Information retrieval program and information retrieval device

Abstract

An information search program and an information search device are provided that can present useful information to a user for avoiding congestion when traveling when the user specifies an area and time period where congestion is high. [Solution] The information search program causes the transportation search server 14 of the information search system to function as an acquisition means 40 that acquires specified conditions 60 related to the user's departure point, destination, and scheduled time, a search means 42 that searches for a travel route from the departure point to the destination, an evaluation means 44 that evaluates for each time period whether the congestion level of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means 42 meets a standard, a proposal means 46 that, when an evaluation result that the standard is not met is obtained for a scheduled time period including the scheduled time, proposes a schedule to move the travel route to another time period for which an evaluation result that the standard is met, and an output instruction means 48 that instructs the user device to output the search results by the search means 42 or the proposal content by the proposal means 46.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information search program and an information search device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various techniques have been proposed for searching travel routes using transportation means including trains and buses. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for predicting the congestion status of each travel route when there are multiple travel routes that satisfy specified conditions, and narrowing down the travel routes to be proposed to a user based on the prediction results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6667863 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, according to Patent Document 1, when a user specifies an area and time period with a high degree of congestion, the degree of congestion of all travel routes may not meet the criteria, and the desired travel route may not be proposed to the user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an information search program and an information search device that can present a user with useful information for avoiding congestion when traveling when the user specifies a highly crowded area and time period. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information search program in a first aspect of the present invention causes a computer capable of communicating with a user's terminal device to function as: an acquisition means for acquiring specified conditions related to the user's departure point, destination, and scheduled time; a search means for searching for a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions; an evaluation means for evaluating, for each time period, whether the congestion level of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means satisfies a criterion; a proposal means for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route to another time period for which an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when an evaluation result is obtained that the criterion is not satisfied in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified conditions; and an output instruction means for instructing the terminal device to output the search results by the search means or the proposal content by the proposal means.

[0007] In the information search program of a second aspect of the present invention, the criterion is that the congestion degree at a point, section or route on the travel route does not exceed a threshold value, and the threshold value varies depending on the type of transportation means used to travel along the travel route.

[0008] In the information search program of the third aspect of the present invention, the evaluation means selects one level from a plurality of levels, and sets a plurality of thresholds corresponding to the one level to evaluate whether the congestion degree satisfies the criterion.

[0009] In the information retrieval program according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the suggestion means preferentially suggests a time slot that has a small deviation from the scheduled time.

[0010] In the information search program of a fifth aspect of the present invention, the specified conditions include individual departure points and a common destination for multiple users, the search means searches for travel routes from the individual departure points to the common destination for each user, the evaluation means evaluates the congestion degree of the extracted travel routes for each user, and the suggestion means suggests a common arrival time based on the number of users whose congestion degree is evaluated to satisfy the criterion.

[0011] In a sixth aspect of the information search program of the present invention, the specified conditions include a common departure point and individual destinations for multiple users, the search means searches for travel routes from the common departure point to the individual destinations for each user, the evaluation means evaluates the congestion degree of the extracted travel routes for each user, and the suggestion means suggests a common departure time based on the number of users whose congestion degree is evaluated to satisfy the criterion.

[0012] An information search program in a seventh aspect of the present invention further causes the computer to function as an incentive granting means for granting an incentive to the user associated with the execution of the schedule when the terminal device receives an approval operation of the user for the schedule while outputting the schedule.

[0013] An information search device in an eighth aspect of the present invention is a device capable of communicating with a user's terminal device, and comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring specified conditions related to the user's departure point, destination, and scheduled time; a search means for searching for a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions; an evaluation means for evaluating for each time period whether the congestion level of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means satisfies a criterion; a proposal means for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route to another time period where an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is not satisfied is obtained in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified conditions; and an output instruction means for instructing the terminal device to output the search results by the search means or the proposal contents by the proposal means. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, when a user specifies an area and a time period where congestion is high, useful information for avoiding congestion when traveling can be presented to the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015]

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[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding the description, the same components and steps in each drawing are assigned the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0017] [Configuration of Information Retrieval System 10] [Overall Configuration] Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information retrieval system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information retrieval system 10 is configured to be able to provide an "information retrieval service" that presents search results related to transportation routes in response to a search request from a user. Here, "transportation" refers to a means of transportation that can be used jointly by a specified number of people or an unspecified number of people and that has boarding and disembarking stations. Examples of transportation include trains, buses, taxis, streetcars, airplanes, and ships.

