Abstract:
A route search system includes mobile terminals provided with wireless communications function, and a route supply server. The route supply server includes a route map database that stores a route map; a positional information obtaining section that obtains respective pieces of positional information of the mobile terminals; a point and route calculating section that searches the route map database based on the respective pieces of positional information of the mobile terminals obtained by the positional information obtaining section, and determines a meeting point for users carrying the mobile terminals, respectively, and respective moving routes to the meeting point for the users; and a point and route notifying section that provides notification of the meeting point and each of the moving routes to the meeting point determined by the point and route calculating section to each of the mobile terminals carried by each of the users.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This is a continuation application of PCT/JP2007/055464, filed on Mar. 19, 2007. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The embodiments discussed herein are related to a route search system in which moving routes are searched for plural users carrying mobile terminals, respectively, to notify the plural users of the searched moving routes, respectively, and a mobile terminal and a route supply server used preferably for the route search system. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Conventionally, there appears on the market a cellular phone mounted with a GPS (Global Positioning System). Since it is possible to detect a geographical position of a cellular phone equipped with the GPS, various kinds of services utilizing the GPS function are considered. 
         [0004]    For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-148542 discloses a technique that searches a route from a current position of a cellular phone carried by a user to a nearest public traffic station and displays the route. 
         [0005]    Further, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-346246 discloses a technique that notifies a geographical position of a cellular phone carried by a user to other cellular phone carried by a different user. 
         [0006]    Meanwhile, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-239379 discloses a method that enables searching of positional information of a cellular phone carried by a specific user from a base station to find the location of the cellular phone, even if the cellular phone is not equipped with the GPS. 
         [0007]    However, services that have been provided or proposed so far are limited to use of positional information of a single cellular phone carried by either a user or other user. A wide range of services that comprehensively utilize respective positional information of plural cellular phones has not been considered yet. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to an aspect of the invention, a route search system includes: 
         [0009]    plural mobile terminals provided with wireless communications function; and 
         [0010]    a route supply server including:
       a route map database that stores a route map,   a positional information obtaining section that obtains respective pieces of positional information of the plural mobile terminals,   a point and route calculating section that searches the route map database based on the respective pieces of positional information of the plural mobile terminals obtained by the positional information obtaining section, and determines a meeting point for plural users carrying the plural mobile terminals, respectively, and respective moving routes to the meeting point for the plural users as well, and   a point and route notifying section that provides notification of the meeting point and each of the respective moving routes to the meeting point determined by the point and route calculating section to each of the mobile terminals carried by each of the users.       
 
         [0015]    The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. 
         [0016]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual diagram of a route search system that is an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an appearance of one cellular phone representing three cellular phones illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is an internal block diagram of the cellular phone of which outlook is illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is an internal block diagram of a route supply server; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of services to be performed by the route supply system described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating communications sequence in the route search system illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a route supply program run in the route supply server. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]    Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a conceptual diagram of a route search system that is an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0026]    In  FIG. 1 , a route supply server  20  and three cellular phones  10 _A,  10 _B, and  10 _C are illustrated. At least a partial section on the cellular phones  10 _A,  10 _B, and  10 _C side is wirelessly connected to the route supply server  20 . In reality, the cellular phones  10 _A,  10 _B, and  10 _C wirelessly communicate to each base station (not illustrated). There are many base stations and Internet networks or the like between each of the base stations and the route supply server  20 . However, to simplify the diagram, only elements necessary for describing the present embodiment are illustrated. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an appearance of one cellular phone representing three cellular phones illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0028]    Ina cellular phone  10  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , an upper case  10 A and a lower case  10 B are connected to each other so as to be foldable via a hinge  10 C. The upper case  10 A is pressed to a user&#39;s ear during talk and the lower case  10 B is held by the user&#39;s hand. 
         [0029]    On the upper case  10 A, there provided a menu screen, an LCD panel  11  on which a photo image and the like is displayed, an internal speaker (see  FIG. 3 ), an earpiece  12  to output a sound from the speaker. Also, on a side of the upper case  10 A, a talk switch  13  is provided that is pressed at the time of talking to use a voice broadcasting function. 
