Guidance output apparatus, guidance output method, and program

Abstract

To enable a foreigner to understand the meaning of road signs seen while traveling on roads.SOLUTION: A guidance output apparatus 1 comprises: a position specifying unit 161 that specifies a position of the guidance output apparatus 1; a language specifying unit 163 that specifies a language in which guidance information is output; a detection unit 164 that detects that a road sign is present within a predetermined distance from the position specified by the position specifying unit 161, by referring to map data in which position data indicating positions on a road are associated with sign type data indicating types of road signs installed at the positions; and an output unit 165 that outputs guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the language specified by the language specifying unit 163 when the detection unit 164 detects a road sign.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a guidance output device, a guidance output method, and a program for outputting guidance about road signs. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a system is known that informs a driver of the contents of road signs by voice (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-67375 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Opportunities for foreigners to drive and walk on roads in Japan are increasing. When foreigners who are unfamiliar with Japanese road signs drive vehicles, they have difficulty driving properly because they cannot understand the meaning of the road signs. In conventional systems, even if the contents of road signs are provided by voice, there is a problem in that foreigners cannot understand the meaning of the road signs if the voice guidance is provided in a language that they cannot understand.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to enable foreigners to understand the meaning of road signs they see while traveling on roads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A guidance output device of a first aspect of the present invention includes a position identification unit that identifies the position of the guidance output device; a language identification unit that identifies the language in which the guidance information is to be output; a detection unit that detects that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the position identified by the position identification unit by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road is associated with sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at that position; and an output unit that, when the detection unit detects a road sign, outputs guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the language identified by the language identification unit.

[0007] The guidance output device may further include a memory unit that stores a plurality of guidance information text data corresponding to a plurality of languages ​​explaining the content of the road sign, in association with each of the plurality of sign type data, and the output unit may output the guidance information based on the language identified by the language identification unit and the guidance information text data associated with the sign type data corresponding to the road sign detected by the detection unit.

[0008] The guidance output device may further have a setting reception unit that receives settings of road signs to be output as the guidance information, and the output unit may output the guidance information corresponding to the road signs that the setting reception unit has received as the targets for output of the guidance information.

[0009] When the setting reception unit receives a setting to output the guidance information to road signs of the same type that correspond to one of the limit values ​​of vehicle width, vehicle height, and weight that are different, the setting reception unit may also output the guidance information to road signs of the same type that are equal to or less than the received limit value.

[0010] The guidance output device may further have a memory unit that stores a range of limit values ​​for which the guidance information is to be output, in association with a type of road sign that includes a limit value for any of vehicle width, vehicle height, and weight, and the output unit may output the guidance information corresponding to the road sign when the limit value indicated by the road sign detected by the detection unit is included in the range of limit values ​​stored in the memory unit in association with the type of road sign.

[0011] When the detection unit detects that there is a road sign, the output unit may cause the display unit to display an image corresponding to the detected road sign without displaying a map.

[0012] The map data may further include information indicating a one-way road, and when the detection unit detects by referring to the map data that the position identified by the position identification unit is on a one-way road, the output unit may output the guidance information indicating that the vehicle in which the guidance output device is installed is on a one-way road in a language identified by the language identification unit.

[0013] The map data associates positions with speed limits, and the device further includes a speed identification unit that identifies the speed limit corresponding to the position of the guidance output device by referring to the map data, and the detection unit may increase the specified distance as the speed limit increases.

[0014] The guidance output device may further include a speed specifying unit that specifies a moving speed of the guidance output device, and the detection unit may increase the predetermined distance as the moving speed specified by the speed specifying unit increases.

[0015] The output unit may determine the timing to start outputting the guidance information or the position of the guidance output device based on the road sign detected by the detection unit and the length of the guidance information corresponding to the language identified by the language identification unit.

[0016] A second aspect of the guidance output method of the present invention includes the steps of: executing a computer to identify the location of the computer; identifying a language in which guidance information regarding road signs is to be output; detecting that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the identified location by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road is associated with sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at that location; and, when a road sign is detected, outputting guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the identified language.

