Road information estimation device, road information estimation terminal, road information estimation system device, road information estimation method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

To provide a road information estimation device capable of estimating road information.SOLUTION: A road information estimation device includes a sensor information acquisition section, a graph image generation section, a determination section, and a road information estimation section, The sensor information acquisition section acquires acceleration information of a vehicle, position information, and measurement time information in association with each other. The graph image generation section generates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and the measurement time information. The determination section determines a vehicle accident which occurs on a road identified by the position information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information. The reference waveform information is the information where the type of the vehicle accident is associated with the reference waveform graph image. The road information estimation section estimates road information of the road identified by the position information based on a determination result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a road information estimation device, a road information estimation terminal, a road information estimation system device, a road information estimation method, a program, and a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In winter, mountain roads near ski resorts and other areas have bad roads where slip accidents frequently occur due to factors such as freezing. Information about such bad roads is generally displayed on road signs such as "Watch out for frozen roads" and "Watch out for slips." There is also known technology for displaying information about frozen road surfaces in map information (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-263604 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a problem in that the information displayed on road signs and using the technology of Patent Document 1 is not necessarily the latest information, may be outdated, and may not reflect actual road information.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a road information estimation device capable of estimating road information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the road information estimation device of the present invention comprises: The system includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

[0007] The road information estimating terminal of the present invention includes a position information measuring unit, an acceleration information measuring unit, and a communication unit, the location information measurement unit measures location information, the acceleration information measurement unit measures acceleration information; The communication unit is capable of communicating with the road information estimation device of the present invention, and links the position information, the acceleration information, and the measurement time information to the road information estimation device and transmits them to the road information estimation device.

[0008] The road information estimation system device of the present invention includes a server and a terminal, the server and the terminal are capable of communicating with each other; the terminal includes a location information measurement unit, an acceleration information measurement unit, and a communication unit; the location information measurement unit measures location information, the acceleration information measurement unit measures acceleration information; the communication unit links the position information, the acceleration information, and the measurement time information and transmits them to the server; The server and the terminal as a whole It includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

[0009] The road information estimation method of the present invention includes: The method includes a sensor information acquisition step, a graph image creation step, a determination step, and a road information estimation step, the sensor information acquisition step acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determining step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on the road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimating step estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

[0010] The program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a sensor information acquisition procedure, a graph image creation procedure, a determination procedure, and a road information estimation procedure, the step of acquiring sensor information includes acquiring acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimation step is a program for estimating road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, road information can be estimated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the road information estimation device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an example of a road information estimation system apparatus including the road information estimation apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the road information estimating terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the road information estimation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a waveform graph image. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing of the determination unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the road information estimation unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the road information estimation device of the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the road information estimation device of the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the following drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the descriptions of the embodiments can be mutually incorporated unless otherwise specified, and the configurations of the embodiments can be combined unless otherwise specified.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] The road information estimation device of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the road information estimation device 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "this device 10") includes a sensor information acquisition unit 11, a graph image creation unit 12, a determination unit 13, and a road information estimation unit 14. Although not shown, this device 10 may also include, for example, a storage unit.

[0015] The device 10 may be, for example, a single device including the above-described units, or a device in which the units can be connected via a communication network. The device 10 can also be connected to an external device (described later) via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited, and any known network can be used, for example, wired or wireless. Examples of communication networks include the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), a telephone line, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN), a Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN), a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA), and a Local 5G (L5G). Examples of wireless communication include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Local 5G, and LPWA. Examples of wireless communication include direct communication between devices (Ad Hoc communication), infrastructure communication, and indirect communication via an access point. The device 10 may be incorporated into a server as a system. The device 10 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC, e.g., desktop or laptop) on which the program of the present invention is installed, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. Furthermore, the device 10 may be, for example, a cloud computing or edge computing system in which at least one of the above-described units is located on a server and the other units are located on a terminal. A specific example is a system in which a reception server including a sensor information acquisition unit 11 and a graph image creation unit 12 is connected to a determination server including a determination unit 13 and a road information estimation unit 14 via a communication network. In this case, the device 10 may also be referred to as, for example, a road information estimation system.

[0016] 2 shows a block diagram of the hardware configuration of the device 10. The device 10 includes, for example, a CPU 101, a memory 102, a bus 103, a storage device 104, an input device 106, a display device 107, and a communication device (communication unit) 108. The components of the device 10 are connected to each other via the bus 103 and their respective interfaces (I / F).

[0017] The CPU 101 cooperates with other components, for example, via a controller (such as a system controller or an I / O controller), and is responsible for overall control of the device 10. In the device 10, the CPU 101 executes, for example, the program 105 of the present invention and other programs, and also reads and writes various types of information. Specifically, for example, the CPU 101 functions as a sensor information acquisition unit 11, a graph image creation unit 12, a determination unit 13, and a road information estimation unit 14. The device 10 includes a CPU as a computing device, but may also include other computing devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), or may include a combination of the CPU and these.

