Content delivery system

Abstract

Providing technology that reduces the possibility of content output timings overlapping. [Solution] A content provision system comprising: a planned route acquisition unit that acquires a planned route to a destination; a content acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of content items to be output in a content output section from a predetermined point on the planned route to the destination, and the order in which they will be output; a high-load point acquisition unit that acquires high-load points on the planned route; and a content output control unit that, when outputting the plurality of content items in the order described above in the content output section, moves the output point of the first content item to the rear in the direction of travel of the vehicle if the output point of the first content item coincides with the high-load point, and moves the output point of the last content item to the front in the direction of travel of the vehicle if the output point of the last content item coincides with the high-load point.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content providing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for providing various contents to passengers in a vehicle while it is in motion. For example, in Patent Document 1, a technique for distributing information providing points around a destination or advertising information related to the destination during the process of moving on a travel route is disclosed. Further, it is disclosed that the advertising information is output at a timing linked to the content of the radio broadcast currently being viewed by the user in a navigation device. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the advertising information is output in a manner that does not interfere with the travel guidance as much as possible during the travel guidance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the process of traveling to a destination, in a configuration where a plurality of contents are output in a predetermined order, when it is necessary to prevent overlap with the guidance, it is necessary to change the output timing of the contents so as not to overlap with the guidance. However, in a configuration where a plurality of contents are output, changing the output timing of one content may overlap with the output timing of other contents. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for reducing the possibility of overlap of the output timing of contents.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above objective, the content provision system includes: a planned route acquisition unit that acquires the planned route of a vehicle from its departure point to its destination; a content acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of content items to be output in a content output section from a predetermined point on the planned route to the destination, and the order in which the plurality of content items are output; a high-load point acquisition unit that acquires high-load points, which are points on the planned route where an event occurs that causes the driving load to be higher than a predetermined standard; and a content output control unit that causes the plurality of content items to be output in the order described above in the content output section, wherein if the output point of the first content item coincides with the high-load point, the output point of the first content item is moved to the rear in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and if the output point of the last content item coincides with the high-load point, the output point of the last content item is moved to the front in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0006] In other words, the content delivery system outputs multiple content items in a predetermined order during the content output section from a designated point to the destination. If the content is output at a high-load point, the driving load will increase further. Therefore, if the content output point coincides with a high-load point, the content delivery system moves the content output point. If the output point of the first content item coincides with a high-load point, the output point of the first content item is moved to the rear in the direction of travel of the vehicle. Since there are no content output points in the series behind the output point of the first content item, the output point after the move will not coincide with the output points of other content items. Also, if the output point of the last content item coincides with a high-load point, the output point of the last content item is moved to the front in the direction of travel of the vehicle. Since there are no content output points in the series ahead of the output point of the last content item, the output point after the move will not coincide with the output points of other content items. This configuration reduces the possibility of overlapping content output timings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the overall configuration, including the content delivery system. [Figure 2] Flowchart for content delivery processing. [Figure 3] Figures 3A and 3B show examples of roads. [Figure 4] Figures 4A and 4B are enlarged views of road examples. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Overall structure: (1-1) Server configuration: (1-2) Configuration of the content delivery system: (2) Content provision processing: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Overall structure: Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration including the content provision system 100 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the content provision system 100 cooperates with a server 10. The server 10 stores the content that the content provision system 100 provides to users and distributes the stored content to the content provision system 100. There may be multiple content provision systems 100, but only one is shown in Figure 1.

[0010] (1-1) Server configuration: The server 10 includes a control unit 20 equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 30, and a communication unit 40. The server 10 can execute programs stored in the recording medium 30 and ROM using the control unit 20. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 can execute a content provision program (not shown). The communication unit 40 includes a circuit for communicating with other devices. The control unit 20 can communicate with the content provision system 100 via the communication unit 40.

[0011] Content information 30a is recorded on the recording medium 30. Content information 30a is information indicating various types of content and may be expressed in various formats such as image data, video data, sound data, and text data. In this embodiment, content information 30a is audio data for conveying advertisements, recommendations, etc., related to a facility or facility genre, and includes information indicating the playback time of the audio data.