[0018] Specifically, this information retrieval system 10 is comprised of one or more user terminals 12 (corresponding to "terminal devices"), a traffic search server 14 (corresponding to "information retrieval devices"), one or more traffic management servers 16, and a work terminal 18. Each user terminal 12 is capable of communicating with the traffic search server 14 via a network NT. Similarly, the traffic management server 16 and the work terminal 18 are capable of communicating with the traffic search server 14 via the network NT.

[0019] The user terminal 12 is a stationary or portable computer owned by a user. The user terminal 12 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet, a smartphone, a wearable device, or the like.

[0020] The traffic search server 14 is a server computer that performs various controls related to the information search service described above. In the example of Fig. 1, the traffic search server 14 is shown as a single computer, but instead, the traffic search server 14 may be a group of computers that configure a distributed system. In addition, the traffic search server 14 may be a cloud-type server (a so-called cloud server) or an on-premise type server.

[0021] The traffic management server 16 is a server computer that performs overall control related to the management of transportation means. The traffic management server 16 is configured to be able to collect various data for analyzing traffic situations related to the operation or use of transportation means from various external devices using communication means (not shown). Examples of external devices include [1] a moving body M as a transportation means, [2] traffic facilities provided at stops, [3] traffic facilities provided around a travel route, and [4] a mobile terminal possessed by a user of a transportation means. Examples of the data obtained include [1] detection signals of the position, speed, and vehicle body load of the moving body M, and operation signals indicating the operation states such as the accelerator and brake, [2] counting signals indicating the number of people passing through a ticket gate, camera image signals, and voice signals, [3] detection signals indicating the presence or absence of the moving body M and the passage of a location, and the distance from the moving body M, and [4] positioning information of the mobile terminal possessed by the user.

[0022] The work terminal 18 is a computer for setting and changing control parameters held by the traffic search server 14. This control parameter includes, for example, the management level (hereinafter also simply referred to as "level") during the operation of the traffic system. Taking infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus as an example, this level is classified into [1] the "infection spread period" in which self-restraint from going out is required, [2] the "infection transition period" in which both infection prevention activities and economic activities are required to coexist, and [3] the "infection termination period" in which the original economic activities can be carried out while paying attention to cluster infections.

[0023] <Hardware Configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 12 and the traffic search server 14 in FIG. 1. The user terminal 12 shown at the lower side of the drawing includes a communication I / F 21, an input device 22, an output device 23, a processor 24, a memory 25, and a storage device 26. On the other hand, the traffic search server 14 shown at the upper side of the drawing includes a communication I / F 31, a processor 34, a memory 35, and a storage device 36.

[0024] The communication I / Fs 21 and 31 are interfaces for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to and from external devices, thereby enabling the user terminal 12 to exchange various data with the traffic search server 14.

[0025] The input device 22 is a device including a mouse, a keyboard, a touch sensor, and a microphone. The output device 23 is a device including a display and a speaker. The user terminal 12 combines the input function of the input device 22 and the display function of the output device 23 to create a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0026] The processors 24, 34 may be general-purpose processors including a central processing unit (CPU) or dedicated processors including a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The memories 25, 35 are non-transient storage media and store programs and data required for the processors 24, 34 to control each component. The storage devices 26, 36 are non-transient storage media including, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0027] <Function block> 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the traffic search server 14 in FIG. 2. The traffic search server 14 functions as an acquisition means 40, a search means 42, an evaluation means 44, a proposal means 46, an output instruction means 48, an assignment means 50, and a storage means 52 by reading and executing an information search program stored in the memory 35 or the like. The acquisition means 40 is a means realized by the communication I / F 31 and the processor 34 in FIG. 2. The search means 42, the evaluation means 44, and the proposal means 46 are respectively a means realized by the processor 34 in FIG. 2. The output instruction means 48 is a means realized by the communication I / F 31 and the processor 34 in FIG. 2. The assignment means 50 is a means realized by the processor 34 in FIG. 2. The storage means 52 is a means realized by the storage device 36 in FIG. 2.

