JP2005100276A - Information processing system, information processor, information processing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more easily specify an address of a destination and to improve convenience of a user using a navigation device. <P>SOLUTION: A display content is recognized from an obtained picture, position information of a facility is retrieved and a retrieval result is registered. Since position information can be associated with the picture at the time of registration, the user can immediately recall what kind of position information it is when registration information is read. Registered position information can be set later as the destination or a route place. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to information processing technology, and mainly relates to technology for supporting a navigation function of a mobile terminal.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information processing system that inputs and analyzes various information and provides a position on a map to a user is known. For example, in a navigation device, by setting a destination, guidance information for guiding a route to the destination is provided to the user. Such a system has a configuration in which the user manually sets a destination by direct input to the system, and it may take time to set the destination. Therefore, in recent navigation systems, not only the route is automatically guided when a destination or waypoint is specified, but also when a driver's request, for example, the contents of a meal, is specified, a suitable destination is searched and the route is searched. It is also possible to induce Further, it is possible to inquire of the server about the driver's request using a portable terminal, and to notify the destination information and download the guidance information from the server.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a travel support system that creates a travel plan with a computer outside a mobile body, generates navigation information according to the travel plan, and provides guidance information from a navigation device inside the mobile body. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-143358

  However, in the conventional system, guidance is started by selecting a desired destination from a map on the screen or a destination menu. In this case, it is difficult to perform a detailed search that meets the driver's request. In addition, in the destination and route search by a personal computer, detailed search is possible, but input from a keyboard or the like is required, and it takes time to operate, and guidance information is obtained in real time during driving. The request could not be fulfilled.

  For example, if you are looking at advertisements such as billboards or magazines while moving in a vehicle and the driver or passenger is going to the place written there, even if the address is written In this method, since it takes time to input, it is impossible to respond quickly. When there is no address, it takes time to narrow down to the destination as requested.

  In other words, in the conventional system, information that should originally be recognized as a destination or waypoint, such as a signboard or a magazine, cannot be effectively used.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to make the system recognize destinations and waypoints more easily by using captured images. Therefore, it is to improve the convenience of the user who uses the system.

  In order to achieve the above object, a system according to the present invention inputs a database that stores information describing a facility, location information that specifies the location of the facility on a map, and a captured image obtained by capturing an information display medium Input means for analyzing the captured image input by the input means, recognizing the display content of the captured image, referring to the database, the facility corresponding to the display content recognized by the recognition means, and Searching means for searching for the location information; and registration means for registering the location information of the facility derived by the search of the searching means.

The registration means registers the position information in association with the captured image used to derive the position information,
The image processing apparatus further includes a reading unit that reads the captured image registered in association with the position information by the registration unit together with the position information.

  The registration unit, when a captured image captured at a position represented by the position information is input, replaces the captured image with a captured image used for searching the position information, and registers the captured image.

  And providing means for providing guidance information for guiding to a position on the map represented by the position information, wherein the guidance information includes map information in which the position information registered by the registration means is embedded. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention analyzes a photographed image obtained by photographing an information display medium, recognizes a recognition means for recognizing the display content of the photographed image, and position information for specifying a location on a facility map. A search means for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized by the recognition means and its position information, and a registration means for registering the position information derived by the search by the search means It is characterized by having.

  The server according to the present invention is a server capable of communicating information via a network with a photographing device capable of information communication with a navigation device, and receiving means for receiving a photographed image photographed by the photographing device from the photographing device. A recognition unit that analyzes a captured image input by the input unit and recognizes display content of the captured image, and a database that stores position information for specifying a position on a map of the facility, and the recognition unit Search means for searching for the facility corresponding to the display content recognized in the above and its position information, providing means for providing the navigation apparatus with guide information for guiding to the position on the map represented by the position information, and the search means And a registration means for registering the facility derived by the search and its position information.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method according to the present invention analyzes a captured image obtained by capturing an information display medium, recognizes a display content of the captured image, and position information for specifying a location of a facility on a map. , A search step for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized in the recognition step and its location information, and the location information of the facility derived by the search in the search step are registered. And a registration step.

  In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the present invention analyzes a captured image obtained by capturing an information display medium on a computer and identifies a recognition process for recognizing the display content of the captured image and a location on a map of the facility. A search process for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized in the recognition process and its position information with reference to a database storing the position information to be detected, and the location information of the facility derived by the search in the search process And a registration step of registering.

