Route information providing device and route information providing method

Abstract

To make it possible to generate a movement route in consideration of individual characteristics of each member while reducing troublesomeness of adjustment related to the meeting of a plurality of members in a group.SOLUTION: A route information providing device assists movement of a group composed of a plurality of members. The route information providing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device communicates with a communication terminal of each member in the group. The processor executes: route generation processing for generating a movement route of each member including one or more meeting places where some or all members of the group meet, based on member information including a departure place, a departure time, one or more stop-off places, one or more desired meeting places, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and individual characteristics; time calculation processing for calculating a meeting time of each of the one or more meeting places; and sharing processing for sharing, in the group, the generated movement route of each member and the calculated meeting time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a route information providing device and a route information providing method that support the movement of a group made up of a plurality of members. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a geographic information providing device that is configured to present routes suited to the needs of individual users based on the desired area, time period, personal attributes, and preferences input by the users. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-114135 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The movement of multiple people (a group consisting of multiple members) for the purpose of traveling, etc., poses the following problems. For example, in the case of a family traveling with differing levels of physical strength, it may be necessary to determine items such as stopover locations and time schedules, taking into consideration "individual characteristics" such as the preferences, interests, or physical strength of one person. In addition, when each member of a group wishes to take a different travel route (individual behavior), it may be troublesome for the members to coordinate and determine the location (meeting location) and (meeting time) where the multiple members will meet.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a route information providing device and a route information providing method that are capable of generating a travel route that takes into account the individual characteristics of each member while reducing the hassle of coordinating the gathering of multiple members within a group. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A route information providing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure supports movement of a group composed of multiple members. The route information providing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device communicates with a communication terminal of each member in the group. The processor executes a route generation process for generating a movement route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure point, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, and arrival times at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and personal characteristics, a time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places, and a sharing process for sharing the generated movement route for each member and the calculated meeting time within the group. The route generation process includes an alternative route generation process for generating an alternative travel route including a gathering place closer to the specific member than the specific gathering place when a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that the group cannot gather at a specific gathering place that is one of one or more gathering places. nothing .

[0009] A route information providing device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure supports movement of a group consisting of multiple members. The route information providing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device communicates with a communication terminal of each member in the group. The processor executes a route generation process for generating a movement route for each member including one or more gathering places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure point, a departure time, one or more drop-off locations, one or more desired gathering places, and arrival times at each of the one or more desired gathering places, and personal characteristics, a time calculation process for calculating a gathering time for each of the one or more gathering places, and a sharing process for sharing the generated movement route for each member and the calculated gathering time within the group. The sharing process includes, when a request for adding a gathering place where some or all of the members of the group gather is received from a member in the group, sharing within the group the gathering place and gathering time related to the request for addition. The route generation process includes an alternative route generation process that generates an alternative travel route including a meeting place closer to the specific member than the meeting place related to the additional request when a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that they are unable to meet at the meeting place related to the additional request.

[0010] A route information providing device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure supports movement of a group composed of multiple members. The route information providing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device communicates with a communication terminal of each member in the group. The processor executes a route generation process for generating a movement route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure point, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, and arrival times at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and personal characteristics, a time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places, and a sharing process for sharing the generated movement route for each member and the calculated meeting time within the group. When a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that the group cannot gather at a specific gathering place, which is one or more gathering places, the processor executes a notification process to issue a notification to alert the specific member regarding information exchange between the specific member and the members gathered at the specific gathering place when the gathering time at the specific gathering place arrives. do .