[0012] Furthermore, in this embodiment, content information 30a is associated with a facility or a facility genre. A facility is a type of feature that exists around a road and is defined by the inclusion of information indicating the facility in the map information 300a, which will be described later. The information indicating the facility includes information indicating the facility's identification, information indicating the facility's location, and information indicating the facility's genre. The facility genre is information indicating the type of facility, and the genre may be classified in multiple levels. For example, a broad category such as sports facilities may include subcategories such as baseball fields and golf courses.

[0013] The content information 30a may be associated with identification information indicating a specific facility, or it may be associated with the genre of the facility. In either case, in this embodiment, a vehicle traveling with the facility as its destination is provided with either the content information 30a associated with the facility, or the content information 30a associated with the genre of the facility.

[0014] Furthermore, in this embodiment, multiple content items are associated with the same facility or the same genre, and information indicating the order of each content item is also associated. In this embodiment, multiple content items are output sequentially in the content output section from a predetermined point on the planned route to the destination. The predetermined point is a point on the planned route that is located behind the destination in the direction of travel, and is predetermined. The predetermined point may be a point that is fixedly determined based on the distance to the destination, the time required to reach the destination, etc., or it may be a point that is dynamically determined according to the number and content of the content items, etc. In this embodiment, the predetermined point is a point where the vehicle is located at a predetermined time before the arrival time at the destination, and the number of multiple content items output in the content output section is a predetermined number, and the explanation continues.

[0015] The control unit 20 receives a content transmission request from the content provision system 100 via the communication unit 40. The content transmission request includes information indicating the identification information of the facility that is the destination of the vehicle using the content provision system 100. Based on this identification information, the control unit 20 extracts content information 30a corresponding to the facility or the genre of the facility. Then, the control unit 20 transmits the content information 30a to the source of the content transmission request via the communication unit 40.

[0016] (1-2) Configuration of the content delivery system: In this embodiment, the content provision system 100 is a portable terminal that moves along with the vehicle, which is a mobile object. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the content provision system 100 is a smartphone, tablet, or the like that is brought into the vehicle and used by the vehicle's occupants. The content provision system 100 comprises a control unit 200, a storage medium 300, a communication unit 400, a GNSS receiver unit 410, and a UI unit 420.

[0017] The communication unit 400 includes a communication circuit for performing short-range wireless communication and wide-area wireless communication with other devices. The content providing system 100 can communicate with the server 10 via wide-area wireless communication by the communication unit 400.

[0018] The GNSS receiving unit 410 is a device that receives signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System. The GNSS receiving unit 410 receives radio waves from navigation satellites and outputs a signal (referred to as a GNSS signal) for calculating the position of the content providing system 100. The control unit 200 acquires this signal to obtain the position of the content providing system 100. The position of the content providing system 100 can be regarded as the position of a moving body (vehicle) that moves together with the content providing system 100.

[0019] The UI unit 420 is an interface unit that receives instructions from the user and provides various types of information to the user, and includes a touch panel display, switches, speakers, microphones, etc.

[0020] Map information 300a is recorded in the storage medium 300. In the present embodiment, the map information 300a includes node data, link data, shape interpolation point data, and facility data. The node data is data indicating the positions of intersections. The link data indicates a section of a road and is associated with nodes corresponding to the endpoints of the section. That is, the link data indicates a link connecting nodes. In the present embodiment, the link data includes information indicating the road attributes of the section indicated by the link data. The road attributes include information indicating road types, such as expressways, motorways, general roads such as national roads and prefectural roads, and narrow streets. Also, the link data is associated with shape interpolation point data indicating the positions of shape interpolation points for specifying the shape of the road between nodes. The facility data includes information indicating the positions, genres, etc. of facilities existing on the road and its surroundings.

[0021] The control unit 200 is equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and can execute various programs recorded on a recording medium (not shown) or ROM. In this embodiment, the control unit 200 can execute the content provision program 210. By executing the content provision program 210, the control unit 200 provides the user of the content provision system 100 with content corresponding to their destination.

[0022] When the content provision program 210 is executed, the control unit 20 functions as a planned route acquisition unit 210a, a content acquisition unit 210b, a high-load point acquisition unit 210c, and a content output control unit 210d.

