Information providing apparatus, information providing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information provision system capable of successively providing information through a user terminal owned by a user of a toll road.SOLUTION: An information provision system that provides a user of a toll road of service information includes a user information registration unit that registers user information which associates vehicle identification information on a vehicle, which a user boards, with broadcasting destination information representing a user terminal which is a broadcasting destination of the service information, a receiving unit that receives vehicle information, which includes the vehicle identification information on a vehicle having passed through an entrance tollgate, from an entrance tollgate apparatus installed at the entrance tollgate, and a broadcasting unit that references the user information to identify the user terminal linked to the vehicle identification information received from the entrance tollgate apparatus, and broadcasts the service information to the identified user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As a means for notifying the occurrence of an incident such as an accident that has occurred on a road, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which when the occurrence of an accident or the like is detected, a street lamp is lit in a warning color to notify vehicles traveling in the vicinity.

[0003] Also, on toll roads, traffic information such as accidents and traffic jams is provided to users via electric bulletin boards installed on the route, in service areas, or in parking areas, or radio broadcasts broadcast within the communication range of antennas installed on the route.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conventional technology, on a toll road, an operator could not provide information unless a user (vehicle) approached a location where information providing facilities such as an electric bulletin board were installed.

[0006] The present disclosure provides an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program that can sequentially provide information through a user terminal possessed by a user of a toll road.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an information providing apparatus that provides service information to users of a toll road includes a user information registration unit that registers user information associating vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user rides with destination information indicating a user terminal that is a destination of the service information; a receiving unit that receives vehicle information including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the tollgate from a tollgate apparatus installed at the tollgate; and a distributing unit that refers to the user information, identifies a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the tollgate apparatus, and distributes the service information to the identified user terminal.

[0008] Also, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, an information providing method for providing service information to users of a toll road includes a step of registering user information associating vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user rides with destination information indicating a user terminal that is a destination of the service information; a step of receiving vehicle information including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the tollgate from a tollgate apparatus installed at the tollgate; and a step of referring to the user information, identifying a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the tollgate apparatus, and distributing the service information to the identified user terminal.

[0009] Also, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a program causes an information providing apparatus that provides service information to users of a toll road to execute a step of registering user information associating vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user rides with destination information indicating a user terminal that is a destination of the service information; a step of receiving vehicle information including the vehicle identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the tollgate from a tollgate apparatus installed at the tollgate; and a step of referring to the user information, identifying a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the tollgate apparatus, and distributing the service information to the identified user terminal.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to each of the above aspects, information can be sequentially provided through a user terminal possessed by a user of a toll road.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the information providing system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.

[0013] (Overall Configuration of the Information Providing System) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. The information providing system 9 shown in FIG. 1 provides various service information to users of the toll road U through the user terminal C held by the users. The service information is information related to services in the toll road U and the facilities around the toll road U. The service information includes discount information on the tolls of the toll road U, event information held at the surrounding facilities of the toll road U, and the like. Further, the service information may include traffic information (information such as construction, accidents, traffic jams, etc.).

[0014] The configuration of the toll road U will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the toll road U has an entrance toll gate G2, an exit toll gate G3, and a main line toll gate G4 on the main line LM. The toll road U according to the present embodiment performs toll collection processing using an Electronic Toll Collection System (ETC (registered trademark)). The Electronic Toll Collection System enables automatic toll collection processing (settlement processing) for vehicles in motion by performing wireless communication between a wireless communication device installed in each lane of the toll gate and an in-vehicle unit mounted on the vehicle.

[0015] Vehicles attempting to enter the toll road U from the general road arrive at the entrance toll gate G2. The vehicle travels on the inflow lane L2 and arrives at the entrance toll gate G2, and after passing through the entrance toll gate G2, travels on the toll road U.

[0016] Also, vehicles attempting to exit the toll road U to the general road arrive at the exit toll gate G3. The vehicle travels on the toll road U and arrives at the exit toll gate G3, and after passing through the exit toll gate G3, travels on the outflow lane L3 and returns to the general road.

[0017] The main line toll gate G4 is a toll gate provided on the main line LM and is also called an aggregation toll gate. Vehicles traveling on the main line LM of the toll road U pass through the main line toll gate G4.

