Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technology for enabling a vehicle to travel on a road according to the driving skill of a driver of the vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus acquires difficulty level information indicating the difficulty level of traveling on a road. The information processing apparatus also acquires skill level information indicating the driving skill level of a driver of a vehicle. The information processing apparatus refers to the difficulty level information and skill level information to evaluate whether the difficulty level of traveling on the road is compatible with the driving skill level of the driver. The information processing apparatus outputs evaluation information related to the evaluation result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a navigation device. The navigation device searches for a route to a destination specified by a driver using map information. The navigation device extracts corners on the searched route and estimates the difficulty level of the extracted corners based on driving skills. The navigation device evaluates the difficulty level of the route based on the estimated difficulty level of the corners. Then, the navigation device displays the searched route and the difficulty level of the evaluated route.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of this disclosure is to provide a technology that enables a vehicle to travel on a road according to the driving skills of a driver of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The information processing apparatus according to this disclosure acquires difficulty information indicating the difficulty level of traveling on a road, acquires skill information indicating the driving skills of a driver of the vehicle, refers to the difficulty information and the skill information, and evaluates whether the difficulty level matches the driving skills of the driver, outputs evaluation information regarding the result of the evaluation, and includes a control unit configured to execute the above.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it becomes possible for a vehicle to travel on a road according to the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Assume a case where a driver drives a vehicle. In this case, depending on the driving skill of the driver, there may be a road that is difficult to drive on. That is, the difficulty level of driving on the road on which the driver drives the vehicle may not match the driving skill of the driver. Then, it may become impossible to drive smoothly on the road. Therefore, the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure solves such a problem.

[0009] The control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure acquires difficulty information indicating the difficulty level of driving on a road. Further, the control unit of the information processing apparatus acquires skill information indicating the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle. The control unit refers to the difficulty information and the skill information, and evaluates whether the difficulty level of driving on the road matches the driving skill of the driver. Then, the control unit outputs evaluation information regarding the result of the evaluation.

[0010] As described above, the information processing apparatus outputs evaluation information regarding the evaluation of whether the difficulty level of driving on the road matches the driving skill of the driver. Thereby, when the difficulty level of driving on the road does not match the driving skill of the driver, it becomes possible to suppress the driving of the vehicle on the road. As a result, it becomes possible to drive the vehicle on a road according to the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle.

[0011] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure only to those unless otherwise specified.

[0012] <First Embodiment> (Overview of the System) The evaluation system 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the evaluation system 1. The evaluation system 1 includes a user terminal 100 and a server 200. In the evaluation system 1, the user terminal 100 and the server 200 are connected to each other by a network N1. As the network N1, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) which is a worldwide public communication network such as the Internet or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone may be adopted.

[0013] (User Terminal) The user terminal 100 is a device mounted on the vehicle 10. The user terminal 100 outputs (such as display on the display and voice output) according to various information for the user of the vehicle 10. The user terminal 100 is, for example, a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 10. The user of the vehicle 10 inputs a destination to the user terminal 100. The user terminal 100 transmits, via the network N1, destination information indicating the current position and the destination of the vehicle 10 to the server 200. Also, the user terminal 100 may be a mobile information terminal used by the user, a computer, or the like.

[0014] The user terminal 100 receives route information via the network N1. The route information is information including the planned driving route of the vehicle 10. When the user terminal 100 receives the route information, it outputs (displays on the display and voice outputs) the route information to the user of the vehicle 10. Also, the user terminal 100 receives recommendation information and confirmation information via the network N1. When the user terminal 100 receives the recommendation information or the confirmation information, it performs an output (display on the display and voice output) according to the received information.

[0015] Here, the recommendation information and the confirmation information are information for outputting an alert notifying that there is a high-difficulty road on the planned driving route that does not match the driving skill level of the user of the vehicle 10. The recommendation information is information recommending that the user of the vehicle 10 does not drive on the high-difficulty road. Also, the confirmation information is information asking (confirming) the user of the vehicle 10 whether to drive on the high-difficulty road. For example, the recommendation information is information recommending that since the skill is insufficient to drive on the high-difficulty road, give up driving and take a detour. Also, the confirmation information is information asking whether it is challenging to drive on the high-difficulty road but asking whether to drive on the high-difficulty road. The road is challenging, but it is information asking whether to drive on the high-difficulty road.

