Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that are capable of identifying a location related to increase and decrease of traffic lanes on a road.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle; a first identification unit that identifies that a direction indicator of the vehicle is lighting on the basis of direction indicator information related to lighting of the direction indicator contained in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit; an estimation unit that estimates whether or not the vehicle is traveling along a road on the basis of position information for a vehicle position contained in the vehicle information prior to and subsequent to the lighting determined by the first identification unit; a determination unit that determines whether or not a vehicle distance will assume a predetermined state after the lighting of the direction indicator of the vehicle if it is estimated that the vehicle is traveling along a road by the estimation unit; and a second identification unit that identifies a location that satisfies specific conditions related to increase and decrease of traffic lanes if it is determined that the vehicle distance will assume the predetermined state by the determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Traffic jams and the like may occur near sections where the number of lanes on a road decreases. Conventionally, there has been a driving assistance system that uses road markings to identify sections where multiple lanes merge and the number of lanes decreases, and guides the vehicle along the lanes to provide driving assistance (see Patent Document 1). The driving assistance system stores information about the road markings used to identify sections where the number of lanes decreases in a storage unit. Patent Document 1 describes that such a driving assistance system is capable of appropriately guiding and controlling the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-004784 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the information on road markings described in Patent Document 1 may not cover all road markings on all roads. For example, information on road markings may not be available for newly constructed roads and roads where lanes have been repaired.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of identifying points related to an increase or decrease in lanes on a road. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device of one embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle, a first identification unit that identifies that the vehicle's turn indicator is on based on turn indicator information related to the illumination of the turn indicator included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, an estimation unit that estimates whether the vehicle is traveling along the road based on position information related to the vehicle position included in the vehicle information before and after the illumination identified by the first identification unit, a determination unit that, when the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle is traveling along the road, determines whether the inter-vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state after the vehicle's turn indicator is illuminated, and a second identification unit that, when the determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance will be in the predetermined state, identifies the point as one that satisfies a specific condition related to an increase or decrease in lanes. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, it is determined that the vehicle's turn indicator is on based on turn indicator information regarding the illumination of the turn indicator, which is included in the vehicle information, and it is estimated whether the vehicle is traveling along the road based on position information regarding the vehicle position, which is included in the vehicle information, before and after the identified illumination. If it is estimated that the vehicle is traveling along the road, it is determined whether the inter-vehicle distance becomes a specified state after the vehicle's turn indicator is illuminated, and if it is determined that the inter-vehicle distance becomes the specified state, it can be identified as a point that satisfies specific conditions regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment will be described below.

[0010] [Outline of Information Processing System 1] First, an overview of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment.

[0011] The information processing system 1 may be configured, for example, as an identification system that identifies points (or sections) related to an increase or decrease in lanes on a road. The information processing system 1 may also be configured, for example, as a registration system that registers points (or sections) related to an increase or decrease in lanes on a road map. The information processing system 1 may also be configured, for example, as a provision system that provides a road map to a user. The information processing device 300 constituting the information processing system 1 may be configured as, for example, a specifying device, a registering device, a providing device, etc., similar to the above-mentioned system. The information processing device 300 may be, for example, a computer such as a server, a desktop, a laptop, or a tablet.

[0012] The information processing system 1 includes, for example, a server 200 and an information processing device 300.

[0013] The server 200 acquires and stores vehicle information generated by the vehicle 100 from the vehicle 100, for example. The vehicle information may be, for example, information related to the traveling of the vehicle 100. That is, the vehicle information may be, for example, probe information and CAN information. The vehicle information may include, for example, turn signal information related to the illumination of turn signals mounted on the vehicle 100. The vehicle information may also include, for example, position information related to the position of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle information may include, for example, inter-vehicle distance information related to the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100 (100b). The inter-vehicle distance may be acquired by, for example, a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. Note that the inter-vehicle distance based on the inter-vehicle distance information may be, for example, the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100 (100b) traveling in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) in the same lane as the lane in which the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling.

[0014] The information processing device 300, for example, acquires the vehicle information from the server 200. In addition, the information processing device 300 may acquire the vehicle information from the vehicle 100, for example. The information processing device 300, for example, identifies that the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) is on based on turn indicator information included in the vehicle information. When the information processing device 300 identifies that the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) is on, for example, the information processing device 300 estimates whether the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling along a road based on position information included in the vehicle information before and after the turn indicator is on. When the information processing device 300 estimates that the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling along a road, for example, the information processing device 300 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100b becomes a predetermined state after the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) turns on. The predetermined state may be, for example, a state in which the inter-vehicle distance L becomes relatively short, a state in which the inter-vehicle distance L becomes relatively long, or the like.

[0015] In this case, the information processing device 300 described later may estimate the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling, for example, based on the position information of the vehicle 100. The information processing device 300 may also estimate the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling, for example, based on the position information of the vehicle 100 and a road map (map information) in which lane links for the lanes of a road are recorded. The information processing device 300 may also estimate that the vehicle 100 (100a) and the other vehicle 100 (100b) are traveling in the same lane, for example, when an object (for example, the vehicle 100b) is detected by a sensor (forward sensor or backward sensor) that detects an object in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a), an obstacle sensor, or the like. When making the above-mentioned determination, the information processing device 300 may, for example, determine whether the inter-vehicle distance L between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100b traveling in the same lane as the vehicle 100 (100a) and in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) is in a predetermined state.

[0016] For example, when the information processing device 300 determines that the inter-vehicle distance L is in a predetermined state, it identifies the location as one that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. The location that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes may be, for example, a location where the number of lanes on a road decreases, a location where the number of lanes on a road increases, etc. Note that the information processing device 300 may specify, for example, a section BC from a point B to a point C including the point A, as a point to be specified, rather than being limited to a specific point A. The section BC may be, for example, a section where the number of lanes decreases, or a section where the number of lanes increases. The road illustrated in Fig. 1 is an example of a point A and a section BC where the number of lanes is reduced. In addition, although two vehicles 100 (100a, 100b) are illustrated in Fig. 1, the present invention is not limited to this example, and three or more vehicles 100 may be included.