[0011] A route information providing device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure supports movement of a group consisting of multiple members. The route information providing device includes a communication device and a processor. The communication device communicates with a communication terminal of each member in the group. The processor executes a route generation process for generating a movement route for each member including one or more gathering places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure point, a departure time, one or more drop-off locations, one or more desired gathering places, and arrival times at each of the one or more desired gathering places, and personal characteristics, a time calculation process for calculating a gathering time for each of the one or more gathering places, and a sharing process for sharing the generated movement route for each member and the calculated gathering time within the group. The sharing process includes, when a request for adding a gathering place where some or all of the members of the group gather is received from a member in the group, sharing within the group the gathering place and gathering time related to the request for addition. When a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that the specific member cannot gather at the gathering place related to the additional request, the processor executes a notification process to issue a notification to call attention to information exchange between the specific member and the members gathered at the gathering place related to the additional request when the gathering time at the gathering place related to the additional request arrives. do . Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the route information providing device and route information providing method of the present disclosure, it is possible to generate a travel route that takes into account the individual characteristics of each member while reducing the hassle of coordinating the gathering of multiple members within a group. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a route information providing device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow relating to movement support for group G in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of processing for each member M in step S104. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a movement route of each member M generated by the route generation process according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the movement route of each member M generated by the route generation process according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of an alternative route generating process according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a notification process according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, when the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element is mentioned in the following embodiments, the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited to the mentioned number unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle.

[0016] 1. Configuration of the route information providing device 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a route information providing device 10 according to an embodiment. The route information providing device (hereinafter sometimes simply abbreviated as "providing device") 10 supports the movement of a group G composed of a plurality of members M. More specifically, the providing device 10 supports both the movement of each member M in the group G as an individual and the movement of the group G. The "movement" referred to here is, for example, a trip for the purpose of sightseeing or the like.

[0017] A "group G" is composed of a plurality (n people) of members M (M1 to Mn) each of which possesses a communication terminal 20. For example, the group G is a family composed of a plurality of people. In this example, for example, each of the plurality of people constituting a family corresponds to a member M. Also, in an example in which the "movement" is a school trip, each of the students and the teacher who leads the students corresponds to a member M. Note that the number of members M each possessing a communication terminal 20 does not necessarily have to be the same as the number of people participating in the "movement" such as a trip. Each member M may be accompanied by a companion who performs the same action. In other words, a certain member M may be Mr. A who is the representative of a group of the member M himself (for example, Mr. A) and one or more companions (for example, Mr. A's wife and children).

[0018] The providing device 10 is a server, and is a computer that executes various processes related to mobility support for group G. The various processes here include a "route generation process," a "time calculation process," and a "sharing process," which will be described later.

[0019] Specifically, the providing device 10 includes a communication device 12, a processor 14, and a storage device 16. The communication device 12 communicates with a communication terminal 20 via a communication network 1, such as wireless communication. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a group G is composed of four members M (M1 to M4), and therefore, four communication terminals 20 are illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0020] The processor 14 executes the various processes described above. The storage device 16 stores various information. Examples of the storage device 16 include a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and a solid state drive (SSD). The processor 14 executes various computer programs to realize various processes by the processor 14. The various programs are stored in the storage device 16, or recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Note that there may be a plurality of processors 14 and storage devices 16.

[0021] Each communication terminal 20 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet personal computer. The communication terminal 20 includes a processor, a storage device, and a communication device. The communication terminal 20 can obtain location information of the member M who owns the communication terminal 20 based on a signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite.

[0022] 2. Mobility support for Group G In order to realize mobility assistance that enables generation of a mobility route that takes into account the individual characteristics of each member M while reducing the hassle of coordinating the gathering of multiple members M in a group G, the processor 14 of the route information providing device 10 executes a "route generation process," a "time calculation process," and a "sharing process."

[0023] Specifically, in the route generation process, the processor 14 generates, based on the member information MI, a travel route (for example, see FIG. 4 or 5 described later) for each member M including one or more meeting places Y where some or all of the members M of the group G gather. The member information MI of each member M includes a departure place, a departure time, one or more stopover places X, one or more desired meeting places Yr, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places Yr, and an individual characteristic C.

[0024] In the time calculation process, the processor 14 calculates the meeting time for each of one or more meeting places Y. Then, in the sharing process, the processor 14 causes the group G to share the generated travel route of each member M and the calculated meeting time.

