Guidance device

Abstract

To provide route guidance that quickly corresponds to guidance for fellow passengers, etc. [Solution] The guidance device 10 includes a guidance unit 14 that generates and acquires a route to a destination, a voice output unit 15 that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route, and a keyword analysis unit 12 that acquires spoken voice information and detects keywords related to guidance. The guidance unit 14 then generates and acquires a rerouted route in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a guidance device having a guidance unit that outputs guidance information along a searched route. [Background technology]

[0002] Guidance devices such as car navigation systems search for routes to a preset destination and provide audio guidance along the searched route.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes the following invention for the purpose of providing guidance to the driver that is as easy to understand as that of a passenger. The invention described in Patent Document 1 calculates driving situation feature amounts at the time of guidance from the guidance history stored in a guidance history storage means in which passengers have given guidance to the driver using a guidance time driving situation feature amount calculation means, and classifies the guidance into categories in which the driving situation feature amounts for the guidance satisfy certain conditions using a guidance classification means. Then, the utterance content variable parts of the driving situation feature amounts are replaced with variable part symbols, and the utterance content with the highest frequency for each category is selected by a utterance content selection means and stored in a storage means as a guide rule. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-190773 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 provides easy-to-understand guidance similar to that of a passenger, but there are cases where the passenger is actually providing guidance because the passenger is familiar with the area in which the passenger is traveling. In such cases, if guidance is also being provided by the guidance device, this may conflict with the guidance provided by the passenger. For example, if the passenger advises the driver to turn right (left) at an intersection where the guidance device indicates that the driver should proceed straight, the driver may become confused. Furthermore, if the driver follows the passenger's guidance, the driver will deviate from the route provided by the guidance device and be forced to reroute. However, the driver may feel uneasy because there is no guidance from the guidance device until guidance for the rerouted route begins.

[0006] One example of a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide route guidance that quickly responds to the guidance of passengers and the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination, a guidance unit that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route, and a voice detection unit that acquires spoken voice information and detects keywords related to guidance, and is characterized in that the route acquisition unit acquires a route that has been modified in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information.

[0008] The invention described in claim 5 is characterized by comprising an analysis result acquisition unit that acquires an analysis result of the spoken voice information including keywords related to the guidance detected by the voice detection unit, and a route search unit that searches for a modified route in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information based on the analysis result acquired by the analysis result acquisition unit.

[0009] The invention as set forth in claim 6 is characterized in that the guidance method as set forth in claim 5 is executed by a computer as a guidance program.

[0010] The invention as set forth in claim 7 is characterized in that the guidance program as set forth in claim 6 is stored in a computer-readable storage medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including a guide device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] These are examples of place-related words and action-related words. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of an operation for rerouting based on guidance from a passenger. [Figure 4] 2 is another example of the configuration of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of the operation of a guidance device according to a second embodiment of the present invention for rerouting based on guidance from a fellow passenger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A guidance device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The guidance device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination, a guidance unit that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route, and a voice detection unit that acquires spoken voice information and detects keywords related to guidance. The route acquisition unit then acquires a route that has been corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information. In this way, the route acquisition unit can acquire a route that has been corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information spoken by a passenger or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of a passenger or the like.

[0013] Furthermore, the route acquisition unit may acquire a route revised in accordance with the content of the uttered voice information when the voice detection unit detects a keyword related to guidance. In this way, the route acquisition unit can acquire a revised route only when, for example, a passenger starts guidance.

[0014] Furthermore, the guidance unit may immediately start outputting guidance information based on the revised route after acquiring the revised route, thereby enabling prompt guidance along the route according to the guidance of the passenger.

[0015] Furthermore, after acquiring the corrected route, the guidance unit may start outputting guidance information based on the route when the vehicle starts traveling along the corrected route. In this way, when the vehicle actually starts traveling along the route guided by the passenger, the vehicle can be guided along the route according to the guidance.