[0017] A third aspect of the program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: identifying the location of the computer; identifying the language in which guidance information regarding road signs is to be output; detecting that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the identified location by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road is associated with sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at that location; and, when a road sign is detected, outputting guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the identified language. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The present invention has the effect of enabling foreigners to understand the meaning of road signs they see while traveling on roads. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a guidance output device 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 3 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information displayed on the guidance output device 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a guidance output device 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of guidance information data. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen. [Figure 6]4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the guidance output device 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] [Outline of Guidance Output Device 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a guidance output device 1. When a user U of the guidance output device 1 approaches a road sign S, the guidance output device 1 outputs guidance information about the road sign S (for example, guidance information explaining the contents of the road sign S) in a language selected as a language that the user U can understand. The guidance output device 1 emits audio including the guidance information from a speaker, and displays text or images including the guidance information on a display. The guidance output device 1 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet, but may also be a dedicated device for outputting guidance information. The guidance output device 1 is used while being fixed to, for example, the dashboard of a vehicle. The vehicle may be a car with four or more wheels, a motorcycle, or a bicycle. The user U may be a driver or passenger of the vehicle, or a person running or walking on a road.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a state in which a user U who has selected English is driving a vehicle and is approaching a "stop" road sign S. In this case, the guidance output device 1 outputs guidance information in English, such as "There is a stop sign ahead. Please stop and check left and right." This is equivalent to the English translation of "There is a stop sign ahead. Please stop and check left and right." By outputting such guidance information by the guidance output device 1, even if the user U is a foreigner who cannot understand the meaning of Japanese road signs S or is not familiar with Japanese road signs S and cannot instantly remember the meaning when seeing road signs S, the user U can correctly understand the meaning of road signs S, thereby improving safety.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information displayed on the guidance output device 1. In the example shown in FIG. 2(a), an image G of a road sign S for which guidance information is to be output and an image H indicating the vehicle's traveling direction are displayed. By having a user U look at the image G of the road sign S while listening to the guidance information indicating the meaning of the road sign S, the user U can more easily remember the meaning of the road sign S. In the example shown in FIG. 2(b), text T of the guidance information is displayed together with the image G. The guidance output device 1 may display such text T while outputting the guidance information by voice, or may display the text T without outputting the guidance information by voice.

[0023] [Configuration and Operation of Guidance Output Device 1] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the guidance output device 1. The guidance output device 1 has a GPS receiving unit 11, an operation unit 12, a speaker 13, a display 14, a storage unit 15, and a control unit 16. The control unit 16 has a setting receiving unit 160, a position identifying unit 161, a speed identifying unit 162, a language identifying unit 163, a detection unit 164, and an output unit 165.

[0024] The GPS receiver 11 receives radio waves from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The GPS receiver 11 inputs information contained in the received radio waves to the position specifying unit 161.

[0025] The operation unit 12 is a device that accepts operations by the user U, and is, for example, a touch panel that is provided over the display 14. The operation unit 12 notifies the setting acceptance unit 160 of data indicating the operated position (for example, data indicating the coordinates on the display where the user touched).

[0026] The speaker 13 is an audio output means, and emits audio including guidance information based on a signal input from the output unit 165. The display 14 is a display unit, and displays characters or images including guidance information based on data input from the output unit 165.

[0027] The storage unit 15 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 15 stores programs executed by the control unit 16. The storage unit 15 also stores map data in which a position on a road is associated with the type of road sign S installed at that position. In the map data, position data indicating a position on a road is associated with sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at that position. The position data is, for example, data indicating latitude and longitude. The map data may further include information indicating one-way roads. In the map data, a position may be associated with a speed limit.

[0028] Furthermore, the storage unit 15 stores guidance information data including guidance information text data corresponding to each of a plurality of languages. The storage unit 15 stores a plurality of guidance information text data corresponding to a plurality of languages ​​that provides guidance on the content of road signs, in association with each of a plurality of sign type data. The storage unit 15 stores information indicating whether or not a given sign type is subject to output of guidance information, in association with the sign type data. The storage unit 15 may also store information indicating whether or not a given sign type is subject to output of guidance information, in association with a language or a country.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information data, in which road sign IDs, languages, output flags, and guidance information texts are associated with each other.

[0030] The road sign ID is sign type data that includes a character string assigned to each type of road sign. In the example shown in Figure 4, the road sign with road sign ID S001 is a road sign indicating a stop, and the road sign with road sign ID S002 is a road sign indicating a vehicle width limit.