[0018] The toll road U is provided with an entrance free-flow lane L2F. The entrance free-flow lane L2F is a free-flow (FF) lane, which is an inflow lane without a toll gate.

[0019] Although not shown in the figure, on each lane of the entrance toll gate G2, the exit toll gate G3, the main line toll gate G4, and on the roadside of the entrance FF lane L2F, a wireless communication device for performing wireless communication with the in-vehicle device C1 of the arriving vehicle A is provided. Further, on each lane of the entrance toll gate G2 and the main line toll gate G4, a vehicle type discrimination device capable of specifying the vehicle type classification based on the detection result of the characteristics (such as the number of axles) of the vehicle A may be provided.

[0020] Next, the information providing system 9 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing system 9 includes an information providing device 1, a toll gate device 2, and a user terminal C.

[0021] The information providing device 1 distributes service information to the user terminal C possessed by the users of the toll road U via a mobile communication network or the like. Further, the information providing device 1 is communicably connected to the toll gate device 2 installed at each toll gate and FF lane of the toll road U via a wide area communication network, and collects the vehicle information sequentially received from each toll gate device 2.

[0022] The toll gate device 2 acquires the vehicle information of the vehicle A that has arrived at the toll gate and transmits it to the information providing device 1.

[0023] Note that the toll gate device 2 according to the present embodiment is a general term for the entrance toll gate device 2A installed at the entrance toll gate G2 and the entrance FF lane L2F, the exit toll gate device 2B installed at the exit toll gate G3, and the main line toll gate device 2C installed at the main line toll gate G4. When there are a plurality of lanes at the toll gate, the toll gate device 2 may be installed for each lane. Further, the toll gate device 2 may be a charging processing device that performs the charging process of the toll of the vehicle A at each toll gate.

[0024] The user terminal C is a device for the user to view the service information of the toll road U. The user terminal C is, for example, an in-vehicle device C1 installed in the vehicle A, or a mobile terminal C2 (such as a smartphone or a tablet).

[0025] (Functional Configuration of Information Providing Device) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the information providing device 1 includes a CPU 10, a memory 11, a communication interface 12, an input / output interface 13, and a recording medium 14.

[0026] The CPU 10 is a processor that exhibits various functions by operating according to a pre-prepared program. The functions of the CPU 10 will be described later. The memory 11 is a so-called main storage device and has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 10. The communication interface 12 is a connection interface for communicably connecting to each user terminal C and each charging processing device via a wide area communication network or the like. The input / output interface 13 is a connection interface for connecting to devices such as a display device 15 and an input device 16. The display device 15 is a monitor such as a liquid crystal display. The input device 16 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. Note that the display device 15 and the input device 16 may be integrally formed devices such as a touch panel. The recording medium 14 is a so-called auxiliary storage device and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). In the present embodiment, a full user information table T1, a full vehicle information table T2, a full service information table T3, etc. are recorded in the recording medium 14. Details of these tables will be described later.

[0027] Next, the functions of the CPU 10 of the information providing device 1 will be described.

[0028] By operating according to a pre-prepared program, the CPU 10 functions as a user information registration unit 101, a reception unit 102, a creation unit 103, a distribution unit 104, and a service information registration unit 105.

[0029] The user information registration unit 101 registers user information of users of the toll road U. The user information includes vehicle identification information of the vehicle A that the user rides in, distribution destination information indicating the user terminal C that is the distribution destination of the service information, and the like.

[0030] The reception unit 102 receives vehicle information of the vehicle A that has passed through the toll gate from the toll gate device 2 installed at each toll gate. The vehicle information includes vehicle identification information of the vehicle A and identification information of the toll gate through which the vehicle A has passed.

[0031] The creation unit 103 aggregates the vehicle information collected from each toll gate device 2 to create an all-vehicle information table T2. For example, the creation unit 103 sequentially receives vehicle information from the entrance toll gate device 2A installed at the entrance toll gate G2 and the entrance FF lane L2F, and adds it to the all-vehicle information table T2 as the vehicle information of the vehicle that has newly entered the toll road U. In addition, the creation unit 103 sequentially receives vehicle information from the exit toll gate device 2B installed at the exit toll gate G3, and excludes it from the all-vehicle information table T2 as the vehicle information of the vehicle that has newly exited the toll road U.

