Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, Program, and Recording Medium

Abstract

To provide device, method and program for processing information, and storage medium, which allow for efficiently alleviating traffic congestion according to the situation.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: a traffic information acquisition unit configured to acquire traffic information indicating a target section subject to traffic volume adjustment; a proposal information transmission unit configured to transmit proposal information, indicating that vehicles traveling on roads including the target section that choose to evacuate from the roads so as to avoid traveling in at least part of the target section will be rewarded with incentives, to terminal devices traveling with the vehicles. The proposal information transmission unit is configured to modify incentives included in the proposal according to a result of comparison between the acceptance number representing the number of vehicles that have accepted the proposal within a given period of time and a predetermined target number of vehicles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] There is disclosed a server device that disperses traffic flow to relieve traffic congestion. For example, in Patent Document 1, when traffic congestion occurs on the moving route of one vehicle, in response to a request from the one vehicle, a plurality of other vehicles located in front of the one vehicle are requested to detour around the section (congestion section) where the traffic congestion has occurred. A server device is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In some cases, the server device described in Patent Document 1 simply makes a detour request based on the wish of one vehicle, so that one problem is that efficient traffic congestion resolution cannot be achieved. Further, when there is no vehicle such as one vehicle that wants to request a detour to another vehicle, or when one vehicle does not have enough points in advance, there is a problem that traffic congestion cannot be alleviated in the first place.

[0005] Further, for example, when the server device described in Patent Document 1 is used for relieving traffic congestion on a highway, other vehicles concentrate on the exit of the highway in order to detour around the congestion section in response to the above request, and thus traffic congestion also occurs at the exit. As a result, it may affect the main line of the highway and have an adverse impact on traffic.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and a recording medium capable of efficiently alleviating traffic congestion according to the situation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes a traffic information acquisition unit that acquires traffic information indicating a target section that is a section for which traffic volume adjustment should be performed, and a vehicle traveling on a road including the target section avoids passing through at least a part of the target section. A proposal information transmission unit that transmits proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive to a terminal device that moves with the vehicle when the vehicle retreats from the road, and the proposal information transmission unit is a number of vehicles that accepted the proposal during a predetermined time. Based on the comparison result with a predetermined target number of vehicles, the incentive included in the proposal is changed.

[0008] The information processing method according to claim 11 is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, and includes a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a target section that is a section for which traffic volume adjustment should be performed, and a vehicle traveling on a road including the target section. A proposal information transmission step of transmitting proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive to a terminal device that moves with the vehicle when the vehicle retreats from the road so as to avoid passing through at least a part of the target section, and the information processing apparatus is in the proposal information transmission step. Based on the comparison result between the number of vehicles that accepted the proposal during a predetermined time (the number of accepted vehicles) and a predetermined target number of vehicles, the incentive included in the proposal is changed.

[0009] The program according to claim 12 is a program for causing a computer to execute, and includes a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a target section which is a section for which traffic volume adjustment should be performed, and a proposal information transmission step of transmitting, to a terminal device that moves together with a vehicle, proposal information indicating a proposal of granting an incentive when the vehicle traveling on a road including the target section makes a detour from the road so as to avoid passing through at least a part of the target section. The proposal information transmission step is characterized by changing the incentive included in the proposal based on a comparison result between the number of accepted vehicles which is the number of vehicles that have accepted the proposal during a predetermined time and a predetermined target number of vehicles.

[0010] The recording medium according to claim 13 is a recording medium on which the above program is recorded.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of overlapping components is omitted.

Examples

[0013] First, the overall system configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the traffic congestion alleviation system 100 according to Example 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic congestion alleviation system 100 includes a server device 10 and a plurality of terminal devices 12.

[0014] In this embodiment, a case is shown where the terminal device 12 is an in-vehicle terminal such as a car navigation system mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles M as moving bodies. Note that the number of terminal devices 12 constituting the traffic congestion alleviation system 100 may be any number as long as the system capabilities permit.

[0015] The server device 10 and the terminal device 12 can mutually transmit and receive data via the network NW using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP, for example. The connection between the terminal device 12 and the network NW can be made by mobile communication such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), or wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), for example.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a section of a highway under the management of the traffic congestion alleviation system 100 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of vehicles are traveling on the highway. On the main line ML whose traveling direction is to the left in the figure, an exit interchange (hereinafter also referred to as an exit IC) of the highway is provided.

[0017] The traffic congestion section CS as the section for which traffic volume adjustment should be performed is a section showing the range where traffic congestion has occurred on the main line ML. In FIG. 2, the case where the traffic congestion section CS is formed ahead (left side in the figure) of the exit IC is shown.

[0018] The proposed section PS is a section in front of the traffic congestion section CS on the main line ML. The server device 10 transmits proposal information for proposing a detour from the main line ML to the terminal device 12 mounted on the vehicle M traveling in the proposed section PS. In other words, the proposed section PS is the section where the terminal device 12 receives the proposal information transmitted from the server device 10.

[0019] In FIG. 2, the case where the proposed section PS is formed in front (right side in the figure) of the exit IC is shown. The proposed section PS is, for example, a section extending several kilometers to a dozen or so kilometers in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the main line ML (right direction in the figure) from a position 1 to 2 km in front of the exit IC.

