Navigation system

Abstract

To enable registration of information of a destination that a user desires with simple operation.SOLUTION: Installation information of a passenger application (C) is transmitted to a second portable terminal 500 when the second portable terminal 500 is brought closer to a first portable terminal 400, and the passenger application (C) is installed when the installation is confirmed. Then, when operation for designating a destination is performed in the second portable terminal 500, destination information is transferred from a destination setting application (B) to the passenger application (C) and it is guided to bring the second portable terminal 500 closer to the first portable terminal 400. When the second portable terminal 500 is brought closer to the first portable terminal 400, destination information is transmitted from the second portable terminal 500 to a navigation device 300 via the first portable terminal 400, and a destination is set in the navigation device 300.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to navigation systems. [Background technology]

[0002] In vehicles used in transportation businesses such as taxis, users are required to register their desired destinations in the on-board navigation device. For example, JP 2019-184336 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology for setting a destination in the on-board navigation device using destination information stored in the user's mobile terminal by performing near field communication (NFC) between an on-board communication unit and the user's mobile terminal or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-184336 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to enable communication between an in-vehicle navigation device and any mobile terminal, complex operations may be required during pairing, or the navigation device may be required to be equipped with dedicated equipment that enables communication with simple operations.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a navigation system that enables a user to register information about a desired destination with a simple operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A navigation system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first portable terminal, a second portable terminal with which communication is established using short-range wireless communication when the distance between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, and an in-vehicle navigation device capable of communicating with the first portable terminal. When communication is established between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal, the first portable terminal receives destination information including a destination selected on the second portable terminal and transmits the destination information to the navigation device. When the navigation device receives the destination information from the first portable terminal, it sets a destination for route guidance using the received destination information.

[0007] In this way, when short-range communication between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal is established, the first portable terminal and the navigation device can communicate with each other, so that the second portable terminal and the navigation device can communicate with each other via the first portable terminal without providing the navigation device with a dedicated device that enables direct communication with the second portable terminal. Therefore, the destination selected on the second portable terminal can be set as the destination for route guidance on the navigation device.

[0008] In one embodiment, when communication is established between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal, the first portable terminal transmits predetermined software to the second portable terminal, the predetermined software including software enabling transmission of destination information to the first portable terminal via short-range wireless communication.

[0009] In this way, when communication with the first portable terminal is established, the second portable terminal can obtain predetermined software through short-range wireless communication, making it possible to transmit destination information to the first portable terminal.

[0010] In yet another embodiment, the second portable terminal uses predetermined software to convert information including a destination selected using existing software on the second portable terminal into destination information that can be transmitted to the first portable terminal via short-range wireless communication.

[0011] In this way, a destination can be selected using existing software on the second mobile terminal, so that the user can easily select a destination using software that is familiar to him or her.

[0012] Furthermore, in one embodiment, each of the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal is configured to be capable of NFC communication.

[0013] In this way, communication can be established between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal by NFC communication. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a navigation system that enables a user to register information about a desired destination with a simple operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle equipped with a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a passenger application installation process executed in each of the first and second portable terminals. [Diagram 3] 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process for generating destination information, which is executed in the second mobile terminal. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process for transferring destination information, which is executed in each of the navigation device, the first portable terminal, and the second portable terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a series of operations performed by each of the navigation device, the first portable terminal, and the second portable terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle 100 equipped with a navigation system 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle 100 in the present embodiment includes, for example, a vehicle used as a taxi. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with the navigation system 1. The navigation system 1 includes an ECU 200, a navigation device 300, a first mobile terminal 400, and a second mobile terminal 500.

[0018] The ECU 200 is a computer having a processor that executes programs such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface. The ECU 200 includes various control programs for controlling various electrical devices mounted on the vehicle 100. The various control programs include, for example, a control program that controls the behavior of the vehicle 100, as well as a control program that controls the operation of the navigation device 300. Note that the control entity that controls the operation of the navigation device 300 may be built into the navigation device 300 as a control unit.