[0016] The guidance device may also include an analysis result acquisition unit that acquires an analysis result of uttered voice information including keywords related to guidance detected by the voice detection unit, and a route search unit that searches for a route revised in accordance with the content indicated by the uttered voice information based on the analysis result acquired by the analysis result acquisition unit. In this way, a route revised in accordance with the content indicated by the uttered voice information can be searched for within the guidance device. Therefore, communication with the outside is unnecessary, and route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of passengers, etc. can be provided even in areas with poor communication environments.

[0017] Furthermore, a guidance method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a route acquisition step of acquiring a route to a destination, and a voice detection step of acquiring spoken voice information and detecting keywords related to guidance. The route acquisition step acquires a route corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information. In this way, the route acquisition step can acquire a route corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information spoken by a passenger or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of a passenger or the like.

[0018] The above-described guidance method may be executed by a computer as a guidance program. In this way, the route acquisition process executed by the computer can acquire a route that is corrected in accordance with the content of the speech information uttered by the passengers, etc. Therefore, it is possible to provide route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of the passengers, etc.

[0019] The above-described guidance program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which allows the program to be distributed as a standalone program rather than being incorporated into a device, and allows for easy version upgrades. [Example]

[0020] A guide device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system equipped with a guide device according to this embodiment.

[0021] The system shown in Fig. 1 includes a guidance device 10 and a server device 20. The guidance device 10 is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile. The guidance device 10 may be, for example, a car navigation device, or may be a device that can be carried outside the vehicle, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the guidance device 10 includes a voice input unit 11, a keyword analysis unit 12, a guidance voice control unit 13, a guidance unit 14, and a voice output unit 15.

[0023] Voices spoken inside the vehicle are input to the voice input unit 11. The voice input unit 11 is composed of a microphone and the like. It is preferable that the microphone is installed in a position where it can pick up the voices of not only the driver but also passengers. Therefore, the number of microphones may be set up not only in one place inside the vehicle but also in multiple places.

[0024] The keyword analysis unit 12 acquires the speech information output from the speech input unit 11 via the guidance speech control unit 13, and extracts (detects) keywords related to guidance or warnings from the speech information. That is, the keyword analysis unit 12 functions as a speech detection unit that acquires the speech information and detects keywords related to guidance.

[0025] The keyword analysis unit 12 has keywords related to guidance stored in advance as a database, etc. Examples of keywords related to guidance include general guidance words such as the traffic light there, the next intersection, names of facilities around the current location, and action instructions such as "turn right," "turn right," and "stay the same." Note that well-known technologies used in so-called smart speakers and AI speakers can be applied to the voice recognition and natural language processing technologies used in the keyword analysis unit 12 and the voice analysis unit 21 described later.

[0026] The guidance voice control unit 13 acquires the speech information input from the voice input unit 11 and outputs the speech information to the keyword analysis unit 12. If the keyword analysis unit 12 determines that a keyword related to guidance has been uttered, the guidance voice control unit 13 outputs the speech information to the server device 20. Then, the server device 20 receives the results of the speech analysis, and if the result is "guidance," the guidance content received at the same time is output to the guidance unit 14. In other words, the guidance voice control unit 13 functions as an analysis result acquisition unit that acquires the analysis results of the speech information including the keyword related to guidance detected by the keyword analysis unit 12 (voice detection unit).

[0027] As is well known, the guidance unit 14 searches for a route to a destination and generates and acquires information (guidance information) for guiding a driver or the like along the searched route. The guidance information acquired by the guidance unit 14 is output from the voice output unit 15 or the like. That is, the guidance unit 14 functions as a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination. Furthermore, if the results of the voice analysis received from the guidance voice control unit 13 indicate guidance for a route different from the current route, the guidance unit 14 reroutes based on the results of the voice analysis. That is, the guidance unit 14 (route acquisition unit) acquires a rerouted (corrected) route based on the results of the voice analysis (contents indicated by the spoken voice information). Furthermore, the guidance unit 14 functions as a route search unit that searches for a corrected route based on the contents indicated by the spoken voice information, based on the analysis results acquired by the guidance voice control unit 13 (analysis result acquisition unit).

