Information provision system

Abstract

To provide a system capable of efficiently obtaining useful information about roads and the surrounding areas in a target area.SOLUTION: An information provision system S includes: a specification acceptance unit that accepts specifications of first and second location; a setting unit 31 that sets one or more candidates for moving routes from the first location to the second location; an acquisition unit 32 that acquires at least one piece of information related to traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate for each candidate and information related to the location to which the road corresponding to the candidate belongs; a selection unit 34 that selects one or more candidates as the moving routes based on at least one of the information acquired for each candidate and a selection criterion when a plurality of candidates are set; and a generation unit 35 that generates information for display regarding the moving route based on data acquired by a data acquisition device transported by a movable body while the movable body moves along the moving route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system, and more particularly to an information providing system capable of providing information about a target area. [Background technology]

[0002] When proposing a property for sale to a customer considering purchasing a building such as a house, if the property is to be built in an area unknown to the customer, the salesperson may use an information search site or the like to provide the customer with information about the area (hereinafter also referred to as the target area). In this case, the salesperson, for example, operates a terminal in the store and inputs the address or place name of the target area as a search keyword. Based on the input keyword, information about the environment of the target area, such as the area's climate, map, scenery, presence or absence of commercial facilities, and traffic volume at each time of day, is provided.

[0003] Furthermore, technology for supporting the provision of information about a target area is already known. For example, a map created by a device described in Patent Document 1 is a map in which landscape information showing the scenery of roads is associated with each point on the map. With this technology, when a road in a target area is specified via a network, information about the scenery of each section can be visually confirmed for each of multiple sections set on the road. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2006 / 098311 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, when providing information about roads within a target area and its surroundings, the information to be provided, or the information that will be the source (material) of the information to be provided, is acquired while actually traveling along the roads. In this case, the roads to be traveled, i.e., the travel route, are specified when acquiring the information. Meanwhile, there may be multiple route candidates, and in such cases, it is necessary to decide which candidate to select. However, if the candidate is not selected appropriately, there is a risk that useful information about the target area will not be provided.

[0006] Furthermore, it is naturally time-consuming to acquire information while traveling along roads (routes). Therefore, it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to acquire information about all of the multiple routes. Furthermore, since the conditions of roads and their surrounding areas can change depending on the weather, time of day, etc., if the conditions of the roads and their surrounding areas change after information about the roads has been acquired, it is necessary to acquire the information after the change in conditions. In this case, acquiring information about all of the multiple routes requires even more effort.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to efficiently acquire useful information about roads and their surrounding areas in a target area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The above problem is solved by the information provision system of the present invention, which is characterized by comprising a designation acceptance unit that accepts designation of a first point and a second point; a setting unit that sets one or more candidates for a travel route from the first point to the second point; an acquisition unit that acquires, for each candidate, at least one of information related to traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate and information related to the district to which the road corresponding to the candidate belongs; a selection unit that, when multiple candidates are set, selects one or more candidates as the travel route based on at least one of the information acquired for each candidate and selection criteria; and a generation unit that generates display information related to the travel route based on data acquired by a data acquisition device carried by the mobile body while the mobile body moves along the travel route.

[0009] According to the above system, a first point and a second point can be specified, a travel route can be selected from multiple routes (candidates) connecting the specified points, and useful information about the route and its surroundings can be efficiently acquired. As a result, a user of the above system can efficiently collect useful information about roads in a target area and their surroundings while moving a mobile object along the selected travel route.

[0010] Preferably, the acquisition unit acquires, as the traffic-related information, at least one of information on traffic conditions on roads and information on regulations regarding the use of roads. According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately select a travel route for which information is to be acquired from among a plurality of candidates based on information related to traffic.

[0011] Furthermore, it is more preferable that the acquisition unit acquires, as the information about the district, at least one of information about the public safety of the district and information about buildings existing in the district. With the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately select a travel route for which information is to be acquired from among a plurality of candidates based on information relating to the area.

[0012] In addition, when multiple candidates are set, the system further includes a limiting section that limits the multiple candidates to candidates according to the type of moving body, and when there are two or more limited candidates, the selecting section selects one of the two or more limited candidates as the travel route. According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately select a travel route from among a plurality of candidates, the travel route for which information is to be acquired, taking into consideration the type of moving object traveling along the travel route.

