Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide useful spot information to a moving user while reducing omission of providing the spot information.SOLUTION: The information processing device 100 includes a route information acquisition unit 130 that acquires route information related to a route along which a user is scheduled to travel, a spot information acquisition unit 140 that acquires provided spot information that is information on a spot existing within a predetermined range of the route and that is information to be provided to the user, a specification unit 160 that specifies a section on the route where route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user as a candidate spot information providing section, and a determination unit 170 that determines any of a plurality of candidate spot information providing sections as a spot information providing section where each piece of provided spot information is provided to the user based on a required travel time of each of the plurality of candidate spot information providing sections, a required provision time of each of the plurality of pieces of provided spot information, and a degree of importance of each piece of provided spot information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, information processing devices that provide information about stores, tourist spots, and the like that are considered to be useful to users on the move (hereinafter referred to as "spot information") have been put into practical use.

[0003] For example, one such technology has been proposed that provides a user with spot information that can be output when route guidance is not being output while the user is traveling along a route to a destination set by the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-020632 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 above has an issue in that, for example, when route guidance is continuous in an area with many spots, useful spot information is often not provided to the user.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems cited as examples above, and its main purpose is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that provide useful spot information to users who are traveling while reducing the risk of missing spot information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an information processing device comprising: a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information regarding a route along which a user plans to travel; a spot information acquisition unit that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user; an identification unit that identifies, as a spot information provision candidate section, a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user; and a determination unit that determines, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information, one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 8 is an information processing method for an information processing device equipped with a route information acquisition unit, a spot information acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a determination unit, comprising: a first step in which the route information acquisition unit acquires route information regarding a route along which a user plans to travel; a second step in which the spot information acquisition unit acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user; a third step in which the identification unit identifies, as a spot information provision candidate section, a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user; and a fourth step in which the determination unit determines, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information, one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 9 is a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method of an information processing device having a route information acquisition unit, a spot information acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a determination unit, the program comprising: a first step in which the route information acquisition unit acquires route information regarding a route along which a user plans to travel; a second step in which the spot information acquisition unit acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user; a third step in which the identification unit identifies, as a spot information provision candidate section, a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user; and a fourth step in which the determination unit determines, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information, one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a user terminal that communicates with an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed by a user terminal that communicates with the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed by a user terminal that communicates with the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed by a user terminal that communicates with the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed by a user terminal that communicates with the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of provided spot information acquired by the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a method for determining the importance of spots by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of provided spot information to which importance information is added, which is acquired by the information processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a spot information provision candidate section identified by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information about a spot information provision candidate section identified by an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a user terminal that communicates with an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The information processing device of this embodiment includes a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information regarding the route along which the user plans to travel, a spot information acquisition unit that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user, an identification unit that identifies sections on the route as spot information provision candidate sections where route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user, and a determination unit that determines one of a plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each provided spot information will be provided to the user based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information. That is, the information processing device identifies a spot information provision candidate section in the entire route along which the user plans to travel, and provides the user with available spot information within the identified spot information provision candidate section. This allows the information processing device to prevent the provision of the provided spot information from being stopped midway due to route guidance. Furthermore, the information processing device does not determine the spot information provision section when approaching a spot, but determines the provision plan for the provided spot information (spot information provision section) in advance at the time when route information is acquired. This allows the information processing device to reduce omissions in providing the spot information. For example, the information processing device provides the user with spot information on highly important spots near the route with priority. This allows the information processing device to provide spot information that is useful to the user with priority.

[0012] The information processing device of this embodiment is equipped with an importance determination unit that determines the importance of each piece of provided spot information based on the distance from the position of the spot corresponding to each piece of provided spot information to a stop-off point or destination included in the route. In other words, a spot that is located close to a stopover / destination that the user always stops at is a spot that is easy for the user to visit. Therefore, the information processing device preferentially provides the user with information about spots located close to the stop-off point or destination. This allows the information processing device to provide information on spots that are likely to be visited by the user with priority, even if there are many spots near the route, for example.

[0013] The determination unit of the information processing device in this embodiment determines the spot information provision section so that the more important the provided spot information, the shorter the distance between the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information and the location where the provided spot information is provided to the user. That is, the information processing device determines the spot information provision section so as to provide information about a highly important spot to the user in the vicinity of the spot. This allows the information processing device to provide useful spot information to the user at an appropriate time.

[0014] The determination unit of the information processing device in this embodiment determines the spot information provision section so that the more important the provided spot information is, the shorter the time between when the user starts moving along the route and when the provided spot information is provided to the user. That is, the information processing device determines the spot information provision section so as to provide the user with information about highly important spots near the departure point. This allows the information processing device to provide useful spot information to the user early on. This allows the user to, for example, consider plans to stop by the spots for which information is provided at an early stage.

[0015] The information processing device according to the present embodiment provides the user with the provision spot information of high importance at the provision timing according to the instruction of the user. In other words, the information processing device allows the user to decide the timing for providing the above-mentioned highly important provided spot information (allowing the user to select either a location close to a highly important spot or a location close to the departure point), and provides the provided spot information to the user at the timing specified by the user. This allows the user to obtain the provided spot information at the timing desired.

[0016] The spot information acquisition unit of the information processing device according to this embodiment acquires, as the provided spot information, information whose real-timeness or locational nature satisfies a predetermined standard. The content of the provided spot information may change with time, such as information on the number of available parking spaces or congestion information at highway interchanges. Therefore, for example, if the distance from the user's current location to the parking lot is not within a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 5 km) (e.g., if it is 100 km away), the spot information acquisition unit determines that the available parking space information will change significantly by the time the user reaches the parking lot, and does not acquire the spot information of the parking lot as provided spot information. For example, if the distance from the user's current location to the parking lot is within a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 5 km) (e.g., 1 km away), the spot information acquisition unit determines that the information on the number of available spaces in the parking lot will not change significantly, and acquires the spot information of the parking lot as provided spot information. This allows the information processing device to provide only information that is useful to the user.

[0017] The information processing device according to this embodiment includes a control unit that controls providing route guidance information and reserved spot information, which is provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has been determined by the determination unit, to a user. When a user approaches the location of a spot corresponding to no-reservation spot information, which is provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit, the control unit performs control to provide the no-reservation spot information to the user if it determines that the time required to provide the no-reservation spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided. In other words, when a user approaches a spot for which a spot information provision section could not be determined within the information provision candidate section, the information processing device checks whether there is a timing when it can provide the user with spot information for that spot, for example, because the time required for the user to pass through the spot information provision candidate section may be longer than the expected time due to traffic congestion, etc. When the information processing device determines that it is time to provide no-reservation spot information, it provides the user with no-reservation spot information corresponding to the spot. This allows the information processing device to reduce omissions in providing the spot information.

[0018] The control unit of the information processing device of this embodiment controls to provide the provided spot information of the first spot to the user again when, after first reserved spot information has been provided to the user in a spot information providing section that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the first spot corresponding to the first reserved spot information, the control unit determines that the time required to provide the provided spot information of the first spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided when the user approaches the location of the first spot. In other words, when the information processing device provides a user with provided spot information for a spot at a location more than 100 km away from the location of the spot, for example, when the user approaches the spot, it determines whether there is enough time to provide the provided spot information for the spot again, and if it determines that there is enough time to provide the provided spot information for the spot, it provides the provided spot information to the user again. This allows the information processing device to make the user aware of the existence of highly important spots again, even if the user has forgotten about the provided spot information that has been provided.

