Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

Provided are an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program capable of easily carrying out work of setting an appropriate destination from among a plurality of destination candidates.　A navigation apparatus (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a destination candidate search unit (25) that, on the basis of an inputted character string, searches for a plurality of destination candidates that contain said character string; a narrowing control unit (27) that, on the basis of an operation of a first icon (113) which is displayed before or after the name of each destination candidate and indicates a genre to which facilities of the destination candidate belong, narrows down the destination candidates to destination candidates that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon (113); and a display control unit (34) that displays, before or after the names of the narrowed destination candidates, a second icon (133) which indicates feature points of the destination candidates.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] A conventional place name search method for a navigation system has been disclosed in which a user inputs an ambiguous name of a destination, a place name dictionary is searched for candidate places that match the input character string in a strict order of conditions, and the names of the candidate destinations are displayed one after another (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-108004

[0004] With this type of technology, in order for a user to select a desired destination from among multiple destination candidates searched based on an input character string, the user must read and confirm each of the names of the displayed multiple destination candidates, which makes the destination selection process cumbersome and leaves room for improvement. In particular, adult users with learning disabilities (dyslexia) tend to easily skip over displayed names. For example, even if the names of facilities such as "Parking Lot in Front of X Station" or "Post Office in Front of X Station" are displayed as destination candidates, the user may skip over the characters following "X Station" (a common noun) and end up selecting the wrong destination.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can easily perform the task of setting an appropriate destination from among multiple destination candidates.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the information processing device of this embodiment includes a destination candidate search unit that searches for multiple destination candidates that include an input character string based on the input character string; a narrowing-down control unit that, based on the operation of a first icon that is displayed before or after the name of a destination candidate and indicates the respective genre to which the facilities of the destination candidate belong, narrows down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon; and a display control unit that displays a second icon that indicates characteristic points of the narrowed-down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

[0007] In addition, the information processing method according to this embodiment includes the steps of: searching for a plurality of destination candidates that include an input character string based on the input character string; narrowing down the destination candidates to those that belong to a genre corresponding to a first icon that is displayed before or after the name of the destination candidate and indicates the genre to which the destination candidate belongs, based on an operation of the first icon; and displaying a second icon that indicates a characteristic point of the narrowed-down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

[0008] In addition, the program according to this embodiment causes the computer to perform the following steps: based on an input character string, search for multiple destination candidates that include the character string; based on the operation of a first icon that is displayed before or after the name of a destination candidate and indicates the genre to which the destination candidate belongs, narrowing down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon; and displaying a second icon that indicates a characteristic point of the narrowed-down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

[0009] According to this embodiment, the user can easily select an appropriate destination from among multiple destination candidates. Therefore, even if the user is an adult with a learning disability, the user can easily and correctly select the desired destination by suppressing skipping over the character strings displayed as multiple destination candidates.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a navigation device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a destination setting process in the navigation device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting process.

[0011] Below, an embodiment of a navigation device as an information processing device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the description of the following embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiment include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments described below can be variously omitted, replaced, or modified without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. In the following embodiment, components necessary for illustrating an embodiment of an information processing device according to the present disclosure will be described, and other components will be omitted.

[0012] The navigation device (information processing device) according to this embodiment searches for the optimal route between the current location and a destination set by the driver, and provides route guidance to the destination. The navigation device is a vehicle navigation device that is mounted on a vehicle or carried in the vehicle as a portable device. The navigation device may be configured as a portable terminal, a device installed in the vehicle, or a combination of several devices.

[0013] First, an example of the configuration of a navigation device according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the example of the configuration of a navigation device according to this embodiment. The navigation device 1 includes an operation unit 11, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 12, a storage unit 13, a speaker 14, a communication unit 15, a display unit 16, and a control device 20. The storage unit 13 includes a map information storage unit 13A and an icon storage unit 13B. The storage unit 13 may be a storage device such as an external server.

[0014] The operation unit 11 can accept various operations for the control device 20. In this embodiment, the operation unit 11 is configured, for example, by a touch panel arranged on the display unit 16. However, the operation unit 11 may also be configured to include other physical operation means for the control device 20, or audio input means for collecting sound through a microphone, etc. The operation unit 11 can accept, for example, an operation to input information related to setting a destination desired by the user (for example, a character string indicating the name of the destination), or an operation to instruct a route search to the destination. The operation unit 11 can accept, for example, an operation to switch the display information of the route guidance map displayed on the display unit 16. The operation unit 11 outputs the operation information to the operation acceptance control unit 21 of the control device 20.