[0020] In FIG. 2, the state where the vehicle M is traveling in the proposed section PS toward the traffic congestion section CS is shown. The server device 10 transmits proposal information to the terminal device 12 mounted on the vehicle M traveling in the proposed section PS.

[0021] In this embodiment, the proposed information indicates a proposal to give a reward (incentive) for the vehicle M to bypass the traffic jam section CS on the main line ML in order to avoid it. The server device 10 can change the incentive in the proposed information according to the situation. For example, the server device 10 can change the incentive according to the acceptance situation, such as increasing the incentive to promote the acceptance of the proposal to bypass the traffic jam section CS.

[0022] The user of the terminal device 12 that has received the above proposed information, for example, the driver of the vehicle M, is more likely to accept the proposal shown in the proposed information because of the incentive. When the user of the terminal device 12 accepts the proposal, the vehicle M bypasses the traffic jam section CS, thereby dispersing the traffic volume to areas other than the traffic jam section CS. The granting of the incentive is determined when the vehicle M bypasses the traffic jam section CS and then passes through the main line ML again after the terminal device 12 has sent acceptance information indicating acceptance of the above proposal to the server device 10.

[0023] As described above, according to the traffic jam alleviation system 100 of this embodiment, the server device 10 causes the user of the terminal device 12 that has accepted the above proposal to take an action to bypass the traffic jam section CS, thereby reducing the vehicle M heading for the traffic jam section CS. As a result, the concentration of the vehicle M in the traffic jam section CS can be alleviated, and the traffic jam occurring in the traffic jam section CS of the main line ML can be alleviated.

[0024] Next, the configurations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 that constitute the traffic jam alleviation system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the following description, the vehicle equipped with the terminal device 12 that receives the proposed information is shown as the vehicle M, and other vehicles, such as the vehicles traveling in the traffic jam section CS, will be described without reference numerals.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 10 according to Embodiment 1. The control unit 14 is a processing device including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 functions as a computer.

[0026] The communication unit 15 is a communication device that transmits and receives data to and from an external device according to an instruction from the control unit 14. The communication unit 15 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 15 is connected to the above-described network NW and transmits and receives various data to and from the terminal device 12 and other devices.

[0027] The storage unit 16 is a storage device that stores and manages data necessary for the processing of the control unit 14. The storage unit 16 stores, for example, incentive information indicating an incentive to be proposed to the user of the terminal device 12 when transmitting the above-described proposal information.

[0028] The storage unit 16 is a storage device such as a hard disk, a flash memory, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs such as an operating system and software for the server device 10.

[0029] The various programs may be obtained, for example, from another server device or the like via the network NW, or may be recorded on a recording medium and read via various drive devices. That is, the various programs stored in the storage unit 16 can be transmitted via the network NW and can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and transferred.

[0030] Hereinafter, the functional blocks of the control unit 14 will be described.

[0031] The road traffic information acquisition unit 18 is a part that acquires road traffic information including traffic congestion situations on expressways from facilities that collect and provide traffic information on toll roads and general roads, such as the Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC (registered trademark)) and the Road Traffic Information Communication System (VICS (registered trademark)) Center, via the communication unit 15.

[0032] The control unit 14 identifies the congestion section CS based on the road traffic information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 18. In this embodiment, the congestion section CS indicates a section where traffic congestion is currently occurring on the main line ML of the expressway or a section where traffic congestion is predicted to occur on the main line ML.

[0033] In addition, the road traffic information acquisition unit 18 acquires from the above-mentioned facilities the first required time information indicating the first required time when a vehicle on the expressway travels through the above-mentioned congestion section CS during non-congestion, and the second required time information indicating the second required time when a vehicle on the expressway travels through the current congestion section CS.

[0034] The vehicle information acquisition unit 19 is a part that acquires information regarding the terminal device 12 from the terminal device 12 connected to the server device 10. The vehicle information acquisition unit 19 acquires vehicle information including, for example, the current position of the terminal device 12, that is, the position information indicating the current position of the vehicle M.

[0035] In this embodiment, the vehicle information acquisition unit 19 constantly acquires the position information of the vehicle M while it is connected to the terminal device 12. Note that there may be a position information collection server that collects the position information of the vehicle M, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 19 may acquire information in which the vehicle ID is associated with the position of the vehicle M from the server.

[0036] The proposal information processing unit 21 is a part that performs various processes related to proposal information. Specifically, the proposal information processing unit 21 transmits, via the communication unit 15, proposal information including a proposal asking the terminal device 12 for a detour and an incentive therefor to the terminal device 12. In addition, the proposal information processing unit 21 receives an acceptance response from the terminal device 12 to the proposal.

[0037] Based on the above-described vehicle position information, the proposal information processing unit 21 transmits, via the communication unit 15, proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive for bypassing the traffic jam section CS to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS determined based on the traffic jam section CS. That is, in the present embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 can be a proposal information transmission unit that transmits the above-described proposal information to the terminal device 12.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the incentive is points that can be used for discounts on highway tolls, etc. The points can be used, for example, when paying the highway tolls that occur when the vehicle M exits from the exit IC of the main line ML and then returns to the main line ML again when bypassing the traffic jam section CS.