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, it is possible to make the system more easily recognize the destination and waypoint by using the captured image, thereby improving the convenience of the user who uses the system.

  Specifically, from the captured image on the information display medium such as a signboard or magazine, the display content represented by the captured image is recognized, and the location of the facility corresponding to the display content is specified and registered. The position can be easily read out any number of times. For this reason, a user who wants to go to the facility shown by looking at the signboard can know the position of the facility just by photographing the signboard, etc. The position can be output even in degrees.

  Also, if the location information of the facility is registered in association with the captured image used to derive the location information, it is possible to read the location information together with the captured image, and how the registered location information is You can know if it was obtained based on a signboard or magazine. For example, when a large amount of position information is registered, it is possible to immediately recall how the position information was obtained, and the user can use the system more easily. Become.

  When position information has already been registered in association with a photographed image and a photographed image photographed at the position indicated by the position information is input, the photographed image is replaced with the photographed image used for the search of the position information. If registered, when the position information is read, a captured image having a deeper relationship with the position information is read, and the user can use the system more effectively.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

  First, as an embodiment of an information processing system according to the present invention, a position information providing system including a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, a mobile terminal, and a network server (hereinafter simply referred to as a server) will be described. In addition, here, a predetermined role / function (means) is assigned to each element (navigation device, portable terminal, server) constituting this system, and some of these functions will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Corresponding to the technical progress of each element in the future and the enhancement of infrastructure development, it depends on which element each function will be installed, and the new technical idea of the present invention will be changed, added, and modified. Is also included. In this specification, “facility” is a concept that includes restaurants, shops, parks, event venues, etc., and “location information” is information that includes the name, address, and nature of the facility. It is information that becomes a specific material. The position information is information indicating the position of the facility on the map.

<Overview of the entire location information provision system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a position information providing system according to the present embodiment.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a navigation device that is mounted on a vehicle and provides guidance information to a driver who drives the vehicle. Reference numeral 20 denotes a mobile terminal functioning as a photographing apparatus, typically a mobile phone. This mobile terminal has a built-in camera like a recent product, and has a function of transferring an image captured by the camera. As a portable terminal having a photographing function, for example, a PDA having a photographing function, a digital camera having a communication function, and the like can be employed in addition to a mobile phone. In addition, the user who carries the mobile terminal 20 may be the same person as the driver, a passenger in the same vehicle, or a person who is in a different place from the driver.

  A server 30 is connected to the navigation device 10 and the portable terminal 20 via the network 60 to search and provide information related to navigation. As will be described below, the navigation device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 may constitute the present location information providing system without using the server 30.

  In this system, when setting a destination / waypoint for the navigation apparatus 10 and receiving guidance information, the image is taken of various information such as advertisements described on a signboard, magazine, flyer or other information display medium. This makes it possible to set the destination / waypoint. Specifically, for example, when you want to go to a store, event venue, or other facility that is introduced by an article such as a signboard or magazine that a user happens to see, it is easy to shoot the signboard etc. A destination can be set for the navigation device 10. Further, for example, by searching a database prepared in the server 30 or another device, the user can set the destination even when the address of the facility is not described on the signboard or the like. . The following outlines typical procedures from information shooting to destination setting.

  First, a user photographs information described on a signboard or the like with the portable terminal 20 having a photographing function ((1) in the figure). Next, the mobile terminal 20 accesses the server 30 to transmit a retrieval instruction together with captured image data (hereinafter simply referred to as a captured image) ((2) in the figure). The server 30 that has received the captured image recognizes the display content of the captured image, extracts the spot information included in the display content, and searches for the location information of the facility using the spot information ((3) in the figure).

  The server 30 that has retrieved the position information then transmits the retrieved position information to the portable terminal 20 as a response to the search instruction from the portable terminal 20 ((4) in the figure). The mobile terminal 20 that has received the position information transfers it to the navigation device 10 as destination or waypoint setting information or as registration information ((5) in the figure). Alternatively, the position information is directly transmitted from the server 30 to the navigation device 10 instead of (4) and (5) (dotted line arrow in the figure).

  The navigation device 10 sets the position on the map indicated by the received position information as a destination or waypoint, and based on the current position information detected by the radio wave from the GPS satellite, guide information such as a route to that position and a map is obtained. It is derived and displayed on a display included in the navigation device 10 ((6) in the figure). The user operates the vehicle based on the guidance information displayed on the display.