[0032] The distribution unit 104 refers to the user information, identifies the user terminal C associated with the vehicle identification information of the vehicle A received from the entrance toll gate device 2A, and distributes service information to the identified user terminal C. Thereby, the information providing device 1 can distribute service information to the vehicle A that has entered the toll road U through the user terminal C.

[0033] The service information registration unit 105 registers service information regarding the toll road U and the facilities around the toll road U. For example, a road operator who operates a toll road performs an input operation of service information through the input device 16 of the information providing device 1. Then, the service information registration unit 105 adds and registers the input service information to the all service information table T3.

[0034] (Functional Configuration of Tollgate Device) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the tollgate device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the tollgate device 2 includes a CPU 20, a memory 21, a communication interface 22, a roadside device interface 23, and a recording medium 24.

[0035] The CPU 20 is a processor that exhibits various functions by operating according to a pre-prepared program. The functions of the CPU 20 will be described later. The memory 21 has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 20. The communication interface 22 is a connection interface for communicably connecting to the information providing device 1 via a wide area communication network. The roadside device interface 23 is a connection interface for communicating with roadside devices (wireless communication devices 25) provided in each lane of the tollgate. The recording medium 24 is a local recording medium provided in the tollgate device 2 and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or an SSD.

[0036] Next, the roadside device (wireless communication device 25) connected to the tollgate device 2 will be described.

[0037] The wireless communication device 25 performs wireless communication using DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) with the in-vehicle unit C1 (FIG. 1) of the vehicle A that has arrived at the tollgate, and acquires various information (in-vehicle unit ID, IC card information, license plate information, vehicle type classification information, etc.) recorded in the in-vehicle unit C1. The various information recorded in the in-vehicle unit C1 is vehicle identification information that can uniquely identify the vehicle.

[0038] Next, the functions of the CPU 20 of the tollgate device 2 will be described.

[0039] The CPU 20 operates according to a pre-prepared program to function as a vehicle information acquisition unit 201 and a transmission unit 202.

[0040] The vehicle information acquisition unit 201 acquires the vehicle information of vehicle A that has arrived at the tollgate through the wireless communication device 25. The vehicle information acquired here includes information pre-recorded in the in-vehicle unit C1, namely vehicle identification information that can identify vehicle A and vehicle type classification information. Note that in a tollgate where a vehicle type discrimination device is installed, the vehicle information acquisition unit 201 may acquire the vehicle type classification information of vehicle A discriminated by the vehicle type discrimination device instead of the vehicle type classification information recorded in the in-vehicle unit C1.

[0041] The transmission unit 202 transmits vehicle information including the vehicle identification information of vehicle A and the tollgate identification information of the tollgate through which vehicle A has passed to the information providing device 1.

[0042] (Examples of user information and all user information tables) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle information and all vehicle information table according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the contents of the data in the user information D1 and the all user information table T1 will be described.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the user information D1 includes "vehicle identification information", "distribution destination information", "type designation information", etc. Also, the all user information table T1 aggregates the user information D1 of each user.

[0044] In this embodiment, the "vehicle identification information" of the user information D1 is the in-vehicle unit ID. Note that in other embodiments, the "vehicle identification information" may be the license plate information of vehicle A.

[0045] The "delivery destination information" in the user information D1 is information that can identify the delivery destination of the service information. For example, it is an email address or an SNS account that can be viewed on the user terminal C. Also, when delivering service information via an application installed on the user terminal C, it may be identification information (such as a terminal ID or a user ID) that can identify the user terminal C on the application.

[0046] In addition, the "type designation information" in the user information D1 is information indicating the type of service information that the user wishes to receive (such as traffic information, discount information for tolls, event information, etc.). Also, the types of service information may be hierarchically structured, such as large types and small types. For example, the large type of "event information" may further include small types according to the event content (such as music, movies, etc.) and the facility content (such as tourist facilities, commercial facilities, etc.), and the user may specify whether or not they wish to receive each small type.

[0047] (Example of vehicle information and the all-vehicle information table) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of user information and the all-user information table according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, the contents of the data in the vehicle information D2 and the all-vehicle information table T2 will be described.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle information D2 includes "vehicle identification information" (in this embodiment, the in-vehicle unit ID), "tollgate identification information", "lane number", "processing date and time", "vehicle type classification information", etc. Also, the all-vehicle information table T2 is an aggregation of the vehicle information D2 received from each tollgate device 2.