[0018] The bus 103 can also be connected to, for example, external devices. Examples of the external devices include a road information estimating terminal (described later), an external storage device (external database, etc.), a printer, an external input device, an external display device, an audio output device (such as a speaker), an external imaging device (such as a camera), and various sensors (such as an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a direction sensor). The device 10 can be connected to an external network (the communication line network) by, for example, a communication device 108 connected to the bus 103, and can also be connected to other devices, such as the road information estimating terminal, via the external network.

[0019] The memory 102 may be, for example, a main memory (primary storage device). When the CPU 101 performs processing, the memory 102 reads various operation programs, such as a program 105 of the present invention stored in a storage device 104 (described later), and the CPU 101 receives data from the memory 102 and executes the program. The main memory may be, for example, a RAM (random access memory). The memory 102 may also be, for example, a ROM (read only memory).

[0020] The storage device 104 is also referred to as an auxiliary storage device, for example, in contrast to the main memory (primary storage device). As described above, the storage device 104 stores an operating program 105 including the program of the present invention. The storage device 104 may be, for example, a combination of a recording medium and a drive for reading and writing data from and to the recording medium. The recording medium is not particularly limited and may be, for example, an internal or external type, such as a hard disk (HD), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, MO, DVD, flash memory, or memory card. The storage device 104 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD) in which the recording medium and drive are integrated. When the device 10 includes, for example, the storage unit, the storage device 104 functions as the storage unit. The storage device 104 may store, for example, reference waveform information, which will be described later.

[0021] In the present device 10, the memory 102 and the storage device 104 can also store various information such as log information, information acquired from an external database (not shown) or an external device, information generated by the present device 10, and information used when the present device 10 executes processing. Note that at least a portion of the information may be stored, for example, in an external server other than the memory 102 and the storage device 104, or may be stored in a distributed manner across multiple terminals using blockchain technology or the like.

[0022] The device 10 further includes, for example, an input device 106 and a display 107. Examples of the input device 106 include pointing devices such as a touch panel, track pad, and mouse; a keyboard; imaging means such as a camera and scanner; card readers such as an IC card reader and a magnetic card reader; and audio input means such as a microphone. Examples of the display 107 include display devices such as an LED display and a liquid crystal display. In the first embodiment, the input device 106 and the display 107 are configured separately, but the input device 106 and the display 107 may also be configured as an integrated device, such as a touch panel display.

[0023] The device 10 may be capable of communicating with, for example, a road information estimation terminal 20. In this case, for example, the entire system including the road information estimation device 10 and the road information estimation terminal 20 may be referred to as a road information estimation system device 100.

[0024] A road information estimation system apparatus 100 including a road information estimation device 10 and a road information estimation terminal 20 of the present invention will be described using FIG. 3. FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the road information estimation system apparatus 100 including the road information estimation device 10 and the road information estimation terminal 20 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, the road information estimation device 10 and the road information estimation terminal 20 can be connected to each other via a communication network 30. The communication network 30 is as described above, and the connection between the road information estimation device 10 and the road information estimation terminal 20 may be, for example, wired or wireless. In the road information estimation system apparatus 100, the road information estimation terminal 20 may be, for example, a small device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet terminal) that can be carried by a user into a vehicle, or may be an on-board device including various sensors and communication devices. 3(B), the road information estimation device 10 may have a configuration in which a reception server 10A (road information estimation device 10A) including a sensor information acquisition unit 11 and a graph image creation unit 12 and a determination server 10B (road information estimation device 10B) including a determination unit 13 and a road information estimation unit 14 are connected via a communication network. Note that in the road information estimation devices 10A and 10B, for example, the configuration of each unit is arbitrary and is not limited to this. Furthermore, the road information estimation terminal 20 may be capable of executing part or all of the processing of the road information estimation device 10, for example.

[0025] The road information estimation terminal 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "terminal 20") includes, for example, a position information measurement unit 21, an acceleration information measurement unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The position information measurement unit 21 can measure position information, for example, using a Global Positioning System (GPS) or the like. The acceleration information measurement unit 22 can measure acceleration information, for example, using an acceleration sensor or the like. The acceleration information measurement unit 22 can preferably measure acceleration information in at least one direction of the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis, and more preferably can measure acceleration information in three axial directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The communication unit 23 can communicate with the road information estimation device 10 and associates the position information and acceleration information and transmits them to the road information estimation device 10. The road information estimation terminal 20 is not particularly limited as long as it has these components. Specific examples include mobile terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, and tablet terminals; smartwatches, smart glasses, and wearable terminals; and in-vehicle devices equipped with an acceleration sensor, a GPS sensor, and a communication device. From the viewpoint of portability, the road information estimating terminal 20 is preferably a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of the hardware configuration of the road information estimating terminal 20. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the road information estimating terminal 20 includes, for example, a CPU 201, a memory 202, a bus 203, a storage device 204, an input device 206, a display 207, a communication device 208, an acceleration sensor 209, and a GPS receiver 210. The description of each component of the road information estimating terminal 20 can be used to refer to the description of each component of the road information estimating apparatus 10. The components of the road information estimating terminal 20 are connected via the bus 203 by their respective interfaces (I / F). In the road information estimating terminal 20, the CPU 201 controls the communication device 208, the acceleration sensor 209, and the GPS receiver 210 connected via the bus 203, and functions as a position information measuring unit 21, an acceleration information measuring unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The road information estimating terminal 20 may also include various other sensors, such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a direction sensor.