[0019] The navigation device 300 sets a driving route to the destination using information about the destination received from the user or the first mobile terminal 400. The navigation device 300 acquires the position of the vehicle 100 using a position detection device (not shown) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS), and notifies information about route guidance according to the set driving route using a notification device (such as a display device or a speaker).

[0020] The navigation device 300 includes a communication device 302. The communication device 302 is configured to be available for use in a first communication method (such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi) that requires a process such as pairing with a device to be communicated with in advance. In this embodiment, the device to be communicated with includes a first portable terminal 400. That is, the navigation device 300 and the first portable terminal 400 are assumed to be in a communicable state after an authentication process such as pairing.

[0021] The first mobile terminal 400 is a portable mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable device, and is carried by the driver of the vehicle 100, for example.

[0022] The first mobile terminal 400 includes a control device 402, a communication device 404, a storage device 406, a position detection device 408, and a user interface (hereinafter, referred to as UI) 410. The control device 402, the communication device 404, the storage device 406, the position detection device 408, and the UI 410 are communicatively connected to each other via a communication bus (not shown).

[0023] The control device 402 includes a processor 402a that executes a program such as a CPU, and a memory 402b. A program (for example, application software (hereinafter simply referred to as an app)) stored in the memory is read by the processor and software processing is executed. The app is started by executing the software processing. Various controls by the control device 402 are not limited to software processing, and may be processed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuitry).

[0024] The communication device 404 includes a first communication unit 404a that enables communication in a first communication format and a second communication unit 404b that enables communication in a second communication format (for example, short-range wireless communication such as NFC communication). When the distance between the second communication unit 404b and another device capable of NFC communication becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the communication device 404 enables NFC communication between the communication device 404 and the device.

[0025] Storage device 406 stores various information including information about applications. For example, storage device 406 stores information about applications to be transmitted to second portable terminal 500 when communication with second portable terminal 500 described later is performed by short-range wireless communication.

[0026] Position detection device 408 detects, for example, position information of first portable terminal 400. Position detection device 408 detects the position of first portable terminal 400 using, for example, a GPS satellite, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the like.

[0027] The UI 410 includes, for example, a display device that displays various information and an input device that accepts user operations (neither of which are shown in the figures.) The UI 410 may be configured, for example, by a touch panel display.

[0028] The second mobile terminal 500 is a portable mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable device, and is carried by a user (hereinafter, referred to as a passenger) of the vehicle 100, which is, for example, a taxi.

[0029] The second mobile terminal 500 includes a control device 502, a communication device 504, a storage device 506, a position detection device 508, and a UI 510. The control device 502, the communication device 504, the storage device 506, the position detection device 508, and the UI 510 are communicatively connected to each other via a communication bus (not shown). The control device 502 includes a processor 502a and a memory 502b. The communication device 504 includes a first communication unit 504a and a second communication unit 504b.

[0030] The control device 502, the communication device 504, the storage device 506, the position detection device 508, and the UI 510 have the same configurations as the control device 402, the communication device 404, the storage device 406, the position detection device 408, and the UI 410 of the first mobile terminal 400. Furthermore, the processor 502a, the memory 502b, the first communication unit 504a, and the second communication unit 504b have the same configurations as the processor 402a, the memory 402b, the first communication unit 404a, and the second communication unit 404b, respectively. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0031] When the vehicle 100 having the above configuration is used as a taxi, in order for the passenger to appropriately arrive at the desired destination, it is desirable that the destination specified by the passenger be registered in the navigation device 300. Therefore, when the passenger gets into the vehicle 100, it is required that the passenger immediately communicates with the navigation device 300 and transmits information about the destination.

[0032] However, in order to enable communication between the navigation device 300 and any mobile terminal, complex operations such as inputting a password during pairing may be required, or the navigation device 300 may be required to be equipped with a dedicated device that enables communication with simple operations.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first mobile terminal 400 and the navigation device 300 operate as follows. That is, when the distance between the first mobile terminal 400 and the second mobile terminal 500 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value and communication is established by short-range wireless communication, the first mobile terminal 400 receives destination information including a destination selected in the second mobile terminal 500 and transmits the destination information to the navigation device 300. When the navigation device 300 receives the destination information from the first mobile terminal 400, it sets a destination for route guidance using the received destination information.

