Patent EP0703435A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0703435A1
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Moving object navigation apparatus
Assignee: NEC Corp
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Filing: 1995-09-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-09-20
Abstract
Abstract A moving object navigation apparatus includes an input section, a map information memory section, a database, a coordinate retrieval section, a route calculation section, and an output section. The input section inputs institution names indicating the present location of a moving object and a destination by using a natural language. The map information memory section stores a map including information of roads and institutions. The database stores the relationship between the institution names on the map stored in the memory and position indexes. The coordinate retrieval section retrieves the institution names indicating the present location and the destination, which are input by the input section, from the database, and outputs corresponding position indexes. The route calculation section obtains the shortest route between the position indexes of the present location and the destination, which are output from the coordinate retrieval section, by referring to the map stored in the memory. The output section outputs route information obtained by the calculation section to the user of the moving object.
Inventors
- 👤 Takako c/o NEC Corporation Komatsu
- 👤 Kazunori c/o NEC Corporation Muraki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:01
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/26; G01C21/34; G01C21/36
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
152 words
A moving object navigation apparatus characterized by comprising: input means (1) for inputting institution names indicating a present location of a moving object and a destination by using a natural language; memory means (2) for storing a map including information of roads and institutions; a database (5) for storing a relationship between the institution names on the map stored in said memory means and position indexes; retrieval means (6) for retrieving the institution names indicating the present location and the destination, which are input by said input means, from said database, and outputting corresponding position indexes; calculation means (3) for obtaining a shortest route between the position indexes of the present location and the destination, which are output from said retrieval means, by referring to the map stored in said memory means; and output means (4) for outputting route information obtained by said calculation means to a user of the moving object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory means stores information of intersections and junctions as the information of the roads and the institutions, and said output means outputs the route information obtained by said calculation means by using the information of the intersections and the junctions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said memory means further stores information associated with road features as the information of the roads and the institutions, said calculation means extracts the information associated with the roads from said memory means in accordance with the route obtained by said calculation means, and said output means outputs the information associated with the road features together with the route information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information associated with the road features is information associated with inclinations and widths of the roads.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
86 words
An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein when road information indicating at least one of the present location and the destination is input from said input means, said retrieval means outputs a position index corresponding to the input road information to said calculation means by referring to the road information on the map stored in said memory means, and said calculation means obtains a shortest route between the present location and the destination by using the position index from said retrieval means.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
137 words
An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a key word template (8) in which combinations of data types and data values in said database which can be inferred from natural language expressions are associated with the natural language expressions, and condition estimation means (5) for converting a key word in a natural language, which is in an input statement received from said input means and indicates an object to be retrieved, into a data type and a data value used in said database by referring to said key word template, and outputting the data type and the data value to said retrieval means, and wherein attributes of an institution including a data type and a data value are registered in said database, together with a name and position index of the institution.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an outer appearance feature of an institution and a size of a building are registered, as attributes of the institution, in said database.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a synonym dictionary in which synonyms of key words are registered, and wherein said condition estimation means extracts a key word from a synonym in the input statement received from said input means by referring to said synonym dictionary.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
168 words
An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising navigation expression forming means (10) including acknowledgement means (10a) for acknowledging an institution and a road as landmarks for places where large changes occur in the process of movement of the moving object on the route obtained by said calculation means by referring to the map stored in said memory means, extraction means (10b) for extracting information, associated with the institution and the road as the landmarks acknowledged by said acknowledgement means, by referring to position information on the map, positional relationship information, and road information, which are stored in said memory means, and the attributes of the institutions registered in said database, and synthesizing means (10c) for synthesizing a navigation expression by combining an attribute and name of an institution extracted by said extraction means and outputting the expression to said output means, and wherein an attribute of an institution is registered in said database together with a name and position index of the institution.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
105 words
An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a synonym dictionary (7) in which synonyms are registered, a key word template (8) in which combinations of data types and data values in said database which can be inferred from natural language expressions are associated with the natural language expressions, switch means (11) for designating a paraphrasing operation, and navigation expression paraphrasing means (12) which is started by said switch means to paraphrase a navigation expression from said navigation expression forming means by referring to said synonym dictionary and said key word template, adding the paraphrased expression to the navigation expression, and outputting the resultant expression.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
28 words
An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein said input means is speech input means for inputting a destination and a present location by speech.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein said output means is speech synthesis means for outputting a navigation expression of a route calculated by said calculation means upon speech synthesis.
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