Map marking system and program

Abstract

To provide a map marking system and program that are highly convenient for users.SOLUTION: An operation instruction signal is transmitted from an operation apparatus 10 connected to a terminal apparatus 100 by pairing if an operation button 12 of the operation apparatus 10 is operated, and a position (current location) corresponding to the current location of the terminal apparatus 100 is marked on a map displayed on a display unit 103 of the terminal apparatus 100 if the terminal apparatus 100 receives the signal. This allows a user to mark the current location on the map displayed on the display unit 103 without directly operating the terminal apparatus 100. This makes it possible to realize a map marking system that is highly convenient for the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a map marking system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet devices employ touch panels on their displays, allowing users to perform various operations (also called "touch operations") by touching the display with a finger or a special pen. When a map is displayed on the display of such a mobile device and a user performs a touch operation (for example, "tapping") on the current location or a specified location on the map, a predetermined mark (a so-called "pin") is displayed at the location on the map where the operation was performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-116831 A (see paragraph 0033, Figure 4, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When displaying a mark on a map displayed on the display unit of a mobile device, the user must directly touch the display unit (map). Therefore, in situations where it is difficult to directly see and touch the display unit (map) of the mobile device, there is a problem in that the touch operation to display the mark cannot be performed immediately.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a map marking system and program that are highly convenient for users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following means.

[0007] The map marking system of means 1 is A system including an operation device having an operation unit and a terminal device capable of wireless communication with the operation device, The operating device is a transmitting unit capable of transmitting a predetermined signal based on the operation of the operating unit; The terminal device A display unit capable of displaying a map; a location identification unit that identifies a current location; a receiving unit capable of receiving the predetermined signal; a marking unit that marks a position on the map that corresponds to the current position when the predetermined signal is received by the receiving unit. The gist of this is as follows.

[0008] According to this system, when an operating unit of a control device is operated, a predetermined signal is transmitted from the control device. When the predetermined signal is received by a terminal device (receiving unit) that communicates wirelessly with the control device, a position (current location) corresponding to the current location of the terminal device is marked on a map displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. This allows the user to mark the current location on the map displayed on the display unit of the terminal device without directly operating the terminal device. This makes it possible to realize a map marking system that is highly convenient for users.

[0009] The map marking system of means 2 is the map marking system of means 1, The operating device has a detachable structure that allows the operating device to be attached to and detached from a predetermined object. The gist of this is as follows.

[0010] According to this, the detachable structure of the control device makes it possible to attach the control device to a predetermined object or detach it from the predetermined object, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in carrying the control device and further improving user convenience.

[0011] The map marking system of means 3 is the map marking system of means 1 or 2, the operating device has a mark display unit that displays a predetermined mark, The marking unit displays an image including a mark having the same shape as the mark displayed in the mark display unit as the marking. The gist of this is as follows.

[0012] According to this system, the current location is marked by displaying an image including a mark of the same shape as the mark displayed on the mark display unit of the operation device. This makes it possible to appeal to users the marking on the map on the terminal device based on the operation of the operation device. This makes it possible to enhance the originality and creativity of the system.

[0013] The program for method 4 is A program for a terminal device having at least a function of wirelessly communicating with an operating device, a function of displaying a map, and a function of identifying a current location, The terminal device A program that realizes a function of marking a position on the map that corresponds to the current position when a predetermined signal is received from the operating device. The gist of this is as follows.

[0014] This provides a program that realizes the function of marking the current location on a map displayed on a terminal device without directly operating the terminal device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a map marking system and program that are highly convenient for users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram of a map marking system according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of installation of an operating device. [Figure 2] (A) is a configuration diagram of the control board of the operation device, and (B) is a configuration diagram of the terminal device. [Figure 3] 1A is a flowchart of a map marking application process, and FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of a control unit of a terminal device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen on which a map is displayed on the terminal device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a map display on which a mark image is displayed. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a map displaying a mark image. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described using an example. [Example]

[0018] The map marking system (also referred to as "this system") 1 of this embodiment is mainly composed of an operation device 10 and a terminal device 100 capable of wireless communication with operation device 10, as shown in FIG. 1(A).

