KR100560374B1 - Topography searching system and method for car navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a geographic information retrieval system and a retrieval method for car navigation, wherein a user directly inputs a representative POI code value through a key input unit using a database in which a representative POI code value is recorded, and a representative POI code through a key input unit. After inputting a value, the control unit controls the operation so that the corresponding subordinate POI list is displayed on the display unit, and provides a geographic information search system that allows a user to select a final destination facility by operating a key input unit while viewing the display unit. A first step of matching a database including area information and industry type information with respect to the representative POI, a dependent POI for the representative POI databased in the first step, and an identification number added to the representative POI code value It can be created in one form and written to the memory unit as text or image for user recognition. When the representative POI code is input through the key input unit and the representative POI code is input, the control unit reads the dependent POI list from the memory unit and outputs it to the display unit, so that the user selects the target facility while viewing the display unit to obtain accurate information about it. By providing a geographic information retrieval method consisting of a third step to enable the user to reduce the number of POIs included in the database while maintaining the total amount of data that the user can select.

Description

Geographic information retrieval system and search method for car navigation system {TOPOGRAPHY SEARCHING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CAR NAVIGATION APPARATUS}

1 is a block diagram showing a conventional car navigation device;

2 is a block diagram showing a geographic information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a classification system of a representative POI applied to a geographic information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a dependent POI list displayed on a display unit of a geographic information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a view showing an example of displaying a milestone in a geographic information retrieval system according to the present invention;

6A to 6B are flowcharts illustrating a method for searching geographic information according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

110: database unit 120: key input unit

130: control unit 140: memory unit

150: display unit

The present invention relates to a geographic information retrieval system and a retrieval method for a car navigation device. In particular, by hierarchizing a POI database into a representative POI and a subordinate POI, it is possible to search a destination accurately by an easy input by knowing the approximate location of the destination. The present invention relates to a geographic information retrieval system and a retrieval method for a car navigation device.

BACKGROUND ART A navigation device, which is a system for informing a user of an accurate location of a destination, an optimal route from a starting point, and a road condition to a destination, is becoming more common.

Such a car navigation device generally includes components as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1. The configuration and operation of a conventional car navigation device will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, when a user inputs a name of a desired destination through the key input unit 11, the control unit 10 reads the information from the map data storage unit 13 to the graphic processor 14 and the monitor 16. Output to the display unit is configured to allow the user to check this. Once the destination is confirmed, the guidance of the route to the destination is obtained by the GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 18 and the gyro sensor 20 provided in the vehicle and the position information regarding the latitude, longitude and altitude received from the GPS satellite. And the controller 10 compares and calculates signals output from various sensors such as the speed sensor 22 and detects the current position of the vehicle, and then reads a map of the corresponding area from the map data storage unit 13 and is installed in the vehicle. This is done by displaying the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle through the monitor 16. In this case, in addition to the visual display, a system may be provided to warn the user through the sound processor 24 and the speaker 26 by using a warning sound indicating whether the path is correct or not. The other control unit 10 includes a memory unit (ROM). And RAM, 28) to provide various convenience information.

The car navigation system is provided with a geographic information search system for finding a desired destination. The control unit 10, the key input unit 11, the map data storage unit 13, and the memory unit 28 in the components of the car navigation system are provided. The graphic processor 14, the monitor 16, the voice processor 24, and the speaker 26 are included in the geographic information retrieval system.

In addition, in order for a user to obtain information on a specific location through the geographic information retrieval system, a step of inputting a predetermined type of information regarding geographic information desired by the user using the key input unit 11 is necessary.

In this way, according to the manner in which the information input step by the user is performed, the type of the geographic information search system or the search method in the conventional car navigation apparatus is classified. By entering the full name of the destination in the search window of the monitor 16, Provides a dictionary search method for receiving a location, a string search method for providing a location by partially inputting the name of a destination, a search method for each business type for providing a location by inputting an industry of a destination, and a booklet containing a destination and its code And by entering the code using the booklet can be divided into a point of interest (POI) booklet providing method.

However, in the conventional search method of the conventional geographic information retrieval method, since the name must be entered as a character, the key input unit 11 must be used as a character input such as a keyboard, so that the number of parts increases and the configuration becomes complicated. There was a problem, and the input name and the official name are often different, which makes it difficult to provide desired geographic information.

