Program and terminal device

Abstract

To provide a display device capable of acquiring information on congestion in real time when a moving body travels.SOLUTION: A display device includes a display that displays map information including current location information indicating the current location of a moving body in a congestion section where the moving body is traveling, and a plurality of selection buttons indicating the degrees of congestion in an input window different from that for the map information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for transmitting and receiving information. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in-vehicle devices that have a communication function and transmit and receive information to and from other terminals have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle display device that acquires posted information and location information indicating the posting destination of the posted information by a communication device, and generates map data in which the posted information is displayed at the location indicated by the location information. In addition, the in-vehicle display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is capable of displaying only posted information from a specified user. Other technologies related to the present invention are disclosed in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-247832 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3678639 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, when an in-vehicle device such as a navigation device uses a communication function to obtain traffic congestion information from a server device on a network, the traffic congestion information provided is often no longer real-time information as a result of statistical processing, etc., being performed by the server device. In addition, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to post information in real time, it is not possible to specify a party to request information from and to inquire about and obtain the desired information.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a terminal device capable of acquiring information regarding traffic congestion in real time while a mobile body is traveling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a program executed by a terminal device having a display unit and a computer, causing the computer to function as a first display means for displaying on a map an icon indicating the current position of a moving object, an icon indicating the positions of other moving objects, and congestion information indicating sections where congestion is occurring, a selection means for selecting one icon indicating the position of the other moving object displayed on the map as a specific other moving object, and a second display means for receiving information of the specific other moving object from a server and displaying the information of the specific other moving object on the display unit in correspondence with the icon of the specific other moving object on the map.

[0007] This allows users to select other moving objects about which they want to know information. Users can also select other vehicles about which they want to know information while referring to the traffic congestion information and the positions of other vehicles displayed on a map.

[0008] The invention described in claim 4 is a terminal device having a display unit and a computer, and is equipped with a first display means for displaying on a map an icon indicating the current position of a moving body, an icon indicating the positions of other moving bodies, and congestion information indicating sections where congestion is occurring, a selection means for selecting one icon indicating the position of the other moving body displayed on the map as a specific other moving body, and a second display means for receiving information of the specific other moving body from a server and displaying the information of the specific other moving body on the display unit in correspondence with the icon of the specific other moving body on the map. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic configuration of an information request system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic configuration of a navigation device. [Diagram 3] 2 shows a schematic configuration of a server device. [Figure 4] 11 shows a display screen after receiving vehicle position information of another vehicle. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a specific other vehicle is selected on the display screen. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 shows a display screen after specific other vehicle information has been received. [Figure 7] 11 shows a display screen after a request signal for specific other vehicle information is received. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an information request process according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the priority order of search ranges for vehicle position information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a terminal device that moves together with a moving body has a reference position designation means for designating a reference position for searching for other moving bodies other than the moving body, a display control means for causing a display means to display the positions of the other moving bodies searched for based on the reference position, an other moving body designation means for designating at least one of the other moving bodies displayed by the display means, and a request means for requesting information from a terminal that moves together with the designated other moving body.

[0011] The above terminal device is a terminal device that moves together with the moving body, and has a reference position designation means, a display control means, another moving body designation means, and a request means. The reference position designation means designates a reference position for searching for other moving bodies based on an external input or the like. The display control means causes the display means to display the positions of other moving bodies searched for based on the reference position. The other moving body designation means designates at least one other moving body from the other moving bodies displayed by the display means based on an external input or the like. The request means requests information from a terminal that moves together with the designated other moving body. It should be noted that "moving body" includes not only vehicles but also pedestrians. With this aspect, the terminal device can designate another moving body and request necessary information in real time.

[0012] In one aspect of the terminal device, the information is information about traffic congestion. With this aspect, a user of the terminal device can obtain traffic congestion information in real time from other vehicles while the mobile object is traveling.

[0013] In another aspect of the terminal device, the display means is further configured with a touch panel, the display control means causes the display means to display the position of the other moving object together with map information, and the other moving object designation means designates the other moving object designated by the user via the touch panel. With this aspect, the terminal device can suitably designate the other moving object intended by the user and request necessary information in real time.

[0014] In another aspect of the terminal device, the other moving body designation means designates the other moving body that is traveling ahead of the moving body through the same congestion section as the moving body. With this aspect, when the user of the terminal device approaches a congestion section, for example, the user can arbitrarily designate the preceding moving body and request congestion information for the congestion section.

[0015] In another aspect of the terminal device, the display control means displays the positions of the other moving objects found based on the aspect ratio of the display of the display means on a map displayed on the display means, with the reference position as a reference. In this way, by displaying the positions of the other moving objects found based on the aspect ratio of the display on a map, the terminal device can efficiently display the positions of the other moving objects found on the display.

[0016] In another aspect of the terminal device, the display control means causes the display means to display the positions of the other moving bodies searched based on the traveling direction of the moving body with the reference position as a reference. For example, depending on the type of information requested, such as traffic congestion information, there are cases where only the user of a moving body existing in the traveling direction knows the information. Therefore, with this aspect, the terminal device can cause the display means to display only the positions of other moving bodies that may know the requested information.