[0028] The audio output unit 15 outputs audio and the like related to the guidance information generated by the guidance unit 14. The audio output unit 15 is composed of a speaker and the like. The speaker is, of course, provided inside the vehicle. That is, the audio output unit 15 functions as a guidance unit that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route.

[0029] The server device 20 is a well-known server computer, and is capable of communicating with the guide device 10 via a network N such as the Internet. The server device 20 includes a voice analysis unit 21 and map information 22.

[0030] The voice analysis unit 21 analyzes the speech information transmitted from the guidance voice control unit 13. The voice analysis unit 21 determines the content of the speech information as either "guidance" or "other" based on the context. If the voice analysis unit 21 determines that the speech information is "guidance," it analyzes the content of the speech information and identifies the guidance location, action, etc. Then, it returns (transmits) the determination result and content to the guidance voice control unit 13.

[0031] Regarding the determination of "guidance" or "other" in the voice analysis unit 21, if the voice contains words related to a place and words related to an action, it is determined to be "guidance." If the voice does not fall under "guidance," it is determined to be "other."

[0032] Examples of place-related words and action-related words are shown in the table in Figure 2. Of course, the words are not limited to those shown in Figure 2.

[0033] Furthermore, when determining location-related words, the voice analysis unit 21 refers to the map information 22 and compares it with place names and POI information around the current location, and if there is a match, it determines that the word is location-related. Furthermore, if it is determined to be "guidance," the result of the comparison with the map information 22 is transmitted to the guidance voice control unit 13 along with the determination result. This comparison result may include the place name, intersection name, facility name, or latitude and longitude of the location that matches when compared with the map information 22. The location that matches when compared with the map information 22 is the location (instruction location) indicated by the passenger in the guidance. Information on this instruction location and the analysis result of words related to actions such as turning right are output to the guidance device 10 as the content of the spoken voice information along with the determination result of "guidance."

[0034] The map information 22 is map information possessed by a navigation device or the like, and includes place names, intersection names, facility names, etc. The map information 22 also includes so-called POI information.

[0035] Next, the operation (guidance method) of the guidance device 10 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. The flowchart in Fig. 3 can be configured as a program executed by a computer having a CPU or the like to form a guidance program.

[0036] 3 is a flowchart of the operation of rerouting based on guidance from a fellow passenger. First, the keyword analysis unit 12 acquires the speech information input from the speech input unit 11 via the guidance speech control unit 13 and performs keyword analysis (step S11).

[0037] The keyword analysis unit 12 determines whether or not a keyword related to guidance has been extracted as a result of the keyword analysis (step S12). If a keyword related to guidance has not been extracted (step S12; NO), the utterance is determined not to be guidance from a passenger or the like, and the process returns to step S11.

[0038] On the other hand, if a keyword related to guidance is extracted (step S12; YES), the guidance voice control unit 13 transmits the uttered voice information to the server device 20, and the voice analysis unit 21 performs voice analysis (step S13). As described above, the voice analysis unit 21 outputs either "guidance" or "other" as the result of the voice analysis to the guidance voice control unit 13. At this time, as described above, the place name (pointing location) of the location that matches the map information 22 and the content of the action indicated by the uttered voice information are also output.

[0039] Next, the guidance voice control unit 13 determines whether the result of the received voice analysis is "guidance" (step S14). If the result of the voice analysis is not "guidance" (step S14; NO), the process proceeds to step S19, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the result of the voice analysis is "guidance" (step S14; YES), the guidance voice control unit 13 outputs the contents of the indicated location and the action indicated by the uttered voice information at the indicated location to the guidance unit 14, and causes the guidance unit 14 to determine whether a reroute is necessary (step S15).