[0017] [Details of the information processing device 300] Next, the information processing device 300 according to an embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an information processing device 300 according to an embodiment.

[0018] The information processing device 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 321, a storage unit 322, a display unit 323, and a control unit 311. The communication unit 321, the storage unit 322, and the display unit 323 may be an embodiment of an output unit. The control unit 311 may include, for example, an acquisition unit 312, a first identification unit 313, an estimation unit 314, a determination unit 315, a second identification unit 316, a third identification unit 317, a registration unit 318, and an output control unit 319. The control unit 311 may be configured, for example, by an arithmetic processing unit of the information processing device 300. The control unit 311 (for example, an arithmetic processing unit) may realize the functions of each unit (for example, the acquisition unit 312, the first identification unit 313, the estimation unit 314, the determination unit 315, the second identification unit 316, the third identification unit 317, the registration unit 318, and the output control unit 319, etc.) by, for example, appropriately reading and executing various programs, etc. stored in the storage unit 322, etc.

[0019] The communication unit 321 is capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from, for example, a device (external device) outside the information processing device 300. The external device may be, for example, the server 200, the vehicle 100, or the like.

[0020] The storage unit 322 may store, for example, various information and programs. Examples of the storage unit 322 may be a memory, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 322 may store, for example, map information related to a road map.

[0021] The display unit 323 is capable of displaying, for example, various characters, symbols, images, and the like.

[0022] The acquisition unit 312 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 312 may acquire the vehicle information from the server 200 via, for example, the communication unit 321. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 312 may acquire the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 100 via, for example, the communication unit 321. The acquisition unit 312 may acquire, for example, one or more pieces of vehicle information generated by one or more vehicles 100. As described above, the vehicle information may be, for example, probe information and CAN information. The vehicle information may include, for example, turn signal information related to the illumination of the turn signal of the vehicle 100. In addition, the vehicle information may include, for example, position information related to the position of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle information may include, for example, vehicle distance information related to the vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100 (100b).

[0023] The first identification unit 313 identifies that the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 is on, based on turn indicator information regarding turn indicator illumination, which is included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312. The first identification unit 313 identifies that the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 is on, for example, based on information indicating that the turn indicator is on, as the turn indicator information. In this case, the first identification unit 313 may identify, for example, the direction in which the turn indicator is on, that is, that the turn indicator for the right direction is on, or that the turn indicator for the left direction is on.

[0024] In this case, the first identifying unit 313 may identify the earliest turn-on of the turn indicator among the plurality of turn indicator information and the latest turn-off of the turn indicator among the plurality of turn indicator information, based on a plurality of turn indicator information included in a plurality of vehicle information by one or a plurality of vehicles 100 acquired by the acquiring unit 312. The turn-on of the turn indicator based on the plurality of turn indicator information in this case may be different from each other in time of turning on. Similarly, the turn-off of the turn indicator based on the plurality of turn indicator information may be different from each other in time of turning off. That is, the first identifying unit 313 may identify, for example, the turn-on of the turn indicator and the turn-off of the turn indicator after the turn-on, based on one piece of turn indicator information. In this case, the first identifying unit 313 may identify, for example, the time when the turn indicator is turned on (the position of the vehicle 100 at that time) and the time when the turn indicator is turned off (the position of the vehicle 100 at that time) based on the vehicle information (position information) including the turn indicator information. Furthermore, the first identification unit 313 may identify, for example, based on a plurality of turn indicator information, the earliest turn-on position (first position) of the turn indicator and the latest turn-off position (second position) of the turn indicator in a series of steps from turning on to turning off the turn indicator.

[0025] The estimation unit 314 estimates whether the vehicle 100 is traveling along the road based on the position information related to the vehicle position included in the vehicle information, before and after the turn-on identified by the first identification unit 313. For example, when the first identification unit 313 identifies that the turn indicator is on, the estimation unit 314 estimates whether the vehicle 100 is traveling along the road, before and after the turn-on, including the time when the turn indicator is on.

[0026] As an example, the estimation unit 314 may estimate whether the vehicle 100 is traveling along a road based on location information corresponding to a time before and after the turn signal is turned on and map information related to a road map. The map information may include, for example, information related to a road network represented by nodes indicating characteristic points of the road and road links connecting adjacent nodes. For example, the estimation unit 314 associates the position of the vehicle 100 based on the position information with a position on the road network, and estimates whether the vehicle 100 is turning right or left at the node position, and whether the vehicle 100 is leaving the road link at the road link other than the node position. For example, the estimation unit 314 may estimate that the vehicle 100 is not traveling along the road when the vehicle 100 is turning right or left at the node position and is leaving the road link. In other words, for example, when the vehicle 100 is not turning right or left at the node position and is not leaving the road link, the estimation unit 314 may estimate that the vehicle 100 is traveling along the road. That is, the estimation unit 314 may estimate whether the vehicle 100 is traveling along the road by associating the position of the vehicle 100 based on the position information with the road link of the road network.

[0027] The time before and after the lighting may be, for example, the time during which the turn signal is on, or may be the time from a first predetermined time before the turn signal starts to be on to a second predetermined time after the turn signal stops being on. The first predetermined time and the second predetermined time may be, for example, the same time, or may be different times. As an example, the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time may be various times that are arbitrarily set, such as 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.