[0023] The planned route acquisition unit 210a has the function of acquiring the planned route from the vehicle's starting point to its destination. That is, the control unit 20 generates information indicating the planned route using the function of the planned route acquisition unit 210a and stores it in the storage medium 300 as planned route information 300b. The planned route information 300b only needs to indicate the planned route from the vehicle's starting point to its destination, and in this embodiment, it is information indicating the sequence of nodes and links that constitute the road to be traveled on from the vehicle's starting point to the facility at its destination.

[0024] In this embodiment, the destination is one of the facilities indicated by the facility data in the map information 300a. The user can use the UI unit 420 to select a facility indicated by the facility data in the map information 300a and specify it as the destination. The control unit 200 also acquires the vehicle's current location and considers it to be the vehicle's departure point. The control unit 200 then acquires the planned route from the departure point to the destination. The planned route can be acquired using a known route search algorithm. The route search may be performed by the control unit 200, or by the server 10 or a route search server (not shown), etc.

[0025] The planned route is used to guide the vehicle driver. Specifically, the control unit 200 monitors the vehicle's current location based on the output information of the GNSS receiver 410. The control unit 200 also controls the UI unit 420 to provide route guidance so that the vehicle moves along the planned route. In this embodiment, the system is configured to provide voice guidance to the driver of the direction of travel at a predetermined distance before the point where the vehicle should be traveling in a direction other than straight ahead.

[0026] The content acquisition unit 210b has the function of acquiring multiple content items to be output in the content output section from a predetermined point on the planned route to the destination, as well as the order in which the multiple content items are output. Specifically, the control unit 200 acquires identification information of the facility as the destination indicated by the planned route information 300b, controls the communication unit 400, and sends a content transmission request to the server 10 along with the facility identification information.

[0027] In response to the content transmission request, the server 10 acquires content information 30a associated with the destination facility or the genre of the destination facility and transmits it to the content provision system 100. The control unit 200 acquires the content information 30a via the communication unit 400 and stores it in the storage medium 300 as content information 300c. The content information 300c includes multiple contents to be output in the content output section and information indicating the order in which each content should be output.

[0028] The high-load point acquisition unit 210c is a function that acquires high-load points, which are points on the planned route where events occur that cause the driving load to exceed a predetermined standard. In this embodiment, high-load points are defined as merging points where other roads merge with the road the vehicle is traveling on, branching points where the vehicle is traveling on a road branching off to another road, right-turn points, and left-turn points. In other words, in this embodiment, the standard is a state in which the vehicle can be driven without considering roads other than the road it is currently traveling on, and points where the driving load is higher than that standard are considered high-load points. For this reason, in this embodiment, merging points and branching points where it is necessary to consider the existence of roads other than the road the vehicle is traveling on, and the movement of vehicles between the road the vehicle is traveling on and other roads, are considered high-load points. Furthermore, right-turn points and left-turn points where it is necessary to consider vehicles on other roads that intersect the road the vehicle is traveling on and the movement to other roads are also considered high-load points.

[0029] The control unit 200, using the functions of the high-load point acquisition unit 210c, identifies content output sections within the planned route by referring to map information 300a and planned route information 300b. The control unit 200 also refers to the map information 300a to determine whether there are merging points, branching points, right-turn points, or left-turn points on the planned route. If there are merging points, branching points, right-turn points, or left-turn points, the control unit 200 acquires each of these points as high-load points.

[0030] The content output control unit 210d has the function of outputting multiple contents in the order of each content within the content output section. Specifically, the control unit 200, using the function of the content output control unit 210d, refers to the map information 300a and the planned route information 300b and identifies the section from the point where the vehicle is traveling to the destination at a predetermined time before the arrival time as the content output section. The control unit 200, using the function of the content output control unit 210d, identifies the output points within the content output section where each of the multiple contents indicated by the content information 300c will be output. Then, while the vehicle is traveling, the control unit 200 identifies the vehicle's current location based on the output information of the GNSS receiver 410, and when the vehicle reaches an output point, it controls the UI unit 420 to output the content corresponding to that output point. Through the above process, the control unit 200 can output multiple contents in the content output section in a predetermined order.