[0025] 2 is a flowchart showing a process flow for mobility support for group G according to an embodiment. A user of the providing device 10 uses the communication terminal 20 to start a dedicated application for mobility support, inputs personal information identifying the user, such as a name and an email address, and registers as a member of the application. After completing the member registration, the user can then input (register) information about group G and member information MI using the communication terminal 20. The input information about group G and member information MI are stored in a user information database in the storage device 16.

[0026] 2, in step S100, the processor 14 determines whether or not a new group G has been registered by the user based on the information in the user information database. As a result, if a new group G has been created (registered), the process proceeds to step S102.

[0027] In step S102, the processor 14 acquires (identifies) each member M of the group G based on the information in the user information database. The information of the group G in the user information database includes, for example, personal information (e.g., name) that identifies each member M constituting the group G.

[0028] In step S104, the processor 14 executes a process for each member M belonging to the group G. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of the process for each member M in step S104. The process of this flowchart is executed for each member M, for example, in a state where input of member information MI of all members M has been completed.

[0029] In FIG. 3, in steps S200 to S210, the processor 14 sequentially acquires the departure point, departure time, one or more stop-off locations X, one or more desired meeting locations Yr, arrival times at each of the one or more desired meeting locations Yr, and personal characteristics C of the member M based on the information in the user information database.

[0030] The stopover place X includes, for example, various tourist spots and various stores (for example, restaurants). The meeting place Y includes, for example, accommodation facilities and the member M's house in addition to various tourist spots and various stores.

[0031] The individual characteristic C may include information about the individual's preferences and interests. The individual characteristic C may also include information indicating physical characteristics such as age. The individual characteristic C may also include information indicating whether the individual has a driver's license for a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0032] Furthermore, the member information MI may include information on the desired duration of stay at one or more desired stop-off locations X. Similarly, the member information MI may include information on the desired duration of stay at one or more desired meeting locations Yr.

[0033] Next, in step S212, the processor 14 executes the above-mentioned "route generation process." Specifically, the storage device 16 also stores a route information database that stores various information serving as the basis for route generation (for example, various types of traffic information such as road traffic information and route information, various types of map information such as road maps and route maps, information on various tourist spots, and information on various stores). The processor 14 executes a predetermined route search algorithm to generate a movement route for the member M based on the member information MI and the information in the route information database.

[0034] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a movement route of each member M generated by the route generation process according to the embodiment. In FIG 4, the members M constituting a group G are four people, members M1 to M4.

[0035] The starting point is, for example, a train station or the home of each member M. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the starting point is the same for members M1 to M4. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the travel route of each member M1 to M4 includes stopover places X (for example, X11 to X13, X21, X22, X31 to X33, and X41 to X43) whose number and locations vary depending on the member M. These stopover places X are included according to the wishes of each member M (member information MI).

[0036] Furthermore, the movement route of each of the members M1 to M4 includes assembly places Y1 and Y2, which are examples of the assembly place Y described above. In the route generation process, the processor 14 determines the assembly places Y1 and Y2 based on the desired assembly place Yr and its arrival time included in the member information MI of each of the members M1 to M4, while taking into consideration the relationship between the desired assembly place Yr and each of the drop-off places X. In addition, the member information MI may include information indicating which of the drop-off place X and the desired assembly place Yr is to be prioritized in determining the assembly place Y by the processor 14. Then, the processor 14 may determine the assembly place Y by also taking into consideration the information regarding the priority.

[0037] The example of the travel route shown in FIG. 4 includes a meeting place Y1 which is a stopover point, and a meeting place Y2 which is a final destination (final arrival point) such as an accommodation facility or a house. Instead of this example, the number of meeting places Y may be one, or three or more. Also, the meeting place Y may be only one or more stopover points. In other words, the final destination may be different for each member M. Also, the meeting place Y may be only the final destination.

