Directional Information Extraction for Portable Terminals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information providing systems for portable terminal devices are inefficient in acquiring facility information when a destination place is not determined, often resulting in the acquisition of undesired information and difficulty in finding nearby shops or facilities.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a server apparatus and portable terminal device that receives position and direction information to determine an information extraction range, allowing for efficient acquisition and presentation of facility information in the desired direction and distance from the user's current position, with adjustable range sizes based on information quantity and user-defined attributes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an omnidirectional range is used to acquire information based on user's current position, then the user can acquire information from all directions, but user-undesired information is acquired and the system becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the information acquisition range from an omnidirectional (symmetric 360-degree) range to an asymmetric directional range. The server determines an extraction range based on direction determination information, acquiring information only from the direction the user intends to move toward, thereby reducing unnecessary information while maintaining system simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making the information acquisition range adaptive to local user needs. Instead of uniformly acquiring information from all directions, the system adjusts the extraction range based on direction determination information, acquiring information locally in the intended movement direction while excluding other areas
2Measurement precision
If the user displays a map to confirm distance between shops, then the user can find nearby facilities, but the operation becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by having the server automatically calculate and provide distance information without requiring the user to manually display and measure maps. The server determines the extraction range based on direction determination information and automatically provides distance data, allowing the user to obtain distance information simply by viewing facility information
3Productivity
If a navigation system limits information acquisition to destination place or along road, then the information acquisition is efficient, but it becomes difficult to acquire information when destination place is not determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the information extraction range flexible and adaptable. When a destination is determined, the range is limited to the destination and along-road areas for efficient acquisition. When no destination is determined, the system dynamically adjusts to allow the user to specify a rough direction, maintaining versatility while preserving efficiency through adaptive range determination
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided are a server apparatus, an information providing program, an information providing method, and an information providing system, capable of effectively acquiring information regarding facilities, etc., which are located in an approximate direction from the current position of a user, even in the case that a destination is not determined. When the server apparatus receives, from the portable terminal device, position information, direction information, and an information acquisition request which have been acquired by the portable terminal device, the server apparatus determines an information extraction range on the basis of the position information and the direction information. Then, the server apparatus extracts provision information corresponding to a position located within the determined information extraction range, and provides the provision information to the portable terminal device.