[0028] The estimation unit 314 may, for example, identify multiple positions within the same location range based on a predetermined number or more of position information among the position information included in each of the multiple vehicle information, and estimate whether the vehicle 100 is traveling along a road at the identified positions as described above. That is, the estimation unit 314 may estimate whether the multiple vehicles 100 are traveling along a road within the same location range when the predetermined number or more of the multiple vehicles 100 are traveling. The same location range may be a range within a predetermined distance based on the position where the turn signal of the vehicle 100 is turned on. In this case, the predetermined distance may be various distances that are appropriately set, such as 10 m, 20 m, 30 m, 40 m, 50 m, 80 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 500 m. The predetermined number may be appropriately set according to various roads, such as roads in urban areas, roads from the city center to the suburbs, and roads connecting to bridges and tunnels.

[0029] When the estimation unit 314 estimates that the vehicle 100 is traveling along a road, the determination unit 315 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 is turned on. In addition, for example, when the estimation unit 314 estimates that a plurality of vehicles 100 are traveling along a road, the determination unit 315 may determine whether the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after the turn indicators of the plurality of vehicles 100 are turned on. The predetermined state may be, for example, a state in which the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100b traveling in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) is relatively narrow or relatively wide. The determination unit 315 may determine whether the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after the turn indicator starts to light or after the turn indicator stops lighting.

[0030] As a specific example, the determination unit 315 may determine whether the inter-vehicle distance has reached a predetermined state after a third predetermined time has elapsed since the turn signal started to be turned on or the turn signal stopped being turned on. The third predetermined time may be any of various times that are arbitrarily set, such as 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, and the like. Alternatively, as a specific example, the determination unit 315 may determine whether the inter-vehicle distance reaches a predetermined state within a predetermined distance from the position where the turn signal starts to light or the position where the turn signal stops to light. The predetermined distance may be any of various distances that are arbitrarily set, such as 20 m, 30 m, 40 m, 50 m, 80 m, 100 m, 200 m, 300 m, and 500 m. The third specified time and specified distance may be, for example, a time and distance that enable estimation of the traffic conditions of the vehicle 100 after the turn signal is turned on, i.e., whether the vehicle 100 is traveling smoothly or whether the vehicle 100 is no longer traveling smoothly.

[0031] The determination unit 315 may estimate the inter-vehicle distance based on inter-vehicle distance information generated by measuring the inter-vehicle distance to another vehicle 100b traveling in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) using, for example, a forward sensor, a rear sensor, an obstacle detection sensor, and the like mounted on the vehicle 100. Here, the inter-vehicle distance information may be included in the vehicle information. Alternatively, the determination unit 315 may identify the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100b traveling in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) based on position information (including time information when the vehicle 100 acquired the position information) included in the multiple vehicle information, and obtain the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and the other vehicle 100b based on the position information of the identified vehicle 100 (100a) and the position information of the identified other vehicle 100b. Alternatively, the determination unit 315 may identify the vehicle 100 (100a) and another vehicle 100b traveling in front of or behind the vehicle 100 (100a) based on position information (including time information) included in multiple vehicle information, and obtain the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) and the other vehicle 100b based on inter-vehicle distance information included in the vehicle information generated by the other vehicle 100b.

[0032] The determination unit 315 may determine, for example, whether the inter-vehicle distance after the turn indicator is turned on is in a predetermined state with respect to the inter-vehicle distance before the turn indicator is turned on. In this case, the determination unit 315 may determine, for example, that the other vehicle 100b that is the subject of the inter-vehicle distance after the turn indicator is turned on and the other vehicle 100b that is the subject of the inter-vehicle distance before the turn indicator is turned on may be the same vehicle or different vehicles. That is, the determination unit 315 may determine, as the predetermined state, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312, whether the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) that has turned on the direction indicator and another vehicle 100b after the direction indicator is turned on is narrower than the inter-vehicle distance before the direction indicator is turned on. Alternatively, the determination unit 315 may determine, as the predetermined state, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312, whether the inter-vehicle distance after the direction indicator is turned on is wider than the inter-vehicle distance before the direction indicator is turned on.

[0033] The determination unit 315 may set an upper limit for the above-mentioned inter-vehicle distance, for example. That is, when the determination unit 315 acquires an inter-vehicle distance that exceeds the upper limit, the determination unit 315 may not use the inter-vehicle distance that exceeds the upper limit in determining whether the inter-vehicle distance is in a predetermined state. The upper limit for the inter-vehicle distance may be, for example, various distances that are appropriately set.

[0034] When the determining unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state, the second identifying unit 316 identifies the location as one that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. The specific condition may be, for example, a condition that the number of lanes on the road decreases, or a condition that the number of lanes on the road increases, etc. When the determination unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance is narrowing, the second determination unit 316 may determine the point as a point where the number of lanes is decreasing. That is, when the determination unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance is relatively narrowing, for example, the second determination unit 316 may estimate that the number of lanes is decreasing. Here, when the number of lanes is decreased, the traffic volume of the vehicle 100 on one lane increases, so that the inter-vehicle distance may become relatively narrower. For this reason, the second determination unit 316 may determine the point as a point where the number of lanes on the road is decreasing, for example, when the vehicle 100 is traveling along a road and changes lanes by turning on a turn signal, and the inter-vehicle distance is narrowed thereafter. Furthermore, when the determination unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance becomes wider, the second determination unit 316 may determine that the number of lanes is increasing. That is, when the determination unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance becomes relatively wider, for example, the second determination unit 316 may estimate that the number of lanes is increasing. Here, when the number of lanes increases, the traffic volume of the vehicle 100 on one lane decreases, so that the inter-vehicle distance may become relatively wider. For this reason, when the vehicle 100 is traveling along a road and turns on a turn signal to change lanes, and the inter-vehicle distance becomes wider thereafter, the second determination unit 316 may determine that the number of lanes on the road is increasing.

