Terminal device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

Provided are a terminal device, an information processing method, and a program with which it is possible to know the status of a movement destination at a time point when a user will arrive at the movement destination even when communication via a communication network cannot be performed. A terminal device according to the present disclosure comprises: a communication processing means that is a first terminal device carried by a first user, the communication processing means receiving, from a second terminal device carried by a second user, data sensed by a sensor provided to the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user; a prediction means that predicts the status at a scheduled arrival timing of a scheduled movement point of the first user by using the data received from the second terminal device; and an output processing means that provides the status prediction result to the first user.

Description

Terminal device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that allows people climbing and descending a mountain to pass each other, and their mobile terminals perform short-range wireless communication with each other, thereby enabling acquisition of information on a destination even when the Internet cannot be used.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2020-110012

[0004] The condition of a destination may change over time. With the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, only information about the past condition of a certain point can be acquired, and a user cannot know the condition of the certain point at the time when the user arrives at the certain point.

[0005] Accordingly, one of the objects to be achieved by the embodiments disclosed in the present specification is to provide a terminal device and the like that enable a user to know the condition of a destination at the time when the user arrives at the destination even when communication via a communication network is unavailable.

[0006] A terminal device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a first terminal device carried by a first user, the terminal device comprising: communication processing means for receiving, from a second terminal device carried by a second user, data sensed at one or more points on a travel route of the second user by a sensor included in the second terminal device when the first user passes the second user; prediction means for predicting a condition of a scheduled destination that is the destination of the first user, the condition at a scheduled arrival timing of the first user at the scheduled destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and output processing means for providing the prediction result of the condition to the first user.

[0007] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method using a first terminal device carried by a first user, wherein the first user receives data sensed at one or more points on the second user's travel path by sensors provided in the second terminal device carried by the second user when the first user passes the second user, and uses the data received from the second terminal device to predict the situation at the first user's planned destination, which is the first user's destination, at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, and provides the first user with the predicted result of the situation.

[0008] A program according to a third aspect of this disclosure causes a computer in a first terminal device carried by a first user to execute a communication processing step in which the first user receives data sensed at one or more points along the second user's travel path by sensors provided in a second terminal device carried by a second user when the first user passes by the second user; a prediction step in which the computer in the computer in the computer in the computer to execute a communication processing step in which the computer receives data from the second terminal device in which the first user passes by the second user; a prediction step in which the computer predicts the situation at the planned destination of the first user, specifically the situation at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and an output processing step in which the computer provides the first user with the prediction result of the situation.

[0009] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal device, an information processing method, and a program that allow a user to know the status of their destination at the time of arrival, even when communication via a communication network is not possible.

[0010] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device relating to this disclosure. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system relating to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device relating to this disclosure. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the UI unit's display by the processing of the output processing unit. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a terminal device relating to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device relating to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that implements the control unit of the terminal device relating to this disclosure.

[0011] For clarity of explanation, the following descriptions and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant explanations have been omitted as necessary for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, each drawing is merely illustrative to illustrate one or more embodiments. Each drawing may be associated not only with one specific embodiment but also with one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing to illustrate an exemplary embodiment are necessarily required, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any of the drawings may be changed as appropriate.

[0012] <Outline of Embodiments> The configuration example of the terminal device 1 will be described below with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 1. The terminal device 1 has a communication processing unit 2, a prediction unit 3, and an output processing unit 4. The terminal device 1 is any device that is equipped with computer resources and is portable by the user. The terminal device 1 is carried by a first user who is moving to a destination (hereinafter also referred to as a planned destination). In this disclosure, the "destination" is not limited to the user's final destination, but may be a point that the user passes through.

[0013] The communication processing unit 2 receives data from the terminal device carried by the second user (i.e., another user) when the first user passes by the second user. Note that when the first user and the second user pass by, it means that the terminal device carried by the first user and the terminal device carried by the second user pass each other. Therefore, it can also be said that the communication processing unit 2 receives data from the second user's terminal device when terminal device 1 passes by the terminal device carried by the second user. Note that passing each other means, for example, that one user (one terminal device) and the other user (the other terminal device) approach each other and then move away.