[0031] The languages ​​are languages ​​that can be output by the guidance output device 1. Although Japanese, English, Chinese, and Indonesian are shown in FIG. 4, the types and number of languages ​​included in the guidance information data are arbitrary. Furthermore, the guidance information data may include country names instead of languages. The storage unit 15 may further store data in which country names and languages ​​are associated with each other.

[0032] The output flag is data indicating whether or not to output guidance information when a road sign corresponding to a road sign ID approaches the guidance output device 1. If the output flag is 1, the guidance output device 1 issues guidance information, and if the output flag is 0, the guidance output device 1 does not issue guidance information. The example shown in FIG. 4 indicates that guidance information in English is to be output. Guidance information in multiple languages ​​may be set to be outputtable.

[0033] In the guidance information data, a road sign ID may be associated with a distance from the location of the road sign to a location where output of the guidance information starts, or a time required to travel from the location of the road sign to a location where output of the guidance information starts. The time is set to be equal to or greater than the allowance time required for the user U to understand the meaning of the road sign by listening to the guidance information explaining the meaning of the road sign. In the guidance information data, the distance or time may be associated with each combination of a road sign ID and a language. In the guidance information data, the distance or time may be associated with the road speed limit or the user U's travel speed.

[0034] 3, the control unit 16 will be described. The control unit 16 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processor Unit), and executes programs stored in the storage unit 15 to function as a setting reception unit 160, a position identification unit 161, a speed identification unit 162, a language identification unit 163, a detection unit 164, and an output unit 165.

[0035] The setting acceptance unit 160 accepts settings input via the operation unit 12. For example, the setting acceptance unit 160 displays a setting screen on the display 14 via the output unit 165, and accepts settings indicated by operation content corresponding to the position where the operation unit 12 accepts the operation while the setting screen is displayed. The setting acceptance unit 160 stores data indicating the set content in the storage unit 15. For example, the setting acceptance unit 160 accepts a setting for a language to be used for outputting guidance information. Specifically, when the character string "English" is displayed at the position touched by the user U on the screen for selecting a language, the setting acceptance unit 160 determines that the operation performed by the user U is an operation to select English, and sets the language to English.

[0036] The setting accepting unit 160 may accept a setting as to whether to output the guidance information as sound from the speaker 13 or to display the guidance information on the display 14. The setting accepting unit 160 may accept a setting as to output the guidance information as sound from the speaker 13 and to display the guidance information on the display 14.

[0037] The setting receiving unit 160 may receive settings for road signs for which guidance information is to be output. For example, the setting receiving unit 160 receives the settings for road signs for which guidance information is to be output, while displaying on the display 14, together with images of multiple road signs, descriptions of each road sign in the language for which the setting has been received.

[0038] The setting receiving unit 160 may accept a setting of a limit value for road signs of the same type that have different limit values ​​but are to be the output targets of guidance information. The limit value is, for example, the maximum width, height, or weight of a vehicle that can travel on the road. When the setting receiving unit 160 accepts a setting for road signs of the same type that have different limit values ​​but are to be the output targets of guidance information, the setting receiving unit 160 may select road signs of the same type that are equal to or less than the accepted limit value as the output targets of guidance information. The maximum limit value for vehicle width, height, or weight accepted by the setting receiving unit 160 does not need to match the actual vehicle width, height, or weight of the vehicle, but may be the maximum vehicle width, height, or weight for which the user U desires guidance information to be output.

[0039] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of setting screens. FIG. 5A shows a screen for accepting language settings. For example, user U can set the language by touching the language to be used. In FIG. 5A, Vietnamese is selected.

[0040] Next, the setting receiving unit 160 receives settings for road signs for which guidance information is to be output. FIG. 5(b) is an example of a screen for receiving settings for road signs for which guidance information is to be output. On this screen, characters indicating the meaning of the road sign are displayed in the language set in FIG. 5(a) in association with the road sign. In addition, each road sign is provided with a check box, and when the user touches the check box, the setting receiving unit 160 stores the touched road sign in the storage unit 15 as a road sign for which guidance information is to be output. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), stop signs, road closed signs, no entry signs, and one-way signs are set as road signs for which guidance information is to be output.

