Information generation system

Abstract

To provide an information generation device capable of efficiently providing probe information required for generating traffic information.SOLUTION: An information generation device includes: a probe information group acquisition part configured to acquire a probe information group being a set of pieces of probe information detected regarding a plurality of vehicles related to a plurality of business operators, respectively from the plurality of operators collecting probe information containing information on a location of a vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the location; an information generation part configured to generate provision information to provide for an outside, according to the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition part; and an information provision part configured to provide the provision information generated by the information generation part for the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information generating system, an information generating device, an information generating method, an information generating program, a probe information collecting device, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information generating system, an information generating device, an information generating method, and an information generating program that generate information to be provided using a group of probe information provided by a business operator. The present invention also relates to a probe information collecting device, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program that collect probe information from a plurality of vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system has been proposed that generates traffic information useful for driving a vehicle, such as travel time information, based on probe information collected from vehicles traveling on roads, and provides the generated traffic information to the driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also, in a system that generates traffic information by directly acquiring probe information from privately owned vehicles, a system has been proposed in which an incentive is given to an individual who transmits the probe information according to the quality of each piece of acquired probe information (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This system also discloses that probe information from multiple company vehicles owned by a company that performs a certain type of business can be acquired and used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-241987 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-310396 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to generate traffic information, it is necessary to obtain probe information that is valuable to the business generating the traffic information (probe business operator) as efficiently as possible. The inventors of the present invention focused on the following points of conventional systems. In other words, in conventional systems, probe business operators that collect probe information and distribute traffic information between vehicles owned by individuals only provide services based on the probe information collected from their own members, who are individuals with whom they have contracts. Therefore, the inventors focused on the problems that the amount of probe information that can be obtained is limited and that bias occurs in the driving area.

[0006] In addition, although Patent Document 2 is configured to collect probe information from company vehicles, the companies referred to here, such as taxi companies and bus companies, have only a few hundred vehicles. Furthermore, company vehicles run for the purpose of performing specific tasks, so they run on special roads and routes that general vehicles do not normally run on, and they stop for long periods of time in places where general vehicles do not normally stop. For this reason, the inventors have realized that there is a limit to the use of the probe information obtained from company vehicles described in Patent Document 2.

[0007] In these prior art documents, a closed service is provided by a single probe operator within its own probe information center, which is a similar framework to conventional systems.

[0008] The present invention has been made based on the inventors' new perspective, and aims to provide an information generation system, an information generation device, an information generation method, and an information generation program that efficiently collect probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a probe information collecting device, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program that can efficiently provide the probe information required for generating traffic information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] (1) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an information generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information group acquisition unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's position and the time it passes the position, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business, an information generation unit that generates provision information to be provided to an external party based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information provision unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generation unit to an external party.

[0011] (9) A probe information collection device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information collection unit that collects probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including the position of the vehicle and information on the time the vehicle passes through the position; a probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group; and an information acquiring unit that acquires the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group.

[0012] (10) An information generating device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information group acquiring unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's position and the time it passes the position, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the business, an information generating unit that generates provision information to be provided to an external party based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquiring unit, and an information providing unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generating unit to an external party.

[0013] (11) An information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of acquiring, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's location and the time it passes the location, a group of probe information that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the business, generating information to be provided to the outside based on the acquired group of probe information, and providing the generated information to the outside.

[0014] (12) A probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of collecting probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position; providing a set of the collected probe information, which is a probe information group, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group; and obtaining the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group.

[0015] (13) An information generation program according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to function as a probe information group acquisition unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's location and the time it passes the location, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business, an information generation unit that generates provision information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information provision unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

[0016] (14) A probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to function as a probe information collection unit that collects probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including the position of the vehicle and information on the time the vehicle passes through the position; a probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group; and an information acquiring unit that acquires the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently obtain or provide probe information required for generating traffic information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a traffic information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a probe information collection device; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a format of probe information collected from a probe terminal of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information generating device. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by a probe information collection device. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the information generating device. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining map matching. [Figure 8] 11 is a scatter diagram of travel time information as traffic information generated by an information generating device and travel time information as traffic information generated by an external device. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the position accuracy of probe information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] (Findings on which the present invention is based) The present inventors have further discovered the following regarding the conventional system described in the "Background Art" section.

[0020] If the probe information of multiple operators is integrated to create traffic information and then provided to each operator, the traffic information can be expected to improve due to a significant increase in the number of probe information and the area covered, and the operators can also benefit greatly. When operators provide probe information or receive traffic information, they may receive compensation. Compensation is not limited to cash, but may also be electronic money or a points system.

[0021] On the other hand, the hardware such as sensors and the software for collecting and transmitting probe information vary widely depending on the operator, so it is expected that the quality of the probe information will vary.The same thing can happen even within the same operator due to differences in the generations of hardware and software.

[0022] If all operators are treated equally under these circumstances, reputable operators who provide high-quality probe information may feel a sense of unfairness and become reluctant to provide probe information.

[0023] Conversely, if incentives of some kind are given to good operators, they will be more eager to provide information, and there is a possibility that they will try to improve the quality of probe information and increase the amount of information in order to receive further incentives. In addition, if the operators are car manufacturers or major service providers that develop in-vehicle navigation systems or smartphone application software, it is expected that they will proactively improve their hardware and software, accelerating technological progress.

[0024] If this happens, the quality of probe information will improve further, which will ultimately improve the quality of traffic information, making a major contribution to society by improving traffic congestion.

[0025] The present invention has been made based on these findings.

[0026] First, the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

[0027] (1) An information generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information group acquisition unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's position and the time it passes the position, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the business, an information generation unit that generates provision information to be provided to an external party based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information provision unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generation unit to an external party.

[0028] According to this configuration, probe information groups are acquired from multiple businesses, and information to be provided is generated from the acquired probe information groups. This provided information is traffic information such as travel time information and congestion section information, or information useful to the business (for example, discount information for products and services). Since probe information groups are acquired from multiple businesses, it is possible to acquire probe information for areas that cannot be covered by a single business alone. In addition, it is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from probe information groups of differing quality between businesses. This makes it possible to efficiently acquire the probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

[0029] (2) The information generating system may further include a value assessment unit that assesses, for each business operator, a value of the set of probe information provided by that business operator.

