Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To more surely evaluate the easiness of being stuck on a road.SOLUTION: The information processing device determines whether the number of traveling vehicles in the evaluation interval during the evaluation period for evaluating the ease of getting stuck exceeds a threshold. The information processing device extends the evaluation period when the number of traveling vehicles is less than the threshold. When the number of running vehicles exceeds the threshold, the information processing apparatus evaluates the likelihood of the road being stuck in the evaluation interval based on the probe information collected while the running vehicles are running in the evaluation interval.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device. The driving assistance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 acquires vehicle speed data before the ABS of the vehicle is activated and vehicle speed data when the ABS of the vehicle is deactivated. The driving assistance device calculates a sliding friction coefficient based on the vehicle speed data before the ABS is activated and the vehicle speed data when the ABS is deactivated. The driving assistance device determines whether the sliding friction coefficient is equal to or less than a threshold value, and if the sliding friction coefficient is equal to or less than the threshold value, detects that a slip due to a frozen road surface has occurred.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an emergency traffic regulation decision support system. The emergency traffic regulation decision support system disclosed in Patent Document 2 acquires information on road surface conditions, including unevenness of the road surface due to snow accumulation, the quality of snow on the road surface, or frozen road surface. The emergency traffic regulation decision support system also acquires information on road space conditions, including the presence or absence of avalanches, snowdrifts, blizzards, or stuck vehicles. The emergency traffic regulation decision support system also acquires information on vehicle driving conditions, including tire spin, sudden braking, or skidding due to snow accumulation. The emergency traffic regulation decision support system analyzes the snow-covered road surface conditions, road space conditions, and vehicle driving conditions based on the acquired information. The emergency traffic regulation decision support system then comprehensively determines emergency traffic regulation based on the analysis results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-24312 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7282994 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure aims to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck on a road. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: determining whether or not the number of vehicles traveling in the evaluation section during an evaluation period for the likelihood of getting stuck exceeds a threshold; Extending the evaluation period when the number of traveling vehicles is less than the threshold value; When the number of the traveling vehicles exceeds the threshold, evaluating the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck according to probe information when the plurality of traveling vehicles are traveling in the evaluation section; outputting information on the result of the evaluation; The controller is configured to:

[0007] An information processing device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: Receiving probe information in real time, including the location acquired by a GPS device mounted on each vehicle and sensing values ​​acquired by an on-board sensor of each vehicle; storing the probe information of the plurality of vehicles in a database; The positions of the plurality of vehicles stored in the database are referenced to determine the likelihood of the vehicles getting stuck. Identifying vehicles traveling in the evaluation section during the evaluation period; When the number of the traveling vehicles is less than a threshold, extending the evaluation period until an evaluation deadline time; When the number of the traveling vehicles exceeds the threshold, evaluating the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck according to probe information stored in the database when the plurality of traveling vehicles are traveling in the evaluation section; outputting the evaluation result information to an external device; The controller is configured to: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present disclosure makes it possible to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck on a road. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an evaluation system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the evaluation period, the evaluation deadline time, and the provision time. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the evaluation server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of probe information held in the probe information database. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of evaluation information stored in the evaluation information database. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Assume a case where the likelihood of a road getting stuck is evaluated using vehicle probe information. In this case, it may be impossible to obtain a sufficient number of vehicle probe information to evaluate the likelihood of a road getting stuck using the vehicle probe information. In such a case, it may be impossible to evaluate the likelihood of a road getting stuck using the vehicle probe information. The information processing device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure solves such a problem.

[0011] A control unit of an information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure determines whether the number of vehicles traveling in an evaluation section during an evaluation period for likelihood of getting stuck exceeds a threshold. The control unit of the information processing device extends the evaluation period when the number of vehicles traveling is less than the threshold. Furthermore, when the number of vehicles traveling exceeds the threshold, the control unit evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to probe information when multiple vehicles are traveling in the evaluation section. That is, when the number of vehicles traveling in the evaluation period is less than the threshold, the control unit extends the evaluation period, and when the number of vehicles traveling in the extended evaluation period exceeds the threshold, the control unit evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck according to the probe information. Then, the control unit outputs information on the result of the evaluation.