[0027] Next, an example of the road information estimation method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 5. The road information estimation method of this embodiment is implemented as follows, for example, using the road information estimation device 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Note that the road information estimation method of this embodiment is not limited to use with the road information estimation device 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Furthermore, in the following description, a server-client type road information estimation system device 100 shown in Fig. 3(A) will be used as the road information estimation device 10, which acquires information by communication from a road information estimation terminal 20 installed in a vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to the following example, and for example, part or all of the processing of the road information estimation device 10 in the road information estimation system device 100 may be executed by the road information estimation terminal 20.

[0028] First, prior to processing by the road information estimation device 10, reference waveform information is prepared. The reference waveform information is information linking the type of vehicle accident with a reference waveform graph image. The type of vehicle accident is, for example, information indicating the state of the vehicle while it is traveling, such as abrupt steering (sharp turn), sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, collision, spin, slip, jump, overturn (including, for example, rollover and tipping over), fall, and hydroplaning. The reference waveform graph image is, for example, information on a waveform graph image created based on acceleration information of the vehicle in the state of the vehicle accident. The reference waveform graph image may be based on acceleration information measured during an actual vehicle accident, acceleration information collected when the vehicle accident is reproduced by simulation, or acceleration information generated by machine learning. The reference waveform information may be stored, for example, in the storage device 104 or memory 102 of the road information estimation device 10, or in a database external to the device.

[0029] A user places a road information estimating terminal 20 (for example, a smartphone equipped with an acceleration sensor and a GPS function) in a vehicle and drives the vehicle. The road information estimating terminal 20 measures vehicle position information using a position information measuring unit 21 while the vehicle is traveling. The position information may be, for example, GPS coordinate information of latitude and longitude. The scale of the position information is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 / 10000 degrees, 1 / 5000 degrees, 1 / 1000 degrees, 1 / 500 degrees, or 1 / 250 degrees, with the 1 / 1000 degree level being preferred. Furthermore, it is preferable that the position information be determined such that an area of approximately 100 meters square is the same point. Furthermore, the road information estimating terminal 20 measures vehicle acceleration information using an acceleration information measuring unit 22. The acceleration information measurement unit 22 may measure the acceleration of the road information estimation terminal 20 itself using an acceleration sensor provided in the terminal, or, if the vehicle in which the terminal is located is equipped with an acceleration sensor, may measure the acceleration information of the vehicle by acquiring acceleration information measured by the acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle. As described above, the acceleration information may be measured as acceleration information in at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and it is preferable to measure acceleration information in all three directions. The communication unit 23 then links the measured acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information and transmits them to the road information estimation device 10. The measurement time information is, for example, information on the date and time when the acceleration information was measured. The information may be transmitted at any timing, and may be transmitted continuously or under specified conditions. The predetermined condition is not particularly limited, and examples include when the azimuth angle measured by the magnetic sensor changes at a rate exceeding 45 degrees per second, when an acceleration of 0.5 G or more is measured in the direction of travel of the vehicle, when there is substantially no change in acceleration in the direction of travel and when the acceleration change in the direction of gravity is 0.01 G or less for one second or more, etc. Furthermore, the road information estimating terminal 20 may be capable of determining the horizontality of the road information estimating terminal 20 using a sensor such as a gyro sensor.In this case, since more accurate measurement of acceleration information is possible, the horizontality of the road information estimating terminal 20 may be determined, and if it is horizontal, acceleration information may be measured, and if it is not horizontal, a warning message may be displayed on the display 207. The warning message may be, for example, a message such as "For accurate measurement, it is recommended that the terminal be fixed horizontally." The warning message may be, for example, text information, audio information, or both. Furthermore, if the road information estimating terminal 20 is not horizontal, the coordinate axes of the terminal may be rotated, for example, by coordinate axis Euler transformation processing.