[0019] The information processing device of this embodiment includes a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information regarding the route along which the user plans to travel, a spot information acquisition unit that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user, an identification unit that identifies sections on the route as spot information provision candidate sections where route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user, and a determination unit that determines one of a plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each provided spot information will be provided to the user based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information. That is, the information processing device identifies a spot information provision candidate section in the entire route along which the user plans to travel, and provides the user with available spot information within the identified spot information provision candidate section. This allows the information processing device to prevent the provision of the provided spot information from being stopped midway due to route guidance. Furthermore, the information processing device does not determine the spot information provision section when approaching a spot, but determines the provision plan for the provided spot information (spot information provision section) in advance at the time when route information is acquired. This allows the information processing device to reduce omissions in providing the spot information. The information processing device, for example, refers to attribute information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information, and determines whether the provided spot information is useful to the user (for example, whether it matches the user's preference information). This allows the information processing device to provide only spot information that is useful to the user.

[0020] The attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information provided to the user by the information processing device of this embodiment includes permission range information that specifies the range of the user's location to which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, and the determination unit determines the spot information provision area so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided when the user is located within the range indicated by each permission range information. For example, even if information on the number of available parking spaces in a parking lot 100 km away from the user's location is provided to the user, the information will not be useful to the user. Therefore, the information processing device provides the provided spot information when the user is located within the range indicated by the permission range information so that the provided information is useful to the user. This allows the information processing device to provide only the providing spot information that is useful to the user.

[0021] The attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information provided to the user by the information processing device of this embodiment includes permitted time period information indicating the time periods during which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, and the determination unit determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided to the user during the time periods indicated by the respective permitted time period information. For example, even if information about a store that has closed its business hours is provided to the user, the information is not useful to the user. Furthermore, even if information about observation decks with beautiful views is provided at night, the information will not be useful to users. Therefore, the information processing device provides the user with the provided spot information within the time period indicated by the permitted time period information so that the provided information is useful to the user. This allows the information processing device to provide only the providing spot information that is useful to the user.

[0022] The attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information provided to the user by the information processing device of this embodiment includes type information indicating the type of the provided spot information, and the determination unit determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided to the user while satisfying predetermined criteria corresponding to the type indicated by each type information. That is, the information processing device acquires, for example, type information (preference information) of spots of interest from the user, and provides information on spots that match the user's interests with priority. This allows the information processing device to provide the user with useful spot information.

[0023] The information processing device of this embodiment is equipped with an importance determination unit that determines the importance of each piece of provided spot information acquired by the spot information acquisition unit, and the determination unit determines the spot information provision section by prioritizing provided spot information with a high importance. The information processing device determines the importance based on, for example, the distance from the location of the spot to the drop-in / destination, and provides the provided spot information with a high importance to the user with priority. That is, the information processing device provides the user with, for example, information on spots that are located in locations that are easy for the user to visit, with priority given to that information. This allows the information processing device to provide information on spots that are likely to be visited by the user with priority, even if there are many spots near the route, for example.

[0024] The information processing device of this embodiment includes a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information regarding the route along which the user plans to travel, a provided information acquisition unit that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user, and information indicating a spot information provided section, which is a section on the route where provided spot information is provided to the user, and a control unit that controls the provision of provided spot information to the user when the user reaches the spot information provided section. If the spot information provision section is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information, the control unit controls the provision of provided spot information to the user, with additional information added regarding the positional relationship between the spot and landmarks present in the vicinity of the spot. The information processing device of this embodiment controls the provision of spot information to the user without adding additional information if the spot information provision section is not more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information. This allows the user to determine that the location of the spot is close to the current location when the provided spot information is provided without adding location information from a landmark or the like. In addition, when the provided spot information is provided at a location that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot, the user can easily grasp the location of the spot by receiving the provided spot information that includes, for example, location information / distance information from a landmark such as a famous tourist spot, so that the user can immediately grasp where the spot is located. Furthermore, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is more than a predetermined distance away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without any discomfort.

[0025] The control unit of the information processing device according to this embodiment performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information regarding the positional relationship between the destination or stop-off point included in the route and the spot is added as a landmark. The control unit of the information processing device according to this embodiment controls the provision of provided spot information to the user when the route includes multiple stopover locations, with additional information added that enables the stopover location to be used as a landmark to be distinguished from other stopover locations. Stopovers and destinations are points set by the user. Therefore, when the information processing device provides the user with spot information at a location that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot, it provides the user with location information / distance information from the stopover point or destination, etc., which makes it easier for the user to understand the location of the spot. This allows the user to quickly understand where the spot is located. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0026] The control unit of the information processing device according to this embodiment performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which information including the destination included in the route or the distance between the stop-off point and the spot is added as additional information. This allows the user to immediately understand how far the spot is from the stop-off point or destination. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0027] The control unit of the information processing device according to this embodiment controls the provision of provided spot information to the user when the route includes multiple stopover locations, with additional information added that enables the stopover location to be used as a landmark to be distinguished from other stopover locations. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0028] <Example> An information processing device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing device 100 is connected to a user terminal 10 via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other. Examples of the user terminal 10 include a smartphone and a tablet. An example of the network N is the Internet.

[0030] <Configuration of User Terminal 10> As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 according to this embodiment includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, a display unit 13, an audio output unit 14, a current location acquisition unit 15, and a terminal control unit 16.

[0031] In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 is, for example, a known wireless communication module, and functions as an interface for communicating with the information processing device 100 connected to the network N. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 transmits, for example, current location information of the user (user terminal 10) input from a terminal control unit 16 (described later) to the information processing device 100 via the network N. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 transmits, to the information processing device 100, for example, via the network N, information on the stop-off points and the destination that is input from a terminal control unit 16 (described later). In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 transmits, for example, via the network N, information regarding the timing of providing spot information (hereinafter referred to as "timing information") input from the terminal control unit 16 described later to the information processing device 100. The timing information will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 transmits, for example, via the network N, preference information (hereinafter referred to as "preference information") regarding the user's spots input from the terminal control unit 16 described later to the information processing device 100. The preference information will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 outputs, for example, route information and route guidance information received from the information processing device 100 via the network N to the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 outputs, for example, the provision spot information received from the information processing device 100 via the network N to the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later.

[0032] In this embodiment, the input unit 12 is, for example, a capacitance touch panel or the like, and detects user operations. In this embodiment, the input unit 12 detects, for example, a touch operation by the user when inputting a stop-off point or a destination. In this embodiment, the input unit 12 outputs, for example, information relating to the detected user operation to the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later.

[0033] In this embodiment, the display unit 13 is a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel, and displays information input from a terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the display unit 13 displays, for example, a screen for setting a stop-off point / destination, etc., input from the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the display unit 13 displays, for example, map information and route information input from a terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the display unit 13 displays, for example, the offering spot information input from the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. The information displayed by the display unit 13 will be described in detail later.

[0034] In this embodiment, the audio output unit 14 is, for example, a speaker, and outputs audio information input from a terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the voice output unit 14 outputs, for example, route guidance information input from a terminal control unit 16, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the audio output unit 14 outputs audio information of the provided spot information input from the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later, for example.

[0035] In this embodiment, the current location acquisition unit 15 acquires the current location information of the user terminal 10 . In this embodiment, the current location acquisition unit 15 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, and acquires current location information of the user terminal 10 based on radio waves received from GPS satellites. In this embodiment, the current location acquisition unit 15 outputs the acquired current location information to the terminal control unit 16, which will be described later, for example.