[0012] As described above, when the number of traveling vehicles during the evaluation period is less than a threshold, the information processing device extends the evaluation period. This makes it easier to ensure a sufficient number of traveling vehicles even if there are not enough traveling vehicles during the evaluation period to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck based on the probe information. This prevents the likelihood of getting stuck from being evaluated. As a result, it becomes possible to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck on a road.

[0013] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations.

[0014] <Embodiment> (System Overview) An evaluation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the evaluation system 1 according to this embodiment. The evaluation system 1 includes a plurality of on-vehicle devices 100, an evaluation server 200, an external server 300, and a user terminal 400. In the evaluation system 1, the plurality of on-vehicle devices 100, the evaluation server 200, the external server 300, and the user terminal 400 are interconnected by a network N1. The network N1 may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone.

[0015] (In-vehicle device) The on-vehicle device 100 is a device mounted on the vehicle 10. The on-vehicle device 100 acquires position information of the vehicle 10 in real time from a GPS device. The on-vehicle device 100 also acquires wheel speed of the vehicle 10 in real time from a wheel speed sensor of the vehicle 10. The on-vehicle device 100 then transmits probe information of the vehicle 10 to the evaluation server 200 in real time via the network N1. Here, the probe information includes information indicating the position and wheel speed of the vehicle 10. The on-vehicle device 100 transmits the probe information of the vehicle 10 to the evaluation server 200 in real time via the network N1.

[0016] (external server) The external server 300 is a server device that provides information on road surface conditions (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "road surface condition information"). Here, the road surface condition information includes information on the weather conditions on the road (presence or absence of rainfall or snowfall, or the amount of rainfall, amount of snowfall, etc.), snow removal status, and the spraying status of snow-melting agent or antifreeze agent. The external server 300 transmits the road surface condition information to the evaluation server 200 via the network N1.

[0017] (evaluation server) The evaluation server 200 is a server device that evaluates the likelihood of a road getting stuck. The evaluation server 200 receives probe information from multiple on-board devices 100 via the network N1. The evaluation server 200 evaluates the likelihood of a road getting stuck by referring to the probe information received from the multiple on-board devices 100. Specifically, the evaluation server 200 identifies vehicles 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "traveling vehicles 10") that have traveled through the evaluation section during an evaluation period. Here, the evaluation section is a section for which the likelihood of a road getting stuck is evaluated. Furthermore, the evaluation period is a period for collecting probe information from vehicles 10 that have traveled through the evaluation section during that period.

[0018] In this case, the number of traveling vehicles 10 that traveled through the evaluation section during the evaluation period may not be sufficient to evaluate the likelihood of the road getting stuck based on the probe information. Therefore, the evaluation server 200 extends the information collection period when the number of traveling vehicles 10 that traveled through the evaluation section during the information collection period is less than a threshold. Here, the threshold is determined as a number sufficient to evaluate the likelihood of the road getting stuck based on the probe information.

[0019] On the other hand, the evaluation server 200 is set to provide the evaluation result of the likelihood of roads getting stuck in the evaluation section (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the "evaluation result") at a predetermined time (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "providing time"). Therefore, if the evaluation period is extended indefinitely, it may not be possible to provide the evaluation result by the providing time. Therefore, a time limit (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "evaluation deadline time") is set for extending the evaluation period.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between an evaluation period, an evaluation deadline time, and a provision time. As shown in FIG. 2, an evaluation period is set. The evaluation deadline time is set to arrive before the provision time. The evaluation deadline time is set as a time by which the stacking ease evaluation process can be completed by the provision time. The next evaluation period is set at the provision time. In this way, in this embodiment, the evaluation period is repeatedly set.

[0021] The assessment server 200 extends the evaluation period until the evaluation deadline time when the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation deadline is less than the threshold. Here, the evaluation period can be extended until the evaluation deadline time. The assessment server 200 extends the evaluation period at least once when the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation period is less than the threshold.

[0022] When the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation period (including the extended evaluation period) is equal to or greater than a threshold, the evaluation server 200 evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to the probe information of the traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation period. Here, there are cases where the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold even when the evaluation period is extended to the evaluation deadline time. In this case, the evaluation server 200 acquires road surface condition information of the evaluation section during the evaluation period from the external server 300, and evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to the road surface conditions. Details of how the evaluation server 200 evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to the probe information or the road surface conditions of the evaluation section during the evaluation period will be described later.