[0016] (Server) Server 200 is a server device that manages the driving of a vehicle. Server 200 receives destination information from user terminal 100 via network N1. Server 200 generates a planned driving route for vehicle 10 according to the destination information. At this time, there may be a road on the planned driving route of vehicle 10 that is difficult to drive with the skill of the user of vehicle 10. That is, there may be a road that does not match the driving skill of the user of vehicle 10. Then, troubles such as taking a long time for the user of vehicle 10 to drive the vehicle or hitting the vehicle may occur, and smooth driving may not be possible.

[0017] Therefore, server 200 refers to the driving difficulty of the road on the planned driving route and the driving skill of the user of vehicle 10, and evaluates whether the driving difficulty of the road matches the driving skill of the user of vehicle 10. Then, server 200 outputs (sends) recommendation information or confirmation information to user terminal 100 according to the evaluation result. Details of the method for server 200 to evaluate whether the driving difficulty of the road matches the driving skill of the user of vehicle 10, and the method for server 200 to output recommendation information or confirmation information to user terminal 100 according to the evaluation result will be described later.

[0018] Server 200 is configured to include a computer having a processor 210, a main memory unit 220, an auxiliary storage unit 230, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 240. The processor 210 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory unit 220 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage unit 230 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory). Also, the auxiliary storage unit 230 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk. Also, the auxiliary storage unit 230 may be a removable medium (portable storage medium). Here, examples of the removable medium include a USB memory or an SD card. The communication I / F 240 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0019] In server 200, the auxiliary storage unit 230 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, and various information tables, etc. Also, in server 200, the processor 210 can realize various functions as described later by loading the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 230 into the main memory unit 220 and executing them. However, some or all of the functions in server 200 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. Note that server 200 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration and may be configured by a plurality of computers that cooperate with each other. Also, the user terminal 100 is also configured to include a computer in the same manner as server 200.

[0020] (Functional Configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the server 200 that constitutes the evaluation system 1 will be described based on FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 202, a road information database 203 (road information DB 203), and a user information database 204 (user information DB 204).

[0021] The control unit 201 has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the server 200. The control unit 201 can be realized by a processor 210 in the server 200. The communication unit 202 has a function of connecting the server 200 to the network N1. The communication unit 202 can be realized by a communication I / F 240 in the server 200.

[0022] The road information DB 203 has a function of holding road information. The road information is information including the difficulty level of the road. The road information DB 203 can be realized by an auxiliary storage unit 230 in the server 200. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the road information held in the road information DB 203. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the road information has a road ID field, a user ID field, a date and time field, a driving history field, an attribute field, and a difficulty level field.

[0023] An identifier (road ID) for specifying a road is stored in the road ID field. In the road ID field, for example, an identifier indicating a road link is stored as the road ID. An identifier (user ID) for specifying a user who has driven a vehicle on the road corresponding to the road ID is stored in the user ID field. The user ID field may include the user ID of the user of vehicle 10. Information indicating the date and time when the user corresponding to the user ID has driven the vehicle is stored in the date and time field.

[0024] In the driving history field, information indicating the driving history is stored when the user with the corresponding user ID drives a vehicle on the road with the corresponding road ID at the corresponding date and time. Here, the information indicating the driving history includes, for example, speed information indicated by the average value of the passing speed of the road with the corresponding road ID. Also, the information indicating the driving history includes, for example, information about the number of forward and backward movements of the vehicle indicated by the history of shift changes and the like.

[0025] In the attribute field, information about the attributes of the road with the corresponding road ID at the corresponding date and time is stored. In the attribute field, for example, information indicating the traffic volume of the road with the corresponding road ID is stored. Also, in the attribute field, for example, information indicating the width of the road with the corresponding road ID is stored. Also, in the attribute field, attributes related to the road such as the speed limit of the road and the length of the road are stored.

[0026] In the difficulty field, information indicating the driving difficulty of the road with the corresponding road ID is stored. Here, in the difficulty field, information obtained by quantifying the driving difficulty of the road with the corresponding road ID is stored.

[0027] Here, when the average value of the passing speed of the road is small, it is assumed that it is a situation where the road must be driven more carefully compared to the case where the average value of the passing speed of the road is large. Therefore, when the average value of the passing speed of the road is small, it can be assumed that the driving difficulty of the road is higher than when the average value of the passing speed of the road is large. Also, when a shift change is being made on the road, it is assumed that the vehicle is making a cutover or the like. Therefore, when a shift change is being made on the road, it can be assumed that the driving difficulty of the road is higher than when no shift change is being made.