[0035] Furthermore, when the number of lanes is reduced, it is considered that the number of vehicles 100 traveling on one lane increases relatively, and in this case, the traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 become relatively slower, and the difference in traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 becomes relatively smaller. In this case, it is also considered that the difference in traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 traveling on the same lane becomes relatively smaller. In other words, it is considered that the difference in traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 becomes smaller after the number of lanes is reduced compared to before the number of lanes is reduced.

[0036] In this case, the second identification unit 316 may identify the point as a point where the lanes are reduced when the difference in the travel speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 becomes relatively small based on the multiple vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312. For example, when the determination unit 315 determines that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state, the second identification unit 316 may acquire the travel speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 based on the vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 100 that have traveled through the point where the predetermined state has been reached, and may identify the point as a point where the lanes are reduced when the difference in the travel speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 is smaller than the difference in the travel speeds when the multiple vehicles 100 traveled immediately before the point where the predetermined state has been reached. The position immediately before the point where the predetermined state has been reached may be, for example, a position before the turn signal is turned on. The position before the turn signal is turned on may be, for example, various distances that are arbitrarily set, including 20 m, 30 m, 40 m, 50 m, 80 m, 100 m, 200 m, 300 m, and 500 m, from the position where the turn signal is turned on.

[0037] On the other hand, when the number of lanes is increased, it is considered that the number of vehicles 100 traveling on one lane is relatively decreased, and in this case, the traveling speed of one of the multiple vehicles 100 is increased, and the difference in traveling speed between the multiple vehicles 100 is relatively large. In this case, it is also considered that the difference in traveling speed between the multiple vehicles 100 traveling on different lanes is relatively large. In other words, after the number of lanes is increased, the difference in traveling speed between the multiple vehicles 100 is considered to be larger than before the number of lanes is increased.

[0038] In this case, the second identification unit 316 may identify the point as one where lanes increase when the difference in the travel speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 becomes relatively large based on the multiple vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312. Furthermore, the second identification unit 316 may identify the point as one where lanes increase when the difference in the travel speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 after the turn indicators of the vehicles 100 are turned on becomes relatively large and becomes faster than the travel speed of the vehicles 100 before the turn indicators are turned on based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 312. The second identification unit 316 may acquire the difference in travel speeds in the same manner as in the case of identifying the point where lanes decrease based on the difference in the travel speeds of the vehicles 100 becoming relatively small as described above.

[0039] The second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the direction (right or left) in which the turn signal is turned on based on the turn signal information, and identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction. Further, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify a direction (rightward or leftward) in which the turn signal is turned on a predetermined number of times (threshold) or more based on a plurality of turn signal information, and identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction. Here, it is generally considered that the number of vehicles 100 traveling varies on various roads, including roads in urban areas, roads heading from the city center to the suburbs, and roads connecting to bridges and tunnels. Therefore, the second identification unit 316 may have various values ​​appropriately set for each road as the above-mentioned predetermined number of times (threshold), for example.

[0040] The second identification unit 316 may identify a first position corresponding to the earliest turn-on of the direction indicator identified by the first identification unit 313 and a second position corresponding to the latest turn-off of the direction indicator identified by the first identification unit 313 based on the vehicle information, and identify the section between the first position and the second position as a section that satisfies a specific condition. That is, when the first position and the second position are identified by the above-mentioned first identification unit 313, the second identification unit 316 may identify the section from the first position to the second position as a section that satisfies a specific condition. As described above, the specific condition may be, for example, a condition in which the number of lanes of the road decreases, or a condition in which the number of lanes of the road increases, or the like. Therefore, the second identification unit 316 may identify, for example, the section between the first position and the second position as a section in which the number of lanes of the road decreases, or a section in which the number of lanes of the road increases. That is, the second identification unit 316 may identify, for example, the section between the first position and the second position as a lane change section.

[0041] The information processing device 300 may include a third identification unit 317. After the turn signal specified by the first identification unit 313 is turned on, the third identification unit 317 identifies the first change in the steering angle of the vehicle 100, which is the earliest among the plurality of steering angle information, and the second change in the steering angle of the vehicle 100, which is the latest among the plurality of steering angle information, to the opposite side from the first change, based on the steering angle information regarding the steering angle of the vehicle 100 included in the plurality of vehicle information. The steering angle information may be information regarding the operation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle 100. In general, the steering angle of the steering wheel when the vehicle 100 changes lanes while traveling along a road is smaller than the steering angle of the steering wheel when the vehicle 100 turns right or left at an intersection or the like. In general, when the vehicle 100 changes lanes, the steering wheel is turned right (or left) in the first steering, and then turned left (or right) in the second steering. Furthermore, in general, when the vehicle 100 performs a lane change, the steering wheel is steered after turning on the direction indicator. Therefore, the third identification unit 317 may identify a change in the steering angle of the vehicle 100 related to a lane change, for example, when the steering wheel is turned in the direction in which the direction indicator is turned on (first change in steering angle of the steering wheel) and then turned in the opposite direction to the first turn (second change in steering angle of the steering wheel) and the first steering angle and the second steering angle are within a change range of the steering angle estimated as a lane change. The change range of the steering angle estimated as a lane change may be set in advance.

[0042] In this case, the above-mentioned second identification unit 316 may identify a third position corresponding to the first change identified by the third identification unit 317 and a fourth position corresponding to the second change identified by the third identification unit 317 based on the vehicle information, and identify the area between the third position and the fourth position as a section that satisfies a specific condition. That is, the second identification unit 316 may identify, for example, the start position of the first change in the steering angle (or the section in which the steering angle is changing) as the third position. Also, the second identification unit 316 may identify, for example, the start position of the second change in the steering angle (or the section in which the steering angle is changing) as the fourth position. In addition, the second identification unit 316 may identify the earliest time of the first steering angle change (the position of the vehicle 100 at that change time (third position)) and the latest time of the second steering angle change (the position of the vehicle 100 at that change time (fourth position)) in the series of events from the first change in the steering angle to the second change, based on multiple vehicle information generated by one or multiple vehicles 100.

