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 estimating an entrance to a facility.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle; an identification unit that identifies a deviation point where the vehicle deviates form a road link on the basis of the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit; an extraction unit that extracts facility information related to a facility which is located ahead of where the vehicle deviates from the road link on the basis of an image capturing a region including the deviation point identified by the identification unit; and an estimation unit that estimates that the deviation point identified by the identification unit is an entrance to the facility on the basis of the facility information extracted by the extraction 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] Conventionally, when providing route guidance for vehicles, etc., it has been required to appropriately set the end point of the route guidance. As an example, when providing route guidance for general vehicles to a specific facility, it is required to set the entrance of a parking lot where general vehicles can park as the end point of the route guidance, not the entrance of a private parking lot used by employees, etc. of the specific facility. Here, the general vehicle may be, for example, a vehicle used by customers, etc. of the specific facility. Here, in order to set a route to a destination, the route information processing device described in Patent Document 1 first determines whether the end point of the route guidance is a parking lot at the destination. Furthermore, if the end point is a parking lot at the destination, the route information processing device estimates the point where the vehicle leaves the road as the entrance to the parking lot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-102141 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when estimating the entrance of a facility including a parking lot, it is sometimes required to improve the accuracy of estimating the entrance.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of estimating the entrance of a facility. [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, an identification unit that identifies an exit point where the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, an extraction unit that extracts facility information related to a facility located beyond the exit point from the road link based on an image captured of an area including the exit point identified by the identification unit, and an estimation unit that estimates the exit point identified by the identification unit to be the entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment, a departure point where the vehicle leaves a road link is identified based on vehicle information about the vehicle, facility information about a facility located beyond the road link is extracted based on an image of an area including the departure point, and the departure point is estimated to be the entrance to the facility based on the facility information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing system 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. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a first diagram for explaining an information processing method according to an embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining an example of vehicles (own vehicle and other vehicles), facilities, etc. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a second diagram for explaining an information processing method according to an embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining an example of road links and departure points. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a third diagram for explaining an information processing method according to an embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining an example of an image captured by the imaging section. 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, for example, an entrance estimation system that estimates an entrance 402 of a facility 400 including a parking lot. The information processing device 100 constituting the information processing system 1 may be, for example, an entrance estimation device constituting the entrance estimation system. Here, when route guidance is provided for the vehicle 200, the entrance 402 of the facility 400 may be the end point of the route guidance. Therefore, the information processing system 1 may be, for example, a guidance end point estimation system that estimates the end point of the route guidance. Similarly, the information processing device 100 may be, for example, a guidance end point estimation device. The information processing system 1 may be, for example, a map information creation system that registers the estimated entrance 402 and the end point of the route proposal guidance in a road map. Similarly, the information processing device 100 may be, for example, a map information creation device.

[0012] The information processing system 1 includes, for example, an imaging unit 201 and an information processing device 100.

[0013] The imaging unit 201 may be a camera mounted on the vehicle 200. The imaging unit 201 may capture an image of an area including the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 to generate image information. The imaging unit 201 captures, for example, a moving image or a still image. When capturing a still image, the imaging unit 201 may capture an image at predetermined timing or continuously over time. The predetermined timing may be, for example, an intermittent timing such as at predetermined time intervals.

[0014] The vehicle 200 acquires various information (vehicle information) including operating conditions from sensors and devices mounted on the vehicle 200, for example, during the period from when the engine is started to when it is stopped, while the vehicle is running and stopped, and when route guidance to a destination is performed, and transmits the information to the outside. As a specific example, the vehicle 200 may acquire position information used for route guidance to a destination, as the vehicle information. The position information may be, for example, information indicating the position of the vehicle 200. That is, the vehicle 200 may acquire the position information using, for example, GNSS, etc. Also, examples of the vehicle information may be probe information, CAN information, etc. The vehicle 200 may transmit the vehicle information including image information to the outside. The vehicle 200 may transmit the vehicle information (image information) to the external server 300 or the information processing device 100, for example.

[0015] The information processing device 100 may be a computer such as a server, a desktop, a laptop, or a tablet. The information processing device 100 acquires vehicle information. When the vehicle 200 enters a facility 400 (for example, a parking lot, etc.) from a road, the information processing device 100 identifies a departure point where the vehicle 200 leaves a road link based on the vehicle information. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 extracts facility information 401 related to the facility 400 located at the destination where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link from an image (an image based on image information) capturing an image of an area including the identified departure point. The facility information 401 may be, for example, content indicating the location of the facility, or may be a guide using the name, abbreviation, and a figure indicating the facility. When the facility information 401 is extracted in a predetermined area including the above-mentioned departure point, the information processing device 100 estimates that the departure point is an entrance 402 of the facility 400.