[0023] The evaluation server 200 includes a computer having a processor 210, a main memory 220, an auxiliary memory 230, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 240. The processor 210 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP). The main memory 220 is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The auxiliary memory 230 is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM). The auxiliary memory 230 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a disc recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a Blu-ray disc. The auxiliary memory 230 may also be a removable medium (portable storage medium). Examples of removable media include a USB memory or an SD card. The communication I / F 240 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0024] In the assessment server 200, the auxiliary storage unit 230 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, etc. Furthermore, in the assessment server 200, the processor 210 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 230 into the main storage unit 220 and executes them to realize various functions as described below. However, some or all of the functions of the assessment server 200 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC or FPGA. Note that the assessment server 200 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, and may be composed of multiple computers that cooperate with each other. Note that the in-vehicle device 100, the external server 300, and the user terminal 400 are also configured to include computers, just like the assessment server 200.

[0025] (user terminal) The user terminal 400 is a terminal related to a user who receives the evaluation result of the likelihood of a vehicle getting stuck. Here, the terminal related to a user is, for example, a computer or a mobile information terminal used by the user. Furthermore, the terminal related to a user may be, for example, an in-vehicle device such as a navigation system installed in the vehicle used by the user. The user terminal 400 receives the result information from the evaluation server 200 via the network N1. Here, the result information is information including the evaluation result of the likelihood of stacking in the evaluation section. The user terminal 400 displays the received result information on the display. This allows the user to understand the likelihood of stacking in the evaluation section.

[0026] (Functional configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the assessment server 200 constituting the assessment system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the assessment server 200. The assessment server 200 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 202, a probe information database 203 (probe information DB203), and an assessment information database 204 (assessment information DB204).

[0027] The control unit 201 has a function of performing arithmetic processing to control the assessments server 200. The control unit 201 can be realized by the processor 210 in the assessments server 200. The communication unit 202 has a function of connecting the assessments server 200 to the network N1. The control unit 201 can be realized by the communication I / F 240 in the assessments server 200.

[0028] The control unit 201 receives probe information from a plurality of on-board devices 100 via the communication unit 202. The control unit 201 stores the received probe information in the probe information DB 203. The probe information DB 203 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 230 in the evaluation server 200. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of the probe information stored in the probe information DB 203.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the probe information held in the probe information DB 203 has a vehicle ID field, a date and time field, a position field, and a wheel speed field. The vehicle ID field stores an identifier (vehicle ID) for identifying the vehicle equipped with the on-board device that transmitted the probe information. The date and time field stores information indicating the date and time when the probe information was transmitted. The position field stores information indicating the position of the vehicle at the date and time when the probe information was transmitted. The position field stores, for example, latitude and longitude. The wheel speed field stores information indicating the wheel speed at the date and time when the probe information was transmitted. The wheel speed field stores information indicating the wheel speed of each of the four wheels of the vehicle. The wheel speed of each of the four wheels of the vehicle is, for example, the angular velocity of each wheel.

[0030] Here, when a vehicle is traveling on a road where it is easy for the vehicle to get stuck, the wheels are more likely to spin. Therefore, when a vehicle is traveling on a road where it is easy for the vehicle to get stuck, it is expected that the wheel speed difference (the value obtained by subtracting the smallest wheel speed from the largest wheel speed) will be large. Therefore, the control unit 201 uses the wheel speed difference to evaluate the likelihood of the vehicle getting stuck.

[0031] The control unit 201 refers to the date and time field and the location field in the probe information stored in the probe information DB 203, and identifies vehicles (traveling vehicles 10) that traveled through the evaluation section during the evaluation period. Then, the control unit 201 determines whether the number of traveling vehicles 10 is equal to or greater than a threshold. If the number of traveling vehicles 10 is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 201 evaluates the likelihood of vehicles getting stuck in the evaluation section using the probe information of the traveling vehicles 10 whose number is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0032] Specifically, the control unit 201 calculates the average value of the wheel speed differences of the number of traveling vehicles 10 equal to or greater than the threshold value. Here, an evaluation value of likelihood of getting stuck is set to correspond to each average value of the wheel speed differences. The control unit 201 determines the evaluation value associated with the calculated average value of the wheel speed differences as the evaluation result.

