Information provision method and information provision device

Abstract

In the present invention, attributes of a user are acquired, and the current location of the user is acquired after the user starts moving. In a case where, on a standard map that includes points of interest (POI) imparted with attributes, there is a POI within a prescribed range from the current location of the user, it is determined whether the attribute of a target POI within the prescribed range matches the attribute of the user, and when it is determined that the attribute of the target POI and the attribute of the user match, a control command that proposes the target POI as a destination is transmitted.

Description

Information provision method and information provision device

[0001] The present invention relates to an information provision method and an information provision device. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-095063, filed on June 13, 2022, and for designated states where incorporation by reference of documents is permitted, the contents of the above application are incorporated by reference into this application and made a part of the description of this application.

[0002] A technology is known that accepts departure point information and destination information, determines spots that are close enough to the departure point or destination to satisfy predetermined location conditions, and have a high dynamic attractiveness for each user that satisfies predetermined attractiveness conditions, and outputs spot-related information about the determined spots (Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2016-148881 A

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 is a technology that suggests spots around the route at the time when the route to the destination is searched, so there is a problem in that it cannot suggest spots that suit the user depending on the user's actual location during the movement, for example, if the user deviates from the route after the user has started moving.

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an information provision method and an information provision device that can suggest spots that suit a user based on the user's actual location during movement after the user has started moving.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by acquiring the user's attributes, acquiring the user's current location after the user starts moving, and if there is a POI within a specified range of the user's current location on a standard map including POIs with attributes assigned, determining whether the attributes of the target POI within the specified range match the user's attributes, and if it is determined that the attributes of the target POI match the user's attributes, sending a control command proposing the target POI as a destination.

[0007] According to the present invention, after a user starts moving, spots suitable for the user can be suggested according to the user's actual location during the movement.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an information provision system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a target POI on a standard map according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a target POI on a specialized map according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure for executing an information provision method according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a time chart showing the process until route guidance to a target POI is started in the information provision system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an information provision system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an information providing method and an information providing device according to the present invention will be described using an example in which they are applied to an information providing system.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an information provision system 100 including an information provision device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information provision system 100 includes the information provision device 1 and a user terminal device 20. The information provision device 1 and the user terminal device 20 are capable of exchanging information with each other via a communication network 40. Examples of the communication network 40 include a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN network, a DSRC network, and a power line communication network.

[0011] In the information provision system 100, the information provision device 1 provides information to a user via a user terminal device 20. The information provided to the user includes, for example, a map, a route from the user's current location to the destination, and spot information of points of interest (POIs). The user terminal device 20 is a device carried by the user. In this embodiment, the user travels to the destination by a means of transportation such as a car, bicycle, walking, or public transportation, following route guidance output from the user terminal device 20. Although the information provision system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes one user terminal device 20, the information provision system 100 may be configured with multiple user terminal devices 20.

[0012] The information providing device 1 includes a database 2 and a processor 10. The database 2 includes multiple different types of map data. The map data includes standard maps and specialized maps. The standard map is a map that includes at least information necessary for the user's travel. For example, if the user travels by vehicle, the standard map includes at least information necessary for driving the vehicle. The standard map includes at least road information. The road information may include the type of road (e.g., general road, toll road, etc.) and the locations of intersections, stop lines, traffic lights, and road signs.

[0013] The standard map may record POIs with attributes. The POI attribute indicates the field to which the POI belongs. For example, the attribute may be an academic field or a hobby field. Academic fields include fields related to history, geography, earth science, meteorology, paleontology, etc. The academic field may include at least one of these fields, and may include one or more fields. For example, hobby fields include fields related to restaurants, shrines and temples, mountain climbing, etc. The hobby field may include at least one of these fields, and may include one or more fields. In this embodiment, the field to which the POI belongs is set in advance as the POI attribute for each POI. For example, if the POI is a historical building, the POI is classified into the field of "history," and the POI attribute is set to "history." The POI attribute may also include a main field and a subfield linked to the main field. For example, "History" could be the main field, with "Events," "Historical Sites," and "Politics" being sub-fields of "History."

[0014] A POI may also have multiple attributes. A POI may also have an attribute rating that quantifies the degree to which the POI is recommended for users who like the field to which the POI belongs. If the attribute of a POI is "history," the attribute rating of the POI indicates the degree to which the POI is recommended for users who like "history." For example, the attribute rating of a POI is expressed on a five-point scale. The attribute rating may be based on online word-of-mouth reviews or on the past behavioral history of other users. For example, if many users with a specific attribute visit a POI, the POI's attributes are set according to the attributes of the frequently visiting users, and the POI's attribute rating is set high. The attribute rating of a POI may also be a binary value indicating whether or not the POI is recommended. In this embodiment, the standard map includes spot information, including the location and name of the POI, but does not include detailed information about specific spots such as POIs or information specialized for a specific field.

[0015] A specialized map is a map specialized for information in a specific field. A specialized map is a map that differs from a standard map and is a map that provides more detailed information in a specific field than a standard map. A standard map is a map used for user travel, whereas a specialized map is a map used for user learning. For example, specialized maps include old maps, maps of old country names, topographical maps, contour maps, weather maps, and hazard maps. Database 2 stores maps specialized for information in a specific field for each specific field. That is, database 2 stores specialized maps associated with each attribute for each attribute.

[0016] In this embodiment, specialized maps are presented for users who wish to improve their expertise in a particular field. For example, specialized maps include maps specialized in information on academic fields. If the user is interested in history, old maps and maps of old country names are presented. If the user is interested in geology, topographical maps and contour maps are presented. If the user is interested in meteorology, weather maps and hazard maps are presented. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the fields that the user is interested in are acquired as user attributes, and specialized maps that match the user attributes are displayed, allowing the user to learn about fields that interest them.