[0031] In this type of processing, the control unit 200 is configured not to output content when the vehicle is traveling through a high-load area. That is, if content is output at a high-load area, the driver's attention will be drawn to the content, but the driving load will also be high, making driving more difficult. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 200 prevents the driving difficulty from increasing excessively by not outputting content when the vehicle is traveling through a high-load area.

[0032] To perform this process, the control unit 200 determines, using the functions of the content output control unit 210d, whether the content output point and the high-load point coincide. If the output point and the high-load point coincide, the control unit 200 moves the output point forward or backward by a predetermined distance along the planned travel route so that the output point and the high-load point do not coincide.

[0033] In this embodiment, the control unit 200 moves the output point in different directions depending on the order of the content. Specifically, if the output point of the first content coincides with a high-load point, the control unit 200 moves the output point of the first content to the rear in the direction of vehicle travel. Also, if the output point of the last content coincides with a high-load point, the control unit 200 moves the output point of the last content to the front in the direction of vehicle travel. In this embodiment, the amount of movement is determined so that content within a predetermined period from the start of output (for example, within 10 seconds) does not overlap with a high-load point (details will be described later).

[0034] Since there are no output points for the series of content behind the output point of the first content in the direction of travel, moving the output point of the first content to the rear in the direction of travel will prevent the moved output point from coinciding with the output points of other content. Similarly, since there are no output points for the series of content ahead of the output point of the last content in the direction of travel, moving the output point of the last content to the front in the direction of travel will prevent the moved output point from coinciding with the output points of other content. This configuration reduces the possibility of overlapping content output timings.

[0035] (2) Content provision processing: Next, we will explain the content provision process performed by the content provision system 100 in cooperation with the server 10. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the content provision process. Figures 3A and 3B show examples of roads. Figures 4A and 4B are enlarged views of the roads shown in Figures 3A and 3B. In the examples shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, solid lines represent general roads, and dashed lines represent expressways. In the figures, connecting roads between expressways and general roads are also shown with dashed lines.

[0036] The content provision process shown in Figure 2 begins with the planned route information 300b and content information 300c corresponding to the destination recorded in the storage medium 300. Here, we assume that the planned route from the departure point S to the destination G is set as shown by the thick solid line in Figure 3B, on the road shown in Figure 3A.

[0037] When the content provision process begins, the control unit 200 obtains the destination arrival time using the function of the content output control unit 210d (step S100). That is, the control unit 200 refers to the planned route information 300b and identifies the time required to travel through each road section that makes up the planned route. The control unit 200 obtains the destination arrival time by adding the sum of the required times to the current time. The required time can be obtained by dividing the distance of the road section by the vehicle speed. The vehicle speed may be a statistically determined value of the average vehicle speed for each road section, or a value determined by the degree of congestion, etc.

[0038] Next, the control unit 200 acquires the content output section using the function of the content output control unit 210d (step S105). Specifically, the control unit 200 identifies the time obtained by subtracting a predetermined time from the destination arrival time acquired in step S100 as the content output start time. Furthermore, the control unit 200 identifies the time at which the vehicle will travel at each point on the planned route based on the time required for each road section. Then, the control unit 200 identifies the point where the vehicle is located at the content output start time as the start point Ps of the content output section. In Figure 3B, the content output section is from the start point Ps to the end point Pg, which is the destination G.

[0039] Next, the control unit 200 acquires high-load points using the function of the high-load point acquisition unit 210c (step S110). That is, the control unit 200 refers to the map information 300a and the planned route information 300b and determines whether the content output section acquired in step S105 includes branching points, merging points, right-turn points, and left-turn points. If they are included, those points are acquired as high-load points. Figures 4A and 4B are enlarged views showing the content output section from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pg with a thick solid line. In this example, the starting point Ps is a branching point from the expressway Rh to the connecting road, and is therefore a high-load point. Also, point P4 is a right-turn point on a general road, and is therefore a high-load point.

[0040] Next, the control unit 200 obtains the order and playback time of the content using the functions of the content output control unit 210d (step S115). Specifically, the control unit 200 refers to the content information 300c and obtains the output order of the multiple content items. The control unit 200 also refers to the content information 300c and obtains the playback time of each of the multiple content items.

