Monitoring server, congestion avoidance system, congestion avoidance method, and program

Abstract

This monitoring server is provided with: a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information related to a user driving a vehicle; a destination acquisition unit that acquires a destination of the vehicle; a travel route provision unit that provides the vehicle with a travel route to avoid congestion, on the basis of a usage status of a road to the destination; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information making the position of the vehicle identifiable; an evaluation unit that evaluates the user in accordance with a matching degree, with the travel route, of a transition of the position information after the travel; and an accumulation unit that substitutes the evaluation with points associated with an economic incentive and accumulates the points in the user information.

Description

Monitoring server, congestion avoidance system, congestion avoidance method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring server, a congestion avoidance system, a congestion avoidance method, and a program.

[0002] It is known that changing the pricing in a toll system can reduce the use of toll roads and optimize traffic volume.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an "ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System (registered trademark)"), in which an on-board device mounted on a vehicle traveling in a lane communicates with a communication antenna via a wireless communication system, and tolls are collected from the traveling vehicle.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-123916

[0005] Charging systems such as ETC and ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) impose tolls on users of toll roads. Changing the pricing in the charging systems reduces the use of toll roads, contributing to optimizing traffic volume. However, introducing these charging systems for the purpose of optimizing traffic volume raises cost issues. Introducing a wireless communication-based charging system requires significant infrastructure costs. Introducing a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)-based charging system requires significant infrastructure costs, such as countermeasures against multipath interference of GNSS signals caused by structures in cities. This makes it difficult to optimize traffic volume using these charging systems.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring server, a congestion avoidance system, a congestion avoidance method, and a program that are capable of optimizing traffic volume.

[0007] The monitoring server of the present disclosure includes a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information about a user driving a vehicle, a destination acquisition unit that acquires the destination of the vehicle, a driving route provision unit that provides the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the usage status of roads to the destination, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle, an evaluation unit that evaluates the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving, and a storage unit that converts the evaluation into points related to economic incentives and stores them in the user information.

[0008] The congestion avoidance system disclosed herein comprises the above-mentioned monitoring server and a first user terminal having the user information, wherein the first user terminal has a GUI that allows the destination of the vehicle to be input, and the first user terminal transmits the destination and location information that allows the location of the vehicle to be identified to the monitoring server.

[0009] The congestion avoidance method of the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring user information about a user driving a vehicle, acquiring a destination of the vehicle, providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids congestion based on road usage to the destination, acquiring location information that can identify the location of the vehicle, evaluating the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving, and accumulating the evaluation in the user information in place of points related to economic incentives.

[0010] The program disclosed herein is a program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring user information about a user driving a vehicle; acquiring the destination of the vehicle; providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on road usage to the destination; acquiring location information that can identify the location of the vehicle; evaluating the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving; and accumulating the evaluation in the user information in place of points related to economic incentives.

[0011] The monitoring server, congestion avoidance system, congestion avoidance method, and program disclosed herein enable optimization of traffic volume.

[0012] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a congestion avoidance system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a monitoring server according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road network according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart I illustrating an example of processing of a user terminal according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart I illustrating an example of processing of a monitoring server according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving route according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of a user terminal according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flowchart III illustrating an example of processing of a monitoring server according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route after driving according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a congestion avoidance system according to a modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of traffic volume targeted by a congestion avoidance system according to a modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating optimization of traffic volume by a congestion avoidance system according to a modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a monitoring server according to a modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer according to the present disclosure.

[0013] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings and specific configurations used in each embodiment should not be used to interpret the disclosure. The same or corresponding configurations in all drawings will be assigned the same reference numerals, and common descriptions will be omitted.

[0014] First Embodiment A monitoring server according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0015] (Overall Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a congestion avoidance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The congestion avoidance system 1 according to this embodiment is used to encourage a user to travel along a route provided by a monitoring server 10 by using points accumulated in user information. In this disclosure, points are associated with economic incentives. As shown in FIG. 1, the congestion avoidance system 1 includes a monitoring server 10 and at least one user terminal 30. For simplicity of explanation, this disclosure will be described assuming that the user terminal 30 is a single terminal.

[0016] (User Terminal) The user terminal 30 may be carried by the user or may take the form of an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle V. That is, the user terminal 30 includes a smartphone, an in-vehicle device, and other communication devices. The communication device corresponding to the user terminal 30 has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that allows the destination of the vehicle V to be input, and is capable of transmitting the input destination and location information that can identify the location of the vehicle V to the monitoring server 10. The smartphone of the present disclosure is capable of transmitting the location information of the vehicle V to the monitoring server 10 by installing a dedicated application. Furthermore, multiple user terminals 30 may be combined, as described below. As an example, a smartphone (first user terminal) carried by the user and an in-vehicle device (second user terminal) may be used together to share functions.