[0028] The acquiring means 40 acquires a specified condition 60, which will be described later, through communication with the user terminal 12. In addition, the acquiring means 40 acquires predicted situation information 68, which will be described later, or various data for generating the predicted situation information 68 (for example, trend information or real-time information), through communication with the traffic management server 16.

[0029] The search means 42 refers to the route DB 54 constructed by the storage means 52 and performs a search process for a travel route based on the specified conditions 60. Specifically, the search means 42 uses various route search methods to perform a route search with the specified departure point and destination as the start point and end point, respectively, and extracts one or more travel route candidates as the search result.

[0030] The evaluation means 44 evaluates whether the congestion degree of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means 42 satisfies a criterion for each time period. Here, "extracted through search" includes not only the final search result but also a provisional or intermediate search result. In addition, "congestion degree" means the degree of congestion (e.g., the boarding rate or the occupancy rate) inside the room of the moving body M or inside the bus stop. In addition, "evaluation for each time period" means sequential evaluation while shifting either the departure time or the arrival time at a predetermined time interval. For example, when the time span is 20 minutes, this time period may be preset such as 6:00-6:20, 6:20-6:40, ..., or may be dynamically set based on the scheduled time such as 6:15-6:35, 6:35-6:55, ... with the departure time = 6:15.

[0031] The "criteria" of the congestion degree may be a quantitative criterion or a qualitative criterion. For example, the evaluation means 44 uses the route information 64, the timetable information 66, and the predicted situation information 68 to calculate the congestion degree at a point, section, or route on the travel route, and evaluates that the criterion is met when the obtained congestion degree is equal to or lower than a threshold, and evaluates that the criterion is not met when the congestion degree exceeds the threshold. The evaluation means 44 also selects one level from multiple levels, and reads the threshold table 58 to set multiple thresholds associated with the one level.

[0032] When an evaluation result is obtained that the congestion degree of the travel route does not satisfy the criterion in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified condition 60, the suggestion means 46 proposes a schedule (i.e., a congestion avoidance action) that obtains an evaluation result that the criterion is satisfied. Examples of the congestion avoidance action include changing the time period and selecting a detour route. [1] In the former example, the suggestion means 46 proposes a schedule for moving the travel route by shifting it to another time period that obtains an evaluation result that the criterion is satisfied. Here, when the criterion is satisfied in a plurality of time periods, the suggestion means 46 may preferentially propose a time period that has a small deviation from the scheduled time. [2] In the latter example, the suggestion means 46 proposes a schedule for moving on another detour route that obtains an evaluation result that the criterion is satisfied, instead of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means 42. Here, when the criterion is satisfied in a plurality of travel routes, the suggestion means 46 may preferentially propose a travel route that has a small number of selections of transportation operators and / or a small degree of congestion.

[0033] The output instruction means 48 instructs the user terminal 12 to output the search results by the search means 42 or the contents of the proposal by the proposal means 46. Here, the form of output may be any form that appeals to the five human senses, and may be, for example, the display of visible information including characters and figures, the output of audible information including voice guidance and warning sounds, or a combination of these.

[0034] The granting means 50 grants the user an incentive for carrying out the schedule when the user terminal 12 accepts an approval operation for the schedule proposed by the proposing means 46 while the user terminal 12 is outputting the schedule. The types of incentives include, for example, electronic coupons and points. The electronic coupon may be for a product or service sold by a store in the vicinity of the travel route, or may be for a product or service related to the use of a means of transportation.

[0035] The storage means 52 has a database relating to travel routes using transportation means (hereinafter referred to as "route DB 54"), a database relating to maps (hereinafter referred to as map DB 55), and a database relating to traffic conditions (hereinafter referred to as traffic conditions DB 56) built therein. The storage means 52 also temporarily or permanently stores a threshold table 58, a specified condition 60, and output information 62.

[0036] The route DB 54 includes, for example, [1] route information 64 such as stations (nodes), sections (links), route names, and the number of lanes per section, and [2] timetable information 66 such as timetables and train types (local, rapid, limited express). The map DB 55 includes, for example, [1] boarding and alighting station information such as station locations, and [2] facility information such as the locations, types, and product information of facilities (e.g., stores) used by users. The traffic condition DB 56 includes, for example, [1] trend information indicating trends in traffic conditions obtained by analysis of big data, [2] real-time information obtained by measurements from various external devices, and [3] predicted situation information 68 generated using the trend information and real-time information.