[0017] In another aspect of the terminal device, the terminal device further includes a receiving means for communicating with a server device that manages location information of the mobile object and receiving, from the server device, information on the location of the other mobile object searched by the server device based on the reference position. With this aspect, the terminal device can suitably obtain information on the location of the other mobile object from the server device.

[0018] In another aspect of the terminal device, the requesting means requests the information from a terminal moving together with the designated other moving object via the server device. With this aspect, the terminal device can preferably request the necessary information even if it cannot directly communicate with the terminal from which the information is requested.

[0019] In another aspect of the terminal device, the terminal device includes an input receiving means for receiving an input for generating information when a request for information is received from a terminal moving together with another moving body other than the moving body, and a transmitting means for generating the requested information based on the input and transmitting the information to the terminal moving together with the other moving body. With this aspect, when a request for information is received from a terminal moving together with the other moving body, the terminal device can receive an input necessary for generating information and suitably transmit the requested information to the requester.

[0020] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method executed by a terminal device moving together with a moving body, the control method comprising: a reference position designation step of designating a reference position for searching for other moving bodies other than the moving body, a display control step of displaying on a display means the positions of the other moving bodies searched for based on the reference position, an other moving body designation step of designating at least one of the other moving bodies displayed by the display means, and a request step of requesting information from a terminal device moving together with the designated other moving body. By using this control method, the terminal device can designate other moving bodies and request necessary information in real time.

[0021] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a program executed by a terminal device moving together with a moving body includes a reference position designation means for designating a reference position for searching for other moving bodies that are moving bodies other than the moving body, a display control means for displaying on a display means the positions of the other moving bodies searched for based on the reference position, a other moving body designation means for designating at least one of the other moving bodies displayed by the display means, and a requesting means for requesting information from a terminal moving together with the designated other moving body. The terminal device is equipped with and executes this program, thereby being able to designate other moving bodies and request necessary information in real time. Preferably, the above-mentioned program is stored in a storage medium. EXAMPLES

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] [Information Request System] Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an information request system according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information request system according to the present embodiment includes a navigation device 100A that provides route guidance for a following vehicle Ve1 traveling in the same congested section as a preceding vehicle Ve2 described below, a navigation device 100B that provides route guidance for a preceding vehicle Ve2 that is ahead of the following vehicle Ve1 in the above-mentioned congested section, and a server device 200. The server device 200 communicates with each of the navigation devices 100A and 100B via a network 300.

[0024] In the information request system shown in FIG. 1, a navigation device 100A of a following vehicle Ve1 requests, via a server device 200, a navigation device 100B of a preceding vehicle Ve2 for traffic congestion information.

[0025] Hereinafter, when there is no particular need to distinguish between the navigation device 100A and the navigation device 100B, they will be referred to simply as "navigation device 100."

[0026] (1) Configuration of navigation device Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a navigation device 100. The navigation device 100 may be, for example, a stationary navigation device or a portable terminal that provides route guidance, and as shown in Fig. 2, includes a standalone positioning device 10, a GPS receiver 18, a system controller 20, a disk drive 31, a data storage unit 36, a communication interface 37, a first communication device 38, a display unit 40, an audio output unit 50, an input device 60, and a second communication device 61. The navigation device 100 is an example of the "terminal device" of the present invention.

[0027] The independent positioning device 10 includes an acceleration sensor 11, an angular velocity sensor 12, and a distance sensor 13. The acceleration sensor 11 is, for example, a piezoelectric element, detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and outputs the acceleration data. The angular velocity sensor 12 is, for example, a vibration gyroscope, detects the angular velocity of the vehicle when the vehicle changes direction, and outputs the angular velocity data and the relative direction data. The distance sensor 13 measures a vehicle speed pulse consisting of a pulse signal generated in association with the rotation of the vehicle's wheels.

[0028] The GPS receiver 18 receives radio waves 19 carrying downlink data including positioning data from multiple GPS satellites. The positioning data is used to detect the absolute position of the vehicle from latitude and longitude information, etc.

[0029] The system controller 20 includes an interface 21, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 23, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24, and controls the entire navigation device 100 by executing control programs stored in the ROM 23 or the like.

[0030] For example, the system controller 20 transmits information (also called "vehicle position information Ip") on the navigation device 100 and the vehicle for which the navigation device 100 provides route guidance, including information on the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by the angular velocity sensor 12 and the like, and position information detected by the GPS receiver 18, to the server device 200 at predetermined or irregular intervals. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information Ip includes identification information (also called "terminal ID") of the navigation device 100 and information on the aspect ratio of the display screen of the display 44 in addition to the traveling direction information and position information described above. Note that the traveling direction information indicates, for example, the angle of the traveling direction when north is set to 0°. Preferably, the system controller 20 transmits the latest vehicle position information Ip to the server device 200 every time the system controller 20 communicates with the server device 200. As will be described later, the system controller 20 functions as a "reference position designation means," a "display control means," a "other vehicle designation means," and a "request means" in the present invention.