[0028] In addition, when the traffic volume on a road is high, it is assumed that driving while being affected by the driving of other vehicles is required compared to when the traffic volume is low. Therefore, when the traffic volume on a road is high, it can be assumed that the driving difficulty of the road is higher than when the traffic volume is low. Also, when the width of a road is small, it can be assumed that the driving difficulty of the road is higher than when the width is large.

[0029] Therefore, the control unit 201 refers to the driving history field and the attribute field in the road information, and quantifies the driving difficulty of each road. Specifically, the control unit 201 passes through the road The control unit 201 refers to the average value of the passing speed, the number of forward and backward movements, the traffic volume, and the width of the road, and calculates the driving difficulty of each road. The control unit 201, for example, assigns points to the values of the average passing speed of the road, the number of forward and backward movements, the traffic volume, and the width of the road, and calculates the difficulty.

[0030] Here, the control unit 201, for example, calculates the deviation between the average value of the passing speed of the road that is the object of point assignment and the average value of the passing speed on another road with the same speed limit as the road, and thereby assigns points to the average value of the passing speed of the road. Here, when the average value of the passing speed of the road that is the object of point assignment is smaller than the average value of the passing speed on the comparison target road, the control unit 201 assigns points so that the points for the average value of the passing speed of the road that is the object of point assignment become larger. Also, the control unit 201, for example, calculates the deviation between the number of forward and backward movements on the road that is the object of point assignment and the average value of the number of forward and backward movements on another road with the same length as the road, and thereby assigns points to the number of forward and backward movements. Here, when the average value of the number of forward and backward movements on the road that is the object of point assignment is larger than the average value of the number of forward and backward movements on the comparison target road, the control unit 201 assigns points so that the points for the average value of the number of forward and backward movements on the road that is the object of point assignment become larger.

[0031] Further, for example, the control unit 201 calculates the deviation between the traffic volume of the road to be scored and the average value of the traffic volumes of other roads in the area where the road is located, and scores the traffic volume. Here, when the traffic volume of the road to be scored is greater than the average value of the traffic volumes on the comparison target roads, the control unit 201 scores in such a way that the score for the traffic volume of the road to be scored increases. Also, for example, the control unit 201 calculates the deviation between the width of the road to be scored and the average value of the widths of other roads in the area where the road is located, and scores the width of the road. Here, when the width of the road to be scored is smaller than the average value of the road widths on the comparison target roads, the control unit 201 scores in such a way that the score for the width of the road to be scored increases.

[0032] Then, the control unit 201 calculates the driving difficulty of the road by calculating the average value of the passing speed of the road, the number of forward and backward movements, and the average value of the scores for the traffic volume and the width of the road. At this time, the scoring is performed so that the score for the driving difficulty when the driving difficulty of the road is high is greater than the score for the driving difficulty when the driving difficulty of the road is low. Also, for example, the control unit 201 may score the average value of the passing speed of the road, the number of forward and backward movements, the traffic volume, and the width of the road respectively, and assign a weight (coefficient) to each score to score the driving difficulty of the road. Then, the control unit 201 stores the information indicating the calculated driving difficulty of the road in the difficulty field.

[0033] Note that predetermined scores may be set for the average value of the passing speed of the road, the number of forward and backward movements, the traffic volume, and the width of the road respectively. Even in this case, the driving difficulty of each road can be scored.

[0034] The user information DB 204 has a function of storing user information. The user information is information including the driving skill of the user. The user information DB 204 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 230 in the server 200. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the user information held in the user information DB 204. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the user information has a user ID field, a road ID field, a date and time field, a driving history field, a driving skill field, and an average value field.

[0035] An identifier (user ID) for identifying a user is stored in the user ID field. An identifier (road ID) for identifying the road on which the user with the corresponding user ID drives the vehicle is stored in the road ID field. Information indicating the date and time when the user with the corresponding user ID drives the vehicle on the road with the corresponding road ID is stored in the date and time field. Information indicating the date and time when the user with the corresponding user ID drives the vehicle on the road with the corresponding road ID is stored.

[0036] Information indicating the driving history when the user with the corresponding user ID drives the vehicle on the road with the corresponding road ID at the corresponding date and time is stored in the driving history field. Here, the information indicating the driving history is the same information as the information stored in the driving history field in the road information shown in FIG. 3.