[0037] The threshold table 58 is table data that stores a plurality of thresholds used for evaluating the congestion degree by the evaluation means 44. The thresholds correspond to each of the above-mentioned levels or types of transportation means.

[0038] The specified conditions 60 refer to search conditions specified by the user, and include, for example, [1] departure point information indicating the departure point, [2] arrival point information indicating the arrival point, and [3] time information indicating the scheduled departure time or scheduled arrival time (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "scheduled time"). This time information may further include an allowable time for moving ahead or behind the scheduled time.

[0039] The output information 62 includes the search results by the search means 42 or the contents of the proposal by the proposal means 46. When no congestion avoidance action is proposed by the proposal means 46, the output information 62 is information indicating the search results by the search means 42. On the other hand, when a congestion avoidance action is proposed by the proposal means 46, the output information 62 is information indicating the contents of the proposal by the proposal means 46.

[0040] [Operation of Information Retrieval System 10] <Overall operation> The information retrieval system 10 in this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the information retrieval system 10, in particular the cooperative operation between the user terminal 12 and the traffic search server 14, will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 9. Steps SP16 to SP26 and SP34 in the flowchart of Figure 4 are executed by the traffic search server 14, while the remaining steps are executed by the user terminal 12.

[0041] In step SP10 of FIG. 4, the user terminal 12 causes the output device 23 to display a screen for designating and inputting search conditions (hereinafter, search input screen 80) while the information search application is running.

[0042] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a search input screen 80 displayed on the output device 23 of the user terminal 12. The search input screen 80 is provided with a route input field 82, a first time input field 84, a selection field 86, a second time input field 88, and a button 90 labeled [Search].

[0043] The route input field 82 includes a user control that allows input of departure information (e.g., station name) related to the departure point, and a user control that allows input of destination information (e.g., station name) related to the destination. The first time input field 84 includes a first user control that allows input of time information (e.g., date and time) related to the scheduled date and time, and a second user control that allows input of a definition of the scheduled date and time (e.g., departure time or arrival time). The selection field 86 includes a user control that allows selection of ON / OFF of a function that suggests congestion avoidance actions (hereinafter also simply referred to as "suggestion function"). The second time input field 88 includes a first user control that allows input of an allowable time (e.g., in hours and minutes) for moving forward with respect to the scheduled date and time, and a second user control that allows input of an allowable time (e.g., in hours and minutes) for moving backward with respect to the scheduled date and time.

[0044] In step SP12 of Fig. 4, the user terminal 12 checks whether or not a search request has been made by the user. In the example of Fig. 5, the user terminal 12 checks whether or not an operation of clicking or touching the [Search] button 90 on the search input screen 80 has been accepted. If there has been no search request (step SP12: NO), the process returns to step SP10, and steps SP10 and SP12 are repeated in sequence until a predetermined request operation is accepted. On the other hand, if there has been a search request (step SP12: YES), the process proceeds to the next step SP14.

[0045] In step SP14, the user terminal 12 requests the provision of information corresponding to the specified conditions 60. Specifically, the user terminal 12 acquires the search conditions (i.e., the specified conditions 60) specified via the search input screen 80 (FIG. 5) at the request time in step SP12, and then transmits the specified conditions 60 to the traffic search server 14 in association with the terminal ID of the user terminal 12.

[0046] In step SP16, the acquisition means 40 of the traffic search server 14 acquires, through reception from the user terminal 12, the specified conditions 60 presented by the user.

[0047] In step SP18, the search means 42 of the traffic search server 14 searches for a travel route based on the specified conditions 60 acquired in step SP16. As a result of this search, one or more travel route candidates are extracted. Here, if the suggestion function is "on", the following steps SP20 to SP24 are executed. On the other hand, if the suggestion function is "off", the execution of the following steps SP20 to SP24 is omitted altogether.

[0048] In step SP20, the evaluation means 44 of the traffic search server 14 evaluates whether the congestion degree of the travel route extracted in step SP18 satisfies a criterion. Here, a detailed explanation will be given with reference to Figs. 6 and 7, taking as an example a case where the scheduled time is "departure time = 7:00".