[0013] In addition, based on information about traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate, an index value related to the traffic volume of the road is calculated, and based on the calculated index value and the selection criteria defined for the index value, one or more of the multiple candidates can be selected as the travel route. According to the above configuration, an index value relating to road traffic volume is calculated for each candidate, and based on the calculation result of the index value and the selection criteria established for the index value, a travel route for which information is to be obtained can be appropriately selected from among multiple candidates.

[0014] The vehicle may further include a display processing unit that executes processing for displaying the display information on the screen together with a map of the area including the travel route. According to the above configuration, a map associated with display information about a travel route can be displayed on the screen, allowing a user of the provided information to check information about each point on the travel route on the map and make effective use of the information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently obtain useful information about roads in a target area and their surrounding areas. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] As an example of a screen for selecting a travel route, a screen for inputting a start point and an end point is shown. [Figure 2B] As an example of a screen for selecting a travel route, a screen for selecting a means of transportation is shown. [Figure 2C] As an example of a screen for selecting a travel route, a list of selected travel routes and a map reflecting these routes are shown. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the functions of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a flow chart of an information providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing information about traffic on roads corresponding to each of a plurality of travel route candidates, and index values. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is merely one of the specific examples given to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved from the embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, the screen examples shown in each of the figures referenced in the following description are merely examples, and the screen configuration examples, the displayed information, and the specific contents of the GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc., can be freely designed and changed according to the design specifications and user preferences.

[0018] In addition, in this specification, the concept of "device" includes a single device that performs a specific function by itself, as well as a combination of multiple devices that are distributed and exist independently but work together (in cooperation) to perform a specific function.

[0019] Furthermore, the basic information processing technologies (communication / transmission technology, information acquisition technology, information recording technology, information processing technology, information analysis technology, image processing technology, visualization technology, etc.) required to realize the contents of this embodiment are well-known technologies, and therefore explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0020] In this specification, a "user" refers to a person who uses the information provision system of the present invention, and in particular, a person who uses the functions of the information provision system to collect information while moving a mobile object on roads in a target area. For example, a home sales company that uses the functions of the information provision system to obtain information on roads in an area where a building to be sold will be constructed and its surrounding areas when providing such information to customers corresponds to a user. Hereinafter, a user is also referred to as a "system user."

[0021] In this specification, an "information user" is a person who utilizes information provided by a system user using the information provision system of the present invention, or who provides the information to a third party. For example, a home sales company that negotiates with a customer considering purchasing a building in an unknown area or relocating, or more specifically, an employee who introduces the customer to information provided by the information provision system of the present invention during negotiations, corresponds to an information user. However, the information user is not limited to this, and may also be a building construction company or a construction company.

[0022] <<About an Information Providing System According to an Embodiment of the Present Invention>> An information providing system according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as information providing system S) will be described. 1, the information provision system S is composed of a user terminal 10 operated by a system user, an information user terminal 12 having a screen on which information provided to the information user is displayed, an in-vehicle device 15 attached to a mobile object, a public server 16, a server (information provision device) 18, a database server 20, and a communication network N connecting these devices together. The in-vehicle device 15 also includes a data acquisition device 14, which will be described later.

[0023] In Figure 1, for the sake of convenience, the number of user terminals 10, information user terminals 12, vehicle-mounted devices 15, and public servers 16 is shown as one, but of course, in reality, there may be more user terminals 10, information user terminals 12, vehicle-mounted devices 15, and public servers 16 than those shown in the figure.

[0024] The mobile object of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can move on roads in the target area. For example, a person, a bicycle, a motorcycle, an automobile, etc. are given as examples of the mobile object. In this embodiment, an automobile is selected as the mobile object.

[0025] According to the information provision system S, for an area set by a system user, one or more roads can be selected from the roads existing in that area, and useful information on the selected road and its surrounding environment can be efficiently acquired. The area from which information is acquired (hereinafter also referred to as the target area) is not particularly limited, but for example, the construction site of a house to be sold by a housing sales company may be set as the target area.

[0026] A specific example of use of the information provision system S will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C. When a system user accesses the server 18 via the user terminal 10, an input screen for specifying a target area, as shown in FIG. 2A, is displayed on the display of the user terminal 10. The system user inputs two points within the target area, specifically the start and end points of the above-mentioned movement route, as shown in FIG. 2A, for the purpose of selecting a movement route for a mobile object for which information is to be collected. At this time, a map of the target area may be displayed on the display of the user terminal 10, and in this case, the system user can specify the above-mentioned two points on the map. Specifically, for example, the user selects the start and end points by touching the start and end points on the map. As a result, the address and building location of the selected points are displayed in the blank spaces for the start and end points on the input screen.