[0043] The second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the section between the third position and the fourth position identified as described above as a section that satisfies a specific condition. As described above, the specific condition may be, for example, a condition in which the number of lanes on a road decreases, or a condition in which the number of lanes on a road increases. Therefore, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the section between the third position and the fourth position as a section in which the number of lanes on a road decreases, or a section in which the number of lanes on a road increases. That is, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the section between the third position and the fourth position as a lane change section.

[0044] The second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the direction in which the steering wheel is steered based on the steering angle information, i.e., as an example, the direction in which the steering wheel is steered the first time (rightward or leftward), and determine that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction. In addition, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the direction (rightward or leftward) in which the steering wheel is steered the first time in a predetermined number of times (threshold value) or more based on multiple steering angle information, and identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction.

[0045] The second identification unit 316 may, for example, identify the direction in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (the direction in which the lane will be changed) based on turn signal information and steering angle information, and may identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction. In addition, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, based on turn signal information and steering angle information included in one piece of vehicle information, identify that the vehicle 100 will change lanes in that direction (the direction in which the lane will be changed) when the direction in which the turn signal is turned matches the direction in which the steering wheel is steered the first time, and may identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction, or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction. Furthermore, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, based on turn signal information and steering angle information corresponding to the same vehicle information contained in each of the multiple vehicle information, identify that the vehicle 100 will change lanes in that direction (the direction in which the lane will be changed) when the direction in which the turn signal is turned on matches the direction in which the steering wheel is steered the first time, and may identify that the number of lanes will decrease in the identified direction or that the number of lanes will increase in the identified direction when the vehicle has changed lanes in the same direction a predetermined number of times (threshold value) or more.

[0046] As described above, it is generally considered that the number of vehicles 100 traveling on various roads, including roads in urban areas, roads heading from the city center to the suburbs, and roads connecting to bridges and tunnels, is different. Therefore, when the second identification unit 316 uses the above-mentioned multiple pieces of steering angle information and when the second identification unit 316 uses the above-mentioned multiple pieces of turn signal information and steering angle information to identify an increase or decrease in lanes, the second identification unit 316 may have various values ​​that are appropriately set for each road as the predetermined number of times (threshold value).

[0047] The registration unit 318 may, for example, register the point identified by the second identification unit 316 and the section identified by the second identification unit 316 in a road map. The road map may be stored in the storage unit 322 as described above. Alternatively, the road map may be recorded in a device (external device) outside the information processing device 300. In this case, the external device may be, for example, the server 200. The information processing device 300 registers the point (or section) where the number of lanes of a road decreases (or increases) in the road map by the registration unit 318, and therefore the road map can be provided to the navigation device mounted on the vehicle 100 and to a navigation function (e.g., a navigation application, etc.) available from a terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. The above-mentioned navigation device (or navigation function) can, for example, provide information on the decrease (or increase) in the number of lanes to a user (e.g., a driver, etc.) before the vehicle 100 reaches the point (or section) where the number of lanes decreases (or increases), thereby making it possible to suppress traffic congestion and prevent accidents and other problems caused by unreasonable lane changes, etc.

[0048] The output control unit 319 may control the output unit to output at least one selected from a group of the point identified by the second identification unit 316, the section identified by the second identification unit 316, and a road map in which the point or section is registered by the registration unit 318. The output unit may be, for example, a communication unit 321, a storage unit 322, a display unit 323, etc. That is, the output control unit 319 may control the communication unit 321 to transmit, to an external device, information on at least one selected from a group of the point identified by the second identification unit 316, the section identified by the second identification unit 316, and the road map in which the point or section is registered by the registration unit 318. In this case, the external device may be, for example, the server 200 and the vehicle 100. The output control unit 319 may, for example, control the memory unit 322 to store information regarding at least one selected from a group of points identified by the second identification unit 316, sections identified by the second identification unit 316, and road maps in which points or sections are registered by the registration unit 318. The output control unit 319 may control the display unit 323 to display, for example, at least one selected from a group of points identified by the second identification unit 316, sections identified by the second identification unit 316, and road maps in which points or sections are registered by the registration unit 318.

[0049] The above-described information processing device 300 can identify a point where the number of lanes decreases (or increases) based on the road structure, for example, based on the vehicle information. Furthermore, the information processing device 300 can specify a point where the number of lanes has temporarily decreased (or increased) due to road construction or the like, for example, based on the vehicle information. In this case, after specifying the point in this way, the information processing device 300 can specify, for example, based on the vehicle information, that the lane regulation (decrease (or increase) in the number of lanes) has been lifted after the road construction or the like at the point has been completed. For example, when the information processing device 300 specifies that the lane regulation has been lifted after the lane regulation was initiated over time, it may delete the point (or section) where the number of lanes has decreased (or increased) that was registered in the road map.

[0050] [Information processing method] Next, an information processing method according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to an embodiment.

[0051] In step ST101, the acquisition unit 312 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 312 may acquire the vehicle information from the server 200 or the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 321, for example.

[0052] In step ST102, the first identifying unit 313 identifies that the direction indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) is on, based on the direction indicator information included in the vehicle information acquired in step ST101. In this case, the first identifying unit 313 may identify the earliest turn-on of the direction indicator among the plurality of pieces of direction indicator information and the latest turn-off of the direction indicator among the plurality of pieces of direction indicator information, based on the plurality of pieces of direction indicator information included in each of the plurality of pieces of vehicle information acquired in step ST101.