[0017] The specialized map may include a map specialized in information related to a hobby. For example, if a user likes to visit restaurants, a restaurant map specialized in restaurant information is presented. If a user likes to visit shrines and temples, a map specialized in shrine and temple information is presented. If a user likes mountain climbing, a map specialized in mountain climbing information, such as a hiking map, is presented.

[0018] The processor 10 comprises a computer having hardware and software, including a ROM storing a program, a CPU executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM functioning as an accessible storage device. Note that an MPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, etc. may be used as the operating circuit instead of or in addition to the CPU. As shown in FIG. 1 , the processor 10 includes functional blocks, such as a user attribute acquisition unit 11, a memory unit 12, a route guidance unit 13, a POI determination unit 14, a destination suggestion unit 15, and a communication unit 16, and executes each function through cooperation between the software and hardware for executing each process. Note that in this embodiment, the functions of the processor 10 are divided into six blocks and the functions of each functional block are described, but the functions of the processor 10 do not necessarily have to be divided into six blocks.

[0019] The user attribute acquisition unit 11 acquires user attributes from the user terminal device 20. For example, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 acquires a field preferred by the user as the user attribute. The user attribute is a field in which the user is interested among multiple pre-classified fields. The user attribute may be selected in advance by the user or estimated in advance. For example, if the user prefers the field of "history," the user attribute is "history." A user may have multiple attributes. For example, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 acquires, as the user attribute, a field selected by the user as a preferred field in a questionnaire. The user attribute acquisition unit 11 may also acquire an attribute rating that quantifies the user's degree of preference for a specific field. For example, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 acquires, as the attribute rating, the evaluation score for each field selected by the user in a five-point rating questionnaire. If the user selects "history" with 5 points and "geology" with 3 points in the questionnaire, the user's attribute rating for "history" is 5 points and the user's attribute rating for "geology" is 3 points. Furthermore, the attribute rating for a specific field may be indicated by a binary value of like or dislike for each field.

[0020] The user attribute acquisition unit 11 may also estimate the user's attributes from the user's behavior history. For example, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 acquires the user's behavior history, identifies POIs the user has visited, and identifies the field to which the POIs belong. The user attribute acquisition unit 11 estimates a higher attribute rating for the user for a specific field the more times the user has visited POIs belonging to the specific field. The user's attributes may also be dynamically changed. For example, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 may acquire the user's behavior history at regular intervals and update the user's attributes based on the acquired user's behavior history. In addition, if the user is a child, the user's attributes may be fields selected by parents in which they want their child to be interested as part of their child's education.

[0021] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the attributes of POIs are not limited to academic or hobby-related fields, and may be classified into other categories. For example, POI attributes may include shopping, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, etc. Furthermore, for example, the attributes of POIs may include more detailed subcategories for each category. For example, if the category is restaurants, the subcategories may be Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Italian cuisine, French cuisine, etc. In this case, the user attribute acquisition unit 11 estimates a high attribute score for the POI categories that the user frequently visits, based on the user's behavior history.

[0022] The storage unit 12 acquires various maps from outside the information providing device 1 and stores the various maps in the database 2. The storage unit 12 acquires standard maps from an external database and stores the standard maps in the database 2. For example, the storage unit 12 may acquire information on a standard map and POIs, record the POIs on the acquired standard map, and store the standard map including the POIs in the database 2. The storage unit 12 updates the attributes and attribute ratings of the POIs stored in the database 2 at regular intervals. The storage unit 12 also acquires specialized maps from an external database and stores the specialized maps in the database 2.

[0023] The route guidance unit 13 provides route guidance to the user along a travel route from the user's current location to the destination via the user terminal device 20. When the route guidance unit 13 acquires the user's destination and the user's current location from the user terminal device 20, the route guidance unit 13 references a standard map and generates a travel route from the user's current location to the destination. The route guidance unit 13 uses the location information of the user terminal device 20 received by the GPS receiving unit 21 as the user's current location. The route guidance unit 13 also uses destination information input by the user via the input unit 22 as the user's destination. The travel route may be a route that passes through multiple destinations. The route guidance unit 13 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display the travel route on a standard map. That is, in this embodiment, the route guidance unit 13 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display the standard map before the user starts moving.

[0024] The POI determination unit 14 searches for POIs located within a predetermined range from a predetermined point, and determines whether the attributes of the searched target POI match the attributes of the user. First, the POI determination unit 14 sets a predetermined point as the center of the search range. The predetermined point is, for example, the user's current location. Alternatively, the predetermined point may be a search center set by the user on a standard map.

[0025] If the predetermined point is set to the user's current location, the POI determination unit 14 searches for POIs within a first predetermined range from the user's current location. The first predetermined range is a POI search range, and is, for example, a circular range with a radius of a predetermined distance centered on the user's current location. The predetermined distance may vary depending on the user's means of transportation (car, bicycle, walking, etc.). The first predetermined range may also be a range within which the user can travel from the current location within a predetermined time. The first predetermined range is not limited to a circular range centered on the user's current location, but may also be a range within a predetermined distance from the user's route from the user's current location to the destination, or a range within which the user can travel from the route within a predetermined time. If the means of transportation is public transportation such as a train or bus, the first predetermined range may also be a circular range centered on a point where the user can get off, such as a station or bus stop.

[0026] In this embodiment, after the travel route is displayed and the user starts traveling along the travel route to the destination, the POI determination unit 14 periodically acquires the user's current location and searches for POIs within a first predetermined range centered on the user's current location. For example, the POI determination unit 14 determines whether or not a POI is present within a first predetermined range from the user's current location on the standard map, based on the user's current location and a standard map including POIs.