[0039] As described above, the proposal information processing unit 21 functions as a part that receives the acceptance response to the above-described proposal indicated by the acceptance information transmitted from the terminal device 12 with respect to the above-described proposal. In other words, the proposal information processing unit 21 can be an acceptance receiving unit that receives the acceptance response from the terminal device 12 with respect to the above-described proposal. The acceptance information includes, for example, user information indicating the user of the terminal device 12 that has accepted the above-described proposal or identification information of the vehicle M on which the terminal device 12 is mounted.

[0040] Also, the proposal information processing unit 21 functions as a part that sets a target acceptance number that is the target number of acceptances for the above-described acceptance. In other words, the proposal information processing unit 21 can be a target number setting unit that sets a target for the number of vehicles that will accept the above-described proposal.

[0041] The proposal information processing unit 21 sets the target acceptance number based on, for example, the comparison result between the above-described first required time and the second required time. Specifically, the proposal information processing unit 21 increases the target acceptance number as the difference between the first required time and the second required time becomes larger. For example, when the ratio of the second required time to the first required time exceeds 200%, the target acceptance number is set to 100 units, and when the ratio of the second required time to the first required time is 150%, the target acceptance number is set to 50 units.

[0042] In addition, the proposal information processing unit 21 counts the acceptance number, which is the number of acceptances received for the above proposal within a predetermined time, and changes the incentive within the proposal information based on the comparison result between the above-described target acceptance number and the acceptance number.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the acceptance number has not reached the target acceptance number during the predetermined time, that is, when the acceptance number is less than the target acceptance number when the predetermined time has elapsed, the proposal information processing unit 21 raises the incentive. For example, the proposal information processing unit 21 sets the incentive (points) in the proposal information at the time of the first proposal to 100P, and increases it to 200P, 300P... until the acceptance number reaches the target acceptance number during the predetermined time.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the acceptance number reaches the target acceptance number in 5 minutes when the server device 10 determines the predetermined time to be 10 minutes, for example, the server device 10 ends the transmission of the proposal information to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS at that time. That is, when the number of vehicles M that have accepted the above proposal within the predetermined time reaches the target number, the server device 10 does not make any more detour proposals to the user of the terminal device 12.

[0045] The incentive information generation unit 22 is a part that generates incentive grant information indicating the incentive to be granted to the user of the terminal device 12 based on the user information of the terminal device 12 indicated by the above acceptance information and the actual results of detouring in the traffic jam section CS.

[0046] For example, based on the position information of the vehicle M, the incentive information generation unit 22 generates incentive granting information by indicating that the vehicle M that has accepted the above proposal has exited from the exit IC, bypassed the traffic jam section CS, and returned to the main line ML.

[0047] For example, the incentive information generation unit 22 transmits the above-described incentive granting information to an incentive management server that manages the incentives of the users of the terminal device 12. For example, when receiving the incentive granting information, the incentive management server grants the incentives indicated by the incentive granting information to the users of the terminal device 12.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 12 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 25 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and functions as a computer. Then, the CPU reads and executes various programs stored in the ROM and the storage unit 27 to realize various functions.

[0049] The communication unit 26 is a communication device such as a NIC for connecting to the network NW, and transmits and receives various data to and from the server device 10 based on the control of the control unit 25. In the present embodiment, the control unit 25 and the communication unit 26 can be a receiving unit that receives the proposal information transmitted from the server device 10. Further, the control unit 25 and the communication unit 26 can be a transmitting unit that transmits acceptance information indicating acceptance of the proposal to the server device 10.

[0050] The storage unit 27 is composed of, for example, a hard disk device, an SSD, a flash memory, etc., and stores various programs such as an operating system and software for the terminal device 12.

[0051] The touch panel display 28 is a display device in which a display that performs screen display based on the control of the control unit 25 and a touch panel that receives an input operation from a user of the terminal device 12, for example, a driver of a vehicle, are combined.

[0052] On the touch panel display 28, for example, a car navigation image in which the current position and the planned route of the vehicle are superimposed on a map may be displayed. Also, operations related to the car navigation function may be possible, such as setting a destination via the touch panel display 28.

[0053] Here, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of a proposal presented to the terminal device 12 will be described.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example when the proposal information received by the terminal device 12 is displayed on the touch panel display 28. As shown in FIG. 5, on the touch panel display 28, a map screen 28A showing a map and a proposal screen 28B showing a detour proposal are displayed. On the map screen 28A, for example, the current position PL and the traffic jam section CS of the vehicle M are superimposed and displayed on the main line ML of the highway on which the vehicle M is traveling.

[0055] On the proposal screen 28B, a display indicating a detour proposal for the traffic jam section CS, such as "There is a traffic jam 2 km ahead of the ○×IC, so a detour of the traffic jam section is proposed", is made. Also, on the touch panel display 28, a display indicating the points awarded when the above proposal is accepted, such as "Points will be awarded if this proposal is accepted" and "Awarded points: 500P", is made. Also, on the proposal screen 28B, options for the user of the terminal device 12 to select whether to accept the above proposal, such as "Yes" and "No", are displayed.

[0056] For example, as a response to the above proposal, when "Yes" is pressed by the user of the terminal device 12, acceptance information indicating that the user of the terminal device 12 has accepted the above proposal is transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the server device 10.