[0037] Here, when the average value of the passing speed of the road is small, it is assumed that the road could not be traveled at a smooth speed compared to the case where the average value of the passing speed of the road is large. Therefore, when the average value of the passing speed of the road is small, it can be assumed that the driving skill is low compared to the case where the average value of the passing speed of the road is large. Also, when a gear change is being made on the road, it is assumed that the user cannot drive the vehicle smoothly and is making a shift or the like. Therefore, when a gear change is being made on the road, it can be assumed that the driving skill is low compared to the case where no gear change is being made.

[0038] In the driving skill field, information obtained by quantifying the driving skill of the user with the corresponding user ID is stored. The control unit 201 refers to the driving history field in the user information and quantifies the driving skill of the user.

[0039] Specifically, the control unit 201 assigns scores to the average value of the passing speed of the road and the number of forward and backward movements respectively. Here, the control unit 201 calculates, for example, the deviation between the average value of the passing speed of the road during the driving subject to scoring and the average value of the passing speed of the road during the driving by other drivers. Thereby, the control unit 201 assigns a score to the average value of the passing speed during the driving subject to scoring. In addition, the control unit 201 assigns a score to the number of forward and backward movements by calculating, for example, the deviation between the number of forward and backward movements of the road during the driving subject to scoring and the average value of the number of forward and backward movements during the driving by other drivers on the road. Note that the control unit 201 obtains the average value of the passing speed and the number of forward and backward movements during the driving subject to scoring from, for example, the driving history field in the road information DB 203.

[0040] Here, when the average value of the passing speed during the driving subject to scoring is lower than the average value of the passing speed during the driving by other drivers, the control unit 201 assigns a score such that the score for the average value of the passing speed during the driving subject to scoring becomes lower. In addition, when the number of forward and backward movements during the driving subject to scoring is larger than the average value of the number of forward and backward movements by other drivers, the control unit 201 assigns a score such that the score for the number of forward and backward movements during the driving subject to scoring becomes lower.

[0041] Then, the control unit 201 refers to the calculated scores for the average value of the passing speed of the road and the number of forward and backward movements respectively, and assigns scores to the driving skills. For example, the control unit 201 assigns scores to the driving skills by subtracting the scores for the average value of the passing speed of the road and the number of forward and backward movements respectively from a predetermined value. In this way, the control unit 201 assigns scores so that the score for the driving skills when the user's driving skills are high is larger than the score for the driving skills when the user's driving skills are low.

[0042] The average value field stores the average value of the scores for the driving skills of the user corresponding to the user ID. By acquiring the average value of the scores for the driving skills from the average value field, the control unit 201 can grasp the evaluation of the user's driving skills based on the evaluation of the user's driving skills when driving on each road.

[0043] The control unit 201 receives destination information from the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 202. The control unit 201 refers to the current position and the destination of the vehicle 10 included in the destination information, and determines the planned driving route of the vehicle 10. Here, for example, the control unit 201 determines the shortest moving distance route among the plurality of routes from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination as the planned driving route. The control unit 201 transmits the determined planned driving route to the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 202.

[0044] The control unit 201 acquires the road information stored in the road information DB 203 and the user information stored in the user information DB 204. Then, the control unit 201 refers to the road information and the user information, and determines whether there is a road (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "high-difficulty road") on the planned driving route of the vehicle 10 whose score for difficulty is equal to or higher than the score for the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10. At that time, the control unit 201 may compare those scores by converting the score for difficulty and / or the score for the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10 so that they can be compared as necessary. Also, for example, the control unit 201 may normalize the score for difficulty and / or the score for the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10, and compare those scores.

[0045] Specifically, the control unit 201 acquires the road ID of each road included in the planned driving route in the route information. The control unit 201 refers to the road information and acquires the driving difficulty of the road corresponding to the road ID that matches the core road ID acquired from the route information. Then, the control unit 201 compares the driving difficulty of each acquired road with the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10 acquired from the user information, and determines whether there is a high-difficulty road on the planned driving route of the vehicle 10.