[0034] In this way, communication is established between the first portable terminal 400 and the second portable terminal 500 by short-range communication, and the first portable terminal 400 and the navigation device 300 can communicate with each other, so that communication between the second portable terminal 500 and the navigation device 300 is possible via the first portable terminal 400 without providing the navigation device 300 with a dedicated device that enables direct communication with the second portable terminal 500. Therefore, the destination selected in the second portable terminal 500 can be set as the destination for route guidance in the navigation device 300.

[0035] An example of a process for installing a passenger app executed in each of the first mobile terminal 400 and the second mobile terminal 500 will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process for installing a passenger app executed in each of the first mobile terminal 400 and the second mobile terminal 500.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the first mobile terminal 400 includes a passenger vehicle application (D). Information about the passenger vehicle application (D) is stored in the storage device 406 of the first mobile terminal 400. When the control device 402 receives an instruction to start the passenger vehicle application (D), it reads the information about the passenger vehicle application (D) from the storage device 406 and executes a process to start the passenger vehicle application (D). As described above, the process to start the application is executed by the control device 402. The same applies to the other applications, and the details thereof will not be repeated.

[0037] The passenger vehicle app (D) has, for example, a function of transmitting installation information for the passenger app (C) to a communication target that has become capable of communicating via short-range wireless communication. The second mobile terminal 500 has an app that transmits and receives information with the communication target via short-range wireless communication. As an app that transmits and receives information via short-range wireless communication, for example, an app that enables NFC communication (hereinafter, referred to as NFC app (A)) that is installed as a standard app in the OS (Operating System) of the mobile terminal is used. The function of the passenger app (C) will be described later.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 2(a-1), when the second mobile terminal 500 carried by the passenger is brought close to the first mobile terminal 400 of the vehicle 100 until the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value, communication is established by short-range wireless communication as shown in Fig. 2(a-2), and a predetermined request signal is transmitted to the first mobile terminal 400. When the first mobile terminal 400 receives the predetermined request signal, installation information of the passenger app (C) stored in the storage device 406 is transmitted to the second mobile terminal 500 as shown in Fig. 2(a-3).

[0039] As shown in (a-4) of FIG. 2, the second portable terminal 500 confirms the installation of the passenger application (C). For example, the UI 510 of the second portable terminal 500 displays a message asking whether or not the passenger application (C) may be installed. As shown in (a-5) of FIG. 2, when the passenger performs an operation to permit the installation (for example, a touch operation on a predetermined area) on the UI 510, the control device 502 of the second portable terminal 500 executes an installation process of the passenger application (C). As a result, as shown in (a-6) of FIG. 2, information about the passenger application (C) is stored in the storage device 506 of the second portable terminal 500, and the passenger application (C) becomes executable.

[0040] Hereinafter, an example of a process for generating destination information executed in the second mobile terminal 500 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process for generating destination information executed in the second mobile terminal 500.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the second mobile terminal 500 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned NFC application (A) and passenger application (C), an application for setting a destination specified by a passenger (hereinafter referred to as destination setting application (B)).

[0042] The destination setting application (B) has a function of displaying map information on the display screen of the UI 410, and a function of accepting an operation to specify a specific position on the displayed map image.

[0043] As shown in (b-1) of Fig. 3, for example, assume that a passenger launches the destination setting application (B) and performs an operation (touch operation) to specify a specific position on a map image displayed on the display screen. At this time, as shown in (b-2) of Fig. 3, the destination setting application (B) generates destination information including location information with the location specified by the touch operation as the destination. Note that the location information is information that can specify the location of the destination, and may include, for example, information on the latitude and longitude of the destination, information on the name of the facility where the destination is located, or information on the address of the destination.