[0053] In step ST103, the estimation unit 314 estimates whether the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling along a road based on the position information included in the vehicle information around the time of lighting identified in step ST102. In this case, the estimation unit 314 may estimate whether the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling along a road by, for example, associating the position of the vehicle 100 (100a) based on the position information with a road link of a road network.

[0054] In step ST104, when it is estimated in step ST103 that the vehicle 100 (100a) is traveling along the road, the determination unit 315 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) is turned on. In this case, the determination unit 315 may determine, for example, based on the vehicle information as the predetermined state, whether the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 100 (100a) that turned on the turn indicator and the other vehicle 100b after the turn indicator is turned on becomes narrower than the inter-vehicle distance before the turn indicator is turned on. Alternatively, the determination unit 315 may determine, for example, based on the vehicle information as the predetermined state, whether the inter-vehicle distance after the turn indicator is turned on becomes wider than the inter-vehicle distance before the turn indicator is turned on.

[0055] In step ST105, the third identification unit 317 identifies, based on the steering angle information included in each of the multiple vehicle information items after the turn signal identified in step ST102 is turned on, the first change in the steering angle of the vehicle 100 (100a) which is the earliest among the multiple steering angle information items, and the second change in the steering angle of the vehicle 100 (100a) in the opposite direction from the first change which is the latest after the first change among the multiple steering angle information items.

[0056] In step ST106, if the second identification unit 316 determines in step ST104 that the inter-vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state, it identifies the location as one that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. In this case, for example, if the second identification unit 316 determines in step ST104 that the inter-vehicle distance will be narrowed, it may identify the location as one where lanes are decreasing. On the other hand, for example, if the second identification unit 316 determines in step ST104 that the inter-vehicle distance will be widened, it may identify the location as one where lanes are increasing. Also, the second identification unit 316 may identify a point where lanes decrease when, for example, based on the vehicle information, the difference in the traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 (100a, 100b) becomes relatively small. On the other hand, the second identification unit 316 may identify a point where lanes increase when, for example, based on the vehicle information, the difference in the traveling speeds of the multiple vehicles 100 (100a, 100b) after the turn indicator of the vehicle 100 (100a) is turned on becomes relatively large and becomes faster than the traveling speed of the vehicle 100 (100a, 100b) before the turn indicator is turned on. In addition, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, based on the vehicle information, identify a first position corresponding to the earliest turning on of the turn indicator identified in step ST102 and a second position corresponding to the latest turning off of the turn indicator identified in step ST102, and identify the section between the first position and the second position as a section that satisfies a specific condition. In addition, the second identification unit 316 may, for example, based on vehicle information, identify a third position corresponding to the first change in steering angle identified in step ST105 and a fourth position corresponding to the second change in steering angle identified in step ST105, and identify the section between the third position and the fourth position as a section that satisfies a specific condition.

[0057] As a processing step following the above-mentioned steps ST101 to ST106, the registration unit 318 may, for example, register the point identified in step ST106 and the section identified in step ST106 in a road map. Furthermore, the output control unit 319 may control the output unit to output the point identified in step ST106, the section identified in step ST106, and the road map in which the point or section is registered by the above-mentioned registration unit 318. The output unit may be, for example, a communication unit 321, a storage unit 322, a display unit 323, etc.

[0058] Each unit of the information processing device 300 described above may be realized as a function of a processing unit of a computer, etc. That is, the acquisition unit 312, the first identification unit 313, the estimation unit 314, the determination unit 315, the second identification unit 316, the third identification unit 317, the registration unit 318, and the output control unit 319 (control unit 311) of the information processing device 300 may be realized as an acquisition function, a first identification function, an estimation function, a determination function, a second identification function, a third identification function, a registration function, and an output control function (control function) by the processing unit of a computer, etc. The information processing program can cause a computer to realize each of the above-mentioned functions. The information processing program may be recorded in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, such as a memory, a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive, or an optical disk. As described above, each unit of the information processing device 300 may be realized by an arithmetic processing device of a computer or the like. The arithmetic processing device or the like is configured by, for example, an integrated circuit or the like. Therefore, each unit of the information processing device 300 may be realized as a circuit constituting the arithmetic processing device or the like. That is, the acquisition unit 312, the first identification unit 313, the estimation unit 314, the determination unit 315, the second identification unit 316, the third identification unit 317, the registration unit 318, and the output control unit 319 (control unit 311) of the information processing device 300 may be realized as an acquisition circuit, a first identification circuit, an estimation circuit, a determination circuit, a second identification circuit, a third identification circuit, a registration circuit, and an output control circuit (control circuit) constituting the arithmetic processing device of a computer or the like. The communication unit 321, the storage unit 322, and the display unit 323 (output unit) of the information processing device 300 may be realized as a communication function, a storage function, and a display function (output function) including the functions of an arithmetic processing device, etc. The communication unit 321, the storage unit 322, and the display unit 323 (output unit) of the information processing device 300 may be realized as a communication circuit, a storage circuit, and a display circuit (output circuit) by being configured, for example, by an integrated circuit, etc. The communication unit 321, the storage unit 322, and the display unit 323 (output unit) of the information processing device 300 may be realized as a communication device, a storage device, and a display device (output device) by being configured, for example, by being configured by a plurality of devices.

[0059] The information processing device 300 can include one or any combination of the above-mentioned multiple units. In this disclosure, the term "information" is used, but the term "information" can be replaced with "data" and the term "data" can be replaced with "information."

[0060] [Aspects and Effects of the Present Embodiment] Next, one aspect of this embodiment and the effects of each aspect will be described. Note that this embodiment is not limited to each aspect described below, and may be realized by appropriately combining each of the above-mentioned parts. Also, the effects described below are examples, and the effects of each aspect are not limited to those described below.