  As described above, in this embodiment, guidance information can be obtained simply by shooting an advertisement or the like that the user is interested in. Therefore, the location of the destination can be specified more easily, and the convenience of the user using the navigation device can be improved. Can be improved.

<Internal configuration of each element included in the location information providing system>
FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing configurations of the navigation device 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the server 30 that are elements constituting the position information providing system of the present embodiment.

  The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 11 including at least an arithmetic control CPU, a ROM for storing fixed values, and a RAM for temporary storage, and a positioning that is controlled by the control unit 11 and measures the current location of the vehicle by GPS. A device 12, a database 13 for storing data for navigation or searching for point information / position information of the present embodiment, a microphone 14 for receiving instructions from the driver, an operation switch 15 for operating the navigation device, a map for navigation, an instruction menu, etc. It has a display 16 for display, a speaker 17 for transmitting instructions / warnings to the driver, a portable terminal 20, or a communication interface 18 for communicating with the server 30 via a network. Further, when the navigation system 10 and the mobile terminal 20 constitute this system without including the server 30, the navigation apparatus 10 has an image memory 19 for storing images.

  The portable terminal (telephone) 20 includes a control unit 21 including at least a CPU for arithmetic control, a ROM for storing fixed values, and a RAM for temporary storage, and the navigation device 10 controlled by the control unit 21, or A communication interface 22 for communicating with the server 30 via a network, an image memory 23 for storing captured images, a microphone 24 for speech, an operation switch 25 for operating a portable terminal, a camera 26 for capturing images, a captured image, It has a display 27 for displaying e-mail contents, instruction menus, etc., and a speaker 28 for reception. In addition, if necessary, it has a database 29 for storing data for extracting point information of this embodiment.

  In order to realize the function of extracting point information from the captured image in the portable terminal 20, for example, a database 29 for extracting point information is required. In addition, although not shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to add a GPS positioning device to the mobile terminal 20 for processing such as eliminating point information far from the current location by the mobile terminal 20.

  The server 30 includes a control unit 31 including at least an arithmetic control CPU, a ROM for storing fixed values, and a RAM for temporary storage, and point information extraction or position information according to this embodiment controlled by the control unit 31. It has a database 32 for storing search data and a communication interface 33 for communicating with the navigation device 10 or the portable terminal 20 via the network.

(Database configuration)
The information stored in the databases 13, 29, and 32 differs depending on the function performed by each element of the system of the present embodiment, but the contents of the database necessary for realizing the system as a whole are shown in FIG. That is, each piece of information shown in FIG. 3 is distributed to each of the databases 13, 29, and 32 in accordance with the function.

  Reference numeral 321 in FIG. 3 denotes a map memory, which stores map data, road data, facility ID-coordinates, and the like so as to be readable, and is used as display information for guidance information. For example, the map memory 321 is preferably provided in the database 13 of the navigation device 10 or the database 32 of the server 30. If the database 13 of the navigation device 10 does not have such map data, it is downloaded from the database 32 of the server 30.

  Reference numeral 322 in FIG. 3 denotes an image memory in which image data picked up corresponding to an image ID, extracted spot information, and searched position information are stored. The image memory 322 is also preferably provided in the database 13 of the navigation apparatus 10 or the database 32 of the server 30.

  Reference numeral 323 in FIG. 3 denotes a code memory, which stores, for example, a search category of position information corresponding to an identification code assigned to certain point information. In this way, by making point information correspond to a search category, a search that is not based on an obvious address, name, or telephone number is possible.

  Reference numeral 324 in FIG. 3 denotes a facility location information memory, which can be searched based on the spot information extracted using the spot information extraction template 326 and further based on the keyword converted into the search category using the code memory 323. Location information (name, address, telephone number, coordinates on the map corresponding to the facility ID) that is the destination or waypoint is stored. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 3, the contents of the facility location information memory 324 are linked to each other and can be searched according to a keyword.

  Reference numeral 325 in FIG. 3 denotes a user memory in which a name, an address, a telephone number, a current location coordinate, an image ID, and the like are registered corresponding to the user ID. This user memory 325 is stored in the server 30 in particular. When accessing from the navigation device 10 or the portable terminal 20, the user memory 325 is used to determine whether or not to provide a service based on the user ID and to select an area of the readable / writable image memory 322. used.