[0057] Note that the above proposal may also be content indicating that it is proposed to exit the ○×IC and bypass the traffic jam section, such as "proposing to exit the ○×IC and bypass the traffic jam section". As a result, the user of the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M that has accepted the proposal can smoothly bypass without worrying about where to exit during the bypass.

[0058] Refer to FIG. 4 again.

[0059] The GPS receiver 29 is a receiver that receives signals (GPS signals) from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The control unit 25 transmits position information indicating the current position of the vehicle M based on the GPS signal to the server device 10.

[0060] The microphone 31 is a voice input device that receives sounds inside the vehicle, for example, the voice uttered by the driver of the vehicle M, and converts it into an electrical signal. The control unit 25 can receive, for example, the voice input to the microphone 31 and transmit an electrical signal to the server device 10.

[0061] The speaker 32 is a voice output device that outputs voice based on an electrical signal transmitted from the outside. The control unit 25 can receive, for example, the electrical signal transmitted from the server device 10 and output voice from the speaker 32.

[0062] The specific operations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a bypass proposal routine RT1 executed by the control unit 14 of the server device 10. The control unit 14 starts the bypass proposal routine RT1, for example, using the establishment of communication between the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 as a start trigger.

[0064] Specifically, for example, when the touch panel display 28 of the terminal device 12 is powered on by the driver of the vehicle M, a reception screen for starting communication with the server device 10 is displayed. The driver of the vehicle M makes a selection to start communication with the server device 10 on the reception screen, thereby establishing communication between the server device 10 and the terminal device 12.

[0065] When the communication connection with the terminal device 12 is established, the road traffic information acquisition unit 18 of the control unit 14 acquires road traffic information from, for example, the JARTIC (registered trademark) or VICS (registered trademark) center (step S101). The control unit 14 determines whether or not a traffic jam has occurred on the highway in the acquired road traffic information, that is, whether or not there is a traffic jam section CS on the highway (step S102). If the control unit 14 determines in step S102 that no traffic jam has occurred on the highway (step S102: NO), it ends the detour proposal routine RT1.

[0066] When the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 determines that a traffic jam has occurred on the highway (step S102: YES), based on the position information of the vehicle M, it starts transmitting proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS to detour around the traffic jam section CS (step S103).

[0067] In step S103, the proposal information processing unit 21 determines a target acceptance number and starts transmitting the above-mentioned proposal information, and waits for reception of acceptance information indicating acceptance of the above-mentioned proposal from the terminal device 12. Further, the proposal information processing unit 21 accepts the acceptance indicated by the acceptance information transmitted from the terminal device 12 and starts counting the number of acceptances.

[0068] After step S103, the proposal information processing unit 21 determines whether the number of acceptances has reached the target number of acceptances within a predetermined time (step S104). If the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 determines that the number of acceptances has not reached the target number of acceptances (step S104: NO), it raises the incentive in the proposal information (step S105). After step S105, the proposal information processing unit 21 executes step S104 and raises the incentive until the number of acceptances reaches the target number of acceptances within a predetermined time.

[0069] If the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the number of acceptances has reached the target number of acceptances within a predetermined time (step S104: YES), it ends the transmission of the proposal information to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS (step S106). The control unit 14 ends the detour proposal routine RT1 after step S106. Note that after the end of the detour proposal routine RT1, the control unit 14 of the server device 10 repeats the execution of the detour proposal routine RT1 when communication is continuously established between the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, for example.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a proposal response routine RT2 executed in the control unit 25 of the terminal device 12. When the connection with the server device 10 is established, the control unit 25 determines whether it has received proposal information (step S201). If the control unit 25 determines that it has not received the proposal information (step S201: NO), it ends the proposal response routine RT2.

[0071] If the control unit 25 determines that it has received the proposal information (step S201: YES), as shown in FIG. 5, it displays on the touch panel display 28 the proposal information indicating that an incentive will be given if a detour is made around the traffic jam section CS (step S202).

[0072] After step S202, the control unit 25 determines whether an acceptance operation such as selecting "Yes" for the proposal has been made by the user of the terminal device 12, for example, the driver of the vehicle M (step S203). If the control unit 25 determines that the acceptance operation has not been made (step S203: NO), it determines whether a negative operation such as selecting "No" for the proposal has been made (step S204).

[0073] If the control unit 25 determines that the negative operation has not been made (step S204: NO), that is, when neither an acceptance operation nor a negative operation has been made for the proposal, it repeatedly executes step S203 and waits for a response corresponding to the proposal information.

[0074] If the control unit 25 determines that the acceptance operation has been made (step S203: YES), it transmits acceptance information indicating acceptance of the proposal to the server device 10 (step S205). After step S205 or if the control unit 25 determines that a negative operation has been made for the proposal (step S204: NO), it ends the display of the proposal information on the touch panel display 28 (step S206). The control unit 25 ends the proposal response routine RT2 after step S206. Note that after ending the proposal response routine RT2, the control unit 25 of the terminal device 12 repeatedly executes the proposal response routine RT2 when communication continues to be established between the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, for example.

[0075] According to this embodiment, when the acceptance count has not reached the target acceptance count within a predetermined time as described above, the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 of the server device 10 raises the incentive in the proposal information. By raising the incentive, the user of the terminal device 12 that has received the proposal information is more likely to accept the proposal than before the incentive was raised.