[0049] The "tollgate identification information" in the vehicle information D2 is information that can identify through which entrance tollgate G2, exit tollgate G3, main line tollgate G4, or entrance FF lane L2F on which route (upward lane or downward lane) the vehicle A has passed. Also, the "lane information" is information that can identify the lane of the tollgate through which the vehicle A has passed. The "processing date and time" is the date and time when the vehicle A passed through the tollgate.

[0050] Also, the "vehicle type classification information" in the vehicle information D2 is the vehicle type classification information obtained by the tollgate device 2 from the in-vehicle unit C1 through the wireless communication device 25. When the vehicle A passes through a tollgate where a vehicle type discrimination device is installed, the "vehicle type classification information" may be the vehicle type classification information discriminated by the vehicle type discrimination device.

[0051] (Examples of service information and all service information tables) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of service information and an all service information table according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, the contents of the data of the service information D3 and the all service information table T3 will be described.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6, the service information D3 includes "type information", "service content", "service location", "valid period", etc. The all service information table T3 is an aggregation of each service information D3.

[0053] The "type information" of the service information D3 is information corresponding to the type specified by the "type designation information" of the user information D1. The "service content" is information indicating the specific content of services (such as toll discounts, events, etc.) provided on or around the toll road U. When the service information D3 is traffic information, it may be information indicating contents (such as construction, accidents, traffic jams, road closures, etc.) that affect the services of the toll road U.

[0054] The "service location" in the service information D3 indicates the location where the service is provided. For example, when the service information D3 is toll discount information, information indicating the section to which the discount applies is input as the service location. Note that the information indicating this section also includes information indicating the target route (only the uphill lane, only the downhill lane, or both). Also, when the service information D3 is event information implemented at a facility outside the toll road U, information indicating the location of this facility (such as the address) and information indicating the nearest exit tollgate G3 of this facility (tollgate identification information) are input as the service location. Furthermore, when the service information D3 is traffic information, information indicating the location and section where construction, accidents, traffic jams, road closures, etc. occur is input as the service location.

[0055] The "valid period" of the service information D3 indicates the period (date, day of the week, time zone, etc.) during which the service is provided. Also, when the service information D3 is traffic information, it may be information indicating the period (date, day of the week, time zone, etc.) that affects the service on the toll road U.

[0056] (Processing flow of the tollgate device) FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the processing flow of the tollgate device according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7, the processing flow executed by the tollgate device 2 when a vehicle arrives at the tollgate will be described in detail. Note that the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 is repeatedly executed by the tollgate device 2 each time the passage of vehicle A is detected.

[0057] First, the tollgate device 2 detects a vehicle traveling in the tollgate lane (step S11). For example, the tollgate device 2 detects that a vehicle has entered the tollgate lane by a vehicle detector (not shown).

[0058] Next, the vehicle information acquisition unit 201 of the tollgate device 2 acquires vehicle information D2 including vehicle specific information (in-vehicle unit ID, etc.) of the vehicle through the wireless communication device 25 (step S12).

[0059] Subsequently, the transmitter 202 of the tollgate device 2 adds the identification information of the tollgate where the device is installed, the lane number, and the current time (processing date and time) to the acquired vehicle information D2, and transmits it to the information providing device 1 (S13).

[0060] (Processing Flow 1 of Information Providing Device) FIG. 8 is a first diagram showing the processing flow of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, the user registration process executed by the information providing device 1 will be described in detail. The processing flow shown in FIG. 8 is executed each time the information providing device 1 receives a registration request for user information.

[0061] Before using the toll road U, the user inputs user information D1 (FIG. 4) through the user terminal C and makes a registration request to the information providing device 1. At this time, the user inputs the vehicle identification information of the vehicle in which the user is riding and the distribution destination information of the service information, and selects the type of service information for which distribution is desired, and inputs type designation information. The user terminal C transmits the user information D1 input by the user to the information providing device 1 and makes a registration request. Then, the user information registration unit 101 of the information providing device 1 acquires the user information D1 input by the user from the user terminal C (step S21).

[0062] Next, the user information registration unit 101 adds and updates the acquired user information D1 to the all user information table T1 (FIG. 4) (step S22). Further, the user information registration unit 101 may notify the user terminal C that the user registration has been completed.