[0033] When the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold value, the control unit 201 extends the evaluation period one or more times until the evaluation deadline time arrives. When the extended evaluation period ends, the control unit 201 determines whether the number of traveling vehicles 10 in the extended evaluation period is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0034] If the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the extended evaluation period is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit 201 evaluates the likelihood of vehicles getting stuck in the evaluation section using probe information from the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation period that is equal to or greater than the threshold. Also, if the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the extended evaluation period is less than the threshold and the extended evaluation period has not been extended to the evaluation deadline time, the control unit 201 extends the evaluation period.

[0035] Furthermore, even if the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline time, there may be cases where the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold value. In this embodiment, an evaluation section is set for each lane. In this embodiment, a case where an evaluation section is set for each of two lanes (upbound and downbound lanes) will be described. In this case, it is assumed that the road surface conditions of the upbound and downbound lanes are more similar than those of other road sections. Therefore, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit 201 further uses probe information of traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of an adjacent lane to evaluate the likelihood of vehicles getting stuck in the evaluation section where the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold value.

[0036] The predetermined condition is that the total number of traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section and the number of traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of the adjacent lane (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "total number") is equal to or greater than a threshold. The control unit 201 determines whether the total number is equal to or greater than the threshold. If the total number is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 201 evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section (a section where the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold) based on the probe information of the traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section and the traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of the adjacent lane. This makes it possible to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck using the probe information even when the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold. Note that when an evaluation section is set for each lane of three or more lanes, the control unit 201 evaluates the likelihood of getting stuck using the probe information of the traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of the three or more lanes.

[0037] If the total number of vehicles is less than the threshold value, the control unit 201 acquires road surface condition information from the external server 300. Then, the control unit 201 evaluates the likelihood of vehicles getting stuck in the evaluation section according to the road surface condition information.

[0038] Specifically, the control unit 201 refers to the weather information in the road surface condition information and acquires the amount of snowfall in the evaluation section during the evaluation period. Furthermore, if snow falls in the evaluation section during the evaluation period, the control unit 201 estimates the amount of snow accumulation based on the snow removal status in the evaluation section and the spraying status of snow-melting agents, etc. At this time, an evaluation value of the likelihood of the vehicle getting stuck is previously set corresponding to each amount of snow accumulation. Therefore, the control unit 201 determines the evaluation value of the likelihood of the vehicle getting stuck according to the estimated amount of snow accumulation.

[0039] When the control unit 201 determines the evaluation value, it updates the evaluation information stored in the evaluation information DB 204. The evaluation information DB 204 has a function of storing evaluation information. The evaluation information DB 204 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 230 in the evaluation server 200. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of evaluation information stored in the evaluation information DB 204.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 5, the evaluation information has a road ID field, a section ID field, an inbound / outbound lane field, an evaluation period field, an evaluation result field, and an evaluation method field. The road ID field stores an identifier (road ID) for identifying a road having multiple lanes. The section ID field stores an identifier (section ID) for identifying the evaluation section. ) is stored. The up and down line field stores information indicating whether the section of the corresponding section ID is an up line or an down line. If the section of the corresponding section ID is an up line, the up and down line field stores the information "up line." Also, if the section of the corresponding section ID is a down line, the up and down line field stores the information "down line."

[0041] The evaluation period field stores information indicating the evaluation period when the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section of the corresponding section ID is evaluated. The evaluation result field stores information (evaluation value) indicating the evaluation result of the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section of the corresponding section ID during the corresponding evaluation period.

[0042] The evaluation method field stores information indicating the information used to determine the evaluation result of the corresponding evaluation result field. If the evaluation result of the corresponding evaluation result field was determined using probe information, the evaluation method field stores the information "probe information." Also, if the evaluation result of the corresponding evaluation result field was determined using road surface condition information, the evaluation method field stores the information "road surface condition information."

[0043] The control unit 201 adds information about the determined evaluation value to the evaluation period field, evaluation result field, and evaluation method field in the evaluation information held in the evaluation information DB 204. In this way, the control unit 201 updates the evaluation information.