[0030] According to this configuration, the value of the probe information group is evaluated for each business operator. Therefore, the content of the generated information to be provided and the compensation paid to the business operator can be changed according to the value of the probe information group. This provides an incentive for business operators to provide probe information with higher value, and as a result, it becomes possible to efficiently obtain probe information required for generating traffic information from business operators.

[0031] (3) The information generation unit may generate the information to be provided based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit.

[0032] According to this configuration, it is possible to generate information to be provided by taking into account the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of the probe information with high location accuracy and high value is increased over the weight of the probe information with low location accuracy and low value, and travel time information is generated using the probe information acquired from multiple businesses. As a result, it becomes possible to generate traffic information such as highly accurate travel time information.

[0033] (4) The information providing unit may provide the provided information to the plurality of businesses.

[0034] According to this configuration, each business operator can receive the provided information in return for providing a group of probe information, which provides an incentive for the business operators to provide probe information, and as a result, the business operators can efficiently obtain the probe information necessary for generating traffic information from the business operators.

[0035] (5) The information providing unit may provide different pieces of information for each business operator based on the value of the set of probe information evaluated by the value evaluation unit.

[0036] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide more valuable information to a business that has provided a set of probe information with high value, which provides the business with an incentive to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, it becomes possible to efficiently obtain probe information required for generating traffic information from the business.

[0037] (6) The information providing unit may also provide the provided information to users other than the plurality of businesses.

[0038] According to this configuration, the provided information can be provided for use by entities other than the business entity providing the probe information.

[0039] (7) Furthermore, the above-mentioned information generation system may further include a compensation information acquisition unit that acquires compensation information indicating a compensation to be paid by the business operator or a user other than the business operator for the provision of the provided information, and the information generation unit may generate the provided information by changing the content of the provided information for each business operator or user in accordance with the compensation indicated by the compensation information acquired by the compensation information acquisition unit.

[0040] According to this configuration, businesses or users who pay a higher price can receive higher quality provided information.

[0041] (8) The value assessment unit is also configured to assess the following: (1) a total distance traveled by the plurality of vehicles indicated by the group of probe information; (2) a total number of pieces of probe information included in the group of probe information; (3) an area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the group of probe information; (4) real-timeness of the group of probe information; (5) a position interval of a movement trajectory indicated by the group of probe information; (6) a proportion of the group of probe information that has been map-matched; (7) a proportion of the group of probe information that has been obtained by a dedicated terminal; (8) a type of information included in the probe information included in the group of probe information; and (9) a walking distance of the group of probe information. The value of the probe information group may be evaluated based on at least one of the following: (1) the proportion of probe information detected about pedestrians; (10) the presence or absence of probe information including location information of a specified road location; (11) the presence or absence of probe information obtained from vehicles moving through a congested section; (12) the accuracy of the traffic information as the provided information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group; (13) the distance between the start point and end point of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group; (14) the position accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group; (15) the type of road related to the vehicle location indicated by the probe information group; and (16) the proportion of probe information of stopped vehicles in the probe information group.

[0042] According to this configuration, the more useful a probe information group is for generating traffic information, the more valuable it can be evaluated. Therefore, businesses that collect probe information groups can be appropriately evaluated, and high-quality information can be provided to businesses that provide probe information groups with high value. This provides an incentive for businesses to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, it becomes possible to efficiently obtain probe information necessary for generating traffic information from businesses.

[0043] (9) A probe information collection device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information collection unit that collects probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including the position of the vehicle and information on the time the vehicle passes through the position, a probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group, and an information acquiring unit that acquires the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group.

[0044] According to this configuration, the higher the value of the probe information group provided to the information generating device, the higher the quality of the provided information that can be obtained. Therefore, the business operator that operates the probe information collecting device has an incentive to provide more valuable probe information. As a result, the probe information collecting device efficiently provides the information generating device with the probe information required for generating traffic information.

[0045] (10) An information generating device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information group acquiring unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's position and the time it passes the position, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the business, an information generating unit that generates provision information to be provided to an external party based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquiring unit, and an information providing unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generating unit to an external party.

[0046] This configuration is similar to the configuration of the information generating system shown in (1), and the operations and effects are also similar, so detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0047] (11) An information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of acquiring, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's location and the time it passes the location, a group of probe information that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the business, generating information to be provided to the outside based on the acquired group of probe information, and providing the generated information to the outside.

[0048] This configuration includes steps corresponding to each processing unit of the information generating system shown in (1), and the operation and effects thereof are similar to those shown in (1), so detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0049] (12) A probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of collecting probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position; providing a set of the collected probe information, which is a probe information group, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group; and obtaining the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group.

[0050] This configuration includes steps corresponding to each processing unit of the probe information collection device shown in (9), and its actions and effects are similar to those shown in (9), so detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0051] (13) An information generation program according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to function as a probe information group acquisition unit that acquires, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the vehicle's location and the time it passes the location, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business, an information generation unit that generates provision information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information provision unit that provides the provision information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

[0052] This configuration is similar to the configuration of the information generating system shown in (1), and the operations and effects are also similar, so detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0053] (14) A probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to function as a probe information collection unit that collects probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, the probe information including the position of the vehicle and information on the time the vehicle passes through the position; a probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating device that generates provided information using the probe information group; and an information acquiring unit that acquires the provided information from the information generating device according to a value of the probe information group.

[0054] This configuration is similar to the configuration of the probe information collection device shown in (9) and has similar functions and effects, so detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0055] [Details of the embodiment of the present invention] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, components, the arrangement and connection forms of the components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention is specified by the claims. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, those components that are not described in the independent claims showing the highest concept of the present invention are not necessarily required to achieve the object of the present invention, but are described as constituting a more preferred form. At least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[0056] (Embodiment) [1. Overall configuration of the traffic information system] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a traffic information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The traffic information providing system 100 collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle 5 and the time when the vehicle passes the position from a probe terminal arranged in each of the vehicles 5A to 5C traveling on a road. The traffic information providing system 100 generates traffic information such as travel time information and congested section information based on the probe information collected from the probe terminal of each vehicle 5, and provides the generated traffic information to the car navigation system of each vehicle 5. Each vehicle 5 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver or the like, and collects the position information of the vehicle 5.

[0057] The traffic information providing system 100 includes probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C, an information generating device 2, a user device 3, and a probe using device 4.