[0030] Next, the sensor information acquisition unit 11 acquires the vehicle's acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information in a linked manner (S1, sensor information acquisition step). The sensor information acquisition unit 11 can acquire the vehicle's acceleration information and position information in a linked manner, for example, from the road information estimating terminal 20 (for example, the user's smartphone) installed in the vehicle via the communication network 30. The sensor information acquisition unit 11 may also acquire other information, for example. Examples of the other information include terminal identification information of the road information estimating terminal 20, measurement time information, weather information, barometric pressure information, and temperature information. The terminal identification information of the road information estimating terminal 20 is information that can identify the terminal, and specific examples include a telephone number, email address, ID, password, device-specific information of the terminal (identification numbers such as the terminal's serial number and International Mobile Equipment Identifier), and the name and nickname of the user of the road information estimating terminal 20. By acquiring the terminal identification information as well, it is possible to exclude, for example, fraudulent data due to poor vehicle maintenance or intentional tampering. The measurement time information is, for example, information on the date and time when the acceleration information and position information were measured. Note that acquisition of information by the sensor information acquisition unit 11 is not limited to acquisition from the road information estimating terminal 20, and may be acquired from, for example, various sensors connected to the road information estimating device 10, or from a database outside the device that accumulates information from the road information estimating terminal 20.

[0031] Next, the graph image creation unit 12 creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information. The waveform graph image can be created, for example, by plotting the acceleration information for each measurement axis along the vertical axis, with the horizontal axis representing the time (t) scaled to the measurement time. FIG. 6 shows an example of a waveform graph image created by the graph image creation unit 12. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 121A indicates acceleration information in the X-axis direction, reference numeral 121B indicates acceleration information in the Y-axis direction, and reference numeral 121C indicates acceleration information in the Z-axis direction. The created waveform graph image may be stored in, for example, the storage device 104 or memory 102 of the road information estimation device 10, or may be transmitted to an external database and stored in the external database.

[0032] Next, the determination unit 13 determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on the road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and the reference waveform information (S3, determination step). Specifically, for example, the determination unit 13 compares the waveform graph image with the reference waveform image through image analysis. If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the determination unit 13 can determine that a vehicle accident of the type corresponding to the reference waveform graph image has occurred. The image analysis method is not particularly limited, and for example, a known pattern matching method can be used. For example, image template matching is preferred, and geometric shape pattern matching is particularly preferred. The first threshold is not particularly limited, and for example, can be 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 99% or more, with 90% or more being preferred. The determination unit 13 may determine, for example, the occurrence of one type of vehicle accident or multiple types of vehicle accidents. In the latter case, the determination unit 13 may determine the order in which vehicle accidents occurred along the time axis of the waveform graph image, for example. The determination result may be stored in the storage device 104 or memory 102 of the road information estimation device 10 in association with the position information, or may be transmitted to an external database and stored in the external database.

[0033] A specific example of the determination by the determination unit 13 will be described using FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the graph on the left is the waveform graph image, the graph on the upper right is a reference waveform image associated with a slip as a type of vehicle accident, and the graph on the lower right is a reference waveform image associated with a collision as a type of vehicle accident. As shown in FIG. 7, the determination unit 13 searches the waveform graph information for a position of a waveform image similar to the learned reference waveform image, and if a similar position is found, calculates the coincidence rate and determines whether the calculated coincidence rate exceeds the first threshold. As a result, for example, in the waveform graph image shown in FIG. 7, the determination unit 13 can determine that the vehicle collided after a slip.

[0034] Next, the road information estimation unit 14 estimates road information for the road identified by the position information based on the determination result (S4, road information estimation step). The road information estimation unit 14 can estimate road information for the road identified by the position information based on, for example, at least one of the order in which the vehicle accidents occurred, the types of the vehicle accidents that occurred within a predetermined time period, and the number of vehicle accidents. The road information can include, for example, road danger levels; road surface conditions such as bad roads typified by snow, ice, and gravel roads; and areas where people or animals frequently run out into the road. The danger levels can be, for example, an estimate of whether or not there is danger, and if there is danger, the degree of danger can be further estimated. The danger levels can be, for example, four levels, such as "very dangerous," "dangerous," "caution," and "safe," in descending order of danger, but are not limited to these. For example, the road information estimation unit 14 can estimate the road surface danger level to be "very dangerous" for a road on which a collision has been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours or three or more spins have been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours. For example, the road information estimation unit 14 can estimate the road surface danger level to be "dangerous" for a road on which a spin has been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours or three or more slips have been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours. For example, the road information estimation unit 14 can estimate the road surface danger level to be "caution" for a road on which a slip has been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours. For example, the road information estimation unit 14 can estimate the road surface danger level to be "safe" for a road on which no vehicle accident has been determined as the vehicle accident within 24 hours. When estimating road surface conditions as the road information, for example, if a collision, a spin, and a slip have been determined as the vehicle accident, the road information estimation unit 14 can estimate that the road identified by the location information may be a bad road. In addition, if the vehicle accident is determined to be, for example, a sudden turn, sudden acceleration, sudden stop, or collision, the road condition estimation unit 14 can determine that the road identified by the location information is likely to be an area where pedestrians run out into the road.The estimation result may be stored in the storage device 104 or memory 102 of the road information estimation device 10 in association with the position information, or may be transmitted to an external database and stored in the external database.