[0038] The route generation process also includes a process of determining the means of transportation for each member M in each section on the travel route of each member M (e.g., between the departure point and the stopover place X, between two stopover places X, and between the stopover place X and the meeting place Y). The means of transportation include, for example, moving bodies such as an autonomous vehicle, a train, a bullet train, a bus, a taxi, a ship, and an airplane, as well as walking. In the example of travel in a tourist spot, the means of transportation also includes, for example, a rickshaw and a vehicle provided by a hotel shuttle service.

[0039] The processor 14 determines the means of transportation for each section on the movement route of each member M, taking into consideration the above-mentioned member information MI. At this time, the processor 14 may determine the means of transportation so that multiple members M move in a certain section by the same means of transportation. More specifically, the processor 14 may determine the means of transportation so that, for example, each member M moves from the departure point to the meeting place Y using an individual means of transportation, and multiple members M who join at the meeting place Y then move by the same means of transportation. Conversely, the processor 14 may determine the means of transportation so that, for example, multiple members M move from the departure point to the meeting place Y using the same means of transportation, and each member M moves by an individual means of transportation after arriving at the meeting place Y.

[0040] The processor 14 may also determine the transportation means by taking into account the individual's characteristics C as follows. That is, for example, the physical characteristics of the member M may be considered as follows. For example, if the member M is an elderly person, the processor 14 may determine the transportation means for the member M while excluding public transportation (e.g., bus) and walking, or limiting the walking time to a short period of time. Alternatively, in the example of the member M using a wheelchair, the processor 14 may add a barrier-free vehicle to the transportation means options. In addition, the processor 14 may present a barrier-free store to the member M as one of the stopover places X. Furthermore, for example, in the example of the member M who has a driver's license for a vehicle such as a car, a rental car may be added to the transportation means options.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the movement route of each member M generated by the route generation process according to the embodiment. The example of the movement route shown in FIG. 5 differs from the example shown in FIG. 4 in the following points. That is, the starting points (X10, X20, and X30-X40) are different between member M1, member M2, and members M3 and M4. This example also includes a meeting place Y3 (waypoint) where only some of the members M1 and M2 constituting the group G gather. Note that instead of or in addition to the waypoint, the final destination may be a meeting place Y where only some of the members M constituting the group G gather. Also, the departure dates of each member M do not necessarily have to be the same.

[0042] In step S214 following step S212, the processor 14 executes the above-mentioned "time calculation process." Specifically, the processor 14 calculates the assembly time for each of the one or more assembly locations Y generated in step S212. The assembly time is determined, for example, based on the predicted arrival time at the assembly location Y of each member M moving along each movement route. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the assembly time is calculated for each of the assembly locations Y1 and Y2, and in the example shown in FIG. 5, the assembly time is calculated for each of the assembly locations Y1 to Y3.

[0043] Next, in step S216, the processor 14 presents the travel route generated in step S212 and the meeting time calculated in step S214 to the member M who uses the travel route. Specifically, a notification regarding the travel route and the meeting time is transmitted to the communication terminal 20 of the member M.

[0044] In addition, in conjunction with the processing of steps S214 and S216, the processor 14 may automatically calculate the stay time at one or more meeting places Y and present (notify) it to the member M together with the travel route and the meeting time. Similarly, the processor 14 may automatically calculate the stay time at one or more stopover places X and present (notify) it to the member M together with the travel route and the meeting time.

[0045] Next, in step S218, the processor 14 determines whether the member M who received the notification regarding the travel route and the meeting time approved the travel route and the meeting time. This determination can be made based on, for example, whether an approval operation or a disapproval operation was performed by the member M using the communication terminal 20.

[0046] If the determination result in step S218 is Yes (if member M has approved the travel route and meeting time), the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3 ends. On the other hand, if the determination result is No (if member M has not approved the travel route and meeting time), the processor 14 executes the processing from step S212 onwards again to present a travel route and meeting time acceptable to the member M, and modifies at least one of the travel route and meeting time. For this modification, the processor 14 may receive information from member M indicating a desire for the modification.