         [0030]    On the lower case  10 B, there provided a selection button  15  used as a button to select various kinds of functions or used as a shutter button for photographing, a push button to enter phone numbers or the like, an internal microphone (see  FIG. 3 ), and a mouthpiece  17  for sending a voice to the microphone. 
         [0031]    Next, internal structure of the cellular phone will be explained. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is an internal block diagram of the cellular phone of which appearance is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  illustrates a CPU  101 , a RAM  102 , a microphone device  103 , a speaker device  104 , a camera device  105 , an infrared device  106 , a media controller  107 , a ROM  108 , a non-volatile memory  109 , a display device  110 , a key device  111 , a clock  112 , a communications device  113 , and a GPS device  114 . These elements are connected to one another via a bus  115 . 
         [0034]    The CPU  101  has a function to run various types of programs and controls the entire cellular phone  10 . 
         [0035]    The ROM  108  stores the various types of programs and various kinds of constants necessary for the CPU  101  to run the various types of programs. The CPU  101  runs the programs stored in the ROM  108  by using the RAM  102  as a working area. 
         [0036]    The non-volatile memory  109  stores various kinds of information that may be possibly overwritten, like address book and received emails. 
         [0037]    The microphone device  103  is a microphone to pick up a voice of a user as well as a functional block to process the voice picked up by the microphone. 
         [0038]    The speaker device  104  is a speaker to output a voice to the user as well as a functional block to generate a voice signal for driving the speaker. 
         [0039]    The camera device  105  is a block to collect image data by photographing. The display device  110  is a block to display an image on the LCD panel  11  (see  FIG. 3 ). The key device  111  is a block to detect various kinds of key operations by the user. The clock  112  is a block to obtain a current time. 
         [0040]    The infrared device  106  transmits an image and a telephone number to an external device located in a close range via infrared communications without going through a base station. 
         [0041]    The media controller  107  reads data from a mounted recording medium  107   a  as well as writes image data or the like generated by the camera device  105  into the recording medium  107   a.    
         [0042]    Further, the communications device  113  realizes a communications function such as talk or packet communications (emailing and so on). 
         [0043]    In addition, the GPS device  114  detects geographical location of the cellular phone  10  based on a signal from a satellite. 
         [0044]      FIG. 4  is an internal block diagram of a route supply server. 
         [0045]    This block diagram is of a general computer. The route supply server includes a computer and a program that is run in the computer and that causes the computer to perform processing illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0046]    The route supply server  20  illustrated in  FIG. 4  is equipped with a CPU  201  that runs various types of programs, a main memory  202  in which a program stored in a hard disk device  203  is read and expanded to be run by the CPU  201 , the hard disk device  203  that stores various types of programs and data, a CD/DVD drive  207  which accesses a CD-ROM  210  or a DVD mounted therein, a communications interface  208  that is connected to communications line to communicate with the cellular phones  10 _A,  10 _B and  10 _C illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and an image display device  204  that displays various kinds of images. All the elements are connected to one another via a bus  209 . 
         [0047]    In the hard disk device  203 , a route map database is constructed. The route map database stores map information associated with latitude and longitude, and a route map including a railroad map such as trains and subways, station names, timetable at each station. 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of services to be performed by the route supply system that has been described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 . 
         [0049]    In  FIG. 5 , two train routes X, Y are illustrated. These two train routes X, Y cross each other at a station E, allowing users to change the line. A user A carrying one cellular phone plans to meet a user B carrying the other cellular phone. Generally, the user A makes a call to the user B or exchanges email with the user B to talk about a meeting place and a meeting time. In this case, however, the meeting will take place to be described below. 
         [0050]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating communications sequence in the route search system illustrated in  FIG. 1 . It is assumed that the users A, B carry the cellular phone  10 _A,  10 _B, respectively, among the three cellular phones  10 _A,  10 _B and  10 _C. The cellular phones  10 _A and  10 _B are equipped with GPS devices  114 _A and  114 _B, respectively (see  FIG. 3 ). In the following, explanation is made about a case in which the user A carrying the cellular phone  10 _A requests searching of route. So the cellular phone  10 _A is called a request terminal  10 _A, and other terminal that is a target of the request is called other terminal  10 _B. Additionally, in the route supply server  20 , a route map database  203   a  is constructed in the hard disk device  203  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0051]    The user A carrying the request terminal  10 _A operates the request terminal  10 _A to specify the other terminal  10 _B, based on information such as the telephone number, and at the same time obtains positional information of the user A (request terminal  10 _A) by using the GPS device  114 _A to transmit its positional information to the route supply server  20 . In this way, the user A requests the route supply server  20  to search a meeting point with the user B carrying the other terminal  10 _B and also a moving route to the meeting point (step a). 