[0027] Based on the input information, the server 18 sets one or more candidate routes (roads) for travel between two locations. Furthermore, once one or more candidates have been set, the server 18 displays, on the display of the user terminal 10, a list of transportation modes (types of vehicles) that can be used to travel along one or more candidate routes, along with check boxes, as shown in FIG. 2B. When the system user selects the check box for a desired transportation mode (automobile in FIG. 2B) on the selection screen, the server 18 limits the one or more candidate routes to those that can be traveled by the desired transportation mode (automobile in FIG. 2B). As a result, a map of the target area is displayed on the display of the user terminal 10, as shown in FIG. 2C, showing one or more candidate routes (three candidate routes in FIG. 2C) limited according to the type of transportation mode selected by the system user.

[0028] The server 18 also displays an input screen (not shown) on the display of the user terminal 10 for inputting a topic to be considered when selecting a candidate route. When a system user inputs a desired topic (e.g., convenience of transportation) on the input screen, the server 18 selects one candidate route from one or more candidate routes limited according to the desired means of transportation, based on the selection criteria for that topic. As a result, a map of the target area showing the selected candidate route is displayed on the display of the user terminal 10. At this time, the selection criteria used to select the selected candidate route and the reason for the selection are also displayed.

[0029] The system user then operates (drives) a vehicle as a means of transportation to travel along one or more candidate routes displayed on the screen. At this time, the server 18 transmits the selected travel route to the vehicle, which controls the vehicle to travel along the travel route received from the server 18. While the vehicle is traveling along the selected travel route, the data acquisition device 14 mounted on the vehicle, specifically, a GPS (Global Positioning System), a camera, and a microphone, acquires information about the road corresponding to the travel route and its surroundings, such as the position, scenery, noise, etc. of each point on the road, and transmits this information to the server 18.

[0030] The server 18 generates display information related to the travel route based on the data acquired from the data acquisition device 14. As a result, when an information user searches for the travel route via the information user terminal 12, the server 18 displays the display information related to the travel route on the display of the information user terminal 12.

[0031] <<Example of information provision system configuration>> As shown in Fig. 1, in an information provision system S, a user terminal 10 used by a system user, an information user terminal 12 having a screen on which information provided to the information user is displayed, an in-vehicle device 15 (including a data acquisition device 14) attached to a mobile object, a public server 16, and a server (information provision device) 18 are communicatively connected via a communication network N. The communication network N is a communication line network consisting of, for example, the Internet or a mobile communication network, and may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc.

[0032] The user terminal 10 is a computer used by a system user, and specifically comprises a smart device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer). The user terminal 10 is equipped with a processor, memory, a communication interface, and the like. The user terminal 10 stores an application program (hereinafter referred to as a slope inspection application) for using the information provision system S. When using the information provision system S, the system user downloads the information provision application from a predetermined website and installs it on the user terminal 10. The information user terminal 12 also has the same configuration as the user terminal 10.

[0033] The vehicle-mounted device 15 includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface, and a data acquisition device 14. Examples of the data acquisition device 14 include a GPS sensor, a camera, a microphone, and an illuminance sensor. The current position of the vehicle is measured at regular intervals by the GPS sensor, and the measurement results (positioning information) are sequentially sent to the server 18 via the communication interface. In addition, the scenery around the road on which the vehicle is traveling is photographed by a camera, and audio around the road is collected by a microphone. These images and audio (video) are also sequentially sent to the server 18 via the communication interface.

[0034] The public server 16 is a server within a public network, and examples thereof include servers of government agencies such as the Japan Meteorological Agency, local governments, public transportation facilities, research institutes, etc. From the public server 16, it is possible to obtain, for example, maps, topographical information, weather information, transportation operation status, road traffic regulation information, etc.

[0035] Server (information providing device) 18 may be configured with a single computer or multiple computers distributed in parallel. Furthermore, if the computer configuring server 18 is a server computer, it may be a server computer for ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, when necessary information is input into a client terminal such as a PC or tablet terminal, the server computer performs various information processing (calculation) operations based on the input information, and the calculation results are output on the client terminal side. As a result, the functions of the server computer can be used on the client terminal side.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the computer that constitutes the server 18 includes a processor 22, a memory 24, a storage 26, and a communication interface 28.