[0036] The terminal control unit 16 controls the overall processing of the user terminal 10 in accordance with a control program and an application program stored in a ROM or the like (not shown). In this embodiment, when the terminal control unit 16 determines, for example, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, that the user has started an application program that searches for a route to a destination and provides route guidance for the searched route, it causes the display unit 13 to display a screen for setting stopover points / destinations as shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, when the terminal control unit 16 determines that the input of information regarding the stopover points and destination has been completed, for example, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, the terminal control unit 16 outputs the information regarding the stopover points and destination input by the user (for example, names, location information, etc.) to the communication unit 11. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 causes the display unit 13 to display, for example, a screen for acquiring user preference information. The user's preference information is information about the types of spots that interest the user, and examples of such things include gourmet food, leisure, shopping, and the like. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 displays a screen for acquiring user preference information, such as that shown in FIG. 4, on the display unit 13, and acquires type information (preference information) of spots in which the user is interested from the user. In this embodiment, when the terminal control unit 16 determines that the input of preference information has been completed, for example, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, it outputs the acquired preference information to the communication unit 11. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 causes the display unit 13 to display, for example, a screen for acquiring the user's intention (timing information) regarding the timing for providing spot information with high importance. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 allows the user to select either "provide spot information at a location close to the spot" or "provide spot information at a location close to the departure point," as shown in FIG. 5, and acquires this as timing information. In this embodiment, when the terminal control unit 16 determines that the selection is complete based on, for example, information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, it outputs timing information of the user's selection to the communication unit 11. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 outputs, for example, the current location information of the user terminal 10 acquired from the current location acquisition unit 15 to the communication unit 11. In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 causes the display unit 13 to display map information indicating the route to the destination and the user's current location, based on, for example, route information input from the communication unit 11, current location information of the user terminal 10 acquired from the current location acquisition unit 15, and map information stored in a memory (not shown). In this embodiment, the terminal control unit 16 causes the voice output unit 14 to output route guidance information input from the communication unit 11, for example. In this embodiment, for example, when provided spot information is input from the communication unit 11, the terminal control unit 16 displays the provided spot information as shown in Figure 6 on the display unit 13, and also outputs a voice from the audio output unit 14 reading out the spot name, detailed information, etc. In this embodiment, for example, when the terminal control unit 16 determines that the "Map display" button shown in Figure 6 has been touched based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, it refers to the location information included in the provided spot information and causes the display unit 13 to display map information indicating the location of the spot.

[0037] <Configuration of information processing device 100> As shown in FIG. 7, the information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a route calculation unit 120, a route information acquisition unit 130, a spot information acquisition unit 140, a spot information storage unit 141, an importance determination unit 150, an identification unit 160, a determination unit 170, a provision information acquisition unit 180, and a control unit 190.

[0038] In this embodiment, the communication unit 110 is, for example, a known communication module, and functions as an interface for communicating with the user terminal 10 connected to the network N. In this embodiment, the communication unit 110 outputs current location information, information on stop-off points / destinations, timing information, and preference information received from the user terminal 10 via the network N to the control unit 190, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the communication unit 110 transmits route information, route guidance information, and provided spot information input from the control unit 190 (described later) to the user terminal 10 via the network N, for example.

[0039] The route calculation unit 120 calculates a route from the user's current location (the current location of the user terminal 10) to the destination, passing through the stop-off points, based on the stop-off points and destination set by the user. In this embodiment, for example, when information regarding stopover points and destination and current location information of the user terminal 10 are input from the control unit 190 described later, the route calculation unit 120 calculates a route from the current location of the user terminal 10 to the destination that passes through the stopover points based on map information stored in a memory not shown. In this embodiment, the route calculation unit 120 outputs, for example, information (route information) relating to the route from the current position of the user terminal 10 to the destination via stop-off points to the route information acquisition unit 130, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the route calculation unit 120 calculates the route from the current position of the user terminal 10 to the destination, for example, when information regarding a stopover point is not input from the control unit 190 described later (for example, when the user does not set a stopover point).

[0040] The route information acquisition unit 130 acquires route information relating to the route along which the user plans to travel. In this embodiment, the route information acquisition unit 130 acquires route information from the route calculation unit 120, for example. In this embodiment, the route information acquisition unit 130 outputs the acquired route information to the control unit 190, which will be described later, for example.

[0041] The spot information acquisition unit 140 acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots that exist within a predetermined range of the route and that should be provided to the user. In this embodiment, for example, when route information is input from the control unit 190 described later, the spot information acquisition unit 140 acquires spot information of spots located within a predetermined range from the route from the spot information storage unit 141. In this embodiment, the spot information acquisition unit 140 acquires spot information for spots located within 1000 m of the route, for example, based on the route information input from the control unit 190 and the location information included in the spot information. Here, the spot information stored in the spot information storage unit 141 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the spot information stored in the spot information storage unit 141 includes, for example, a spot name, spot detail information, location information, information on the time required for providing the spot information, and attribute information. Here, the attribute information includes type information indicating the type of spot, and may further include at least one of permitted range information and permitted time period information. The spot details information is detailed information about a spot provided to the user, and can be, for example, information such as "There is a recommended stop-off spot called Cape XX. The view of Mt. Fuji seen across XX Bay is amazing." The location information is location information of the spot, and can be, for example, latitude / longitude information. The information on the time required to provide the spot information is the time required to provide the above-mentioned detailed spot information and the like to the user (for example, the time required to output the detailed spot information by voice). The type information is information indicating the type of spot, and examples include tourist spots, ramen, sweets, supermarkets, parking lot availability information, and highway congestion information. The permission range information is information that indicates the range of the user's location within which provision of the provided spot information is permitted. The permitted time period information is information indicating the time period during which provision of the spot information is permitted. Examples of permitted time period information include information about time periods when the scenery can be enjoyed, and information about the opening hours of stores. In this embodiment, the spot information storage unit 141 acquires the latest spot information from a server (not shown) connected to the network N via the communication unit 110, for example, and stores the information. The spot information stored in the spot information storage unit 141 is updated as appropriate.

[0042] The spot information acquisition unit 140 acquires, from among the spot information, information that satisfies predetermined criteria for real-timeness or locational characteristics as spot information to be provided. Real-time or local spot information is information that is only valuable for a relatively short period of time, including the present, because it may change gradually over time, or information that is only valuable to users who are near the spot indicated by the spot information. Examples of real-time or local spot information include information on parking lot availability, which changes depending on the time of day, and congestion information on expressways, such as "There are currently 10 parking spaces available," or "There is currently congestion at the XX IC exit on XX Road," as well as information about limited-time events at stores, such as "We are holding a one-hour limited-time sale starting now at the XX sales counter on the first floor." In this embodiment, for example, when the spot information includes information that changes depending on the time, the spot information acquisition unit 140 determines whether or not to provide the information to the user. In this embodiment, for example, if the type information of the provided spot information corresponds to a pre-set type such as parking lot vacancy information or highway congestion information, the spot information acquisition unit 140 checks the distance from the user's current location to the spot. In this embodiment, for example, if the spot information acquisition unit 140 determines that the distance from the user's current location to the spot is within a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 5 km), it acquires the spot information as provided spot information, and if it determines that the distance from the user's current location to the spot is not within the predetermined distance (e.g., 5 km or more), it does not acquire the spot information as provided spot information. Note that the spot information acquisition unit 140 may calculate, for example, the travel time required to travel from the user's current location to the spot, and determine whether or not to acquire the provided spot information. In this embodiment, the spot information acquisition unit 140 outputs the acquired provided spot information to the provided information acquisition unit 180 and the control unit 190, which will be described later, for example.