[0027] If the user sets a search center on the standard map before or during the user's movement, the POI determination unit 14 may determine whether or not a POI is located within a second predetermined range from the search center on the standard map. The second predetermined range is set in the same manner as the first predetermined range. The description of the second predetermined range will be appropriately cited for the description of the first predetermined range.

[0028] When the POI determination unit 14 determines that a POI is present within the first predetermined range, the destination suggestion unit 15 acquires the attributes of the target POI within the first predetermined range from the standard map and determines whether the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user. That is, the destination suggestion unit 15 checks whether the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user.

[0029] For example, the destination suggestion unit 15 calculates the degree of match between the attributes of the target POI and the attributes of the user, and determines that the attributes of the target POI and the attributes of the user match if the degree of match is higher than a predetermined threshold. The destination suggestion unit 15 calculates the degree of match to be higher the higher the attribute rating of the user and the attribute rating of the target POI. The degree of match may be calculated, for example, by multiplying the attribute rating of the user by the attribute rating of the target POI. Alternatively, the degree of match may be calculated using an increasing function with the attribute rating of the user and the attribute rating of the target POI as parameters.

[0030] When the destination suggestion unit 15 determines that the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user, it transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 proposing the target POI as a destination. The control command proposing the target POI as a destination is a control command proposing changing the destination to the target POI, or a control command proposing setting the target POI as a stopover point between the user's current location and the destination. For example, the destination suggestion unit 15 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display spot information of the target POI and proposal information proposing the target POI as a destination. The spot information of the target POI includes the location of the target POI, the spot name of the target POI, and the attributes of the target POI. The spot information may include detailed information about the field to which the target POI belongs. For example, if the attribute of the target POI is "history," the detailed information is information about the history of the target POI, such as the year the building in the target POI was constructed. The detailed information may also include spot information of other POIs around the target POI that have the same attributes as the attribute of the target POI. The spot information and the suggested information may be output as audio information.

[0031] POI spot information includes, for example, topographical information, historical information, and meteorological information. Topographical information includes volcanoes, plateaus, terraces, alluvial fans, deltas, basins, ria coastlines, plains, mountains, mountain ranges, rivers, limestone caves, wind and ice caves, sea of ​​trees, faults, Fossa Magna, ring roads, watersheds, mountain ridges and names, and other topographically distinctive locations. Historical information includes historic sites, ancient battlefields, shrines and temples, Edo-period transportation routes (such as the Tokaido and Nakasendo), old administrative divisions (such as Sagami Province and Suruga Province), and other locations where historical events occurred. Meteorological information includes locations where rain, snow, hail, sudden downpours, tornadoes, lightning, etc. are occurring, and disaster warning areas.

[0032] For example, if the user's attribute is "geology" and there is a mountain range within a first predetermined range from the user's current location, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines that the attribute of the mountain range and the user's attribute, "geology," match, and notifies the user of the location, name, and attribute of the mountain range via the user terminal device 20. For example, a text such as "You can see the XX mountain range ahead" is displayed.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the destination suggestion unit 15 may determine whether to suggest a destination, and if it determines to suggest a destination, may transmit a control command suggesting a destination to the user terminal device 20. The destination suggestion unit 15 estimates the user's situation and / or the user's surrounding environment, and determines whether to suggest a destination based on the user's situation and / or the user's surrounding environment. This allows the destination to be suggested at a timing that suits the user's convenience and situation.

[0034] In particular, in in-car use cases, the driver is likely to accept a proposed destination if the change in plans is within a range that the driver can tolerate. In addition, in this embodiment, a destination may be proposed to a passenger, particularly a child. In this case, the driver has the final decision-making power, so even if the passenger wants to go to the proposed destination, the driver may reject a proposal that is inconvenient for the driver. In this embodiment, a proposal that is inconvenient for the driver is prevented from being proposed to the passenger, and dissatisfaction of the passenger that they were unable to go to the destination they wanted can be avoided in advance.

[0035] The destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether to suggest a destination based on at least one of the travel time required to pass through the target POI, the travel fee, and the duration of stay at the target POI. The travel fee includes additional tolls for expressways, facility entrance fees, gasoline, etc. The destination suggestion unit 15 acquires the budget and / or time that the user can accept, input by the user, and determines to suggest the target POI as a destination if it is possible to pass through the target POI within the acquired budget and / or time. This makes it possible to prevent unexpected expenses and time from being incurred by passing through the POI.

[0036] In addition, the destination suggestion unit 15 acquires the user's behavior history and determines whether to suggest the target POI as a destination based on the user's behavior history. For example, if the user has no history of visiting the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines to suggest the target POI as a destination. This makes it possible to suggest POIs that the user has not visited.

[0037] Furthermore, if the target POI is a facility with business hours, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether the user's stay time will be within the business hours of the target POI based on the business hours of the target POI. If the user's stay time will be within the business hours of the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines to suggest the target POI as a destination. The destination suggestion unit 15 estimates the arrival time at the target POI based on the current time and the travel time to the target POI. Then, the destination suggestion unit 15 estimates the end time of the stay based on the arrival time and the stay time, and determines whether the end time of the stay will be within the business hours. The business hours may be acquired via the Internet. The stay time is, for example, the average stay time at the POI. This prevents a situation where the target POI is closed or closes soon after the user has passed through it.