[0015] The GPS receiver 12 receives radio waves from GPS satellites (not shown) and outputs the received radio wave signals to the position information acquisition unit 22 of the control device 20.

[0016] The map information storage unit 13A stores map information. The map information is road information. The map information also includes information such as the names of various facilities (e.g., train stations, parking lots, and stores) located around the roads and the names (place names) of intersections (branching points) located on the roads. The map information storage unit 13A outputs the stored map information to the map information acquisition unit 23 of the control device 20.

[0017] The icon storage unit 13B stores icon information that is displayed together with the names of the searched destination candidates. In this embodiment, the icons are displayed in front of the names of the destination candidates, but they may also be displayed behind them. The icons include a first icon indicating the genre to which each destination candidate facility belongs and a second icon indicating a characteristic feature of each destination candidate facility. That is, the icon storage unit 13B stores a first icon and a second icon that are pre-associated with each facility, and one of the first icon and the second icon is displayed together with the name of the corresponding destination candidate. The first icon indicates a genre that broadly classifies each destination candidate facility, such as stations served by various railway lines, various financial institutions, parking lots, and restaurants. The genre is defined by common nouns (e.g., station, bank, parking lot, restaurant, etc.) included in the names of the destination candidates. The second icon indicates a smaller category than the above-mentioned genre, such as railway lines that serve the station (e.g., JR (registered trademark) line or Keio (registered trademark) line), and indicates a characteristic feature that can identify the destination candidate facility. The feature points are defined by proper nouns included in the names of the destination candidates (for example, "XX" bank, "XX" restaurant). The icon storage unit 13B outputs the stored icon information to the icon information acquisition unit 24 of the control device 20.

[0018] The speaker 14 is a sound emitting device installed inside the vehicle. The speaker 14 emits audio guidance when the navigation device 1 provides route guidance to the destination. The speaker 14 emits audio guidance inside the vehicle based on an audio signal output from the route guidance unit 32 of the control device 20.

[0019] The communication unit 15 is a communication unit. The communication unit 15 may perform communication via the Internet, a mobile phone line, or the like. The communication unit 15 performs various communications based on control signals output from the communication control unit 33 of the control device 20.

[0020] The display unit 16 is, for example, a display device specific to the navigation device 1, or a display device shared with other systems including car audio. The display unit 16 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. When the navigation device 1 is installed in a vehicle, the display unit 16 is disposed on a dashboard in front of the driver's seat, an instrument panel, a center console, or the like of the vehicle. Based on a video signal output from the display control unit 34 of the control device 20, the display unit 16 displays various images including transition screens when setting a destination, and various route guidance images such as symbols indicating the current location and destination and lines indicating the guided route on a map from the current location to the set destination.

[0021] The control device 20 includes a storage device that stores various control programs and data used in various control processes, and an arithmetic processing device that executes predetermined control programs. The storage device is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a flash memory. The arithmetic processing device is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. The control device 20 is implemented by one or more storage devices and one or more arithmetic processing devices.

[0022] The control device 20 executes a program that controls the operation of the navigation device 1 as an information processing device according to the present invention. The control device 20 has an operation reception control unit 21, a location information acquisition unit 22, a map information acquisition unit 23, an icon information acquisition unit 24, a destination candidate search unit 25, a destination decision determination unit 26, a narrowing control unit 27, a destination setting unit 28, a route search unit 31, a route guidance unit 32, a communication control unit 33, and a display control unit 34. These components are connected to each other via a bus BS.

[0023] The operation reception control unit 21 acquires operation information input to the operation unit 11. The operation reception control unit 21 receives various types of operation information, such as an operation to input destination information or a route search to a destination, and outputs a control signal.

[0024] The position information acquisition unit 22 acquires position information indicating the current location of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 22 acquires the position information of the vehicle based on radio wave signals acquired by the GPS receiver 12. The position information acquisition unit 22 outputs the acquired position information of the vehicle to the map information acquisition unit 23, the route search unit 31, the route guidance unit 32, and the display control unit 34.

