Travel path determination device, travel path determination method, and travel path determination program
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- OMRON CORP
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-05
Smart Images
Figure 2026126536000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a movement route determination device, a movement route determination method, and a movement route determination program that determine the movement route of a user from an entry station to an exit station when the user of a railway passes through a ticket gate together with a predetermined medium and exits the station after using the railway.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, the fare when using a railway is obtained and collected as follows by a control device assembled in a ticket gate, for example. That is, when the user exits the station after using the railway, this control device acquires the entry station as information via the user's medium, and acquires the exit station as information in response to the user passing through the ticket gate. Based on the acquired entry station and exit station, the control device estimates the movement route of the user so that the fare is minimized. That is, the conventional control device of the ticket gate is provided to estimate the movement route based on the entry station and the exit station and to obtain the lowest fare.
[0003] By the way, according to an IC card that is widespread as the above medium, when the user accurately holds the IC card over the ticket gate, various types of information are transmitted and received between the IC card and the control device. Therefore, for example, if the user passes through the ticket gate even though the way of holding the IC card over the ticket gate is inaccurate, the estimation of the above movement route may be performed abnormally, and there is a risk that an incorrect fare will be collected.
[0004] Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a season ticket route data confirmation system that detects suspicious points in the movement route recorded on a season ticket. This system regards, for example, that when entering a railway station using a season ticket, a difference occurs in the amount received at the time of exit due to the difference in the issuing office of the season ticket.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-268241 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0006] However, the system described in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. In other words, the system in Patent Document 1 finds suspicious points in the travel route recorded on the commuter pass, and it is thought that this is related to the aforementioned abnormality in the estimation of the travel route, as it focuses on the travel route. However, the travel route that this application focuses on is generated by estimation each time the user exits the station, whereas the travel route in Patent Document 1 is already recorded and fixed on the commuter pass. For this reason, it is thought that a different approach from that of Patent Document 1 will be necessary to resolve the erroneous collection of fares based on the abnormal estimation that this application is concerned about.
[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a travel route determination device, a travel route determination method, and a travel route determination program that can prevent the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a station after using the railway. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The travel path determination device according to the first invention is a device that determines the travel path of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the railway user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway and exits the station, and comprises an information acquisition unit, a travel path estimation unit, a travel time estimation unit, an actual travel time calculation unit, a comparison unit, and a determination unit, which are described below. First, the information acquisition unit acquires the entry station and entry time as information from the medium, and also acquires the exit station and exit time as information when the user passes through the ticket gate. The travel route estimation unit estimates the user's travel route based on the entry and exit stations acquired by the information acquisition unit. The travel time estimation unit estimates the user's travel time from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit, and the actual travel time calculation unit calculates the user's travel time based on the difference between the exit time and entry time acquired by the information acquisition unit.
[0009] Furthermore, the comparison unit determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit. When the comparison unit determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit. To fundamentally eliminate the inaccuracies in estimated movement paths, it is conceivable to directly detect movement paths using various devices to obtain more accurate routes. For example, it is conceivable to directly detect actual movement paths based on signals from GPS-enabled mobile devices or cameras installed inside vehicles and stations. However, relying on mobile devices would make it impossible to detect users who do not possess a mobile device, requiring all users to carry one. Furthermore, relying on cameras would require a considerable number of cameras to enable practical tracking, resulting in high implementation and operational costs.
[0010] Therefore, the first invention focuses on the entry and exit times, which are almost certainly recorded on the user's medium when using the railway. First, the travel route estimation unit estimates the travel route, and the travel time estimation unit estimates the travel time based on the estimated travel route. Furthermore, the actual travel time calculation unit calculates the travel time based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time.
[0011] Here, it is thought that an overcharge occurs when the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. Therefore, the comparison unit and the determination unit determine that there is an abnormality in the estimated travel route when the travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit (estimated travel time) is greater than the travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit (actual travel time). This allows for the generation of information indicating an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thereby preventing the miscalculation of fares due to inaccurate travel route estimations.
[0012] As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a railway station after using the train. Furthermore, the first invention is considered to have significant advantages because the user always possesses the medium, it utilizes information recorded on the medium, resulting in virtually no additional hardware costs, and it does not require the user to change their operation. In addition, according to the first invention, in determining abnormalities, it is sufficient to obtain new entry and exit times, and it does not depend on the form of the medium, so the first invention can be applied to magnetic tickets other than IC cards, QR codes (registered trademark), credit cards, or facial recognition, etc.
[0013] Furthermore, future trends include ticket gates using facial recognition and fingerprints. However, unlike existing IC cards, these may be prone to misdetection due to the diversity of the medium (facial expressions, finger injuries, etc.), and consequently, the estimation of abnormal movement paths resulting from these misdetections. For this reason, the effects of the first invention are expected to be significantly more pronounced even for future media such as facial recognition and fingerprints. Furthermore, according to the first invention, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether there is an anomaly in the estimated travel path, thus enabling accurate fare collection. For this reason, the first invention may be applicable to fare collection in different fields, such as highway fare collection, in addition to railway fare collection.
[0014] The travel path determination device according to the second invention is the same as the travel path determination device according to the first invention, wherein the travel path estimation unit estimates the route that provides the shortest travel time between the entry station and the exit station, as obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel path. This reduces the likelihood of an anomaly being detected in the estimated travel route (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the estimated travel route), thus reducing the frequency of taking measures to avoid incorrect fare collection.
[0015] The travel route determination device according to the third invention is the same as the travel route determination device according to the first invention, wherein the travel route estimation unit estimates the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, which is obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel route.