[0058] Probe information collection device 1A is a device managed by operator A, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of vehicle 5A contracted by operator A. Probe information collection device 1B is a device managed by operator B, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of vehicle 5B contracted by operator B. Probe information collection device 1C is a device managed by operator C, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of vehicle 5C contracted by operator C. An operator may be a manufacturer that manufactures vehicle 5, or a manufacturer that manufactures a car navigation system installed in vehicle 5. However, an operator is not limited to these, as long as it is a company that collects probe information.

[0059] In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, they will be referred to as the probe information collection device 1, and when there is no need to distinguish between the vehicles 5A to 5C, they will be referred to as the vehicle 5.

[0060] The information generating device 2 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collecting devices 1A-1C, and generates provided information including traffic information based on the acquired probe information group. The information generating device 2 provides the generated provided information to the probe information collecting devices 1A-1C. The information generating device 2 may also provide compensation information having monetary value to the probe information collecting devices 1A-1C as compensation for the provision of the probe information group. Furthermore, the information generating device 2 may acquire compensation information having monetary value from the probe information collecting devices 1A-1C, and provide the generated provided information to the probe information collecting devices 1A-1C as compensation for the acquired compensation information.

[0061] The user device 3 is, for example, a device used by a general driver, and does not provide probe information to the information generating device 2, but receives provided information from the information generating device 2. The user device 3 is, for example, a car navigation system installed in a vehicle, or a smartphone used by the driver of the vehicle. When receiving the provided information, the user device 3 transmits compensation information having a monetary value to the information generating device 2.

[0062] The probe use device 4 is a device that generates traffic information by reusing the probe information group collected by the information generating device 2 from the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C. For example, the probe use device 4 is operated by a business operator different from the business operator that operates the information generating device 2, and generates traffic information from a different perspective than the information generating device 2. In receiving the probe information group from the information generating device 2, the probe use device 4 transmits compensation information having a monetary value to the information generating device 2.

[0063] 1 may be connected to each other via a communication network such as the Internet or a dedicated communication network. Furthermore, the probe terminals of the vehicles 5A to 5C and the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C may be connected to each other via a wireless communication network such as a mobile phone network or a dedicated wireless communication network.

[0064] [2. Configuration of probe information collection device 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the probe information collection device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0065] The probe information collection device 1 includes a communication I / F unit 11, a probe information collection unit 12, a probe information storage unit 13, a probe information group providing unit 14, a compensation information providing unit 15, an information acquisition unit 16, a provided information storage unit 17, a compensation information storage unit 18, and an information providing unit 19.

[0066] The communication I / F unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 and the information generating device 2 in a wired or wireless manner, and is configured by a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter or the like.

[0067] The probe information collecting unit 12 collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The probe information collecting unit 12 writes the collected probe information to the probe information storage unit 13, thereby storing the collected probe information in the probe information storage unit 13.

[0068] The probe information accumulation unit 13 is a storage device that stores the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit 12, and is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

[0069] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the probe information collected from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The probe terminal of the vehicle 5 acquires the probe information at a predetermined time interval (e.g., every 30 seconds) or a predetermined distance interval (e.g., every 100 m). The probe information includes vehicle ID information, location information, time information, direction information, fuel efficiency information, terminal type information, vehicle model information, and a map matching flag.

[0070] The vehicle ID information is information for identifying the vehicle 5 or the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The position information is information indicating the traveling position of the vehicle 5 by latitude and longitude. The time information is information indicating the time when the position information was acquired. The direction information is information indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 5. The fuel efficiency information is information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 5. The terminal information is information for identifying the type of the terminal that acquires the probe information. In other words, the terminal information indicates whether the probe terminal arranged in the vehicle 5 is a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 5 or a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone used by the driver of the vehicle 5. The vehicle type information is information indicating the vehicle type classification of the vehicle 5. For example, the vehicle type information indicates whether the vehicle 5 is a light vehicle, a normal vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, or a large vehicle. The map matching flag indicates whether the position information is map-matched position information or not.

[0071] 2 again, the probe information group providing unit 14 transmits a probe information group, which is a set of probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit 12 and stored in the probe information storage unit 13, to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. Here, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 13 during a predetermined time. Furthermore, after a predetermined number of pieces of probe information are stored in the probe information storage unit 13, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit a probe information group that summarizes the predetermined number of pieces of probe information.

[0072] The compensation information providing unit 15 transmits compensation information having a monetary value to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. By transmitting the compensation information, it is possible to pay a compensation for obtaining higher quality provided information to the business operator operating the information generating device 2.

[0073] The information acquiring unit 16 acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group provided by the probe information group providing unit 14 from the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. In other words, the higher the value of the provided probe information group, the higher the quality of the provided information the information acquiring unit 16 can acquire. In addition, when the consideration information providing unit 15 transmits consideration information to the information generating device 2, the higher the monetary value indicated by the consideration information, the higher the quality of the provided information the information acquiring unit 16 can acquire. The information acquiring unit 16 stores the acquired provided information in the provided information storage unit 17.

[0074] Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 16 may acquire compensation information having a monetary value from the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 as compensation for the provision of the probe information group. The information acquiring unit 16 accumulates the acquired compensation information in the compensation information accumulation unit 18. The information acquiring unit 16 acquires compensation information when, in addition to acquiring compensation information instead of the provided information as compensation for the provision of the probe information group, the information acquiring unit 16 acquires the provided information as compensation for the provision of the probe information group, but the value of the probe information group is higher than the value of the provided information. In the latter case, the information acquiring unit 16 acquires compensation information from the information generating device 2 in which the difference between the value of the probe information group and the value of the provided information is converted into a monetary value.

[0075] The provided information storage unit 17 and the consideration information storage unit 18 are storage devices that respectively store the provided information and the consideration information acquired by the information acquisition unit 16, and are configured with an HDD or the like.

[0076] The information providing unit 19 provides the provided information to the vehicle 5 by transmitting the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. For example, if the provided information is traffic information, the probe terminal displays the traffic information on the screen of the probe terminal to assist the driver of the vehicle 5 in driving. Also, if the provided information is video content information, the probe terminal displays the video content information on the screen of the probe terminal to provide entertainment during the driver or passengers of the vehicle 5 during their breaks.

[0077] In addition, the information providing unit 19 provides the compensation information by transmitting the compensation information stored in the compensation information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The amount of compensation indicated by the compensation information is determined individually by the business operator operating the probe information collection device 1.

[0078] The destination of the provided information and the compensation information is not limited to the probe terminal, but may be a car navigation system, a smartphone, or the like.