[0031] The interface 21 performs interface operations with the acceleration sensor 11, the angular velocity sensor 12, the distance sensor 13, and the GPS receiver 18. From these, vehicle speed pulses, acceleration data, relative direction data, angular velocity data, GPS positioning data, absolute direction data, etc. are input to the system controller 20. The CPU 22 controls the entire system controller 20. The ROM 23 has a non-volatile memory (not shown) in which a control program for controlling the system controller 20, etc. is stored. The RAM 24 readably stores various data such as route data preset by the user via the input device 60, and provides a working area for the CPU 22.

[0032] The system controller 20 , a disk drive 31 such as a CD-ROM drive or a DVD-ROM drive, a data storage unit 36 ​​, a communication interface 37 , a display unit 40 , an audio output unit 50 and an input device 60 are interconnected via a bus line 30 .

[0033] The disk drive 31 reads and outputs content data such as music data and video data from a disk 33 such as a CD or DVD under the control of the system controller 20. Note that the disk drive 31 may be either a CD-ROM drive or a DVD-ROM drive, or may be a drive compatible with both CD and DVD.

[0034] The data storage unit 36 ​​is, for example, a HDD, and is a unit that stores various data used in navigation processing such as map data. The map data includes road data represented by links corresponding to roads and nodes corresponding to road connections (intersections), facility information on each facility, and the like.

[0035] The first communication device 38 is composed of, for example, an FM tuner, a beacon receiver, and the like, and acquires information (hereinafter referred to as "VICS information") distributed from a VICS (Vehicle Information Communication System, registered trademark) center or the like via radio waves 39. The interface 37 performs an interface operation of the first communication device 38, and inputs the VICS information to the system controller 20, etc.

[0036] The display unit 40 displays various display data on a display device such as a display under the control of the system controller 20. Specifically, the system controller 20 reads map data from the data storage unit 36. The display unit 40 displays the map data and the like read from the data storage unit 36 ​​by the system controller 20 on a display screen. The display unit 40 includes a graphic controller 41 that controls the entire display unit 40 based on control data sent from the CPU 22 via the bus line 30, a buffer memory 42 that is a memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) and temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, a display control unit 43 that controls the display 44 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) based on image data output from the graphic controller 41, and a display 44. The display 44 functions as an image display unit, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display device with a diagonal size of about 5 to 10 inches, and is attached near the front panel inside the vehicle.

[0037] The audio output unit 50 is configured to include a D / A converter 51 that performs D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion of audio digital data sent via the bus line 30 from the CD-ROM drive 31, DVD-ROM 32, RAM 24, etc. under the control of the system controller 20, an amplifier (AMP) 52 that amplifies the audio analog signal output from the D / A converter 51, and a speaker 53 that converts the amplified audio analog signal into audio and outputs it inside the vehicle.

[0038] The input device 60 is composed of keys, switches, buttons, a remote control, a voice input device, etc. for inputting various commands and data. The input device 60 is disposed on the front panel of the main body of the in-vehicle electronic system mounted in the vehicle or around the display 44. In addition, if the display 44 is of a touch panel type, the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display 44 also functions as the input device 60.

[0039] The second communication device 61 is configured by, for example, a mobile phone or a dedicated communication card, and communicates with a terminal connected to the network 300 including the server device 200. For example, the second communication device 61 transmits vehicle position information Ip to the server device 200 at predetermined or irregular intervals based on the control of the system controller 20.

[0040] (2) Server configuration Fig. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 communicates with terminal devices that provide vehicle guidance, such as the navigation devices 100A and 100B, via a network 300. As shown in Fig. 3, the server device 200 has a communication unit 202, a storage unit 203, and a control unit 204. The communication unit 202, the storage unit 203, and the control unit 204 are connected to each other via a bus line 201.

[0041] The communication unit 202 transmits and receives various data under the control of the control unit 204. For example, the communication unit 202 receives vehicle position information Ip from each navigation device.

[0042] The communication unit 200 also has a function of connecting to a communication carrier such as an Internet line or a mobile phone carrier, and establishes an appropriate connection to the network 300 .

[0043] The storage unit 203 is configured with, for example, a HDD. The storage unit 203 stores the vehicle position information Ip transmitted from each terminal device such as the navigation device 100 together with the address information of the transmission source and the information on the reception date and time. The storage unit 203 preferably arranges and stores each piece of vehicle position information Ip in an order that makes it easy to search based on the latitude and longitude indicated by the position information included in the vehicle position information Ip. Furthermore, the storage unit 203 discards vehicle position information Ip that has been received for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) based on the information on the reception date and time stored together with each piece of vehicle position information Ip.

[0044] The control unit 204 has a CPU and memories such as a ROM and a RAM, and executes programs stored in the memory to perform overall control of the server device 200. The processing executed by the control unit 204 will be described in detail in the "Control Method" section.