[0063] (Processing Flow 2 of Information Providing Device) FIG. 9 is a second diagram showing the processing flow of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, the all vehicle information table update process executed by the information providing device 1 will be described in detail. The processing flow shown in FIG. 9 is repeatedly executed by the information providing device 1 periodically (for example, at a cycle of once every few seconds, minutes, or tens of minutes).

[0064] First, the receiving unit 102 of the information providing device 1 aggregates vehicle information regarding vehicles newly entering the toll road U (step S31). Specifically, the receiving unit 102 aggregates the vehicle information D2 (Fig. 5) received from the tollgate device 2 (entrance tollgate device 2A) installed at the entrance tollgate G2 and the entrance FF lane L2F.

[0065] Next, the receiving unit 102 aggregates vehicle information regarding vehicles newly exiting the toll road U (step S32). Specifically, the receiving unit 102 aggregates the vehicle information D2 received from the tollgate device 2 (exit tollgate device 2B) installed at the exit tollgate G3.

[0066] Also, the receiving unit 102 aggregates vehicle information regarding vehicles passing through the main line tollgate G4 of the toll road U (step S33). Specifically, the receiving unit 102 aggregates the vehicle information D2 received from the tollgate device 2 (main line tollgate device 2C) installed at the main line tollgate G4.

[0067] Next, the creating unit 103 of the information providing device 1 creates and updates an all-vehicle information table T2 (Fig. 5) having vehicle information D2 regarding all vehicles traveling on the toll road U at each point in time based on the respective information aggregated in steps S31 to S33 (step S34).

[0068] Specifically, the creating unit 103 updates the all-vehicle information table T2 by adding the vehicle information aggregated in step S31 to the all-vehicle information table T2 and excluding the vehicle information aggregated in step S32 from the all-vehicle information table T2. As a result, only the vehicle information regarding the vehicles traveling on the toll road U is recorded in the all-vehicle information table T2.

[0069] In addition, the creation unit 103 adds the vehicle information aggregated in step S33 to the all-vehicle information table T2 and updates the all-vehicle information table T2. Note that before the vehicle passes through the main-line tollgate G4, it should have entered the toll road U from the entrance tollgate G2 or the entrance FF lane L2F (the vehicle information received from the entrance tollgate device 2A should already be registered in the all-vehicle information table T2). Therefore, the creation unit 103 refers to the all-vehicle information table T2 and, for vehicle information having the same vehicle identification information as the vehicle information newly received from the main-line tollgate device 2C (if there is an entrance, this vehicle information may be overwritten with the vehicle information newly received from the main-line tollgate device 2C).

[0070] (Processing Flow 3 of Information Providing Device) FIG. 10 is a third diagram showing the processing flow of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, the service information registration process executed by the information providing device 1 will be described in detail. Note that the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 is executed each time the information providing device 1 receives an input of service information.

[0071] The road operator inputs service information through the input device 16 of the information providing device 1. Then, the service information registration unit 105 of the information providing device 1 acquires the service information D3 input by the road operator (step S41). In addition, although not shown in the figure, the service information registration unit 105 may acquire service information from an external server such as a traffic information server that provides traffic information or an event information server that provides event information.

[0072] Next, the service information registration unit 105 adds the acquired service information D3 to the all-service information table T3 (FIG. 6) and updates it (step S42). At this time, the service information registration unit 105 may also exclude service information whose expiration date has passed from the all-service information table T3.

[0073] (Processing Flow 4 of Information Providing Device) FIG. 11 is a fourth diagram showing the processing flow of the information providing device according to the first embodiment. Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the service information distribution process executed by the information providing apparatus 1 will be described in detail. Note that the processing flow shown in FIG. 11 is repeatedly executed by the information providing apparatus 1 periodically (for example, at a cycle of once every few seconds, minutes, or several tens of minutes).

[0074] First, the distribution unit 104 of the information providing apparatus 1 extracts the service information D3 to be distributed at the current distribution timing from among the service information D3 recorded in the all-service information table T3 (step S51). Specifically, the distribution unit 104 excludes the service information D3 whose expiration period has passed at the current time. Thereby, even if a time lag occurs until the service information D3 is excluded from the all-service information table T3, the distribution unit 104 can prevent the distribution of the service information D3 whose expiration period has passed. Further, when a specific date or day of the week is specified in the expiration period of the service information D3 and this expiration period does not match the current date or day of the week (that is, the service is not provided during the day), the distribution unit 104 excludes this service information D3. The distribution unit 104 extracts the remaining service information D3 that has not been excluded as the service information D3 to be distributed this time.