[0076] Therefore, according to this embodiment, by increasing the incentives in the proposal information according to the acceptance status by the proposal information processing unit 21, more acceptances from the users of the terminal device 12 can be received, and the traffic volume can be dispersed to areas other than the congestion section CS. Thus, according to this embodiment, traffic congestion can be efficiently alleviated according to the situation.

[0077] In this embodiment, an example showing a section of the highway under the management of the traffic congestion alleviation system 100 has been described. However, the system is not limited to highways and may be applied to other roads such as general toll roads and free roads for alleviating traffic congestion.

[0078] In this embodiment, the proposal indicated by the proposal information may be content that only presents avoiding the congestion section CS, such as "Propose to divert from the main line to avoid the congestion section". In this case, the user of the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M that has accepted the proposal may freely take a diversion action from the main line ML according to the surrounding situation.

[0079] As the diversion action, for example, the vehicle M that has accepted the proposal may stay at a rest facility such as a parking area or a service area located within or in front of the congestion section CS for a certain period of time. Thereby, the user of the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M that has accepted the proposal and diverted to the rest facility can avoid being involved in the congestion of the congestion section CS and can take sufficient rest at the rest facility.

[0080] Also, as the above diversion action, for example, when there is a junction (JCT) connecting the highway No. 1 and other highways on the main line ML in front of the congestion section CS, the vehicle M that has accepted the proposal may also include using the junction to bypass the congestion section CS.

[0081] In this embodiment, although the incentive is assumed to be points that can be used for discounting highway tolls, it is not limited to this. For example, when the proposed information indicates a proposal to grant an incentive for taking shelter in the above-mentioned rest facility, the incentive may be points that can be used for shopping, dining, etc. at the rest facility. Further, the incentive may be points that can be used at peripheral facilities, etc. around the exit IC after exiting from the highway exit IC.

[0082] In this way, the proposed information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 of the server device 10 may determine to grant an incentive to the user when the user of the terminal device 12 has taken an evacuation action from the main line ML to avoid the traffic jam section CS as described above.

[0083] Note that the incentive in this embodiment may be points in a point service operated by a predetermined company other than those described above, or may be physical items such as cash, coupon tickets, or merchandise vouchers.

[0084] In this embodiment, the proposed information processing unit 21 may grant an incentive when the vehicle M that has accepted the above proposal has bypassed a part of the traffic jam section CS. For example, when the vehicle M has bypassed half of the traffic jam section CS, the proposed information processing unit 21 may grant half of the incentive when the entire traffic jam section CS has been bypassed, and may change the incentive to be granted according to the distance of the bypassed traffic jam section CS.

[0085] In this embodiment, the proposed information processing unit 21 has been described as raising the incentive when the acceptance number has not reached the target acceptance number within a predetermined time, but it is not limited to this. For example, the proposed information processing unit 21 may raise the incentive when the acceptance number per unit time (number of vehicles / minute) of the above proposal has not reached the target acceptance number (number of vehicles / minute) which is a threshold value. Thereby, it is possible to change the incentive in consideration of the finer transition of the acceptance number.

[0086] In this embodiment, when a planned travel route of the vehicle M is set in the terminal device 12, the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 19 may include route information indicating the planned travel route of the vehicle M. That is, the vehicle information acquisition unit 19 may function as a route information acquisition unit. For example, the proposal information processing unit 21 may make the above proposal only to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M that is planned to travel through the traffic jam section CS as the planned travel route among the vehicles M traveling within the proposal section PS.

[0087] Thereby, the proposal information processing unit 21 can give an incentive only to the user of the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M that has changed the plan to pass through the traffic jam section CS and detoured around the traffic jam section CS, by excluding vehicles M that do not have the traffic jam section CS as the planned travel route, for example, vehicles M that were originally planned to exit from the exit IC, etc., from the transmission targets of the proposal information.

[0088] In this embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 was assumed to accept the acceptance of the above proposal by receiving the acceptance information transmitted from the terminal device 12, but it is sufficient that the number of vehicles M corresponding to the proposal can be counted, and it is not limited to this. For example, the proposal information processing unit 21 may count the vehicle M as a vehicle corresponding to the above proposal when the vehicle M detours around the traffic jam section CS. In this case, the proposal information processing unit 21 may change the incentive based on the comparison result between the actual number of vehicles that have detoured around the traffic jam section CS and the target number of vehicles that is the target value.

[0089] In this embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 may set an incentive according to the relationship between the number of vehicles required to resolve the traffic jam in the traffic jam section CS and the number of vehicles M traveling within the proposal section PS. For example, the proposal information processing unit 21 may set a high incentive when the number of vehicles required to resolve the traffic jam in the traffic jam section CS is large and the number of vehicles M traveling within the proposal section PS is small.

[0090] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the proposal information processing unit 21 ends the transmission of proposal information when the number of acceptances reaches the target number of acceptances. At this time, information for canceling the proposals that have already been transmitted to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS may be transmitted.

[0091] Further, the proposal information processing unit 21 may reject a newly received acceptance after the number of acceptances reaches the target number of acceptances. When an acceptance is received after the number of acceptances reaches the target number of acceptances, rejection information indicating rejection of the acceptance may be transmitted to the terminal device 12.