[0016] Here, it is considered highly likely that the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station will coincide with the route with the shortest travel time between the entry station and the exit station. As a result, even if the route with the lowest fare is estimated as the travel route instead of the route with the shortest travel time, the possibility of an abnormality being determined in the estimated travel route can be reduced. Therefore, similar to the second invention, the frequency of taking measures to avoid erroneous fare collection can be reduced.
[0017] The movement path determination device according to the fourth invention is the movement path determination device according to the first invention, further comprising the following abnormality notification unit. That is, the abnormality notification unit notifies of an abnormality when the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the movement path estimated by the movement path estimation unit. This allows for widespread notification of situations where there is a high probability of incorrect fare collection, thereby more reliably preventing incorrect fare collection. Here, the entities that receive notification of an anomaly from the anomaly notification unit can be set in various ways depending on the nature of the anomaly notification unit, including not only equipment such as local terminals and alarm devices at departure stations and the railway bureau's host computer, but also local station staff and the users themselves.
[0018] The travel path determination device according to the fifth invention is a travel path determination device according to the first invention, and includes the following recording unit. That is, the recording unit stores data that includes a combination of two stations and the shortest travel time between the two stations as parameters. The travel time estimation unit then obtains data from the data stored in the recording unit that corresponds to the travel path estimated by the travel path estimation unit, and estimates the user's travel time based on the obtained data. This allows the shortest travel time between two stations to be stored as data, and by using this data, the travel time corresponding to the travel route can be determined with high accuracy. Therefore, the possibility of an anomaly being detected in the estimated travel route due to low accuracy of the estimated travel time can be reduced.
[0019] The travel route determination device according to the sixth invention is a travel route determination device according to the third invention, further comprising the following pre-determination unit. That is, the pre-determination unit determines whether the travel route estimation unit was able to estimate the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, which was obtained by the information acquisition unit. In the travel route estimation unit, when estimating the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, if the lowest-fare route cannot be estimated, there is a very high probability that an anomaly will occur. Therefore, by determining an anomaly at the stage where the lowest-fare route cannot be estimated, the anomaly can be detected earlier, and subsequent stages can be skipped.
[0020] The seventh invention relates to a method for determining a travel route, which determines the travel route of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway and exits the station. The method comprises the following steps: an information acquisition step, a travel route estimation step, a travel time estimation step, an actual travel time calculation step, a comparison step, and a determination step.
[0021] First, the information acquisition step acquires the entry station and the entry time as information from the medium, and acquires the exit station and the exit time as information in response to the user passing through the ticket gate. The movement route estimation step estimates the movement route of the user based on the entry station and the exit station acquired in the information acquisition step. Also, the movement time estimation step estimates the movement time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the movement route estimated in the movement route estimation step. The actual movement time calculation step calculates the movement time of the user based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time acquired in the information acquisition step.
[0022] Furthermore, the comparison step determines the magnitude relationship between the estimated movement time estimated in the movement time estimation step and the actual movement time calculated in the actual movement time calculation step. The determination step determines that there is an abnormality in the movement route estimated in the movement route estimation step when it is determined in the comparison step that the estimated movement time is greater than the actual movement time. Here, in order to fundamentally eliminate the estimation abnormality of the movement route, it is also conceivable to obtain the movement route with higher accuracy by directly detecting the movement route by various devices and the like. For example, it is also conceivable to directly detect the actual movement route based on signals from a mobile terminal having a GPS function or cameras installed in a vehicle or within a station building. However, when relying on a mobile terminal, it is impossible to detect users who do not have a mobile terminal in the first place, and it is necessary to require all users to carry a mobile terminal. Also, when relying on cameras, a considerable number of installation units are required to enable realistic tracking, and both the installation cost and the operation cost will increase.
[0023] Therefore, in the seventh invention, attention is paid to the entry time and the exit time that are almost surely recorded on the user's medium when using the railway. First, the movement route estimation step estimates the movement route, and the movement time estimation step estimates the movement time based on the estimated movement route. Also, the actual movement time calculation step calculates the movement time based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time.
[0024] Here, it is considered that an overcharge occurs when the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. Therefore, in the comparison step and the determination step, if the travel time estimated in the travel time estimation step (estimated travel time) is greater than the travel time calculated in the actual travel time calculation step (actual travel time), it is determined that there is an anomaly in the estimated travel route.
[0025] This allows for the generation of information indicating an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thereby preventing the miscalculation of fares due to inaccurate travel route estimations. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a railway station after using the train. Furthermore, the seventh invention is considered to have significant advantages because the user always possesses the medium, it utilizes information recorded on the medium, resulting in virtually no additional hardware costs, and it does not require the user to change their operation. In addition, according to the seventh invention, in determining abnormalities, it is sufficient to obtain new entry and exit times, and it does not depend on the form of the medium, so the seventh invention can be applied to magnetic tickets other than IC cards, QR codes (registered trademark), credit cards, or facial recognition, etc.
[0026] Furthermore, future trends include ticket gates using facial recognition and fingerprints. However, unlike existing IC cards, these may be prone to misdetection due to the diversity of the medium (facial expressions, finger injuries, etc.), and consequently, the estimation of abnormal movement paths resulting from these misdetections. For this reason, the effects of the seventh invention are expected to be particularly significant for future media such as facial recognition and fingerprints. Furthermore, according to the seventh invention, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether there is an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thus enabling accurate fare collection. For this reason, the seventh invention may be applicable to fare collection in different fields, such as highway fare collection, in addition to railway fare collection.