[0041] Next, the control unit 200 acquires the content output points using the functions of the content output control unit 210d (step S120). For each of the multiple contents, the control unit 200 acquires the points (sections) that the vehicle travels between the start of content output and the elapsed of a predetermined period as output points. Specifically, the control unit 200 divides the distance or travel time of the content output section by the number of contents. In the former case, the control unit 200 sets the rearmost endpoint in the direction of travel of each section obtained by the division as the content output start point. In the latter case, the control unit 200 sets the point where the vehicle is located at the beginning of each period obtained by the division as the content output start point. In Figure 4A, an example is assumed in which four contents are output in the content output section, and in this example, the start point Ps, points P2, P3, and P4 are each the content output start points.

[0042] In this embodiment, the output points that are determined to coincide with high-load points are the points that the vehicle travels between the start of content output and the end of a predetermined period. For this reason, the control unit 200 identifies the distance the vehicle travels within a predetermined period (for example, 10 seconds) and acquires the section from the content output start point to that distance as the output point. In Figure 4A, the section where the content starts is shown as a dashed arrow, and the output points are shown as solid arrows, arranged side by side along each road.

[0043] Next, the control unit 200 selects an output point to be processed using the function of the content output control unit 210d (step S125). That is, the control unit 200 selects one piece of content from among the multiple pieces of content output within the content output section that has not been processed in steps S125 to S150, and makes it the piece to be processed.

[0044] Next, the control unit 200 determines, using the function of the content output control unit 210d, whether the output point to be processed matches a high-load point (step S130). That is, the control unit 200 determines that the output point to be processed matches a high-load point if the high-load point acquired in step S110 is included in the output point to be processed. If it is not determined in step S130 that the output point to be processed matches a high-load point, the control unit 200 skips steps S135 to S145.

[0045] On the other hand, if in step S130 it is determined that the output point to be processed coincides with a high-load point, the control unit 200, using the function of the content output control unit 210d, determines whether the content corresponding to the matched output point is the first content in sequence (step S135).

[0046] In step S135, if it is determined that the content corresponding to the output point that coincides with the high-load point is the first piece of content in sequence, the control unit 200 moves the output point backward in the direction of travel using the function of the content output control unit 210d (step S140). That is, the control unit 200 moves the content output start point backward in the direction of travel along the planned route by the distance the vehicle will travel from the start of content output to the predetermined period. When content that spans a certain playback period is output, the driver pays the most attention immediately after the content output starts, and tends to pay less attention after a certain amount of time has passed. The predetermined period is a period predetermined as the period during which the driver's attention is directed towards the content. By moving the output point by the distance traveled within the predetermined period, it is possible to prevent the section in which the driver's attention is directed towards the content from coinciding with the high-load point. Therefore, the control unit 200 moves the output point by that distance.

[0047] On the other hand, in step S135, if the content corresponding to the output point that coincides with the high-load point is not determined to be the first content in sequence, the control unit 200 moves the output point forward in the direction of travel using the function of the content output control unit 210d (step S145). That is, the control unit 200 moves the content output start point forward in the direction of travel along the planned route by the distance the vehicle will travel from the start of content output to the predetermined period. By moving the output point by the distance traveled within the predetermined period, it is possible to prevent the section in which the driver's attention is directed towards the content from coinciding with the high-load point.

[0048] If, in step S130, it is determined that the output point to be processed does not coincide with a high-load point, or if step S140 is executed, or if step S145 is executed, the control unit 200 determines whether processing has been completed for all output points (step S150). That is, the control unit 200 determines whether processing has been completed for all of the multiple content items output within the content output section, with the processing targets for steps S125 to S150. If, in step S150, it is determined that processing has not been completed for all output points, the control unit 200 repeats the processing from step S125 onward.

[0049] In step S150, if it is determined that processing has been completed for all output points, the control unit 200 outputs content at the output points (step S155). That is, the control unit 200 monitors the vehicle's current location based on the output information of the GNSS receiver 410. When the vehicle's current location matches the content output start point, the control unit 200 controls the UI unit 420 to play the content corresponding to that output start point.