[0079] [3. Configuration of information generating device 2] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information generating device 2. As shown in FIG.

[0080] The information generating device 2 includes a communication I / F unit 21 , a probe information group acquiring unit 22 , a probe information storage unit 23 , a value assessment unit 24 , a consideration information acquiring unit 25 , an information generating unit 26 , and an information providing unit 27 .

[0081] The communication I / F unit 21 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, the user device 3, and the probe use device 4 in a wired or wireless manner, and is configured by a LAN adapter or the like.

[0082] The probe information group acquiring unit 22 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C via the communication I / F unit 21. The probe information group acquiring unit 22 divides the acquired probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 and accumulates it in the probe information accumulation unit 23.

[0083] The probe information storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores the above-mentioned probe information group, and is configured with a HDD or the like.

[0084] The value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 for each probe information collection device 1. The value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group from the viewpoint of the quantity and quality of the probe information group. The method of assessing the value will be described later.

[0085] The consideration information acquisition unit 25 acquires consideration information from the probe information collection devices 1A-1C, the user device 3, and the probe use device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21. This consideration information is information indicating the consideration paid in exchange for the provision information provided by the information generating device 2. For example, the consideration indicated by the consideration information has five levels from 1 to 5, with the higher the value, the greater the amount of consideration. Moreover, consideration information with the considerations of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 has values ​​of 100,000 yen, 200,000 yen, 300,000 yen, 400,000 yen, and 500,000 yen, respectively.

[0086] The information generating unit 26 generates traffic information as information to be provided to the outside, based on the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, the information generating unit 26 generates travel time information indicating a travel time in a predetermined road section from the movement trajectory of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information group including time information for a predetermined time period, and generates congested section information indicating a congested section in the road section.

[0087] The information generating unit 26 may generate traffic information by taking into account the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, assume that the value of the probe information group acquired from the probe information collecting device 1A is 5 (for example, the higher the value on a 5-point scale, the higher the value), the value of the probe information group acquired from the probe information collecting device 1B is 3, and the value of the probe information group acquired from the probe information collecting device 1C is 1. In this case, the information generating unit 26 may generate traffic information using probe information selected as follows, instead of generating traffic information using all the probe information accumulated in the probe information storage unit 23. That is, the information generating unit 26 selects probe information from the probe information accumulated in the probe information storage unit 23 such that the ratio of the probe information acquired from the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C is 5:3:1. The information generating unit 26 generates traffic information using the selected probe information. In this way, by generating traffic information by preferentially using a probe information group with a high value, it is possible to generate highly accurate traffic information.

[0088] The information generating unit 26 may generate video content information as information to be provided by acquiring video content information stored in advance or acquiring video content information from an external server.

[0089] The information generating unit 26 changes the quality of the information provided to the probe information collecting device 1 according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluating unit 24. That is, high-quality information is provided to the probe information collecting device 1 that has provided a probe information group with a high value. The higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the time resolution of the travel time information provided may be. For example, the time resolution of the travel time information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set to 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes, respectively. Also, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the position resolution of the congestion section information provided may be. For example, the position resolution of the congestion section information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set to 1 meter, 5 meters, and 10 meters, respectively. Also, when video content information is provided as the provided information, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the screen resolution of the video content information provided may be. For example, the screen resolutions of the video content information provided to the probe information collection device 1A, the probe information collection device 1B, and the probe information collection device 1C may be 1024×768 pixels, 640×480 pixels, and 320×240 pixels, respectively.

[0090] The information generating unit 26 may generate, as the provided information, information that is beneficial to the business operator of the probe information collection device 1 or the driver of the vehicle 5, such as discount information on products or services. In this case, the information generating unit 26 may generate discount information with a larger discount rate for the probe information collection device 1 that has provided a probe information group with higher value.

[0091] When the information generating unit 26 acquires the consideration information from the probe information collecting device 1, the provision information to be provided to the probe information collecting device 1 is generated based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluating unit 24 and the consideration indicated by the consideration information. In other words, the information generating unit 26 provides higher quality provision information to the probe information collecting device 1 having a larger total value of the value of the probe information group and the consideration indicated by the consideration information.

[0092] The information generating device 2 does not obtain a probe information group from the user device 3, but obtains only the consideration information. Therefore, the information generating unit 26 generates, as the provision information to be provided to the user device 3, information of higher quality as the consideration indicated by the consideration information obtained from the user device 3 is higher.

[0093] The information generating device 2 does not obtain a probe information group from the probe use device 4, but obtains only the consideration information. Furthermore, the information that the information generating device 2 provides to the probe use device 4 is a probe information group. For this reason, the higher the consideration indicated by the consideration information obtained from the probe use device 4, the higher quality probe group information the information generating unit 26 generates as the probe information group to be provided to the probe use device 4. For example, the information generating unit 26 selects probe information from the probe information storage unit 23 so that the higher the consideration, the more probe information evaluated as having high value by the value evaluation unit 24 is included. In this way, the information generating unit 26 generates a probe information group according to the consideration.

[0094] The information generating unit 26 may generate compensation information according to the value of the probe information group instead of generating the provided information. That is, the information generating unit 26 may generate high-value compensation information for the probe information collecting device 1 that has provided a probe information group with high value.

[0095] In addition to generating the provided information, the information generating unit 26 may generate compensation information. In other words, when the value of the received probe information group is higher than the value of the generated provided information, the information generating unit 26 generates compensation information to pay the difference in value as compensation.

[0096] The information providing unit 27 provides the provided information or the compensation information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting it to the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21. Also, the information providing unit 27 provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting it to the user device 3 via the communication I / F unit 21. Furthermore, the information providing unit 27 provides the probe information group generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting it to the probe use device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21.

[0097] [4. Processing flow of probe information collection device 1] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the probe information collection device 1.

[0098] The probe information collection unit 12 collects probe information from the probe terminals installed in the vehicles 5 (S1). An example of the format of the collected probe information is as shown in FIG.

[0099] The probe information collecting unit 12 writes and accumulates the collected probe information in the probe information accumulating unit 13 (S2).

[0100] The probe information group providing unit 14 provides a probe information group, which is a set of probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 13, by transmitting it to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S3). For example, the probe information group providing unit 14 collects the probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 13 every three minutes and provides it to the information generating device 2 as a probe information group. The probe information group providing unit 14 may delete the provided probe information group from the probe information storage unit 13.