[0038] Furthermore, when the user moves to the final destination after passing through the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether the user can move to the final destination by the desired arrival time. The destination suggestion unit 15 determines to suggest the target POI as a destination when the user can move to the final destination by the desired arrival time. For example, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether the user can move to the final destination by the scheduled arrival time based on the user's desired arrival time at the final destination, the travel time if passing through the target POI, and the stay time at the target POI. The final destination is, for example, home.

[0039] The destination suggestion unit 15 may acquire traffic information to the target POI and calculate the travel time to the target POI. The destination suggestion unit 15 acquires the user's desired arrival time at the final destination input by the user. The desired arrival time may be an arrival time acceptable to the user. That is, the user inputs the latest arrival time acceptable for arriving at the final destination to the input unit 22 of the user terminal device 20. The destination suggestion unit 15 suggests destinations to the user that are limited to POIs that can be passed through without exceeding the latest arrival time. As a result, even if the user passes through the target POI, the user can arrive home at a time that does not interfere with their next appointment (work or school).

[0040] The destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether to suggest the target POI as a destination based on the travel route. For example, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines to suggest the target POI as a destination when the number of waypoints on the travel route is equal to or less than a predetermined number of waypoints. When many waypoints are set on the travel route, it is considered that the travel has been carefully planned in advance. On the other hand, when few waypoints are set on the travel route, it is considered that there is ample time in the schedule. In this embodiment, the target POI can be suggested as a destination when it will not interfere with the user's schedule.

[0041] In addition, if there are multiple target POIs whose degree of matching is higher than a predetermined threshold, the destination suggestion unit 15 may suggest the target POI with the highest degree of matching as the destination, or may suggest the top few target POIs in order of highest degree of matching as the destination.

[0042] Furthermore, if the destination suggestion unit 15 determines that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, it transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs, instead of the standard map. That is, if the destination suggestion unit 15 determines that the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user, it switches the displayed map from the standard map to the specialized map. Based on the attributes of the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 acquires from the database 2 a specialized map specialized in information about the field indicated by the attributes of the target POI, and transmits the acquired specialized map to the user terminal device 20. For example, if the attribute of the target POI is "history," the destination suggestion unit 15 acquires an old map as a specialized map specialized in information about "history" and transmits a control command to display the old map. Since the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user, a map specialized in the user's attributes, i.e., information about the field preferred by the user, is displayed. When proposing a target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 is not limited to displaying information about the target POI on a specialized map, but may also display information about the target POI on a standard map.

[0043] Furthermore, when the destination suggestion unit 15 obtains approval input by the user to set the target POI as the destination, it sets the target POI as the destination and causes the user terminal device 20 to start route guidance for the user to travel to the target POI. The destination suggestion unit 15 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display the travel route to the target POI on a specialized map. Note that the destination suggestion unit 15 may also transmit a control command to the user terminal device 20 to switch the displayed map from the specialized map to a standard map and display the travel route to the target POI on the standard map.

[0044] Here, an example of a screen displayed to a user to suggest a target POI as a destination in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a target POI on a standard map in the present invention. In FIG. 2A , the current location of the user U, a first predetermined range R1 starting from the current location of the user U, and a spot TP that is the target POI are displayed on the standard map MS. Also, in FIG. 2A , proposal information P proposing the target POI as a destination is displayed. The proposal information P includes the attributes of the target POI, the name of the target POI, a message indicating that the target POI is being proposed as a destination, and icons indicating acceptance or rejection. In the example of FIG. 2A , the attribute of the target POI is “History,” the name of the target POI is “XX Castle Otemori,” and the message is “There is a recommended spot nearby. Would you like to go?” The icons indicating acceptance or rejection are “Yes” and “No.” In this embodiment, the user views the screen shown in FIG. 2A to determine whether to set the target POI as a destination.

[0045] 2B is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a target POI on a specialized map according to the present invention. In FIG. 2B, the current location of the user U, a first predetermined range R1 starting from the current location of the user U, and a spot TP that is the target POI are displayed on the specialized map MP. In the example of FIG. 2, an old map is displayed as the specialized map. Similarly to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B also displays suggested information P that suggests the target POI as a destination. In this embodiment, by supporting learning of a specific field in conjunction with navigation, the user can learn not only information about the target POI but also information about the specific field around the user's current location.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the POI determination unit 14 determines that a POI is present within a second predetermined range from the search center, the destination proposal unit 15 determines whether the field to which the target POI within the second predetermined range belongs matches the field preferred by the user. When the destination proposal unit 15 determines that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, the destination proposal unit 15 may transmit a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a specialized map instead of the standard map. Furthermore, the destination proposal unit 15 may transmit a control command to propose the target POI as a destination.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the user arrives at the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a specialized map. For example, the destination suggestion unit 15 determines whether the user has arrived at the target POI based on the user's current location and the location of the target POI. When it is determined that the user has arrived at the target POI, the destination suggestion unit 15 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs. If the destination suggestion unit 15 has been providing route guidance to the target POI on a standard map, the destination suggestion unit 15 may display the specialized map instead of the standard map when the user arrives at the target POI. Alternatively, if the destination suggestion unit 15 has been providing route guidance to the target POI on a specialized map, the specialized map may continue to be displayed even after the user has arrived at the target POI.

[0048] The communication unit 16 is a communication interface that supports various communication standards, such as a wired LAN standard and a wireless LAN standard. The communication unit 16 transmits and receives information to and from the user terminal device 20 via the communication network 40.