[0043] The importance determination unit 150 determines the importance of each piece of provided spot information based on the distance from the position of the spot corresponding to each piece of provided spot information to a stop-off point or a destination included in the route. In this embodiment, for example, when provided spot information and route information are input from the control unit 190 described later, the importance determination unit 150 calculates the distance from the spot to the stop-off point or the distance from the spot to the destination for each spot based on the location information of the spot included in the provided spot information and the location information of the stop-off point and destination included in the route information, and determines the importance of each spot based on the calculation result. In this embodiment, the importance determining unit 150 compares, for example, the distance from the destination to the spot with the distance from the drop-in point to the spot, and determines the shorter distance as the distance L of the spot. In this embodiment, the importance determining unit 150 determines the importance of each spot based on, for example, the distance L and a conversion table such as that shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the importance determining unit 150 determines the importance of the spot as one of importance A, importance B, and importance C in descending order based on the distance L, for example. In this embodiment, for example, if the distance L is 2000 m or less, the importance determining unit 150 determines the importance of the spot to be importance A. In this embodiment, the importance determining unit 150 outputs the provided spot information to which information about the importance of the spot is added to the determining unit 170 and the control unit 190, which will be described later, as shown in FIG.

[0044] The identifying unit 160 identifies a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user as a spot information provision candidate section. In this embodiment, for example, when information regarding a route is input from the control unit 190 described later, the identification unit 160 identifies a spot information provision candidate section, which is a section on the route where route guidance information is not provided to the user. As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the identification unit 160 calculates a guidance information provision section, which is a section for providing guidance information to the user when the user travels along a route input from the control unit 190 described later, for example. In this embodiment, the identification unit 160 calculates information such as the spoken content and output position of guidance information such as right / left turn instructions to be output before an intersection, and determines the guidance information provision section from this guidance information. In this embodiment, the identification unit 160, for example, identifies sections on the route input from the control unit 190 excluding the route guidance information provision section as spot information provision candidate sections, and calculates the locations of the spot information provision candidate sections (for example, spot information provision candidate sections 1 to 6) and the time required for the user to pass through each spot information provision candidate section. The time required for the user to pass through the route guidance information provision section and the spot information provision candidate section is calculated based on, for example, the legal speed limit for each section of the route. For example, if the time required for a user to pass through each section is calculated assuming that the user is traveling at 120% of the legal speed, it is possible to provide sufficient margin for the time required to provide guidance information and spot information, even if traffic flow in each section is smooth. In this embodiment, the identification unit 160 outputs information on the spot information provision candidate section as shown in FIG. 12 to the determination unit 170 and the control unit 190, which will be described later.

[0045] The determination unit 170 determines one of the multiple spot information provision candidate sections as the spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user, based on the travel time required for each of the multiple spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the multiple provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section for each spot based on, for example, the provided spot information to which the importance of the spot has been added input from the importance determination unit 150, information regarding the spot information provision candidate section identified by the identification unit 160, and preference information input from the control unit 190 described later.

[0046] In this embodiment, the determining unit 170 determines the spot information providing section so that, for example, provided spot information of spots with high spot importance can be provided to the user with priority. In this embodiment, the determining unit 170 preferentially determines the spot providing section of the providing spot information to which importance level A, which indicates high importance of the spot, is assigned. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section for each spot based on, for example, timing information input from the control unit 190, which will be described later.

[0047] The determination unit 170 determines the spot information providing section so that the higher the importance of the provided spot information, the shorter the distance between the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information and the location where the provided spot information is provided to the user. In this embodiment, for example, when the timing information input from the control unit 190 described later is "provide spot information at a location close to the spot," the determination unit 170 prioritizes determining the spot information provision section of a spot with a high importance within the spot information provision candidate section that is closer to the location of the spot with importance level A. In other words, in this embodiment, the determining unit 170 determines the spot information providing section so that information about a spot close to a stop-off point or a destination can be provided at a position as close to the spot as possible. An example of a method for determining a spot information provision section will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, for example, when determining the spot information provision section for spot A that has been assigned importance level A, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section for spot A from a position that does not pass spot A, i.e., from one of the spot information provision candidate sections (spot information provision candidate section 1 to spot information provision candidate section 4) that is located before spot A on the route. In this embodiment, for example, if the time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section 4 closest to spot A (e.g., 60 seconds) is longer than the time required to provide spot information for spot A (e.g., 40 seconds), the determination unit 170 determines that the spot information provision section of spot A is within the spot information provision candidate section 4. In this embodiment, for example, if the time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section 4 closest to spot A (e.g., 60 seconds) is shorter than the time required to provide the spot information (e.g., 80 seconds), the determination unit 170 makes a similar judgment on the spot information provision candidate section 3 next closest to spot A and determines the spot information provision section for spot A. In this embodiment, for example, when determining multiple spot information provision sections within one spot information provision candidate section, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision sections so that the total information provision time for each spot does not exceed the time required to pass through one spot information candidate section.

[0048] The determining unit 170 determines the spot information providing section such that the more important the provided spot information is, the shorter the time from when the user starts moving on the route until the provided spot information is provided to the user. In this embodiment, for example, when the timing information input from the control unit 190 described later is "provide spot information at a location close to the departure point," the determination unit 170 prioritizes determining the spot information provision section of a spot with a high level of importance within the spot information provision candidate section that is closer to the departure point. In other words, in this embodiment, the determining unit 170 determines the spot information providing section so that information about spots close to the stop-off points or destination can be provided as early as possible. An example of a method for determining the spot information provision section for spot A shown in FIG. 11 will be described. In this embodiment, for example, when determining the spot information provision section for spot A to which importance level A has been assigned, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision candidate section for spot A from among any of the spot information provision candidate sections (spot information provision candidate section 1 to spot information provision candidate section 4) that do not pass spot A, i.e., that are located before spot A on the route. In this embodiment, for example, if the time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section 1 closest to the departure point (e.g., 120 seconds) is longer than the time required to provide spot information for spot A (e.g., 40 seconds), the determination unit 170 determines that the spot information provision section for spot A is within the spot information provision candidate section 1. In this embodiment, for example, if the time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section 1 closest to the departure point is shorter than the time required to provide the spot information, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section for spot A by comparing the time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section 2, which is the next closest to the departure point, with the time required to provide the spot information.

[0049] The determination unit 170 determines one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as the spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170 may further refer to the attribute information included in the provided spot information input from the importance determination unit 150, for example, to determine the spot information providing section for each spot.

[0050] For example, when the attribute information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information includes permission range information that specifies the range of the user's location to which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple pieces of provided spot information is provided when the user is located within the range indicated by each permission range information. For example, if the attribute information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information does not include permission range information that specifies the range of locations of users to whom the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, the determination unit 170 may newly specify the range of locations of users to whom the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, based on the type information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information. In this case, the determining unit 170 may refer to a table in which the permitted range is associated with each type of spot indicated by the type information, and assign the permitted range information to each piece of provided spot information. Additionally, the table may be editable by the user. This allows the user to set the range of permitted provision of spot information for each type of spot according to his / her preferences. In this embodiment, for example, when determining the spot information provision section for spot A, the determination unit 170 first identifies candidate spot information provision sections that exist within the range indicated by the permitted range information included in the provided spot information for spot A, and then determines the spot information provision section for spot A from among the identified candidate spot information provision sections.