[0014] Specifically, the communication processing unit 2 receives data sensed at one or more points along the travel route of a second user by sensors provided on a terminal device carried by the second user. These sensors sense the environmental conditions at the location where the terminal device is located. More specifically, these sensors perform sensing to acquire data that the prediction unit 3, described later, will use for prediction. For example, these sensors may be thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, altimeters, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensors, cameras (imaging sensors), etc. The terminal device may have multiple types of sensors. Furthermore, it is preferable that the data acquired by the sensors includes the data acquisition time, i.e., the time when the sensing was performed.

[0015] Furthermore, the second terminal device may store data sensed at one or more points along the third user's travel path by sensors provided in the third terminal device carried by the third user. In this case, the communication processing unit 2 may also receive data sensed by sensors provided in the third terminal device from the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user.

[0016] Furthermore, if terminal device 1 is equipped with a sensor similar to the one provided by the terminal device carried by the second user, the communication processing unit 2 may perform the following processing. That is, in this case, when the first user passes by the second user, the communication processing unit 2 may transmit to the terminal device carried by the second user data sensed by the sensor of terminal device 1 at one or more points along the first user's travel path. This allows the terminal device carried by the second user to perform the same processing as terminal device 1.

[0017] The prediction unit 3 performs a process to predict the situation at the destination destination of the first user, specifically the situation at the expected arrival time of the first user at the destination destination. In doing so, the prediction unit 3 uses at least the aforementioned data received by terminal device 1 from the second terminal device for its prediction. The prediction unit 3 may also use other information for prediction processing. For example, if terminal device 1 is equipped with a sensor, the prediction unit 3 may also use data sensed by the sensor of terminal device 1 for prediction processing. Furthermore, if terminal device 1 receives data sensed by a sensor equipped in the third terminal device from the second terminal device, the prediction unit 3 may also use that data for prediction processing. In this way, by utilizing data sensed by a sensor equipped in the third terminal device, it is expected that prediction processing can be achieved more appropriately.

[0018] The prediction unit 3 performs prediction processing using, for example, a machine learning model that has been pre-trained and stored in the terminal device 1. The first user's planned destination and expected arrival time may be stored in the terminal device 1 in advance, or the terminal device 1 may estimate them based on arbitrary information.

[0019] The output processing unit 4 performs the process of providing the prediction results obtained by the prediction processing by the prediction unit 3 to the first user. The output processing unit 4 may provide the prediction results to the first user by, for example, displaying the prediction results on the display of the terminal device 1, or by outputting the prediction results as audio from the speaker of the terminal device 1.

[0020] According to terminal device 1, the situation at the user's planned arrival time at their destination is predicted based on data received from other terminal devices, and the prediction result is provided to the user. Therefore, even if communication via a communication network such as the Internet is not possible, the user can know the situation at their destination at the time of arrival. This effect can also be obtained in the information processing method including the above-described process of terminal device 1, the program that performs the above-described process of terminal device 1, or a non-temporary computer-readable medium on which the program is stored.

[0021] More specific embodiments will be described below. <Embodiment> Below, an example of the configuration of the information processing system 10 will be described using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system 10.

[0022] The information processing system 10 includes multiple terminal devices 100_1, ..., 100_N, each carried by a different user (where N is an integer of 2 or more). Hereafter, when referring to terminal devices 100_1 to 100_N without making a specific distinction, they will simply be referred to as terminal device 100. Furthermore, the users U of terminal devices 100_1 to 100_N can be distinguished as users U_1 to U_N, but when referring to users U_1 to U_N without making a specific distinction, they will simply be referred to as user U. The information processing system 10 is used in environments where communication via a communication network such as the Internet is not possible or where such communication is unstable. For example, it is used in any environment where radio waves cannot be transmitted or received between a base station and terminal device 100. Specifically, such environments include, but are not limited to, locations where communication networks are unusable due to a disaster or in mountainous areas. In this embodiment, the terminal device 100 is carried by user U, for example, while traveling (e.g., walking) on ​​a mountain trail, but the information processing system 10 can be used at any location where users U may pass each other. For example, user U may be traveling on any road in a vehicle, etc., and pass other users U. In other words, the method of travel of user U is not limited to walking, and the location where the terminal device 100 is used is not limited to a mountain trail. Typically, the passing of a first user U and a second user U occurs in the middle of a road as follows: The first user U passes a second user U who is coming towards the first user U from the direction of the first user U's travel. In other words, the second user U passes a first user U who is coming towards the second user U from the direction of the second user U's travel. In other words, typically, two users U traveling in opposite directions pass each other, but the passing described in this disclosure is not limited to such typical passing situations.

