sensor unit 10 uses the above GPS sensor and / or an independent sensor, etc. to generate sensor data indicating the current position, moving speed, moving direction, etc. of the terminal device T (in other words, the current position, moving speed, moving direction, etc. of the passenger using the terminal device T or the vehicle in which the passenger is riding) and outputs the sensor data to the processing unit 6. The microphone 12 collects the voice of the passenger using the terminal device T and the sound inside the vehicle in which the terminal device T is used, and outputs the collected sound results to the processing unit 6. The voice of the passenger collected at this time includes the destination voice and the answer voice.

[0025] On the other hand, under the control of the processing unit 6, the route search unit 6a transmits the destination voice data (i.e., destination voice data indicating a destination to be reached by a vehicle in which a passenger using the terminal device T is riding) and the response voice data, as well as the sensor data, to the server SV via the interface 5 and the network NW as search data. Note that the destination data indicating the destination may be input from the operation unit 8 and transmitted to the server SV together with the sensor data. After that, the route search unit 6a acquires route data indicating a search result of a route from the current position indicated by the sensor data to the destination indicated by the destination voice data or the destination data from the server SV via the network NW and the interface 5.

[0026] Thereafter, the processing unit 6 uses the acquired route data to provide information regarding the movement of the vehicle along the searched route while transmitting and receiving the guidance data (including the sensor data and the guidance voice data at that time) to and from the server SV. At this time, the guidance voice output control unit 6b outputs (emits) a guidance voice corresponding to the guidance voice data acquired from the server SV via the network NW and the interface 5 to the passenger via the speaker 9.

[0027] In parallel with this, when an input operation of data necessary for the vehicle guidance other than the destination data is performed on the operation unit 8, the operation unit 8 generates an operation signal corresponding to the input operation and transmits it to the processing unit 6. As a result, the processing unit 6 controls the route setting unit 6a and the guidance voice output control unit 6b, and executes the processing as the terminal device T among the navigation processing of the embodiment. At this time, the processing unit 6 executes the processing while temporarily or non-volatilely storing the data necessary for the processing in the memory 7. Also, a guidance image or the like as a result of the execution of the processing is displayed on the display 11.

[0028] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the server SV of the embodiment is composed of an interface 20, a processing unit 21 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and a recording unit 22 including an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The processing unit 21 is also composed of a route setting unit 1 and a guidance voice generating unit 2. In this case, the route setting unit 1 and the guidance voice generating unit 2 may be realized by a hardware logic circuit including the CPU, etc. constituting the processing unit 21, or may be realized in software by the CPU, etc. reading and executing a program corresponding to a flowchart showing the processing as the server SV in the navigation processing of the embodiment. The route search unit 1 corresponds to an example of the acquisition means 1 of the embodiment, and the guidance voice generating unit 2 corresponds to an example of the provision means 2 of the embodiment. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3(b), the route search unit 1 and the guidance voice generating unit 2 constitute an example of an information providing device S of the embodiment.

[0029] In the above configuration, the map data 23a necessary for providing information regarding the movement of each vehicle in which a passenger using each terminal device T connected to the server SV via the network NW is riding, the personal data 23b of the embodiment, and the navigation data 23 including the inquiry voice data and the guidance voice data, etc. are non-volatilely recorded in the recording unit 22. At this time, the map data 23a includes road data and intersection data, etc., which are used for route search and route guidance, respectively.

[0030] On the other hand, the personal data 23b of the embodiment includes hobby and preference data 23ba indicating the hobby and preference of the passenger associated with a user ID for identifying the passenger using each terminal device T, and visit history data 23bb indicating points that the passenger has visited in the past (i.e., points that have been destinations in the passenger's travel). In this case, as illustrated in the left side of FIG. 3(c), the hobby and preference data 23ba is data in which information indicating the hobby and preference of the passenger identified by the user ID is recorded in association with the user ID. Note that the hobby and preference data 23ba may be generated (recorded) for each passenger by a registration operation by the passenger identified by the user ID, or may be generated by collecting and recording phrases that are frequently used in a social networking service (SNS) used by the passenger.