[0037] The processor 22 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory 24 is configured by semiconductor memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0038] The storage 26 may be configured, for example, by a flash memory, a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disc (FD), a magneto-optical disc (MO disc), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a secure digital card (SD card), or a universal serial bus memory (USB memory). The storage 26 may be built into the computer constituting the server 18, or may be attached to the computer in an external form, or may be configured by an external server (for example, a database server or a file server) present on a network. The storage 26 may also be configured by a plurality of different storage media, or by a plurality of storage devices distributed among one another.

[0039] The storage 26 stores selection criteria used to select a travel route for a mobile object for each topic that is important when selecting candidates, and specifically, the selection criteria are stored for each topic, such as transportation convenience, convenience of life, environmental suitability, public safety, disaster situations, child-rearing environment, etc. The storage 26 stores selection criteria for one or more topics.

[0040] The communication interface 28 may be configured, for example, by a network interface card, a communication interface board, etc. The computer configuring the server 18 can communicate data with other devices connected to the Internet, a mobile communication line, etc. via the communication interface 28.

[0041] Furthermore, a program for the OS and an information provision program are installed as software in the server 18. The processor 22 of the server 18 reads and executes the above programs.

[0042] The database server 20 is a cloud-type server prepared by, for example, an operating company of a service using the server 18, specifically, a housing provider (housing manufacturer) to which information is provided, and stores various information (strictly speaking, digitized information) necessary for information provision. The server 18 is connected to the database server 20 via the communication network N so as to be able to communicate with the database server 20, and can freely read out the information stored in the database server 20.

[0043] The various information stored in the database server 20 includes information acquired by the data acquisition device 14, such as the travel history of the vehicle transporting the data acquisition device 14, the number of trips, the number of stops, the stop locations, video (images) captured by the data acquisition device 14, audio recorded by the data acquisition device 14, and illuminance measured by the data acquisition device 14 (including information on the measurement points). Each piece of information is recorded along with the date and time the information was acquired. The database server 20 may also include information obtained by the server 18 analyzing or interpreting the information acquired by the data acquisition device 14 (specifically, video, images, etc.), such as the green view rate, pedestrian traffic (volume), and display information related to travel routes. The database server 20 may also include information obtained by the server 18 analyzing or interpreting information acquired from the public server 16 (specifically, video, images, etc.), such as the green view rate, pedestrian traffic (volume), and the number of vehicles waiting at a red light.

[0044] <<Functions of the server (information providing device) according to this embodiment>> Next, the functional configuration of the server according to this embodiment will be described from a functional standpoint. 4, the server 18 has a designation receiving unit 30, a setting unit 31, an acquisition unit 32, a limiting unit 33, a selection unit 34, a generation unit 35, and a display processing unit 36. These functional units are realized by cooperation between hardware devices included in a computer constituting the server 18 and a program (i.e., software) installed on the computer. Each functional unit will be described below.

[0045] (Designated Reception Department) The specification receiving unit 30 receives input information from the system user through the input device of the user terminal 10. The user's input information includes information for specifying the target area (specifically, the specification of the first and second points), a choice of transportation means, and input of a topic to be considered when selecting a candidate route (or selection from a list of topics). The specification receiving unit 30 also receives input information from the information user through the input device of the information user terminal 12. The input information from the information user includes information for specifying the target area and keywords for information the information user desires about the target area, such as climate, greening rate, traffic volume, etc.

[0046] (Settings section) The setting unit 31, based on the information for specifying the target district acquired by the designation receiving unit 30, All road information in the target area is acquired from the public server 16, the database server 20, etc. via the communication network N, and one or more candidates (roads) are set. Specifically, the setting unit 31 sets one or more candidates for the travel route from the start point (first point) to the end point (second point) specified by the system user.

[0047] (Acquisition Department) The acquisition unit 32 acquires, via the communication network N, from the public server 16, the database server 20, etc., for each of one or more candidates set by the setting unit 31, at least one of information regarding traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate and information regarding the district to which the road corresponding to the candidate belongs.