[0027] The eighth invention relates to a travel route determination program, which determines the travel route of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user exits the station by passing through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway. The program causes a computer to execute a travel route determination method comprising the following steps: information acquisition step, travel route estimation step, travel time estimation step, actual travel time calculation step, comparison step, and determination step.
[0028] First, the information acquisition step acquires the entry station and entry time as information from the medium, and also acquires the exit station and exit time as information when the user passes through the ticket gate. The travel route estimation step estimates the user's travel route based on the entry and exit stations acquired in the information acquisition step. The travel time estimation step estimates the user's travel time from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated in the travel route estimation step. The actual travel time calculation step calculates the user's travel time based on the difference between the exit time and entry time acquired in the information acquisition step.
[0029] Furthermore, the comparison step determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation step and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation step. The determination step determines that there is an anomaly in the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation step if the comparison step determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. To fundamentally eliminate the inaccuracies in estimated movement paths, it is conceivable to directly detect movement paths using various devices to obtain more accurate routes. For example, it is conceivable to directly detect actual movement paths based on signals from GPS-enabled mobile devices or cameras installed inside vehicles and stations. However, relying on mobile devices would make it impossible to detect users who do not possess a mobile device, requiring all users to carry one. Furthermore, relying on cameras would require a considerable number of cameras to enable practical tracking, resulting in high implementation and operational costs.
[0030] Therefore, the eighth invention focuses on the entry and exit times, which are almost certainly recorded on the user's medium when using the railway. First, the travel route is estimated in the travel route estimation step, and the travel time is estimated based on the estimated travel route in the travel time estimation step. Furthermore, the actual travel time is calculated based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time in the actual travel time calculation step.
[0031] Here, it is considered that an overcharge occurs when the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. Therefore, in the comparison step and the determination step, if the travel time estimated in the travel time estimation step (estimated travel time) is greater than the travel time calculated in the actual travel time calculation step (actual travel time), it is determined that there is an anomaly in the estimated travel route.
[0032] This allows for the generation of information indicating an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thereby preventing the miscalculation of fares due to inaccurate travel route estimations. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a railway station after using the train. Furthermore, the eighth invention is considered to have significant advantages because the user always possesses the medium, it utilizes information recorded on the medium so there are virtually no additional hardware costs, and it does not require the user to change their operation. In addition, according to the eighth invention, in determining an anomaly, it is sufficient to obtain the entry time and exit time, and it does not depend on the form of the medium, so the eighth invention can be applied to magnetic tickets other than IC cards, QR codes (registered trademark), credit cards, or facial recognition, etc.
[0033] Furthermore, future trends include ticket gates using facial recognition and fingerprints. However, unlike existing IC cards, these may be prone to misdetection due to the diversity of the medium (facial expressions, finger injuries, etc.), and consequently, the estimation of abnormal movement paths resulting from these misdetections. For this reason, the effects of the eighth invention are expected to be significantly more pronounced even for future media such as facial recognition and fingerprints.
[0034] Furthermore, according to the eighth invention, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether there is an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thus enabling accurate fare collection. For this reason, the eighth invention may be applicable to fare collection in different fields, such as highway fare collection, in addition to railway fare collection. [Effects of the Invention]
[0035] The travel route determination device according to the present invention makes it possible to avoid the collection of incorrect fares when a railway user exits a railway station after using the railway. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0036] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing a system configuration including a movement path determination device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A table showing the shortest travel time data accumulated by the recording unit of the travel path determination device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] A flowchart showing the processing flow of the movement path determination method performed by the movement path determination device in Figure 1. [Figure 4] A route map (Example 1) showing an example of an abnormality being detected by the travel path determination device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] A route map (Example 2) showing an example of an abnormality being detected by the travel path determination device in Figure 1. [Figure 6] A block diagram showing the configuration of a ticket gate within a system configuration that includes a travel path determination device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]A block diagram showing the configuration of a server in a system configuration that includes a travel path determination device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0037] A movement path determination device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In this embodiment, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art.
[0038] Furthermore, the applicant provides the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art may fully understand the present invention, and not intends to limit the subject matter described in the claims. The travel path determination device 10 according to this embodiment is a device that determines the travel path of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the railway user passes through the ticket gate 100 with a predetermined medium 11 and exits the station after using the railway.
[0039] Furthermore, the travel route determination device 10 is mainly installed in a control device 100A that is attached to the ticket gate 100 at the railway station. The control device 100A mainly functions as the travel route determination device 10 when calculating fares when railway users exit the station. In addition, while the control device 100A functions as the travel route determination device 10, it also performs normal processing corresponding to the entry and exit of users. Therefore, prior to describing the movement path determination device 10, we will explain the ticket gate 100 and the control device 100A provided by the ticket gate 100, and in the explanation of the control device 100A, we will also explain the normal processing that corresponds to the entry and exit of users.
[0040] (1) Outline configuration of ticket gate 100 As shown in Figure 1, for example, the ticket gate 100 reads information recorded on the medium 11 or records information on the medium 11 when the user holds the IC card, which serves as the medium 11, over a predetermined position. In addition to the control device 100A, it is equipped with a commonly known medium information reader 12, a medium information writer 13, and a display device 14, etc. These devices operate as follows when a railway user exits a railway station after using the railway: The media information reader 12 reads the entry station and entry time from the media 11 when the user holds the media 11 over a designated area, and the media information writing device 13 writes the exit station and exit time to the media 11. The display device 14 also displays the fare and other charges incurred for this use in a designated display area.