[0031] On the other hand, as illustrated in the right of Fig. 3(c), the visit history data 23bb is data in which the positions and names of points that were destinations (i.e., visited places) in the past movements of a passenger identified by the above user ID and information indicating, for example, the date and time of reaching the destination are recorded in association with the user ID. In this case, as a method of generating (recording) the visit history data 23bb, for example, it is preferable to record the above information indicating the destination for each past movement of the passenger identified by the user ID, thereby generating the visit history data 23bb.

[0032] On the other hand, the interface 20 controls the transmission and reception of data between each terminal device T via the network NW under the control of the processing unit 21. Also, the route setting unit 1, under the control of the processing unit 21, searches for the route to the destination indicated by the destination voice data using the navigation data 23 based on the destination voice data and the sensor data acquired from any of the terminal devices T, and transmits the route data indicating the search result to the terminal device T that has transmitted the destination voice data and the sensor data. As a result, the terminal device T provides route guidance based on the route data.

[0033] During the guidance, the guidance voice generating unit 2 generates the guidance voice data in accordance with the timing of guidance on the route, and transmits the generated data to the terminal device T used by the passenger of the vehicle to be guided, via the interface 20 and the network NW. As a result, a voice for guidance corresponding to the guidance voice data is output (emitted as sound) to the passenger through the speaker 9 of the terminal device T.

[0034] Next, the navigation process of the embodiment executed in the navigation system having the above-mentioned configuration and functions will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

[0035] The navigation process of the embodiment is started, for example, when a guidance instruction operation or the like is executed on the operation unit 8 of the terminal device T of the embodiment used by a passenger who is riding in a vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a "target vehicle") that is the target of the provision of information on movement, to guide the movement along the route of the target vehicle (i.e., route guidance). In the following description, the terminal device T is appropriately referred to as the "target terminal device T". Then, as shown in the entire corresponding flowchart in FIG. 4, when the guidance instruction operation is executed on the operation unit 8 of the target terminal device T, the route search unit 6a of the processing unit 6 of the terminal device T exchanges the search data including the destination voice data, the inquiry voice data, the answer voice data, the destination confirmation voice data, and the sensor data, and the route data with the route search unit 1 of the server SV, and searches for a route to be traveled by the target vehicle (step S1). At this time, the route search unit 1 of the server SV is always waiting for the transmission of the search data from any of the terminal devices T connected to the server SV via the network NW at that time. When the search data is transmitted from the target terminal device T, the route search unit 1 performs a route search based on the destination voice data and the like included in the search data, and transmits the route data and the destination confirmation voice data as the search results to the target terminal device T via the network NW (step S10). Note that the route search of the embodiment including the above steps S1 and S10 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

[0036] Thereafter, when guidance for movement along the route is started by, for example, an operation to start movement on the operation unit 8 of the target terminal device T, the processing unit 6 of the target terminal device T and the processing unit 21 of the server SV start providing guidance along the route searched in steps S1 and S10 while transmitting and receiving the guidance data including the sensor data at that time via the network NW (steps S2, S11).

[0037] Meanwhile, during the route guidance started in step S11 (i.e., while the vehicle carrying the passenger using the target terminal device T is moving), the guidance voice generation unit 2 of the server SV monitors whether there is a guidance point (e.g., an intersection where a turn should be made on the route) on the set route (step S12). If there is no guidance point during the monitoring in step S12 (step S12: NO), the processing unit 21 proceeds to step S14 described later. On the other hand, if there is a guidance point during the monitoring in step S12 (step S12: YES), the guidance voice generation unit 2 next generates guidance voice data having the content to be guided about the guidance point (e.g., "Turn left at the next XX intersection," etc.) at the timing when guidance about the guidance point should be given by voice, and transmits the generated guidance voice data to the target terminal device T via the network NW (step S13).

[0038] Thereafter, the processing unit 21 judges whether or not to end the route guidance as the navigation processing of the embodiment due to reasons such as the target vehicle reaching the destination (step S14). If the judgment in step S14 is that the route guidance should not be ended (step S14: NO), the processing unit 21 returns to the above step S12 to continue the route guidance. On the other hand, if the judgment in step S14 is that the route guidance should be ended (step S14: YES), the processing unit 21 ends the route guidance as it is.

[0039] On the other hand, the guidance voice output control unit 6b of the target terminal device T waits for the transmission of the guidance voice data from the server SV (step S3) after the guidance is started in the above step 2. If the guidance voice data is not transmitted during the waiting in step S3 (step S3: NO), the processing unit 6 of the target terminal device T proceeds to step S5 described later.