         [0052]    Upon receipt of the request, the route supply server  20  notifies the other terminal  10 _B of the request from the request terminal  10 _A and asks to transmit positional information of the other terminal  10 _B (step b). When the other terminal  10 _B transmits its positional information to the route supply server  20  in response to the request (step c), the route supply server  20  receives the positional information of the other terminal  10 _B and searches the route map database  203   a  based on the positional information of the request terminal  10 _A and the other terminal  10 _B to determine a meeting point of the user A and the user B as well as moving routes to the meeting point for the users A and B, respectively (step d). In this case, a station where the user A and the user B can meet in a shortest time is searched for as the meeting point and moving routes to the station are determined for the respective users A and B. 
         [0053]    In the example illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the meeting point is station E. For the user A, a walking route from the current location of the user A to station C nearest from the current location, a train route from the station C to the station E, and estimated arrival time at the station E are obtained. For the user B, a walking route from the current location of the user B to station D nearest from the current location, a train route from the station D to the station E, and estimated arrival time at the station E are obtained. 
         [0054]    As a result of searching the route map database in the route supply server  20 , when the meeting point and the moving routes of the respective users A and B from the current locations to the meeting point are obtained, the request terminal  10 _A is notified of the meeting point and the moving route of the user A which are searched results (step e 1 ), and the other terminal  10 _B is notified of the meeting point and the moving route of the user B (step e 2 ). The request terminal  10 _A having received the notification displays contents of the notification (step f 1 ), and similarly, the other terminal  10 _B having received the notification displays contents of the notification as well (step f 2 ). 
         [0055]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a route supply program run in the route supply server  20 . 
         [0056]    Firstly, positional information of the request terminal  10 _A is received (step S 01 ). The current location of the request terminal  10 _A is indicated by a latitude a 1 , a longitude a 2 . 
         [0057]    Secondly, positional information of the other terminal  10 _B is received (step S 02 ). The current location of the other terminal  10 _B is indicated by a latitude b 1 , a longitude b 2 . 
         [0058]    Next, in the route map database, station C that is the nearest from the current location of the user A (the request terminal  10 _A) is searched for (step S 03 ). In this case, to be more specific, the current location of the request terminal  10 _A (latitude a 1 , longitude a 2 ) is compared with positional information of stations in the database, thereby a station having the nearest latitude and longitude is extracted. 
         [0059]    Similarly, in the route map database, station D that is the nearest from the current location of the user B (other terminal  10 _B) is searched for (step S 04 ). To be more specific, the current location of the other terminal  10 _B (latitude b 1 , longitude b 2 ) is compared with positional information of stations in the database, thereby a station having the nearest latitude and longitude is extracted. 
         [0060]    Thereafter, based on the positional information of the two stations C and D, and railroad information, station E that is located in between these two stations, C and D is found (step S 05 ). 
         [0061]    A line name of the station E, a name of the station E, and a moving route to the station E, which have been found in this way are transmitted to the request terminal  10 _A and the other terminal  10 _B (step S 06 ). 
         [0062]    In the above example, between the request terminal  10 _A and the other terminal  10 _B, a meeting point and moving routes are searched for and notified to these two cellular phones. However, a meeting point and moving routes may be searched for and notified to three and more cellular phones. 
         [0063]    Additionally, although in the above description, railroad routes such as train and subway have been used, bus routes and bus stops may also be included. 
         [0064]    According to the route search system of the present invention, current positions of plural mobile terminals are obtained, a meeting point is determined for plural users carrying each of the mobile terminals, and the plural users are notified of the meeting point and routes to guide to the meeting point, respectively, thereby providing route guidance that utilizes positional information of the plural mobile terminals comprehensively. 
         [0065]    All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.