[0025] The map information acquisition unit 23 acquires map information from the map information storage unit 13A. The map information acquisition unit 23 acquires map information relating to the area from the current location of the vehicle to the destination, based on the location information of the vehicle acquired by the location information acquisition unit 22 and the location information of the destination acquired by the operation reception control unit 21. The map information acquisition unit 23 outputs the acquired map information to the display control unit 34.

[0026] The icon information acquisition unit 24 acquires icon information from the icon storage unit 13B. The icon information acquisition unit 24 acquires, from the icon storage unit 13B, icon information relating to the first icon and the second icon associated with each of the facilities of the multiple destination candidates searched for by the destination candidate search unit 25. The icon information acquisition unit 24 outputs the acquired icon information to the display control unit 34.

[0027] Based on a character string input via the operation unit 11, the destination candidate search unit 25 searches for multiple destination candidates that include this character string. For example, when "Hachioji Station" is input, the destination candidate search unit 25 uses a place name dictionary or the like to search for facilities that include this character string as destination candidates. Information about the searched destination candidates is output to the destination decision determination unit 26, the narrowing control unit 27, the destination setting unit 28, and the display control unit 34.

[0028] The destination decision determination unit 26 determines whether a decision operation has been performed for one of the multiple searched destination candidates. In this embodiment, the decision operation for a destination is performed by touching the touch panel above the name field of a desired destination candidate from the names of the multiple destination candidates displayed on the display unit 16. The destination decision determination unit 26 determines that the above-mentioned decision operation has not been performed if there is no touch operation on the name field of one of the destination candidates for a predetermined time (e.g., one minute) or more after the searched multiple destination candidates are displayed. In this case, for example, if the user repeatedly scrolls on the screen displayed on the display unit 16 for a predetermined time or more, or if there is a voice input via the operation unit 11 such as "Which one is it?", "I don't know," or "I'm confused," it may be determined that the user is confused and has not performed the above-mentioned decision operation.

[0029] The narrowing control unit 27 narrows down the searched destination candidates to a smaller number. Specifically, the narrowing control unit 27 narrows down the destination candidates to those belonging to the genre corresponding to the first icon, based on the touch operation on the first icon. The narrowing control unit 27 outputs information about the narrowed down destination candidates to the destination setting unit 28 and the display control unit 34.

[0030] When a confirmation operation is performed on the name of one of the destination candidates while the first icon or the second icon is displayed together with the name of the destination candidate, the destination setting unit 28 sets the destination candidate as the destination. The destination setting unit 28 outputs information about the set destination to the route search unit 31 and the display control unit 34.

[0031] The route search unit 31 searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the set destination. Furthermore, if a traffic jam occurs while guiding the searched route, the route search unit 31 may search for a new route in response to an instruction from the driver. The route search unit 31 presents the searched route to the driver. The method for searching for a route is not limited and any known route search method can be used.

[0032] The route guidance unit 32 provides route guidance from the current position of the vehicle to the set destination. More specifically, the route guidance unit 32 provides route guidance along the searched route. The route guidance unit 32 provides route guidance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination by voice.

[0033] The communication control unit 33 controls communication in the communication unit 15. The communication control unit 33 performs wireless communication with an external information server (not shown) via the communication unit 15. In this embodiment, the communication control unit 33 may search for and receive information about roads included in the route to the destination and the surrounding environment of the roads from the external information server.

[0034] The display control unit 34 displays the route searched for by the route search unit 31 on the display unit 16. For example, the display control unit 34 displays the searched route by superimposing it on a map image. When setting a destination, the display control unit 34 also displays, as transition screens on the display unit 16, a name search screen for inputting the character string of the name of the destination, a search result screen that displays multiple searched destination candidates, and a refined search result screen that further refines and displays the destination candidates.

[0035] Next, an example of the processing of the navigation device will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the destination setting processing in the navigation device according to this embodiment. Figs. 3 to 10 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a series of display screens in the destination setting processing. The processing shown in Fig. 2 is executed by the control device 20 based on predetermined control programs and data.