In the above-described character string search method, a list of all facilities including the name is displayed on the index screen displaying the name data by inputting a representative name of the facility in order to obtain the desired facility information. In order to search for a facility, a plurality of displayed name data should be scrolled up and down one by one. Therefore, in the case of a large amount of search name data, there is a problem that it takes a long time to search for a specific name data, and since a name must be entered as a letter, a means such as a keyboard is necessary, resulting in a large number of parts and a complicated configuration. Or there is a problem that inconvenience caused by the user due to the limited input and output means.

In addition, in the search method for each industry type, it is difficult for a user who is not engaged in the industry to understand the industry classification method, and if the search area is large, too many results are output, and in order to narrow the search area, the user includes the destination. It is inconvenient because the user must recognize the address less than nine units, and the user must double input the user to input the search area.

Finally, in the POI search booklet providing method, it is difficult to find the destination because all the POIs need to be stored in the phonebook level, and the amount of information decreases as the amount of POIs included in the search booklet decreases, so the desired destination There is a problem that increases the likelihood of not being recorded.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional geographic information retrieval system and method used in a car navigation device, and the specific object of the present invention is to directly input a number using a database composed of representative POIs. The present invention provides a geographic information retrieval system and method for a navigation device that can reduce the number of POIs included in a database while maintaining the same amount of data that a user can select.

Features of the present invention for achieving the above object,

In the geographic information retrieval system used in the car navigation system,

A database unit in which code values are matched and recorded with respect to representative facilities (hereinafter, referred to as representative POIs) such as a highly recognized road name or building name; The address of each subordinate POI formed by adding an identification number to the name of a facility (hereinafter referred to as subordinate POI) located in the surrounding area within a certain range for each representative POI code and matching the representative POI code. Or a memory unit in which detailed information including coordinates is recorded; A display unit for outputting a signal corresponding to the input operation control signal; A key input unit for allowing a user to directly input a representative POI code corresponding to a destination to be searched or to select a dependent POI name corresponding to a destination by referring to a code value of the representative POI recorded in the database unit; When the representative POI code is input according to the signal output from the key input unit, the dependent POI list is read out from the memory unit and output to the display unit so that the user can recognize the subordinate POI code. And a control unit which reads image information about the information from the memory unit and outputs the image information to the display unit so that the user can recognize the information.

In the geographic information retrieval system as described above, the control unit may include a key input unit, a display unit, and a key input unit, a display unit, and a memory unit to allow a user to select a facility for each industry type to be a milestone from a path between a target facility and a departure facility. Further outputs an operation control signal to the memory unit, and when a milestone is selected, it is determined whether there is a facility for each industry type selected in the guide area displayed on the display unit, and the user can easily recognize the facility for each industry type from the guide area displayed on the display unit. It is configured to have a function to further output the operation control signal to the display unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the geographic information retrieval method using a geographic information retrieval apparatus in which a controller inputs a name of a target facility through a key input unit, the control unit retrieves the information from the memory unit and outputs the information to the display unit. A first step of matching a database to a high facility (hereinafter referred to as a representative POI) and making a database; Generating detailed information including the name, address or coordinates of facilities (hereinafter referred to as subordinate POIs) located within a predetermined range around the representative POI databased in the first step, in the form of adding an identification number to the representative POI code value. The second step of recording in the memory unit as a character or a video to be recognized by the user, and when the representative POI code is input through the key input unit, the control unit reads the dependent POI list from the memory unit and outputs it to the display unit. The present invention provides a method for retrieving a geographic information comprising a third step of selecting a desired facility while viewing a display unit to obtain accurate information thereof.

In the above geographic information retrieval method, when information on a target facility is obtained through the third step, a key input unit may be used to select facilities by industry to guide the corresponding route, and when a facility by industry is selected, a display unit is selected. If there is a facility for each type of industry selected within the guidance area displayed on the user, there is another feature of the present invention further comprising a fourth step of differentiating and visually warning the user so that the facility can be easily recognized than other facilities.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the geographic information retrieval method, in addition to the representative POI, the user is asked whether or not they want to register as a new representative POI for the target facility searched for as a destination, By automatically generating and outputting a representative POI code based on the POI code system, receiving confirmation from the user, or displaying a form that the user can input on the display unit to receive an input, and storing the automatically generated code or the received code. Generating a new representative POI.

By further including these steps, the user is given a special POI that is of particular interest to him or her, his or her relatives, a company, or a customer, and that the visit can be repeated by direct input of a code value. It can be registered as a representative POI to be read, and can be used for convenience.

Meanwhile, in the method and apparatus for searching geographic information of the present invention, the representative POI code value is implemented by a unique code of a plurality of digits, and includes a region code and a classification code stratified for each industry type (for example, The classification is classified into a major classification, a more detailed classification of a category belonging to a major category, a subclass finally classified in the sector, and an identification number which is a unique number of the corresponding POI.