[0035] A specific example of road surface risk estimation by the road information estimation unit 14 will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 8. In the following specific example, the road surface risk is estimated as one of "very dangerous" which indicates an extremely dangerous road surface, "danger" which indicates a moderately dangerous road surface, "caution" which indicates a road surface requiring caution, and "safe" which indicates a safe road surface, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0036] First, the road information estimation unit 14 determines whether a sudden steering decision is made at the beginning of the waveform in the waveform graph image (S4A). If a sudden steering decision is made at the beginning of the waveform (S4A, Yes), even if a waveform such as a collision or spin is detected thereafter, it can be estimated that the accident was caused by the operation of the driver, i.e., the user, rather than the road surface danger level. Therefore, the road information estimation unit 14 estimates that the road surface of the road identified by the location information is safe (S4K).

[0037] If there is no sudden steering determination at the beginning of the waveform (S4A, No), the road information estimation unit 14 determines, for example, whether there is a sudden acceleration or sudden deceleration determination at the beginning of the waveform in the waveform graph image (S4B). If there is a sudden acceleration or sudden deceleration determination at the beginning of the waveform (S4B, Yes), even if a waveform indicating a collision, spin, or the like is detected thereafter, it can be estimated that the accident was caused by the operation of the driver, i.e., the user, rather than the risk of the road surface. Therefore, the road information estimation unit 14 estimates that the road surface of the road identified by the location information is safe (S4K), for example.

[0038] If there is no sudden acceleration or deceleration determination at the beginning of the waveform (S4B, No), the road information estimation unit 14 determines, for example, whether a collision determination has been made in the waveform graph image (S4C). If a collision determination has been made (S4C, Yes), the road information estimation unit 14 estimates, for example, that the road surface danger level for the road identified by the location information is "very dangerous" (S4D).

[0039] Next, if a collision determination has not been made (S4C, No), the road information estimation unit 14 determines, for example, whether a spin determination has been made in the waveform graph image (S4E). If a spin determination has been made (S4E, Yes), the road information estimation unit 14 further determines, for example, whether three or more spin determinations have been made at the same location within 24 hours (S4F). If three or more spin determinations have been made (S4F, Yes), the road information estimation unit 14 estimates, for example, that the road surface danger level for the road identified by the location information is "very dangerous" (S4D). On the other hand, if three or more spin determinations have not been made (S4F, No), the road information estimation unit 14 estimates, for example, that the road surface danger level for the road identified by the location information is "dangerous" (S4G).

[0040] Next, if a spin determination has not been made (S4F, No), the road information estimation unit 14 determines, for example, whether a slip determination has been made in the waveform graph image (S4H). If a slip determination has been made (S4H, Yes), the road information estimation unit 14 further determines, for example, whether three or more slip determinations have been made at the same location within 24 hours (S4I). If three or more slip determinations have been made (S4I, Yes), the road information estimation unit 14 estimates, for example, that the road surface danger level for the road identified by the location information is "dangerous" (S4G). On the other hand, if three or more slip determinations have not been made (S4I, No), the road information estimation unit 14 estimates, for example, that the road surface danger level for the road identified by the location information is "caution" (S4J).

[0041] If a slip determination has not been made (S4H, No), the road information estimating unit 14 estimates that the road surface of the road specified by the position information is safe (S4K).

[0042] According to the road information estimation device of this embodiment, a waveform graph image created based on acquired acceleration information is compared with a reference waveform graph image to determine whether a vehicle accident has occurred, and road information can be estimated based on the determination result. For example, the road information estimation device of the present invention processes vehicle acceleration information as graph image data rather than treating it as numerical data. This allows for improved analysis accuracy by increasing the number of samples, even without the intervention of an analysis expert. Furthermore, since no two road surfaces are exactly the same, and each driver's driving line and driving behavior differ, and there are errors due to the accuracy of the acceleration sensor, there are many uncertainties, and acceleration information as numerical data tends to be noisy. However, the road information estimation device of the present invention processes acceleration information as graph image data, enabling more accurate analysis.

[0043] [Embodiment 2] The second embodiment is another example of the road information estimation device of the present invention.

[0044] The road information estimation device of this embodiment is similar to the road information estimation device 10 of the first embodiment except that it includes a mapping unit and an output unit in addition to the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of the first embodiment, and the description thereof can be cited. The road information estimation device 10C of this embodiment includes, for example, a mapping unit and an output unit, and the mapping unit maps the estimation result of the road information onto map information based on the position information, and the output unit outputs the map information onto which the estimation result is mapped.

[0045] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device 10C of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the road information estimation device 10C includes a mapping unit 15 and an output unit 16 in addition to the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of embodiment 1. The hardware configuration of the road information estimation device 10C is the same as that of the road information estimation device 10 of Fig. 2, except that the CPU 101 includes the configuration of the road information estimation device 10C of Fig. 9 instead of the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of Fig. 1.