[0046] When there is a high-difficulty road on the planned driving route of the vehicle 10, the control unit 201 outputs recommendation information or confirmation information to the user terminal 100. Also, the control unit 201 transmits either the recommendation information or the confirmation information according to whether the difference (hereinafter, "score difference") between the quantified difficulty and the quantified driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10 is equal to or higher than a threshold value. Note that the recommendation information and the confirmation information include information indicating the position of the high-difficulty road. The user terminal 100 that has received the recommendation information or the confirmation information superimposes and displays the high-difficulty road on the map displayed on the display for navigation according to the information indicating the position of the high-difficulty road included in the recommendation information or the confirmation information.

[0047] Here, when the score difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the divergence between the difficulty level of the high-difficulty road and the driving skill of the vehicle 10 is greater than when the score difference is less than the threshold value. Therefore, it is better for the vehicle 10 not to drive on the high-difficulty road. On the other hand, when the score difference is less than the threshold value, the divergence between the difficulty level of the high-difficulty road and the driving skill of the vehicle 10 is smaller than when the score difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Therefore, although it is not as much as when the score difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is assumed that the driving of the high-difficulty road by the vehicle 10 will not be as smooth.

[0048] Therefore, when the score difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 201 outputs recommended information to the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 202. Also, when the score difference is less than the threshold value, the control unit 201 outputs confirmation information to the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 202. Note that the control unit 201 may output recommended information to the user terminal 100 when the score difference is greater than the threshold value, and output confirmation information to the user terminal 100 when the score difference is less than or equal to the threshold value.

[0049] In addition, when the vehicle 10 is driving within a predetermined range from the high-difficulty road, the control unit 201 outputs recommended information or confirmation information to the user terminal 100. Here, the predetermined range is a range in which the driving distance to the entrance of the high-difficulty road is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance assumed to provide the user of the vehicle 10 with a time margin to decide whether to bypass the high-difficulty road. By outputting the recommended information or the confirmation information to the user terminal 100 at such a timing, the user of the vehicle 10 can decide whether to drive on the high-difficulty road with a margin.

[0050] (First Process) Next, the first process executed by the control unit 201 of the server 200 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the first process executed by the control unit 201 in the present embodiment. The first process is a process of outputting recommendation information or confirmation information to the user terminal 100 when there is a high-difficulty road. The process shown in FIG. 5 starts execution when the route information is transmitted to the user terminal 100.

[0051] In the first process, first, in S101, the planned travel route of the vehicle 10 is acquired. Next, in S102, road information is acquired from the road information DB 203. Also, in S103, user information is acquired from the user information DB 204. Next, in S104, it is determined whether there is a high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of the vehicle 10. If a negative determination is made in S104, since there is no high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of the vehicle 10, it is not necessary to output recommendation information or confirmation information. Therefore, the first process ends.

[0052] If an affirmative determination is made in S104, in S105, it is determined whether the point difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value. If an affirmative determination is made in S105, since it is better for the user of the vehicle 10 not to drive on the high-difficulty road, the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 100 at an appropriate timing. Therefore, in S106, it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle 10 exists within a predetermined range. If an affirmative determination is made in S106, in S107, the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 100. Then, the first process ends. Also, if a negative determination is made in S106, since it is not the timing to output the recommendation information to the user terminal 100, the process of S106 is executed again. That is, the process of S106 is repeatedly executed until the current position of the vehicle 10 exists within a predetermined range.

[0053] If a negative determination is made in S105, although it is not as much as when the point difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is assumed that the driving of the high-difficulty road by the vehicle 10 will not be smooth. Therefore, the confirmation information is output to the user terminal 100 at a measured timing. Also, in S108, it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle 10 exists within a predetermined range. If an affirmative determination is made in S108, the confirmation information is output to the user terminal 100 in S109. Then, the first process ends. Also, if a negative determination is made in S108, since it is not the timing to output the confirmation information to the user terminal 100, the process of S108 is executed again. That is, the process of S108 is repeatedly executed until the current position of the vehicle 10 exists within the predetermined range.

[0054] As described above, in the evaluation system 1, when there is a high-difficulty road, the recommendation information or the confirmation information is output to the user terminal 100. Thereby, when there is a high-difficulty road, it becomes possible to suppress the user of the vehicle 10 from driving the vehicle on the road. Also, at that time, depending on whether the point difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, either the recommendation information or the confirmation information is transmitted. Thereby, according to the difficulty level of driving on the high-difficulty road and the difference in the driving skills of the user of the vehicle 10, it is possible to give an alert with different intensities to the user of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the user of the vehicle 10 who receives the alert can become more aware of the magnitude of the difference between the difficulty level of driving on the high-difficulty road and the driving skills of the user of the vehicle 10. In this way, it becomes possible for the vehicle 10 to travel on a road according to the driving skills of the user of the vehicle 10.