[0075] Next, the distribution unit 104 refers to the all-user information table T1 and the all-vehicle information table T2 to narrow down the user terminal C that is the destination of the service information D3 (step S52). Specifically, the distribution unit 104 narrows down the user information D1 associated with the vehicle identification information of the vehicles currently recorded in the all-vehicle information table T2, and sets the user terminal C indicated by the distribution destination information of this user information D1 as the distribution target. Note that only the vehicle information of the vehicles traveling on the toll road U is recorded in the all-vehicle information table T2. Therefore, by referring to the all-vehicle information table T2, the user terminals C associated with the vehicles that have not entered the toll road and the vehicles that have already exited at the current time are excluded from the distribution targets. As a result, even if a certain user terminal C was a distribution target at the previous distribution, if the vehicle associated with this user terminal C has already exited the toll road U, the distribution unit 104 can exclude this user terminal C from the distribution targets. Thereby, the information providing apparatus 1 can suppress the service information D3 from being continuously distributed to the users who have already exited the toll road U.

[0076] Next, the distribution unit 104 refers to the all-vehicle information table T2 to identify the sections where each vehicle can travel (step S53). Specifically, the distribution unit 104 identifies the entrance tollgate G2 or the entrance FF lane L2F where the vehicle has entered the toll road U from the "tollgate identification information" of the vehicle information D2, and identifies all the downstream sections from this position as the sections where this vehicle can travel. Also, the main-line tollgate G4 through which the vehicle has passed is identified from the "tollgate identification information", and all the downstream sections from this position are identified as the sections where this vehicle can travel.

[0077] The distribution unit 104 sets the distribution target section for each service information D3 (step S54). Specifically, when a section where the service is to be performed is specified in the "service location" of the service information D3, the distribution unit 104 sets the specified section and the section upstream thereof as the distribution target section for the service information D3. Further, when a facility outside the toll road U is specified in the "service location", the distribution unit 104 sets the section upstream of the nearest exit tollgate G3 of the facility as the distribution target section for the service information D3. Note that in other embodiments, a distribution target section may be set in advance for each service information. In this case, in step S53, the distribution unit 104 only needs to read the distribution target section from the service information D3.

[0078] Next, the distribution unit 104 distributes each service information D3 to the user terminal C (step S55). Specifically, the distribution unit 104 distributes the service information D3 of the "type information" specified by the type designation information to the user terminal C narrowed down in step S52, and at least a part of the travelable section of the vehicle associated with this user terminal C is included in the distribution target section. Thereby, the distribution unit 104 can distribute only the service information D3 related to the section where the user may travel and the type of interest to each user.

[0079] (Function, effect) As described above, the information providing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment distributes the service information D3 to the user terminal C based on the user information D1 in which the vehicle specific information of the vehicle on which the user rides is associated with the distribution destination information of the user terminal C of the user, and the vehicle information D2 including the vehicle specific information received from the entrance tollgate apparatus 2A. By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can distribute service information to the user terminal C of the user using the toll road U. Thereby, the user can refer to the service information related to the toll road U through his or her own user terminal C without going to a place where an information providing facility such as an electric bulletin board is installed.

[0080] In addition, the information providing apparatus 1 distributes only the service information D3 related to the type designated by the user to the user terminal C. In information providing facilities such as conventional electric bulletin boards, since the amount of information that can be displayed and the display format are limited, it was only possible to provide fixed information such as traffic information uniformly to all users. However, since the information providing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described features, it is possible to distribute different service information D3 according to the preferences of the users.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, the processes of various processes executed by the information providing apparatus 1 and the tollgate apparatus 2 are stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the computer reads and executes this program to perform the above-described various processes. Further, the computer-readable recording medium refers to a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Further, this computer program may be distributed to the computer via a communication line, and the computer that has received this distribution may execute the program.