[0016] [Details of the information processing device 100] Next, the information processing device 100 according to an embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the information processing device 100 according to an embodiment.

[0017] The information processing device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 111, a storage unit 112, a display unit 113, and a control unit 101. The communication unit 111, the storage unit 112, and the display unit 113 may be, for example, an embodiment of an output unit. The control unit 101 may function as, for example, an acquisition unit 102, a specification unit 103, an extraction unit 104, an estimation unit 105, a registration unit 106, an output control unit 107, and the like. The control unit 101 may be configured, for example, by an arithmetic processing device of the information processing device 100. The control unit 101 (for example, an arithmetic processing device, etc.) may realize the functions of each unit (for example, the acquisition unit 102, the specification unit 103, the extraction unit 104, the estimation unit 105, the registration unit 106, the output control unit 107, and the like) by, for example, appropriately reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 112, etc.

[0018] The communication unit 111 is capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from, for example, a device (external device) outside the information processing device 100. As an example, the communication unit 111 may communicate with each of the vehicle 200 and the external server 300. The communication unit 111 may also communicate with, for example, a user terminal (not shown). The user terminal may be, for example, a terminal used by a user of the information processing device 100. The user terminal may be, for example, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like.

[0019] The storage unit 112 may store, for example, various information and programs. Examples of the storage unit 112 may be a memory, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, etc. Here, the storage unit 112 may store, for example, map information related to a road map. The road map may be, for example, a map used for route guidance of the vehicle 200. In addition, for example, facilities may be registered in the road map.

[0020] The display unit 113 is capable of displaying, for example, various characters, symbols, images, and the like.

[0021] The acquisition unit 102 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 200. The acquisition unit 102 may acquire the vehicle information from the vehicle 200 or the external server 300, for example, via the communication unit 111. The vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 102 may include image information captured by an imaging unit 201 mounted on the vehicle 200.

[0022] The identification unit 103 identifies a departure point where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 102. The identification unit 103 may also identify a running direction before the vehicle 200 passes the departure point from the road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 102. That is, the identification unit 103 identifies a departure point where the vehicle 200 leaves the road and a running direction before the vehicle 200 passes the departure point where the vehicle 200 leaves the road. When the characteristic points of a road network are represented by nodes, the road link represents the shape of the road by connecting each node. For example, the identification unit 103 may identify a point where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link based on the position information included in the vehicle information. That is, the identification unit 103 may identify, for example, a point where the position of the vehicle 200 based on the position information (for example, a travel trajectory, etc.) leaves the road link as the departure point. That is, the identifying unit 103 may identify the point where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link as the departure point, based on the position information of the vehicle 200 and the road network.

[0023] Furthermore, the identification unit 103 may identify the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 based on, for example, position information included in the vehicle information (such as the travel path of the vehicle 200 based on the position information). Alternatively, the identification unit 103 may identify the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 based on, for example, operation information included in the vehicle information when a steering wheel, a turn signal, or the like is operated. In this case, the identification unit 103 may identify the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 immediately before the vehicle 200 passes a point (a departure point) where the vehicle 200 leaves a road link, and the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined distance from the departure point (within a predetermined distance in the direction before passing the departure point). As an example, the predetermined distance here may be various distances such as 10 m, 20 m, 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 300 m.

[0024] The extraction unit 104 extracts facility information on a facility located beyond the road link based on an image capturing an area including the departure point identified by the identification unit 103. The facility information may be, for example, information indicating the location of the facility, information guiding the location of the facility, and information on the facility. As an example, the facility information may be a display of facility guidance, a sign, a billboard, and the like. The facility information may include, for example, the name, abbreviation, and a figure indicating the facility (for example, a pictogram, etc.), as well as an indication indicating the location of the facility (for example, an arrow indicating the direction of the facility, etc.). In this case, for example, if there is a parking lot at the facility, the facility information may include information indicating the parking lot and the location of the parking lot, that is, as a specific example, letters and figure guidance such as "parking lot" and "P", as well as an arrow indicating the location of the parking lot, etc.