[0040] On the other hand, when the guidance voice data is received from the server SV during the standby of step S3 (step S3: YES), the guidance voice output control unit 6b of the target terminal device T outputs (emits) a guidance voice corresponding to the received guidance voice data through the speaker 9 (step S4). After that, the processing unit 6 of the target terminal device T judges whether or not to end the route guidance as the navigation processing of the embodiment for the same reason as in step S14 above (step S5). If the route guidance is not to be ended in the judgment of step S5 (step S5: NO), the processing unit 6 returns to step S3 and continues to perform route guidance. On the other hand, if the route guidance is to be ended in the judgment of step S5 (step S5: NO), the processing unit 6 ends the route guidance as it is.

[0041] Next, the route search of the embodiment (see steps S1 and S10 in FIG. 4) executed by the target terminal device T and server SV will be described more specifically with reference to FIG.

[0042] As shown in the corresponding flowchart in FIG. 5, in the route search of the embodiment, when a passenger speaks the name of a destination and the like along with an indication that the route search should be performed on the target terminal device T, the destination voice is detected by the microphone 12, and further, destination voice data corresponding to the destination voice is generated by the route search unit 6a of the target terminal device T. After that, the generated destination voice data is transmitted to the server SV via the network NW together with the sensor data corresponding to that time point (step S15). Here, an example of the destination voice is a voice including the name of the destination, such as "XX Stadium." Also, in FIG. 5, the destination voice data and the sensor data are collectively referred to as "destination voice data, etc."

[0043] On the other hand, the server SV waits for the transmission of the destination voice data and the like from the target terminal device T as the route search in step S10 of Fig. 4 (step S25, step S25: NO). When the destination voice data and the like are transmitted from the target terminal device T during the wait in step S25 (step S25: YES), the route search unit 1 of the server SV judges whether or not the destination indicated by the destination voice data received in step S25, for example, the name alone can be used to determine the destination for the route search (step S26). More specifically, the route search unit 1 judges whether or not the name of the destination indicated by the destination voice data received in step S25 is unique (i.e., a name that will not be confused with other facilities, etc.) by referring to, for example, map data 23a, etc. In the determination of step S26, if the destination indicated by the destination voice data can be determined as the destination of the route search (step S26: YES), the route search unit 1 refers to the map data 23a, etc. and the sensor data received in step S25, and searches for a route from the current position of the target terminal device T to the determined destination, for example, by a method similar to that of the conventional method (step S30). Then, the route search unit 1 generates route data indicating the searched route and destination confirmation voice data for confirming the point currently used as the destination of the route, and transmits them to the target terminal device T via the network NW (step S31). After that, the server SV proceeds to step S11 shown in FIG. 4.

[0044] On the other hand, in the judgment of step S26, if the destination name indicated by the destination voice data alone cannot be determined as the destination of the route search (i.e., for example, when the name is only "XX Stadium", there are multiple candidate destinations. Step S26: NO.), the route search unit 1 refers to the personal data 23b corresponding to the passenger using the target terminal device T, and searches for at least one of the following as the corresponding feature of the embodiment: a facility that exists in the vicinity of each of the multiple candidate destinations (i.e., within a predetermined distance from each of the multiple candidate destinations, the same applies below) among the facilities having the attributes indicated by the hobby and preference data 23ba corresponding to the passenger, or a destination (visited place) in the vicinity of each of the multiple candidate destinations among the past destinations (visited places) indicated by the visit history data 23bb corresponding to the passenger (step S27). Note that the passenger using the target terminal device T is identified in the server SV as a passenger using the target terminal device T at the time when the target terminal device T is connected to the server SV. Thereafter, the guidance voice generating unit 2 of the server SV generates the inquiry voice data including the corresponding feature searched for in step S27, and transmits the data to the target terminal device T via the network NW (step S28).