[0101] The compensation information providing unit 15 judges whether there is compensation information to be provided to the information generating device 2 (S4). For example, if a contract is made between the operator of the probe information collection device 1 and the operator of the information generating device 2 for payment of 100,000 yen per month, it is judged that there is compensation information to be provided when the payment date arrives.

[0102] If there is compensation information to provide (YES in S4), the compensation information providing unit 15 provides the compensation information by transmitting compensation information indicating a predetermined amount of compensation to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S5).

[0103] After the compensation information provision process (S5), or if there is no compensation information to provide (NO in S4), the information acquisition unit 16 acquires provision information corresponding to the value of the probe information group provided by the probe information group providing unit 14 from the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S6). The information acquiring unit 16 stores the acquired provided information in the provided information storage unit 17 (S7).

[0104] The information providing unit 19 transmits the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11, thereby providing the provided information (S8).

[0105] The information acquiring unit 16 judges whether or not compensation information having a monetary value has been provided from the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 as compensation for the provision of the probe information group (S9).

[0106] If the consideration information has been provided (YES in S9), the information acquisition unit 16 receives the consideration information from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11, thereby acquiring the consideration information (S10).

[0107] Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 16 stores the acquired payment information in the payment information storing unit 18 (S11).

[0108] Furthermore, the information providing unit 19 provides the consideration information by transmitting the consideration information stored in the consideration information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S12).

[0109] [5. Processing flow of information generating device 2] 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the information generating device 2. FIG 6 shows processing executed by the information generating device 2 between the information generating device 2 and the probe information collecting device 1.

[0110] The probe information group acquiring unit 22 acquires the probe information group from the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S21).

[0111] The probe information group acquiring unit 22 separates the acquired probe information groups for each probe information collection device 1 and accumulates them in the probe information accumulating unit 23 (S22). That is, the identifier of the probe information collection device 1 is added to the probe information group and accumulated.

[0112] The value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 (S23). The method of assessing the value will be described later.

[0113] The consideration information acquiring unit 25 judges whether consideration information has been provided from the probe information collection device 1 (S24).

[0114] If compensation information has been provided (YES in S24), the compensation information acquisition unit 25 acquires the compensation information by receiving the compensation information from the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S25).

[0115] After the consideration information acquisition process (S25), or if consideration information has not been provided (NO in S24), the information generation unit 26 generates provision information to be provided to the probe information collection device 1 (S26). The provision information is generated according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 and the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired by the consideration information acquisition unit 25.

[0116] The information providing unit 27 provides the generated information to be provided by transmitting it to the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S27).

[0117] The information generating unit 26 judges whether or not a fee is required to be paid to the probe information collecting device 1 (S28). That is, if the value of the probe information group provided is higher than the value of the generated provided information, the information generating unit 26 judges that a fee is required to be paid. For example, if the value of the probe information group is 5 and the value of the generated provided information is 3, the information generating unit 26 judges that a fee of 2, which is the difference value (for example, 200,000 yen), is required to be paid. That is, if the difference value is greater than 0, it may be judged that a fee is required to be paid. Note that, if the fee information acquiring unit 25 has acquired the fee information from the probe information collecting device 1, the information generating unit 26 may judge whether or not a fee is required to be paid based on the fee and the value of the probe information group indicated in the acquired fee information and the difference value between the value of the generated provided information.

[0118] If it is determined that payment of the consideration is necessary (YES in S28), the information generating unit 26 generates consideration information for paying the difference in value as the consideration (S29).

[0119] The information providing unit 27 provides the generated compensation information by transmitting it to the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S30).

[0120] [6. Specific examples of value evaluation processing of probe information groups] Next, a specific example of the value assessment process of the probe information group (S23 in FIG. 6) executed by the value assessment unit 24 of the information generating device 2 will be described. The value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group from the quantitative or qualitative aspect of the probe information. Specifically, the value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group for each probe information collecting device 1 based on at least one of the following (1) to (16).

[0121] (1) The total distance traveled by multiple vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates the movement trajectories of a plurality of vehicles 5. For this reason, the value assessment unit 24 assesses the value of the probe information group as being higher the greater the total travel distance of the plurality of vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group. The total travel distance is calculated, for example, as the sum of the distances between the start and end points of the movement trajectories indicated by the probe information group. The value assessment unit 24 may determine the value of the probe information group from the total travel distance by referring to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group, such that the greater the distance, the higher the value.

[0122] (2) The total number of probe information included in the probe information group The value assessment unit 24 assesses the probe information group as being more valuable as the total number of pieces of probe information included therein is greater. However, even if the probe information group is sampled while the vehicle 5 travels the same distance, the number of pieces of probe information increases as the sampling interval decreases. For this reason, the value assessment unit 24 may weight the total number of pieces of probe information with a weighting that decreases as the sampling interval decreases, and assess the value of the probe information group based on the weighted total number of pieces of probe information. The value assessment unit 24 may determine the value of the probe information group from the total number of weighted pieces of probe information by referring to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the number of pieces of probe information and the value of the probe information group, such that the greater the number of pieces of probe information, the higher the value.

[0123] (3) The area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group Probe information obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a wide area can be useful in generating traffic information for more roads than probe information obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a narrow area. For this reason, the value assessment unit 24 may assess the value of the probe information group higher the larger the area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group. The value assessment unit 24 may find the value of the probe information group from the area of ​​the covered area by referring to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the area of ​​the area and the value of the probe information group, such that the larger the area, the higher the value.

[0124] (4) Real-time probe information Probe information whose position information is acquired recently can be used to generate travel time information and congestion section information to be provided to the driver as real-time information. On the other hand, probe information whose time is old cannot be provided as real-time information, and can only be used as statistical information of travel time information and congestion section information. Therefore, the more recent the time of acquisition of the position information, the higher the value of the probe information. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 may calculate the average of the differences between the time indicated by the time information of the probe information included in the probe information group and the current time, and evaluate the value of the probe information group higher as the average difference is smaller. The value evaluation unit 24 may obtain the value of the probe information group from the average of the above-mentioned differences by referring to a data table that predefines a relationship between the difference from the current time and the value of the probe information group, such that the smaller the difference, the higher the value.