[0044] Furthermore, once the control unit 201 determines the evaluation value, it generates result information including the evaluation value. The control unit 201 then outputs the result information to the user terminal 400 via the communication unit 202. At this time, the control unit 201 references the evaluation information stored in the evaluation information DB 204 and acquires the evaluation value for a past evaluation period in the same time zone as the current evaluation period. Here, the control unit 201 identifies, as the past evaluation period, an evaluation period whose start time and evaluation deadline time are the same as those of the current evaluation period. If the current evaluation value is greater than the evaluation value for the past evaluation period by a predetermined value or more, the control unit 201 generates result information including information indicating that the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck is higher than usual. This allows the user to understand that the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck is higher than usual.

[0045] Furthermore, when the evaluation value of the likelihood of stacking of the current evaluation section is greater than the evaluation value of the likelihood of stacking of the previous evaluation section by a predetermined value or more, the control unit 201 may generate result information including information indicating that the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section is greater than usual. In this case, the user can understand that the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section is greater than the previous evaluation result.

[0046] (flowchart) Next, the process executed by the control unit 201 of the assessment server 200 in the assessment system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit 201. The process shown in Fig. 6 is a process for evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the assessment section. The process shown in Fig. 6 starts at the start of the assessment period.

[0047] 6, first, in S101, probe information is acquired from the probe information DB 203. Next, in S102, the traveling vehicles 10 that traveled through the evaluation section within the evaluation period are identified. Next, in S103, it is determined whether the number of the identified traveling vehicles 10 is equal to or greater than a threshold. If a positive determination is made in S103, in S111, a process for evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is executed using the probe information of the identified traveling vehicles 10.

[0048] If a negative determination is made in S103, it is determined in S104 whether the evaluation deadline time has arrived. If a negative determination is made in S104, the number of traveling vehicles 10 is less than the threshold road and the evaluation deadline time has not arrived, so the evaluation period is extended in S105. Here, the evaluation period is extended by a predetermined amount of time. Next, it is determined in S106 whether the evaluation period has ended. If a negative determination is made in S106, the evaluation period has not ended, so the processing of S106 is executed again. In other words, the processing of S106 is executed repeatedly until the evaluation period ends.

[0049] If a positive determination is made in S106, the extended evaluation period has ended, and therefore, in the processing of S103, it is determined whether or not the number of traveling vehicles 10 in the extended evaluation period is equal to or greater than a threshold. If a positive determination is made in S103, the number of traveling vehicles 10 in the extended evaluation period is equal to or greater than the threshold, and therefore, in S111, evaluation processing is executed using the probe information of traveling vehicles 10 in the extended evaluation period. Furthermore, if a negative determination is made in S103, the processing of S104 is executed again. Then, if a negative determination is made in S104, the evaluation period is extended again in S105.

[0050] If a positive determination is made in S104, the number of traveling vehicles 10 does not become equal to or greater than the threshold even if the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline time, and therefore the number of traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of the lane adjacent to the evaluation section is acquired in the processing of S107. Next, in S108, it is determined whether the total number is equal to or greater than the threshold. Here, the threshold in S103 and the threshold in S108 may be the same threshold or different thresholds.

[0051] If a positive determination is made in S108, then in S111 the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is evaluated based on probe information from the traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section and the traveling vehicles 10 in the evaluation section of the adjacent lane. If a negative determination is made in S108, then a sufficient number of traveling vehicles 10 cannot be secured in the evaluation section and the evaluation section adjacent to the evaluation section to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck using probe information. Therefore, in S109, road surface condition information is acquired from the external server 300. Next, in S110, an evaluation process is executed using the road surface condition information.

[0052] When the evaluation process is executed in S110 or S111, result information is output to the user terminal 400. At this time, the control unit 201 refers to the evaluation information stored in the evaluation information DB 204, and if the current evaluation value is greater than the evaluation value in the past evaluation period by a predetermined value or more, generates result information including information indicating that the likelihood of the evaluation section getting stuck is greater than normal. Then, the execution of the process shown in Fig. 6 ends.

[0053] Furthermore, when the evaluation process is executed, the result information may be output to the user terminal 400 before the provision time. This allows the user to grasp more quickly the likelihood of stacking in the evaluation section.

[0054] As described above, the evaluation system 1 extends the evaluation period if the number of traveling vehicles 10 during the evaluation period is less than the threshold value. As a result, even if there are not enough traveling vehicles during the evaluation period to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck based on the probe information, extending the evaluation period makes it easier to ensure that there are enough traveling vehicles. This makes it possible to prevent situations where the likelihood of getting stuck cannot be evaluated.