[0025] The extraction unit 104 may extract, as the facility information, at least one of information relating to a guide to the facility and information relating to a parking lot of the facility by performing image recognition based on the image. The extraction unit 104 may, for example, store graphical information regarding figures indicating facilities and directions in the memory unit 112 or the like, and extract facility information from images based on the image information by performing pattern matching of images recorded in the image information based on the graphical information. In addition, the extraction unit 104 may store character information regarding characters indicating a facility, such as the name and abbreviation of the facility, in the memory unit 112, perform character recognition on an image based on the image information, and, if the result of the character recognition shows that the image contains characters corresponding to the character information, it may estimate that the image contains facility information, i.e., extract the facility information from the image. In addition, the extraction unit 104 may extract facility information from an image based on a trained model generated by learning characters indicating a facility, such as the name and abbreviation of the facility, and figures indicating the facility and direction, and on image information.

[0026] In the above case, the extraction unit 104 may acquire a video or still image captured when the vehicle 200 travels within a predetermined distance from the departure point, including the departure point, as an image capturing an area including the departure point. That is, if there is a facility guide near the departure point, it is highly likely that the departure point is the entrance 402 of the facility. Therefore, the extraction unit 104 may extract facility information based on image information when the vehicle 200 travels within a predetermined distance from the departure point, including the departure point (within a predetermined distance in the direction before passing the departure point). As an example, the predetermined distance here may be various distances such as 10 m, 20 m, 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 300 m. The predetermined distance here may be the same as or different from the predetermined distance used when the above-mentioned identification unit 103 identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle 200. Here, when a video is used as the image information, it becomes possible to continuously capture images of the vicinity of the departure point, and the possibility that the facility information is recorded without omission increases. Therefore, by using a video as the image information, for example, the extraction unit 104 can increase the possibility of extracting facility information based on the image information.

[0027] The extraction unit 104 may acquire an image of an area including the departure point based on image information generated by an imaging unit 201 mounted on a vehicle 200 (own vehicle or another vehicle). The own vehicle (own vehicle) is a vehicle that has identified a point (departure point) where the vehicle has left a road link. The other vehicle (other vehicle) may be a vehicle different from the own vehicle.

[0028] Therefore, the extraction unit 104 may acquire image information captured by the imaging unit 201 mounted on another vehicle traveling in the same direction or the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 at the departure point identified by the identification unit 103, and may acquire an image capturing an area including the departure point based on the image information. That is, when the identification unit 103 identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle 200 (own vehicle) before the departure point from the road link, the extraction unit 104 may acquire at least one of an image (image information) captured by another vehicle traveling in the same direction (same lane) as the traveling direction and an image (image information) captured by another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction (opposite lane). The extraction unit 104 may extract facility information from an image (image information) captured by another vehicle other than the own vehicle, around a departure point from a road link identified based on the own vehicle. In this case, the extraction unit 104 may identify the other vehicle that has passed the departure point based on position information (e.g., longitude and latitude information, etc.) of the departure point and vehicle information (position information) generated by the other vehicle, and may acquire image information generated by an imaging unit mounted on the other vehicle. In this case, the extraction unit 104 may, for example, based on the vehicle information of the other vehicle, identify another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the host vehicle immediately before the host vehicle passes the departure point at the departure point of the host vehicle, and acquire image information captured by the imaging unit of the other vehicle. Also, the extraction unit 104 may, for example, identify another vehicle traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the host vehicle immediately before the host vehicle passes the departure point at the departure point of the host vehicle, and acquire image information captured by the imaging unit of the other vehicle.

[0029] The estimation unit 105 estimates the departure point identified by the identification unit 103 to be the entrance 402 of the facility, based on the facility information extracted by the extraction unit 104. That is, when facility information is extracted by the extraction unit 104, the estimation unit 105 estimates the departure point identified by the identification unit 103 to be the entrance 402 of the facility recorded in the facility information. The estimation unit 105 associates the departure point of the vehicle 200 with the entrance 402 of the facility.

[0030] The registration unit 106 may register the facility entrance 402 estimated by the estimation unit 105 in the road map stored in the storage unit 112. That is, the registration unit 106 registers the departure point of the vehicle 200 (the facility entrance 402) in the road map. In this case, as an example, when latitude and longitude information is recorded in the road map, the registration unit 106 may register the departure point of the vehicle 200 (the facility entrance 402) in the road map by associating the position information of the departure point with the latitude and longitude information of the road map.