[0041] (2) Configuration of control device 100A The control device 100A comprises a recording unit 15, an arithmetic processing unit, an input device, and an output device as its hardware configuration. The control device 100A also causes various devices of the ticket gate 100 to perform various operations based on the various programs and data stored in the recording unit 15 and the information read by the media information reading device 12. As a result, the control device 100A functions as a movement path determination device 10 while also performing normal processing corresponding to the entry and exit of users.
[0042] To perform this normal processing, the control device 100A stores the following two-station fare data and equipment information data in the recording unit 15. Here, the two-station fare data is data that uses the combination of two stations and the fare between these two stations as parameters, and the equipment information data is data that shows information related to the equipment at the time of entry and exit, such as the current time and the station where the ticket gate 100 is installed.
[0043] The control device 100A then performs normal processing corresponding to the entry and exit of users based on the fare data between the two stations, the equipment information data, and the information read by the media information reading device 12. In other words, the control device 100A is equipped with the following functions, such as the information acquisition unit 17 and the normal processing unit 18, in order to perform such normal processing. First, the information acquisition unit 17 acquires the entry station, entry time, etc. from the media information reader 12, and also acquires equipment information data from the recording unit 15. More specifically, the information acquisition unit 17 acquires the entry station, entry time, etc. as information from the media 11 via the media information reader 12, and also acquires from the recording unit 15 the station where the ticket gate 100 is installed and the time when the user passes through the ticket gate 100 as information representing the exit station and exit time, respectively.
[0044] Furthermore, the normal processing unit 18 includes a unit 20 for calculating the next cheapest route and fare, a unit 21 for determining entry and exit times, a unit 22 for integrating determination results, and a unit 23 for outputting ticket collection results. First, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 uses the entry and exit stations acquired by the information acquisition unit 17, as well as the two-station fare data stored in the recording unit 15, to calculate the fare to be collected from the user. At this time, regardless of how the user traveled between the entry and exit stations, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 estimates the travel route from the entry station to the exit station so that the fare between the entry station and the exit station is the cheapest within the range of data stored as two-station fare data. Then, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 sets the cheapest fare calculated based on this estimated travel route as the fare to be collected from the user.
[0045] Next, the entry / exit time determination unit 21 determines whether there is anything suspicious about the user's movements based on the time from the user's entry time to their exit time. More specifically, the entry / exit time determination unit 21 sets a specific predetermined time as a threshold, and determines that the user's movements are suspicious if the entry / exit time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time.
[0046] Furthermore, the judgment result integration unit 22 combines the judgment result of the entry / exit time judgment unit 21 with the judgment result of the other judgment units to determine whether the fare calculated by the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 is appropriate. If it determines that it is appropriate, it outputs the fare, etc., along with the exit station and exit time. The bid collection result output unit 23 then outputs the information output from the judgment result integration unit 22 as the bid collection result to an external device of the control device 100A. More specifically, the bid collection result output unit 23 outputs the departure station, departure time, and fare to the media information writing device 13, and accordingly, the media information writing device 13 writes the departure station, departure time, and fare output from the bid collection result output unit 23 to the medium 11. The bid collection result output unit 23 also outputs the fare to the display device 14, and accordingly, the display device 14 displays the fare output from the bid collection result output unit 23 as the fare incurred for this use in a predetermined display area.
[0047] (3) Configuration of the movement path determination device 10 Next, we will explain the various functions of the movement path determination device 10 in order. The travel path determination device 10 includes the information acquisition unit 17 described above, as well as the travel path estimation unit 25, travel time estimation unit 26, actual travel time calculation unit 27, comparison unit 28, determination unit 29, and pre-determination unit 30, which are described below. First, the travel route estimation unit 25 estimates the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, which is obtained by the information acquisition unit 17, as the travel route. Since the travel route with the lowest fare is normally estimated by the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 of the processing unit 18, the travel route estimation unit 25 obtains and uses the estimated travel route from the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 as a substitute.
[0048] Next, the travel time estimation unit 26 estimates the travel time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25. In estimating this travel time, the travel time estimation unit 26 uses the following shortest travel time data. In other words, the shortest travel time data is data that includes the combination of two stations and the shortest travel time between the two stations as parameters, and is stored in the recording unit 15. The travel time estimation unit 26 then retrieves data from the shortest travel time data that corresponds to the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25, and estimates the user's travel time based on the retrieved data (hereinafter, the travel time estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25 may be referred to as the estimated travel time).
[0049] The shortest travel time data is recorded in separate tables for each type of medium 11, as shown in Figure 2. Each table contains a column for the combination of two stations, i.e., the section, and a column for the shortest travel time within that section. Specifically, for example, Table 1 records data for magnetic tickets, and Table 2 records data for IC cards or credit cards. Therefore, even for entry and exit within the same section, the estimated travel time may differ depending on the type of medium 11. Note that the tables for the shortest travel time data may also differ depending on the service scope, terms and conditions of carriage, etc., in addition to the type of medium 11.
[0050] Next, the actual travel time calculation unit 27 calculates the user's travel time based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time obtained by the information acquisition unit 17 (hereinafter, the travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit 27 may be referred to as the actual travel time). In calculating the actual travel time, the travel time between the ticket gate 100 and the platform and alighting area at each entry and exit station, as well as waiting time at the platform, may be taken into consideration and these times may be selectively subtracted from the difference between the exit time and the entry time.
[0051] Furthermore, the comparison unit 28 determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit 26 and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit 27. Furthermore, the determination unit 29 determines, based on the comparison unit 28's determination that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, that there is an abnormality in the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25. When the determination unit 29 determines that there is an abnormality in the estimated travel route, it outputs an abnormality signal to the abnormality notification unit 32, which will be described later. When the determination unit 29 determines that there is no abnormality in the estimated travel route, it outputs that there is no abnormality to the determination result integration unit 22, and the determination result integration unit 22 uses the information obtained from the determination unit 29 to determine the appropriateness of the fare.