[0045] Here, the inquiry voice corresponding to the inquiry voice data generated and transmitted in step S28 may be, for example, "Is it the XX Stadium near XX Temple? Or is it the XX Stadium near △△ Shrine?" when a facility having an attribute (for example, an attribute of "Shrines and Temples") indicated by the hobby and preference data 23ba corresponding to the passenger and located near the multiple candidate sites exists as a corresponding feature. Also, when a destination (visited place) located near the multiple candidate sites exists as a corresponding feature among past destinations (visited places) indicated by the visit history data 23bb corresponding to the passenger, the inquiry voice may be, for example, "Is it the XX Stadium near XX Park that we visited in XX month last year? Or is it the XX Stadium near XX Temple that we visited in □ month this year?"

[0046] On the other hand, after transmitting the destination voice data etc. in the step S15, the route search unit 6a of the target terminal device T monitors whether the inquiry voice data has been transmitted from the server SV (step S16). In the monitoring of step S16, if the inquiry voice data is not transmitted within a preset monitoring time after the transmission of the destination voice data (i.e., in the judgment of the step S26, the destination indicated by the destination voice data is determined as the destination of the route search (see step S26: YES). Step S16: NO), the route search unit 6a proceeds to step S19 described later. On the other hand, in the monitoring of step S16, if the inquiry voice data is transmitted within the preset monitoring time (step S16: YES), the guidance voice output control unit 6b of the target terminal device T outputs (emits) an inquiry voice corresponding to the inquiry voice data through the speaker 9 (step S17). Then, the microphone 12 detects the passenger's response voice to the inquiry voice, and the route search unit 6a generates response voice data corresponding to the response voice (step S18). The response voice detected at this time includes a more detailed (or more specific) destination name, etc., as a response to the inquiry voice. The route search unit 6a then transmits the response voice data to the server SV via the network NW (step S18).

[0047] Next, the guidance voice generating unit 2 of the server SV that transmitted the inquiry voice data in step S28 waits for the transmission of reply voice data from the target terminal device T (step S29. Step S29: NO). Then, when the reply voice data is transmitted (see step S18. Step S29: YES), the route searching unit 1 returns to step S26 to reconfirm the destination of the route search using the destination name, etc. indicated by the reply voice data, and repeats the above-mentioned processing. Here, when the destination name, etc. indicated by the reply voice data cannot be confirmed as the destination of the route search (step S26: NO), the processing of steps S27 to S29 is executed again to obtain a more specific destination name, etc.

[0048] On the other hand, the route search unit 6a of the target terminal device T that transmitted the answer voice data in the above step S18 monitors whether or not the route data and the destination confirmation voice data have been transmitted from the server SV in response to the answer voice data (step S19. Step S19: NO). In the monitoring of step S19, if the route data and the destination confirmation voice data have been transmitted (step S19: YES), the guidance voice output control unit 6b of the target terminal device T outputs (emits) a destination confirmation voice that corresponds to the received destination confirmation voice data and includes the corresponding feature (see step S27) and the name of the destination, etc., to the passenger through the speaker 9 (step S20). The destination confirmation voice in this case is, for example, a voice such as "We are heading to XX Stadium near XX Temple." After that, the target terminal device T proceeds to step S2 shown in FIG. 4.

[0049] As described above, according to the navigation process of the embodiment, when providing information regarding the movement of a passenger using the target terminal device T, destination information associated with the corresponding feature is output (sounded) by voice based on the acquired destination voice data and personal data 23b, so that even when guidance is by voice, the passenger can easily imagine the location of the destination, the route to the destination, or surrounding information in relation to the corresponding feature having attributes that match the passenger's preferences (see FIG. 3(c)). Furthermore, it is easy to recognize whether the set destination is the location intended by the passenger.

[0050] In addition, when a destination confirmation voice including the name of the associated corresponding feature (see step S27 in Figure 5) is output (emitted), the destination, etc. can be more clearly guided in relation to the corresponding feature even when guidance is by voice.

[0051] Furthermore, even if the associated corresponding feature (see step S27 in Figure 5) is a past destination (place visited), the passenger can easily imagine the location of the destination, the route to the destination, and surrounding information in a more easily understandable manner in relation to the destination (place visited).

[0052] The inquiry voice (see step S28 in FIG. 5) and the destination confirmation voice (see step S31 in FIG. 5) may be configured to output the positional relationship between the corresponding feature and the destination (for example, the mutual distance, or the distance and the direction of the destination from the corresponding feature, etc.) in voice. In this case, even in the case of voice guidance, the passenger can easily imagine the location of the destination, the route to the destination, and surrounding information in a more easy-to-understand manner in relation to the corresponding feature.