[0019] Manipulation device 10 is used by wirelessly connecting to terminal device 100, and has a function of transmitting a predetermined signal to connected terminal device 100. Terminal device 100 is a computer terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and has at least a function of performing wireless communication with manipulation device 10 (for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) function), a function of displaying a map, and a function of identifying the current location (for example, a GPS function).

[0020] This system 1 is designed to use a smartphone (mobile terminal) as terminal device 100, and functions in a state where manipulation device 10 and terminal device 100 are connected by pairing. The configurations of manipulation device 10 and terminal device 100 will be described below.

[0021] [Configuration of operation devices] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the operating device 10 includes a main body case 11, an operating button 12 (push button) that can be pressed (pushed) from the front side of the main body case 11 to the back side (from the front side to the back side of the paper in FIG. 1), and an attachment band 13 for attaching the device 10 to a predetermined attachment object (predetermined object), and is sized and weighed to be easily portable by a user. The operating button 12 functions as an operating unit operated by the user. Hereinafter, the pressing operation will also be simply referred to as "operation."

[0022] The main body case 11 and the operation buttons 12 are made of a hard plastic material. The main body case 11 houses a control board 14 (described later) on which various electric and electronic components are mounted, and a button battery (not shown) for supplying power to the electric and electronic components.

[0023] Mounting band 13 is made of a flexible silicone material and is provided on the back surface of main body case 11. With mounting band 13 wrapped around a predetermined object (predetermined object), operating device 10 can be attached (fixed) to the object by hooking hook piece 13a provided on one end of mounting band 13 into one of multiple band holes 13b provided in mounting band 13. On the other hand, operating device 10 can be removed from the object by removing hook piece 13a from band hole 13b.

[0024] In this embodiment, the mounting band 13, the hook piece 13a, and the band hole 13b provide a detachable structure that allows the operating device 10 to be attached to and detached from the object to which it is attached. That is, the operating device 10 has a detachable structure that is made up of the mounting band 13, the hook piece 13a, and the band hole 13b.

[0025] In this embodiment, the object (predetermined object) to which the operation device 10 is attached is a handlebar of a bicycle. That is, the present system 1 is designed to be used in a state in which the operation device 10 is attached (fixed) to a handlebar 700 of a bicycle, as shown in FIG. 1(B).

[0026] The operating device 10 can be attached to the handlebar 700 by wrapping the attachment band 13 around the handlebar 700a and hooking it through the hook piece 13a into an appropriate band hole 13b (a band hole 13b that does not become loose) that matches the thickness (shaft diameter) of the handlebar 700a. The operating device 10 may be attached in any position that does not interfere with riding the bicycle. Note that attaching the operating device 10 near the grip part 700b with the operating unit 12 facing the face of the bicycle rider (user) makes it easier to operate the operating button 12 (see FIG. 1(B)).

[0027] In this embodiment, the detachable structure of the control device 10 is configured with the mounting band 13, the hook piece 13a, and the band hole 13b, but the configuration (detachable structure) is not particularly limited as long as it allows the control device 10 to be attached and detached to the attachment object. For example, a plastic attachment (fixing device) molded to fit the shape and dimensions of the attachment object may be provided on the back side of the main body case 11 to form the detachable structure. Furthermore, the mounting band 13 provided on the back side of the main body case 11 may be detachable from the main body case 11. This improves usability when using the control device 10 without attaching it to the attachment object.

[0028] The control board 14 housed in the main body case 11 functions as a communication control unit for communicating with the terminal device 100. As shown in Fig. 2(A), the control board 14 is provided with at least an operation detection switch 15 capable of detecting that the operation button 12 has been operated, a communication IC chip 16 that transmits (outputs) a predetermined signal via Bluetooth (short-range wireless communication) based on the input of a detection signal from the operation detection switch 15, and a wiring pattern antenna 17.

[0029] The operation detection switch 15 turns on when the operation button 12 is operated, and turns off when the operation is released. When the operation detection switch 15 turns on, a detection signal (ON signal) indicating that the operation of the operation button 12 has been detected is input to the communication IC chip 16, and based on the input of the detection signal, a predetermined signal is transmitted (output) to the terminal device 100 connected to the operation device 10. In other words, the communication IC chip 16 functions as a transmitter that can transmit a predetermined signal based on the operation of the operation button 12.