[0049] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the threshold table 58 in Fig. 3. The threshold table 58 is data in a table format showing the correspondence between [1] "levels" indicating control variables for congestion evaluation, [2] "definitions" associated with the levels, and [3] "thresholds" for each means of transportation. Here, the evaluation means 44 selects one level (e.g., "2") from a plurality of levels, thereby setting a threshold for each type of transportation (e.g., railway = 70, Shinkansen = 50, bus = 55, etc.).

[0050] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the predicted situation information 68 in Fig. 3. This predicted situation information 68 is data in a table format showing the correspondence between [1] "transportation facility" indicating the transportation operator, [2] "type" indicating whether it is a station (node) or a section (link), [3] "ID" which is identification information of the station or section, [4] "travel direction" indicating up / down of the section, and [5] "congestion level" indicating the degree of congestion inside the train or station premises (here, a percentage based on the capacity). This data shows values ​​predicted or measured at a predetermined time interval (for example, every 15 minutes).

[0051] First, the evaluation means 44 identifies the transportation means being used and the congestion level for each hour by referring to the route information 64, the timetable information 66, and the predicted situation information 68 in addition to the extracted travel route. Then, the evaluation means 44 reads the threshold table 58 and evaluates the congestion level of the travel route by performing a threshold judgment on the time series of the congestion level. For example, if all congestion levels are equal to or lower than the threshold, it is evaluated as satisfying the criterion, whereas if one or more congestion levels exceed the threshold, it is evaluated as not satisfying the criterion.

[0052] 4, the evaluation means 44 checks whether the congestion degree evaluated in the scheduled time period including the scheduled time satisfies a criterion. If the congestion degree satisfies the criterion (step SP22: YES), the execution of step SP24 is skipped and the process proceeds to step SP26. On the other hand, if the congestion degree does not satisfy the criterion (step SP22: NO), the process proceeds to step SP24.

[0053] In step SP24, the suggestion means 46 proposes a schedule (i.e., congestion avoidance actions) that satisfies the congestion degree of the travel route. Examples of congestion avoidance actions include changing the time period and selecting a detour route. This suggestion method will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0054] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic example of a method for proposing congestion avoidance behavior, and more specifically, shows the positional relationship between stations and lines. The five intersecting curved lines indicate railway "lines" (L1 to L5), and the seven circles on the curved lines indicate "stations" (A, B, S1 to S5). Note that L1 to L4, shown as a single line, are lines operated by the same transportation company, and only L5, shown as a double line, is a line operated by a different transportation company.

[0055] Here, as a result of performing a route search with station A as the departure point and station B as the destination, a search result is obtained that a travel route using lines L1 and L2 (via station S1) is the optimal route. However, if the departure time is specified as 7:00, there is a possibility that the travel route will be caught in congestion because it will pass through a congested section of line L1 (time period: 7:00 to 9:00). Therefore, the suggestion means 46 may suggest an action to [1] advance the departure time from station A from 7:00 to 6:15, or [2] delay the departure time from station A from 7:00 to 8:45. By shifting the time period during which travel is performed without changing the optimal route, not only can congestion be avoided, but also an effect of suppressing an increase in travel time due to delays in transportation means can be suppressed.

[0056] Incidentally, when the scheduled time is "departure time = 7:00 and allowable shift time = ±30 minutes" and changing the time zone is not sufficient, the suggestion means 46 may suggest [3] an action of selecting a detour route instead of the optimal route. In the example of FIG. 8, the detour route is a travel route that uses lines L3, L4, and L2 (via S2 station and S3 station). By changing the travel route without shifting the time zone, there is a disadvantage that the number of transfers increases and the travel time is longer compared to the optimal route, but it is possible to arrive at the destination as originally planned while avoiding congestion.

[0057] In addition, as candidates for the detour route, a travel route using lines L3, L5, and L2 (via S2 station → S4 station, and S5 station → S1 station) is also considered. However, since line L5 is operated by a transportation operator different from the other lines, it is likely to have disadvantages such as higher fares and inconvenient transfers. Therefore, the suggestion means 46 may preferentially suggest detour routes that have fewer options for transportation operators.

[0058] 4, the output instruction means 48 generates output information 62 using the search results in step SP18 or the content of the proposal in step SP24, and instructs the user terminal 12 to output the output information 62. Specifically, the output instruction means 48 transmits the output information 62 to the user terminal 12 having the corresponding terminal ID.