[0125] (5) Position intervals of the movement trajectories indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates the movement trajectory of each vehicle 5, and the narrower the position interval of the movement trajectory (the interval between positions indicated by the position information of the probe information), the more detailed the movement trajectory of the vehicle 5 is indicated. In other words, the narrower the position interval of the movement trajectory, the more accurately the position of acceleration / deceleration, sudden braking, or sudden steering of the vehicle 5 can be detected. Therefore, the narrower the position interval of the movement trajectory, the higher the value of the probe information group. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 may refer to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the position interval of the movement trajectory and the value of the probe information group, such that the narrower the position interval, the higher the value, and calculate the value of the probe information group from the average of the position intervals indicated by the probe information group.

[0126] (6) The proportion of map-matched probe information in the probe information group FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining map matching. FIG. 7(a) shows a position (hereinafter, referred to as a probe position) indicated by the position information of the probe information before map matching, and FIG. 7(b) shows the probe position after map matching. Before map matching, the probe position 31 is away from the road 32 as shown in FIG. 7(a), but after map matching, the probe position 31 is on the road 32 as shown in FIG. 7(b). Although map matching processing is necessary to generate accurate traffic information, if map matching processing is performed in advance, the information generating device 2 does not need to perform map matching processing. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of processing performed by the information generating device 2. Therefore, it can be determined that the probe information to which map matching processing has been performed is highly valuable.

[0127] Whether or not map matching has been performed may be determined based on a map matching flag provided in the probe information shown in Fig. 3. For example, the probe information collection device 1 may set a map matching flag for the probe information for which map matching has been performed (the map matching flag may be set to 1). However, if it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided by the probe information collection device 1 has been map matched or has not been map matched due to a prior contract with a business operator, there is no need to provide a map matching flag in the probe information.

[0128] The information generating device 2 may refer to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the proportion of map-matched probe information and the value of the probe information group, and calculates the value of the probe information group from the proportion of map-matched probe information in the probe information group acquired from the probe information collecting device 1. The relationship defined by the data table is such that the larger the proportion, the higher the value.

[0129] (7) The proportion of probe information acquired by dedicated terminals among all probe information groups The probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system always indicates the movement trajectory of the vehicle 5. However, the probe information acquired by a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone may indicate the movement trajectory of the vehicle 5 or the movement trajectory of a pedestrian. For this reason, the probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal is more reliable and has a higher value for the information generating device 2. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal in the probe information group from the terminal type information of the probe information shown in FIG. 3. The value evaluation unit 24 may obtain the value of the probe information group from the calculated proportion of the probe information by referring to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the proportion of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal and the value of the probe information group, such that the value increases as the proportion increases. Examples of the terminal type information include an in-vehicle navigation system, a GPS logger, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet. Among these, the in-vehicle navigation system is a dedicated terminal, and the GPS logger, the mobile phone, the smartphone, and the tablet are general-purpose terminals. Furthermore, if it is known in advance, for example through a prior contract with the operator, that all of the probe information provided by the probe information collection device 1 is probe information obtained by a dedicated terminal, there is no need to include terminal type information in the probe information.

[0130] (8) Types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group As shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the probe information includes various information. The more types of information included in the probe information, the more traffic information can be generated and the more accurate the traffic information can be. For this reason, the value assessment unit 24 calculates the average number of types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group. The value assessment unit 24 may refer to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the number of types of information and the value of the probe information group, such that the greater the number of types of information, the higher the value, and obtain the value of the probe information group from the average of the calculated number of types. Note that the more valuable the information, the greater the weight is assigned, and the number of types of information may be calculated by adding up the weights.

[0131] (9) The proportion of probe information detected about pedestrians among the probe information group The probe information acquired by the general-purpose terminal may be the probe information detected about a pedestrian, and the probe information about a pedestrian is noise for generating traffic information. Therefore, it can be said that the value of the probe information group is higher as the ratio of the probe information detected about a pedestrian to the total of the probe information group is smaller. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average moving speed of the moving body for each moving trajectory from the moving trajectory indicated by the probe information group, and determines that the probe information constituting the moving trajectory whose average moving speed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is the probe information detected about a pedestrian. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the ratio of the probe information detected about a pedestrian and the value of the probe information group, in which the smaller the ratio, the higher the value, and obtains the value of the probe information group from the ratio of the probe information detected about a pedestrian to the total of the probe information group. Note that, if it is known in advance that all the probe information provided by the probe information collecting device 1 is the probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with the business operator, it is not necessary to provide the terminal type information to the probe information. In that case, the number of probe information detected about a pedestrian is 0.

[0132] (10) Presence or absence of probe information including location information for a given road location Some roads are difficult to collect probe information from. This may occur when the vehicles 5 contracted by the probe information collection device 1 are unevenly distributed in a specific area and cannot cover all areas, as well as when the road has a low traffic volume. However, even for roads where the probe information is difficult to collect, it is desirable to generate traffic information from the viewpoint of improving services. For this reason, it can be said that probe information including location information of a specific road, such as a road with a low traffic volume (hereinafter referred to as "probe information when traveling on a specific road") is highly valuable. For example, it is assumed that the value of a probe information group including probe information when traveling on a specific road and the value of a probe information group not including probe information when traveling on a specific road are previously determined. It is also assumed that information indicating these values ​​is stored in a data table. The value evaluation unit 24 determines whether the probe information group includes probe information when traveling on a specific road, and obtains the value of the probe information group by referring to the data table.

[0133] (11) Availability of probe information from vehicles moving through congested areas When the vehicle 5 is moving through a congested section, congested section information can be generated from the probe information of the vehicle 5. Such probe information is useful for generating traffic information and has high value. For example, a data table is prepared that predetermines the value of a probe information group including probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 moving through the congested section and the value of a probe information group not including the probe information. If a section in which the travel speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed threshold is included in the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group, the value evaluation unit 24 determines that the probe information group includes probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 moving through the congested section, and calculates the value of the probe information group from the above-mentioned data table.

[0134] (12) Accuracy of traffic information as information to be provided generated by the information generating unit 26 based on the probe information group

[0135] When the traffic information generated by the information generating unit 26 based on the probe information group is highly accurate, the value of the probe information group is high. In order to obtain such accuracy, for example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates a correlation coefficient between the traffic information generated by the information generating unit 26 based on the probe information group and the traffic information acquired from an external device that provides highly accurate traffic information, and obtains the calculated correlation coefficient as the accuracy. FIG. 8 is a scatter diagram of travel time information as traffic information generated by the information generating device 2 and travel time information as traffic information generated by the external device. The horizontal axis indicates the travel time generated by the information generating device 2, and the vertical axis indicates the travel time generated by the external device. If the correlation coefficient of the two travel times is close to 1, the two are similar, and it is determined that the accuracy of the probe information group is high and the value is high. In other words, the value evaluation unit 24 obtains the value of the probe information group from the calculated correlation coefficient by referring to a data table that predefines a relationship between the correlation coefficient and the value of the probe information group, such that the larger the correlation coefficient, the higher the value. The value assessment unit 24 acquires the traffic information generated by an external device via the communication I / F unit 21. In the flowchart of Fig. 6, the traffic information is generated after evaluating the value of the probe information group, but when performing the value assessment shown in (12), the traffic information may be generated prior to the evaluation of the probe information group.