[0030] The predetermined signal transmitted by the communication IC chip 16, i.e., the predetermined signal transmitted from the operation device 10 to the terminal device 100 based on the operation of the operation button 12, is a signal (also called an "operation instruction signal") for activating a specific function provided in the terminal device 100.

[0031] 1(A) and 1(B), a mark display unit 20 that displays a predetermined mark is provided on the surface of the operation button 12. The mark display unit 20 of this embodiment displays a mark based on the motif of an exclamation mark (a so-called "exclamation point"), and the shape of the mark is provided in a convex shape on the surface of the operation button 12. Therefore, the mark appears three-dimensionally on the mark display unit 20. This enhances the design of the operation device 10. As will be described in detail later, the mark displayed on the mark display unit 20 is related to the mark display when marking the current location on a map displayed on the terminal device 100.

[0032] The mark displayed by mark display unit 20 does not have to be provided in a convex shape, and may be provided in a concave shape or in a flat shape by printing, a sticker, etc. Furthermore, the location where the mark is displayed, i.e., the location where mark display unit 20 is provided, is not limited to the surface of operation button 12, and may be any location on a component constituting operation device 10, taking into consideration visibility for a user who uses operation device 10 (utilizes this system 1).

[0033] [Terminal device configuration] As shown in FIG. 2(B), the terminal device 100 includes a control unit 101, a memory unit 102, a display unit 103, an input unit 104, a first communication unit 105, a second communication unit 106, a position identification unit 107, and a power supply unit 108.

[0034] The control unit 101 executes various processes for controlling the operation of the terminal device 100, and is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and the like.

[0035] The memory unit 102 stores the OS (Operating System) that runs the terminal device 100, various application software (application programs) that can be executed by the terminal device 100, and various other data necessary for the operation of the terminal device 100, and is composed of a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0036] The programs stored in the memory unit 102 include a program (also referred to as a "map program") for displaying a map image (also referred to simply as a "map") on the display unit 103, and a program (also referred to as a "marking program") for marking the current position on the map based on an operation instruction signal from the operating device 10. In this embodiment, application software (also referred to as a "map marking application") including the map program and the marking program is installed in the terminal device 100.

[0037] The functions of the terminal device 100 are realized by a control unit 101 (such as a CPU) executing a program stored in a storage unit 102 (such as a memory).

[0038] The display unit 103 displays various images, information, etc., and is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. The display unit 103 in this embodiment is a liquid crystal display equipped with a touch panel function.

[0039] The input unit 104 is an input interface for the user to perform various inputs. In this embodiment, various inputs can be performed by touching a screen, an icon, a button image, etc. displayed on the display unit 103 having a touch panel function. In addition to touch operations, inputs can also be performed by operating a physical switch (e.g., a volume switch) provided on the terminal device 100. A signal based on an input by the input unit 104 is input to the control unit 101.

[0040] First communication unit 105 performs short-range wireless communication (Bluetooth function) with manipulation device 10 connected (paired) with terminal device 100, and receives an operation instruction signal when it is transmitted from manipulation device 10. That is, first communication unit 105 functions as a receiving unit capable of receiving an operation instruction signal (predetermined signal) from manipulation device 10. This makes it possible to operate terminal device 100 from manipulation device 10 via short-range wireless communication.

[0041] The second communication unit 106 communicates (network communication) with other devices via a network such as the Internet, for example, Wi-Fi communication or mobile data communication. The other devices include servers that provide map data or map marking applications.

[0042] The position specifying unit 107 receives radio waves transmitted from artificial satellites that constitute a GPS (Global Positioning System) and specifies (GPS function) the current position of the terminal device 100. Information on the current position specified by the position specifying unit 107 (position information) is used when necessary to execute various applications provided in the terminal device 100.

[0043] The power supply unit 108 supplies power to the above-mentioned units 101 to 107 and other electric and electronic components included in the terminal device 100, and is configured by, for example, a lithium ion battery.

[0044] [Map marking app features] When an instruction to start a map marking application (also referred to as "this application") installed on the terminal device 100 is input by operating the terminal device 100, the control unit 101 executes the map marking application process (S300) shown in FIG. 3(A) in accordance with the program of this application stored in the storage unit 102. The map marking application process (S300) executed by the control unit 101 will be described below. Note that in this specification, "S" in S300, etc. ("S" in the flowchart) means step. Furthermore, by executing the map marking application process (S300), the control unit 101 functions as a map display unit 201, a marking instruction determination unit 202, a position acquisition unit 203, and a marking unit 204, as shown in FIG. 3(B).