[0059] In step SP28, the user terminal 12 acquires the output information 62 corresponding to the specified conditions 60 through reception from the traffic search server 14.

[0060] In step SP30, the user terminal 12 causes the output device 23 to display a screen for outputting the output information 62 acquired in step SP28 (hereinafter, referred to as a search output screen 100).

[0061] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a search output screen 100 displayed on the output device 23 of the user terminal 12. On the search output screen 100, three information columns 102, 104, and 106 relating to search results or proposal contents are provided.

[0062] The information column 102 shows congestion degree evaluation information (e.g., line name, relevant location, relevant time period, cause of congestion, expected delay time, etc.). The information column 104 shows the travel route from the departure point (Station A) to the destination (Station B), departure / arrival times, line name, and fare. To notify the user that the departure time has been shifted, a warning mark 108 is superimposed on the corresponding location in the information column 104. The information column 106 shows suggested activities (e.g., eating, coffee, walking, massage, etc.) associated with congestion avoidance behavior.

[0063] 4, in response to the approval operation by the user, the user terminal 12 notifies the user that the proposal content shown in the information field 106 has been approved. In the example of FIG. 9, when the user terminal 12 receives an operation of clicking or touching the icon 110 on the search output screen 100, the user terminal 12 transmits the identification information of the icon 110 to the traffic search server 14 in association with the terminal ID.

[0064] In step SP34, the granting means 50 grants an incentive to the user who performed the approval operation in step SP32. For example, the granting means 50 identifies the approved activity from the identification information of the icon 110, and then issues an electronic coupon that can be used at a corresponding store (here, a restaurant) around Station B. By the user terminal 12 receiving the electronic coupon from the transportation search server 14, the user can use the electronic coupon when arriving at Station B and having breakfast.

[0065] This is how the operation of the information retrieval system 10 ends. As a result, the search results for travel routes and the suggested actions for avoiding crowds are presented to the user through a display.

[0066] <Another search example> In the above example, the route search for one user has been described, but route searches for multiple users may be performed. Below, a search example for determining the arrival time of an employee will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11.

[0067] (1) First, the acquisition means 40 acquires the specified conditions 60 including the individual departure points and the common destination points of the employees of the company. Here, the "individual departure points" correspond to the homes 120 of the employees, and the "common destinations" correspond to the business establishments 122 of the company.

[0068] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the specified condition 60 in Fig. 3. The specified condition 60 is data in a table format showing the correspondence between [1] the "business location" which is a common destination, [2] the "standard work start time" and the "standard work finish time" which are common scheduled times, [3] the "nearest station" to the business location and the "means of transportation" from the nearest station to the business location, and [4] the "employee address" which is an individual starting point. Here, the business location and the employee address are each information (e.g., address or latitude and longitude) that can identify a position on a map by the map DB 55.

[0069] (2) Next, the search means 42 searches for travel routes from individual starting points (ie, home 120) specified by the designated conditions 60 to a common destination (ie, business establishment 122) for each employee.

[0070] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic positional relationship between the home 120 and the business establishment 122. Two solid lines branching from a branch point indicate railroad "lines" (L6, L7), and five circles on the solid lines indicate "stations" (U1 to U5). Within a travel distance (for example, within a radius R) from the home 120, there are three stations U1, U2, and U4. In this case, the employee can leave the home 120 and then commute to work according to a travel route toward the business establishment 122 using the line L6 and the company bus 126. Alternatively, the employee can leave the home 120 and then commute to work according to a travel route toward the business establishment 122 using the line L7 and the company bus 126. In this way, the search means 42 may extract multiple travel route candidates while expanding the options for the points of use of the transportation means (boarding points or disembarking points).

[0071] (3) Next, the evaluation means 44 evaluates whether the degree of congestion of the extracted movement route satisfies a standard for each time period and for each employee. For this evaluation, the same method as or a different method from the method already described in step SP20 of FIG. 4 can be adopted.