[0049] The user terminal device 20 is a portable information communication terminal. Examples of the user terminal device 20 include a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, and a head-mounted display. When the user is traveling in a vehicle, the user terminal device 20 may be a rear seat monitor installed in the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1 , the user terminal device 20 includes a GPS receiving unit 21, an input unit 22, a control unit 23, an output unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0050] The GPS receiver 21 acquires location information of the user terminal device 20 from GPS satellites. One example of the location information of the user terminal device 20 is latitude and longitude information. The GPS receiver 21 acquires the location information of the user terminal device 20 from GPS satellites at predetermined intervals. Because the user carries the user terminal device 20 while moving, the location information of the user terminal device 20 changes as the user moves.

[0051] The input unit 22 is an input interface that accepts input from the user. The input unit 22 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the input unit 22 is composed of a touch panel or a keyboard that allows the user to input characters, and a microphone that allows the user to input voice. Information that the user inputs to the input unit 22 is, for example, the user's destination.

[0052] The information input by the user to the input unit 22 is the user's attributes, i.e., the user's favorite fields. In this embodiment, for example, before route guidance begins, a questionnaire using a five-point rating system regarding the user's fields of interest is displayed via the output unit 24, and the input unit 22 acquires the user's favorite fields as the user's responses to the questionnaire. Before using the information providing system 100, the user inputs the user's favorite fields into the input unit 22 in advance. The information input by the user is transmitted to the information providing device 1 via the communication unit 25.

[0053] Furthermore, the information input by the user to the input unit 22 is an approval or rejection operation for setting the target POI as a destination. In this embodiment, spot information for the target POI and proposal information proposing setting the target POI as a destination are displayed via the output unit 24. The user inputs an approval or rejection operation for setting the target POI as a destination via the input unit 22. Furthermore, the information input by the user to the input unit 22 is a search center that is the center of the search range. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a standard map or a specialized map is displayed via the output unit 24, the user selects a search center on the standard map or the specialized map.

[0054] The control unit 23 is a computer including a ROM storing programs for executing various processes, a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. The control unit 23 provides guidance along a travel route to the user. The control unit 23 receives position information of the vehicle 3 from the GPS receiver 31 at predetermined intervals. Since the position information of the vehicle 3 changes as the vehicle 3 moves, the control unit 23 provides route guidance along the travel route according to the current position of the vehicle 3.

[0055] For example, when the control unit 23 receives a control command to display a standard map or a specialized map from the information providing device 1 via the communication unit 25, the control unit 23 displays the standard map or the specialized map to the user via the output unit 24. When the control unit 23 receives a control command to display a travel route on the standard map or the specialized map from the information providing device 1, the control unit 23 displays the travel route on the standard map or the specialized map via the output unit 24. The control unit 23 displays the travel route to the user via the output unit 24 and provides route guidance. The control unit 23 can guide the user along the travel route of the vehicle 3 using a route guidance method known at the time of filing of this application. Specific route guidance methods will be omitted.

[0056] Furthermore, when a user's attributes are input to the input unit 22, the control unit 23 transmits the user's attributes to the information providing device 1 via the communication unit 25. Furthermore, when a destination is input to the input unit 22, the control unit 23 transmits the user's current location at that time and the destination to the information providing device 1. Furthermore, the control unit 23 suggests setting the target POI as the destination via the output unit 24. For example, the control unit 23 displays to the user, via the output unit 24, suggestion information suggesting setting the target POI as the destination, along with spot information about the target POI. Furthermore, when an approval operation for setting the target POI as the destination is input to the input unit 22, the control unit 23 transmits approval for setting the target POI as the destination to the information providing device 1 via the communication unit 25.

[0057] The output unit 24 is an output interface that outputs route guidance based on the generated travel route. In this embodiment, the output unit 24 displays to the user a map, the user's travel route, target POIs, and proposal information that proposes the target POIs as a destination. The output unit 24 also notifies the user of detailed information about the target POIs. The output unit 24 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the output unit 24 is composed of a display that displays route guidance on a screen and a speaker that outputs audio data of the route guidance. Examples of displays include a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel.

[0058] For example, the output unit 24 displays a standard map to the user and displays a travel route to the destination superimposed on the standard map. Furthermore, when the output unit 24 receives a control command to display a specialized map from the information providing device 1, it displays the specialized map and displays a travel route to the target POI superimposed on the specialized map. As described above, the travel route to the target POI is generated based on the standard map. That is, the driving route to the target POI is a route along roads on the standard map. The positions of roads on the standard map and the specialized map may not match, for example, when the specialized map is an old map. Therefore, when a travel route generated based on the standard map is superimposed on the specialized map, the travel route may be displayed in a location where no road exists on the specialized map. That is, the output unit 24 switches the displayed map from the standard map to the specialized map.

[0059] In this embodiment, before starting route guidance, the output unit 24 displays a question for acquiring attributes of the user. For example, the output unit 24 displays a questionnaire to the user using a five-point rating system regarding the degree of the user's preference for a specific field.

[0060] The communication unit 25 is a communication interface that supports various communication standards, such as a wired LAN standard and a wireless LAN standard. The communication unit 25 transmits and receives information to and from the information providing device 1 via the communication network 40.

[0061] Next, a control procedure of the information providing method executed by the information providing device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedure for executing the information providing method. In step S1, the processor 10 acquires user attributes. The processor 10 acquires user attributes from the user terminal device 20 via the communication unit 16. The user attributes are, for example, the user's favorite fields. In step S2, the processor 10 records information of the POI to which the attributes have been assigned on the standard map. For example, the processor 10 acquires the standard map and POI information from an external database and records the POI information on the standard map.

[0062] In step S3, the processor 10 acquires the user's current location and destination from the user terminal device 20. In step S4, the processor 10 transmits a standard map including the travel route to the user terminal device 20. The processor 10 generates a travel route from the user's current location acquired in step S3 to the destination, and transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display the travel route on the standard map. In step S5, the processor 10 acquires a search range instruction from the user terminal device 20. The search range instruction includes the search range desired by the user. In this embodiment, the search range will be described as a first predetermined range starting from the user's current location. After the user starts moving, the processor 10 proceeds to step S6.