[0046] Next, the road information estimation method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10. The road information estimation method of this embodiment can be implemented, for example, by using a road information estimation device 10C of this embodiment shown in Fig. 9. Note that the road information estimation method of the present invention is not limited to use of the road information estimation device 10C.

[0047] First, steps S1 to S4 are carried out in the same manner as steps S1 to S4 in the road information estimation method of the first embodiment.

[0048] Next, the mapping unit 15 maps the estimation results of the road information onto map information based on the location information (S5, mapping step). For example, the mapping unit 15 preferably maps the estimation results so that they can be overlaid on the map information. For example, the mapping unit 15 may map all estimation results onto the map information based on the location information, or may map estimation results that exist at a point specified by the user onto the map information. In the latter case, for example, based on coordinate information specified by the user, estimation results linked to location information included in map information around the coordinate information can be extracted and mapped.

[0049] Then, the output unit 16 outputs the map information onto which the estimation result is mapped (S6, output step). The output unit 16 may output (display) the map information on the display 106, or may output it to an external device (for example, the road information estimation terminal 20) via a communication network.

[0050] The road information estimation device of this embodiment can output map information in which the estimation results of road information are mapped.

[0051] [Embodiment 3] The third embodiment is another example of the road information estimation device of the present invention.

[0052] The road information estimation device of this embodiment is similar to the road information estimation device 10 of the first embodiment except that it includes a hearing unit in addition to the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of the first embodiment, and the description thereof can be cited. The road information estimation device 10D of this embodiment includes, for example, a hearing unit, and the determination unit compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image by image analysis, and if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold and equal to or greater than a second threshold, provisionally determines that a vehicle accident of the type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred, the hearing unit outputs hearing information confirming whether or not a vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquires hearing result information, and the determination unit determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information.

[0053] Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a road information estimation device 10D of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the road information estimation device 10D includes a hearing unit 17 in addition to the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of embodiment 1. The hardware configuration of the road information estimation device 10D is the same as that of the road information estimation device 10 of Fig. 2, except that the CPU 101 includes the configuration of the road information estimation device 10B of Fig. 11 instead of the configuration of the road information estimation device 10 of Fig. 1.

[0054] Next, the road information estimation method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 12. The road information estimation method of this embodiment can be implemented, for example, by using the road information estimation device 10D of this embodiment shown in Fig. 11. Note that the road information estimation method of the present invention is not limited to use of the road information estimation device 10D.

[0055] First, steps S1 and S2 are carried out in the same manner as steps S1 and S2 in the road information estimation method of the first embodiment.

[0056] Next, the determination unit 13 compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis to determine whether the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is equal to or greater than a first threshold (S3A). The first threshold is, for example, as described above. If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than the first threshold (S3A, Yes), the determination unit 13 determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred (S3D), similar to S3 in the first embodiment, and the road information estimation unit 14 performs S4, similar to S4 in the first embodiment, and then ends the process (END).

[0057] On the other hand, if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is less than the first threshold (S3A, No), the determination unit 13 determines whether the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is equal to or greater than a second threshold (S3B). The second threshold is not particularly limited and may be, for example, less than the first threshold, such as 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 99% or more, with 80% or more being preferred. If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is less than the second threshold (S3B, No), the processing by the device 10 is terminated (END). On the other hand, if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than the second threshold (S3B, Yes), the determination unit 13 provisionally determines that a vehicle accident of the type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred (S3C).

[0058] Next, the hearing unit 17 outputs, for example, hearing information to confirm whether or not the provisionally determined type of vehicle accident has occurred (S7A, hearing step). Specifically, the hearing information may be information to confirm the occurrence of the provisionally determined vehicle accident, such as, "It has been detected that the vehicle you are riding in has spun. Did it actually spin?" and may include answer options (for example, Yes or No). The hearing information may be, for example, text information, audio information, or both. The hearing unit 17 outputs the hearing information to the road information estimating terminal 20 that transmitted the acceleration information to the device 10, for example, via the communication line network 30. When the road information estimating terminal 20 receives the hearing information, the user inputs hearing result information. The hearing result information is, for example, information that answers whether or not the provisionally determined vehicle accident has occurred. If the hearing information includes answer options, the hearing result information may be information on the selection of the answer option (Yes or No). Then, the road information estimating terminal 20 transmits the input hearing result information to the road information estimating device 10D. The hearing unit 17 acquires the hearing result information from the road information estimating terminal 20, for example, via the communication line network 30 (S7B). Furthermore, the hearing unit 17 may terminate the process, for example, if the hearing result information cannot be acquired within a predetermined time, i.e., if the user does not input the hearing result information. The predetermined time is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, within 24 hours from the date and time specified by the measurement time information.

[0059] The determination unit 13 determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information (S3D). Specifically, the determination unit 13 can determine that the provisionally determined vehicle accident has occurred, for example, when the answer option in the hearing result information is Yes. Furthermore, the determination unit 13 may end the process when the answer option is No.