[0047] In Fig. 2, the process of step S106 following step S104 is executed after all members M approve the travel route and the meeting time in the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. In step S106, the processor 14 executes the above-mentioned "sharing process". That is, the processor 14 executes a process of sharing within the group G the generated travel route of each member M and the calculated meeting time.

[0048] Specifically, for information sharing in the sharing process, the processor 14 notifies all members M, for example, by transmitting information regarding the movement route and meeting time of each member M to the communication terminals 20 of all members M. The notification can be performed, for example, by using email or chat. More specifically, the information for information sharing is transmitted, for example, as a text email describing the movement route and meeting time of each member M, or as a link to a website displaying the movement route and meeting time of each member M.

[0049] Next, in step S108, the processor 14 determines whether the movement of the group G is completed. This determination can be made based on, for example, whether a predetermined operation of the communication terminal 20 for notifying the providing device 10 that the movement is completed has been performed by all the members M.

[0050] If the determination result in step S108 is Yes (if the movement of group G is completed), the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 ends. That is, the movement support by the providing device 10 ends.

[0051] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S108 is No (if the movement of group G is not complete), the processor 14 repeatedly executes the processes from step S102 onwards. That is, the providing device 10 accepts changes (addition, deletion, etc.) of the member M and changes to the member information MI corresponding to steps S200 to S210 until the movement of group G is complete. Then, when a change is made to the member M or the member information MI, the processor 14 updates the movement route and assembly time of the relevant member M in response to the change.

[0052] (Processing when adding a set) It is assumed that the member M desires to add the meeting place Y during the execution of a trip using the assistance of the providing device 10 (for example, before the arrival of the meeting time at the preset meeting place Y).

[0053] In this regard, according to the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 executed as described above, when a request to add a meeting place Y where some or all of the members M of the group G gather is received from a certain member M by changing the member information MI, the processor 14 updates the travel route of the member M related to the addition so as to include the meeting place Y based on the desired meeting place Yr related to the request for addition (step S212). The processor 14 also calculates the meeting time of the meeting place Y related to the request for addition (step S214). Then, the processor 14 shares the travel route including the meeting place Y related to the request for addition and the meeting time within the group G (step S106).

[0054] As described above, the "sharing process" includes, when the "request for addition" is received from a certain member M by changing the member information MI, sharing the meeting place Y and the meeting time related to the request for addition within the group G. In addition, the notification of the meeting place Y and the meeting time to the member M for this sharing may be sent only to the member M who is the target of the request for addition, or may be sent to all members M.

[0055] 3.Effects As described above, according to the route information providing device 10 of this embodiment, in a travel plan for a group G, the travel route of each member M belonging to the group G is automatically generated taking into consideration "personal characteristics" such as personal preferences. The travel route of each member M includes one or more meeting places Y where some or all of the members M of the group G gather. In addition, the meeting time of each of the one or more meeting places Y is automatically calculated. Then, a sharing process is executed to share the travel route and meeting time of each member M within the group G.

[0056] As described above, the route information providing device 10 can generate a travel route that takes into account the individual characteristics of each member M while reducing the hassle of adjusting the gathering of multiple members M in a group G. In other words, it is possible to effectively support the compatibility of the individual movement of each member M in a group G and the movement of a group.

[0057] In addition, according to the processing for adding a set described above, a member M can use the providing device 10 to additionally set a set of at least some of multiple members M depending on the situation during the move when using support from the providing device 10 (for example, the circumstances on the day of the move, which will be described later), and information regarding the additional set can be shared among the members M.

[0058] 4. Procedures when gathering is not possible It is assumed that, due to circumstances on the day of travel using support from the providing device 10, a certain member M will be unable to gather at a pre-set meeting place Y at the scheduled meeting time. The circumstances on the day of travel referred to here are, for example, that the member M is elderly and has difficulty walking to the meeting place Y, or that the stop-off place X is crowded. In consideration of this, the processor 14 may execute at least one of the following "alternative route generation process" and "notification process".