[0041] 5(c) is an example of a screen for setting the maximum vehicle width for which guidance information is to be output among vehicle width restriction signs. When the user U touches the check box for a road sign indicating a vehicle width of 2.0 m, for example, the setting reception unit 160 sets road signs with a vehicle width equal to or smaller than the width indicated by the selected road sign as targets for which guidance information is to be output. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(c), because the user U touched the check box for a road sign indicating a vehicle width of 2.0 m, for example, a check mark is also displayed in the check box for a road sign indicating a vehicle width of 1.7 m.

[0042] 5(d) is an example of a screen for setting the maximum weight of weight limit signs for which guidance information is to be output. When the user U touches the checkbox for a road sign with a weight limit of 3.0 t, for example, the setting reception unit 160 sets road signs with a weight equal to or less than the weight indicated by the selected road sign as targets for which guidance information is to be output. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(d), because the user U touched the checkbox for a road sign with a weight limit of 3.0 t, a check mark is also displayed in the checkbox for a road sign with a weight limit of 2.0 t.

[0043] Similarly, for road signs specifying vehicle height limits, the setting receiving unit 160 sets road signs that are equal to or lower than the vehicle height indicated by the selected road sign as targets for output of guidance information. By operating in this manner, the setting receiving unit 160 can shorten the time required for user U to make settings and prevent setting errors.

[0044] The position specifying unit 161 specifies the position of the guidance output device 1 based on the information input from the GPS receiving unit 11. Specifically, the position specifying unit 161 specifies the latitude and longitude of the position (e.g., the position of the vehicle) of the guidance output device 1. The position specifying unit 161 notifies the detection unit 164 of the specified position.

[0045] The speed identification unit 162 refers to the map data to identify the speed limit at the position of the guidance output device 1 identified by the position identification unit 161. The speed identification unit 162 notifies the detection unit 164 of the identified speed limit.

[0046] The language identification unit 163 identifies the language in which the guidance information is to be output. For example, the language identification unit 163 identifies the language for which the setting receiving unit 160 has received a setting as the language for which the guidance information is to be output. The language identification unit 163 may identify the language for which the guidance information is to be output by referring to data stored in the storage unit 15 as the working language. The language identification unit 163 may also identify the working language that has been set in advance by a person other than the user U and that has been stored in the storage unit 15 as the language for which the guidance information is to be output.

[0047] The language identification unit 163 may identify the language spoken by the user U by analyzing the voice of the user U input to a microphone provided in the guidance output device 1, and may identify the identified language as the language in which guidance information is to be output. The language identification unit 163 may also identify the language set as the language of the OS (Operating System) of the guidance output device 1 as the language in which guidance information is to be output. For example, the language identification unit 163 may identify the language set as the language displayed on various screens of the guidance output device 1 as the language in which guidance information is to be output. By operating the language identification unit 163 in this manner, the user U does not need to perform an operation to set the language to be used, which is suitable for cases where the driver of a vehicle in which the guidance output device 1 is installed changes.

[0048] The language identification unit 163 may identify the language in which to output the guidance information based on schedule data input from an external device via a communication interface of the guidance output device 1. In the schedule data, a date and a language are associated with each other, and the language identification unit 163 may identify the language associated with the date and time at that time in the schedule data as the language in which to output the guidance information. By operating the language identification unit 163 in this manner, when multiple people take turns driving a vehicle in which the guidance output device 1 is installed, the guidance output device 1 can output guidance information in a language suitable for each person.

[0049] The detection unit 164 detects that a road sign is present within a predetermined distance from the position of the guidance output device 1 identified by the position identification unit 161 by referring to map data. Specifically, the detection unit 164 detects that a road sign is present within a predetermined distance ahead in the traveling direction of the guidance output device 1 from the current position of the guidance output device 1. The predetermined distance is a distance corresponding to the margin of time required for the user U to understand the meaning of the road sign by listening to the guidance information indicating the meaning of the road sign. The margin of time is, for example, 3 seconds.

[0050] It is assumed that the length of the guidance information and the time required for the user U to understand the content of the guidance information will differ depending on the type of road sign. Therefore, it is preferable that the margin time be determined based on the length of the longest guidance information among the multiple pieces of guidance information corresponding to the multiple road sign types output in the language identified by the language identification unit 163.