[0052] Furthermore, the pre-determination unit 30 determines an abnormality when the travel route estimation unit 25 is unable to estimate the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, which was obtained by the information acquisition unit 17. In other words, the pre-determination unit 30 determines an abnormality when the travel route estimation unit 25 is unable to obtain the estimated travel route from the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20, that is, when the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 is unable to estimate the travel route with the lowest fare.
[0053] Furthermore, the travel path determination device 10 is further equipped with an abnormality notification unit 32, as described above. Specifically, the abnormality notification unit 32 notifies of an abnormality when the determination unit 29 determines that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimated by the travel path estimation unit 25. The abnormality notification unit 32 also notifies of an abnormality when the pre-determination unit 30 determines that there is an abnormality. The destination of the abnormality notification is, for example, a terminal installed in the station staff room. By notifying the terminal in the station staff room that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimation, local station staff can rush to the site where the ticket gate 100 is installed and take measures to avoid the erroneous collection of fares.
[0054] <Method for determining movement path> Next, the method for determining the travel route performed by the travel route determination device 10 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 3. This travel route determination method is performed each time a railway user exits a station by passing through the ticket gate 100 with the medium 11 after using the railway, and is started when the user holds the medium 11 over a predetermined position on the medium information reader 12.
[0055] First, in step S11, information such as the user's entry station, entry time, exit station, and exit time is obtained. At this time, the entry station and entry time are obtained from the medium 11 via the medium information reader 12, and the exit station and exit time are obtained from the equipment information data of the recording unit 15. Next, in step S12, the user's travel route is estimated. In estimating the travel route, the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, obtained in step S11, is estimated as the travel route. Note that the travel route with the lowest fare is estimated in another control flow for normal processing, so the travel route estimated in this other control flow is obtained and used as a substitute.
[0056] Next, in step S13, it is determined whether or not the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station could be estimated in step S12. That is, it is determined whether or not the travel route with the lowest fare could be estimated using the other control flow described above. If the route with the lowest fare could be estimated (YES), the process proceeds to step S14; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S17.
[0057] Next, in step S14, the user's travel time is estimated. For the travel time estimation, the shortest travel time data from the recording unit 15 is used. In step S15, the actual travel time of the user is calculated. The actual travel time is calculated based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time obtained in step S11.
[0058] Furthermore, in step S16, it is determined whether the estimated travel time estimated in step S14 is greater than the actual travel time calculated in step S15. If it is determined that the estimated travel time is less than or equal to the actual travel time (YES), the result is integrated into the normal process; if it is determined that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time (NO), the process proceeds to step S17. Step 17 determines an anomaly based on the fact that it was not possible to estimate the route with the lowest fare, or that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. Then, in step S18, an abnormality signal is output to the abnormality notification unit 32. Below, two examples of abnormality detection by the movement path determination device 10 will be described as Example 1 and Example 2, using Figures 4 and 5, respectively.
[0059] <Example 1> In Example 1, the route network A of company A, which has entered the IC card system market, and the route network B of company B, which has not entered the IC card system market, exist in the manner shown in Figure 4. In Figure 4, route network A is represented by a solid line, and route network B is represented by a dotted line.
[0060] In this configuration, route network A has five stations: Station 2, Station 1, Station 5, Station 4, and Station 3. Travel is possible via the railway operated by participating company A, in the order of Station 2 ⇔ Station 1 ⇔ Station 5 ⇔ Station 4 ⇔ Station 3, but direct travel between Station 2 and Station 3 is not possible. Similarly, route network B has four stations: Station 1, Station 2, Station 3, and Station 4. Travel is possible via the railway operated by non-participating company B, in the order of Station 1 ⇔ Station 2 ⇔ Station 3 ⇔ Station 4, but direct travel between Station 1 and Station 4 is not possible.
[0061] Furthermore, ticket gates 100 are installed at all stations from Station 1 to Station 5, allowing entry and exit using IC cards. Ticket vending machines operated by participating company A can issue magnetic tickets within the range of routes that can be traveled on route network A, while ticket vending machines operated by non-participating company B can issue magnetic tickets within the range of routes that can be traveled on route network B. In addition, travel route determination devices 10 are installed in all ticket gates 100 at stations from Station 1 to Station 5, and the fare data information between two stations and the shortest travel time data are configured within the range of routes that can be traveled on route network A. Figure 4 shows an example of the fare and travel time between adjacent stations.
[0062] Under this usage environment, we assume a scenario where a user enters Station 1 by passing through the ticket gate 100 using an IC card, boards a railway operated by non-participating company B at Station 1, passes through Stations 2 and 3 in sequence, disembarks at Station 4, and attempts to exit by passing through the ticket gate 100 at Station 4 using an IC card. In this case, according to the ticket gate 100 at station 4, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 estimates station 1 → station 5 → station 4 as the cheapest travel route, assuming station 1 as the entry station and station 4 as the exit station, because there is no direct route setting between station 2 and station 3 in the fare data information between the two stations, and no fare data exists between station 2 and station 3. Therefore, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 calculates the fare as a total of 3200 yen, which is 1200 yen for the combination of station 1⇔station 5 and station 4⇔station 5, and 2000 yen for the combinations of station 1⇔station 5 and station 4⇔station 5, respectively.