[0051] For example, when the attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information includes permitted time period information indicating the time period during which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided to the user during the time period indicated by the respective permitted time period information. In this embodiment, for example, when determining the spot information provision section for spot A, the determination unit 170 further checks the permitted time period information included in the provided spot information for spot A and determines whether the time at which the user arrives at the location of the determined spot information provision candidate section is within the range indicated by the permitted time period information. In this embodiment, for example, if the time at which the user arrives at the location of the determined spot information provision candidate section is within the range indicated by the permitted time zone information, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision candidate section to be the spot information provision section. In this embodiment, for example, if the time at which the user arrives at the location of the determined spot information provision candidate section is not within the range indicated by the permitted time period information, the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision candidate section as the spot information provision section, which is a spot information provision candidate section that the user can reach within the range indicated by the permitted time period information. In this embodiment, for example, if the permitted time period information is information about the store's business hours or regular holidays, the determination unit 170 calculates the estimated time the user will arrive at the store, and if it determines that the user will not be able to arrive within the store's business hours, it does not determine the spot information provision section for the store.

[0052] The determination unit 170 may determine the spot information provision section so that each of the plurality of pieces of provided spot information is provided to the user while satisfying a predetermined criterion corresponding to the type indicated by the type information included in each piece of attribute information. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170, for example, prioritizes determining the spot information provision section of a spot where the type information included in the provided spot information matches the user preference information input from the control unit 190 described later. In addition, for example, when the classification of preference information and the classification of type information are different, the determination unit 170 may prioritize the spot information provision section between spots where the preference information and type information completely match and spots to which type information related to the preference information has been assigned.

[0053] In this embodiment, for example, the determining unit 170 determines the spot information provision sections for all spots with importance level A, and then determines the spot information provision sections for spots with importance level B. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170 determines all spot information providing sections for each piece of provided spot information, for example, at the time when the user sets the stop-off points and the destination and acquires the route information. In this embodiment, the determination unit 170 outputs, for example, information about the spot information provision section for each spot determined by the determination method described above to the provided information acquisition unit 180 and the control unit 190, which will be described later. Here, when the total time required for providing the spot information to be provided is longer than the total time required to pass through the spot information provision candidate section, determining unit 170 may not be able to determine the spot information provision section. In this embodiment, for example, if there is a spot for which the spot information provision section could not be determined, the determination section 170 outputs information about the spot for which the spot information provision section could not be determined to the provision information acquisition section 180 and the control section 190 described later.

[0054] The provided information acquisition unit 180 acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots that exist within a specified range of the route and that should be provided to the user, and information indicating a spot information provision section, which is a section on the route where provided spot information is provided to the user. In this embodiment, the provided information acquiring unit 180 acquires provided spot information from the spot information acquiring unit 140, and acquires information on the spot information providing section for each provided spot information from the determining unit 170, for example. In this embodiment, the provided information acquisition unit 180 outputs, for example, information linking the spot information provision section with the provided spot information to the control unit 190, which will be described later.

[0055] In this embodiment, the control unit 190 controls the overall processing of the information processing device 100 in accordance with a control program stored in a ROM or the like (not shown). In this embodiment, when the control unit 190 receives current location information and information regarding stopover points / destination from the user terminal 10 via the communication unit 110, the control unit 190 outputs the received current location information and information regarding stopover points / destination to the route calculation unit 120. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs, for example, the route information calculated by the route calculation unit 120 to the communication unit 110. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs route guidance information to the communication unit 110 based on, for example, the route information calculated by the route calculation unit 120 and the current position information received from the user terminal 10. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs, for example, the route information calculated by the route calculation unit 120 and the provided spot information acquired from the spot information acquisition unit 140 to the importance determination unit 150. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs the route information acquired from the route information acquisition unit 130 to the identification unit 160, for example. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs, for example, timing information and preference information received from the user terminal 10 to the determination unit 170 .

[0056] The control unit 190 controls the provision to the user of route guidance information and reserved spot information, which is providing spot information for which the spot information providing section has been determined by the determination unit 170. In this embodiment, when the control unit 190 determines, for example, based on the current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has reached the spot information provision section for each spot determined by the determination unit 170, it outputs the provided spot information corresponding to the spot information provision section into which the user has reached to the communication unit 110.

[0057] When the control unit 190 determines that the time required to provide the no-reservation spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided when the user approaches the location of a spot corresponding to no-reservation spot information, which is provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit 170, the control unit 190 controls the provision of the no-reservation spot information to the user. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 determines, for example, based on the current location information received from the user terminal 10 and the location information included in the information regarding the spot for which the spot information provision area could not be determined, input from the determination unit 170, whether the distance from the location of the spot for which the spot information provision area could not be determined to the user is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 5 km). In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the location of a spot for which the spot information provision section could not be determined to the user is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 5 km), it determines whether the time required to provide the unreserved spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided. In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 190 determines that the time required to provide the no-reservation spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided, the control unit 190 outputs information (no-reservation spot information) regarding spots for which the spot information provision section could not be determined to the communication unit 110. In other words, when the user sets the stopover points and destination and the route information is acquired, if there is a spot for which the spot information provision section could not be reserved, the control unit 190 determines whether or not spot information about that spot can be provided when the control unit 190 approaches that spot, and if it determines that spot information about that spot can be provided, controls the provision of spot information about that spot to the user.

[0058] After first reserved spot information has been provided to a user in a spot information provision section that is a predetermined distance or more away from the location of the first spot corresponding to the first reserved spot information, when the user approaches the location of the first spot, the control unit 190 controls to provide the provided spot information of the first spot again to the user if it determines that the time required to provide the provided spot information of the first spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 determines, for example, based on the provided spot information input from the spot information acquisition unit 140 and information regarding the spot information provision section input from the determination unit 170, whether there is a spot whose location is further away from the spot information provision section by a predetermined distance (for example, 100 km or more). In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 190 determines that there is a spot whose location is further away from the spot information provision section by a predetermined distance (for example, 100 km or more), the control unit 190 determines whether the distance from the location of the spot to the user is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 5 km) based on the current location information obtained from the user terminal 10. In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the location of the spot to the user is within a predetermined distance (for example, within 5 km), it determines whether the time required to provide the provided spot information of the spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided. In this embodiment, for example, when the control unit 190 determines that the time required to provide the provided spot information for the spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided, the control unit 190 outputs the provided spot information for the spot to the communication unit 110. In other words, for example, when the control unit 190 provides the user with the provided spot information of the spot at a location far away from the location of the spot, the control unit 190 determines whether or not the provided spot information of the spot can be provided again when the user approaches the spot, and if it determines that the provided spot information of the spot can be provided again, it controls the provision of the provided spot information of the spot to the user.