[0050] In the example shown in Figure 4A, the starting point for outputting the first content is the starting point Ps, which coincides with the branching point, a high-load point. Therefore, in step S140, the control unit 200 moves the starting point Pss for outputting the first content backward in the direction of travel so that the section traveled within a predetermined period from the start of content output (the section indicated by the solid arrow) does not overlap with the merging point, as shown in Figure 4B. Since there are no output points for a series of content behind the output point of the first content in the direction of travel, the above process allows the output point of the first content to be moved so as not to overlap with the output points of other content.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 4A, the output start points for the second and third content are points P2 and P3, respectively, which do not coincide with the high-load point. Therefore, content output starts at each point P2 and P3. On the other hand, the output start point for the fourth and final content is point P4, which coincides with the high-load point, which is the right-turn point. For this reason, in step S145, the control unit 200 moves the output start point Ps4 of the last content forward in the direction of travel so that the section traveled within a predetermined period from the start of content output (the section indicated by the solid arrow) does not overlap with the right-turn point. Since there are no output points for the series of content forward in the direction of travel from the output point of the last content, the above process allows the output point of the first content to be moved so as not to overlap with the output points of other content.

[0052] (3) Other embodiments: The embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and various embodiments can be adopted. For example, the content provision system 100 may be a device mounted on a vehicle. The content provision system 100 may also be implemented as a standalone system.

[0053] The content provision system may be implemented by a server 10 and a content provision system 100. The server 10 may be implemented by multiple server computers. At least a portion of the planned route acquisition unit 210a, content acquisition unit 210b, high-load point acquisition unit 210c, and content output control unit 210d that constitute the content provision system 100 may be divided among multiple devices. Some configurations of the above embodiment may be omitted, and the order of processing may be changed or omitted. Also, some configurations may be different. For example, in the above embodiment, the output points of content other than the first sequence content are moved forward in the direction of travel, but the output points of content other than the first and last sequence content may be moved either forward or backward in the direction of travel. When moved, the amount and direction of movement may be adjusted so as not to overlap with the output points of other content at the destination.

[0054] The planned route acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the planned route from the vehicle's starting point to its destination. In other words, the planned route acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the route that the vehicle is scheduled to take to its destination. The vehicle's starting point can be determined by various methods, and may be the location where the vehicle is before it starts traveling, or it may be the vehicle's current location while it is traveling. The destination may be a location explicitly specified by the user, or it may be a location estimated from the vehicle's travel history, etc.

[0055] The content acquisition unit only needs to acquire multiple content items to be output in the content output section from a predetermined point on the planned route to the destination, as well as the order in which the multiple content items are output. In other words, the content acquisition unit only needs to acquire information to identify the content that should be output within the section to the destination. The content output section is the section from a predetermined point to the destination, and it is sufficient if it is a section that has been set as a section in which content should be output.

[0056] The content output section is a section in which content that meets the user's needs during the journey to the destination is output. While there may be periods during the content output section when no content is output, at least one of the content quantity or the length of the content output section may be adjusted so that the periods without content are shorter than a predetermined period. With this configuration, the user will be viewing content almost continuously while traveling through the content output section to their destination, preventing them from becoming bored during the journey.

[0057] The content can be anything; for example, it could be content related to the destination or its surroundings, or content selected to suit the user's preferences. Furthermore, multiple pieces of content may or may not be related to each other. The content consists of various types of information provided to the user, and the form of the content can vary. For example, the content may consist of various images, audio, etc. Images may be still images or videos, but the content is provided over a predetermined period or distance.

[0058] The order of the content can be defined so that multiple content items start outputting at different times. The output order may be defined for each content item, or the output point where output begins for each content item, the output timing for each content item, etc., and there can be various configurations.

[0059] The high-load point acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire high-load points, which are locations on the planned route where events occur that cause the driving load to exceed predetermined criteria. In other words, the high-load point acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire high-load points as locations where the user's attention should be avoided when focusing on content recognition. Increased driving load includes not only increased driving operation load, but also increased information that must be considered while driving.