[0063] In step S6, the processor 10 acquires the user's current location. The processor 10 acquires the location of the user terminal device 20 from the user terminal device 20 as the user's current location. In step S7, the processor 10 determines whether or not a POI is present within a first predetermined range from the user's current location. If it is determined that a POI is present within the first predetermined range from the user's current location, the processor 10 proceeds to step S8. If it is determined that no POI is present within the first predetermined range from the user's current location, the processor 10 returns to step S6 and repeats the subsequent flow. In step S8, the processor 10 acquires the attributes of the target POI present within the first predetermined range. The processor 10 acquires the attributes of the POI from a standard map on which POI information is recorded. The POI attribute is the field to which the POI belongs.

[0064] In step S9, the processor 10 determines whether the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user. If it is determined that the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user, the processor 10 proceeds to step S10. If it is determined that the attributes of the target POI do not match the attributes of the user, the processor 10 returns to step S6 and repeats the subsequent flow. In step S10, the processor 10 suggests to the user, as a destination, a target POI whose attributes match the attributes of the user. The processor 10 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to suggest the target POI as a destination.

[0065] Next, the operation of each device constituting the information provision system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a time chart showing the process until route guidance to the target POI is started in the information provision system 100.

[0066] In step S21, the user terminal device 20 acquires the user's attributes. In step S22, the user terminal device 20 transmits the user's attributes to the information providing device 1. In step S23, the information providing device 1 receives the user's attributes from the user terminal device 20. In step S24, the user terminal device 20 acquires the user's current location and destination. If the user inputs a destination, the user terminal device 20 acquires the user's current location at that time and the input destination. In step S25, the user terminal device 20 transmits the user's current location and destination to the information providing device 1. In step S26, the information providing device 1 receives the user's current location and destination from the user terminal device 20. In step S27, the information providing device 1 generates a travel route to the user's current location and destination. In step S28, the information providing device 1 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a standard map. For example, the information providing device 1 transmits a control command to display a standard map including the travel route generated in step S27.

[0067] In step S29, the user terminal device 20 receives a control command to display a standard map from the information providing device 1. In step S30, the user terminal device 20 displays a standard map including the travel route to the user. In step S31, the user terminal device 20 acquires a search range desired by the user. For example, if the user sets the user's current location as the search center, the search range is set to a first predetermined range from the user's current location. In step S32, the user terminal device 20 transmits a search range instruction including the search range set by the user in step S31 to the information providing device 1. In step S33, the information providing device 1 receives the search range instruction from the user terminal device 20. In step S34, the information providing device 1 searches for POIs within a first predetermined range from the user's current location based on the search range instruction. If a POI is found within the first predetermined range, the information providing device 1 proceeds to step S35.

[0068] In step S35, the information providing device 1 calculates the degree of match between the attributes of the target POI within the first predetermined range and the user's attributes. In step S36, the information providing device 1 identifies a top-ranked target POI with a high degree of match. In step S37, the information providing device 1 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 to display a specialized map including spot information of the top-ranked target POI. At this time, the information providing device 1 transmits a control command to the user terminal device 20 proposing the target POI as a destination. In step S38, the user terminal device 20 receives, from the information providing device 1, a control command to display the specialized map and a control command to propose the target POI as a destination. In step S39, the user terminal device 20 displays a specialized map including spot information of the top-ranked target POI to the user. In step S40, the user terminal device 20 proposes the target POI as a destination.

[0069] In step S41, the user terminal device 20 obtains approval for the proposal to set the target POI as a destination. In step S42, the user terminal device 20 transmits approval for the proposal to set the target POI as a destination to the information providing device 1. In step S43, the information providing device 1 receives approval for the proposal to set the target POI as a destination from the user terminal device 20. In step S44, the information providing device 1 generates a travel route to the target POI. In step S45, the information providing device 1 transmits the travel route to the user terminal device 20. In step S46, the user terminal device 20 receives the travel route from the information providing device 1. In step S47, the user terminal device 20 displays the travel route on a specialized map and starts route guidance to the user.

[0070] As described above, in this embodiment, the information providing method is executed by a processor that provides information to a user. The processor acquires the user's attributes, and after the user starts moving, acquires the user's current location. If there is a POI within a first predetermined range from the user's current location on a standard map including POIs with attributes assigned, the processor determines whether the attributes of the target POI within the first predetermined range match the attributes of the user. If it determines that the attributes of the target POI match the attributes of the user, the processor transmits a control command to suggest the target POI as a destination. In this way, after the user starts moving, spots suitable for the user can be suggested according to the user's actual location during the movement.

[0071] In this embodiment, the processor acquires the user's preferred field as a user attribute, and before the user starts moving, transmits a control command to the user's terminal device to display a standard map. If it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the user's preferred field, the processor transmits a control command to the terminal device to display, instead of the standard map, a specialized map specialized for information on the field to which the target POI belongs. This allows the user to know information related to the attributes of POIs around the user.

[0072] In this embodiment, the processor also transmits a control command to the terminal device to display the route from the user's current location to the target POI on a specialized map, allowing the user to check the route while looking at the specialized map.

[0073] In this embodiment, the processor transmits to the user's terminal device a control command proposing to change the destination to the target POI or to set the target POI as a waypoint between the user's current location and the destination, thereby allowing the user to confirm whether to set a POI near the user as the destination or a waypoint.

[0074] In this embodiment, the attribute is an academic field or a hobby field, so that POIs belonging to the academic or hobby field can be presented as destinations.