[0036] The control device 20 searches for multiple destination candidates based on the input character string (step S11). The control device 20, using the destination candidate search unit 25, searches for multiple destination candidates containing the character string input via the operation unit 11. Specifically, the control device 20 causes the display control unit 34 to display a name search screen 100 on the display unit 16. As shown in FIG. 3 , the name search screen 100 includes a Japanese syllabary keyboard 101 for inputting hiragana characters and an input field 102 in which the input character string is displayed. In the example of FIG. 3 , the character string "hachiojieki" ("hachioji station") is input into the input field 102. When the search button 103 is touched in this state, the destination candidate search unit 25 searches for multiple destination candidates containing the character string "hachiojieki" ("hachioji station"). In the example of FIG. 3 , a configuration has been described in which a keyboard for inputting Japanese hiragana characters is displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a keyboard for inputting characters in other languages ​​(e.g., English or German) may also be displayed.

[0037] Next, the control device 20 displays the names of the searched destination candidates and first icons (step S12). The control device 20, via the display control unit 34, displays the names of the facilities of the searched destination candidates and first icons corresponding to the genres to which the facilities belong. Specifically, the control device 20, via the display control unit 34, causes the display unit 16 to display search result screens 110A and 110B. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the search result screens 110A and 110B include a scroll unit 111, which can be operated to move down or up the names or pages of the searched destination candidates. These search result screens 110A and 110B include multiple name fields 112 in which the names of the searched destination candidates are arranged vertically, and first icons 113 arranged in front of the name fields 112 (at the beginning of the sentence). 4, a first icon 113 with a design indicating a station (railroad) is provided in correspondence with the name field 112 of "Hachioji Station / JR / Yokohama Line." Note that a distance field 114 is provided behind (at the end of) the name field 112, indicating the distance from the current position of the vehicle at the time of the search to each destination candidate.

[0038] Next, the control device 20 determines whether or not a confirmation operation has been performed for any one of the destinations (step S13). The control device 20 determines whether or not a confirmation operation for any one of the destinations has been performed, i.e., whether or not the name field 112 of a desired one of the name fields 112 of the multiple destination candidates displayed on the search result screen 110A (110B) has been touched, via the operation unit 11. If it is determined that a confirmation operation for any one of the destinations has been performed (step S13; Yes), the control device 20 proceeds to step S22.

[0039] On the other hand, if it is determined that no confirmation operation has been performed for any one of the destinations (step S13; No), the control device 20 determines whether or not an operation has been performed for a first icon of any one of the genres (step S14). The control device 20 determines, via the operation unit 11, whether or not an operation has been performed for a first icon of any one of the genres, i.e., whether or not a first icon 113 of one of the destination candidates has been touched from among the first icons 113 of multiple types of destination candidates displayed on the search result screen 110A (110B). If it is determined in this determination that an operation has been performed for a first icon of any one of the genres (step S14; Yes), the control device 20 proceeds to step S18.

[0040] On the other hand, if it is determined that no operation has been performed on the first icon of any one of the genres (step S14; No), the control device 20 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S15). Specifically, the control device 20 determines whether or not a predetermined time (e.g., one minute) has elapsed since the destination decision determination unit 26 displayed the searched multiple destination candidates. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S15; No), the control device 20 returns the process to step S13.

[0041] On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed (step S15; Yes), the control device 20 displays first icons of all types of genres side by side (step S16). The control device 20, through the display control unit 34, displays first icons of all types of genres to which the searched destination candidates belong side by side. Specifically, the control device 20, through the display control unit 34, displays a first icon screen 120 on the display unit 16, superimposed on the search result screens 110A and 110B, as shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the first icon screen 120 displays a collection of first icons, including an icon 121 indicating a train station, an icon 122 indicating a parking lot, an icon 123 indicating an intersection for vehicles, and an icon 124 indicating a financial institution. The first icon screen 120 also has a switch button 125 for switching to display other first icons. By operating the switch button 125, first icons of all types of genres to which the searched destination candidates belong are displayed side by side.