[0017] Vehicle information about the vehicle V on which the user terminal 30 is installed, such as the ID, vehicle model information, license plate information, etc., is registered in the user terminal 30. This information is linked to user information about the user. The user information includes information indicating the user who owns the vehicle and drives the vehicle. The user terminal 30 can send and receive information and signals to and from external devices (such as the monitoring server 10) via a mobile phone communication network or other network. By sending vehicle information about the vehicle V to the monitoring server 10, the user terminal 30 also sends user information linked to the vehicle information.

[0018] The user terminal 30 is moved together with the vehicle V by the user U who drives the vehicle V. The user terminal 30 has a GUI that allows the user to input settings for the destination of the vehicle V, the scheduled departure time of the vehicle V, and the scheduled arrival time of the vehicle V. In the following disclosure, the user terminal 30 will be described as a smartphone. An in-vehicle device, which is an example of the user terminal 30, will be described later in a modified example.

[0019] The user terminal 30 (e.g., a smartphone), for example, may have a specific application installed to implement a function for sequentially acquiring location information while the vehicle V is moving and transmitting the location information to the monitoring server 10. Depending on the user U's settings, the specific application may register either the vehicle information or the user information described above, or both. The user terminal 30 acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle. The user terminal 30 acquires location information that can identify the location of the moving vehicle V using positioning radio waves. The positioning radio waves are radio waves containing information for identifying (positioning) the location of the vehicle V, and include, for example, radio waves from satellites in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), beacons emitted by roadside equipment, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and the like. The user terminal 30 may acquire the location information of the vehicle V at a specific interval or for a set driving distance. The user terminal 30 can send and receive information and signals to and from external devices (such as the monitoring server 10) via a mobile phone communication network or other network. The user terminal 30 sequentially transmits the location information of the identified vehicle V to, for example, the monitoring server 10. In this case, the information of the vehicle V transmitted from the user terminal 30 to the monitoring server 10 is not limited to the location information of the vehicle V obtained by positioning radio waves. The information of the vehicle V transmitted from the user terminal 30 may also include, for example, the speed of the vehicle V obtained by a speedometer installed in the vehicle V.

[0020] The user terminal 30 may also acquire link IDs included in the route after travel as location information and sequentially transmit the information to the monitoring server 10. If the user terminal 30 has map data, the user terminal 30 performs a MapMatching process while traveling to acquire link IDs included in the route after travel. Link IDs will be described later.

[0021] (Functions of Monitoring Server) The monitoring server 10 is connected to the user terminal 30 via a mobile phone communication network or other network. As shown in Fig. 2, the monitoring server 10 has the following functions: a user information acquisition unit 101, a destination acquisition unit 102, a driving route provision unit 103, a location information acquisition unit 104, an evaluation unit 105, an accumulation unit 106, and a storage unit 108. The operation of each unit in the monitoring server 10 described below corresponds to part of the congestion avoidance method of the present disclosure.

[0022] (User Information Acquisition Unit) The user information acquisition unit 101 acquires user information about the user U who drives the vehicle V from the user terminal 30. As described above, the user information includes information indicating the user U who is the owner of the vehicle V and drives the vehicle V. The user information acquisition unit 101 determines the attributes of the user U from the acquired user information. The user attributes are expressed, for example, by information indicating whether or not the user is an elderly driver, information indicating whether or not the user is a good driver, etc.

[0023] (Destination Acquisition Unit) The destination acquisition unit 102 acquires the destination of the vehicle input to a GUI included in the user terminal 30. An example in which an in-vehicle device, which is an example of the user terminal 30, has a GUI and acquires the destination of the vehicle will be described in a modified example below.

[0024] In addition, the monitoring server 10 acquires information input into the GUI, including the destination of the vehicle V, the scheduled departure time of the vehicle V, and the scheduled arrival time of the vehicle V.

[0025] (Driving Route Providing Unit) The driving route providing unit 103 provides the vehicle V with a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The driving route providing unit 103 provides the vehicle V with the driving route by notifying the user terminal 30. When the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, the driving route is notified on a predetermined application. When the user terminal 30 is an in-vehicle device, the driving route is notified on a GUI. The driving route providing unit 103 uses a shortest route search method based on a known technology such as Dijkstra's algorithm. In this case, the driving route providing unit 103 weights the departure time and links in the scheduled departure time zone based on past road usage status. Then, the driving route providing unit 103 selects a departure time and route and sets a basic route. The selected basic route is a driving route that avoids congestion and has the shortest section travel time from the current location of the vehicle V to the destination. The optimal departure time is set from among multiple candidates for the departure time at which the vehicle V starts traveling along the basic route. It should be noted that a plurality of basic routes may be selected by providing a range for the shortest section travel time.