[0045] [Control method] Next, the information request processing executed by the navigation devices 100A, 100B and the server device 200 will be described.

[0046] (1) Processing of the navigation device 100A First, a process executed by the navigation device 100A that provides route guidance for the following vehicle Ve1 in this embodiment will be specifically described.

[0047] First, the navigation device 100A displays a map including the current position on the display 44 based on the position information generated by the GPS receiver 18. The navigation device 100A also generates vehicle position information Ip including position information on the current position and information on the traveling direction, and transmits the vehicle position information Ip to the server device 200.

[0048] The navigation device 100A also transmits a signal (also referred to as a "first request signal Ir1") requesting the server device 200 for vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle. The navigation device 100A may transmit the above-mentioned first request signal Ir1 when there is an explicit input from the user (for example, pressing a dedicated button), or may transmit it automatically at regular or irregular intervals. Also, as described in the explanation of the processing of the server device 200, the navigation device 100A here designates the current position of the following vehicle Ve1 identified by the vehicle position information Ip as a reference position, and causes the server device 200 to search for the vehicle position information Ip.

[0049] Then, in response to the above-mentioned first request signal Ir1, the navigation device 100A receives vehicle position information Ip of other vehicles from the server device 200, and displays icons representing vehicles corresponding to each of the received vehicle position information Ip on the currently displayed map screen. This will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] Fig. 4 shows an example of the display screen 45A of the display 44 after the navigation device 100A receives the vehicle position information Ip. On the display screen 45A shown in Fig. 4, the following vehicle Ve1 is displayed by an icon 81A, the preceding vehicle Ve2 is displayed by an icon 82B, and other vehicles are displayed by icons 82C to 82E. The icon 82B representing the preceding vehicle Ve2 is displayed on a congestion line 83 which is on the road on which the following vehicle Ve1 is traveling and which indicates a congested section.

[0051] 4, the navigation device 100A displays, by icons 82B to 82E, the position and traveling direction of each vehicle indicated by the vehicle position information Ip received from the server device 200. In this way, the navigation device 100A allows the user to easily recognize the positions of other vehicles and the like, and also allows the user to recognize the presence of a vehicle (here, the preceding vehicle Ve2) that is in the same congestion section as the user's vehicle.

[0052] Next, the navigation device 100A specifies a vehicle (also called a "specific other vehicle") from which congestion information is requested, based on an input from the user. A specific example of this will be described with reference to FIG.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the navigation device 100A selects a specific other vehicle on the display screen 45A. Here, it is assumed that the navigation device 100A accepts input via a touch panel. As shown in FIG. 5, the user of the navigation device 100A selects the icon 82B indicating the preceding vehicle Ve2 traveling in the same congestion section by touching it with a finger 84 from among the icons 82B to 82E indicating other vehicles displayed on the display screen 45A. In this case, the navigation device 100A detects that the icon 82B has been touched on the display screen 45A, and recognizes the preceding vehicle Ve2 as a specific other vehicle. In this way, the user of the navigation device 100A can arbitrarily and easily select a specific other vehicle about which he or she wishes to inquire about congestion information on the display screen 45A.

[0054] Next, the navigation device 100A transmits a request signal (also referred to as a "second request signal Ir2") to the server device 200, requesting congestion information from the navigation device 100B, which generates the vehicle position information Ip of the preceding vehicle Ve2, which is designated as a specified other vehicle. For example, in this case, the navigation device 100A makes it clear that the preceding vehicle Ve2 is the request destination for congestion information by including a terminal ID included in the vehicle position information Ip of the preceding vehicle Ve2, which is a specified other vehicle, in the second request signal Ir2.

[0055] Next, the navigation device 100A receives information on the specified other vehicle generated by the navigation device 100B (also referred to as "specified other vehicle information Is") from the server device 200. Here, the specified other vehicle information Is is traffic congestion information generated by the navigation device 100B based on input from the user of the preceding vehicle Ve2, which is the specified other vehicle. A specific method of generating the specified other vehicle information Is will be described in the explanation of the processing of the navigation device 100B. Then, the navigation device 100A displays the received specified other vehicle information Is on the display screen 45A. A specific example of this will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0056] Fig. 6 shows the display screen 45A after receiving the specified other vehicle information Is. As shown in Fig. 6, in this case, a balloon 85 showing congestion information is displayed from the icon 82B of the preceding vehicle Ve2, which is the specified other vehicle. The balloon 85 also displays the congestion information "medium congestion 15 minutes" regarding the congestion degree generated based on the input of the user of the specified other vehicle, and the generation time of the specified other vehicle information Is, "18:06". This allows the user of the following vehicle Ve1 to conveniently recognize the real-time congestion information obtained from the preceding vehicle Ve2 that is traveling ahead of the following vehicle Ve1 through the same congestion section.

[0057] (2) Processing of the Server Device 200 Next, the process executed by the server device 200 will be described.