[0023] Next, an example configuration of the terminal device 100 will be explained using Figure 3. The terminal device 100 is any device that a user U can carry and move, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of terminal device 100_1. Since the same applies to other terminal devices 100, we will focus on terminal device 100_1 in this explanation.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 100_1 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, a UI unit 130, a sensor 140, and a control unit 150.

[0025] The communication unit 110 is a hardware circuit that performs wireless communication with other devices according to a predetermined communication standard, and may include software such as firmware. The communication unit 110 is capable of short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® with at least other terminal devices 100. In areas where communication with the communication network is possible, the communication unit 110 may also be able to communicate with the communication network via a base station or the like.

[0026] The storage unit 120 is an arbitrary storage device that stores data (information) necessary for processing the terminal device 100_1 or data (information) generated by processing the terminal device 100_1. The storage unit 120 may be implemented by the memory 502 described later. The storage unit 120 may store map data. The storage unit 120 also stores the prediction model used by the prediction unit 154.

[0027] The UI unit 130 is a user interface device comprising an input device such as a button or pointing device that accepts input operations from user U_1, and a display. The UI unit 130 may also be a touch panel in which the input device and display are integrated. Furthermore, the UI unit 130 may include a speaker.

[0028] Sensor 140 is a sensor that senses the environmental conditions at the location where terminal device 100_1 is located. Some or all of the data obtained by sensor 140 is used for prediction processing by prediction unit 154 (described later) and output processing by output processing unit 155. Terminal device 100_1 may include multiple sensors 140. In this embodiment, terminal device 100_1 includes sensors 140 such as a thermometer, barometer, hygrometer, altimeter, GNSS sensor, and camera (imaging sensor). In this embodiment, the data acquired by sensor 140 includes the data acquisition time, i.e., the time when sensing was performed. In particular, location information indicating the location where terminal device 100_1 is located (for example, location information indicating latitude and longitude) obtained by the GNSS sensor is associated with data from other sensors. Therefore, for example, it is possible to identify at which location data such as temperature and atmospheric pressure were measured.

[0029] Sensor 140 performs sensing periodically, for example. For example, sensor 140 may repeat sensing at predetermined time intervals (e.g., 10 minutes), or it may perform sensing each time user U_1 (terminal device 100_1) moves a predetermined distance (e.g., 100 meters). Note that some parts of sensor 140 may operate irregularly. For example, the camera (imaging sensor) may operate according to the operation of user U_1. Note that the camera only needs to take images, for example, it may take video images, but it may also take still images.

[0030] Next, the control unit 150 of the terminal device 100_1 will be described. The control unit 150 includes a movement estimation unit 151, a sensor data acquisition unit 152, a communication processing unit 153, a prediction unit 154, and an output processing unit 155.