[0048] The information about traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate includes information about the traffic conditions on the road and information about regulations regarding the use of the road. Information about traffic conditions on roads includes, for example, the number of pedestrians passing by, the volume of each vehicle's traffic, etc. Information about restrictions on road use includes, for example, the number of traffic lights between the start point and the end point of the road, the switching time of each traffic light (the time during which vehicles can pass or stop), traffic restrictions such as road closures and speed limits (including applicable vehicle types and restricted time periods), and the type of road (information about expressways, general roads, bicycle and pedestrian-only roads, etc.). The information about traffic on the candidate road also includes information previously acquired by the data acquisition device 14, or information acquired by the server 18 through analysis of information (specifically, videos, images, etc.) acquired from the public server 16. It also includes the history acquired by the data acquisition device 14 carried by a vehicle that has traveled the candidate road in the past, specifically, the movement history, number of movements, number of stops, and stopping locations of the vehicle carrying the data acquisition device 14.

[0049] The information about the district to which the road corresponding to the candidate belongs includes information about the public safety of the district and information about buildings existing in the district. Information about the public safety of a district includes, for example, information about traffic accidents, crimes (such as snatching, breaking and entering, and vandalism), and information about suspicious people (such as calling out to people and stalking them). Information about buildings in the area includes, for example, information about public facilities (for example, schools, libraries, parks, and police stations) and commercial facilities (for example, department stores, shopping centers, restaurants, and amusement parks). In addition, the information regarding the district to which the candidate road belongs also includes information previously acquired by the data acquisition device 14, or information obtained by the server 18 analyzing or parsing information (specifically, video, images, etc.) acquired from the public server 16.

[0050] The acquisition unit 32 also receives information about roads and their surroundings transmitted from the data acquisition device 14. The received information includes the location information of the vehicle measured at regular intervals by a GPS sensor, as well as videos and images taken by a camera while the vehicle is moving, audio recorded by a microphone, and illuminance measured by a light meter.

[0051] (Limited part) When multiple candidate routes (roads) are set by the setting unit 31, the limiting unit 33 limits the candidate routes to those that can be traveled by the means of transportation (mobile object) selected by the system user. Information on the limited candidates is sent to the selection unit 34.

[0052] (Selection Department) When multiple candidate routes (roads) are set by the setting unit 31, the selection unit 34 selects one or more candidates as a travel route based on at least one of the pieces of information acquired for each candidate by the acquisition unit 32 and existing selection criteria. Note that when the limiting unit 33 limits two or more candidates, the selection unit 34 further selects one candidate as a travel route from the two or more limited candidates. The selection unit 34 also selects a travel route based on selection criteria for one or more topics input (or selected) by the system user. If the server 18 has selection criteria for only one topic, the selection unit 34 selects a travel route without requiring the system user to input a topic.

[0053] Selection criteria are set in advance for each topic that is important when selecting candidates. Topics include, for example, convenience of transportation (specifically, road congestion, distance to the nearest station or bus stop, traffic volume, time it takes to get to work or school, types of transportation available, etc.), convenience of daily life (specifically, number of commercial facilities and distance to those facilities, distance to supermarkets and convenience stores, distance to medical facilities), suitability of the environment (specifically, presence or absence of noise, vibration, presence or absence of bad odors, sunlight, ventilation, etc.), public safety (specifically, whether there is a downtown area nearby, whether there are stores open late at night and the distance to those stores, whether there are vacant lots or houses nearby, whether there are police stations or convenience stores nearby), situation in the event of a disaster (specifically, weakness of the ground, whether the area is prone to flooding during heavy rain, distance to evacuation sites, etc.), and child-rearing environment (specifically, number and distance of nearby schools and daycare centers, presence or absence of facilities for children).

[0054] Furthermore, for example, if the topic that is emphasized when selecting candidates is the convenience of transportation and the means of transportation is an automobile, the selection unit 34 calculates an index value related to the traffic volume of the road based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 32, specifically, information related to traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate (including a method for calculating the traffic volume).The selection unit 34 then selects one candidate as a travel route from among the multiple candidates selected by the setting unit 31 or limited by the limiting unit 33, based on the calculation result of the index value and the selection criteria defined for the index value. Details of the selection method will be provided later in the explanation of the flow of the information provision method.

[0055] (Generation part) The generating unit 35 generates display information relating to the travel route based on data acquired by the data acquisition device 14 carried by the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling along the travel route. The display information is information that associates data related to the selected travel route and the road corresponding to the travel route, and the data related to the road includes, for example, information that changes depending on the situation such as the season, time of day, weather, etc., specifically, traffic volume, illuminance, noise, etc. The data related to the road may also include data on buildings existing around the road (for example, the name and height of the building, and the type of business if it is a commercial building), and data on green spaces existing around the road (for example, the green space ratio, etc.).