[0059] 4-1. Alternative route generation process Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of an alternative route generation process according to an embodiment. The process of this flowchart is executed during the execution of a movement using support from the providing device 10. The alternative route generation process is included in the above-mentioned route generation process. Also, similarly to the case where the process of step S212 shown in Fig. 3 is executed, the processor 14 executes the processes of steps S214 to S218 and steps S106 and S108 after generating an alternative movement route by the alternative route generation process.

[0060] In step S300, the processor 14 judges whether or not a notification (contact) indicating that the member M who operates the communication terminal 20 (for convenience of explanation, referred to as a "specific member") is unable to gather at the meeting place Y already shared within the group G has been received. The "meeting place Y already shared within the group G" here includes one of the one or more meeting places Y (for convenience of explanation, referred to as a "specific meeting place") set before the start of the movement using the support from the providing device 10, and the meeting place Y related to the additional request. In addition, the "notification" here is, for example, spontaneously given to the providing device 10 by the member M (specific member) who has determined that the member M is unable to gather. In addition, the member M (specific member) responding with a disapproval to the presentation of the "meeting place Y related to the additional request" from the providing device 10 corresponds to another example of the "notification". In addition, the "specific member" may be one or more people.

[0061] If the processor 14 has received the notification in step S300, the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the processor 14 generates an alternative travel route including a meeting place Y closer to the member M (specific member) who has issued the notification than the meeting place (specific meeting place or meeting place Y related to the additional request) that is not allowed to be met by the member M who issued the notification. The processor 14 may receive at least one of a desired meeting place Yr where meeting is possible and a meeting time from the member M who issued the notification, and generate an alternative travel route based on at least one of the received meeting place Y and meeting time.

[0062] As described above, the alternative route generation process makes it easier to meet up with member M who is finding it difficult to gather at meeting place Y, which is already shared within group G, due to circumstances on the day of travel.

[0063] 4-2. Notification processing 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing according to the embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is repeatedly executed during the execution of a movement using the support of the providing device 10. More specifically, the processing of this flowchart is executed for each member M, targeting both the member M (specific member) who has been notified that gathering is not possible, and the member M who is gathered at the gathering place that is not possible to gather (specific gathering place or gathering place Y related to an additional request).

[0064] In Fig. 7, the processor 14 first executes the process of step S300 similar to that of Fig. 6. As a result, if the processor 14 receives the above-mentioned notification (a notification indicating that gathering is not possible) in step S300, the process proceeds to step S400.

[0065] In step S400, the processor 14 determines whether the meeting time has arrived at the meeting place (specific meeting place or meeting place Y related to the additional request) that has been made unacceptable by the member M (specific member) who has issued the notification. If the meeting time has arrived (step S400; Yes), the process proceeds to step S402.

[0066] In step S402, the processor 14 determines whether or not the members M who are the targets of the process shown in Fig. 7 permit telephone calls between the members M during the meeting time period at the meeting place. Information on whether telephone calls are permitted or not, which is necessary for this determination, is included in the member information MI, for example, which is input before the start of a movement using the support provided by the providing device 10.

[0067] If the determination result in step S402 is Yes (i.e., member M allows calls during the meeting time period), the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, the processor 14 issues a notification (e.g., a pop-up notification) to the member M who is the subject of the process shown in Fig. 7 to draw attention to a call between the member M who issued the notification (specific member) and the member M who will meet at the meeting place (specific meeting place or meeting place Y related to the additional request).

[0068] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S402 is No (that is, if member M does not permit calls during the meeting time period), the process proceeds to step S406.

[0069] In step S406, the processor 14 judges whether or not the member M, who is the subject of the process shown in FIG. 7, permits the display of notifications from other members M during the meeting time period at the meeting place. Information on permission / non-permission of notification display required for this judgment is included, for example, in the member information MI input before starting a movement using support from the providing device 10. More specifically, the "display of notification" here refers to a notification displayed on the screen of the communication terminal 20, and is intended for members M in distant locations to exchange information with each other (for example, information such as photos of the meal contents of member M). The notification is performed, for example, by sending chat or e-mail, or by mutual sharing of data files such as photos.