[0026] Here, we will explain the links and nodes related to the Dijkstra algorithm. A link refers to the route traveled by a vehicle. The travel route providing unit 103 obtains the shortest route from the node at the departure point (starting point) to the node at the destination (ending point) from the following road network data. Edges (links) connecting nodes along the way are weighted in advance based on the scheduled time zone of departure.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3 , the road network according to this embodiment can be represented as road network data including a plurality of nodes N1, N2, N3, ... (hereinafter collectively referred to as "nodes N") and a plurality of links L1, L2, L3, ... (hereinafter collectively referred to as "links L"). A node N indicates a node in the road network, such as an intersection or a T-junction. A link L indicates a road section connecting two nodes N. Furthermore, the double-headed arrow in FIG. 3 indicates that the link L has an inbound lane and an outbound lane. The double-headed arrow indicating a lane is merely an example, and does not result in the exclusion of one lane from the road network data. The road network data can be extracted from map data stored in the storage unit 108. The travel route according to this embodiment is a partial extraction of the nodes N and links L from the road network data. In this disclosure, the identification information of each node, such as nodes N1, N2, N3, ..., is treated as a node ID. Similarly, the identification information of each link, such as links L1, L2, L3, . . . , is treated as a link ID.

[0028] (Modification of driving route by driving route providing unit) The monitoring server 10 may perform processing using map data stored in the storage unit 108. The monitoring server 10 can map past near-miss locations and locations with a high accident frequency on the basic route to road network data. In this case, the driving route providing unit 103 may be able to modify the basic route as follows.

[0029] The driving route providing unit 103 may use the user information acquired by the user information acquiring unit 101 to modify the provided driving route (basic route) to a driving route suitable for the user information. The modified basic route is called an optimized route. If the attribute information of the user U indicates that the driver is elderly or at high risk of accidents, the driving route providing unit 103 modifies the basic route so as to avoid near-miss locations and locations with a high accident frequency. Drivers at high risk of accidents are determined based on the attribute "good driver: not good."

[0030] The driving route providing unit 103 can also provide the required time when driving along the basic route (or optimized route). The calculation of the required time is performed by the monitoring server 10. The monitoring server 10 may calculate the required time based on past driving history recorded when vehicles other than vehicle V drove to the destination. The monitoring server 10 may also calculate the required time based on the average speed of vehicle V. The monitoring server 10 links the provided basic route (or optimized route) to user information, and stores multiple link IDs included in the basic route (or optimized route) in the memory unit 108. In the present disclosure, multiple link IDs included in the basic route (or optimized route) are referred to as first road links.

[0031] (Location information acquisition unit) The location information acquisition unit 104 acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle acquired by the user terminal 30. The location information acquisition unit 104 sequentially acquires location information from the user terminal 30. An example in which an in-vehicle device, which is an example of the user terminal 30, acquires location information will be described in a modified example below. The acquired location information is accumulated in the memory unit 108 as a driving history. The driving history is linked to user information and stored in the memory unit 108.

[0032] The location information acquisition unit 104 may also acquire, as location information, a link ID included in the route after travel.

[0033] (Evaluation Unit) The evaluation unit 105 evaluates the user U according to the degree of coincidence of the transition of position information after driving with respect to the driving route (or optimized route). The transition of position information after driving refers to the change in position information indicated by multiple link IDs included in the route after driving. The method of evaluating the degree of coincidence will be described later. The evaluation unit 105 extracts multiple link IDs included in the route after driving from the driving history. In the present disclosure, multiple link IDs included in the route after driving are referred to as second road links. There are two methods for extracting second road links:

[0034] When the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires location information using the positioning signal, the monitoring server 10 performs a MapMatching process on the location information and then extracts multiple link IDs included in the route after travel. The evaluation unit 105 uses the extracted second road links.

[0035] When the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires the second road link, the evaluation unit 105 uses the received second road link as is.

[0036] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 106 stores the evaluation of user U by the evaluation unit 105 in the user information in place of points related to economic incentives. The insurance company In and the tax office Re shown in FIG. 1 provide incentives to user U according to the points. For example, the insurance company In and the tax office Re may send incentives to the user terminal 30 from their respective terminals. The destination of the incentives is determined based on the convenience of user U and is not limited to the user terminal 30. However, if the user terminal 30, which can exchange user information and location information, is set as the recipient of the incentive, the convenience of user U may be improved. For example, points may be tallied over a period of time, such as annually or monthly. Examples of incentives include positive and negative ones. Positive incentives include automobile tax reductions, subsidies to reduce the cost of purchasing a vehicle right, and reduced insurance premiums. Positive incentives are the opposite of these.

[0037] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 108 stores in a database the user information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 101, the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 107, the driving history, the first road link, the second road link, the map data, and the points accumulated for the user by the accumulation unit 106. At this time, the user information, vehicle information, driving history, the first road link, the second road link, and the points are stored separately for each user U. Note that this database does not have to be stored in the storage unit 108 within the monitoring server 10, and may be stored in an external storage device using, for example, a cloud.

[0038] (Congestion Avoidance Method) The congestion avoidance method according to this embodiment will be described below. The congestion avoidance method by the monitoring server 10 according to this embodiment is carried out according to the flow charts shown in FIGS.

[0039] (Method for Avoiding Congestion: Processing Before Vehicle Starts Driving) First, a description will be given of processing before vehicle V starts driving, which is performed according to the flow shown in Figures 4 and 5. The flow shown in Figure 4 is performed by the user terminal 30.