[0061] (Aspect 1) An information processing device of one embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle, a first identification unit that identifies that the vehicle's turn indicator is on based on turn indicator information related to the illumination of the turn indicator included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, an estimation unit that estimates whether the vehicle is traveling along the road based on position information related to the vehicle position included in the vehicle information before and after the illumination identified by the first identification unit, a determination unit that, when the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle is traveling along the road, determines whether the inter-vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state after the vehicle's turn indicator is illuminated, and a second identification unit that, when the determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance will be in the predetermined state, identifies the point as one that satisfies a specific condition related to an increase or decrease in lanes. This allows the information processing device to, for example, identify points where the number of lanes is reduced (or increased) based on the road structure based on the vehicle information. Also, the information processing device can identify points where the number of lanes is temporarily reduced (or increased) due to road construction or the like based on the vehicle information. In addition, when identifying points where the number of lanes increases or decreases based on images acquired by an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle, etc., it is necessary to actually drive the vehicle and acquire images by the on-board camera. In this case, for example, a vehicle (specialized vehicle, etc.) dedicated to acquiring images used by a map creation company, etc. may be used. When using such a vehicle (specialized vehicle, etc.), it may be difficult to drive the vehicle on all actual roads. In this regard, the information processing device of the present embodiment may use vehicle information acquired from a relatively large number of vehicles (e.g., general vehicles used by general drivers, etc.), and therefore can acquire information on a relatively large number of roads. Therefore, the information processing device can identify points where the number of lanes on a relatively large number of roads decreases (or increases). In addition, the information processing device can identify points where the number of lanes on a road decreases (or increases) even if, for example, a relatively short time has passed since the road was newly constructed (and renovated).

[0062] (Aspect 2) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the determination unit determines, as a specified state, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, whether the distance between the vehicle that has turned on its turn indicator and another vehicle after the turn indicator is turned on is narrower than the distance between the vehicles before the turn indicator is turned on, and the second identification unit may identify the point as one where the lanes narrow when the determination unit determines that the distance between the vehicles is narrowing. In general, when the number of lanes is reduced, it is considered that the number of vehicles traveling per lane increases, and therefore the distance between multiple vehicles traveling on a road after the number of lanes is reduced may become narrower than before the number of lanes was reduced. The information processing device can, for example, use such a consideration to identify the point where the number of lanes is reduced.

[0063] (Aspect 3) In the information processing device of one aspect, the second identification unit may identify a point as a point where the number of lanes decreases when a difference in travel speeds of the multiple vehicles becomes relatively small based on the multiple vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit. In general, when the number of vehicles traveling per lane increases, the difference in the traveling speed of the vehicles is considered to be relatively small. For example, the information processing device can use such a consideration to identify a point where the number of lanes decreases.

[0064] (Aspect 4) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the judgment unit may determine, as a specified state, based on vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, whether the inter-vehicle distance after the turn signal is turned on is wider than the inter-vehicle distance before the turn signal is turned on, and the second identification unit may identify the point as one where the number of lanes increases when the judgment unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance will be wider. Generally, when the number of lanes is increased, the number of vehicles traveling per lane is considered to decrease, so the distance between multiple vehicles traveling on a road after the number of lanes has been increased may become wider than before the number of lanes was increased. The information processing device can, for example, use such a consideration to identify the point where the number of lanes will be increased.

[0065] (Aspect 5) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the second identification unit may identify a point as one where the number of lanes increases when, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, the difference in the driving speeds of multiple vehicles after the vehicle's turn indicator is turned on becomes relatively large and is faster than the vehicle's driving speed before the turn indicator is turned on. In general, when the number of vehicles traveling per lane decreases, the difference in the traveling speed of the vehicles is considered to be relatively large. For example, the information processing device can use such a consideration to identify a point where the number of lanes increases.

[0066] (Aspect 6) In one embodiment of the information processing device, a first identification unit identifies the earliest turn-on of a turn indicator among the multiple turn-indicator information and the latest turn-off of a turn indicator among the multiple turn-indicator information based on multiple turn-indicator information included in vehicle information of multiple vehicles acquired by an acquisition unit, and a second identification unit identifies a first position corresponding to the earliest turn-on of a turn indicator identified by the first identification unit and a second position corresponding to the latest turn-in of a turn indicator identified by the first identification unit based on the vehicle information, and identifies a section between the first position and the second position as satisfying a specific condition. As a result, the information processing device can use the turn signal information to identify sections where the number of lanes decreases (or increases) (e.g., lane change sections, etc.) that include the points where the number of lanes decreases (or increases) as described above.

[0067] (Aspect 7) In one embodiment, the information processing device includes a third identification unit that, after the turn signal identified by the first identification unit is turned on, identifies a first change in the vehicle's steering angle that is the earliest among the multiple steering angle information based on steering angle information regarding the vehicle's steering angle included in the multiple vehicle information, and a second change in the vehicle's steering angle in the opposite direction to the first change that is the latest after the first change among the multiple steering angle information, and the second identification unit identifies a third position corresponding to the first change identified by the third identification unit and a fourth position corresponding to the second change identified by the third identification unit based on the vehicle information, and identifies the area between the third position and the fourth position as a section that satisfies a specific condition. As a result, the information processing device can use the steering angle information to identify sections where the number of lanes decreases (or increases) (e.g., lane change sections, etc.) that include the points where the number of lanes decreases (or increases) as described above.

[0068] (Aspect 8) In the information processing device of one aspect, the estimation unit may estimate whether the vehicle is traveling along a road by associating a position of the vehicle based on the position information with a road link of a road network. This enables the information processing device to exclude cases where the vehicle turns right or left at an intersection, where the vehicle leaves the road, and the like, and to estimate whether the vehicle will change lanes.