[0045] As shown in Fig. 3(A), in the map marking application process (S300), first, the terminal device 100 that has started (executed) this application connects to an external server (map server) (not shown) that is connectable via a network, acquires map data including the current position of the terminal device 100 from the server, and displays the map on the display unit 103 of the terminal device 100 (S301). The data acquisition from the server (map server) is performed by communication via the second communication unit 106. The process of S301 is performed by the control unit 101 functioning as the map display unit 201 (see Fig. 3(B)).

[0046] An example of a screen displayed on the display unit 103 by the processing of S301 is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in the figure, a map MP is displayed on most of the display unit 103. On the map MP, a current location image 501 indicating the current location is displayed at a position (current location) corresponding to the current location of the terminal device 100 identified by the position identification unit 107 (GPS function). Note that the current location image 501 does not have to be displayed, and the user may be able to select (switch between displaying and hiding) the current location image 501 by performing a predetermined input.

[0047] Also, below the map MP (at the bottom of the display unit 103), a marking instruction image 502 for marking the current location on the map MP is displayed. The marking instruction image 502 in this embodiment is configured as a text image that displays the words "Mark current location." An instruction to mark the current location (also referred to as a "marking instruction") can be input by performing a touch operation (for example, tapping) on ​​the marking instruction image 502 or by operating the operation button 12 of the operation device 10 as described below.

[0048] Returning to FIG. 3(A), control unit 101 determines whether or not a marking instruction has been made (S303) following S301. In S303, if marking instruction image 502 is touched (e.g., tapped) by the user, it is determined that a marking instruction has been made (YES in S303). Also, if first communication unit 105 receives an operation instruction signal from manipulation device 10 connected (paired) with terminal device 100 while the present application is running, it is determined that a marking instruction has been made (YES in S303). That is, if an operation instruction signal is received from manipulation device 10, it is determined that a marking instruction has been made even if marking instruction image 502 is not actually manipulated. Therefore, the operation instruction signal from manipulation device 10 is also a signal (also referred to as an "operation instruction signal") that instructs manipulation of marking instruction image 502 (input manipulation of a marking instruction). The processing of S303 is performed by control unit 101 functioning as marking instruction determination unit 202 (see FIG. 3(B)).

[0049] If it is determined in S303 that there is no marking instruction (NO in S303), this process ends without performing the processes of S305 and S307. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a marking instruction (YES in S303), the current position of the terminal device 100 identified by the position identification unit 107 at that time is acquired (S305). Then, a predetermined mark image is displayed at the position (current location) on the map MP corresponding to the acquired current position (S307), and this process ends. By displaying this mark image, the position (current location) on the map MP corresponding to the current position when the marking instruction was issued is marked. The processes of S305 and S307 are performed by the control unit 101 functioning as the position acquisition unit 203 and the marking unit 204 (see FIG. 3(B)), respectively.

[0050] An example of the display of the map MP on which the mark image is displayed is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a case where a mark image 503 is displayed (the current location is marked) at the current location (the display position of the current location image 501) on the map MP shown in Fig. 4.

[0051] 5, mark image 503 in this embodiment is configured to represent a mark of the same shape as the mark displayed on mark display unit 20 provided on operation button 12 of manipulation device 10 (see FIG. 1). That is, in this embodiment, mark image 503 including a mark of the same shape as the mark displayed on mark display unit 20 provided on operation button 12 of manipulation device 10 is displayed at a position (current location) on map MP corresponding to the current location of terminal device 100 (S307) as a marking based on a marking instruction. By configuring in this way, that is, by displaying a mark of the same shape as the mark displayed on mark display unit 20 of manipulation device 10 (operation button 12) in mark image 503, it is possible to appeal to the user the marking on the map on the terminal device 100 side based on the operation of manipulation device 10 (operation button 12), and it is possible to enhance the originality and ingenuity of this application (this system).