  Reference numeral 326 in FIG. 3 denotes a point information extraction template, which stores a comparison target for extracting point information from an image or a selected image range. The comparison target is not limited to the address, name, and telephone number as shown in FIG. 3, but may be anything that becomes a keyword for position information search, such as a sales product name or a meal menu. As described above, when a word is used as point information, character recognition of an image range is performed prior to extraction. The extraction of the spot information is not limited to words in words, but may be, for example, a product or a meal menu diagram or a photo. In that case, figure recognition may be performed to extract spot information by words. The figure itself may be stored in a template and directly converted into point information.

<Operation of location information providing system>
(System operation including server)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the position information providing system including the server 30 in the navigation device 10 and the portable terminal 20.

  First, an image is obtained with the portable terminal 20 in step S21. The acquisition route may be taken by the camera 26 or received from another terminal. The point information serving as information for searching the destination or waypoint is analyzed and extracted from the image obtained in step S22. The point information may be a specific place name or address, or other information that can identify the place. Regarding this point information analysis, the entire process will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Next, in step S23, the point information obtained as a result of the analysis in step S22 is transmitted to the server 30. When the server 30 receives the point information from the portable terminal 20 in step S31, if no further point information analysis is necessary, the server 30 proceeds to step S33 without performing any processing in step S32. That is, if character recognition and point information selection by the user is performed in the analysis in step S22 of the portable terminal 20, nothing is performed in step S32 of the server 30. On the other hand, if the analysis in step S22 of the portable terminal 20 is only the selection of the image range, the point information candidate is presented to the portable terminal 20 after performing character recognition and image recognition in step S32 of the server 30, and step S24. The point information is selected by the user.

  Note that the obtained image is obtained by combining the processing of steps S32 and S33 of the server 30 and the processing of step S24 of the mobile terminal 20 as compared with the case where all the processing for extracting point information used for position information search is performed in step S22. If the point information is extracted from the selection range, it is preferable from the viewpoint of the processing burden of the portable terminal 20 and the required storage capacity of the database. For example, the acquired image may be transferred in the next step S23 without doing anything in the step S22, or the image in the selected range may be transferred in the next step S23 simply by selecting the image range having the spot information. If the processing burden or the storage capacity of the database permits, character recognition may be performed and transmitted to the server 30 in the character code state in the next step S23.

  When the portable terminal 20 simply selects an image range with point information and transfers an image of the selected range in the next step S23, the obtained image is displayed on the display 27 of the portable terminal 20 and a variable indicating the selected range. The operation of determining the selection range by displaying the frame is required. This operation is generally performed on a conventional computer screen and will not be described in detail here.

  As described above, the point information that can search for the position information that specifies the position of the destination or waypoint from the obtained image is determined in steps S21 to S24 of the mobile terminal 20 and steps S31 to S32 of the server 30. .

  In step S33, position information specifying the position of the destination or waypoint is searched from the extracted point information. The detailed procedure of the position information search will be described below in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the search for the position information is completed, the position information searched in step S34 is transmitted to the portable terminal 20 next.

  The portable terminal 20 receives the position information and displays it on the display 27 so that it can be selected. In step S26, the user selects one of the position information, and instructs the server 30 to set the position information as a destination, set as a waypoint, or just register a point for the time being. Send.

  When the server 30 receives the instruction from the portable terminal 20 in step S35, if the instruction is a destination / route point setting instruction, the server 30 transfers the setting instruction to the navigation device 10. When the navigation device 10 receives the destination / route point setting in step S11, the navigation device 10 creates guidance information using the database 13 by a conventional method, displays it on the display 16, and utters from the speaker 17 if necessary.

  On the other hand, when the server 30 receives the location registration instruction, at least the captured image and the position information are registered in the server 30. Of course, you may register point information together at this time. The location registration may be performed on the navigation device 10. That is, the server 30 may transfer the captured image and the position information to the navigation device 10 together with the point registration instruction, and the navigation device 10 may receive the information and store the information in the database 13. Furthermore, if the database 13 has a capacity, the navigation device 10 may perform point registration, and if the capacity is small, the point registration may be performed in the database 32 of the server 30. When the location registration is performed in the server 30, the stored photographed image and position information can be released to other drivers, and the service of the server 30 is improved.

  In step S26, the position information and the setting information indicating whether the destination is a waypoint may be directly transmitted to the navigation device 10. Further, in step S34, the position information may be transmitted to the navigation device 10 as it is, and the destination and waypoint may be selected in the navigation device (see the dotted arrows in FIG. 4).