[0136] The accuracy of traffic information may be obtained by comparing traffic information between businesses, and the value of the probe information group may be evaluated. For example, it is assumed that probe information is provided from the probe information collection devices 1 of five businesses, A, B, C, D, and E. In this case, the information generation unit 26 calculates travel time information for each business using the probe information provided by the probe information collection device 1 of the business. The value evaluation unit 24 compares the trends of travel time information between businesses. For example, the transition of travel time in the same road section is compared. As a result, if the travel time information of businesses A to D shows a similar trend, but only business E shows a different trend from the others, the value of the probe information group of business E may be lower than the value of the probe information groups of the other businesses A to E.

[0137] Some businesses may provide traffic information such as travel time information without providing probe information. In such a case, the value assessment unit 24 may compare the provided traffic information with traffic information generated by the information generation unit 24 for each business based on a group of probe information provided by other businesses. If the provided traffic information has a different tendency from the generated multiple traffic information, the assessment of the business providing only traffic information may be lowered, the quality of the provided information may be lowered, or the amount of compensation indicated in the compensation information to be provided may be lowered.

[0138] (13) Distance between the start and end points of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group Although the probe information group indicates multiple movement trajectories, if the probe information group contains only movement trajectories with short distances, it is difficult to accurately calculate the travel time, and the value of the probe information group is low. For this reason, the value assessment unit 24 calculates the average of the distances between the starting points and the ending points of the multiple movement trajectories indicated by the probe information group. The value assessment unit 24 refers to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group, such that the greater the distance, the higher the value, and determines the value of the probe information group from the average of the calculated distances.

[0139] (14) Position accuracy of probe information indicated by probe information group The higher the position accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group, the more accurate traffic information can be generated. Therefore, the more the probe information group includes probe information with a higher position accuracy, the higher the value. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the position accuracy of the probe information. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the probe position 31 of the probe information with a relatively high position accuracy and the road 32. FIG. 9(b) is a graph showing the occurrence probability of an error in the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9(a), where the horizontal axis shows the error and the vertical axis shows the occurrence probability of the error. The error is the distance of the dashed line shown in FIG. 9(a), which is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32. FIG. 9(c) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the probe position 31 of the probe information with a relatively low position accuracy and the road 32. FIG. 9(d) is a graph showing the occurrence probability of an error in the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9(c), where the horizontal axis shows the error and the vertical axis shows the occurrence probability of the error. The error is the distance of the dashed line shown in FIG. 9(c), which is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32.

[0140] The value assessment unit 24 calculates the average error of the probe information included in the probe information group. The value assessment unit 24 refers to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the error and the value of the probe information group, such that the smaller the error, the higher the value, and obtains the value of the probe information group from the calculated average error.

[0141] (15) The type of road related to the vehicle position indicated by the probe information group. The value of the probe information may be changed depending on whether the road on which the vehicle 5 is traveling is an expressway or a general road. For example, when the information generating device 2 provides traffic information mainly on general roads, the value of a probe information group containing a larger amount of probe information collected from the vehicle 5 traveling on general roads may be evaluated as being higher. The type of road on which the vehicle 5 is traveling may be determined by checking the position information included in the probe information against road information (not shown) indicating the position of each type of road. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of probe information collected while traveling on general roads in the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table that predetermines the relationship between the proportion of general roads and the value of the probe information group, such that the greater the proportion of general roads, the higher the value, and determines the value of the probe information group from the calculated proportion.

[0142] Conversely, when the information generating device 2 provides traffic information mainly about expressways, a probe information group containing a larger amount of probe information collected from vehicles 5 traveling on expressways may be evaluated as having a higher value. In this case, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of probe information collected while traveling on expressways in the probe information group, and determines the value of the probe information group from the calculated proportion by referring to a data table that predetermines the relationship in which the value increases as the proportion of expressways increases.

[0143] (16) The proportion of probe information from stopped vehicles among all probe information groups The vehicle 5 may stop for loading and unloading luggage, taking a break, waiting for transportation to and from educational institutions such as schools or in front of a station, waiting to enter a parking lot, etc. Even while the vehicle 5 is stopped, probe information is collected from the vehicle 5 during that time. However, the probe information collected from such stopped vehicles is not useful for generating traffic information such as travel time information and congestion section information. For this reason, it can be said that the value of the probe information group is higher as the proportion of probe information of stopped vehicles in the probe information group is smaller. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 detects, from the probe information group, probe information indicating that the position information has not changed for a predetermined time or more as the probe information of the stopped vehicle. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of the stop time indicated by the probe information of the stopped vehicle out of the total traveling time indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which a relationship between the proportion of the stop time and the value of the probe information group, in which the smaller the proportion, the higher the value, is predetermined, and calculates the value of the probe information group from the proportion of the stop time.

[0144] The value assessment unit 24 may calculate the ratio of the number of pieces of probe information of stopped vehicles to the total number of pieces of probe information included in the probe information group, and determine that the value of the probe information group is higher as the ratio is smaller.

[0145] Conversely, the value of the probe information group may be determined to be higher as the ratio of the stop time indicated by the probe information of stopped vehicles to the total driving time indicated by the probe information group, or the ratio of the number of probe information of stopped vehicles to the total number of probe information, increases. For example, the above ratio increases in areas where there are waiting times to enter a parking lot, and such a determination is effective in the case of a desire to proactively find such areas and use them for marketing of parking lots. In this way, the value evaluation index of the probe information group may be changed depending on the purpose of use of the probe information, etc. The value evaluation index may also be changed in the same way for the items shown in (1) to (15).

[0146] The value of the probe information group may be calculated by combining the above-described items (1) to (16). For example, the value may be calculated from the total vehicle mileage shown in (1), the value may be calculated from the total number of pieces of probe information shown in (2), and the sum of these values ​​may be used as the value of the probe information group.