[0052] The above map marking application process (S300) makes it possible to mark the current location (to display mark image 503) on map MP displayed on display unit 103 of terminal device 100 not only by a marking instruction using marking instruction image 502 but also by a marking instruction received from operation instruction signal from operation device 10, i.e., by a marking instruction from operation device 10 (operation of the operation device). Therefore, for example, when going out by bicycle, the user can attach operation device 10 to the handlebars of the bicycle and carry terminal device 100 with this application running, and by operating operation device 10 (operation button 12) even if terminal device 100 is kept in a bag, a pocket of clothes, or the like, it becomes possible to mark favorite places or places that the user wants to remember on the map with a single touch wherever he or she goes. Note that Figure 5 shows an example in which one mark image 503 is displayed on the map MP, i.e., an example in which one location on the map MP is marked; however, in the present system 1, it is of course also possible to display multiple mark images 503 on the same map MP, i.e., to mark multiple locations, as shown in Figure 6.

[0053] According to the present system 1 described above, when the operation button 12 (operation unit) of the operation device 10 connected to the terminal device 100 by pairing is operated, an operation instruction signal (predetermined signal) is transmitted from the operation device 10. When the terminal device 100 receives the signal (received by the first communication unit 105), a position (current location) corresponding to the current location of the terminal device 100 is marked on the map MP displayed on the display unit 103 of the terminal device 100 (mark image 503 is displayed). This allows the user to mark the current location on the map MP displayed on the display unit 103 without directly operating the terminal device 100. This makes it possible to realize a map marking system that is highly convenient for the user. In particular, since the operation device 10 can be used while attached to the handlebars of a bicycle (see FIG. 1(B)), this can contribute to preventing dangerous behavior such as viewing or operating the screen of the terminal device 100 while riding a bicycle.

[0054] Note that the location information marked by the present system 1 (also referred to as "marking location information") can be stored in the present application (storage unit 102), or can be stored in a server (such as a cloud server) connectable to the terminal device 100 via a network. In the latter case, the terminal device 100 that has launched the present application can be connected via a network to a server that stores the marking location information, and the marking location information stored in the server can be read (acquired) into the terminal device 100, and the mark image 503 can be displayed on a map based on the read marking location information. This makes it possible to check locations that have been marked in the past (such as favorite locations) later or share them with multiple users.

[0055] In addition, in the embodiment, it is assumed that the operation device 10 is attached to the handlebars of a bicycle, but the object to which the operation device 10 is attached does not have to be the handlebars of a bicycle, and it may be the handlebars of a motorcycle or an automobile, for example. Of course, the operation device 10 can also be used without being attached to an object.

[0056] In addition, in the embodiment, the mark displayed on the mark display unit 20, i.e., the mark included in the mark image 503, is a mark based on the motif of an exclamation mark, but the mark may also be composed of other letters, symbols, characters, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 map marking system, 10 operation device, 11 main body case, 12 operation button 12 (operation unit), 13 mounting band (detachable structure), 13a hook piece (detachable structure), 13b band hole (detachable structure), 14 control board, 15 operation detection switch, 16 communication IC chip (transmitter), 17 antenna, 20 mark display unit, 100 terminal device, 101 control unit, 102 memory unit, 103 display unit, 104 input unit, 105 first communication unit, 106 second communication unit, 107 position identification unit, 108 power supply unit, 201 map display unit, 202 marking instruction determination unit, 203 position acquisition unit, 204 marking unit, 501 current location image, 502 marking instruction image, 503 mark image, 700 handle, 700a handlebar, 700b grip unit.

Claims

1. A system including an operation device having an operation unit and a terminal device capable of wireless communication with the operation device, The operating device includes: a transmitting unit capable of transmitting a predetermined signal based on the operation of the operation unit; The terminal device A display unit capable of displaying a map; A location identification unit that identifies a current location; A receiving unit capable of receiving the predetermined signal; a marking unit that marks a position on the map corresponding to the current position when the receiving unit receives the predetermined signal. A map marking system comprising:

2. The operating device has a detachable structure that allows the operating device to be attached to and detached from a predetermined object.

2. The map marking system of claim 1.

3. the operating device has a mark display unit that displays a predetermined mark, The marking unit displays an image including a mark having the same shape as the mark displayed in the mark display unit as the marking.

3. A map marking system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. program A program for a terminal device having at least a function of wirelessly communicating with an operating device, a function of displaying a map, and a function of identifying a current location, The terminal device, A program for realizing a function of marking a position on the map that corresponds to the current position when a predetermined signal is received from the operating device.

Images