  In the above example, the navigation apparatus 10 creates the guidance information by itself as long as the destination / route point is set. However, the navigation device 10 may obtain the guidance information by downloading from the server 30, for example, in advance. The prepared guide information may be used properly from a CD or the like, and unprepared guide information may be downloaded from the server 30.

(System operation without a server)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the present location information providing system that includes the navigation device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 but does not include the server 30. In this case, the processing procedure of the portable terminal 20 is the same as that in FIG. The navigation device 10 also performs processing of the server 30. Here, unlike FIG. 4, more functions of point information analysis may be installed in the mobile terminal 20.

  When the portable terminal 20 extracts the spot information from the captured image, the portable terminal 20 transmits it to the navigation device 10 in step S23. In the navigation apparatus 10, when the spot information from the portable terminal 20 is received in step S12, the spot information is further analyzed in step S13 as necessary to identify spot information used for position information search, and the process proceeds to step S14.

  As described above, in steps S21 to S24 of the portable terminal 20 and steps S12 to S13 of the navigation device 10, the point information that can search for the position information specifying the destination or the position of the waypoint from the obtained image is determined. The

  In step S14, position information specifying the position of the destination or waypoint is searched from the extracted point information. The detailed procedure of this position information search will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the search for the position information is completed, the position information searched in step S15 is transmitted to the portable terminal 20 next.

  The portable terminal 20 receives the position information and displays it on the display 27 so that it can be selected. Next, in step S26, one piece of position information is selected in accordance with the user's operation, and the position information is set as a destination, a transit point together with the selected position information, or for the time being. An instruction to register the location once is transmitted to the navigation device 10.

  The navigation device 10 receives an instruction from the portable terminal 20 in step S16, and performs any of destination setting / route setting / point registration. When the destination setting or the waypoint setting is performed, the navigation device 10 creates guidance information using the database 13 by a conventional method, displays it on the display 16, and utters from the speaker 17 if necessary. Do. The location registration is performed on the database 13 of the navigation device 10.

  In the case of this system, the position information is not transmitted to the portable terminal 20 in step S15, the process proceeds from step S14 to step S16, and the destination setting / route setting / point is determined by direct operation on the navigation device 10. Any of registration may be performed. In that case, of course, steps S25 and S26 are not performed.

(Point information analysis procedure)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the entire processing procedure of the “point information analysis” in FIGS. 4 and 5 described above. For example, steps S22, S24, and S32 are included.

  First, in step S61, an image range that is supposed to include point information is designated. Such processing is performed by the mobile terminal 20. In addition, it may be configured so that the center portion imaged in advance by the camera 26 of the mobile terminal 20 is used as the point information, in which case step S61 may be omitted. Next, in step S62, the point information extraction template 326 in FIG. 3 is used to recognize the display content of the designated image range or central portion, and the point information is extracted. It should be noted that the extraction of the spot information is not limited to characters, but may be a graphic or a photograph as described above. In this example, the point information is extracted from the comparison with the template, but other character recognition methods and image recognition methods may be used.

  Next, in step S64, the overlapping spot information is redundant and is deleted.

  In step S65, the extracted point information is presented to the user. Although such presentation has been described as being performed on the mobile terminal 20, it may be performed on the display 16 of the navigation device 10. Further, when the portable terminal 20 performs all the processes so far, there is no communication between the portable terminal 20 and the server 30 or the navigation device 10 during this period.

  In step S66, the user waits for selection of spot information from the user, and uses the spot information selected in step S67 for position information search. It should be noted that steps S65 and S66 may be omitted if the necessary spot information can be reliably selected by selecting the image range in step S61.

  Again, the procedure of FIG. 6 describes what is performed in the point information analysis, and the allocation of whether each step is performed by the mobile terminal 20, the navigation device 10, or the server 30 is performed. Is determined in consideration of the ability and operability of each element, and is not limited.

(Location information search procedure)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the entire processing procedure of the “location information search” shown in FIGS. For example, this corresponds to steps S33 and S14.

  First, in step S71, the facility location information memory 324 is searched with the AND (logical product) condition of the location information extracted in the “location information extraction” process to find location information that matches the criteria.

  Next, in step S72, the position information far from the current location among the position information found as a result of the search is excluded from the candidates. In addition, although it is normally determined by the distance from the present location, this distance may be set by the user. Also, not only the distance from the current location but also those that have a long estimated time to reach, those that are on islands, those that are in other countries, etc. can be excluded from the candidates. In the position information search in the server 30, the process of step S72 is performed when the shooting position or the vehicle position is acquired from the portable terminal or the navigation device. In the position information search in the navigation device 10, the process of step S72 is performed according to the vehicle position recognized using the GPS satellite.