[0056] (Display processing unit) The display processing unit 36 displays the display information generated by the generation unit 35 on the screen of the information user terminal 12 together with a map of the area including the travel route. The display processing unit 36 may indicate the travel trajectory of the moving object with a dotted line, and may change the thickness or color of the line depending on the number of travels, so that the roads from which data was previously acquired, as well as the travel history and number of travels of the moving object, can be seen on the map. Furthermore, the display information may change depending on the position of each point on the travel route. In such a case, the display processing unit 36 may display the display information in a screen configuration that allows the user to recognize which point on the travel route the display information is for.

[0057] <<About the building image display flow according to this embodiment>> The following describes the flow of an information providing method using the above-described information providing system S. The flow of the information providing method proceeds along the flow shown in FIG. The flow of the information providing method shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the order in which steps are performed may be changed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0058] At each step in the flow of the information provision method, the processor 22 of the server 18 (computer) constituting the information provision device of the present invention executes processing corresponding to each step. Specifically, in the flow of the information provision method, the processor 22 first displays a screen such as that shown in Fig. 2A on the display of the user terminal 10, and prompts the system user to input two points that exist within the target area, more specifically, the start point and end point of the travel route (road) of a mobile object that is collecting information. When the system user inputs the two points, the processor 22 executes an input reception process to receive the input information (S001).

[0059] Next, based on the input information received in step S001, processor 22 extracts all possible routes from the start point to the end point from road information acquired from public server 16 or database server 20, and sets one or more candidates (S002). Then, for each candidate, processor 22 acquires information about traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate (candidate route), specifically, information about traffic conditions on the road and information about regulations on the use of the road (S003).

[0060] 2B on the display of the user terminal 10, and prompts the system user to select a means of transportation (type of moving object) that can travel one or more candidate routes. When the system user selects, for example, an automobile as a means of transportation, the processor 22 accepts the selection information (S004) and limits the one or more candidate routes to candidates that can be traveled by automobile based on information about traffic on the candidate route acquired in step S003, specifically, traffic restrictions such as road closures and speed limits (including applicable vehicle types and restricted time periods), and road types (information about expressways, general roads, bicycle and pedestrian-only roads, etc.) (S005).

[0061] The processor 22 also prompts the system user to input a topic to be emphasized when selecting candidates (or to select from a list of topics) on a screen displayed on the display of the user terminal 10. If the system user inputs, for example, convenience of transportation (specifically, road congestion) as a topic to be emphasized when selecting a candidate, the processor 22 acquires selection criteria related to convenience of transportation from the storage 26. Then, the processor 22 selects one candidate from the one or more candidate routes narrowed down in step S005 as a travel route (preferred route) based on the acquired selection criteria and the information related to traffic on the candidate route acquired in step S003 (S006).

[0062] Here, a method for selecting one candidate route as a travel route from among a plurality of candidate routes limited according to the type of transportation will be described in detail. For example, when three candidate routes A to C are narrowed down in step S005, the processor 22 acquires information necessary for making a selection in accordance with a selection criterion related to road congestion from the information related to traffic on the candidate routes acquired in step S003. Specifically, information related to traffic on the roads corresponding to each of the candidate routes A to C, more specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, information related to traffic on the roads corresponding to each of the candidate routes A to C, such as (1) the number of traffic lights, (2) the total time the light is green, and (3) the total number of cars waiting when each light is red (total number of stopped cars), is acquired as information for selection.

[0063] If the selection criteria include selection criteria according to the situation, processor 22 selects a candidate according to each situation as a travel route based on each selection criterion. For example, if selection criterion S1 for a time period with low automobile traffic volume and selection criterion S2 for a time period with high automobile traffic volume are included, processor 22 selects a candidate that satisfies each of selection criteria S1 and S2 from the roads corresponding to each of candidate routes A to C as a travel route suitable for each time period.