[0063] This amount is significantly higher than the fare based on the actual travel route taken by the user, which is the sum of 640 yen (160 yen, 240 yen, and 240 yen) for each combination of Station 1⇔Station 2, Station 2⇔Station 3, and Station 3⇔Station 4. In response to this, the travel route determination device 10 at station 4 also estimates the shortest travel route as station 1 → station 5 → station 4, with station 1 as the entry station and station 4 as the exit station. As a result, the travel time estimation unit 26 estimates the travel time as 250 minutes by adding the travel times of 120 minutes and 130 minutes for the shortest travel time data for the station 1⇔station 5 and station 4⇔station 5 combinations.
[0064] On the other hand, the actual travel time calculation unit 27 calculates the actual travel time by adding the travel time between the ticket gate 100 and the boarding / alighting areas, as well as the waiting time at the boarding areas, to the total of 30 minutes, for example, the travel time of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes for each of the following routes: Station 1⇔Station 2, Station 2⇔Station 3, and Station 3⇔Station 4. Therefore, the comparison unit 28 determines that the estimated travel time is significantly greater than the actual travel time, and the determination unit 29 determines that there is an abnormality in the estimated travel route. As a result, the abnormality notification unit 32 notifies the terminal in the station staff room of the abnormality, so that the local staff at station 4 can rush to the installation site of the ticket gate 100 and take measures to avoid the erroneous collection of significantly higher fares.
[0065] <Example 2> In Example 2, the route network C of IC card system company C exists in the manner shown in Figure 5. According to this embodiment, the route network C has six stations: Station 1, Station 2, Station 4, Station 5, Station 2', and Station 3, and it is possible to travel between stations via company C's railway in the order of Station 1 ⇔ Station 2 ⇔ Station 4 ⇔ Station 5 ⇔ Station 2' ⇔ Station 3. Also, Station 2 and Station 2' are close together and can be traveled between by passing through an intermediate ticket gate.
[0066] Furthermore, ticket gates 100 are installed at all stations, from Station 1 to Station 5 and Station 2', allowing entry and exit using IC cards. In addition, a travel route determination device 10 is incorporated into all ticket gates 100 at Stations 1 to Station 5 and Station 2', and the fare data information between two stations and the shortest travel time data are configured within the range of travelable routes on the route network C. Figure 5 shows an example of the fare and travel time between adjacent stations.
[0067] Under this usage environment, we assume a scenario where a user enters the station by passing through ticket gate 100 at station 1 using an IC card and boards the train, then disembarks at station 2, passes through an intermediate ticket gate to move to station 2', boards the train again, disembarks at station 3, and attempts to exit by passing through ticket gate 100 at station 3 using an IC card. Furthermore, we assume a scenario where, in the assumed travel route, the user passes through the intermediate ticket gate despite incorrectly holding up the IC card.
[0068] In this case, since the information for exiting from Station 2 and entering Station 2' is not written to the IC card at the intermediate ticket gate, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 estimates Station 1 → Station 2 → Station 4 → Station 5 → Station 2' → Station 3 as the cheapest travel route with Station 1 as the entry station and Station 3 as the exit station. Therefore, the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 calculates the fare as a total of 1015 yen, which is 178 yen, 272 yen, 252 yen, 167 yen, and 146 yen for each combination of Station 1⇔Station 2, Station 2⇔Station 4, Station 4⇔Station 5, Station 5⇔Station 2', and Station 2'⇔Station 3.
[0069] This amount is significantly higher than the fare based on the actual travel route taken by the user, which is the sum of 324 yen (178 yen for Station 1⇔Station 2 and 146 yen for Station 2'⇔Station 3). In response to this, the travel route determination device 10 at station 3 also estimates the shortest travel route with station 1 as the entry station and station 3 as the exit station as station 1 → station 2 → station 4 → station 5 → station 2' → station 3. As a result, the travel time estimation unit 26 estimates the travel time to be 57 minutes by adding up the travel times of 2 minutes, 20 minutes, 28 minutes, 4 minutes, and 3 minutes for each combination of shortest travel time data for station 1⇔station 2, station 2⇔station 4, station 4⇔station 5, station 5⇔station 2', and station 2'⇔station 3.
[0070] On the other hand, the actual travel time calculation unit 27 calculates the actual travel time by adding the travel time between the ticket gate 100 and the boarding / alighting areas, as well as the waiting time at the boarding area, to the total of 5 minutes, for example, the travel time between Station 1 and Station 2, and Station 2' and Station 3, based on the entry time at Station 1 and the exit time at Station 3. Therefore, the comparison unit 28 determines that the estimated travel time is significantly greater than the actual travel time, and the determination unit 29 determines that there is an abnormality in the estimated travel route. As a result, the abnormality notification unit 32 notifies the terminal in the station staff room of the abnormality, so that the local staff at station 3 can rush to the installation site of the ticket gate 100 and take measures to avoid the erroneous collection of significantly higher fares.
[0071] <Key Features> The travel path determination device 10 of this embodiment is a device that determines the travel path of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the railway user passes through the ticket gate 100 with a predetermined medium 11 after using the railway and exits the station. It comprises an information acquisition unit 17, a travel path estimation unit 25, a travel time estimation unit 26, an actual travel time calculation unit 27, a comparison unit 28, and a determination unit 29, which will be described below.
[0072] First, the information acquisition unit 17 acquires the entry station and entry time as information from the medium 11, and also acquires the exit station and exit time as information in response to the user passing through the ticket gate 100. The travel route estimation unit 25 then estimates the user's travel route based on the entry and exit stations acquired by the information acquisition unit 17. The travel time estimation unit 26 then estimates the user's travel time from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25. The actual travel time calculation unit 27 then calculates the user's travel time based on the difference between the exit time and entry time acquired by the information acquisition unit 17.