[0031] The movement estimation unit 151 estimates the planned movement of user U_1 carrying terminal device 100_1. Here, the planned movement includes at least the destination of user U_1 (planned travel point), and may also include the planned arrival time at the destination (planned arrival timing). If data indicating user U_1's planned movement is pre-stored in the storage unit 120, the movement estimation unit 151 may estimate user U_1's planned movement by referring to the data stored in the storage unit 120. The data indicating the planned movement may be electronic data such as a climbing notification or an action plan, or it may be user U_1's schedule data managed by a schedule management application. The movement estimation unit 151 may also determine the planned movement based on the passable road routes shown in the map data stored in the storage unit 120 and the current movement trajectory of user U_1 (terminal device 100_1) detected by the sensor 140. For example, the movement estimation unit 151 may identify a point on the extension of the movement trajectory along the route (a point at the end of the movement trajectory) as the destination. The movement estimation unit 151 may estimate the estimated time of arrival at the destination based on the distance from the current position to the destination (specifically, for example, the distance calculated along the road) and the user U_1's movement speed. Here, the user U_1's movement speed used to estimate the estimated time of arrival may be a predetermined speed, or it may be a movement speed determined from data sensed by the sensor 140.

[0032] The sensor data acquisition unit 152 acquires data obtained from the sensor 140 through sensing by the sensor 140. The sensor data acquisition unit 152 stores the data from the sensor 140 as time-series data in the storage unit 120, associating it with the time the data was acquired by the sensor 140 and location information indicating the location where the sensing by the sensor 140 took place. In addition to acquiring data obtained from sensing by the sensor 140, the sensor data acquisition unit 152 may also acquire data (for example, temperature, wind speed, snow depth, etc.) input into the terminal device 100_1 by a user U_1 carrying the terminal device 100_1. In this case, the data input by user U_1 can be treated in the same way as the data obtained from sensing by the sensor 140.

[0033] The communication processing unit 153 corresponds to the communication processing unit 2 described above. The communication processing unit 153 performs communication processing using the communication unit 110. In particular, when terminal device 100_1 is capable of short-range wireless communication with other terminal devices 100, the communication processing unit 153 transmits arbitrary data, including sensed data. That is, when user U_1 of terminal device 100_1 and user U_m of other terminal device 100_m (where m is an integer from 2 to N) pass each other, the communication processing unit 153 transmits and receives at least sensed data. Hereinafter, data sensed by the sensor of any of the terminal devices 100 (data obtained by sensing) will also be referred to as sensor data.

[0034] Specifically, when user U_1 passes user U_m, the communication processing unit 153 uses the communication unit 110 (short-range wireless communication) to transmit sensor data stored in the memory unit 120 of terminal device 100_1 to terminal device 100_m. Also, when user U_1 passes user U_m, the communication processing unit 153 uses the communication unit 110 (short-range wireless communication) to receive sensor data stored in the memory unit 120 of terminal device 100_m from terminal device 100_m. The communication processing unit 153 stores the data received from terminal device 100_m in the memory unit 120.

[0035] Here, the sensor data stored by terminal device 100_m is not limited to data sensed at one or more points along the user U_m's travel path by the sensor 140 provided by terminal device 100_m. The sensor data stored by terminal device 100_m may also be data received by terminal device 100_m via short-range wireless communication from terminal device 100_k (where k is an integer from 2 to N, other than m) before terminal device 100_1 passes by terminal device 100_m. Therefore, terminal device 100_1 can receive data from multiple terminal devices 100 from terminal device 100_m.

[0036] Similarly, the sensor data stored by terminal device 100_1 is not limited to data sensed at one or more points along the user U_1's travel path by the sensor 140 provided by terminal device 100_1. The sensor data stored by terminal device 100_1 may also be data received by terminal device 100_j (where j is an integer from 2 to N, other than m) via short-range wireless communication before terminal device 100_1 passes terminal device 100_m. Therefore, terminal device 100_1 can transmit data from multiple terminal devices 100 to terminal device 100_m.

[0037] The prediction unit 154 corresponds to the prediction unit 3 described above. The prediction unit 154 uses sensor data to predict the situation at the user U_1's planned destination, specifically the situation at the time of the user U_1's planned arrival at the destination. The prediction unit 154 may also use sensor data to predict the situation at a predetermined future timing for locations other than the planned destination. The prediction unit 154 performs prediction processing using some or all of the sensor data received from other terminal devices 100 via short-range wireless communication. For example, the prediction unit 154 performs prediction processing using at least the sensor data of the planned destination from among this sensor data. In this embodiment, since sensor data can be obtained from other terminal devices 100 via short-range wireless communication, terminal device 100_1 can obtain sensor data of the user U_1's planned destination. The prediction unit 154 may also perform prediction processing using sensor data obtained using the sensor 140 of terminal device 100_1.