[0060] Then, S4 is carried out in the same manner as S4 in the above embodiment, and the processing by the road information estimation device 10D ends (END).

[0061] According to the road information estimation device of this embodiment, for example, if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image does not satisfy a standard (first threshold), the road information estimation device of this embodiment can ask the user for their opinion. Therefore, the road information estimation device of this embodiment can estimate road information with higher accuracy.

[0062] [Embodiment 4] The program of this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the road information estimation method described above. Specifically, the program of this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute a sensor information acquisition procedure, a graph image creation procedure, a determination procedure, and a road information estimation procedure.

[0063] the step of acquiring sensor information includes acquiring acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimating step estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

[0064] The program of this embodiment can also be said to be a program that causes a computer to function as a sensor information acquisition procedure, a graph image creation procedure, a determination procedure, and a road information estimation procedure.

[0065] The program of this embodiment can cite the descriptions of the road information estimation device and road information estimation method of the present invention. For each of the steps, for example, "step" can be read as "processing." The program of this embodiment may also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The recording medium is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk (HD), optical disk, and floppy disk (FD).

[0066] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0067] <Additional Notes> Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) The system includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result. (Appendix 2) The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, 2. A road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold, it is determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the reference waveform graph image has occurred. (Appendix 3) 3. The road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the road information estimation unit estimates road information of a road identified by the location information based on at least one of an order of occurrence of the vehicle accidents, a type of the vehicle accidents, and a number of occurrences of the vehicle accidents. (Appendix 4) a mapping unit and an output unit, the mapping unit maps the estimation result of the road information on map information based on the location information; 4. The road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs map information onto which the estimation result is mapped. (Appendix 5) Including the hearing section, The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold value and equal to or greater than a second threshold value, it is provisionally determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred; The hearing section outputting hearing information for confirming whether or not the vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquiring hearing result information; 5. The road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information. (Appendix 6) a position information measuring unit, an acceleration information measuring unit, and a communication unit; the location information measurement unit measures location information, the acceleration information measurement unit measures acceleration information; A road information estimation terminal, wherein the communication unit is capable of communicating with a road information estimation device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, and links the location information, the acceleration information, and the measurement time information and transmits them to the road information estimation device. (Appendix 7) A server and a terminal, the server and the terminal are capable of communicating with each other; the terminal includes a location information measurement unit, an acceleration information measurement unit, and a communication unit; the location information measurement unit measures location information, the acceleration information measurement unit measures acceleration information; the communication unit links the position information, the acceleration information, and the measurement time information and transmits them to the server; The server and the terminal as a whole It includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result. (Appendix 8) The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, A road information estimation system device as described in Appendix 7, which determines that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the reference waveform graph image has occurred if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. (Appendix 9) 9. The road information estimation system device according to claim 7, wherein the road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road identified by the location information based on at least one of the order of occurrence of the vehicle accidents, the type of the vehicle accidents, and the number of occurrences of the vehicle accidents. (Appendix 10) a mapping unit and an output unit, the mapping unit maps the estimation result of the road information on map information based on the location information; 10. The road information estimation system device according to any one of appendices 7 to 9, wherein the output unit outputs map information onto which the estimation result is mapped. (Appendix 11) Including the hearing section, The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold value and equal to or greater than a second threshold value, it is provisionally determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred; the hearing unit outputs hearing information for confirming whether or not a vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquires hearing result information; 11. The road information estimation system device according to any one of appendices 7 to 10, wherein the determination unit determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information. (Appendix 12) The method includes a sensor information acquisition step, a graph image creation step, a determination step, and a road information estimation step, the sensor information acquisition step acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determining step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on the road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimating method includes estimating road information of the road identified by the position information based on the determination result. (Appendix 13) The determining step includes comparing the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, A road information estimation method as described in Appendix 12, wherein if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold, it is determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the reference waveform graph image has occurred. (Appendix 14) 14. The road information estimation method according to claim 12, wherein the road information estimation step estimates road information of the road identified by the location information based on at least one of the order of occurrence of the vehicle accidents, the type of the vehicle accidents, and the number of occurrences of the vehicle accidents. (Appendix 15) a mapping step and an output step; the mapping step includes mapping the estimation result of the road information on map information based on the location information; The road information estimation method according to any one of appendices 12 to 14, wherein the output step outputs map information onto which the estimation result is mapped. (Appendix 16) Including the hearing process, The determining step includes comparing the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold value and equal to or greater than a second threshold value, it is provisionally determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred; The hearing step includes outputting hearing information for confirming whether or not a vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquiring hearing result information; 16. The road information estimating method according to any one of appendices 12 to 15, wherein the determining step determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information. (Appendix 17) A program for causing a computer to execute a sensor information acquisition procedure, a graph image creation procedure, a determination procedure, and a road information estimation procedure, the step of acquiring sensor information includes acquiring acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and measurement time information; the determination step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The road information estimating step estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result. (Appendix 18) The determination step includes comparing the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, The program according to claim 17, wherein if the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold, it is determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the reference waveform graph image has occurred. (Appendix 19) 19. The program according to claim 17, wherein the road information estimation step estimates road information of a road identified by the location information based on at least one of an order of occurrence of the vehicle accidents, a type of the vehicle accidents, and a number of occurrences of the vehicle accidents. (Appendix 20) including a mapping step and an output step; the mapping step includes mapping the estimation result of the road information on map information based on the location information; 20. The program according to any one of appendices 17 to 19, wherein the output step outputs map information onto which the estimation result is mapped. (Appendix 21) including hearing procedures, The determination step includes comparing the waveform graph image with a reference waveform image through image analysis, If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold value and equal to or greater than a second threshold value, it is provisionally determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred; The hearing procedure includes outputting hearing information for confirming whether or not the vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquiring hearing result information; 21. The program according to any one of appendices 17 to 20, wherein the determination procedure determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information. (Appendix 22) A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program according to any one of appendices 17 to 21. [Industrial Applicability]