[0042] Next, when an operation is performed on a first icon of any one of the genres on the first icon screen 120 (step S17), or when it is determined in step S14 that an operation has been performed on a first icon of any one of the genres (step S14; Yes), the control device 20 displays destination candidates narrowed down to the same genre as the operated first icon and second icons (step S18). The control device 20 displays the names of the destination candidates belonging to the same narrowed genre and second icons indicating characteristic features of the destination candidate facilities. Specifically, the control device 20 causes the display control unit 34 to display a narrowed search result screen 130 on the display unit 16. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the narrowed search result screen 130 includes a scroll unit 131. By operating this scroll unit 131, the names and pages of the narrowed down destination candidates can be moved down or up. These refined search result screens 130 include a plurality of name fields 132 in which the names of narrowed-down destination candidates of the same genre are arranged vertically, and second icons 133 arranged in front of the name fields 132 (at the beginning of the sentence). The second icons 133 indicate distinctive features that identify the destination candidate facilities. FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation performed on a first icon for a station (railway), and FIG. 8 shows an example of an operation performed on a first icon for a financial institution. In the example of FIG. 7 , a second icon 133 with a design indicating distinctive features that identify the station as a JR line station is provided in the name field 132 for "Hachioji Station / JR / Yokohama Line." Similarly, in the example of FIG. 7 , a second icon 133 with a design indicating distinctive features that identify the station as a Keio Line station is also provided in the name field 132 for "Keio Electric Railway Keio Hachioji Station." 8, a second icon 133 with a design indicating a feature that can identify it as an XX Bank is provided in correspondence with the name field 132 of "XX Bank Nishi-Hachioji Station North Exit." Similarly, in the example of Fig. 8, a second icon 133 with a design indicating a feature that can identify it as a △△ Bank station is also provided in correspondence with the name field 132 of "△△ Bank Keio Hachioji Station Branch."Figures 7 and 8 show an example, and when an operation is performed on a first icon of another genre, a second icon indicating the characteristic points of the facility of the destination candidate belonging to that other genre is displayed together with the name.

[0043] Next, the control device 20 determines whether any of the second icons has been operated (step S19). The control device 20 determines, via the operation unit 11, whether any of the second icons has been operated, i.e., whether any of the second icons 133 of the destination candidates has been touched among the second icons 133 of the multiple destination candidates displayed on the refined search result screen 130. If it is determined that no operation has been performed on any of the second icons (step S19; No), the control device 20 proceeds to step S21.

[0044] On the other hand, if it is determined that any of the second icons has been operated (step S19; Yes), the control device 20 displays an image of the destination candidate with the operated second icon 133 attached (step S20). Specifically, the control device 20 causes the display control unit 34 to superimpose a destination details screen 140 on the refined search result screen 130 and display it on the display unit 16. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , this destination details screen 140 includes a name 141 of the destination candidate corresponding to the operated second icon and an image 142 of the facility or its surroundings of the destination candidate. In the example of FIG. 9 , the name 141 of "Hachioji Station / JR / Yokohama Line" and an image 142 of the area around Hachioji Station are displayed. In the example of FIG. 10 , the name 141 of "XX Bank Nishi-Hachioji Station North Exit" and an image 142 of the area around the XX Bank are displayed. This type of image 142 can be obtained from an image storage unit (not shown) in the storage unit 13 or from an information site on the Internet via the communication unit 15. By visually checking this image 142, the user can more appropriately understand the destination candidate facility than by reading the text. In addition, the destination details screen 140 is provided with a close button 143, and touching this close button 143 closes the destination details screen 140.

[0045] The control device 20 determines whether or not a confirmation operation has been performed for any one of the destinations (step S21). The control device 20 determines whether or not a confirmation operation for any one of the destinations has been performed, i.e., whether or not the name field 132 of a desired one of the name fields 132 of the multiple destination candidates displayed on the refined search result screen 130 has been touched, via the operation unit 11. If it is determined that a confirmation operation for any one of the destinations has not been performed (step S21; No), the control device 20 returns the process to step S19.

[0046] On the other hand, if it is determined that a confirmation operation has been performed for any one of the destinations (step S21; Yes or step S13; Yes), the control device 20 sets the destination (step S22) and ends the process.

[0047] As described above, the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment includes the destination candidate search unit 25 that, based on an input character string, searches for multiple destination candidates that include the input character string, the narrowing control unit 27 that, based on the operation of a first icon 113 that is displayed before or after the name of a destination candidate and indicates the genre to which the facility of the destination candidate belongs, narrows down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon 113, and the display control unit 34 that displays a second icon 133 that indicates characteristic features of the narrowed down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate. Therefore, a user can easily set an appropriate destination from the multiple destination candidates by touching the first icon 113 and the second icon 133. Therefore, even if the user is an adult with a learning disability, for example, the user can easily set the desired destination by preventing skipping over the character strings displayed as multiple destination candidates.