[0051] The distance traveled by the user U during the margin time varies depending on the travel speed of the user U. Therefore, the detection unit 164 may increase the predetermined distance for detecting the presence of a road sign as the speed limit of the road on which the guidance output device 1 is traveling increases. Specifically, if the margin time is 3 seconds and the vehicle is traveling on a road with a speed limit of 30 km / h, the detection unit 164 detects road signs within 25 m of the vehicle, and if the vehicle is traveling on a road with a speed limit of 40 km / h, the detection unit 164 detects road signs within 33 m of the vehicle. The detection unit 164 may identify the predetermined distance corresponding to the speed limit by, for example, referring to data indicating the relationship between the speed limit and the distance stored in the memory unit 15. The detection unit 164 may identify the predetermined distance by multiplying the margin time by the speed limit.

[0052] It is also assumed that the time required to output guidance information (i.e., the length of time) differs depending on the language. Therefore, the storage unit 15 may store the language, the moving speed of the guidance output device 1, and a predetermined distance in association with each other, and the detection unit 164 may detect road signs within the predetermined distance from the position identified by the position identification unit 161, which are stored in the storage unit 15 in association with the language identified by the language identification unit 163 and the moving speed identified by the speed identification unit 162.

[0053] When the detection unit 164 detects a road sign at a position a predetermined distance before the position of the road sign, the output unit 165 outputs guidance information in the language identified by the language identification unit 163 based on the guidance information text data corresponding to the sign type data corresponding to the detected road sign. The output unit 165 outputs a voice indicating the guidance information from the speaker 13, for example, by converting the sign type data corresponding to the type of road sign detected by the detection unit 164 and the guidance information text data corresponding to the language identified by the language identification unit 163 into audio data. The output unit 165 may also display the text indicating the guidance information on the display 14. The output unit 165 starts outputting the guidance information, for example, when the detection unit 164 detects a road sign.

[0054] The output unit 165 may output guidance information on the condition that the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 is a road sign for which the setting receiving unit 160 has accepted a setting as a target for which guidance information is to be output. If the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 is not a road sign for which the setting receiving unit 160 has accepted a setting as a target for which guidance information is to be output, the output unit 165 may not output the guidance information from the speaker 13 but may display the guidance information only on the display 14. By operating the output unit 165 in this way, no sound is emitted when the user U approaches a road sign for which guidance is not required, thereby preventing the user U from feeling uncomfortable.

[0055] The time required to output the guidance information varies depending on the road sign. Therefore, the output unit 165 may determine the timing to start outputting the guidance information or the position of the guidance output device 1 based on the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 and the length of the guidance information corresponding to the road sign in the language identified by the language identification unit 163. For example, the output unit 165 may delay the timing to start outputting the guidance information as the length of the guidance information corresponding to the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 becomes shorter. By operating the output unit 165 in this manner, the output unit 165 can complete output of the guidance information at a position where the distance to the road sign is approximately the same, regardless of the road sign.

[0056] It is also expected that the time required to output the voice of the guidance information may differ depending on the language, even for the same road sign. If the guidance information corresponding to the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 is short, and the output of the guidance information is started at the time the detection unit 164 detects the road sign, the time from when the guidance information is output until the vehicle reaches the location of the road sign may be too long. Therefore, the output unit 165 may change the timing at which it starts outputting the guidance information or the position of the guidance output device depending on the language.

[0057] As an example, when the detection unit 164 detects that a road sign exists within a predetermined distance from the position identified by the position identification unit 161 and stored in the storage unit 15 in association with the language identified by the language identification unit 163, the output unit 165 may output guidance information corresponding to the sign type data. For example, the output unit 165 sets the position at which to start outputting guidance information in a language in which the time required to output the guidance information audibly is a first time to a position (i.e., a position farther from the road sign) before the position at which to start outputting guidance information in a language in which the time required to output the guidance information audibly is a second time shorter than the first time. By operating in this manner, the output unit 165 can complete the audio output of the guidance information before the vehicle reaches the road sign, even for a language in which the time required to output the guidance information audibly is a long time.

[0058] When the detection unit 164 detects by referring to the map data that the position identified by the position identification unit 161 is on a one-way road, the output unit 165 may output guidance information indicating that the vehicle equipped with the guidance output device 1 is on a one-way road, in the language identified by the language identification unit 163. This allows the user U to recognize that the vehicle has entered a one-way road when the vehicle has accidentally entered a one-way road.

[0059] [Processing flow in guidance output device 1] 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the guidance output device 1. The flowchart shown in the guidance output device 1 starts when application software for outputting guidance information is started.