[0075] In this embodiment, the academic attributes include at least one of the fields of history, geography, earth science, meteorology, and paleontology, which allows POIs belonging to the fields of history, geography, earth science, meteorology, and paleontology to be presented as destinations.

[0076] In this embodiment, the processor acquires the user's preferred field as a user attribute, and before the user starts moving, sends a control command to the user's terminal device to display a standard map. When the user sets a search center on the standard map, the processor determines whether there is a POI within a second predetermined range from the search center. If it determines that there is a POI within the second predetermined range from the search center, the processor determines whether the field to which a target POI within the second predetermined range belongs matches the user's preferred field. If it determines that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the user's preferred field, the processor sends a control command to the terminal device to display, instead of the standard map, a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs. This allows the user to know information about the field to which POIs around the point selected by the user belong.

[0077] In this embodiment, the processor determines whether the user has arrived at the target POI, and if it determines that the user has arrived at the target POI, sends a control command to the user's terminal device to display a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs. This allows the user to learn about information about the specific field while looking at the map after arriving at the target POI.

[0078] <<Second Embodiment>> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an information provision system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The information provision system according to the second embodiment has the same configuration and operates in the same manner as the first embodiment, except for differences from the information provision system according to the first embodiment in the points described below. Therefore, the description of the first embodiment will be used as appropriate. In this embodiment, the information provision system 100 includes an in-vehicle navigation device 30 in addition to a user terminal device 20. The information provision device 1, the user terminal device 20, and the in-vehicle navigation device 30 can exchange information with each other via a communication network 40. A user is seated in the front passenger seat or a rear seat of the vehicle 3 as a passenger in the vehicle 3. The in-vehicle navigation device 30 is a device mounted on the vehicle 3 and provides information to the driver. In this embodiment, the information provision device 1 generates a driving route; however, this is not limited thereto, and the in-vehicle navigation device 30 may also generate a driving route.

[0079] In this embodiment, when starting route guidance before the vehicle in which the user is riding starts moving, the route guidance unit 13 transmits a control command to display a standard map to both the user terminal device 20 and the in-vehicle navigation device 30. Furthermore, when the route guidance unit 13 has generated a driving route from the current position of the vehicle 3 to the destination of the vehicle 3, it transmits a control command to both the user terminal device 20 and the in-vehicle navigation device 30 to display the driving route superimposed on the standard map.

[0080] If the POI determination unit 14 determines that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, the destination suggestion unit 15 sends a control command to both the user terminal device 20 and the in-vehicle navigation device 30 to display a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs, instead of the standard map.

[0081] Furthermore, when the destination suggestion unit 15 obtains approval from the user terminal device 20 to set the target POI as a destination, the destination suggestion unit 15 may transmit a control command to the in-vehicle navigation device 30 to display the target POI and / or the driving route to the target POI on a standard map. That is, in this embodiment, when the passenger approves, information about the target POI approved by the passenger is displayed on the driver's in-vehicle navigation device 30. As described above, in this embodiment, the driver and the passenger can share the same driving route while viewing different displays.

[0082] The in-vehicle navigation device 30 provides route guidance to the driver along the travel route, and includes a GPS receiving unit 31, an input unit 32, a storage unit 33, a control unit 34, an output unit 35, and a communication unit 36.

[0083] The GPS receiver 31 acquires position information of the vehicle 3 from GPS satellites. One example of the position information of the vehicle 3 is latitude and longitude information. The GPS receiver 31 acquires the position information of the vehicle 3 from the GPS satellites at predetermined intervals, and therefore the position information of the vehicle 3 changes as the vehicle 3 moves. The predetermined interval is a predetermined interval.

[0084] The input unit 32 is an input interface that accepts input from the occupant. The input unit 32 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the input unit 32 is composed of a touch panel that allows the occupant to input characters and a microphone that allows the occupant to input voice. When the input unit 32 is a touch panel, the input unit 32 may be configured integrally with the output unit 35. Examples of input information that the occupant inputs to the input unit 32 include the destination of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, when suggested information for setting a destination is displayed to the user, examples of input information include an approval operation or a rejection operation for setting the destination.

[0085] The storage unit 33 stores various maps. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 33 stores a standard map and a specialized map. Note that, although the present embodiment will be described taking as an example a configuration in which the storage unit 33 stores the maps, the storage location of the maps is not limited to the storage unit 33, and the maps may be stored outside the vehicle 3. For example, the maps may be stored in a server provided outside the vehicle 3, and the communication unit 36 ​​may download the maps from the server.

[0086] The control unit 34 is a computer including a ROM in which programs for executing various processes are stored, a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. The control unit 34 guides the driver of the vehicle 3 along the driving route of the vehicle 3. When the control unit 34 acquires a driving route from the information providing device 1, the control unit 34 displays the driving route to the driver via the output unit 35. In this embodiment, the control unit 34 is not limited to acquiring a driving route from the information providing device 1, and may also generate a driving route based on a destination input by the driver.

[0087] The control unit 34 receives position information of the vehicle 3 from the GPS receiving unit 31 at predetermined intervals. Since the position information of the vehicle 3 changes as the vehicle 3 moves, the control unit 34 provides route guidance along the travel route according to the current position of the vehicle 3. The control unit 34 can guide the user along the travel route of the vehicle 3 using a route guidance method known at the time of filing of this application. A specific route guidance method will not be described.

[0088] Furthermore, when the control unit 34 receives a control command from the information providing device 1 to suggest the target POI as a destination, the control unit 34 suggests to the driver that the target POI be set as the destination via the output unit 35. For example, the control unit 34 displays the position of the target POI and / or the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 3 to the target POI on a standard map or a specialized map, and displays suggestion information suggesting that the target POI be set as the destination.