[0031] The output control unit 107 may control the output unit to output, for example, an entrance 402 of the facility estimated by the estimation unit 105. Here, the output unit may be, for example, a communication unit 111, a storage unit 112, a display unit 113, etc. The output control unit 107 may, for example, control the communication unit 111 to transmit information about the facility entrance 402 estimated by the estimation unit 105 to an external device. The external device may be, for example, the vehicle 200 (including other vehicles), the external server 300, or a user terminal (not shown), etc. Furthermore, the output control unit 107 may control the storage unit 112 to store information about the entrance 402 of the facility estimated by the estimation unit 105, for example. Furthermore, the output control unit 107 may control the display unit 113 to display, for example, an entrance 402 of the facility estimated by the estimation unit 105.

[0032] Furthermore, the output control unit 107 may control the output unit to output, for example, a road map (map information) stored in the storage unit 112, as a specific example, a road map (map information) in which the entrance 402 of the facility estimated by the estimation unit 105 is registered. That is, the output control unit 107 may control at least one selected from the group of the communication unit 111, the storage unit 112, and the display unit 113 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned case (output of the entrance 402 of the estimated facility), in order to output, for example, a road map (map information) in which the entrance 402 of the facility estimated by the estimation unit 105 is registered. As a specific example, the output control unit 107 may control an output unit (e.g., a communication unit 111, a memory unit 112, and a display unit 113, etc.) to output a road map in which the entrance 402 and the direction in which the vehicle should enter the entrance 402 are registered.

[0033] [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. Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 are first to third diagrams for explaining an information processing method according to an embodiment. That is, Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of vehicles 200 (own vehicle 200A and other vehicle 200B) and facilities 400, etc. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a road link 500 and a departure point 501. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of an image captured by the imaging unit 201.

[0034] In step ST101, the acquisition unit 102 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 200. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the acquisition unit 102 acquires vehicle information generated by the vehicle 200 traveling on a road. The vehicle information may be, for example, probe information and CAN information. The vehicle information may include, for example, position information indicating the position of the vehicle 200. The vehicle information may also include, for example, image information captured by an imaging unit 201 mounted on the vehicle 200.

[0035] In step ST102, the identification unit 103 identifies the departure point 501 where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link 500 and the driving direction 202 before the vehicle 200 leaves the road link 500 at the departure point 501 based on the vehicle information acquired in step ST101 (see Figures 4 and 5). When the vehicle 200 enters a facility 400 adjacent to a road as illustrated in FIG. 4, the identification unit 103 identifies a point (exit point 501) where the vehicle 200 leaves the road link 500 to enter the facility 400 as illustrated in FIG. 5. 4 and 5, the identification unit 103 identifies the traveling direction 202 of the vehicle 200 before the vehicle 200 leaves the road link 500 (the departure point 501). In this case, the identification unit 103 may identify the traveling direction 202 of the vehicle 200 immediately before the vehicle 200 passes the point (the departure point 501) at which the vehicle 200 leaves the road link 500, and the traveling direction 202 of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined distance from the departure point 501 (within a predetermined distance in the direction before passing the departure point 501).

[0036] In step ST103, the extraction unit 104 extracts facility information 401 related to the facility 400 located beyond the road link 500 based on an image captured of an area including the departure point 501 identified in step ST102. The extraction unit 104 may acquire, for example, a video or still image captured during travel within a predetermined distance before the departure point 501, including the departure point 501, as the image captured of an area including the departure point 501. The extraction unit 104 may acquire an image of an area including the departure point 501 illustrated in FIG. 6 based on image information generated by the imaging unit 201 mounted on the vehicle 200 (own vehicle 200A or other vehicle 200B) illustrated in FIG. 4. The extraction unit 104 may acquire image information captured by the imaging unit 201 mounted on the other vehicle (other vehicle 200B) traveling in the same direction or the opposite direction to the traveling direction 202 of the vehicle 200 (own vehicle 200A) at the departure point 501 identified in step ST102, and may acquire an image of an area including the departure point 501 based on the image information. The own vehicle 200A is a vehicle that has identified the point (departure point 501) where the vehicle has departed from the road link 500. The other vehicle 200B may be a vehicle different from the own vehicle 200A.