[0040] First, the user terminal 30 accepts inputs for setting the destination of the vehicle V, the scheduled departure time of the vehicle V, and the scheduled arrival time of the vehicle V (step ST10). The user U performs these inputs using a GUI. The input destination is transmitted from the user terminal 30 to the monitoring server 10.

[0041] Next, the user terminal 30 receives the basic route (or optimized route) provided by the driving route providing unit 103 of the monitoring server 10 (step ST11). At this point, the vehicle V is ready to drive along the basic route (or optimized route). (Complete)

[0042] The flow shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the monitoring server 10.

[0043] First, the user information acquisition unit 101 of the monitoring server 10 acquires user information about the user who drives the vehicle from the user terminal 30 (step ST20: step of acquiring user information). For example, the user information acquisition unit 101 directly acquires the user information registered in the user terminal 30, or acquires the user information from vehicle information registered in the user terminal 30. The user information acquisition unit 101 also determines the attributes of the user U from the acquired user information.

[0044] Next, the destination acquisition unit 102 of the monitoring server 10 acquires the vehicle destination input to the GUI of the user terminal 30 (step ST21: step of acquiring a destination). As described above, smartphones, in-vehicle devices, and other communication devices are equipped with a GUI. In addition, the monitoring server 10 acquires information input to the GUI, including the destination of the vehicle V, the scheduled departure time of the vehicle V, and the scheduled arrival time of the vehicle V.

[0045] Next, the driving route providing unit 103 of the monitoring server 10 provides the vehicle V with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the road usage status to the destination (step ST22: step of providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion). In this step, the driving route providing unit 103 weights the departure time and links within the scheduled departure time zone based on past road usage status. The driving route providing unit 103 then selects a departure time and route and sets a basic route (step ST221). Next, the monitoring server 10 performs processing using the map data stored in the memory unit 108. The monitoring server 10 maps past near-miss locations and locations with a high accident frequency on the basic route to road network data (step ST222). Using the user information acquired by the user information acquiring unit 101, the driving route providing unit 103 modifies the provided driving route (basic route) to a driving route (optimized route) that is suited to the user information (step ST223). The basic route R1 is shown in Figure 6, and the optimized route R2, which avoids past near-miss locations and locations with a high accident frequency, is shown in Figure 7. The basic route R1 and the optimized route R2 contain information on multiple link IDs. The monitoring server 10 can reference information such as user information, scheduled departure time, and map data including the current location and destination.

[0046] Next, the time required to travel along the optimized route after step ST223 is calculated (step ST23).

[0047] Next, the monitoring server 10 associates the provided optimized route with the user information and stores the link IDs (first road links) included in the optimized route in the storage unit 108 (step ST24). At this point, the vehicle V is ready to drive along the optimized route. (Complete)

[0048] (Method for avoiding traffic congestion: processing while vehicle is traveling) Next, processing while vehicle V is traveling, which is performed according to the flow shown in Figures 8 and 9, will be described. The flow shown in Figure 8 is performed by the user terminal 30. In the present disclosure, the processing will be described as being performed by the user terminal 30.

[0049] First, the user terminal 30 detects the departure of the vehicle V based on a change in the location information (step ST16).

[0050] Next, the user terminal 30 sequentially transmits the position information of the traveling vehicle V to the monitoring server 10 (step ST17). At this time, the user terminal 30 may acquire link IDs included in the route after traveling as position information and sequentially transmit the link IDs to the monitoring server 10 (step ST171).

[0051] Next, the user terminal 30 detects the arrival of the vehicle V by detecting that the location information is at the destination (step ST18). Alternatively, the user terminal 30 may detect the arrival of the vehicle V by detecting that the ignition switch of the vehicle V is turned off. This is because the user terminal 30 and the vehicle V may be linked via a predetermined app or the like. In this way, the provision of the location information of the vehicle V is completed. (Complete)

[0052] The flow shown in FIG. 9 is executed by the monitoring server 10.

[0053] First, the location information acquisition unit 104 of the monitoring server 10 acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle acquired by the user terminal 30 (step ST26). The acquired location information is accumulated as a driving history. The driving history is linked to user information and stored in the storage unit 108.

[0054] Next, the evaluation unit 105 of the monitoring server 10 extracts, from the driving history, a plurality of link IDs included in the route after the driving (step ST27). Step ST27 is performed after the arrival of the vehicle. Next, the evaluation unit 105 of the monitoring server 10 evaluates the user U according to the degree of agreement of the transition of the position information after the driving with respect to the optimized route (step ST28: step of evaluating the user according to the degree of agreement of the transition of the position information).

[0055] 10 shows a route R3 traveled by vehicle V, which deviates from optimized route R2. Route R3 also includes information about multiple link IDs. Using the multiple link IDs included in route R3, user U is evaluated according to the degree of match. For example, the degree of match can be evaluated using an evaluation method such as the usage rate of the travel route (basic route or optimized route) or the continuity of transitions in location information traveled along the travel route.