[0089] When the control unit 34 obtains approval input by the driver to set the target POI as the destination, the control unit 34 sets the target POI as the destination. For example, the control unit 34 updates the originally set destination to the target POI and generates a driving route from the current position of the vehicle 3 to the position of the target POI. Furthermore, when the control unit 34 sets the position of the target POI as a waypoint, the control unit 34 generates a driving route from the current position of the vehicle 3 via the target POI to the originally set destination.

[0090] The output unit 35 is an output interface that outputs route guidance provided by the control unit 34. In this embodiment, the output unit 35 outputs a map, the user's travel route, target POIs, and proposal information that proposes the target POIs as destinations. The output unit 35 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the output unit 35 is composed of a display that displays route guidance on a screen and a speaker that outputs audio data of the route guidance. Examples of the display include a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel.

[0091] For example, the output unit 35 displays a standard map, and displays on the standard map the driving route and the current position of the vehicle 3. The output unit 35 also displays on the standard map the target POI transmitted from the information providing device 1. The output unit 35 may also display on the standard map the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 3 to the target POI.

[0092] Furthermore, when the output unit 35 receives a control command from the information providing device 1 to display a specialized map specialized in information on the field to which the target POI belongs, the output unit 35 displays the specialized map instead of the standard map. That is, the output unit 35 switches the map to be displayed from the standard map to the specialized map. The output unit 35 may also display a driving route to the target POI on the specialized map.

[0093] The communication unit 36 ​​is a device equipped with a wireless communication function for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from the outside. An example of the communication unit 36 ​​is a telematics control unit. The communication unit 36 ​​transmits and receives information to and from the information providing device 1 and the user terminal device 20 via the communication network 40 using the wireless communication function.

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor acquires the user's preferred field as a user attribute, and before the vehicle in which the user is riding starts moving, it sends a control command to the vehicle's onboard navigation device to display a standard map. If it determines that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the user's preferred field, it sends a control command to the onboard navigation device to display a specialized map specialized in information about the field to which the target POI belongs, instead of the standard map. This makes it possible to switch the map displayed to the driver from the standard map to the specialized map.

[0095] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0096] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100: Information provision system 1: Information provision device 10: Processor 11: User attribute acquisition unit 12: Storage unit 13: Route guidance unit 14: POI determination unit 15: Destination suggestion unit 16: Communication unit 2: Database 20: User terminal device

Claims

1. 1. A processor-implemented method for providing information to a user, comprising: The processor, acquiring an attribute rating of the user that quantifies the degree of preference of the user for a field preferred by the user; After the user starts moving, obtain a current location of the user; When the POI is within a first predetermined range from the current location of the user on a standard map on which information of the POI including the field to which the POI belongs is recorded, a degree of agreement between the field to which the target POI within the first predetermined range belongs and the field preferred by the user is calculated; If the degree of match is higher than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user; If it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, a control command is transmitted to suggest the target POI as a destination; The degree of match is calculated to be higher as the attribute score of the user is higher and the attribute score of the target POI, which is a numerical representation of the degree of recommendation to users who like the field to which the target POI belongs, is higher.

2. The processor, transmitting a control command to display the standard map to a terminal device of the user before the user starts moving; The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, a control command is sent to the terminal device to display a specialized map specialized in information on the field to which the target POI belongs instead of the standard map.

3. The processor, The information providing method according to claim 2 , further comprising transmitting a control command to the terminal device to display, on the specialized map, a route along which the user moves from a current position of the user to the target POI.

4. The processor, The information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising transmitting to the user's terminal device a control command proposing to change the destination to the target POI, or a control command proposing to set the target POI as an intermediate point between the user's current location and the destination.

5. The processor, Before the vehicle in which the user is riding starts moving, a control command to display the standard map is transmitted to an in-vehicle navigation device of the vehicle; The information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the step of: when it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, sending a control command to the in-vehicle navigation device to display, instead of the standard map, a specialized map specialized in information on the field to which the target POI belongs.

6. 4. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the fields include fields relating to history, geography, earth science, meteorology and paleontology.

7. The processor, transmitting a control command to display the standard map to a terminal device of the user before the user starts moving; When the user sets a search center on the standard map, it is determined whether the POI is within a second predetermined range from the search center. When it is determined that the POI is within the second predetermined range from the search center, it is determined whether or not a field to which the target POI within the second predetermined range belongs matches a field preferred by the user; An information provision method as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, a control command is sent to the terminal device to display, instead of the standard map, a specialized map specialized in information on the field to which the target POI belongs.

8. The processor, Determining whether the user has arrived at the target POI; The information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when it is determined that the user has arrived at the target POI, a control command is sent to the user's terminal device to display a specialized map specialized in information on the field to which the target POI belongs.

9. An information providing device comprising a processor for providing information to a user, The processor, acquiring an attribute rating of the user that quantifies the degree of preference of the user for a field preferred by the user; After the user starts moving, obtain a current location of the user; When the POI is within a first predetermined range from the current location of the user on a standard map on which information of the POI including the field to which the POI belongs is recorded, a degree of agreement between the field to which the target POI within the first predetermined range belongs and the field preferred by the user is calculated; If the degree of match is higher than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user; If it is determined that the field to which the target POI belongs matches the field preferred by the user, a control command is transmitted to suggest the target POI as a destination; The degree of match is calculated to be higher as the attribute score of the user is higher and as the attribute score of the target POI, which is a numerical representation of the degree of recommendation to users who like the field to which the target POI belongs, is higher.