[0058] As described above, the server device 200 stores the vehicle position information Ip transmitted from each navigation device 100 in the storage unit 203. Furthermore, the server device 200 discards the vehicle position information Ip that has been received for a predetermined time or more, based on the reception date and time stored together with each vehicle position information Ip.

[0059] Furthermore, when the server device 200 receives the first request signal Ir1 from the navigation device 100A, it searches the vehicle position information Ip stored in the storage unit 203 for vehicle position information Ip other than the vehicle position information Ip received from the navigation device 100A and having position information close to the position indicated by the vehicle position information Ip. Then, the server device 200 transmits the searched vehicle position information Ip to the navigation device 100A.

[0060] Here, a method for searching the vehicle position information Ip will be specifically described. Preferably, the server device 200 searches for the vehicle position information Ip, taking into consideration the aspect ratio of the display screen 45A included in the vehicle position information Ip received from the navigation device 100A. For example, the server device 200 determines the width of a rectangle having the above-mentioned aspect ratio with the position of the navigation device 100A as a predetermined width (e.g., 20 km), and transmits the vehicle position information Ip indicating the position within the rectangle to the navigation device 100A. The above-mentioned predetermined width is determined in advance, taking into consideration the bandwidth of the line used by the server device 200, etc. In this case, the short side direction of the above-mentioned rectangle is determined to match the short side direction (e.g., the north-south direction) of the display area of ​​the map when the navigation device 100A actually displays the map.

[0061] In another example, the server device 200 sets the width of the above-mentioned rectangle to a length that allows the rectangle to contain a predetermined number of positions corresponding to the vehicle position information Ip, and transmits a predetermined number (e.g., 100) of vehicle position information Ip indicating positions within the rectangle to the navigation device 100A. The above-mentioned predetermined number is determined in advance, taking into consideration the bandwidth of the line used by the server device 200, etc.

[0062] In this way, the server device 200 determines the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted to the navigation device 100A based on the aspect ratio of the display screen 45A of the navigation device 100A. This allows the server device 200 to take into consideration the actual display range of the map and to suppress transmission of unnecessary vehicle position information Ip that is not used for display.

[0063] Furthermore, when the server device 200 receives the second request signal Ir2 transmitted from the navigation device 100A, it transmits a signal (also referred to as a "third request signal Ir3") to the navigation device 100B requesting the specific other vehicle information Is. Here, the above-mentioned third request signal Ir3 includes position information and traveling direction information of the following vehicle Ve1 that has requested the specific other vehicle information Is. Then, when the server device 200 receives the specific other vehicle information Is from the navigation device 100B in response to the third request signal Ir3, it transmits the specific other vehicle information Is to the navigation device 100A.

[0064] (3) Processing of the navigation device 100B Next, the process executed by the navigation device 100B will be described.

[0065] The navigation device 100B displays an input screen relating to traffic congestion information when it receives the third request signal Ir3 from the server device 200. This will be described with reference to FIG.

[0066] 7 shows an example of the display screen 45B of the display 44 of the navigation device 100B after receiving the third request signal Ir3 from the server device 200. Here, it is assumed that the navigation device 100B was displaying a map including the current position of the preceding vehicle Ve2 together with an icon 82Ba indicating the preceding vehicle Ve2 before receiving the third request signal Ir3.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 7, in this case, the navigation device 100B displays an input window 88 indicating that the third request signal Ir3 has been received on the display screen 45B. In Fig. 7, the navigation device 100B displays "A request to inform the user of the preceding vehicle has been received" in the input window 88 to make the user aware of the need for input, and also displays selection buttons 89A to 89E for determining the congestion degree in the congestion section in which the user is traveling.

[0068] Here, the selection buttons 89A to 89C are buttons corresponding to each congestion degree, and display the congestion degree and congestion time that serve as a guide when selecting each congestion degree. The above-mentioned congestion time may indicate the travel time from when the preceding vehicle Ve2 entered the congestion section to the present, or may indicate the travel time required to travel a predetermined distance (e.g., 1 km) in the congestion section. The selection button 89A is selected when the congestion time is about 5 minutes, the selection button 89B is selected when the congestion time is about 10 minutes, and the selection button 89C is selected when the congestion time is 15 minutes or more.

[0069] Here, preferably, the traffic jam times corresponding to the respective congestion levels displayed within the selection buttons 89A to 89C are different for each road on which the preceding vehicle Ve2 is traveling. For example, the navigation device 100B stores statistical information on traffic jam times on each road during congestion, and determines the traffic jam times to be displayed within the selection buttons 89A to 89C based on the statistical information. For example, when the navigation device 100B determines based on the above-mentioned statistical information that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is one on which the traffic jam times tend to become longer, the navigation device 100B increases the traffic jam times to be displayed within the selection buttons 89A to 89C compared to when the navigation device 100B determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is one on which the traffic jam times tend not to become longer. Note that the above-mentioned statistical information may be generated for each road type, such as a toll road or an ordinary road.