[0082] The above program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions. Further, it may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0083] As described above, several embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described, but all of these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

[0084] <Supplementary Note> The information providing apparatus, information providing method, and program described in each embodiment are understood as follows, for example.

[0085] (1) In a first aspect, an information providing apparatus 1 that provides service information D3 to users of a toll road includes a user information registration unit 101 that registers user information D1 in which vehicle specific information of a vehicle in which a user rides is associated with distribution destination information indicating a user terminal C that is a distribution destination of the service information D3; a receiving unit 102 that receives vehicle information D2 including the vehicle specific information of the vehicle that has passed through the entrance tollgate from an entrance tollgate apparatus 2A installed at the entrance tollgate; and a distribution unit 104 that refers to the user information D1, identifies the user terminal C associated with the vehicle specific information received from the entrance tollgate apparatus 2A, and distributes the service information D3 to the identified user terminal C.

[0086] By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can distribute service information to the user terminal C of the user who is using the toll road U. Thereby, the user can refer to the service information related to the toll road U through his or her own user terminal C without going to a place where an information providing facility such as an electronic display board is installed.

[0087] (2) In a second aspect, the vehicle information D2 further includes identification information of the entrance tollgate, and the distribution unit 104 identifies a section in which the vehicle can travel from the vehicle information D2, extracts service information D3 associated with the identified section, and distributes it to the user terminal C.

[0088] By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can provide only the service information D3 related to the section (travelable section) that the user is likely to use to the user. Thereby, the information providing apparatus 1 can suppress the distribution of unnecessary service information D3.

[0089] (3) In a third aspect, the user information D1 further includes type designation information that designates the type of the service to be distributed, and the distribution unit 104 distributes the service information D3 associated with the type designation information to the user terminal C.

[0090] By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can distribute different service information D3 according to the preferences of the user.

[0091] (4) In the fourth aspect, the receiving unit 102 further receives vehicle information including vehicle identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the exit tollgate from the exit tollgate apparatus 2B installed at the exit tollgate, and the distributing unit 104 excludes the user terminal C associated with the vehicle identification information received from the exit tollgate apparatus 2B from the distribution destinations of the service information D3.

[0092] By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can suppress the continuous distribution of the service information D3 to the users who have already exited the toll road U.

[0093] (5) In the fifth aspect, the service information D3 further includes an expiration date, and the distributing unit 104 does not distribute the service information D3 that has passed the expiration date.

[0094] By doing so, the information providing apparatus 1 can suppress the distribution of the service information D3 that has passed the expiration date to the user.

[0095] (6) In the sixth aspect, an information providing method for providing the service information D3 to the users of the toll road includes a step of registering user information D1 in which vehicle identification information of the vehicle on which the user rides is associated with distribution destination information indicating the user terminal C that is the distribution destination of the service information D3, a step of receiving vehicle information D2 including vehicle identification information of the vehicle that has passed through the entrance tollgate from the entrance tollgate apparatus 2A installed at the entrance tollgate, and a step of referring to the user information D1, identifying the user terminal C associated with the vehicle identification information received from the entrance tollgate apparatus 2A, and distributing the service information D3 to the identified user terminal C.

[0096] (7) In the seventh aspect, the program causes an information providing device 1 that provides service information D3 to users of a toll road to execute steps of registering user information D1 in which vehicle specific information of a vehicle in which a user rides is associated with distribution destination information indicating a user terminal C that is a distribution destination of the service information D3; receiving vehicle information D2 including the vehicle specific information of the vehicle that has passed through a tollgate from a tollgate device 2A installed at the entrance tollgate; referring to the user information D1, identifying the user terminal C associated with the vehicle specific information received from the tollgate device 2A, and distributing the service information D3 to the identified user terminal C.