[0092] In this embodiment, the terminal device 12 has been described as an in-vehicle terminal that can be mounted on a vehicle, but it is not limited to this. For example, the terminal device 12 may be a portable communication terminal that can move with the vehicle, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control unit 25 of the terminal device 12 waits until either "Yes" or "No" is selected by the user of the terminal device 12 for the proposal displayed on the touch panel display 28. However, if no operation is performed by the user for a certain period of time, the display of the proposal on the touch panel display 28 may be terminated.

[0094] Also, in this embodiment, the control unit 25 of the terminal device 12 is assumed to display the proposal information transmitted from the server device 10 on the touch panel display 28 of the terminal device 12. However, the method of presenting the proposal information to the user of the terminal device 12 is not limited to this. For example, voice data indicating the proposal transmitted from the server device 10 may be output from the speaker 32, and the acceptance of the proposal may be made by responding to the acceptance with the voice of the user of the terminal device 12 via the microphone 31. In this case, the server device 10 may recognize the presence or absence of acceptance by voice recognition.

Embodiment

[0095] Next, Example 2 will be described. In Example 2, the target acceptance number and the form of incentives are different from those in Example 1, and other aspects, such as the configurations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, are the same as those in Example 1.

[0096] FIG. 8 is a table TB1 showing an example of the target acceptance number and the incentives corresponding to the target acceptance number. In this embodiment, as shown in Table TB1, the target acceptance number is determined in three stages from the first target acceptance number to the third target acceptance number toward the final target acceptance number, which is the target acceptance number to be achieved, and incentives are set by the proposal information processing unit 21 for each of the target to be achieved.

[0097] Specifically, for example, when the ratio of the second required time to the first required time described above exceeds 200%, the proposal information processing unit 21 sets the first target acceptance number to be 100 units in order to make the ratio 200% or less, sets the second target acceptance number to be 60 units in order to make the ratio 160% or less, and sets the third target acceptance number to be 40 units in order to make the ratio 120% or less.

[0098] For example, as shown in Table TB1, the proposal information processing unit 21 sets the incentive (points) to be 1000P when the first target acceptance number is achieved, 600P when the second target acceptance number is achieved, and 400P when the third target acceptance number is achieved.

[0099] Thus, according to this embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 can implement a proposal of giving a high incentive when the ratio of the second required time to the first required time is relatively high, and giving a low incentive when the ratio of the second required time to the first required time is relatively low.

[0100] Therefore, according to this embodiment, costs are incurred only when there is a situation where traffic congestion mitigation is required at an early stage in the congestion section CS, that is, when it is the situation where one most wants to get out, and the costs incurred in other cases can be suppressed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent costs from being incurred more than necessary when traffic congestion occurs. Note that the above three-stage target acceptance numbers are merely examples, and the number of stages of the target acceptance numbers provided until the final target is achieved may be any number of stages.

[0101] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a detour proposal routine RT3 executed by the control unit 14 of the server device 10 in the embodiment. In the detour proposal routine RT3, the same steps as those in the detour proposal routine RT1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Specifically, steps S101 to S105 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0102] When the proposal information processing unit 21 determines in step S104 that the acceptance number has reached the target acceptance number (step S104: YES), it determines whether the acceptance number has reached the final target acceptance number that is the sum of the respective target acceptance numbers (step S301).

[0103] When the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the acceptance number has not reached the final target acceptance number (step S301: NO), that is, when it determines that the acceptance number has reached the first target acceptance number or the second target acceptance number in the above table TB1, it updates the incentive and the target acceptance number (step S302).

[0104] Specifically, when the acceptance number achieves the first target acceptance number, the target acceptance number is updated to the second target acceptance number, and when the acceptance number achieves the second target acceptance number, the target acceptance number is updated to the third target acceptance number. Similarly, the incentive is also updated according to the target acceptance number.

[0105] The proposal information processing unit 21 repeats step S104 after step S302 to determine whether the target acceptance number updated during a predetermined time has been reached. When the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the acceptance number has reached the final target acceptance number (step S301: YES), that is, when it determines that the acceptance number has reached the third target acceptance number in the above table TB1, the transmission of the proposal information to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS is terminated (step S303). The control unit 14 terminates the detour proposal routine RT3 after step S303.

[0106] According to the present embodiment, as described above, when the acceptance number reaches the target acceptance number within a predetermined time in the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 of the server device 10, the incentive in the proposal information is reduced until the acceptance number reaches the final target acceptance number. By reducing the incentive, it is possible to suppress the cost from being incurred more than necessary while accepting the acceptance from the user of the terminal device 12. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently relieve traffic congestion according to the situation.

Embodiment

[0107] Next, Example 3 will be described. In Example 3, it is different from Examples 1 and 2 in that the proposal information processing unit 21 changes the proposal content based on the mode of each exit (interchange) of the expressway, and other points, for example, the configurations of the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 are the same as those in Examples 1 and 2.

[0108] Also, in the present embodiment, the detour proposal routine executed by the control unit 14 of the server device 10 is executed along the same flowchart as the detour proposal routine RT1 in Example 1 or the detour proposal routine RT3 in Example 2.