[0060] The position specifying unit 161 specifies the current position of the guidance output device 1 (S11). Furthermore, the speed specifying unit 162 specifies the speed limit at the current position of the guidance output device 1 by referring to map data (S12).

[0061] The detection unit 164 determines whether or not there is a road sign for which guidance information is to be output within a predetermined distance corresponding to the speed limit from the current position of the guidance output device 1 (S13). If the detection unit 164 determines that there is no road sign (NO in S13), the control unit 16 repeats the processes from S11 to S13. If the detection unit 164 determines that there is a road sign (YES in S13), the language identification unit 163 identifies the language to be used to output the guidance information (S14). Subsequently, the output unit 165 outputs the guidance information in the identified language (S15).

[0062] Next, the control unit 16 determines whether or not to end the operation of outputting the guidance information (S16). For example, when the setting acceptance unit 160 accepts an operation to end the application that outputs the guidance information, the control unit 16 determines to end the operation of outputting the guidance information (YES in S16) and ends the operation. When the setting acceptance unit 160 does not accept an operation to end the application (NO in S16), the control unit 16 repeats the processes from S11 to S16.

[0063] [First Modification] In the above description, the speed specification unit 162 specifies the speed limit at the position of the guidance output device 1, and the output unit 165 starts outputting guidance information at a position corresponding to the speed limit. However, the vehicle does not necessarily travel at the speed limit.

[0064] Therefore, the guidance output device 1 may have an acceleration sensor, and the speed identification unit 162 may identify the moving speed of the guidance output device 1 (i.e., the traveling speed of the vehicle) based on a signal input from the acceleration sensor. In this case, the detection unit 164 increases the predetermined distance from the position of the guidance output device 1 identified by the position identification unit 161, from which the presence of a road sign is detected, as the moving speed identified by the speed identification unit 162 increases. Then, the output unit 165 may start outputting guidance information at a timing corresponding to the moving speed or the position of the guidance output device 1, instead of the speed limit in the above description. By operating the guidance output device 1 in this manner, guidance information is output at a position appropriate for the actual traveling speed of the vehicle, which enables the user U to understand the content of the sign at an appropriate timing regardless of the traveling speed of the vehicle.

[0065] [Second Modification] The setting receiving unit 160 may further receive a setting of the purpose of the guidance output device 1. For example, the setting receiving unit 160 receives a setting of the purpose of the guidance output device 1 from a plurality of purposes each having a different standard movement speed, such as automobile, bicycle, jogging, walking, wheelchair, and the like.

[0066] In this case, the speed specifying unit 162 specifies the standard speed stored in the storage unit 15 in association with the purpose accepted by the setting accepting unit 160. For example, the speed specifying unit 162 sets the standard speed for automobiles to the speed limit of the road on which the automobiles are traveling, the standard speed for bicycles to 15 km / h, the standard speed for jogging to 6.4 km / h, the standard speed for pedestrians to 4.0 km / h, and the standard speed for wheelchairs to 3.5 km / h. Then, the output unit 165 may start outputting guidance information at a timing or a position of the guidance output device 1 corresponding to the standard speeds specified by the speed specifying unit 162.

[0067] By operating in this manner, the guidance output device 1 outputs guidance information at a position appropriate to the state in which the guidance output device 1 is being used, allowing the user U to understand the contents of the sign at the appropriate time regardless of the moving speed of the user U of the guidance output device 1.

[0068] [Third Modification] In the above explanation, an example has been given in which the guidance output device 1 accepts the setting of limit values ​​for vehicle width, height, weight, etc., for which guidance information is to be output, and the output unit 165 outputs guidance information for road signs that correspond to values ​​equal to or less than the set limit values. However, the output unit 165 may also output guidance information for road signs that correspond to limits equal to or less than the width, height, or weight notified by the weight sensor of the actual vehicle stored in the memory unit 15.

[0069] Furthermore, the output unit 165 may determine whether to output guidance information for a detected road sign by comparing the limit value indicated by the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 with a range of limit values ​​stored in the storage unit 15. Specifically, the storage unit 15 stores a range of limit values ​​for which guidance information is to be output, in association with the type of road sign including the limit value. Then, the output unit 165 outputs guidance information corresponding to the road sign when the limit value indicated by the road sign detected by the detection unit 164 is included in the range of limit values ​​stored in the storage unit 15 in association with the type of road sign. With the guidance output device 1 configured in this way, the output unit 165 can output guidance information for a road sign indicating a limit value included in the range of limit values ​​stored in advance in the storage unit 15, even if the user U does not set a limit value.