[0070] The selection button 89D is selected when the user does not want to answer questions about traffic congestion information. The selection button 89E is selected when the navigation device 100B is to automatically answer questions. When the selection button 89E is selected, the navigation device 100B calculates the traffic congestion time based on, for example, the past driving history. At this time, the navigation device 100B regards, for example, a point where the average driving speed in a predetermined unit time becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as the start point of the traffic congestion section, and calculates the traffic congestion time based on the elapsed time after passing the start point.

[0071] When any one of the selection buttons 89A to 89E is selected based on the operation of the touch panel or the like, the navigation device 100B generates the specified other vehicle information Is according to the selected button. Specifically, when any one of the selection buttons 89A to 89C is selected, the navigation device 100B sets the traffic jam time, traffic jam degree, and time information indicating the selected time corresponding to the selected button as the specified other vehicle information Is. When the selection button 89D is selected, the navigation device 100B generates the specified other vehicle information Is indicating that no reply will be made. Furthermore, when the selection button 89E is selected, the navigation device 100B sets the traffic jam time calculated based on the travel history or the like and time information indicating the calculated time as the specified other vehicle information Is. Then, the navigation device 100B transmits the generated specified other vehicle information Is to the server device 200.

[0072] 7, the navigation device 100B displays an icon 81Aa indicating the following vehicle Ve1 based on the position information and traveling direction information included in the third request signal Ir3, and also displays an arrow 87 pointing from the icon 81Aa to an input window 88. This allows the navigation device 100B to conveniently inform the user of the position of the following vehicle Ve1 that has requested the specified other vehicle information Is.

[0073] In addition, when the following vehicle Ve1 that is the request source of the specific other vehicle information Is is located outside the display range of the map being displayed, the navigation device 100B may display, for example, only the arrow 87 extending from the direction in which the following vehicle Ve1 exists, without displaying the icon 81Aa of the following vehicle Ve1. In another example, the navigation device 100B may change the scale of the map being displayed so that the position of the following vehicle Ve1 is included in the display range of the map. In yet another example, the navigation device 100B may shift the display range of the map until the position of the following vehicle Ve1 is included in the display range of the map, without changing the scale of the map. In yet another example, the navigation device 100B may display a new window displaying a map including the icon 81Aa of the following vehicle Ve1 on the map being displayed. In any of these examples, the navigation device 100B can suitably allow the user to recognize the position of the following vehicle Ve1 that is the request source of the specific other vehicle information Is.

[0074] [Processing flow] Fig. 8 is an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of information request processing executed by the navigation devices 100A, 100B and the server device 200. In Fig. 8, solid arrows indicate the flow of processing, and dashed arrows indicate the flow of data. The navigation devices 100A, 100B and the server device 200 repeatedly execute the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. It is also assumed that the navigation devices 100A, 100B transmit vehicle position information Ip of their own vehicles to the server device 200 at a predetermined timing, in addition to the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8.

[0075] First, the navigation device 100A judges whether it is time to request the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle (step S101). For example, the navigation device 100A judges whether there has been an input indicating that the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle should be acquired and / or whether it is time to automatically acquire the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle. If the navigation device 100A judges that it is not time to request the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle (step S101; No), it ends the processing of the flowchart.

[0076] On the other hand, if it is the timing to request the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle (step S101; Yes), the navigation device 100A requests the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle (step S102). Specifically, the navigation device 100A transmits a first request signal Ir1 to the server device 200. Then, the server device 200 receives the first request signal Ir1 (step S201). In this case, the server device 200 searches for the target vehicle position information Ip from the vehicle position information Ip stored in the storage unit 203, and transmits it to the navigation device 100A (step S202). Specifically, in this case, the server device 200 searches for the vehicle position information Ip that corresponds to a terminal ID other than the terminal ID of the navigation device 100A and is located in a position close to the position of the navigation device 100A.

[0077] Then, the navigation device 100A receives the vehicle position information Ip from the server device 200 (step S103). Then, the navigation device 100A displays the position of the other vehicle on a map (step S104). For example, the navigation device 100A displays icons 82B to 82E representing the other vehicles on the map as shown in FIG. 4.

[0078] Next, the navigation device 100A determines whether or not a specific other vehicle has been designated (step S105). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the display screen 45A is touched, the navigation device 100A designates the vehicle indicated by the icon at the contact position as the specific other vehicle. Then, when a specific other vehicle has been designated (step S105; Yes), the navigation device 100A proceeds to the process of step S106. Here, it is assumed that the navigation device 100A has detected the designation of the preceding vehicle Ve2 for which the navigation device 100B provides route guidance. On the other hand, when a specific other vehicle has not been designated (step S105; No), the navigation device 100A continues to detect an input designating a specific other vehicle in step S105.

[0079] Next, the navigation device 100A requests the specified other vehicle information Is (step S106). Specifically, the navigation device 100A transmits a second request signal Ir2 to the server device 200.

[0080] Then, the server device 200 receives the second request signal Ir2 and transmits a third request signal Ir3 requesting the specified other vehicle information Is to the navigation device 100B (step S203). Then, the navigation device 100B receives the third request signal Ir3 (step S301).