[0059] If the spot information provision section is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information, the control unit 190 controls the provision of provided spot information to the user, which includes information regarding the positional relationship between the spot and landmarks existing around the spot. If the spot information providing section is not a predetermined distance or more from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information, the control unit 190 performs control to provide the provided spot information to the user without adding additional information. The control unit 190 performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information on the positional relationship between the destination or the stop-off point included in the route and the spot is added as a landmark. The control unit 190 performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which information including the destination included in the route or the distance between the stop-off point and the spot is added as additional information. In this embodiment, for example, the control unit 190 extracts spots where the distance from the spot to the spot information provision section corresponding to the spot is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance (for example, equal to or greater than 20 km). In this embodiment, the control unit 190 calculates, for example, the distance from the extracted spot to the stop-off point or the destination. In this embodiment, when the control unit 190 determines that the user has reached the spot information provision section corresponding to the extracted spot based on, for example, the current location information received from the user terminal 10, it outputs the provided spot information to the communication unit 110, with additional information such as, for example, "This is spot information 5 km before the destination" or "This is spot information 3 km from the stop-off point." When a route includes a plurality of stop-off locations, the control unit 190 performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information that enables a stop-off location to be a landmark to be distinguished from other stop-off locations is added. In this embodiment, the control unit 190 outputs the provided spot information to the communication unit 110 with additional information such as, for example, "This is information about a spot 1 km away from the second stopover point," or "This is information about a spot 500 m before the stopover point XX (for example, a place name or facility name)." In addition, instead of using a destination or a stop-off point included in the route as a landmark, the control unit 190 may use a famous spot that is not a destination or a stop-off point as a landmark and provide the user with provided spot information that includes additional information regarding the locational relationship with the famous spot. In this case, for example, if there is a famous spot that has been preset as a famous spot and is closer to the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information than the destination or a stop-off point, the control unit 190 outputs the provided spot information to the communication unit 110 with additional information such as "This is information about a spot located 1 km away from XX Land (famous spot)."

[0060] <Processing flow of the user terminal 10> The processing flow of the terminal control unit 16 of the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0061] The terminal control unit 16 determines, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, whether or not the user has launched an application program that searches for a route to the destination and provides route guidance for the searched route (step S110). If the terminal control unit 16 determines, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, that the application program that searches for a route to the destination and performs route guidance for the searched route has not been started by the user ("NO" in step S110), it returns the processing to a standby state. If the terminal control unit 16 determines, based on information regarding the user's touch operation input from the input unit 12, that the user has launched an application program that searches for a route to the destination and provides route guidance for the searched route ("YES" in step S110), it transitions the processing to step S120.

[0062] The terminal control unit 16 displays a stop-off / destination setting screen as shown in FIG. 3 on the display unit 13, acquires information on the stop-off and destination from the user (step S120), and moves the process to step S130.

[0063] The terminal control unit 16 outputs the information about the stop-off points and the destination acquired in step S120 to the communication unit 11 (step S130), and moves the process to step S140.

[0064] The terminal control unit 16 displays a screen for acquiring user preference information as shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 13, and acquires the user preference information from the user (step S140).

[0065] The terminal control unit 16 outputs the user preference information acquired in step S140 to the communication unit 11 (step S150), and moves the process to step S160.

[0066] The terminal control unit 16 causes the display unit 13 to display an information acquisition screen relating to the timing of providing the spot information, as shown in FIG. 5, and acquires the timing information (step S160).

[0067] The terminal control unit 16 outputs the timing information acquired in step S160 to the communication unit 11 (step S170), and ends the process. The processes from step S140 to step S160 may be omitted from the process flow shown in FIG. 13 if, for example, an initial setting mode is separately provided and registration is possible in the initial setting mode.

[0068] <Process flow for determining the area where spot information is provided> The flow of the process of determining the spot information provision section by information processing device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0069] The control unit 190 determines whether or not information regarding the stop-off points and the destination has been received from the user terminal 10 via the communication unit 110 (step S210). When the control unit 190 determines that information regarding stop-off points and destinations has not been received from the user terminal 10 via the communication unit 110 (“NO” in step S210), the control unit 190 returns the process and transitions to a standby state. When the control unit 190 determines that information regarding the stop-off points and the destination has been received from the user terminal 10 via the communication unit 110 ("YES" in step S210), the control unit 190 moves the process to step S220.

[0070] The route calculation unit 120 calculates a route from the current position to the destination via the stop-off points based on the information on the stop-off points and the destination acquired in step S210 (step S220), and then moves the process to step S230.

[0071] The spot information acquisition unit 140 acquires the provided spot information from the spot information storage unit 141 based on the route information calculated in step S220 (step S230), and moves the process to step S240.

[0072] The importance determining unit 150 determines the importance of each spot based on the location information of the spot included in the provided spot information acquired in step S230 (step S240), and moves the process to step S250.

[0073] The identification unit 160 identifies a spot information provision candidate section based on the route information calculated in step S220 (step S250), and the process proceeds to step S260.

[0074] The determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section for each spot based on the provided spot information acquired in step S230, information regarding the timing of providing the spot information acquired from the user terminal 10, the importance of each spot determined in step S240, and the spot information provision candidate section identified in step S250 (step S260), and terminates the processing.

[0075] <Process flow for providing spot information to users> The flow of the process in which the information processing device 100 provides the provided spot information to the user will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0076] Control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from user terminal 10, whether or not the user has reached the spot information providing section determined by determination unit 170 (Step S310). If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has reached the spot information provision section determined by the determination unit 170 ("YES" in step S310), it transitions the processing to step S320. If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has not reached the spot information provision section determined by the determination unit 170 ("NO" in step S310), it transitions the processing to step S410.

[0077] Control unit 190 determines whether the distance from the position of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information to the spot information providing section is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance (Step S320). If the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information to the spot information providing section is less than a predetermined distance ("NO" in step S320), it outputs the provided spot information to the communication unit 110 (step S330) and terminates the processing. If the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information to the spot information provision section is greater than a predetermined distance ("YES" in step S320), it outputs the provided spot information with additional information (information regarding the distance and location from the stopover point or destination, etc.) to the communication unit 110 (step S340) and terminates the processing.

[0078] When the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has not reached the spot information provision area determined by the determination unit 170 ("NO" in step S310), it determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, whether the user has approached a spot for which the spot information provision area was not determined by the determination unit 170 (step S410). If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has approached a spot for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit 170 ("YES" in step S410), it transitions the processing to step S420 shown in Figure 16. If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user is not approaching a spot for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit 170 ("NO" in step S410), it transitions the processing to step S510.

[0079] If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user is not approaching a spot for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit 170 ("NO" in step S410), it determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, whether the user has approached the location of a spot for which spot information has already been provided to the user (step S510). If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user is not approaching the location of a spot for which spot information has already been provided to the user ("NO" in step S510), it terminates the processing. If the control unit 190 determines, based on the user's current location information received from the user terminal 10, that the user has approached the location of a spot for which spot information has already been provided to the user ("YES" in step S510), it transitions the processing to step S520 shown in Figure 17.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 190 determines whether or not unreserved spot information can be provided to the user based on the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the predicted available time until the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided (step S420). If the control unit 190 determines that it cannot provide the user with unreserved spot information based on the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the predicted available time until the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided ("NO" in step S420), it terminates the processing. If the control unit 190 determines that it can provide the no-reservation spot information to the user based on the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the predicted available time until the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided ("YES" in step S420), it outputs the no-reservation spot information to the communication unit 110 (step S430) and terminates the processing.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 17, control unit 190 determines whether the distance from the spot the user approached to the location where the provided spot information of the spot is provided is a predetermined distance or more (step S520). If the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the spot the user approached to the location where the provided spot information of the spot is provided is not greater than a predetermined distance ("NO" in step S520), the control unit 190 ends the process. If the control unit 190 determines that the distance from the spot the user approached to the location where the provided spot information for that spot was provided is greater than a predetermined distance ("YES" in step S520), the control unit 190 transitions the processing to step S530.

[0082] The control unit 190 determines whether or not the provided spot information of the approaching spot can be provided again to the user based on the route guidance information scheduled to be provided next and the predicted available time until the provision of the reserved spot information scheduled to be provided next (step S530). If the control unit 190 determines that it cannot provide the user with the provided spot information of the approaching spot again based on the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided ("NO" in step S530), it terminates the processing. If the control unit 190 determines that the provided spot information of the approaching spot can be provided to the user again based on the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the predicted available time until the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided ("YES" in step S530), it outputs the provided spot information of the approaching spot to the communication unit 110 (step S540) and terminates the processing.