[0055] (Modification Example 1) In this embodiment, the first process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval after transmitting route information to the user terminal 100. That is, in the first process, when there is a high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of the vehicle 10, it is determined whether to output recommendation information or confirmation information. On the other hand, in this modified example, the server 200 determines whether to output recommendation information or confirmation information without acquiring the planned travel route of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the server 200 determines whether there is a high-difficulty road within a predetermined area from the current position of the vehicle 10. Here, the predetermined area is defined as an area where the vehicle 10 may travel within a predetermined time. And when there is a high-difficulty road within the predetermined area from the current position of the vehicle 10, it is determined whether the point difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, etc., and it is determined whether to output recommendation information or confirmation information. Even in this way, the vehicle 10 can travel on a road according to the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10.

[0056] (Modified Example 2) In this embodiment, the server 200 determines that there is a high-difficulty road when there is a road whose quantified difficulty is equal to or higher than the driving skill of the user of the quantified vehicle 10. On the other hand, when the point difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the server 200 may output either recommendation information or confirmation information. Even in this way, the vehicle 10 can travel on a road according to the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10. (Modified Example 3) In this embodiment, the first process is executed by the control unit 201 of the server 200. However, part or all of the first process may be executed by the user terminal 100. In this case, the process of S101 is executed by the control unit of the user terminal 100 acquiring the route information received from the server 200. Also, the process of S102 is executed by the control unit of the user terminal 100 acquiring road information from the server 200. Also, the process of S103 is executed by acquiring user information from the server 200 or from a database that holds the user information possessed by the user terminal 100. Also, the processes of S104, S105, or S106 may also be executed by the control unit in the user terminal 100. Also, the processes of S106 and S108 are executed by the control unit of the user terminal 100 acquiring the current position of the vehicle 10 from the GPS device mounted on the vehicle 10. Also, the processes of S107 and S108 are executed by outputting (display on the display and audio output) the proposed information and confirmation information to the display and speaker of the user terminal 100. Even in this way, it becomes possible for the vehicle 10 to travel on a road according to the driving skill of the user of the vehicle 10.

[0057] <Second Embodiment> In this embodiment, the user is a candidate for traveling to a destination for the provision of a service using the vehicle 10. Here, the service using the vehicle 10 is, for example, a service that performs passenger transportation such as a taxi or ride-sharing, or a service that performs the delivery of food or luggage. In this case, when the user of the vehicle 10 performs passenger transportation, the user goes to pick up a customer at a location designated by the customer or sends the customer to the customer's destination. Also, when the user of the vehicle 10 performs the delivery of food or luggage, the user moves to the pick-up location of the food or luggage or moves to the delivery location of the food or luggage. In this embodiment, the case where the user of the vehicle 10 performs a passenger transportation service will be described.

[0058] When a user of the vehicle 10 provides a service, there may be a high-difficulty road on the route. Then, when driving on the high-difficulty road, troubles may occur, etc., and there is a risk that the service cannot be provided smoothly. In the present embodiment, such a problem is solved. Note that only the points different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the server 200 is a server device that manages a service provided by a user of the vehicle 10 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "service"). The control unit 201 in the server 200 receives a request for providing a service from a terminal used by a customer via the communication unit 202. At this time, the control unit 201 receives information including the pick-up point and the destination specified by the customer. Then, the control unit 201 determines a user existing within a predetermined range from the pick-up point as a candidate for the service provider.

[0060] In addition, the control unit 201 outputs, via the communication unit 202, information for inquiring (confirming) whether to accept an order for providing a service (hereinafter, may be referred to as "inquiry information") to the user terminal 100. The control unit 201 receives, via the communication unit 202, response information to the inquiry information from the user terminal 100 that has received the inquiry information. Thereby, the user of the user terminal 100 can provide the service.

[0061] In addition, the control unit 201 acquires, in real time, current position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 from the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 202. Then, the server 200 generates route information indicating a planned driving route of the vehicle 10 including a route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the pick-up point and a route from the pick-up point to the destination.