[0040] If the guidance unit 14 determines that rerouting is not necessary (step S15; NO), the guidance on the current route continues (step S16). That is, no rerouting is performed by the guidance unit 14. An example of such a case is when a fellow passenger provides guidance on the same route as the one provided by the guidance device 10 before the guidance.

[0041] On the other hand, if the guidance unit 14 determines that rerouting is necessary (step S15; YES), the rerouting is performed (step S17) based on the contents of the instruction location and the action indicated by the speech information obtained from the guidance voice control unit 13. An example of such a case is when the guidance device 10 advises the passenger to turn right at an intersection where they should go straight on the route they are given to avoid congestion.

[0042] After the rerouting in step S17, guidance is started along the rerouted route (step S18). That is, guidance information is generated based on the rerouted route by the guidance unit 14, and is output from the voice output unit 15. In this embodiment, as soon as (immediately after) the rerouted route is generated and acquired, output from the voice output unit 15 is started.

[0043] Next, the guidance voice control unit 13 determines whether or not the operation has ended, such as turning off the power of the guidance device 10 or ending the application that executes this flowchart (step S19). If the operation has ended (step S19; YES), the present flowchart ends, and if the operation has not ended (step S19; NO), the process returns to step S11.

[0044] 3, the guidance unit 14 (route acquisition unit) acquires a rerouted (modified) route in accordance with the content of the uttered voice information when the keyword analysis unit 12 (voice detection unit) detects a keyword related to guidance. After acquiring the rerouted (modified) route, the voice output unit 15 (guidance unit) immediately starts outputting guidance information based on the route.

[0045] In the flowchart of FIG. 3, if the result of the voice analysis is "other," step S19 is executed without determining whether or not rerouting is necessary.

[0046] As is clear from the above description, step S11 functions as a voice detection step, and step S17 functions as a route acquisition step.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the server device 20 has the map information 22, and the server device 20 essentially identifies the designated location, but the designated location may be identified by the guidance device 10. If the guidance device 10 is a car navigation device, it often has map information (including POI information), and even if it is a navigation app, it can access map information from an external server, etc., so the guidance device 10 can identify the designated location based on that information. That is, the guidance device 10 has a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information, and the guidance voice control unit 13 identifies the guidance point based on the map information.

[0048] 1, the guidance device 10 includes the guidance unit 14, but the server device 20 may also include the guidance unit 14. FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which the server device 20 includes the guidance unit 14. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, when the guidance device 10 transmits utterance voice information to the server device 20, the server device 20 determines whether rerouting is necessary and performs rerouting processing by the guidance unit 23, and the server device 20 outputs rerouted route information to the guidance device 10 as necessary. Then, the guidance device 10 receives the rerouted route information, and the guidance voice control unit 13 generates guidance information and outputs it from the voice output unit 15. Alternatively, the server device 20 may also generate the guidance information.

[0049] Furthermore, when the server device 20 is executing the function of the guidance unit 14, the server device 20 may also have the functions of the keyword analysis unit 12 and the guidance voice control unit 13. In this case, all of the speech voice information input from the voice input unit 11 is output to the server device 20.

[0050] According to this embodiment, the guidance device 10 includes a guidance unit 14 that generates and acquires a route to a destination, a voice output unit 15 that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route, and a keyword analysis unit 12 that acquires spoken voice information and detects keywords related to guidance. The guidance unit 14 then generates and acquires a rerouted route in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information. In this manner, the guidance unit 14 can acquire a rerouted route in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information uttered by a passenger or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of a passenger or the like.

[0051] After the rerouted route is generated, the voice output unit 15 immediately starts outputting guidance information based on the rerouted route. This allows prompt guidance along the route according to the passenger's guidance to be provided.