[0044] The destination setting application (B) transfers the generated destination information to the passenger application (C) as shown in (b-3) of Fig. 3. Note that the destination setting application (B) may transfer the destination information to the passenger application (C) when a predetermined operation by a passenger for transferring the destination information to the passenger application (C) is received.

[0045] An example of a process for transferring destination information executed in each of the navigation device 300, the first portable terminal 400, and the second portable terminal 500 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process for transferring destination information executed in each of the navigation device 300, the first portable terminal 400, and the second portable terminal 500.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the first mobile terminal 400 further includes an application for setting a destination to be transmitted to the navigation device 300 (hereinafter referred to as a destination setting application (E)) in addition to the passenger vehicle application (D) described above.

[0047] As shown in (c-1) of FIG. 4, when the passenger application (C) acquires the destination information, it displays information guiding the user to move the second mobile terminal 500 closer to the first mobile terminal 400 on the display screen of the UI 510.

[0048] As shown in (c-2) of Figure 4, when a passenger brings the second mobile terminal 500 close to the first mobile terminal 400 until the distance is less than a predetermined value, communication is established via short-range wireless communication, and the passenger app (C) transmits destination information to the first mobile terminal 400, as shown in (c-3) of Figure 4.

[0049] As shown in (c-4) of FIG. 4, the passenger vehicle application (D) converts the received destination information into a format that can be read by the destination setting application (E) described later, and transfers the converted destination information to the destination setting application (E).

[0050] As shown in (c-5) of Fig. 4, the destination setting application (E) converts data of the destination information into a format that can be transmitted to the navigation device 300 that has become communicable, and transmits the converted data to the navigation device 300. In the navigation device 300, the destination is set using the received destination information.

[0051] An example of a series of operations by each of the navigation device 300, the first portable terminal 400, and the second portable terminal 500 based on the configuration of the navigation system 1 and the sequence diagram described above will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a series of operations by each of the navigation device 300, the first portable terminal 400, and the second portable terminal 500.

[0052] It is also assumed that the vehicle 100 is, for example, a taxi, and the first mobile terminal 400 is installed at a predetermined position inside the vehicle (for example, a position where a passenger sitting in the back seat can approach the second mobile terminal 500). It is assumed that the first mobile terminal 400 is in a state where it can communicate with the navigation device 300 by a prior operation by the driver of the vehicle 100, and that it is the first time for the passenger to get into the vehicle 100 equipped with the navigation system 1.

[0053] For example, when a passenger sits in the back seat of a taxi, the passenger is prompted by the driver or by a guide board or voice guidance around the seat, and brings the second mobile terminal 500 closer to the first mobile terminal 400. When the distance between the first mobile terminal 400 and the second mobile terminal 500 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value that allows short-distance wireless communication, the NFC application (A) of the second mobile terminal 500 transmits a request signal to the first mobile terminal 400. When the passenger vehicle application (D) of the first mobile terminal 400 receives the request signal, it transmits installation information of the passenger application (C) to the second mobile terminal 500. In the second mobile terminal 500, a confirmation screen for confirming whether or not to install is displayed on the UI 510. When an operation by the user to permit the installation is accepted, the passenger application (C) is installed in the second mobile terminal 500. In this manner, the process at the time of the first ride is executed.

[0054] After the processing for the first ride is executed, when the passenger starts the destination setting application (B) of the second mobile terminal 500 and performs an operation to specify the desired destination, the destination information is transferred from the destination setting application (B) to the passenger application (C).

[0055] When the destination information is transferred from the destination setting application (B), the passenger application (C) displays image or text information on the screen of the UI 510 of the second mobile terminal 500 to guide the second mobile terminal 500 to approach the first mobile terminal 400. The passenger application (C) may provide voice guidance to guide the second mobile terminal 500 to approach the first mobile terminal 400.

[0056] When the second mobile terminal 500 is brought close to the first mobile terminal 400, the passenger app (C) sends destination information to the first mobile terminal 400, and when the passenger vehicle app (D) of the first mobile terminal 400 receives the destination information, it is forwarded to the destination setting app (E).