[0055] Furthermore, even if the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline, if the number of traveling vehicles 10 does not exceed the threshold, the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is evaluated according to the road surface condition information. This makes it possible to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck even if there are not enough traveling vehicles in the evaluation period to evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck according to the probe information. In this way, it becomes possible to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck on a road.

[0056] (Variation 1) The probe information may be information including whether or not the traction control system of the vehicle 10 is operating. Here, the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle 10 detects wheel spin from the speed of the vehicle 10 acquired by a vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle 10 and the wheel speed of the vehicle 10 acquired by a wheel speed sensor of the vehicle 10. In this case, the ECU of the vehicle 10 operates the traction control system. At this time, the in-vehicle device 100 monitors the operation of the traction control system in real time. The in-vehicle device 100 transmits the operating status of the traction control system as probe information to the evaluation server 200 in real time. In this way, the in-vehicle device 100 transmits probe information corresponding to sensing values ​​from sensors mounted on the vehicle 10 to the evaluation server 200 in real time.

[0057] If the traction control system is operating in the evaluation section, the evaluation server 200 evaluates the evaluation section as a section where the vehicle is likely to get stuck. This also makes it possible to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of the vehicle getting stuck in the evaluation section.

[0058] (Variation 2) In this embodiment, the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is evaluated based on road surface condition information. In this modified example, the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is evaluated based on past evaluation results instead of road surface condition information. Only the differences from this embodiment will be explained below.

[0059] The assessment server 200 acquires the assessment information stored in the assessment information DB 204 instead of acquiring road surface condition information from the external server 300. Then, the assessment server 200 acquires the assessment of the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section in the past evaluation period in the same time zone as the evaluation period. Here, if there are multiple past evaluation periods in the same time zone as the evaluation period, the assessment server 200 acquires the average value of the assessment results. Furthermore, the assessment server 200 may use the previous evaluation result as the current evaluation result. In this way, it is possible to more reliably evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section.

[0060] The assessment server 200 may evaluate the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section based on both the road surface condition information and the evaluation information. In this case, the evaluation information further includes information indicating the road surface conditions during the evaluation period. The assessment server 200 acquires the road surface conditions during the evaluation period from the road surface condition information, and identifies a past evaluation period in which the road surface conditions are the same as the road surface conditions. The assessment server 200 then outputs the evaluation results for the identified past evaluation period as the evaluation results for the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section.

[0061] (Variation 3) In this embodiment, when there are traveling vehicles 10 exceeding the threshold value during the evaluation period, result information for that evaluation period is output to the user terminal 400, and the evaluation of the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section is terminated. On the other hand, in this modified example, even after there are traveling vehicles 10 exceeding the threshold value during the evaluation period, the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline time, and result information for each evaluation period is output to the user terminal 400. Note that if there are no traveling vehicles 10 exceeding the threshold value during the evaluation period, the result information is not output, and the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline time, as in this embodiment.

[0062] This allows the user to receive a quick report of the evaluation result for the evaluation period in which the number of traveling vehicles 10 first exceeded the threshold value. In addition, the longer the evaluation period, the larger the number of traveling vehicles 10. Therefore, the longer the evaluation period, the more accurate the evaluation result will be. Therefore, by outputting the result information for each evaluation period to the user terminal 400, result information including more accurate evaluation results is output to the user terminal 400. As a result, the user can grasp the more accurate evaluation results.

[0063] (Variation 4) In this embodiment, the evaluation server 200 executes the evaluation process using probe information when the number of running vehicles 10 is equal to or greater than a threshold. Furthermore, the evaluation server 200 executes the evaluation process using road surface condition information when the number of running vehicles 10 is less than the threshold. However, the evaluation server 200 may execute the evaluation process using probe information when the number of running vehicles 10 exceeds the threshold, and execute the evaluation process using road surface condition information when the number of running vehicles 10 is less than the threshold. Furthermore, in this case, when the number of running vehicles 10 is equal to the threshold, either evaluation process may be executed.