[0056] (Evaluation using utilization rate of travel route) This evaluation method is evaluated using the following formula. Evaluation value = (total number of link IDs included in second road links - number of link IDs obtained that are different from those of first road links) / total number of link IDs included in first road links For example, assume that optimized route R2 includes a total of six link IDs, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6, while route R3 includes a total of six link IDs, L1, L2, L3, L10, L5, and L6. The number of (second road links that have obtained link IDs that are different from those of the first road links) is 1, since L4 and L10 are different. ∴Evaluation value = (6 - 1) / 6 = 0.83 (83%)

[0057] (Evaluation Utilizing the Continuity of Transition of Position Information Traveled Along a Travel Route) This evaluation method is performed using the following formula: Evaluation Value = (Total Number of Node IDs Included in the Second Road Link - Number of Obtained Node IDs Different from Those in the First Road Link) / Total Number of Node IDs Included in the First Road Link In the above formula, the "total number of node IDs" can also be considered as the number of connected link IDs. For example, assume that optimized route R2 includes a total of six link IDs, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6, while route R3 includes a total of six link IDs, L1, L2, L3, L10, L5, and L6. In this case, the number of connected link IDs is 5. The "number of obtained node IDs different from those in the first road link" is expressed by the difference in the connection points (nodes) of the link IDs. The value is 2 because the nodes connecting L3 and L10 and the nodes connecting L10 and L5 are different from the connection points of the first road link. ∴ The number of matches is (5-2) / 5 = 3 / 5 = 0.6 (60%)

[0058] Each evaluation method may be weighted and then these methods may be combined to comprehensively evaluate the degree of match. Note that the above evaluation methods are merely examples, and other evaluation methods may also be used.

[0059] Next, the storage unit 106 of the monitoring server 10 stores the evaluation of the user U by the evaluation unit 105 in the user information in place of points related to an economic incentive (step ST29: step of storing in user information). In this way, the evaluation process of the user U using the position information of the vehicle V is completed. (Completed)

[0060] (Actions and Effects) The monitoring server 10 of this embodiment provides a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The monitoring server 10 accumulates points related to economic incentives in the user information according to the degree of match between the transition of vehicle position information (second road link) that occurs when driving to the destination and the provided driving route (first road link). This encourages the user U to drive the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 in order to obtain the economic incentive. Therefore, the monitoring server 10 of the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume by attracting user behavior through incentives. Therefore, the monitoring server 10 of the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume.

[0061] (Variation) The driving route providing unit 103 may select multiple basic routes and provide different basic routes to each vehicle. Alternatively, the driving route providing unit 103 may provide a specific basic route (route 1) to some vehicles and then provide a route 2 different from the specific basic route to other vehicles. As another example, the driving route providing unit 103 may acquire information about the driving route (or optimized route) received by each vehicle from the storage unit 108. When each vehicle travels according to the provided driving route (or optimized route), congestion may occur in a specific area. Therefore, when the road usage situation in a specific area after a predetermined time is expected to be congested compared to the past road usage situation at the same time, the driving route providing unit 103 performs the following processing. The driving route providing unit 103 may provide a route excluding a specific area where congestion is expected after a predetermined time to a vehicle V heading to a destination.

[0062] (On-board device) The operation of the user terminal 30 in the above disclosure is assumed to be performed by an on-board device. The on-board device may acquire location information capable of identifying the location of the vehicle. The on-board device may acquire location information capable of identifying the location of a moving vehicle V using positioning radio waves. For example, the on-board device may use the positioning radio waves disclosed above to locate the location of the vehicle V equipped with the on-board device at a predetermined interval or for a set mileage. In this case, the information on the vehicle V transmitted from the on-board device to the monitoring server 10 is not limited to the location information on the vehicle V obtained by the positioning radio waves. The information on the vehicle V transmitted from the on-board device may also include, for example, the speed of the vehicle V obtained by a speedometer mounted on the vehicle V. For example, the on-board device, which is an example of the user terminal 30, may be an information processing device with communication capabilities, known as an OBU (On Board Unit). In this case, the on-board device 20 may have a display that displays information related to the passage of the vehicle V. At least, the vehicle-mounted device 20 is equipped with a GUI that allows input of settings for the destination of the vehicle V, the scheduled departure time of the vehicle V, and the scheduled arrival time of the vehicle V.

[0063] The vehicle-mounted device may also acquire link IDs included in the route after travel as location information and sequentially transmit the information to the monitoring server 10. If the vehicle-mounted device has map data, the vehicle-mounted device performs MapMatching while traveling and acquires link IDs included in the route after travel.

[0064] For example, the mapping process (step ST22) by the monitoring server 10 may map narrow roads, roads with poor visibility in the surrounding area, school routes, etc. into the road network data, thereby making it possible to prevent accidents that may occur in these locations.