[0052] The guidance device 10 also includes a guidance voice control unit 13 that acquires the analysis result of the uttered voice information including the guidance-related keywords detected by the keyword analysis unit 12, and a guidance unit 14 that searches for a rerouted route in accordance with the content indicated by the uttered voice information based on the analysis result acquired by the guidance voice control unit 13. In this way, a rerouted route can be searched for in accordance with the content indicated by the uttered voice information within the guidance device 10. Therefore, communication with the outside is not necessary, and route guidance that quickly corresponds to the guidance of passengers, etc. can be provided even in areas with poor communication environments. [Example]

[0053] Next, a self-position estimation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Note that the same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] This embodiment has the same configuration as that shown in Fig. 1, but the operation when rerouting is partially different. Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of the operation of rerouting based on the guidance of a fellow passenger in this embodiment.

[0055] In FIG. 5, steps S11 to S19 are the same as those in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 5, after rerouting in step S17, it is determined whether the current route has deviated at the designated location (step S20). In the first embodiment, output of guidance information for the rerouted route was started immediately after rerouting. In contrast, in this embodiment, rerouting processing is performed up to route acquisition when passenger guidance is detected, and output of guidance information for the rerouted route is started after actually deviating from the pre-rerouting route. In other words, after acquiring the rerouted (corrected) route, the voice output unit 15 (guidance unit) starts outputting guidance information based on the rerouted route (the route) when traveling along the rerouted route (the route in question).

[0056] In this embodiment, deviation from the route before the rerouting is determined at the designated location. As described above, the passenger guidance indicates the passenger's behavior at the designated location, so by determining at the designated location, switching to the route after the rerouting can be performed smoothly.

[0057] According to this embodiment, after acquiring the rerouted route, when the vehicle starts traveling along the route, the voice output unit 15 starts outputting guidance information based on the route. In this way, when the vehicle actually starts traveling along the route guided by the passenger, the vehicle can be guided along the route according to the guidance.

[0058] In the above two embodiments, the explanation was given for a guidance device that provides guidance by voice, but the present invention can also be applied to a navigation device equipped with a display device, etc. In this case, the guidance information is of course not limited to voice information but also includes information such as characters and figures displayed on the display device.

[0059] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, a person skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventional knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the guide device of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Guidance device 12 Keyword analysis unit (voice detection unit) 13 Guidance voice control unit (analysis result acquisition unit) 14 Guidance section (route acquisition section, route search section) 15 Audio output unit (guidance unit) 20 Server device 21 Audio analysis section

Claims

1. a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination; a guidance unit that outputs guidance information based on the acquired route; a voice detection unit that acquires spoken voice information and detects keywords related to guidance; Equipped with when the voice detection unit detects a keyword related to guidance, the route acquisition unit acquires a route corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the utterance voice information without user confirmation; The guidance device is characterized in that, after acquiring the corrected route, the guidance unit immediately starts outputting guidance information based on the route.

2. The guidance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the voice detection unit determines that a keyword related to the guidance has been detected when the spoken voice information contains both words related to a location and words related to an action.

3. The guidance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the voice detection unit treats words indicated by the spoken voice information as words related to the location when the words match a place name, intersection name, facility name, or POI contained in the map information.

4. 4. The guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the guidance unit starts outputting the guidance information when, after acquiring the corrected route, the vehicle starts traveling along the route.

5. The guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the route acquisition unit searches for a revised route by referring to map information stored within the guidance device, and does not require communication with an external device.

6. The guidance device according to claim 1 , wherein the voice detection unit uses natural language processing to analyze the speech information.

7. 1. A computer-implemented navigation method comprising: a route acquisition step of acquiring a route to a destination; a guidance step of outputting guidance information based on the acquired route; a voice detection step of acquiring spoken voice information and detecting keywords related to guidance; Equipped with the route acquisition step, when the voice detection step detects a keyword related to guidance, acquires a route corrected in accordance with the content indicated by the spoken voice information without user confirmation; The guidance method is characterized in that the guidance step starts outputting guidance information based on the route immediately after acquiring the revised route.

8. A guidance program that causes a computer to execute the guidance method according to claim 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing the guidance program according to claim 8.

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