[0081] Then, the navigation device 100B generates the specified other vehicle information Is based on the input and transmits it to the server device 200 (step S302). For example, the navigation device 100B displays an input window 88 as shown in Fig. 7 on the display screen 45B and receives an input for generating the specified other vehicle information Is, thereby generating the specified other vehicle information Is. Then, the server device 200 receives the specified other vehicle information Is transmitted from the navigation device 100B and transmits the specified other vehicle information Is to the navigation device 100A (step S204).

[0082] Then, the navigation device 100A receives the specified other vehicle information Is transmitted by the server device 200 (step S107). After that, the navigation device 100A displays the contents indicated by the specified other vehicle information Is on the map (step S108). For example, as shown on the display screen 45A in Fig. 6, the navigation device 100A displays a balloon 85 with the icon 82B of the specified other vehicle as the base point, and displays the congestion degree, the congestion time, the generation time of the specified other vehicle information Is, and the like in the balloon 85.

[0083] [Variations] The following describes various modifications of the embodiment. These modifications may be combined and applied to the above embodiment.

[0084] (Variation 1) In the description of the method of searching for the vehicle position information Ip in the embodiment, the server device 200 searches for the vehicle position information Ip taking into account the aspect ratio of the display screen 45A. However, the method to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this.

[0085] Alternatively, the server device 200 may determine the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted based on the straight-line distance from the position of the navigation device 100A that has requested the vehicle position information Ip. In this case, for example, the server device 200 may transmit to the navigation device 100A the vehicle position information Ip corresponding to a position included in a circle having a predetermined radius centered on the position of the navigation device 100A. The above-mentioned radius is, for example, 20 km, and is determined based on the bandwidth of the line used by the server device 200. In another example, the server device 200 may transmit to the navigation device 100A a predetermined number (for example, 100) of vehicle position information Ip indicating positions with a short straight-line distance from the navigation device 100A that has requested the vehicle position information Ip.

[0086] Furthermore, the server device 200 may determine the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted based on the information on the traveling direction included in the vehicle position information Ip generated by the navigation device 100A, in addition to taking into consideration the aspect ratio of the display screen 45A or the straight-line distance from the request source of the vehicle position information Ip. This will be specifically described with reference to Figures 9(A) and (B).

[0087] 9(A) shows a map divided into four regions 91 to 94 by a vertical line 90V extending north-south and a horizontal line 90H extending east-west, with the icon 81Ab representing the following vehicle Ve1 at the center. In FIG. 9(A), the following vehicle Ve1 is assumed to be traveling in the south-southeast direction.

[0088] In this case, the server device 200 sets a higher search priority for an area that is closer to the traveling direction of the following vehicle Ve1. Specifically, in the case of FIG. 9(A), the server device 200 searches for vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted, preferentially from vehicle position information Ip indicating a position within an area 91 that is in a direction overlapping with the traveling direction of the following vehicle Ve1. Next, when the number of pieces of vehicle position information Ip indicating a position within the area 91 is less than the number to be transmitted, the server device 200 searches for vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted, targeting vehicle position information Ip indicating a position within an area 92 that is next to the area 91 in a direction closest to the traveling direction of the following vehicle Ve1. In this way, in the example of FIG. 9(A), the server device 200 searches for vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted in the order of area 91, area 92, area 93, and area 94 based on the traveling direction of the following vehicle Ve1.

[0089] FIG. 9B shows a map in which the icon 81Ab representing the following vehicle Ve1 is centered and the map is divided into four regions 91a to 94a by lines 90L and 90R that are offset by a predetermined angle to the left and right of the traveling direction. In this case, the server device 200 assigns the highest priority to the region 91a that overlaps with the traveling direction and the lowest priority to the region 94a that is opposite to the traveling direction in searching for the vehicle position information Ip. Therefore, in this case, the server device 200 first searches for the vehicle position information Ip that should be preferentially transmitted from the vehicle position information Ip that indicates a position within the region 91a. Then, when the number of vehicle position information Ip that indicates a position within the region 91a does not reach the predetermined number to be transmitted, the server device 200 searches for the vehicle position information Ip that indicates a position within the regions 92a and 93a as the vehicle position information Ip that should be preferentially transmitted over the vehicle position information Ip that indicates a position within the region 94a.

[0090] In this way, by determining the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted based on the direction of travel of the vehicle requesting the vehicle position information Ip, the server device 200 can preferentially transmit the vehicle position information Ip of vehicles in the same congestion queue.

[0091] (Variation 2) In the embodiment, when a specific other vehicle is specified, the second request signal Ir2 is immediately transmitted from the navigation device 100A to the server device 200, and the specific other vehicle information Is requested is set to traffic congestion information. However, the mode to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this. Instead, the navigation device 100A may allow the user to specify the information to be acquired from the specific other vehicle information Is.