[0070] [Effects of Guidance Output Device 1] As described above, when the detection unit 164 detects a road sign, the output unit 165 outputs guidance information corresponding to the sign type data corresponding to the detected road sign in the language identified by the language identification unit 163. This allows the user U to correctly understand the meaning of the road sign S, even if the user U is a foreigner who cannot understand the meaning of Japanese road signs S or is not familiar with Japanese road signs S and cannot instantly remember the meaning when he or she sees the road sign S, and therefore is driving a vehicle, thereby improving safety.

[0071] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Guidance output device 11 Receiving unit 12 Control section 13 Speaker 14 Display 15 Storage section 16 Control Unit 160 Settings Reception Section 161 Location identification part 162 Speed ​​identification part 163 Language Specification Section 164 Detector 165 Output section

Claims

1. A guidance output device that outputs guidance information regarding road signs, a position specifying unit that specifies a position of the guidance output device; a language identification unit that identifies a language in which the guidance information is to be output; a detection unit that detects that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the position identified by the position identification unit by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road and sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at that position are associated with each other; an output unit that, when the detection unit detects a road sign, outputs guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the language identified by the language identification unit; A guidance output device having the following.

2. a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of guidance information text data corresponding to a plurality of languages ​​that explain the contents of the road signs, in association with each of the plurality of sign type data; the output unit outputs the guidance information based on the guidance information text data associated with the sign type data corresponding to the road sign detected by the detection unit and the language identified by the language identification unit. The guidance output device according to claim 1 .

3. a setting receiving unit that receives a setting of a road sign that is a target for output of the guidance information; the output unit outputs the guidance information corresponding to a road sign for which the setting acceptance unit has accepted a setting as a target for output of the guidance information. The guidance output device according to claim 1 .

4. when the setting reception unit receives a setting to output the guidance information to road signs of the same type that have different limit values ​​for any of vehicle width, vehicle height, and weight, and that correspond to one of the limit values, the setting reception unit sets road signs of the same type that are equal to or less than the received limit value as the output target of the guidance information; The guidance output device according to claim 3 .

5. a storage unit that stores a range of the limit value for the vehicle width, vehicle height, or vehicle weight, in association with a type of road sign that includes the limit value, and that is a target for output of the guidance information; the output unit outputs the guidance information corresponding to the road sign when the limit value indicated by the road sign detected by the detection unit is within a range of the limit value stored in the storage unit in association with the type of the road sign. The guidance output device according to claim 1 .

6. When the detection unit detects that there is a road sign, the output unit causes the display unit to display an image corresponding to the detected road sign without displaying a map. The guidance output device according to claim 1.

7. the map data further includes information indicating one-way roads; When the detection unit detects by referring to the map data that the position identified by the position identification unit is on a one-way road, the output unit outputs the guidance information indicating that the vehicle on which the guidance output device is installed is on a one-way road in the language identified by the language identification unit. The guidance output device according to claim 1 .

8. The map data associates a position with a speed limit, and the device further includes a speed specifying unit that specifies the speed limit corresponding to the position of the guidance output device by referring to the map data, The detection unit increases the predetermined distance as the speed limit increases. The guidance output device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. a speed specifying unit that specifies a moving speed of the guidance output device; the detection unit increases the predetermined distance as the moving speed identified by the speed identification unit increases; The guidance output device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. the output unit determines a timing to start outputting the guidance information or a position of the guidance output device based on the road sign detected by the detection unit and the length of the guidance information corresponding to the language identified by the language identification unit. The guidance output device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. The computer executes locating the computer; Identifying a language in which guidance information regarding road signs is to be output; detecting that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the identified position by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road and sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at the position are associated; a step of outputting guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the identified language when the road sign is detected; A guidance output method having the following.

12. On the computer, locating the computer; Identifying a language in which guidance information regarding road signs is to be output; detecting that there is a road sign within a predetermined distance from the identified position by referring to map data in which position data indicating a position on a road and sign type data indicating the type of road sign installed at the position are associated; a step of outputting guidance information corresponding to the detected road sign in the identified language when the road sign is detected; A program to execute.

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