[0065] (Example of a Retail Store) For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , a retail store St may provide an incentive to a user U based on points earned. For example, the incentive may be transmitted from a terminal owned by the retail store St to the user terminal 30. In this case, the user U may receive the incentive each time the points scheduled to be accumulated in the user information are immediately used. That is, the user U may receive the incentive from the retail store St each time the vehicle V arrives at the destination retail store St. Examples of incentives include coupons for adding points to a point card used at the retail store St or subsidies for reducing the purchase cost of a product. An example of a retail store St is a supermarket. In this case, since the received incentive is expected to be used in the store, it is preferable that the incentive be transmitted to the user terminal 30. Another example of a retail store St is a gas station. The destination of the incentive is determined based on the convenience of the user U and is not limited to the user terminal 30. This allows the traffic volume in a specific area around the retail store St to change from that shown in FIG. 12 to that shown in FIG. 13. This modification can alleviate peak traffic volumes in a specific area and increase traffic volumes during low-traffic hours. This modification also allows retail stores St to maintain a high customer attraction rate.

[0066] Note that multiple user terminals 30 may be combined as appropriate. If the first user terminal is a first user terminal and the second user terminal is a second user terminal, the second user terminal is a different device from the first user terminal. For example, a smartphone (first user terminal) and an in-vehicle device (second user terminal) may be combined. In this case, vehicle information such as the vehicle ID, vehicle model information, and license plate information is registered in the in-vehicle device (second user terminal), and user information is registered in an application on the smartphone (first user terminal). The in-vehicle device (second user terminal) and the smartphone (first user terminal) can be linked via wired or wireless (Bluetooth, etc.). Vehicle information, which is information specific to the vehicle, is registered in the in-vehicle device (second user terminal), and user information of the user U riding in the vehicle is registered in an application on the smartphone (first user terminal). By providing incentive information to the application on the smartphone (first user terminal), the retail store St can easily recognize that the user is a service recipient after disembarking. Furthermore, as in the example of the gas station mentioned above, depending on the type of incentive, the user terminal 30 that receives the incentive may be set as an in-vehicle device (second user terminal), and so on, and the incentive may be appropriately divided.

[0067] (Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit) As shown in FIG. 14 , the monitoring server 10 may further include a vehicle information acquisition unit 107. The vehicle information acquisition unit 107 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle V. As described above, the vehicle information includes information related to the vehicle, such as the ID of the vehicle V on which the on-board device, which is an example of the user terminal 30, is installed, vehicle model information, license plate information, etc. In addition, the driving route providing unit 103 may use the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 107 to modify the provided driving route (basic route) to a driving route suitable for the vehicle information. For example, the driving route is appropriately modified based on the class and visibility of the vehicle V. This allows the driving route providing unit 103 to present driving routes suitable for autonomous vehicles and driving routes that improve energy-saving performance for “electric vehicles.” The driving route providing unit 103 can also use the user information and vehicle information to modify the driving route to a route more suitable for the driver.

[0068] (Verification Unit) As shown in FIG. 14, the user terminal 30 may have an imaging device that captures video of the vehicle traveling during the transition. In this case, the monitoring server 10 further includes a verification unit that verifies the degree of coincidence based on the video of the vehicle traveling during the transition of the position information after the journey. For example, the user terminal 30 may store video of the vehicle traveling and transmit the stored video upon receiving a request signal from the monitoring server 10. This allows the monitoring server 10 to verify the authenticity of the route after the journey. The congestion avoidance system 1 can detect fraud, such as fabricating position information.

[0069] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure are also included.

[0070] 15 is a hardware configuration diagram showing the configuration of a computer 1100 according to this embodiment. The computer 1100 includes, for example, a processor 1110, a main memory 1120, a storage 1130, and an interface 1140.

[0071] Each of the functional units of the monitoring server 10 described above is implemented in a computer 1100. The operation of each of the functional units described above is stored in the form of a program in a storage 1130. The processor 1110 reads the program from the storage 1130, loads it into the main memory 1120, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. The processor 1110 also allocates storage areas in the main memory 1120 to be used by each of the functional units described above in accordance with the program.

[0072] The program may be for realizing part of the functions to be performed by the computer 1100. For example, the program may be a program that performs the functions in combination with another program already stored in the storage 1130 or in combination with another program installed in another device. Furthermore, the computer 1100 may include a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) in addition to or instead of the above configuration. Examples of PLDs include programmable array logic (PAL), generic array logic (GAL), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and field programmable gate array (FPGA). In this case, some or all of the functions implemented by processor 1110 may be implemented by the integrated circuit.

[0073] Examples of storage 1130 include a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a semiconductor memory. Storage 1130 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 1100, or an external medium connected to computer 1100 via interface 1140 or a communication line. Furthermore, when this program is distributed to computer 1100 via a communication line, computer 1100 that receives the program may deploy the program in main memory 1120 and execute the above-described processing. Furthermore, the program may be a program for realizing part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that realizes the above-described functions in combination with another program already stored in storage 1130.