[0060] The criteria for determining driving load only need to be set in a way that does not distract the user from driving. For example, the driving load when driving straight on a straight road could be used as a criterion. In this case, various points other than merging points, junctions, right turns, and left turns can be high-load points. For example, sharp curves and various speed limit points may be high-load points.

[0061] Furthermore, the amount of information that the driver must be aware of may be equivalent to the amount of information related to driving operations. In this case, points where guidance is provided to guide the vehicle along the planned route, or where guidance is provided for accident locations, traffic congestion locations, etc., may be high-load points. This configuration can be realized by replacing the processing in step S110 in the above embodiment.

[0062] For example, in step S110, the control unit 200 refers to the map information 300a and the planned route information 300b to identify the guidance points where route guidance will be output. That is, the control unit 200 identifies a guidance point as a point a predetermined distance before the point on the planned route where the vehicle should travel in a direction other than straight ahead. The control unit 200 then acquires the guidance points located within the content output section as high-load points. The processing from step S115 onward may be the same as in the embodiment described above.

[0063] This process ensures that if the content output point coincides with a high-load guidance point, the output point is moved so as not to coincide with the high-load point. Furthermore, if the output point of the first piece of content is moved, it is moved to the rear in the direction of travel; if the output point of the last piece of content is moved, it is moved to the front in the direction of travel. This allows content to be output in a way that avoids coinciding with guidance directions for vehicles. It also reduces the possibility of overlapping content output timings.

[0064] The content output control unit only needs to be able to output multiple content items in a predetermined order within the content output section. The content output control unit moves at least the output point of the first content item and the output point of the last content item, but may also move the output point of content items other than the first and last content items if those output points coincide with high-load points. Furthermore, in order to avoid the output point of one content item coinciding with the output point of another, the output points of other content items may also be moved.

[0065] The amount by which the content output control unit moves the output point of the first and last content items backward in the direction of travel of the vehicle only needs to be determined so as to avoid the content output point coinciding with a high-load point. This amount may be fixed, or it may be determined by the length of the content, etc. However, the content output point may be any point the vehicle travels between the start of content output and the end of a predetermined period, and does not have to be all points the vehicle travels during the period in which content is being output. Furthermore, the movement of the content output point may be considered as a change in the timing of content output, and the coincidence of the output point and a high-load point may be considered as the coincidence of the period in which content is being output and the period in which the vehicle travels through a high-load point.

[0066] Furthermore, the methods of the present invention can also be applied as programs and methods. Moreover, such systems, programs, and methods may be implemented as standalone devices, or they may be implemented using parts shared with various components of a vehicle, encompassing a variety of embodiments. They can also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention also functions as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same way. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 10…Server, 20…Control Unit, 30…Recording Medium, 30a…Content Information, 40…Communication Unit, 100…Content Provision System, 200…Control Unit, 210…Content Provision Program, 210a…Driving Route Acquisition Unit, 210b…Content Acquisition Unit, 210c…High Load Point Acquisition Unit, 210d…Content Output Control Unit, 300…Storage Medium, 300a…Map Information, 300b…Driving Route Information, 300c…Content Information, 400…Communication Unit, 410…GNSS Receiver, 420…UI Unit

Claims

1. A planned route acquisition unit acquires the planned route from the vehicle's departure point to its destination, A content acquisition unit acquires multiple content items to be output in the content output section from a predetermined point on the planned travel route to the destination, and the order in which the multiple content items are output. A high-load point acquisition unit acquires high-load points, which are locations on the aforementioned planned route where an event occurs that causes the driving load to exceed a predetermined standard. A content output control unit that outputs a plurality of the contents in the order described above within the content output section, wherein if the output point of the first content coincides with the high load point, the output point of the first content is moved to the rear in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and if the output point of the last content coincides with the high load point, the output point of the last content is moved to the front in the direction of travel of the vehicle, A content delivery system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned high-load location is At least one of the following: a merging point where another road merges with the road on which the vehicle is traveling; a branching point where another road branches off from the road on which the vehicle is traveling; a right turn point; or a left turn point. The content provision system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned high-load location is This is a point where guidance is provided to lead the vehicle along the aforementioned planned route. The content provision system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The output point is a point that the vehicle travels to between the start of outputting the content and the end of a predetermined period of time. The content provision system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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