In addition, the dependent POI code value includes another representative number including the representative POI code value, and the dependent POI information is dependent on each representative POI code when there are many representative POI codes around the corresponding area. A number of POI code values are assigned to a single facility to aid in the search of the facility.When the representative POI code is input, the corresponding dependent POI information can be easily recognized by the user in two-dimensional image, 3 The display unit is output in the form of a dimensional image or text, and the text is displayed in alphabetical order for easy identification by the user.

In addition, the subordinate POI may be subordinated to a plurality of representative POIs in duplicate. In this way, when there are a large number of well-known facilities for a particular facility located in a downtown area such as Seoul's Gangnam Station, and there is a question as to which one should be used as the representative POI, due to the wrong selection of the representative POI, This can prevent the search from failing.

On the other hand, the representative facility corresponding to the representative POI is also configured to be a dependent POI of another representative POI. In this way, the occurrence of a case where it is difficult for the user to determine whether the target facility is the representative POI or the POI code of the facility memorized in the case of the facility located near the representative POI which frequently visits and knows the code value You can flexibly deal with situations that occur in actual use, such as entering a value directly and searching for the location.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram showing a geographic information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the geographic information retrieval system according to the present invention includes a database unit 110, a key input unit 120, and a controller 130. ), A memory unit 140, and a display unit 150.

The database unit 110 stores a representative POI code value having a high recognition rate among all the POIs, and serves to provide the code value when searching for geographic information. Here, the database unit 110 is provided in the form of a booklet, or in the form of various recording media such as optical / magnetic / semiconductor recording media such as CD ROM, flash memory, and the like. It is configured to check the contents recorded in the database unit 110 through at any time, and such a recording medium reader constitutes a part of the navigation device.

In addition, the key input unit 120 generates a selection signal so that a user can selectively input the facilities of the final destination to be searched by referring to the code value of the representative POI included in the database unit 110. Here, the key input unit 120 may transmit a selection signal wirelessly by using a key or a keyboard additionally installed in a housing (not shown) of the device or by using an infrared remote controller. In the present invention, in particular, since the POI is classified as a code value, it is possible to use the remote control or a simple touch panel, which is an input means having only a numeric panel.

In addition, looking at the example of the representative POI code input through the key input unit 120 can be classified into 11 digits, as shown in Figure 3, wherein the first four digits can represent the east / west of the country as a region code The next two digits can be classified into administrative agencies, companies, educational institutions, medical care, finance, tourism, transportation, restaurants, and residences. , Securities firms, and other financial sectors.The next two digits represent sub-categories, and banks can be classified into Kookmin Bank, KEB, Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, etc. Unique number of.

Meanwhile, the controller 130 receives a signal output from the key input unit 120, reads out corresponding region information from the memory unit 140, and outputs the local information to the display unit 150. When the code value of the representative POI is inputted from 120, the area information of the surrounding POI is read from the memory unit 140 and output to the display unit 150. In this process, the area information, that is, the information about the dependent POI, is shown in FIG. Although not shown or shown in text form as shown in Fig. 4, it may be displayed on an image in a two-dimensional map format, or may be displayed separately in a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional map.

When the information on the subordinate POI is output to the display unit 150, the controller 130 determines whether the identification number input is input from the key input unit 120, that is, whether the identification number is input in the POI code system. In addition, the display unit 150 displays the location information of the corresponding target facility and the optimal route between the starting facility and the target facility, and the identification number of the target facility sees the POI information displayed on the display unit 150. By using or using the numeric keys to select the corresponding facility is obtained by outputting the index number matched to the control unit.

In addition, if a signal for the classification code of the facility that the driver wants to use as a milestone is input through the key input unit 120 while the route is displayed, the controller 130 refers to the POI code to determine the path between the starting facility and the target facility. The display unit 150 detects whether there is a facility having a classification code in the area displayed by the display unit 150, and when a facility having the classification code is detected, it is displayed in a specific color as shown in FIG. 5 so as to be differentiated from other subordinate POIs. It can be displayed so that the user can recognize the facility well.

In addition, the memory unit 140 stores the geographic data according to the POI code value and the code value for the dependent POI, that is, an identification number, and stores the geographic data stored under the control of the controller 130 in the controller 130. Serves to provide.

In addition, the display unit 150 receives an operation control signal output from the control unit 130 and displays a text or an image that can be recognized by the user.