[0092] Specifically, when a specific other vehicle is designated in step S105 of Fig. 8, the navigation device 100A may further have the user input a question, and transmit a second request signal Ir2 including information on the question designated by the input in step S106. In this case, for example, the navigation device 100A may accept character input, and include the input character as information on the question in the second request signal Ir2. In another example, the navigation device 100A may have the user select an arbitrary option from predetermined options such as a pull-down menu, and include the content of the selected option in the second request signal Ir2 as information on the question. The question may be, for example, a question about recommended restaurants.

[0093] Then, based on the second request signal Ir2 received in step S203, the server device 200 transmits a third request signal Ir3 including information on the above-mentioned question to the navigation device 100B. Then, in step S302, the navigation device 100B displays the information on the question included in the third request signal Ir3 on the display screen 45B, and accepts an input for generating the specified other vehicle information Is corresponding to the answer to the question. In this case, the navigation device 100B may accept an input for generating the specified other vehicle information Is by displaying selection buttons corresponding to each predetermined option, similar to the input window 88 in FIG. 7, or may allow the user to input characters indicating the answer to the question. Then, the navigation device 100B generates the specified other vehicle information Is based on the input.

[0094] In this way, even if the information is other than traffic congestion information, the navigation device 100A can preferably request and obtain the specific other vehicle information Is indicating the answer to the desired question generated by the navigation device 100B.

[0095] (Variation 3) 8, the navigation device 100A requests and receives the specified other vehicle information Is from the navigation device 100B via the server device 200. However, the method to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this.

[0096] Alternatively, the navigation device 100A may request and receive the specified other vehicle information Is from the navigation device 100B without going through the server device 200. That is, the navigation device 100A may transmit a second request signal Ir2 to the navigation device 100B in step S106, and receive the specified other vehicle information from the navigation device 100B in step S107. For example, in this case, the vehicle position information Ip further includes address information for communicating with the terminal that generated the vehicle position information Ip, and the navigation device 100A communicates with the navigation device 100B by referring to the vehicle position information Ip. Even in this embodiment, the navigation device 100A can preferably request and receive the specified other vehicle information Is.

[0097] Furthermore, the navigation device 100A may directly receive the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle from each of the other terminals including the navigation device 100B, instead of receiving the vehicle position information Ip of the other vehicle from the server device 200. In this case, the navigation device 100A displays the other vehicle on a map based on the vehicle position information Ip received from each terminal, and accepts an input specifying the destination of the request for the specific other vehicle information Is. In this manner, the navigation device 100A can request the specific other vehicle information Is from the navigation device 100B without going through the server device 200, and can preferably acquire the specific other vehicle information Is.

[0098] The receiving method according to this aspect can be realized by using the technology of an inter-vehicle network (inter-vehicle communication).

[0099] (Variation 4) 8, the server device 200 searches for the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted based on the current positions of the navigation device 100A and the following vehicle Ve1. However, the configuration to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this.

[0100] Alternatively, the server device 200 may search for the vehicle position information Ip to be transmitted based on a position specified by the navigation device 100A. Specifically, in this case, in step S102 of Fig. 8, the navigation device 100A includes information on a reference position for searching for the vehicle position information Ip in a first request signal Ir1 that requests the vehicle position information Ip of another vehicle. The above-mentioned reference position is determined as a position specified by the user, for example, by operating a touch panel on the display screen 45A that displays a map. Then, in step S202, the server device 200 searches for vehicle position information Ip that indicates a position close to the above-mentioned reference position.

[0101] (Variation 5) In the embodiment, the navigation device 100A specifies only the preceding vehicle Ve1 as the specified other vehicle. Alternatively, the navigation device 100A may specify a plurality of vehicles as the specified other vehicles. In this case, for example, when icons 82B to 82E indicating other vehicles are displayed as shown on the display screen 45A in FIG. 5, the navigation device 100A accepts the selection of a plurality of icons.

[0102] (Variation 6) The navigation device 100A and the navigation device 100B may be terminal devices that move together with a pedestrian. For example, in this case, similar to the second modification, the navigation device 100A allows the user to specify information that the user wishes to acquire from the specific other vehicle information Is, and transmits a second request signal Ir2 including information on the specified question to the server device 200 in step S106. In this case, the pedestrian is an example of a "moving object" in the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0103] The present invention can be suitably applied to in-vehicle navigation devices, PNDs (Portable / Personal Navigation Devices), and other terminal devices having communication functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 10. Standalone positioning device 12 GPS receiver 20 System Controller 22 CPU 36 Data Storage Unit 38 Communication Equipment 40 Display Unit 44 Display 60 Input Devices 100A, 100B(100) Navigation device 200 Server device 300 Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A program executed by a terminal device having a display unit and a computer, The computer, a first display means for displaying on a map an icon indicating the current position of the mobile object, an icon indicating the positions of other mobile objects, and congestion information indicating a section where congestion is occurring; a selection means for selecting one icon indicating the position of the other moving object displayed on the map as a specific other moving object; a second display means for receiving information on the specific other moving object from a server, and displaying the information on the specific other moving object and an icon of the specific other moving object on the map in correspondence with each other on the display unit; A program that functions as a

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