  In step S73, it is determined whether or not there is a search result. If there is no search result, the process proceeds to step S78 to search again using all OR conditions, and the process returns to step S72. If there is a search result, the search result is displayed as a list in step S75. The list display here may be on the display 27 of the portable terminal 20 or on the display 16 of the navigation device 10.

<Display screen by location information providing system>
Hereinafter, although the display screen of the position information providing system of the present embodiment is shown, the screen shown here is a typical example and is not limited thereto.

(From obtaining images to providing guidance information)
FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating an example of an information display medium on which information is described. FIG. 8A shows an example in which a signboard is used as an information display medium, and FIG. 8B shows an example in which a magazine is used as an information display medium.

  FIG. 9 is an example of an obtained image displayed on the display 27 when a part of the magazine shown in FIG. The example of FIG. 9 is a case where the user does not select an image range and the center portion of the acquired image is determined in advance as the image range of the point information as indicated by the broken line.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which the display content in the broken line range in FIG. 9 is recognized and the point information extracted from the display content is displayed so as to be selectable as a keyword for searching for position information. The point information extracted from FIG. 9 includes four items: “00 restaurant (91)”, “ΔΔ bay (92)”, “curry (93)”, and “Tanakacho 3-chome (94)”. In the example of FIG. 10, it can be seen from the checks of 91 and 94 that “00 restaurant (91)” and “Tanakacho 3-chome (94)” are selected from the four pieces of point information.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a list display screen of three candidate sites searched from the database based on the spot information “00 restaurant” and “Tanakacho 3-chome” selected in FIG. The screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display 27 of the mobile terminal 20 or the display 16 of the navigation device 10. FIG. 11 shows a state in which location information is narrowed down by checking 102 out of three candidate sites 101 to 103 of “OO restaurant” as a result of the location information search. This is a user's operation to make “OO restaurant” in Hiroshima prefecture as a destination, waypoint or registration point. In order to obtain detailed information of each candidate site before selecting any candidate site, any one of the detail buttons 107 displayed next to each candidate site may be selected. In addition, the destination button 104, the waypoint button 105, and the point registration button 106 are shown on this screen. If any of the buttons 101 to 103 is checked, the button is checked. The candidate location thus set is set as a destination, a transit location, or a registered location. For example, when the waypoint button 105 is selected, the navigation device 10 sets the “00 restaurant” as a waypoint on the way to a known destination.

  FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when the location registration button 106 is selected in a state where “OO restaurant” 102 in FIG. 11 is checked.

  Here, the captured image 121 used to search for “OO restaurant” as position information is displayed, and it is possible to select whether or not to register the captured image in association with the position information. If the registration button 122 is selected, the photographed image 121 is also registered with the position information. If the position only button 123 is selected, the captured image 121 is not registered, and the position information (here, the restaurant name, address, and telephone number) is registered.

  FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when the position information registered in FIG. 12A is read. In this example, since the photographed image used to derive the position information is registered in association with the position information, the photographed image 131 is read and displayed together with the position information 130 such as the restaurant name and address. In this registration information reading screen, an image addition button 132, an image update button 133, a map button 134, a destination button 135, a waypoint button 136, and a return button 137 are prepared. Among these, when the image addition button 132 is selected, a list of images that can be added is displayed, and an image associated with the position information 130 is newly added by selecting an image to be added. In that case, when the registration information is read out next time, an image is displayed after the image 131. In this way, a plurality of images can be registered in association with the position information. When the image update button 133 is selected, an image list is also displayed, and the image associated with the position information 130 is updated by selecting an image to be overwritten from among the image list. When an image captured at the position indicated by the position information is input, the original registered image 131 is automatically replaced with a new captured image. That is, the captured image at that position is registered by replacing it with the captured image used for searching the position information. When the map button 134 is selected, this position information is displayed on the map. Further, when the destination button 135 and the waypoint button 136 are selected, the position information 130 is set as the destination or waypoint.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on the display 16 of the navigation device 10 for guidance information when “00 restaurant” is set as a waypoint in FIG. 11. In this example, the destination is the “hotel” 111 at the summit, and the current location is the point 113. Information on guidance to “hotel” 111 via “XX restaurant” 112 desired for “ΔΔ bay” is displayed. In this example, since “00 restaurant” has already been registered as a location, the guidance information includes map information in which the registered captured image and position information are embedded. That is, the position information 114 registered on the map and the captured image 115 registered in association with the position information are added and displayed. The location information 114 is further provided with a detail button 116, and when the detail button 116 is selected, detailed information related to the location information is displayed. In this example, the menu of “XX restaurant” and business hours are displayed. When navigating while displaying the screen shown in FIG. 13, when the vehicle arrives at the position indicated by “XX restaurant”, it waits for the input of a new image at that location, and the image is input. If the image 115 is found, the image 115 is replaced with a new captured image.