On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention, a configuration for allowing a user to input a milestone can be implemented in a number of ways, if the relevant company, look at an example, the user is provided with a milestone input menu key in the key input unit 120 When the milestone input menu key is selected, the controller 130 displays a message for inputting a milestone code on the display unit 150, and allows the user to input an industry code of the milestone through the key input unit 120. As another example, when the user obtains information on a desired destination facility, the control unit 130 asks the user to select a milestone through the display unit 150 and a signal that the user selects a milestone through the key input unit 130. When outputting, the user enters the industry code for the milestone on the keyboard 120 or select on the display unit 130 So that makes it display.

An embodiment of a geographic information retrieval system of the present invention configured as described above will be described below.

For example, if a user wants to find a restaurant, the user often only knows that he or she is in the vicinity of a well-known facility rather than the restaurant's name, and the official name of the restaurant is somewhat different depending on when the database is constructed. Since it may be different, the user finds a name of a facility with high recognition around restaurants to be found among the representative POI code values provided in the form of a booklet and inputs the corresponding POI code value through the key input unit 120.

When the representative POI code value is input as described above, the controller 130 reads the surrounding POI information from the memory unit 140 and displays the POI information on the display unit 150 as text or a map of a 2D image, and the user displays the display unit ( The target facility desired to be found by looking at the information displayed on 150 may be selected through the key input unit 120. In this way, when the user selects the target facility through the key input unit 120, the controller 130 displays the corresponding information. By importing from the memory unit 140 and displaying it on the display unit 150, the user can easily grasp the position of the desired object.

As an example, if a user wants to find a restaurant named 'A', and knows that there is a 'B' bank Yeoksam-dong branch nearby, find the code for the 'B' bank Yeoksam-dong branch in the booklet containing the representative POI. Input through the key input unit 120. Subsequently, when the representative POI and the subordinate POI are displayed through the display unit 150, the user selects the restaurant 'A' from the subordinate POI list through the key input unit 120, and the geographic data of the 'A' restaurant is displayed on the display unit 150. Will be displayed.

When the user selects a hospital as shown in FIG. 5 as a milestone, the display unit 150 blinks differently from other buildings or appears in three dimensions separately from the surroundings displayed in two-dimensional graphics. While checking the name of the hospital, he can check whether he is on the right track. These milestones, of course, can be a variety of facilities, such as gas stations or banks that are repeated periodically.

6A to 6B are flowcharts illustrating a method for retrieving geographic information according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6B.

First, the controller 130 determines whether there is a geographic information search command based on a signal output from the key input unit 120 (S601), and if the car navigation device is operated, the controller 130 may store information on the current position of the vehicle. The display unit 150 is read out from the display unit 140 and displayed through the display unit 150 (S602). This is a technology applied to a general navigation device and is not related to the main part of the present invention.

After displaying the current position of the vehicle as described above, the controller 130 determines the signal output from the key input unit 120 to determine whether there is an input of the representative POI code value (S603), and thereby represents the representative POI code. If there is a value input, the dependent POI list is displayed on the display unit in a text or video in an alternative manner (S604). In this process, the representative POI code value is displayed in the form of a booklet or a CD-ROM. Search by the base unit 110 to enter.

After displaying the list of dependent POIs as described above, the controller 130 determines whether there is a dependent POI selection signal input from the key input unit 120 (S605). The dependent POI information is read from the memory unit 140 to display the location of the target facility through the display unit 150 (S606).

After displaying the location of the target facility as described above, the controller 130 outputs an operation control signal to the display unit 150 to signal whether the user wants to register the selected target facility as a new representative POI. Outputs and detects the signal of the key input unit 120 for a predetermined time to determine whether there is a signal input (hereinafter, the representative POI registration signal input) to register the selected target facility as a new representative POI (S607), and input the representative POI registration signal In this case, the representative POI code according to the code system of the new representative POI is automatically generated with reference to the selected dependent POI code, and the dependent POI information according to the generated representative POI code is stored in the memory 140 (S608). This is possible by determining the subordinate POIs of the facilities output on the display unit 150. On the other hand, in addition to the automatic generation of the representative POI code, although not shown, a form that can be input by the user may be displayed on the display unit 150 to generate an input.

In addition, the controller 130 determines whether there is a milestone input from the key input unit 120 while displaying the information on the target facility as described above (S609), and when there is no milestone input, according to a general location information display method. The display unit 150 displays location information (movement path, etc.) (S610), and when there is a milestone input, it is determined whether a facility having the selected milestone code exists on the display unit 150 (S611), and the display unit 150 is displayed. If there is a facility having a corresponding milestone code, the special location such as blinking, color display, or three-dimensional graphics, for example, the milestone facility is differentiated from other facilities in the general location information display method.