[0070] If the determination result in step S406 is Yes (i.e., member M permits the display of the notification during the meeting time period), the process proceeds to step S408. In step S408, the processor 14 issues a notification (e.g., a pop-up notification) to the member M who is the subject of the process shown in Fig. 7 to draw attention to the display of the notification between the member M who issued the notification (specific member) and the member M who will meet at the meeting place (specific meeting place or meeting place Y related to the additional request).

[0071] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S406 is No (that is, if member M does not permit the display of the notification during the meeting time period), the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0072] As described above, the notification process can assist in sharing real-time information between members M who are unable to meet due to circumstances on the day of travel by exchanging information (by phone calls or displaying notifications) during the meeting time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Communication Network 10 Route information providing device 12. Communications Equipment 14 processors 16 Storage device 20 Communication terminals

Claims

1. A route information providing device that supports movement of a group composed of multiple members, a communication device that communicates with each of the communication terminals of the group members; A processor; Equipped with The processor, a route generation process for generating a travel route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure place, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and individual characteristics; A time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places; a sharing process for sharing within the group the generated movement routes of the members and the calculated meeting time; Run The route generation process includes an alternative route generation process for generating an alternative travel route including a meeting place closer to the specific member than the specific meeting place when a notification indicating that the specific member cannot meet at the specific meeting place, which is one of the one or more meeting places, is received from the specific member in the group. Route information providing device.

2. A route information providing device that supports movement of a group composed of multiple members, a communication device that communicates with each of the communication terminals of the group members; A processor; Equipped with The processor, a route generation process for generating a travel route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure place, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and individual characteristics; A time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places; a sharing process for sharing within the group the generated movement routes of the members and the calculated meeting time; Run the sharing process includes, when a request for adding a meeting place where some or all of the members of the group gather is received from a member of the group, sharing within the group the meeting place and the meeting time related to the request for addition; The route generation process includes an alternative route generation process for generating an alternative travel route including a meeting place closer to the specific member than the meeting place related to the addition request when a notification indicating that the specific member cannot meet at the meeting place related to the addition request is received from the specific member in the group. Route information providing device.

3. A route information providing device that supports movement of a group composed of multiple members, a communication device that communicates with each of the communication terminals of the group members; A processor; Equipped with The processor, a route generation process for generating a travel route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure place, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and individual characteristics; A time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places; a sharing process for sharing within the group the generated movement routes of the members and the calculated meeting time; Run When a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that assembly is not possible at a specific assembly place that is one of the one or more assembly places, the processor executes a notification process to issue a notification to call attention to information exchange between the specific member and members assembled at the specific assembly place when the assembly time at the specific assembly place arrives. Route information providing device.

4. A route information providing device that supports movement of a group composed of multiple members, a communication device that communicates with each of the communication terminals of the group members; A processor; Equipped with The processor, a route generation process for generating a travel route for each member including one or more meeting places where some or all of the members of the group gather, based on member information including a departure place, a departure time, one or more stopover places, one or more desired meeting places, an arrival time at each of the one or more desired meeting places, and individual characteristics; A time calculation process for calculating a meeting time for each of the one or more meeting places; a sharing process for sharing within the group the generated movement routes of the members and the calculated meeting time; Run the sharing process includes, when a request for adding a meeting place where some or all of the members of the group gather is received from a member of the group, sharing within the group the meeting place and the meeting time related to the request for addition; When a notification is received from a specific member in the group indicating that the specific member cannot gather at the gathering place related to the additional request, the processor executes a notification process to issue a notification to call attention to information exchange between the specific member and the members gathered at the gathering place related to the additional request when the gathering time at the gathering place related to the additional request arrives. Route information providing device.

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