[0083] As described above, the information processing device 100 of this embodiment includes a route information acquisition unit 130 that acquires route information regarding the route along which the user plans to travel, a spot information acquisition unit 140 that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user, an identification unit 160 that identifies sections on the route as spot information provision candidate sections where route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user, and a determination unit 170 that determines one of a plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each provided spot information will be provided to the user based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information. That is, the information processing device 100 identifies a spot information provision candidate section in the entire route along which the user plans to travel, and provides the user with spot information that can be provided within the identified spot information provision candidate section. This allows the information processing device 100 to prevent the provision of the provided spot information from being stopped midway due to route guidance. Furthermore, information processing device 100 does not determine the spot information providing section when approaching a spot, but determines the provision plan for the provided spot information (spot information providing section) in advance at the time when route information is acquired. This allows the information processing device 100 to reduce omissions in providing the spot information. For example, the information processing device 100 provides the user with spot information on highly important spots near the route with priority. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide spot information that is useful to the user with priority.

[0084] The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment includes an importance determination unit 150 that determines the importance of each piece of provided spot information based on the distance from the location of the spot corresponding to each piece of provided spot information to a stop-off point or destination included in the route. In other words, a spot that is located close to a stopover / destination that the user always stops at is a spot that is easy for the user to visit. Therefore, the information processing device 100 preferentially provides the user with information about spots located near the stop-off points or the destination. As a result, the information processing device 100 can provide information on spots that are likely to be visited by the user with priority, even if there are many spots near the route, for example.

[0085] The determination unit 170 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment determines the spot information provision section so that the more important the provided spot information is, the shorter the distance between the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information and the location where the provided spot information is provided to the user. That is, the information processing device 100 determines the spot information provision section so that information about a highly important spot is provided to the user in the vicinity of the spot. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with useful spot information at an appropriate time.

[0086] The determination unit 170 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment determines the spot information provision section so that the more important the provided spot information is, the shorter the time from when the user starts moving along the route to when the provided spot information is provided to the user. That is, the information processing device 100 determines the spot information provision section so as to provide the user with information about highly important spots near the departure point. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with useful spot information at an early stage at an appropriate timing. This allows the user to, for example, consider plans to stop by the spots for which information is provided at an early stage.

[0087] The information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment provides the user with provision spot information of high importance at a provision timing according to an instruction from the user. In other words, the information processing device 100 allows the user to decide the timing for providing the above-mentioned highly important provided spot information (allowing the user to select either a location close to a highly important spot or a location close to the departure point), and provides the provided spot information to the user at the timing specified by the user. This allows the user to obtain the provided spot information at the timing desired.

[0088] The spot information acquisition unit 140 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment acquires, as provided spot information, information whose real-timeness or locational nature satisfies a predetermined standard. The content of the provided spot information may change with time, such as information on the number of available parking spaces or congestion information at highway interchanges. Therefore, for example, if the distance from the user's current location to the parking lot is not within a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 5 km) (e.g., if it is 100 km away), the spot information acquisition unit 140 determines that the available parking space information will change significantly by the time the user reaches the parking lot, and does not acquire the spot information of the parking lot as provided spot information. For example, if the distance from the user's current location to the parking lot is within a predetermined distance (e.g., less than 5 km) (e.g., 1 km away), the spot information acquisition unit 140 determines that the information on the number of available spaces in the parking lot will not change significantly, and acquires the spot information of the parking lot as provided spot information. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide only information that is useful to the user.

[0089] The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 190 that controls the provision to a user of route guidance information and reserved spot information, which is provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has been determined by the determination unit 170. When the control unit 190 determines that the time required to provide the no-reservation spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided when the user approaches the location of a spot corresponding to no-reservation spot information, which is provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit 170, the control unit 190 controls the provision of the no-reservation spot information to the user. In other words, when the user approaches a spot for which a spot information provision section could not be determined within the information provision candidate section, the information processing device 100 checks whether there is a timing when it can provide the user with spot information for that spot, for example, because the time required for the user to pass through the spot information provision candidate section may be longer than the expected time due to traffic congestion, etc. When it is determined that there is a timing to provide no-reservation spot information, information processing device 100 provides the user with no-reservation spot information corresponding to the spot. This allows the information processing device 100 to reduce omissions in providing the spot information.

[0090] The control unit 190 of the information processing device 100 in this embodiment controls to provide the provided spot information of the first spot to the user again when, after the first reserved spot information is provided to the user in a spot information providing section that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the first spot corresponding to the first reserved spot information, the control unit 190 determines that the time required to provide the provided spot information of the first spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided are provided when the user approaches the location of the first spot. In other words, for example, when the information processing device 100 provides a user with provided spot information for a spot at a location more than 100 km away from the location of the spot, when the user approaches the spot, it determines whether there is enough time to provide the provided spot information for the spot again, and if it determines that there is enough time to provide the provided spot information for the spot, it provides the user with the provided spot information again. In this way, even if the user has forgotten about the provided spot information, the information processing device 100 can make the user re-recognize the existence of spots with high importance.

[0091] The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment, for example, refers to attribute information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information and determines whether the provided spot information is useful to the user (for example, whether it matches the user's preference information). This allows the information processing device 100 to provide only useful spot information to the user.

[0092] The attribute information corresponding to each piece of provided spot information provided to a user by the information processing device 100 in this embodiment includes permission range information that specifies the range of the user's location to which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, and the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision area so that each of the multiple pieces of provided spot information is provided when the user is located within the range indicated by each permission range information. For example, even if information on the number of available parking spaces in a parking lot 100 km away from the user's location is provided to the user, the information will not be useful to the user. Therefore, the information processing device 100 provides the provided spot information when the user is located within the range indicated by the permission range information so that the provided information is useful to the user. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with useful spot information.

[0093] The attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information provided to the user by the information processing device 100 in this embodiment includes permitted time period information indicating the time period during which the provision of the provided spot information is permitted, and the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided to the user during the time period indicated by the respective permitted time period information. For example, even if information about a store that has closed its business hours is provided to the user, the information is not useful to the user. Furthermore, even if information about observation decks with beautiful views is provided at night, the information will not be useful to users. Therefore, the information processing device 100 provides the provided spot information to the user within the time period indicated by the permitted time period information so that the provided information is useful to the user. For example, if the permitted time period information is the business hours of a store, the information processing device 100 does not provide provided spot information of a store that the user cannot reach within the business hours. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with useful spot information.

[0094] The attribute information corresponding to each of the provided spot information provided to the user by the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment includes type information indicating the type of the provided spot information, and the determination unit 170 determines the spot information provision section so that each of the multiple provided spot information is provided to the user while satisfying a predetermined criterion corresponding to the type indicated by each type information. That is, the information processing device 100 acquires, for example, type information (preference information) of spots of interest from the user, and provides information on spots that match the user's interests with priority. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with useful spot information.