[0068] According to the present invention, by comparing a waveform graph image created based on acquired acceleration information with a reference waveform graph image, it is possible to determine whether a vehicle accident has occurred, and estimate road information based on the determination result. Therefore, the present invention is widely useful in fields related to vehicle driving. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Road information estimation device 11 Sensor information acquisition unit 12 Graph image creation section 13 Judgment section 14 Road Information Estimation Unit 15 Mapping section 16 Output section 17 Hearing Section 101 CPU 102 memory 103 Bus 104 Storage device 105 Programs 106 Input Device 107 Display device 108 Communication Devices 100 Road information estimation system device 20 Road information estimation terminal 21 Location information measurement section 22 Acceleration information measurement unit 23 Communications Department 201 CPU 202 memory 203 Bus 204 Storage device 205 Programs 206 Input Device 207 Display device 208 Communication Devices 209 Acceleration Sensor 210 GPS receiver

Claims

1. The system includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and the measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The type of the vehicle accident is information indicating a state of the vehicle while it is traveling, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

2. The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with the reference waveform graph image through image analysis, 2. The road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein when the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image is equal to or greater than a first threshold, it is determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred.

3. 3. The road information estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the road information estimation unit estimates the road information of the road specified by the position information based on at least one of the type of the vehicle accident and the number of occurrences of the vehicle accident.

4. a mapping unit and an output unit, the mapping unit maps the estimation result of the road information on map information based on the location information; The road information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs map information onto which the estimation result is mapped.

5. Including the hearing section, The determination unit compares the waveform graph image with the reference waveform graph image through image analysis, If the matching rate between the waveform graph image and the reference waveform graph image in the reference waveform information is less than a first threshold value and equal to or greater than a second threshold value, it is tentatively determined that a vehicle accident of a type corresponding to the relevant reference waveform graph image has occurred; The hearing section outputting hearing information for confirming whether or not the vehicle accident of the provisionally determined type has occurred, and acquiring hearing result information; The road information estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the type of the vehicle accident based on the hearing result information.

6. A server and a terminal, the server and the terminal are capable of communicating with each other; the terminal includes a location information measurement unit, an acceleration information measurement unit, and a communication unit; the location information measurement unit measures location information, the acceleration information measurement unit measures acceleration information; the communication unit links the position information, the acceleration information, and the measurement time information and transmits them to the server; The server and the terminal as a whole It includes a sensor information acquisition unit, a graph image creation unit, a determination unit, and a road information estimation unit, the sensor information acquisition unit acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation unit creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and the measurement time information; the determination unit determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The type of the vehicle accident is information indicating a state of the vehicle while it is traveling, The road information estimation unit estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

7. The method includes a sensor information acquisition step, a graph image creation step, a determination step, and a road information estimation step, the sensor information acquisition step acquires acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and the measurement time information; the determining step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on the road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The type of the vehicle accident is information indicating a state of the vehicle while it is traveling, The road information estimating step estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result, and each step of the road information estimating method is executed by a computer.

8. A program for causing a computer to execute a sensor information acquisition procedure, a graph image creation procedure, a determination procedure, and a road information estimation procedure, the step of acquiring sensor information includes acquiring acceleration information, position information, and measurement time information of the vehicle in association with each other; the graph image creation step creates a waveform graph image based on the acceleration information and the measurement time information; the determination step determines whether a vehicle accident has occurred on a road identified by the location information based on the waveform graph image and reference waveform information; The reference waveform information is information in which a type of vehicle accident is associated with a reference waveform graph image, The type of the vehicle accident is information indicating a state of the vehicle while it is traveling, The road information estimating step estimates road information of the road specified by the position information based on the determination result.

9. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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