[0062] At this time, there may be a high-difficulty road on the planned route of the vehicle 10. At this time, if the vehicle 10 travels on the planned route, there may be a risk that the service cannot be provided smoothly due to troubles or the like. Therefore, it is not suitable to use the vehicle 10 as the service provider. Thus, when there is a high-difficulty road on the planned route of the vehicle 10, the control unit 201 prohibits the output of inquiry information to the user terminal 100. In this case, the control unit 201 determines whether there is a high-difficulty road with a user other than the user of the vehicle 10 as a new candidate, and decides whether to output the inquiry information. Further, when there is no high-difficulty road on the planned route of the vehicle 10, the control unit 201 outputs inquiry information to the user terminal 100.

[0063] (Second Process) Next, the second process executed by the control unit 201 of the server 200 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second process executed by the control unit 201 in the present embodiment. The second process is a process of prohibiting the output of inquiry information to the user terminal 100 when there is a high-difficulty road. The process shown in FIG. 6 starts when the control unit 201 generates route information.

[0064] In the second process, first, in S201, the planned route of the vehicle 10 is acquired. Next, in S202, road information is acquired from the road information DB 203. Also, in S203, user information is acquired from the user information DB 204. Next, in S204, it is determined whether there is a high-difficulty road on the planned route of the vehicle 10. If a negative determination is made in S204, since there is no high-difficulty road on the planned route of the vehicle 10, the user can provide the service smoothly. Therefore, in S206, inquiry information is output to the user terminal 100. As a result, the user can receive an order for the provision of the service. Then, the second process ends.

[0065] Also, when an affirmative determination is made in S204, there is a high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of vehicle 10. Therefore, it is assumed that the user cannot smoothly provide the service. Thus, in S205, the output of inquiry information is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the user from receiving an order for the service. At this time, the control unit 201 may continue to provide information regarding the service. Here, the service information regarding the service is, for example, information regarding the service for customers other than the customer who requested the current service. Also, when there is a high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of vehicle 10, the control unit 201 may omit the output of inquiry information to the user terminal 100. Then, the second process ends.

[0066] As described above, when there is a high-difficulty road on the planned travel route of vehicle 10 by the evaluation system 1, the output of inquiry information is prohibited. Thereby, it becomes possible for vehicle 10 to travel on a road according to the driving skill of the user of vehicle 10, and since it is possible to suppress the user from receiving an order for the service, it becomes possible to provide a smooth service.

[0067] <Other Embodiments> The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. Also, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0068] Also, the processes described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, the processes described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change how each function is realized by what hardware configuration (server configuration).

[0069] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer and causing one or more processors included in the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a hard disk drive (HDD)), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk), any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or an optical card.

Explanation of Signs

[0070] 1 ·· Evaluation system 10 ·· Vehicle 100 ·· User terminal 200 ·· Server 201 ·· Control unit 202 ·· Communication unit 203 ·· Road information DB 204 ·· User information DB

Claims

1. Obtaining difficulty information indicating the difficulty level of driving on a road; Obtaining skill information indicating the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle; Referring to the difficulty information and the skill information, and evaluating whether the difficulty level matches the driving skill of the driver; Outputting evaluation information regarding the result of the evaluation; And comprising a control unit configured to execute the above. An information processing apparatus.

2. Outputting the evaluation information includes outputting an alert to the driver's terminal to notify that there is a road where the difficulty level does not match the driver's driving skill when the vehicle is within a predetermined range from a road where the difficulty level does not match the driver's driving skill. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. Outputting the evaluation information includes: When the difficulty level is higher than the driver's skill level and the difference between the driver's skill level and the difficulty level is less than a threshold value, outputting information asking whether to drive on the road; When the difficulty level is higher than the driver's skill level and the difference between the driver's skill level and the difficulty level is greater than or equal to the threshold value, outputting information recommending not to drive on the road; And including: The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Outputting the evaluation information includes causing a display to superimposedly display on a map a road where the difficulty level does not match the driver's driving skill. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The driver is a candidate for driving to a destination for service provision, The control unit: Obtaining the planned driving route to the destination, configured to further execute, outputting the evaluation information, when a road evaluated as not matching the difficulty level of the candidate's driving skill is not included in the planned driving route, outputting an inquiry to the candidate's terminal as to whether to order the provision of the service; when a road evaluated as not matching the difficulty level of the candidate's driving skill is included in the planned driving route, omitting the transmission of the inquiry as to whether to order the provision of the service to the candidate's terminal, or outputting information regarding the provision of the service in a state where ordering the provision of the service is prohibited; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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