[0074] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0075] (Supplementary Note 1) (1) The monitoring server 10 according to the first aspect includes a user information acquisition unit 101 that acquires user information about a user U who drives a vehicle V, a destination acquisition unit 102 that acquires the destination of the vehicle V, a driving route provision unit that provides the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the road usage status to the destination, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle, an evaluation unit that evaluates the user based on the degree of agreement between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving, and a storage unit that converts the evaluation into points related to economic incentives and stores them in the user information.

[0076] According to this configuration, the monitoring server 10 provides a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The monitoring server 10 accumulates points related to economic incentives in the user information according to the degree of match between the transition of the vehicle's position information (second road link) that occurs when traveling to the destination and the provided driving route (first road link). This encourages the user U to travel the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 in order to obtain the economic incentive. Therefore, the monitoring server 10 according to the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume by attracting user behavior through incentives. Therefore, the monitoring server 10 according to the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume.

[0077] (Supplementary Note 2) (2) The monitoring server 10 according to the second aspect is the monitoring server described in (1), in which the degree of coincidence is evaluated based on at least one of the utilization rate of the driving route and the continuity of the transition.

[0078] With this configuration, the monitoring server 10 can evaluate whether the vehicle V traveled along the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 based on the link ID and the proportion of the connection points of the link ID relative to the driving route (first road link).

[0079] (Supplementary Note 3) (3) The monitoring server 10 according to the third aspect is the monitoring server described in (1) or (2), and the driving route providing unit 103 corrects the driving route (basic route) to a driving route (optimized route) that is suitable for the user information.

[0080] With this configuration, the driving route providing unit 103 can provide a driving route suitable for the user driving the vehicle V.

[0081] (Appendix 4) (4) The monitoring server 10 according to the fourth aspect is a monitoring server according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a vehicle information acquisition unit 107 that acquires vehicle information about the vehicle V, and the driving route providing unit 103 corrects the driving route (basic route) to a driving route (optimized route) that is suitable for the vehicle information.

[0082] With this configuration, the driving route providing unit 103 can provide a driving route that is suitable for the user driving the vehicle V or the transportation system that controls the autonomous vehicle.

[0083] (Supplementary Note 5) (5) The monitoring server 10 according to the fifth aspect is a monitoring server according to any one of (1) to (4), in which the user information acquisition unit 101 acquires user information from the user terminal 30.

[0084] According to this configuration, the user information is obtained directly from the user information registered in the user terminal 30, or from the registered vehicle information. If the user terminal 30, which can transfer user information and location information, is set as the recipient of the incentive, convenience for the user U can be improved.

[0085] (Appendix 6) (6) The congestion avoidance system according to the sixth aspect comprises a monitoring server according to any one of (1) to (5) and a first user terminal (user terminal 30) having the user information, wherein the first user terminal (user terminal 30) has a GUI that allows a destination of the vehicle V to be input, and the first user terminal (user terminal 30) transmits the destination and location information that allows the location of the vehicle V to be identified to the monitoring server 10.

[0086] According to this configuration, the monitoring server 10 provides a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The monitoring server 10 accumulates points related to economic incentives in the user information according to the degree of match between the transition of the vehicle's position information (second road link) that occurs when traveling to the destination and the provided driving route (first road link). This encourages the user U to travel the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 in order to obtain the economic incentive. Therefore, the monitoring server 10 of the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume by attracting user behavior through incentives. Therefore, the congestion avoidance system according to the present disclosure can optimize traffic volume.

[0087] (Appendix 7) (7) The congestion avoidance system 1 relating to the seventh aspect is the congestion avoidance system 1 described in (6), and the first user terminal (user terminal 30) is an in-vehicle device or a smartphone on which a dedicated application is installed.

[0088] According to this configuration, when an incentive is provided to the in-vehicle device or the smartphone on which the dedicated application is installed, convenience for the user U can be improved because the in-vehicle device or the smartphone often travels with the user U.

[0089] (Appendix 8) (8) The congestion avoidance system 1 according to the eighth aspect is the congestion avoidance system described in (6) or (7), further comprising a second user terminal having user information, the second user terminal having a GUI that allows a destination of the vehicle to be input, the second user terminal transmitting the destination and location information that allows the location of the vehicle to be identified to a monitoring server, the first user terminal being either an in-vehicle device or a smartphone, and the second user terminal being the other of the in-vehicle device or the smartphone.

[0090] With this configuration, the user terminal 30 to receive the incentive can be appropriately selected depending on the type of incentive. For example, it is conceivable that the user U accumulates points related to the incentive in the user information at a user terminal (e.g., a first user terminal) that the user U often travels with. Thereafter, it is conceivable that the user U receives the incentive at a user terminal (e.g., a second user terminal) at which the user U wishes to use the incentive depending on the store.

[0091] (Appendix 9) (9) The congestion avoidance system 1 relating to the third aspect is a congestion avoidance system described in any one of (6) to (8), wherein the first user terminal (user terminal 30) has an imaging device that acquires driving footage of the vehicle V during the transition of position information after driving, and the monitoring server 10 further includes a verification unit 109 that verifies the degree of coincidence from the driving footage of the vehicle V during the transition of position information after driving.