[0048] In the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment, the first icon 113 indicates a genre defined by a common noun contained in the name of the destination candidate, and the second icon 133 indicates a characteristic point defined by a proper noun contained in the name of the destination candidate. Therefore, by combining the first icon 113 and the second icon 133, it is possible to appropriately narrow down the destination candidates to the desired one.

[0049] In the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment, a destination decision determination unit 26 determines whether a decision operation has been performed for one of the multiple destination candidates that have been searched, and if a decision operation has not been performed for a predetermined period of time or more, a display control unit 34 displays first icons of all genres corresponding to the multiple destination candidates side by side, thereby enabling the user to appropriately find a destination candidate of the genre that they desire.

[0050] In the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment, when the first icon 113 or the second icon 133 is displayed together with the names of the destination candidates and a confirm operation is performed on the name of one of the destination candidates, the navigation device 1 is provided with a destination setting unit 28 that sets the destination, so that the destination can be set quickly and easily.

[0051] In the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment, the display control unit 34 displays an image 142 of the facility or surrounding area of ​​the destination candidate corresponding to the second icon 133 in response to the operation of the second icon 133. Therefore, by visually checking this type of image 142, the user can properly understand the destination candidate facility rather than by reading the text.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the components of the control device 20 shown in the drawings are conceptual and functional, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the drawings. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the drawings, and all or part of each device may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load, usage status, etc. of each device.

[0053] The configuration of the control device 20 is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into memory. In the above embodiment, the functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. That is, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the program according to this embodiment may not only be stored in the navigation device 1 and control the operation of the navigation device 1, but may also be installed in a mobile terminal such as a smartphone and control the operation of the smartphone.

[0054] The information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present embodiment can be used, for example, in a technology that facilitates the task of selecting an appropriate destination from among a plurality of destination candidates.

[0055] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Navigation device (information processing device) 13A Map information storage unit 13B Icon storage unit 16 Display unit 20 Control device 24 Icon information acquisition unit 25 Destination candidate search unit 26 Destination decision determination unit 27 Narrowing control unit 28 Destination setting unit 31 Route search unit 32 Route guidance unit 34 Display control unit 100 Name search screen 110A, 110B Search result screen 113 First icon 120 First icon screen 130 Narrowed search result screen 133 Second icon 140 Destination details screen 142 Image of destination candidate facility or surrounding area

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a destination candidate search unit that searches for multiple destination candidates that contain an input character string based on the input character string; a narrowing-down control unit that, based on the operation of a first icon that is displayed before or after the name of the destination candidate and indicates the respective genre to which the facilities of the destination candidate belong, narrows down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon; and a display control unit that displays a second icon that indicates a characteristic point of the narrowed-down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

2. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first icon indicates the genre defined by a common noun contained in the name of the destination candidate, and the second icon indicates the feature point defined by a proper noun contained in the name of the destination candidate.

3. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising a destination decision determination unit that determines whether a decision operation has been performed for one destination from among the multiple destination candidates searched, and if the decision operation is not performed for a predetermined period of time or more, the display control unit displays the first icons of all of the genres corresponding to the multiple destination candidates side by side.

4. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, which is provided with a destination setting unit that sets the destination when a confirmation operation is performed on the name of one of the destination candidates while the first icon or the second icon is displayed together with the name of the destination candidate.

5. An information processing method performed by a computer, comprising the steps of: searching for a plurality of destination candidates that include an input character string based on the input character string; narrowing down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to a first icon displayed before or after the name of the destination candidate and indicating the genre to which the facility of the destination candidate belongs, based on the operation of the first icon; and displaying a second icon indicating a characteristic point of the narrowed down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

6. A program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: based on an input character string, searching for multiple destination candidates that contain the character string; based on the operation of a first icon that is displayed before or after the name of the destination candidate and indicates the respective genre to which the facilities of the destination candidate belong, narrowing down the destination candidates to those that belong to the genre corresponding to the first icon; and displaying a second icon that indicates a characteristic point of the narrowed down destination candidate before or after the name of the destination candidate.

Images