[0147] [7. Effects of the embodiment] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information generating device 2 acquires probe information groups from the probe information collecting devices 1 of multiple businesses, and generates information to be provided from the acquired probe information groups. This provided information is traffic information such as travel time information and congestion section information, or information useful to businesses (for example, discount information on products and services). Since the information generating device 2 acquires probe information groups from the probe information collecting devices 1 of multiple businesses, it can acquire probe information for areas that cannot be covered by a single business. In addition, it is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from probe information groups of different quality between businesses. This makes it possible to efficiently acquire probe information required for generating traffic information.

[0148] In addition, the information generating device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each of the business's probe information collecting devices 1. Therefore, it is possible to change the content of the generated information to be provided or the compensation to be paid to the business depending on the value of the probe information group. This provides an incentive to the business to provide probe information with higher value, and as a result, it becomes possible to efficiently obtain probe information required for generating traffic information from the business.

[0149] The information generating device 2 can also generate information to be provided by taking into account the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of the probe information with high position accuracy and high value is increased over the weight of the probe information with low position accuracy and low value, and travel time information is generated using the probe information acquired from multiple businesses. As a result, it becomes possible to generate traffic information such as highly accurate travel time information.

[0150] Moreover, the information generating device 2 provides the generated provided information to the probe information collecting device 1. As a result, each business operator of the probe information collecting device 1 can receive the provided information in return for providing a group of probe information. This provides an incentive for the business operators to provide probe information, and as a result, the business operators can efficiently obtain the probe information required for generating traffic information.

[0151] Furthermore, the information generating device 2 can provide more valuable information to a business that has provided a group of probe information with high value. This provides an incentive to the business to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the business can efficiently obtain probe information required for generating traffic information from the business.

[0152] In addition, the information generating device 2 also provides the provided information to a user device 3 and the like other than the probe information collecting device 1. This allows the provided information to be used by a party other than the business providing the probe information.

[0153] Furthermore, the information generating device 2 can change the content of the information provided in accordance with the fee paid by the probe information collecting device 1 or the user device 3. As a result, a business operator or a user who pays a higher fee can receive higher quality information.

[0154] Furthermore, the value evaluation unit 24 of the information generating device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collecting device 1 based on at least one of the above (1) to (16). This allows the probe information group to be evaluated as being more valuable as it is more useful for generating traffic information. This allows businesses that collect probe information groups to be appropriately evaluated, and high-quality information to be provided to businesses that provide probe information groups with high value. This provides an incentive for businesses to provide probe information with higher value, and as a result, it becomes possible to efficiently obtain probe information required for generating traffic information from businesses.

[0155] Furthermore, the higher the value of the probe information group provided to the information generating device 2, the higher the quality of the provided information the probe information collecting device 1 can obtain. This provides an incentive to businesses that operate the probe information collecting device 1 to provide more valuable probe information. As a result, the probe information collecting device 1 efficiently provides the information generating device 2 with the probe information required to generate traffic information.

[0156] [8. Notes] Although the traffic information providing system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0157] For example, although the probe information collection device 1 and the information generating device 2 have been described as being composed of one device each, each device may be composed of multiple devices, and the probe information collection device 1 and the information generating device 2 may be configured as a probe information collection system or an information generating system, respectively. The devices constituting each system may be interconnected via a wide area network such as the Internet and may be distributed in arrangement.

[0158] Furthermore, in the value judgment items shown in (7) or (9) above for the value evaluation process of the probe information group (S23 in FIG. 6), if it is known in advance that all of the probe information is probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with the business operator, etc., it is not necessary to provide terminal type information in the probe information. Even if it is known in advance that a GPS receiver, base station information, vehicle speed sensor, direction sensor, acceleration sensor, or angular velocity sensor is used, for example, even if there is no contract, it is determined that all of the probe information is probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal. For this reason, in such cases, it is not necessary to provide terminal type information in the probe information.

[0159] Furthermore, each of the above devices may be specifically configured as a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk drive, a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM or the hard disk drive. Each device achieves its function by the microprocessor operating according to the computer program. Here, the computer program is configured by combining a plurality of instruction codes that indicate commands for the computer to achieve a predetermined function.

[0160] Furthermore, some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). The system LSI is a super multi-function LSI manufactured by integrating multiple components on one chip, and specifically, is a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM. The system LSI achieves its functions by the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program.

[0161] The present invention may also be the methods described above. The present invention may also be a computer program for implementing these methods by a computer, or a digital signal comprising the computer program.

[0162] Furthermore, the present invention may be the above computer program or the above digital signal recorded on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium, such as a hard disk drive, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), a semiconductor memory, etc. Also, the present invention may be the above digital signal recorded on such a non-transitory recording medium.

[0163] Furthermore, the present invention may be such that the computer program or the digital signal is transmitted via an electric communication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

[0164] In addition, the program or the digital signal may be implemented by another independent computer system by recording it on the non-temporary recording medium and transferring it, or by transferring the program or the digital signal via the network or the like.

[0165] Furthermore, each step included in the above program may be executed by multiple computers.

[0166] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 1. Probe information collection device 1A Probe information collection device 1B Probe information collection device 1C Probe information collection device 2 Information generation device 3 User device 4. Probe-based equipment 5. Vehicles 5A Vehicle 5B Vehicle 5C Vehicle 11 Communication I / F section 12 Probe Information Collection Department 13. Probe Information Storage Unit 14. Probe Information Group Provider 15. Compensation Information Department 16 Information acquisition department 17 Provided information storage department 18. Compensation Information Storage Unit 19 Information Provision Department 21 Communication I / F section 22 Probe information group acquisition unit 23 Probe Information Storage Unit 24 Valuation Department 25. Compensation Information Acquisition Department 26 Information generation section 27 Information Provision Department 31 Probe Position 32 Road 100 Traffic Information System

Claims

1. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a group of probe information from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information, An information generation unit generates traffic information for each operator based on the probe information group, An evaluation unit that compares the traffic information for each of the aforementioned operators among the aforementioned operators. An information generation system equipped with the following features.

2. The information generation system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit compares the traffic information for each operator with the operators and evaluates the probe information group.

3. The information generation system according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a probe information storage unit for storing the probe information acquired by the probe information acquisition unit.

4. The information generation system according to claim 3, wherein the probe information storage unit stores the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit separately for each business operator.

Images