[0073] Furthermore, the comparison unit 28 determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit 26 and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit 27. When the comparison unit 28 determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, the determination unit 29 determines that there is an abnormality in the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit 25. To fundamentally eliminate the inaccuracies in estimated movement paths, it is conceivable to directly detect movement paths using various devices to obtain more accurate routes. For example, it is conceivable to directly detect actual movement paths based on signals from GPS-enabled mobile devices or cameras installed inside vehicles and stations. However, relying on mobile devices would make it impossible to detect users who do not possess a mobile device, requiring all users to carry one. Furthermore, relying on cameras would require a considerable number of cameras to enable practical tracking, resulting in high implementation and operational costs.
[0074] Therefore, the travel route determination device 10 focuses on the entry time and exit time, which are almost certainly recorded on the user's medium 11 when using the railway. First, the travel route estimation unit 25 estimates the travel route, and the travel time estimation unit 26 estimates the travel time based on the estimated travel route. In addition, the actual travel time calculation unit 27 calculates the travel time based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time.
[0075] Here, it is thought that an overcharge will occur if the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time. Therefore, the comparison unit 28 and the determination unit 29 determine that there is an abnormality in the estimated travel route if the travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit 26 (estimated travel time) is greater than the travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit 27 (actual travel time). This allows for the generation of information indicating an anomaly in the estimated travel route, thereby preventing the miscalculation of fares due to inaccurate travel route estimations.
[0076] As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a railway station after using the train. Furthermore, the travel path determination device 10 is considered to have significant advantages because users always possess the medium 11, it utilizes information recorded on the medium 11, resulting in virtually no additional hardware costs, and it does not require users to change their operation. In addition, the travel path determination device 10 only requires the acquisition of new entry and exit times for abnormality detection, and does not depend on the form of the medium 11. Therefore, the travel path determination device 10 can be applied to magnetic tickets other than IC cards, QR codes (registered trademark), credit cards, or facial recognition.
[0077] Furthermore, future trends include ticket gates using facial recognition and fingerprints. However, unlike existing IC cards, these may lead to a higher incidence of false detections due to the diversity of the medium 11 (such as facial expressions and finger injuries), and consequently, the estimation of abnormal movement paths resulting from these false detections. For this reason, the effectiveness of the movement path determination device 10 is expected to be particularly evident even for mediums 11 that are anticipated to be developed in the future, such as facial recognition and fingerprints. Furthermore, the travel path determination device 10 can accurately determine if there is an anomaly in the estimated travel path, thus enabling accurate fare collection. For this reason, the travel path determination device 10 may be applicable to fare collection in different fields, such as highway toll collection, in addition to railway fare collection.
[0078] [Other embodiments] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0079] (A) In the above embodiments, the movement path determination device 10 and movement path determination method were described using examples that realize the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention may be implemented as a program that causes a computer to execute the above-described method for determining the travel path.
[0080] This program is stored in the memory (recording unit) mounted on the movement path determination device 10. The CPU reads the program stored in memory and causes the hardware to execute each step. More specifically, the same effect as above can be obtained by the CPU reading the program and executing steps S11 to S18 described above. Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented as a recording medium that stores the program of the movement path determination device 10.
[0081] (B) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the control device 100A, including the travel path determination device 10, is integrated with the ticket gate 100. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, most of the functions of the travel route determination device 10 and the normal processing unit 18 may be provided in the control device 100A of a server 200, which is separate from the ticket gate 100. In this case, the fare data information between two stations and the shortest travel time data may be stored in the recording unit 15 of the server 200. Data transmission and reception between the ticket gate 100 and the server 200 are performed by the ticket gate side transmitting unit, receiving units 34 and 35 installed in the ticket gate 100, and the server side transmitting unit, receiving units 36 and 37 installed in the server 200. Alternatively, the abnormality notification unit 32 may be installed in the server 200 so that the server 200 notifies the station staff room of any abnormalities.
[0082] (C) In the above embodiment, the travel route estimation unit 25 of the travel route determination device 10 was described as estimating the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station as the travel route. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the travel route estimation unit 25 may be configured to estimate the route that results in the shortest travel time between the entry station and the exit station. In this case, the possibility of an abnormality being detected in the estimated travel route can be reduced, thus reducing the frequency of taking measures to avoid incorrect fare collection.
[0083] (D) In the above embodiment, the travel route estimation unit 25 of the travel route determination device 10 was described as obtaining and substituting an estimated travel route from the cheapest route / fare calculation unit 20 when estimating the route with the lowest fare. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to the fare data for two stations, data could be stored that uses combinations of two stations and the cheapest fare between those two stations as parameters, and the travel route could be estimated based on this data.
[0084] <Note> The movement path determination device according to the first invention is: In a travel path determination device that determines the travel path of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway, An information acquisition unit that acquires the entry station and entry time as information from the aforementioned medium, and acquires the exit station and exit time as information in response to the user passing through the aforementioned ticket gate, Based on the entry station and exit station acquired by the information acquisition unit, a travel route estimation unit estimates the user's travel route. A travel time estimation unit estimates the travel time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit, Based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time obtained by the information acquisition unit, the actual travel time calculation unit calculates the user's travel time. A comparison unit that determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit, When the comparison unit determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimated by the travel path estimation unit. It is equipped with.
[0085] The travel path determination device according to the second invention is a travel path determination device according to the first invention, The aforementioned travel route estimation unit estimates the route that provides the shortest travel time between the entry station and the exit station, as obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel route. The travel path determination device according to the third invention is a travel path determination device according to the first invention, The aforementioned travel route estimation unit estimates the route that results in the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, as obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel route.