  This figure is also similar to an example of a screen displayed when the map button 134 is selected in FIG. When the map button 134 is selected in FIG. 12B, the location, name, and photographed image of “XX restaurant” are displayed on the map as location information to be registered, and the destination button, waypoint Button and detail button are displayed.

(Other embodiments)
In the said embodiment, the process which image | photographed the image with the portable terminal and specified positional information with the server was performed. However, for example, by providing the navigation device with an image capturing function and a communication function with the server, it is also possible to capture an image with the navigation device and give a search instruction to the server. Further, the position information search process performed by the server can be performed by, for example, a navigation device or a portable terminal. In this case, the database necessary for the search may be configured in a mass storage device such as a DVD attached to the navigation device. When performing a search process with a portable terminal, it may be possible that only the database depends on a server on the network.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of each element contained in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the database contained in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in case the position information provision system as embodiment of this invention contains a server. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in case the position information provision system as embodiment of this invention does not include a server. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the point information analysis contained in FIG.4 and FIG.5. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the positional information search contained in FIG.4 and FIG.5. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the example of the information display medium based on this invention. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a picked-up image. It is a figure which shows the specific example of point information display and selection in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a positional information display and selection in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the point registration screen in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention, (b) is (a), and is a registration point in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a display screen. It is a figure which shows the guidance information display screen in the positional information provision system as embodiment of this invention.

Claims (8)

A database that stores information describing the facility and location information identifying the location of the facility on the map;
An input means for inputting a photographed image obtained by photographing the information display medium;
Recognizing means for analyzing a captured image input by the input means and recognizing display content of the captured image;
Search means for searching the facility corresponding to the display content recognized by the recognition means and its position information with reference to the database;
Registration means for registering the location information of the facility derived by the search of the search means;
An information processing system comprising: The registration means registers the position information in association with the captured image used to derive the position information,
The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit that reads the captured image registered in association with the position information by the registration unit together with the position information.   The registration unit, when a captured image captured at a position represented by the position information is input, replaces the captured image with a captured image used for searching the position information, and registers the captured image. Item 3. The information processing system according to Item 2. Providing means for providing guidance information for guiding to a position on the map represented by the position information;
3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the guidance information includes map information in which the position information registered by the registration unit is embedded. Recognizing means for analyzing a photographed image obtained by photographing an information display medium and recognizing display contents of the photographed image;
A search means for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized by the recognition means and its position information with reference to a database storing position information for specifying the position of the facility on the map;
Registration means for registering the position information derived by the search by the search means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: A server capable of communicating information via a network for a photographing device capable of communicating information with a navigation device,
Receiving means for receiving a photographed image photographed by the photographing apparatus from the photographing apparatus;
Recognizing means for analyzing a captured image input by the input means and recognizing display content of the captured image;
A search means for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized by the recognition means and its position information with reference to a database storing position information for specifying the position of the facility on the map;
Providing means for providing the navigation device with guidance information for guiding to a position on a map represented by the position information;
A registration means for registering the facility derived from the search by the search means and its position information;
A server comprising: A recognition step of analyzing a photographed image obtained by photographing the information display medium and recognizing a display content of the photographed image;
A search step for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized in the recognition step and its location information with reference to a database storing location information for specifying a location on the map of the facility,
A registration step of registering the location information of the facility derived by the search in the search step;
An information processing method comprising: On the computer,
A recognition step of analyzing a photographed image obtained by photographing the information display medium and recognizing a display content of the photographed image;
A search step for searching for a facility corresponding to the display content recognized in the recognition step and its location information with reference to a database storing location information for specifying a location on the map of the facility,
A registration step of registering the location information of the facility derived by the search in the search step;
A program characterized by having executed.

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