[0064] (Variation 5) Depending on the region to which the evaluation section belongs, the prevalence of chains or studless tires, etc., may differ, and it is expected that the likelihood of getting stuck may differ even with the same amount of snowfall. Also, depending on the region, the characteristics of the snow may differ, and it is expected that the likelihood of getting stuck may differ even with the same amount of snowfall. Furthermore, in high altitude areas such as mountainous regions, the prevalence of chains or studless tires, etc., may be higher during seasons when snowfall is expected, and for this reason, it is expected that the likelihood of getting stuck may differ compared to low altitude areas.

[0065] Therefore, the evaluation server 200 may evaluate the likelihood of snow accumulation in an evaluation section according to the area to which the evaluation section belongs. Specifically, the evaluation server 200 evaluates the likelihood of snow accumulation in an evaluation section according to the evaluation value of the likelihood of snow accumulation associated with each amount of snowfall set for each area to which the evaluation section belongs. Here, the area to which the evaluation section belongs is classified by region or by the altitude of the evaluation section. This also allows the user to understand the evaluation results more accurately.

[0066] (Variation 6) In this embodiment, the output destination of the result information is the user terminal 400. However, the output destination of the result information does not necessarily have to be the user terminal 400. The output destination of the result information may be a terminal used by a road administrator. Furthermore, the output destination of the result information may be, for example, a server device that distributes the evaluation results of the vehicle's slipperiness to users.

[0067] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0068] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[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 having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, a magnetic disk (floppy disk (registered trademark) "(Trademark)" includes any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as any type of disk, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, or Blu-ray disk), read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, or optical card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Rating System 10. Vehicle 100...In-vehicle equipment 200··Review Server 201 Control section 202··Communications Department 203 Probe Information DB 204··Evaluation Information DB 300: External Server 400 User terminal

Claims

1. receiving, in real time, probe information including positions acquired by GPS devices mounted on each vehicle and sensing values ​​acquired by on-board sensors of each vehicle; storing the probe information of the plurality of vehicles in a database; referring to the positions of the plurality of vehicles stored in the database, and identifying vehicles traveling in an evaluation section during an evaluation period for the likelihood of getting stuck; When the number of the traveling vehicles is less than a threshold, extending the evaluation period until an evaluation deadline time; When the number of the traveling vehicles exceeds the threshold, evaluating the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck according to probe information stored in the database when the plurality of traveling vehicles are traveling in the evaluation section; outputting the evaluation result information to an external device; a control unit configured to perform Information processing device.

2. determining whether or not the number of vehicles traveling in the evaluation section during an evaluation period for the likelihood of getting stuck exceeds a threshold; Extending the evaluation period when the number of traveling vehicles is less than the threshold value; When the number of the traveling vehicles exceeds the threshold, evaluating the likelihood of the evaluation section becoming stuck according to probe information when the plurality of traveling vehicles are traveling in the evaluation section; outputting information on the result of the evaluation; a control unit configured to perform Information processing device.

3. The control unit If the number of traveling vehicles is less than the threshold value even after the evaluation period is extended until the evaluation deadline time, prohibiting evaluation of the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to probe information from the plurality of traveling vehicles; Evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to at least one of the road surface conditions of the evaluation section during the evaluation period and past evaluation results of the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section; and further configured to perform The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. Evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to at least one of the road surface conditions of the evaluation section during the evaluation period and past evaluation results of the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section includes evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section according to the road surface conditions of the evaluation section during the evaluation period and the area to which the evaluation section belongs. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The evaluation section is set for each lane in the same road section, Evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the evaluation section includes, when the number of vehicles traveling in a first evaluation section, which is at least one of the plurality of evaluation sections, is less than the threshold value and the sum of the numbers of vehicles traveling in the plurality of evaluation sections during the evaluation period exceeds the threshold value, evaluating the likelihood of getting stuck in the first evaluation section according to probe information of vehicles traveling in the plurality of evaluation sections. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

6. outputting the result information includes outputting information indicating that the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section is higher than normal when the evaluation of the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section in the evaluation period is greater than or equal to a predetermined value compared to the evaluation of the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section in a past evaluation period in the same time zone in the past; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

7. The control unit At each evaluation time, evaluating the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section in the corresponding evaluation period; and further configured to perform outputting the result information includes outputting information indicating that the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section is higher than normal when the evaluation of the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section at the current evaluation time is greater than the evaluation of the likelihood of stacking of the evaluation section at the previous evaluation time by a predetermined value or more. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

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