[0086] The movement path determination device according to the fourth invention is a movement path determination device according to any one of the first to third inventions, When the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the movement path estimated by the movement path estimation unit, the abnormality notification unit will notify the abnormality. Furthermore, they are also prepared.
[0087] The travel path determination device according to the fifth invention is a travel path determination device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, It includes a recording unit that stores data including the combination of two stations and the shortest travel time between the two stations as parameters, The travel time estimation unit acquires data corresponding to the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit from the data stored in the recording unit, and estimates the user's travel time based on the acquired data.
[0088] The travel path determination device according to the sixth invention is a travel path determination device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, The aforementioned travel route estimation unit determines whether or not it was possible to estimate the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station obtained by the information acquisition unit, and the pre-determination unit determines whether or not the travel route estimation unit was able to estimate the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, Furthermore, they are also prepared. [Industrial applicability]
[0089] The travel route determination device of the present invention has the effect of preventing the collection of incorrect fares when railway users exit a railway station after using the railway. Therefore, it is not dependent on the form of the medium and can be widely applied to magnetic tickets other than IC cards, QR codes (registered trademark), credit cards, or facial recognition. Furthermore, it can be widely applied to fare collection in different fields other than railway fare collection, such as highway fare collection. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0090] 10. Movement path determination device 11 Medium 12. Media Information Reading Device 13. Media Information Writing Device 14 Display device 15 Records Section 17 Information acquisition department 18 Normal Processing Unit 20 Cheapest Route / Fare Calculation Department 21. Entry / Exit Time Determination Section 22 Judgment result integration section 23. Ticket collection result output unit 25 Movement path estimation unit 26 Travel time estimation unit 27 Actual travel time calculation unit 28 Comparison Section 29 Judgment section 30 Pre-judgment section 32 Anomaly Reporting Department 34. Transmitter on the ticket gate side 35 Receiving unit on the ticket gate side 36 Server-side transmission unit 37 Server-side receiving unit 100 ticket gates 100A control device 200 servers 200A control device
Claims
1. In a travel path determination device that determines the travel path of a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway, An information acquisition unit that acquires the entry station and entry time as information from the aforementioned medium, and acquires the exit station and exit time as information in response to the user passing through the aforementioned ticket gate, Based on the entry station and exit station acquired by the information acquisition unit, a travel route estimation unit estimates the user's travel route. A travel time estimation unit estimates the travel time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit, Based on the difference between the exit time and the entry time obtained by the information acquisition unit, the actual travel time calculation unit calculates the user's travel time. A comparison unit that determines the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit and the actual travel time calculated by the actual travel time calculation unit, When the comparison unit determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimated by the travel path estimation unit. A movement path determination device equipped with the following features.
2. The aforementioned travel route estimation unit estimates the route that provides the shortest travel time between the entry station and the exit station, as obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel route. A travel path determination device according to claim 1.
3. The aforementioned travel route estimation unit estimates the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, as obtained by the information acquisition unit, as the travel route. A travel path determination device according to claim 1.
4. When the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the movement path estimated by the movement path estimation unit, the abnormality notification unit will notify the abnormality. The movement path determination device according to claim 1, further comprising the above.
5. It includes a recording unit that stores data including the combination of two stations and the shortest travel time between the two stations as parameters, The travel time estimation unit acquires data corresponding to the travel route estimated by the travel route estimation unit from the data stored in the recording unit, and estimates the user's travel time based on the acquired data. A travel path determination device according to claim 1.
6. The aforementioned travel route estimation unit includes a pre-determination unit that determines whether or not it was able to estimate the route with the lowest fare between the entry station and the exit station, which was obtained by the information acquisition unit. The movement path determination device according to claim 3, further comprising the above.
7. A method for determining a travel route, which determines the travel route taken by a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway, An information acquisition step which involves obtaining information on the entry station and entry time from the aforementioned medium, and obtaining information on the exit station and exit time in accordance with the user's passage through the aforementioned ticket gate, Based on the entry station and exit station obtained in the information acquisition step, a travel route estimation step is performed to estimate the user's travel route. A travel time estimation step is performed to estimate the travel time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated in the travel route estimation step, Based on the difference between the departure time and the entry time obtained in the information acquisition step, the actual travel time calculation step calculates the user's travel time. A comparison step to determine the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated in the travel time estimation step and the actual travel time calculated in the actual travel time calculation step, If the comparison step determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, a determination step is made to determine that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimated in the travel path estimation step. A method for determining a travel path that includes the following features.
8. A travel path determination program that determines the travel path taken by a railway user from the entry station to the exit station when the user passes through a ticket gate with a predetermined medium after using the railway, An information acquisition step which involves obtaining information on the entry station and entry time from the aforementioned medium, and obtaining information on the exit station and exit time in accordance with the user's passage through the aforementioned ticket gate, Based on the entry station and exit station obtained in the information acquisition step, a travel route estimation step is performed to estimate the user's travel route. A travel time estimation step is performed to estimate the travel time of the user from the entry station to the exit station based on the travel route estimated in the travel route estimation step, Based on the difference between the departure time and the entry time obtained in the information acquisition step, the actual travel time calculation step calculates the user's travel time. A comparison step to determine the magnitude of the estimated travel time estimated in the travel time estimation step and the actual travel time calculated in the actual travel time calculation step, If the comparison step determines that the estimated travel time is greater than the actual travel time, a determination step is made to determine that there is an abnormality in the travel path estimated in the travel path estimation step. A travel path determination program that causes a computer to execute a travel path determination method that includes the following features.