[0092] With this configuration, the monitoring server 10 can verify the authenticity of the route after travel. The congestion avoidance system 1 can detect fraud such as fabricating location information.

[0093] (Supplementary Note 10) (10) A congestion avoidance method according to a tenth aspect includes the steps of acquiring user information about a user who drives a vehicle, acquiring a destination of the vehicle, providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids congestion based on road usage to the destination, acquiring location information that can identify the location of the vehicle, evaluating the user based on the degree of agreement of transitions in the location information after driving with the driving route, and accumulating the evaluation in the user information in place of points related to economic incentives.

[0094] According to this configuration, the congestion avoidance method provides a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The congestion avoidance method accumulates points related to economic incentives in the user information according to the degree of match between the transition of the vehicle's position information (second road link) that occurs when driving to the destination and the provided driving route (first road link). This encourages the user U to drive the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 in order to obtain the economic incentive. Therefore, the congestion avoidance method disclosed herein can optimize traffic volume by inducing user behavior through incentives. Therefore, the congestion avoidance method disclosed herein can optimize traffic volume.

[0095] (Supplementary Note 11) (11) A program according to an eleventh aspect causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring user information about a user who drives a vehicle, acquiring a destination of the vehicle, providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the road usage status to the destination, acquiring location information that can identify the vehicle's location, evaluating the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving, and accumulating the evaluation in the user information in place of points related to economic incentives.

[0096] According to this configuration, the program provides a driving route that avoids congestion based on the road usage status to the destination. The program accumulates points related to economic incentives in the user information depending on the degree of match between the transition of the vehicle's position information (second road link) that occurs when traveling to the destination and the provided driving route (first road link). This encourages the user U to travel the driving route provided by the monitoring server 10 in order to obtain the economic incentive. Therefore, the program disclosed herein can optimize traffic volume by inducing user behavior through incentives. Therefore, the program disclosed herein can optimize traffic volume.

[0097] According to the above-described aspect, traffic volume can be optimized.

[0098] 1 Congestion avoidance system 10 Monitoring server 101 User information acquisition unit 102 Destination acquisition unit 103 Driving route provision unit 104 Location information acquisition unit 105 Evaluation unit 106 Accumulation unit 107 Vehicle information acquisition unit 108 Memory unit 109 Verification unit 30 User terminal L1, L2, L3, ... Link N1, N2, N3, ... Node R1 Basic route R2 Optimized route R3 Route In Insurance company Re Tax office St Retail store U User V Vehicle

Claims

1. A monitoring server comprising: a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information about a user who drives a vehicle; a destination acquisition unit that acquires the destination of the vehicle; a driving route provision unit that provides the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the usage status of roads to the destination; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information that can identify the location of the vehicle; an evaluation unit that evaluates the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving; and a storage unit that converts the evaluation into points related to economic incentives and stores them in the user information.

2. The monitoring server according to claim 1, wherein the degree of match is evaluated based on at least one of a utilization rate of the travel route and a continuity of the transition.

3. The monitoring server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving route providing unit corrects the driving route to a driving route suited to the user information.

4. A monitoring server according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information relating to the vehicle, wherein the driving route provision unit corrects the driving route to a driving route that is suitable for the vehicle information.

5. A congestion avoidance system comprising: a monitoring server according to claim 1 or claim 2; and a first user terminal having the user information, wherein the first user terminal has a GUI that allows the destination of the vehicle to be input; and the first user terminal transmits the destination and location information that allows the location of the vehicle to be identified to the monitoring server.

6. The congestion avoidance system according to claim 5, wherein the first user terminal is an in-vehicle device or a smartphone on which a dedicated application is installed.

7. The congestion avoidance system of claim 6, further comprising a second user terminal having the user information, wherein the second user terminal has a GUI that allows input of a destination for the vehicle, the second user terminal has a communication unit that allows transmission of the destination, the second user terminal transmits location information that allows identification of the location of the vehicle to the monitoring server, the first user terminal is either the in-vehicle device or the smartphone, and the second user terminal is the other of the in-vehicle device or the smartphone.

8. The congestion avoidance system described in claim 5, wherein the first user terminal has an imaging device that captures footage of the vehicle traveling during the transition, and the monitoring server further has a verification unit that verifies the degree of coincidence from the footage of the vehicle traveling during the transition.

9. A method for avoiding congestion, comprising the steps of: acquiring user information about a user driving a vehicle; acquiring a destination of the vehicle; providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids congestion based on road usage to the destination; acquiring location information that can identify the location of the vehicle; evaluating the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving; and converting the evaluation into points related to economic incentives and accumulating them in the user information.

10. A program that causes a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring user information about a user driving a vehicle; acquiring the destination of the vehicle; providing the vehicle with a driving route that avoids traffic congestion based on the road usage status to the destination; acquiring location information that can identify the location of the vehicle; evaluating the user based on the degree of match between the driving route and the transition of the location information after driving; and converting the evaluation into points related to economic incentives and accumulating them in the user information.

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