[0072] (4) Finally, the suggestion means 46 suggests a common arrival time based on the number of employees whose congestion level was evaluated to meet the criteria among the various time periods evaluated. Specifically, the suggestion means 46 counts the number of employees whose evaluation results show that the congestion level meets the criteria in the time period including the specified arrival time, thereby obtaining a score for each arrival time. The suggestion means 46 may then find the earliest arrival time (common arrival time) whose score matches the total number of employees, and suggest the start time (or arrival time) of the business establishment 122 from this arrival time. This makes it possible to present a work schedule that is more suitable for multiple employees.

[0073] Similarly, the suggestion means 46 may suggest a departure time common to multiple employees. In this case, the suggestion means 46 finds the latest departure time (common departure time) at which the above-mentioned score matches the total number of employees, and suggests the end time (or leaving time) of the business establishment 122 from this departure time. Note that the company's business establishment 122 becomes the "common departure point" and the employee's home 120 becomes the "individual arrival point."

[0074] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above, the traffic search server 14 is an information search device capable of communicating with at least one user terminal 12. The traffic search server 14 includes an acquisition means 40 for acquiring the specified conditions 60 related to the user's departure point, destination, and scheduled time, a search means 42 for searching a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions 60, an evaluation means 44 for evaluating for each time period whether the congestion level of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means 42 satisfies a criterion, a proposal means 46 for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route to another time period in which an evaluation result that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when an evaluation result that the criterion is not satisfied is obtained in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified conditions 60, and an output instruction means 48 for instructing the user terminal 12 to output the search result by the search means 42 or the proposal content by the proposal means 46.

[0075] Furthermore, according to the information search program and information search method executed by a computer, the traffic search server 14 acquires the specified conditions 60 related to the user's departure point, destination, and scheduled time (SP16 in FIG. 4), searches for a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions 60 (SP18), evaluates for each time period whether the congestion level of the travel route extracted through the search satisfies a criterion (SP20), and if an evaluation result is obtained indicating that the criterion is not met in the scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified conditions 60 (SP22: NO), proposes a schedule for moving the travel route to another time period in which an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is met is obtained (SP24), and instructs the user terminal 12 to output the search results or the proposed contents (SP26).

[0076] In this way, by proposing a schedule for moving the travel route to another time period where the evaluation result that the criterion is satisfied is obtained, the user is given another option to change the time period of travel without changing the travel route. This makes it possible to present the user with useful information for avoiding congestion during travel when the user specifies a highly congested area and time period.

[0077] Further, when the above criterion is that the congestion level at a point, section, or route on the travel route does not exceed a threshold value, the threshold value may vary according to the type of transportation means for traveling on the travel route. Thereby, it is possible to perform an appropriate evaluation that reflects the fact that the usage mode of transportation means differs for each type.

[0078] Further, the evaluation means 44 may select one level from a plurality of levels, set a plurality of threshold values associated with the one level, and evaluate whether the congestion level satisfies the criterion. Thereby, compared with the case of setting individually, the setting and management of the threshold value become easy.

[0079] Further, the proposal means 46 may preferentially propose a time zone with a small deviation amount from the scheduled time. Thereby, the influence due to the schedule change can be made as small as possible.

[0080] Further, when the specified condition 60 includes individual departure places and a common destination for a plurality of users, the search means 42 searches for a travel route from the individual departure places to the common destination for each user, and the evaluation means 44 evaluates for each time zone and each user whether the congestion level satisfies the criterion, the proposal means 46 may propose a common arrival time based on the number of users evaluated that the congestion level satisfies the criterion. Thereby, a collective schedule more suitable for a plurality of users can be presented.

[0081] Further, when the specified condition 60 includes a common departure place and individual destinations for a plurality of users, the search means 42 searches for a travel route from the common departure place to the individual destinations for each user, and the evaluation means 44 evaluates for each time zone and each user whether the congestion level satisfies the criterion, the proposal means 46 may propose a common departure time based on the number of users evaluated that the congestion level satisfies the criterion. Thereby, a dissolution schedule more suitable for a plurality of users can be presented.

[0082] In addition, when the user terminal 12 receives an approval operation of the user for the schedule while outputting the schedule, the granting means 50 may grant the user an incentive that can be used in conjunction with the execution of the schedule. This can promote the alleviation of congestion when using transportation.