In this process, a method of determining whether a facility having a milestone code exists on the display unit 150 can be easily applied by those skilled in the art in various ways, but the method does not limit the gist of the present invention. Looking at, the controller 130 can easily grasp the address of the memory unit 140, which outputs information on the area currently being displayed, to determine whether there is a corresponding milestone code in the address.

While performing the processes of steps S606-S612 as described above, the controller 130 determines whether there is a key input for terminating the search for geographic information (S613), and if there is no key input, returns to step S606 to continue the geographic information. If there is a key input for ending the geographic information search, the geographic information display is terminated.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the desired destination can be easily and simply found.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, if the approximate location of the destination to be searched is known, the destination can be simply searched using a database composed of representative POIs, so that the efficiency of the destination search can be greatly improved. By inputting, the user can easily find the desired destination through the simple remote control without the character input means, and the effect of the button is simpler than the conventional technology. It is also easy to search.

Claims (11)

A database unit in which code values having information on regions and industries are matched and recorded with respect to representative facilities (hereinafter referred to as representative POIs) such as road names and building names with high recognition; The address of each subordinate POI formed by adding the identification number to the name of the facility (hereinafter referred to as subordinate POI) located in the surrounding area within a certain range for each representative POI code and the corresponding POI code value by matching the representative POI code. Or a memory unit in which detailed information including coordinates is recorded; A display unit for outputting a signal corresponding to the input operation control signal; A key input unit for allowing a user to directly input a representative POI code corresponding to a destination to be searched by referring to a code value of the representative POI recorded in the database or to select a dependent POI name corresponding to a destination; When the representative POI code is input according to the signal output from the key input unit, the dependent POI list is read out from the memory unit and output to the display unit so that the user can recognize the subordinate POI code. And a control unit which reads information about the information from the memory unit and outputs the information to the display unit so that the user can recognize the information. The geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the representative POI code value is divided into a region code, a plurality of classification codes and identification numbers stratified by industry. delete The car navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the dependent POI may be redundantly dependent on a plurality of representative POIs, and a representative geographical name corresponding to the representative POI is configured to be a dependent POI of another representative POI. Geographic information retrieval system for the device. The geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the database unit is selected from a print medium such as a booklet or an optical / magnetic / semiconductor recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a flash memory. The geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the dependent POI information is output to the display unit in a format selected from a two-dimensional image, a three-dimensional image, or text. The geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the key input unit is an infrared remote controller or a touch panel. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits an operation control signal to the key input unit, the display unit, and the memory unit through the key input unit, the display unit, and the memory unit so that the user can select a facility for each industry to be a milestone from a path between the target facility and the departure facility. Further, when the milestone is selected, the operation control signal is determined by the display unit so that the user can easily recognize the facilities of each industry among the guide areas displayed on the display unit by determining whether there is a facility by the selected industry in the guide area displayed on the display unit. Geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device, characterized in that further configured to output. In the geographic information retrieval method using a geographic information retrieval system for a navigation device, inputting the name of the target facility through the key input unit, the control unit retrieves the information from the memory unit and outputs the information to the display unit. A first step of matching a database including local information and industry type information with respect to highly recognized facilities (hereinafter referred to as representative POI) among geographic information; Detailed information including the name, address, or coordinates of a facility (hereinafter referred to as subordinate POI) located within a predetermined range around the representative POI databased in the first step, in the form of adding an identification number to the representative POI code value A second step of generating and recording the text into a memory unit such as a character or an image so that a user can recognize the same; And When the representative POI code is input through the key input unit, the control unit reads the dependent POI list from the memory unit and outputs it to the display unit so that the user can select the target facility while viewing the display unit to obtain accurate information about the target facility. Geographic information retrieval method comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein when information on a target facility is obtained through the third step, a key input unit allows a user to select a facility by industry to guide the corresponding route, and when the facility by industry is selected, a display is displayed on the display unit. And a fourth step of differentiating and visually warning the facility so that the user can easily recognize the facility than other facilities when there is a facility selected by the industry. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the information on the target facilities other than the representative POI is obtained through the third step, whether the target facility is registered as a new representative POI is asked; If the registration is desired, the representative POI code according to the code system of the representative POI is automatically generated and outputted for confirmation, or a form that the user can input is displayed on the display unit to receive a desired code; And a fourth step of generating a new representative POI by storing the automatically output code or a code input from a user.

Images