[0109] In the present embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14 transmits proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive when exiting from one exit on the expressway as a detour from the main line ML to avoid the traffic congestion section CS to the terminal device 12 of the vehicle M traveling within the proposal section PS.

[0110] Figure 10 is a table TB2 (hereinafter also referred to as the exit list TB2) showing the number of acceptances for the allowable number at each of a plurality of highway exits. The exit list TB2 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 16 of the server device 10.

[0111] In the exit list TB2, in the "Proposed" column in the leftmost column, a mark (the "○" mark in the figure) indicating the exit proposed as the exit for leaving the main line ML is shown.

[0112] In the second column from the left, the "Exit Name" column, the name of each proposed exit candidate is shown. In the third column from the left, the "Allowable Number per Predetermined Time" column, for each of the plurality of highway exits, shows the number of vehicles that can be accepted per predetermined time.

[0113] The allowable number as the target number for each exit is calculated, for example, by subtracting the predicted number of vehicles exiting the exit regardless of the above proposal during a certain period of time from the capacity (upper limit number) of each exit.

[0114] In the fourth column from the left, the "Current Number of Acceptances" column, the current number of acceptances of the proposal designating each exit as the exit at the time of exit is shown. In the fifth column from the left, the "Feasibility of Proposal" column, it is shown whether each exit can be proposed as the exit at the time of exit.

[0115] As shown in the exit list TB2, since the "Current Number of Acceptances" in "○□Upward on the Expressway○×IC" has reached 20, which is the "Allowable Number per Predetermined Time", the exit from "○□Upward on the Expressway○×IC" is "Not Allowed" as it cannot be proposed. Also, since the "Current Number of Acceptances" in "○□Upward on the Expressway□△IC" has not reached 45, which is the "Allowable Number per Predetermined Time", the exit from "○□Upward on the Expressway□△IC" is "Allowed" as it can be proposed.

[0116] In such a case, since the proposed information processing unit 21 of the server device 10 cannot propose exiting from the "○□ Expressway On-ramp ○× IC" as the first exit, it transmits to the terminal device 12 proposed information indicating a proposal to exit from the "○□ Expressway On-ramp □△ IC" as the second exit for which the proposal is possible.

[0117] The exit list TB2 has its allowable number and acceptance number refreshed when a predetermined time elapses. Specifically, since the allowable number per predetermined time changes (increases or decreases) when a predetermined time elapses, each time a predetermined time elapses, the acceptance number is reset along with the change in the allowable number per predetermined time. That is, by refreshing the exit list TB2, an exit IC that is "not allowed" becomes "allowed" and can be proposed again.

[0118] As described above, according to this embodiment, the server device 10 can select an exit to exit based on the propriety of the proposal at each exit indicated by the exit list TB2, and transmit to the terminal device 12 proposed information indicating a proposal to exit from the said exit.

[0119] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example when the terminal device 12 in this embodiment displays on the touch panel display 28 a proposal indicated by the proposed information received. As described above, in this embodiment, the proposed information processing unit 21 transmits to the terminal device 12 proposed information indicating a proposal to give an incentive when exiting from one exit on the expressway.

[0120] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, on the map screen 28A, for example, the current position PL of the vehicle M and the traffic jam section CS are superimposed and displayed on the main line ML of the expressway including a plurality of exit ICs (○× IC, □△ IC). Further, on the proposal screen 28B, for example, it is specified to exit from an exit such as "Propose to exit from □△ IC", and it is presented that an incentive (points) is given when exiting from the said exit.

[0121] The user of the terminal device 12 can accept a proposal to exit from the □△IC by, for example, pressing "Yes", and can receive an incentive by exiting from the □△IC in accordance with the proposal.

[0122] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an exit list update routine RT4 executed by the control unit 14 of the server device 10. In the present embodiment, the exit list update routine RT4 is executed separately from the detour proposal routine RT1 in the first embodiment or the detour proposal routine RT3 in the second embodiment when the detour proposal routine RT1 or the detour proposal routine RT3 in the first embodiment is being executed by the proposal information processing unit 21 of the control unit 14.

[0123] The proposal information processing unit 21 determines whether or not proposal information is being transmitted (step S401). If the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that proposal information is not being transmitted (step S401: NO), the exit list update routine RT4 is terminated. Note that the proposal information processing unit 21 repeatedly executes the exit list update routine RT4 as long as the detour proposal routine RT1 or the detour proposal routine RT3 continues to be executed.

[0124] If the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that proposal information is being transmitted (step S401: YES), it executes a refresh of the exit list TB2 (step S402).

[0125] After the proposal information processing unit 21 executes the refresh of the exit list TB2 in step S402, it determines whether or not the number of acceptances has reached the allowable number for each of the exit ICs (step S403).

[0126] If the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the number of acceptances has reached the allowable number within a predetermined time (step S403: YES), it makes the exit ICs that have reached the allowable number non-proposable (step S404). That is, the proposal information processing unit 21 transmits to the terminal device 12, as proposal information, exits from the exit ICs other than the exit ICs that have become non-proposable.

[0127] After the end of step S404, or when it is not determined in step S403 that the number of acceptances has reached the allowable number within a predetermined time (step S403: NO), the proposal information processing unit 21 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed after executing the refresh of the exit list TB2 in step S402 (step S405).