[0083] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above specific examples. In other words, the above specific examples, to which a person skilled in the art has made appropriate design modifications, are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. In addition, the elements of the above-mentioned embodiment and the modified examples described below can be combined to the extent technically possible, and combinations of these are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the characteristics of the present invention.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the passenger load rate is used as an example of an index showing the degree of congestion, but the definition of the index is not limited to this. For example, an index (specifically, vacant seat rate, etc.) defined such that the smaller the value, the higher the degree of congestion may be used. In this case, the criterion is that the vacant seat rate does not fall below a threshold value, which is the opposite of the passenger load rate.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the acquisition means 40 acquires the manually input designated conditions 60, but the method of acquiring the designated conditions 60 is not limited to this. For example, if the traffic search server 14 can be linked with a schedule management application, the acquisition means 40 may acquire the designated conditions 60 based on preregistered schedule information. For example, the acquisition means 40 may automatically generate the designated conditions 60 for carrying out the event as planned, in accordance with the designation of the event incorporated in the schedule.

[0086] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the user selects ON / OFF of the suggestion function via the search input screen 80 (specifically, the selection field 86) in Fig. 5 before searching for a travel route, but instead, the user terminal 12 may be configured to be able to switch between displaying and not displaying the suggested contents in response to the operation of a user control on the search output screen 100. In this case, the traffic search server 14 may transmit output information 62 including both the search results for the travel route and the suggested contents of the congestion avoidance action to the user terminal 12.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the case where the user specifies the allowable time lag amount via the search input screen 80 (specifically, the second time input field 88) in Fig. 5 has been described as an example, but the method of specifying the allowable amount is not limited to this. For example, the allowable amount may be fixed in advance (for example, the scheduled time ±2 hours), or there may be cases where no limit is set on the amount of time lag at all.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the proposing means 46 attempts to change the time zone without changing the optimal route, and when the change of the time zone is not sufficient, the proposing method of congestion avoidance behavior is not limited to this. For example, the proposing means 46 may check the presence or absence of a detour route that simultaneously satisfies the congestion degree criteria and other additional conditions, and when there is no corresponding detour route, may propose a behavior of changing the time zone without changing the optimal route. Alternatively, the proposing means 46 may change the priority of [1] the proposal to change the time zone or [2] the proposal to select a detour route according to the user (for example, operation, preference, attribute, etc.).

[0089] In the above embodiment, in the search example for determining the employee arrival time, the suggestion means 46 determines the earliest arrival time whose score for each arrival time matches the total number of employees as the "common arrival time", but the percentage of employees who meet the congestion standard is not limited to 100%. For example, the earliest arrival time whose percentage is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., 80%) may be determined as the "common arrival time". [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10...information retrieval system, 12...user terminal (terminal device), 14...traffic search server (information retrieval device), 40...acquisition means, 42...retrieval means, 44...evaluation means, 46...suggestion means, 48...output instruction means, 50...assignment means, 52...storage means, 60...designated conditions, 62...output information

Claims

1. A computer capable of communicating with a user's terminal device, An acquisition means for acquiring designated conditions related to a departure point, a destination, and a scheduled time of the user; A search means for searching for a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions; an evaluation means for evaluating, for each time period, whether or not the congestion degree of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means satisfies a criterion; a suggestion means for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route by shifting it to another time period in which an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is not satisfied is obtained in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified conditions, and for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route by a detour route that detours around the travel route in which an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when the change in the time period is not sufficient; an output instruction means for instructing the terminal device to output a search result by the search means or a content proposed by the proposal means; An information retrieval program to function as a.

2. The suggestion means preferentially suggests the detour route which reduces the number of options of the transportation means operator.

2. The information retrieval program according to claim 1.

3. An information retrieval device capable of communicating with a user's terminal device, An acquisition means for acquiring designated conditions related to a departure point, a destination, and a scheduled time of the user; a search means for searching for a travel route from the departure point to the destination specified by the specified conditions; an evaluation means for evaluating, for each time period, whether or not the congestion degree of the travel route extracted through the search by the search means satisfies a criterion; a suggestion means for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route by shifting it to another time period for which an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is not satisfied is obtained in a scheduled time period including the scheduled time specified by the specified condition, and for proposing a schedule for moving the travel route by a detour route that detours around the travel route when an evaluation result indicating that the criterion is satisfied is obtained when the change in the time period is not sufficient; an output instruction means for instructing the terminal device to output a search result by the search means or a content of a proposal by the proposal means; An information retrieval device comprising:

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