[0037] As an example, when image information is included in the vehicle information, the extraction unit 104 may extract the facility information 401 based on the image information. 6, the image has recorded therein facility information 401. The facility information 401 may be, for example, information indicating the location of the facility, information providing guidance to the location of the facility, information about the facility, and the like. The extraction unit 104 may, for example, store graphic information on figures indicating facilities and directions in the storage unit 112 or the like, and perform pattern matching of an image recorded in the image information based on the graphic information, thereby extracting the facility information 401 from an image based on the image information. The extraction unit 104 may also store character information on characters indicating a facility, such as the name and abbreviation of a facility, in the storage unit 112, perform character recognition on an image based on the image information, and, if the result of the character recognition indicates that characters corresponding to the character information are included in the image, estimate that the image includes the facility information 401, that is, extract the facility information 401 from the image. The extraction unit 104 may also extract the facility information 401 from an image based on a trained model generated by training characters indicating a facility, such as the name and abbreviation of a facility, and figures indicating a facility and directions, and on the image information.

[0038] In step ST104, the estimation unit 105 estimates that the departure point 501 identified by the identification unit 103 is the entrance 402 of the facility 400, based on the facility information 401 extracted in step ST104. That is, the estimation unit 105 associates the departure point 501 of the vehicle 200 with the entrance 402 of the facility 400.

[0039] In step ST105, the registration unit 106 may register the entrance 402 of the facility 400 estimated in step ST105 in the road map stored in the storage unit 112.

[0040] Each unit of the information processing device 100 described above may be realized as a function of a computer's arithmetic processing device, etc. That is, the acquisition unit 102, the identification unit 103, the extraction unit 104, the estimation unit 105, the registration unit 106, and the output control unit 107 (control unit 101) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as an acquisition function, an identification function, an extraction function, an estimation function, a registration function, and an output control function (control function) by the computer's arithmetic processing device, 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 100 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 100 may be realized as a circuit constituting the arithmetic processing device or the like. That is, the acquisition unit 102, the identification unit 103, the extraction unit 104, the estimation unit 105, the registration unit 106, and the output control unit 107 (control unit 101) of the information processing device 100 may be realized as an acquisition circuit, an identification circuit, an extraction circuit, an estimation 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 111, the storage unit 112, and the display unit 113 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 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 111, the storage unit 112, and the display unit 113 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 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 111, the storage unit 112, and the display unit 113 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 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.

[0041] The information processing device 100 can combine one or any two or more of the above-mentioned 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."

[0042] [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.

[0043] (Aspect 1) An information processing device of one embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle, an identification unit that identifies an exit point where the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, an extraction unit that extracts facility information related to a facility located beyond the exit point from the road link based on an image captured of an area including the exit point identified by the identification unit, and an estimation unit that estimates the exit point identified by the identification unit to be the entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction unit. The information processing device uses two pieces of information, namely, information on departure from a road link and information on a facility based on image information, and therefore can increase the accuracy in estimating the entrance to a facility (for example, a parking lot of the facility). In addition, an entrance for which facility information exists is considered to be a general entrance to the facility. In other words, it is considered that facility information does not exist for an entrance used by employees and contractors of the facility (such as a back door of the facility). Therefore, the information processing device estimates the exit point from the road link for which facility information exists to be the entrance of the facility, and can therefore estimate the entrance of the facility used by general users. Furthermore, when there are multiple entrances for one facility for which facility information is available, the information processing device can estimate each of the entrances.

[0044] (Aspect 2) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit includes image information captured by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle, and the extraction unit may acquire an image of an area including the departure point based on the image information. There is a high possibility that a guide to the facility will be installed near the entrance of the facility. Since the information processing device extracts facility information from an image captured near the departure point, it is possible to relatively reduce the possibility of extracting facility information of other facilities, and to increase the accuracy of the facility.

[0045] (Aspect 3) In the information processing device of one aspect, the identification unit may further identify a driving direction of the vehicle before the vehicle passed a departure point from the road link, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit. This enables the information processing device, for example, when acquiring image information, to identify the traveling direction of another vehicle based on the traveling direction of the vehicle (host vehicle) and acquire image information from the other vehicle.

[0046] (Aspect 4) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the extraction unit may acquire image information captured by an imaging unit mounted on another vehicle traveling in the same direction or the opposite direction to the vehicle's driving direction at the departure point identified by the identification unit, and acquire an image of an area including the departure point based on the image information. This allows the information processing device to extract facility information from images captured by other vehicles traveling near the departure point, even if the vehicle (own vehicle) for which the departure point is identified is not equipped with an imaging unit, or even if the vehicle (own vehicle) is equipped with an imaging unit but does not take images.