Explanation of Signs

[0097] 9 Information providing system 1 Information providing device 2 Tollgate device 2A Entrance tollgate device 2B Exit tollgate device 2C Main line tollgate device D1 User information D2 Vehicle information D3 Service information

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus for providing service information to users of a toll road, comprising: a user information registration unit that registers user information associating vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user is riding with distribution destination information indicating a user terminal that is a distribution destination of the service information; a receiving unit that receives vehicle information including vehicle identification information of each vehicle that has passed through the entrance tollgate and each vehicle that has passed through the main line tollgate from an entrance tollgate apparatus installed at an entrance tollgate and a main line tollgate apparatus installed at a main line tollgate; a creating unit that creates an all-vehicle information table aggregating the vehicle information collected from the entrance tollgate apparatus and the main line tollgate apparatus; a distribution unit that refers to the user information and the all-vehicle information table, identifies a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the entrance tollgate apparatus and the main line tollgate apparatus, and distributes the service information to the identified user terminal; wherein the vehicle information further includes identification information of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate; the service information includes information indicating a service location associated with the service; when there is vehicle information including the same vehicle identification information as the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate apparatus in the all-vehicle information table, the creating unit overwrites the vehicle information in the all-vehicle information table with the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate apparatus; the distribution unit identifies, as a travelable section, a section downstream of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate specified from the identification information included in the vehicle information as a section in which the vehicle can travel, sets, as a distribution target section of the service information, a section including the service location of the service information and a section upstream of the service location, and when at least a part of the travelable section specified from the vehicle information is included in the distribution target section of the service information, distributes the service information to the user terminal associated with the vehicle information; an information providing apparatus.

2. The user information further includes type designation information for designating a type of service to be distributed; the distribution unit distributes the service information associated with the type designation information to the user terminal; The information providing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The receiving unit further receives vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has passed through the exit tollgate from an exit tollgate apparatus installed at an exit tollgate; The distribution unit excludes the user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the exit tollgate device from the distribution destinations of the service information. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The service information further includes a valid period. The distribution unit does not distribute the service information that has passed the valid period. The information providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An information providing method for providing service information to users of a toll road, comprising: registering user information associating vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user rides with distribution destination information indicating a user terminal that is a distribution destination of the service information; receiving vehicle information including vehicle identification information of each vehicle that has passed through the entrance tollgate and each vehicle that has passed through the main line tollgate from an entrance tollgate device installed at an entrance tollgate and a main line tollgate device installed at a main line tollgate; creating an all-vehicle information table that aggregates the vehicle information collected from the entrance tollgate device and the main line tollgate device; referring to the user information and the all-vehicle information table, identifying a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the entrance tollgate device and the main line tollgate device, and distributing the service information to the identified user terminal; having The vehicle information further includes identification information of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate. The service information includes information indicating a service location associated with the service. The step of creating the all-vehicle information table overwrites the vehicle information in the all-vehicle information table with the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate device when there is vehicle information including the same vehicle identification information as the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate device in the all-vehicle information table. The step of distributing the service information identifies, as a travelable section, a section downstream of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate specified from the identification information included in the vehicle information where the vehicle can travel, sets, as a distribution target section of the service information, a section including the service location of the service information and a section upstream of the service location, and distributes the service information to the user terminal associated with the vehicle information when at least a part of the travelable section specified from the vehicle information is included in the distribution target section of the service information. Information providing method.

6. An information providing apparatus that provides service information to toll road users, a step of registering user information in which vehicle identification information of a vehicle in which the user rides and distribution destination information indicating a user terminal that is a distribution destination of the service information are associated; a step of receiving vehicle information including vehicle identification information of each vehicle that has passed through the entrance tollgate and each vehicle that has passed through the main line tollgate from an entrance tollgate device installed at an entrance tollgate and a main line tollgate device installed at a main line tollgate; a step of creating an all-vehicle information table that aggregates the vehicle information collected from the entrance tollgate device and the main line tollgate device; a step of identifying a user terminal associated with the vehicle identification information received from the entrance tollgate device and the main line tollgate device with reference to the user information and the all-vehicle information table, and distributing the service information to the identified user terminal; to execute, the vehicle information further includes identification information of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate, the service information includes information indicating a service location associated with the service, the step of creating the all-vehicle information table overwrites the vehicle information in the all-vehicle information table with the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate device when there is vehicle information including the same vehicle identification information as the vehicle information received from the main line tollgate device in the all-vehicle information table; the step of distributing the service information identifies, as a travelable section, a section downstream of the entrance tollgate or the main line tollgate specified from the identification information included in the vehicle information as a section in which the vehicle can travel, sets, as a distribution target section of the service information, a section including the service location of the service information and a section upstream of the service location, and when at least a part of the travelable section specified from the vehicle information is included in the distribution target section of the service information, distributes the service information to the user terminal associated with the vehicle information; Program.

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