[0128] If the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the refresh (step S405: NO), it repeats step S403 to determine whether the number of acceptances has reached the allowable number for each of the exit ICs. If there is a newly accepted exit IC whose number of acceptances has reached the allowable number, the corresponding exit IC is made non-proposable.

[0129] On the other hand, if the proposal information processing unit 21 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed since the refresh (step S405: YES), it ends the exit list update routine RT4.

[0130] As described above, according to this embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 can propose the exit ICs to be exited based on the exit list TB2. Thereby, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent vehicles from concentrating on one exit IC of the highway and causing congestion, and it is possible to prevent the congestion from affecting the traffic on the main line ML.

[0131] In this embodiment, the proposal information processing unit 21 has proposed to give an incentive when exiting from a predetermined exit, but there may be a plurality of exit candidates at the time of the proposal. For example, the proposal information processing unit 21 may propose on the touch panel display 28 "Propose to exit from □△IC or △○IC", and let the user of the terminal device 12 select whether to exit from "□△IC" or "△○IC".

[0132] As described above, when the user of the terminal device 12 accepts the proposal, the user can receive an incentive by selecting one of the plurality of exits and exiting. When presenting a plurality of exits as described above, incentives to be given for each exit may be set, and these incentives may be different from each other. That is, weighting may be performed, such as setting a higher incentive for the exit where the vehicle M is desired to exit.

[0133] The control routines shown in the above-described first to third embodiments are merely examples and can be appropriately selected and changed according to the application, usage conditions, and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0134] 100 Traffic congestion mitigation system 10 Server device 12 Terminal device 14, 25 Control unit 15, 26 Communication unit 16, 27 Storage unit 18 Road traffic information acquisition unit 19 Vehicle information acquisition unit 21 Proposal information processing unit 22 Incentive information acquisition unit 28 Touch panel display 29 GPS receiver 31 Microphone 32 Speaker ML Main line CS Congested section PS Proposal section IC Exit

Claims

1. A traffic information acquisition unit that acquires traffic information indicating a target section that is a section for which traffic volume adjustment should be performed, the traffic information including a first required time indicating the required time when a vehicle passes through the target section during non-congestion and a second required time indicating the required time when the vehicle passes through the current target section; A target number setting unit that sets a target number based on a comparison result between the first required time and the second required time; A proposal information transmission unit that transmits, to a terminal device that moves with the vehicle, proposal information indicating a proposal to give an incentive when a vehicle traveling on a road including the target section retreats from the road so as to avoid passing through at least a part of the target section; and The information processing apparatus, wherein the proposal information transmission unit changes the incentive included in the proposal based on a comparison result between the number of accepted vehicles, which is the number of vehicles that have accepted the proposal during a predetermined time, and the target number.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the proposal information transmission unit raises the incentive when the number of accepted vehicles is less than the target number during the predetermined time.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the proposal information transmission unit lowers the incentive when the number of accepted vehicles reaches the target number during the predetermined time.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the target number is updated when the incentive is lowered.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the proposal information is information indicating a proposal to give an incentive when the vehicle detours without passing through at least a part of the target section from in front of the target section.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the proposal information includes exit information indicating an exit of the road from which the vehicle should exit for the detour.

7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the proposal information is information indicating a proposal to give an incentive when the vehicle stays at a rest facility located within or in front of the target section for a certain period of time.

8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the target section is a section where traffic congestion has occurred or a section where the occurrence of the traffic congestion is predicted.

9. It has a route information acquisition unit that acquires route information indicating the planned travel routes of a plurality of vehicles traveling on the road, The proposed information transmission unit transmits the proposed information to the terminal device of a vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in which the target section is included in the planned travel route. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, A traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a target section that is a section where traffic volume should be adjusted, the traffic information including a first required time indicating the required time when a vehicle passes through the target section during non-congestion and a second required time indicating the required time when a vehicle passes through the current target section, A target number setting step of setting a target number based on a comparison result between the first required time and the second required time, A proposed information transmission step of transmitting proposed information indicating a proposal to give an incentive to a terminal device that moves with the vehicle so that a vehicle traveling on a road including the target section avoids passing at least a part of the target section, In the proposed information transmission step, the information processing apparatus changes the incentive included in the proposal based on a comparison result between the number of accepted vehicles, which is the number of vehicles that have accepted the proposal during a predetermined time, and the target number. The information processing method is characterized by this.

11. A program for causing a computer to execute, A traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a target section that is a section where traffic volume should be adjusted, the traffic information including a first required time indicating the required time when a vehicle passes through the target section during non-congestion and a second required time indicating the required time when a vehicle passes through the current target section, A target number setting step of setting a target number based on a comparison result between the first required time and the second required time, A proposal information transmission step of transmitting, to a terminal device that moves together with the vehicle, proposal information indicating a proposal of granting an incentive when the vehicle traveling on the road including the target section makes an evacuation from the road so as to avoid passing through at least a part of the target section. The proposal information transmission step is a program characterized by changing the incentive included in the proposal based on a comparison result between the number of accepted vehicles that have accepted the proposal during a predetermined time and the target number.

12. A recording medium storing the program according to Claim 11.

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