[0057] The destination setting application (E) converts the destination information into a format that allows the navigation device 300 to set the destination, and transmits the converted destination information to the navigation device 300. The navigation device 300 sets the destination using the received destination information.

[0058] As described above, according to the navigation system 1 of the present embodiment, the first mobile terminal 400 and the second mobile terminal 500 establish communication by short-range communication, and the first mobile terminal 400 and the navigation device 300 can communicate with each other. Therefore, the second mobile terminal 500 and the navigation device 300 can communicate with each other via the first mobile terminal 400 without providing the navigation device 300 with a dedicated device that enables direct communication with the second mobile terminal 500. Therefore, the destination selected in the second mobile terminal 500 can be set as the destination for route guidance in the navigation device 300. Therefore, it is possible to provide a navigation system that enables a user to register information on a desired destination with a simple operation.

[0059] Furthermore, by configuring the second mobile terminal 500 to have a destination setting app (B) and a passenger app (C) separately, an existing map app such as a standard map app for the OS or a map app that is widely used can be used as the destination setting app (B), thereby improving convenience for passengers and suppressing increases in costs for app development, etc.

[0060] Furthermore, by configuring the first mobile terminal 400 separately for the passenger vehicle app (D) and the destination setting app (E), an existing app for transmitting destination information to the navigation device 300 can be used as the destination setting app (E), thereby suppressing increases in costs for app development, etc.

[0061] Modifications will be described below.

[0062] In the above embodiment, a case has been described as an example in which destination information including information about a destination specified in the second mobile terminal 500 is transmitted to the navigation device 300 via the first mobile terminal 400, and the destination is set in the navigation device 300, but the destination information may include information about a travel route in addition to the information about the destination, and the travel route may be set in addition to the destination in the navigation device 300, or the destination information may include information about intermediate points in addition to the destination, and the intermediate points may be set in addition to the destination in the navigation device 300. In this way, it is possible to move the vehicle 100 to the destination along a travel route desired by the passenger.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the passenger vehicle application (D) and the destination setting application (E) of the first mobile terminal 400 are described as being configured separately, but the passenger vehicle application (D) and the destination setting application (E) may be configured as a single application. By configuring them as a single application, convenience for the driver can be improved.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second portable terminal 500 acquires the passenger application (C) from the first portable terminal 400 as an example, but is not particularly limited to acquisition from the first portable terminal 400. The second portable terminal 500 may acquire the passenger application (C) from a predetermined server via a communication line such as the Internet, for example.

[0065] The above-described modified examples may be implemented in whole or in part in appropriate combination.

[0066] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 Navigation system, 100 Vehicle, 200 ECU, 300 Navigation device, 302, 404, 504 Communication device, 400 First mobile terminal, 402, 502 Control device, 402a, 502a Processor, 402b, 502b Memory, 404a, 504a First communication unit, 404b, 504b Second communication unit, 406, 506 Storage device, 408, 508 Position detection device, 410, 510 UI, 500 Second mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A first mobile terminal; a second portable terminal with which communication with the first portable terminal is established using short-range wireless communication when the distance between the second portable terminal and the first portable terminal becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value; a vehicle-mounted navigation device capable of communicating with the first portable terminal, When the communication between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal is established, the first portable terminal receives destination information including a destination selected in the second portable terminal, and transmits the destination information to the navigation device; When the navigation device receives the destination information from the first portable terminal, the navigation device sets a destination for route guidance using the received destination information.

2. When the communication with the second portable terminal is established, the first portable terminal transmits predetermined software to the second portable terminal; The navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined software includes software that enables the destination information to be transmitted to the first portable terminal by the short-range wireless communication.

3. 3. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the second portable terminal uses the predetermined software to convert information including the destination selected using existing software of the second portable terminal into the destination information that can be transmitted to the first portable terminal by the short-range wireless communication.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal is configured to be capable of NFC (Near Field Communication) communication.

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