[0069] (Aspect 9) In one aspect of the information processing method, a computer executes the following steps: an acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information regarding a vehicle; a first identification step of identifying that the vehicle's turn indicator is on based on turn indicator information regarding the illumination of the turn indicator contained in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition step; an estimation step of estimating whether the vehicle is traveling along the road based on position information regarding the vehicle position contained in the vehicle information before and after the illumination identified by the first identification step; a determination step of determining whether the vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state after the vehicle's turn indicator is illuminated if the determination step determines that the vehicle distance will be in the predetermined state; and a second identification step of identifying the location as a location that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. As a result, the information processing method can achieve the same effects as the information processing device according to the above-described aspect.

[0070] (Aspect 10) An information processing program according to one embodiment provides a computer having the following functions: an acquisition function for acquiring vehicle information related to a vehicle; a first identification function for identifying that a turn signal of the vehicle is on based on turn signal information related to turn signal illumination included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition function; and an estimation function for estimating whether the vehicle is traveling along a road based on position information related to a vehicle position included in the vehicle information before and after the illumination identified by the first identification function. When the estimation function estimates that the vehicle is traveling along the road, a judgment function is provided that judges whether the vehicle distance will be in a specified state after the vehicle's turn signal is turned on, and when the judgment function determines that the vehicle distance will be in the specified state, a second identification function is provided that identifies the location as one that satisfies specific conditions regarding the increase or decrease of lanes. As a result, the information processing program can achieve the same effects as the information processing device according to the above-described aspect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1. Information Processing Systems 100 vehicles 200 Servers 300 Information processing device 311 Control Unit 312 Acquisition Department 313 1st Specific Part 314 Estimation Department 315 Judgment section 316 Second Specific Part 317 Third Specific Part 318 Registration Department 319 Output control section 321 Communications Department 322 Storage section 323 Display section

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle; a first identification unit that identifies that a turn signal of the vehicle is on based on turn signal information regarding turning on of the turn signal, the turn signal information being included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit; an estimation unit that estimates whether the vehicle is traveling along a road based on position information regarding a vehicle position included in the vehicle information, before and after the lighting identified by the first identification unit; a determination unit that determines whether a vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after a turn signal of the vehicle is turned on when the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle is traveling along a road; a second identification unit that identifies the point as a point that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes when the determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state; An information processing device comprising:

2. The determination unit determines, as the predetermined state, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, whether a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the vehicle that has turned on a direction indicator and another vehicle after the direction indicator is turned on is narrower than a vehicle-to-vehicle distance before the direction indicator is turned on; The second identification unit identifies the point as a point where lanes are narrowed when the determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance is narrowing. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The second identification unit is configured to identify a point where lanes decrease when a difference in traveling speeds of a plurality of vehicles becomes relatively small based on the plurality of vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The determination unit determines, as the predetermined state, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, whether a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the vehicle that has turned on a direction indicator and another vehicle after the direction indicator is turned on is wider than a vehicle-to-vehicle distance before the direction indicator is turned on; The second identification unit identifies the point as a point where lanes increase when the determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance increases.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1.

5. The second identification unit, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, identifies a point as a point where lanes increase when a difference in the traveling speed of a plurality of vehicles after a turn indicator of the vehicle is turned on becomes relatively large and becomes faster than the traveling speed of the vehicle before the turn indicator is turned on. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The first identification unit identifies the earliest turn-on of a turn indicator among the plurality of turn-indicator information and the latest turn-off of a turn indicator among the plurality of turn-indicator information based on a plurality of turn-indicator information included in the vehicle information of the plurality of vehicles acquired by the acquisition unit, The second identification unit identifies, based on the vehicle information, a first position corresponding to the earliest turning on of a turn signal identified by the first identification unit and a second position corresponding to the latest turning off of a turn signal identified by the first identification unit, and identifies a section between the first position and the second position as a section that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. a third specifying unit that specifies, based on steering angle information regarding the steering angle of the vehicle included in the plurality of vehicle information after the turn signal specified by the first specifying unit is turned on, a first change in the steering angle of the vehicle that is the earliest among the plurality of steering angle information, and a second change in the steering angle of the vehicle in an opposite direction to the first change that is the latest among the plurality of steering angle information and occurs after the first change, The second identification unit identifies a third position corresponding to the first change identified by the third identification unit and a fourth position corresponding to the second change identified by the third identification unit based on the vehicle information, and identifies a section between the third position and the fourth position as a section that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The estimation unit estimates whether the vehicle is traveling along a road by associating the vehicle position based on the position information with a road link of a road network. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The computer acquiring vehicle information relating to the vehicle; a first identification step of identifying that a turn signal of the vehicle is on based on turn signal information regarding turning on of the turn signal, the turn signal information being included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition step; an estimation step of estimating whether the vehicle is traveling along a road based on position information regarding a vehicle position included in the vehicle information, before and after the lighting identified in the first identification step; a determining step of determining whether a vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after a turn signal of the vehicle is turned on when the estimating step determines that the vehicle is traveling along a road; a second specifying step of specifying the point as a point that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes when it is determined that the inter-vehicle distance will be in a predetermined state by the determining step; An information processing method for performing the above.

10. On the computer, An acquisition function that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle; a first identification function that identifies that a turn signal of the vehicle is on based on turn signal information regarding turn signal lighting included in the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition function; an estimation function that estimates whether the vehicle is traveling along a road based on position information regarding a vehicle position included in the vehicle information, before and after the lighting identified by the first identification function; a determination function for determining whether a vehicle distance becomes a predetermined state after a turn signal of the vehicle is turned on when the estimation function estimates that the vehicle is traveling along a road; A second identification function that identifies the location as a location that satisfies a specific condition regarding an increase or decrease in lanes when the determination function determines that the vehicle distance is in a predetermined state; An information processing program that realizes this.

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