[0064] When the selection criterion S1 for the time periods with low automobile traffic volume is determined by the number of traffic lights, the processor 22 selects the candidate route B as the high priority travel route (preferred route) for the time periods with low automobile traffic volume from the information on the traffic on the roads corresponding to each of the candidate routes A to C, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0065] Furthermore, when the selection criterion S2 for a time period with high automobile traffic volume is set to low traffic volume, the processor 22 first calculates an index value indicating traffic volume from information about traffic on the roads corresponding to each of the candidate routes A to C. The index value shown in FIG. 7 is calculated by calculating the total time it takes automobiles to pass through an intersection with each traffic light (total green light time / 2), assuming that automobiles pass through the intersection at a rate of one every two seconds when the light is green, and then dividing this value by the total number of automobiles waiting at each traffic light while the light is red (total number of stopped automobiles). Based on the selection criterion S2, the processor 22 selects the candidate route C with the largest calculated index value as the travel route with the highest priority (preferred route) during a time period with high automobile traffic volume.

[0066] When the preferred route is selected, the processor 22 displays a display screen showing the route of the selected preferred candidate, i.e., the route from the start point to the end point, together with a map, on the display of the user terminal 10. Specifically, when the selection criterion S1 for a time period with low automobile traffic volume is applied, the candidate route B is displayed, and when the selection criterion S2 for a time period with high automobile traffic volume is applied, the candidate route C is displayed. The method of displaying the selected candidate route is not limited to displaying only the selected candidate route, and it may be possible to display whether each of the multiple candidate routes shown on the map is the selected candidate route, and for the selected candidate route, the reason for its selection may be displayed.

[0067] Meanwhile, the system user drives the car to travel according to the route displayed on the screen. Then, while the car travels along the travel route, the data acquisition device 14 mounted on the car, such as a GPS, a camera, and a microphone, acquires information about the road corresponding to the travel route and its surroundings, specifically, information about the position, scenery, noise, etc. of each point on the road. The acquired information is converted into data and transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 15 to the server 18 (or database server 20).

[0068] When the server 18 acquires the data transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 15 (S007), the processor 22 generates display information in which information corresponding to each time period is associated with each of the candidate routes A to C based on the acquired data (S008). The processor 22 also executes a process of displaying the display information on the display of the information user terminal 12 together with a map including the route traveled by the automobile to acquire the information that became the basis of the display information (S009).

[0069] The flow of the information provision method progresses by carrying out the series of steps described above, and the flow of the information provision method ends when the display image generated by executing processing at each step is displayed on the display of the information user terminal 12.

[0070] As explained above, according to this embodiment, a first point and a second point are designated, a travel route is selected from a plurality of routes (candidates) connecting the designated points, and useful information about the route and its surroundings can be efficiently acquired. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a travel route can be selected from a plurality of routes (candidates) according to the weather, time of day, etc., so that the system user can efficiently collect useful information about the roads in the target area and their surroundings while moving a mobile object along the selected travel route.

[0071] While one embodiment of the information provision system of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10 User terminal 12 Information user terminal 14 Data Acquisition Equipment 15 Onboard equipment 16 Public Servers 18 Server (information provider) 20 Database Server 22 processors 24 memory 26 Storage 28 Communication Interface 30 Designated Reception Department 31 Setting section 32 Acquisition Department 33 Limited section 34 Selection Department 35 Generation part 36 Display processing section S Information provision system N Communication Network

Claims

1. a designation receiving unit that receives designation of a first location and a second location; a setting unit that sets one or more candidates for a travel route from the first point to the second point; an acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the candidates, at least one of information regarding traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate and information regarding the district to which the road corresponding to the candidate belongs; a selection unit that, when a plurality of candidates are set, selects one or more of the candidates as the travel route based on the at least one piece of information acquired for each of the candidates and a selection criterion; a generation unit that generates display information related to the travel route based on data acquired by a data acquisition device carried by the mobile object while the mobile object is traveling along the travel route; An information provision system equipped with:

2. The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires, as the traffic-related information, at least one of information on traffic conditions on the road and information on regulations on the use of the road.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires, as the information about the district, at least one of information about public safety in the district and information about buildings present in the district.

4. a limiting unit that, when a plurality of candidates are set, limits the candidates to the candidate corresponding to the type of the moving body from among the plurality of candidates; The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein, when there are two or more limited candidates, the selection unit selects one of the two or more limited candidates as the travel route.

5. The selection unit calculating an index value relating to road traffic volume based on information relating to traffic on the road corresponding to the candidate; The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the candidates are selected as the travel route based on the calculation result of the index value and the selection criteria defined for the index value.

6. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a display processing unit that executes processing for displaying the display information on a screen together with a map of an area including the travel route.

Images