[0047] (Aspect 5) In one aspect of the information processing device, the extraction unit may acquire, as an image capturing an area including the departure point, a video that includes the departure point and is captured while traveling within a predetermined distance before the departure point. When video is used as image information, it becomes possible to continuously capture images of the area around the departure point, increasing the likelihood that all facility information will be recorded. Therefore, the information processing device can increase the possibility of extracting facility information based on a video, for example.

[0048] (Aspect 6) In the information processing device of one aspect, the extraction unit may extract, as the facility information, at least one of information relating to a guide to the facility and information relating to a parking lot of the facility by performing image recognition on the image. This enables the information processing device to identify a facility based on the facility information, and to estimate the departure point of the vehicle as the entrance to the identified facility.

[0049] (Aspect 7) An information processing device according to one embodiment may include a storage unit that stores map information relating to a road map, and a registration unit that registers an entrance to a facility estimated by the estimation unit in the road map stored in the storage unit. This allows the information processing device to provide route guidance for a vehicle by using a road map in which the entrances to the facility are registered. In other words, the information processing device can use the entrances to the registered facility as the end point of route guidance for the vehicle, thereby improving the convenience of the user who drives the vehicle.

[0050] (Aspect 8) In one aspect of the information processing method, a computer executes the following steps: an acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information related to a vehicle; a determination step of identifying a departure point at which the vehicle will leave a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition step; an extraction step of extracting facility information related to a facility located beyond the departure point from the road link based on an image captured of an area including the departure point identified by the determination step; and an estimation step of estimating that the departure point identified by the determination step is the entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction step. As a result, the information processing method may achieve the same effect as the information processing device of the above-described aspect.

[0051] (Aspect 9) One embodiment of an information processing program causes a computer to realize an acquisition function that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle, a determination function that identifies a departure point where the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition function, an extraction function that extracts facility information related to a facility located beyond the departure point from the road link based on an image captured of an area including the departure point identified by the determination function, and an estimation function that estimates that the departure point identified by the determination function is the entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction function. As a result, the information processing program may achieve the same effect as the information processing device of the above-described aspect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1...information processing system, 100...information processing device, 101...control unit, 102...acquisition unit, 103...identification unit, 104...extraction unit, 105...estimation unit, 106...registration unit, 107...output control unit, 111...communication unit, 112...storage unit, 113...display unit, 200...vehicle, 201...imaging unit, 300...external server, 400...facility, 401...facility information, 402...entrance, 500...road link, 501...exit point

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle; an identification unit that identifies a departure point at which the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit; an extraction unit that extracts facility information related to a facility located beyond the road link based on an image captured of an area including the departure point identified by the identification unit; an estimation unit that estimates that the departure point identified by the identification unit is an entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction unit; An information processing device comprising:

2. The vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit includes image information captured by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle, The extraction unit acquires an image capturing an area including a departure point based on the image information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The identification unit further identifies a driving direction of the vehicle before the vehicle passes a departure point from a road link, based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit; The extraction unit acquires image information captured by an imaging unit mounted on another vehicle traveling in the same direction as or opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle at the departure point identified by the identification unit, and acquires an image capturing an area including the departure point based on the image information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The extraction unit acquires a video that includes the departure point and is captured when the vehicle travels within a predetermined distance before the departure point, as an image capturing an area including the departure point.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1.

5. The extraction unit extracts at least one of information regarding a guide to the facility and information regarding a parking lot of the facility as the facility information by performing image recognition based on the image. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A storage unit for storing map information relating to a road map; a registration unit that registers the facility entrance estimated by the estimation unit in the road map stored in the storage unit; The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

7. The computer acquiring vehicle information relating to the vehicle; a specifying step of specifying a departure point at which the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquiring step; an extraction step of extracting facility information related to a facility located beyond the road link based on an image captured of an area including the departure point identified by the identification step; an estimating step of estimating that the departure point identified in the identifying step is an entrance to the facility based on the facility information extracted in the extracting step; An information processing method for performing the above.

8. On the computer, An acquisition function that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle; a specifying function for specifying a departure point at which the vehicle leaves a road link based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquiring function; an extraction function for extracting facility information related to a facility located beyond the road link based on an image captured of an area including the departure point identified by the identification function; an estimation function for estimating that the departure point identified by the identification function is an entrance of the facility based on the facility information extracted by the extraction function; An information processing program that realizes this.

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