[0053] In the navigation process of the embodiment described above, the search for the corresponding feature (see step S27 in FIG. 5) and the generation of the inquiry voice data (see step S28 in FIG. 5) are performed in the processing unit 21 of the server SV. However, in addition to this, the search for the corresponding feature and the generation of the inquiry voice data may be configured to be performed in the target terminal device T. In this case, based on the response voice to the inquiry voice corresponding to the inquiry voice data (i.e., the response voice including a more specific name of the destination, etc.), the destination and route may then be searched for in cooperation with the server SV.

[0054] In addition, the navigation process of the above embodiment is applicable not only to vehicles but also to pedestrian navigation. Furthermore, with regard to the guidance using the personal data 23b, route guidance is not essential, and the navigation process may be used simply to notify the user of the location of the search point.

[0055] Furthermore, in the navigation process of the embodiment, displaying locations on a map is not excluded, but since display is not essential, the present invention can also be applied to smart speakers and the like that do not have a display unit.

[0056] Furthermore, it is also possible to record programs corresponding to each of the flowcharts shown in Figures 4 and 5 on a recording medium such as an optical disk or a hard disk, or to obtain them via a network such as the Internet, and read and execute these on a general-purpose microcomputer or the like, thereby causing the microcomputer to function as the processing unit 6 or processing unit 21 of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Acquisition method (route search section) 2. Providing means (guidance voice generating unit) 6, 21 Processing section 6a Route search section 6b Guidance voice output control unit 9 Speaker 23b Personal data 23ba Hobby and Preference Data 23bb Visit history data S Information provision device T, T1, T2, T3, Tn terminal equipment SV Server SS Navigation System

Claims

1. an acquisition means for acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations that are candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route are searched for during a route search, a plurality of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes in accordance with the user's preferences and that are present within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations; a provision means for determining the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on the acquired corresponding feature information during the search, and providing the user with guide information of the determined guide location by sound; Equipped with The information providing device is characterized in that the guide location is selected and determined by the user.

2. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, The information providing device is characterized in that the guide point is a destination of the route or a stopover point on the route.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1, The information providing device is characterized in that the providing means determines the guide location acquired from the user's response to the presentation of a plurality of the candidate locations as the guide location to be used for the route guidance.

4. 4. The information providing device according to claim 1, The information providing device is characterized in that the providing means provides the guidance information including at least the name of the corresponding feature used in determining the guide location by the sound.

5. 5. The information providing device according to claim 1, The information providing device is characterized in that the providing means provides the guidance information by sound, the guidance information including at least directional information indicating the direction of the guidance location from the position of the corresponding feature used to determine the guidance location.

6. 6. The information providing device according to claim 1, The information providing device is characterized in that the providing means provides the guidance information, which includes at least distance information indicating the distance between the corresponding feature used to determine the guidance location and the guidance location, by the sound.

7. an acquisition means for acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations that are candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route are searched for during a route search, a plurality of pieces of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features to which the user has traveled in the past and that are present within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations; a provision means for determining the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on the acquired corresponding feature information during the search, and providing the user with guide information of the determined guide location by sound; Equipped with The information providing device is characterized in that the guide location is selected and determined by the user.

8. An information providing method executed in an information providing device including an acquisition unit and a providing unit, an acquisition step of acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations that are candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route are searched for during a route search, a plurality of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes in accordance with the user's preferences and that exist within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations, by the acquisition step during the search; a provision step of determining, during the search, the guide location from among the plurality of candidate locations based on the acquired corresponding feature information by the provision means, and providing the user with guide information of the determined guide location by sound by the provision means; Including, The information providing method is characterized in that the guide location is selected and determined by the user.

9. Computer, an acquisition means for acquiring, when a plurality of candidate locations that are candidates for guide locations when guiding a user along a route are searched for during the route search, a plurality of pieces of corresponding feature information indicating corresponding features that have attributes according to the preferences of the user and that exist within a predetermined range from the position of each of the candidate locations; a provision means for determining the guide location from among a plurality of the candidate locations based on the acquired corresponding feature information during the search, and providing the user with guide information of the determined guide location by sound; An information providing program that functions as 2. An information providing program, comprising: a guide location being selected and determined by the user;

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