[0095] The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment includes a route information acquisition unit 130 that acquires route information regarding the route along which the user plans to travel, a provided information acquisition unit 180 that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots located within a predetermined range of the route and which should be provided to the user, and information indicating a spot information provision section, which is a section on the route where provided spot information is provided to the user, and a control unit 190 that controls the provision of provided spot information to the user when the user reaches the spot information provision section. If the spot information provision section is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information, the control unit 190 controls the provision of provided spot information to the user, with additional information regarding the positional relationship between the spot and landmarks existing around the spot. The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment controls the provision of the provided spot information to the user without adding any additional information if the spot information provision section is not further than a predetermined distance from the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information. This allows the user to determine that the location of the spot is close to the current location when the provided spot information is provided without adding location information from a landmark or the like. In addition, when the provided spot information is provided at a location that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot, the user can easily grasp the location of the spot by receiving the provided spot information that includes, for example, location information / distance information from a landmark such as a famous tourist spot, so that the user can immediately grasp where the spot is located. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable. In other words, the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment can solve the problem that, for example, when a user is traveling to a destination where the user is unfamiliar with the area, even if the user is provided with information such as the name and address of a spot far away from the current location, the user cannot immediately grasp where the information about the spot is located.

[0096] The control unit 190 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information on the positional relationship between the destination or stop-off point included in the route and the spot is added as a landmark. When a route includes a plurality of stop-off locations, the control unit 190 performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information that enables a stop-off location to be a landmark to be distinguished from other stop-off locations is added. Stopovers and destinations are points set by the user. Therefore, when the information processing device 100 provides the user with spot information at a location that is more than a predetermined distance away from the location of the spot, it provides the user with location information / distance information from the stopover point or destination, etc., which makes it easier for the user to understand the location of the spot. This allows the user to quickly understand where the spot is located. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0097] The control unit 190 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment performs control to provide the user with provided spot information to which information including the destination included in the route or the distance between the stop-off point and the spot is added as additional information. This allows the user to immediately understand how far the spot is from the stop-off point or destination. As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0098] When a route includes multiple stopover locations, the control unit 190 of the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment controls the provision of provided spot information to the user, which includes additional information that enables the stopover location to be used as a landmark to be distinguished from other stopover locations. In other words, the control unit 190 provides the user with provided spot information that includes additional information such as, for example, "This is information about a spot 1 km from the second stopover point," or "This is information about a spot 500 m before the stopover point XX (e.g., a place name)." Furthermore, the control unit 190 of the information processing device 100 may perform control to provide the user with provided spot information to which additional information regarding the positional relationship with a famous spot that is not a destination or a stop-off point has been added. In other words, for example, if there is a spot that has been preset as a famous spot in the vicinity of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information, the control unit 190 provides the user with the provided spot information with additional information such as "This is information about a spot located 1 km away from XX Land (famous spot)." As a result, when the user is provided with provided spot information for a spot that is a predetermined distance or more away from the current location, the provided spot information is provided with information that allows the user to grasp the location of the spot, so the user can obtain the spot information without feeling uncomfortable.

[0099] <Variation 1> The above-mentioned user terminal 10 may be a navigation device or the like installed in a vehicle. The information processing device 100 may acquire information such as stop-off points, destination information, and current location information from a navigation device connected via the network N, for example. Furthermore, the processing of the route calculation unit 120 included in the information processing device 100 may be performed in a navigation device, and the route information acquisition unit 130 of the information processing device 100 may acquire route information from the navigation device.

[0100] <Variation 2> The information processing device 100 described above acquires the user's preference information from the user terminal 10, but may acquire the user's preference information based on the user's history of visits to spots.

[0101] <Variation 3> If there is provided spot information that could not be provided to the user, the information processing device 100 described above may provide the user with a list of those spots, for example, when the user reaches a stopover point or destination. That is, when the user parks a vehicle or the like at a stopover point or destination, the user can check a list of the provided spot information that has not been provided. This allows the information processing device 100 to further reduce omissions in providing the spot information.

[0102] The above has described in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, but all information processing devices that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art by appropriately modifying the design based on the information processing device described above as an embodiment of the present invention also fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention. Within the scope of the concept of the present invention, a person skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, if a person skilled in the art appropriately adds, deletes, or modifies the design of the above-mentioned embodiments, or adds, omits, or modifies processes, the scope of the present invention will be included as long as the essence of the present invention is maintained.

[0103] Furthermore, other effects and advantages brought about by the embodiments described in this example that are clear from the description in this specification or that can be appropriately thought of by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 10. User terminal 11;Communications Department 12; Input section 13;Display section 14: Audio output section 15;Current position acquisition part 16; Terminal control unit 100; Information processing device 110;Communications Department 120: Path calculation unit 130: Route information acquisition unit 140: Spot information acquisition section 141; Spot information storage unit 150;Importance determination part 160;Specific part 170;Decision Section 180; Provided information acquisition department 190;Control section N; Network

Claims

1. a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information regarding a route along which the user plans to travel; a spot information acquisition unit that acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots that exist within a predetermined range of the route and is to be provided to the user; an identification unit that identifies a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the user is not provided as a spot information provision candidate section; a determination unit that determines one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user, based on a travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, a provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and an importance of each of the provided spot information; An information processing device comprising:

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the spot information provision section so that the higher the importance of the provided spot information, the shorter the distance between the location of the spot corresponding to the provided spot information and the location where the provided spot information is provided to the user.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the spot information provision section so that the higher the importance of the provided spot information, the shorter the time from when the user starts moving on the route to when the provided spot information is provided to the user.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an importance determination unit that determines the importance of each of the provided spot information based on the distance from a position of a spot corresponding to each of the provided spot information to a stop-off point or a destination included in the route.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the spot information acquisition unit acquires, as the provided spot information, information that satisfies a predetermined standard in terms of real-timeness or location of the provided spot information.

6. a control unit that controls providing to the user the route guidance information and reserved spot information, which is the provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has been determined by the determination unit; An information processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the control unit determines that the time required to provide the no-reservation spot information is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided when the user approaches the location of a spot corresponding to no-reservation spot information, which is the provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has not been determined by the determination unit, the control unit controls the provision of the no-reservation spot information to the user.

7. a control unit that controls providing to the user the route guidance information and reserved spot information, which is the provided spot information for which the spot information provision section has been determined by the determination unit; The information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the control unit determines that the time required to provide the provided spot information of the first spot is shorter than the predicted available time until the next route guidance information scheduled to be provided and the next reserved spot information scheduled to be provided is provided, when the user approaches the position of the first spot after the first reserved spot information has been provided to the user in the spot information provision section that is more than a predetermined distance away from the position of the first spot corresponding to the first reserved spot information, the control unit controls to provide the provided spot information of the first spot to the user again.

8. An information processing method for an information processing device including a route information acquisition unit, a spot information acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a determination unit, a first step in which the route information acquisition unit acquires route information regarding a route along which the user plans to travel; a second step in which the spot information acquisition unit acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots that exist within a predetermined range of the route and is to be provided to the user; a third step in which the identification unit identifies a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user as a spot information provision candidate section; a fourth step in which the determination unit determines one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information; An information processing method comprising:

9. A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method of an information processing device including a route information acquisition unit, a spot information acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a determination unit, a first step in which the route information acquisition unit acquires route information regarding a route along which the user plans to travel; a second step in which the spot information acquisition unit acquires provided spot information, which is information about spots that exist within a predetermined range of the route and is to be provided to the user; a third step in which the identification unit identifies a section on the route for which route guidance information for guiding the route is not provided to the user as a spot information provision candidate section; a fourth step in which the determination unit determines one of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections as a spot information provision section for which each of the provided spot information will be provided to the user, based on the travel time required for each of the plurality of spot information provision candidate sections, the provision time required for each of the plurality of provided spot information, and the importance of each of the provided spot information; A program with.

Images