[0038] In this embodiment, as an example, the sensor data includes meteorological observation data such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity, and the prediction unit 154 uses this meteorological observation data to predict the weather trends at one or more locations, including the planned travel destination. If the image captured by the sensor 140, which acts as a camera, includes images of the sky (moving or still images), these images can also be considered meteorological observation data. This is because they contain information useful for weather forecasting by observing the weather, such as cloud shape, cloud movement speed, rainfall, and fog density. Furthermore, the predicted weather may include temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, etc. That is, the prediction unit 154 may predict temperature, humidity, or atmospheric pressure.

[0039] The prediction unit 154 predicts the weather at the expected arrival time at the planned travel destination, using, for example, a pre-trained machine learning model stored in the memory unit 120 of the terminal device 100_1. This machine learning model may be, for example, a deep learning model. For example, this machine learning model may be a model trained using training data consisting of pairs of observed weather observation data and weather observed after the observation of the weather observation data. The memory unit 120 may also store multiple models for the processing of the prediction unit 154. For example, the prediction unit 154 may select the model to use for prediction processing depending on which location's weather to predict and when the weather is to be predicted. In this way, the prediction unit 154 predicts the weather trends at one or more locations, including the user U_1's planned travel destination, based on the output from the machine learning model stored in the memory unit 120 when sensor data is input to the machine learning model. Note that the prediction unit 154 may only perform predictions for the planned travel destination. Furthermore, the prediction unit 154 may predict only the weather conditions at the planned arrival time of the destination, or it may predict the weather conditions at any point in time.

[0040] The output processing unit 155 corresponds to the output processing unit 4 described above. The output processing unit 155 performs output processing to provide information to user U_1 of terminal device 100_1 using the UI unit 130. Specifically, the output processing unit 155 can output arbitrary information using the UI unit 130.

[0041] In particular, the output processing unit 155 performs the process of providing the user U_1 with the prediction results obtained by the prediction processing by the prediction unit 154. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the UI unit 130's display as a result of the processing by the output processing unit 155. As shown in Figure 4, the output processing unit 155 may also display a map on the terminal device 100_1's display (UI unit 130) showing the planned destination and the predicted conditions (weather) of the destination at the planned arrival time. This provides the user with a high degree of convenience. In Figure 4, the rest hut 90b and the mountaintop 90a are estimated to be the planned destinations for user U_1. Furthermore, the estimated arrival time at the rest hut 90b when user U_1 moves from the current position 90x is estimated to be 17 minutes from now. Similarly, the estimated arrival time at the mountaintop 90a when user U_1 moves from the current position 90x is estimated to be 72 minutes from now. In this embodiment, the prediction unit 154 predicts the weather at the rest hut 90b at the scheduled arrival time (17 minutes later). The prediction unit 154 also predicts the weather at the summit 90a at the scheduled arrival time (72 minutes later). The output processing unit 155 displays these prediction results on the map. Specifically, the output processing unit 155 places information 91b indicating the condition of the rest hut 90b and information 91a indicating the condition of the summit 90a at the location of the rest hut 90b on the map. Information 91b indicates the weather at the rest hut 90b at the scheduled arrival time (17 minutes later), and information 91a indicates the weather at the summit 90a at the scheduled arrival time (72 minutes later). In particular, as shown in Figure 4, the output processing unit 155 provides information in a manner that indicates that it is a prediction result of the condition (weather) at the scheduled arrival time. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, information 91a or information 91b may indicate the predicted status at a time other than the scheduled arrival time. In addition, the output processing unit 155 may place information 91c on the map that indicates the predicted status of a location 90c other than the planned travel location.

[0042] In the example shown in Figure 4, an illustration showing the weather is displayed, but the output processing unit 155 may also display numerical values ​​such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity for each location on the map. Also, in the example shown in Figure 4, the output processing unit 155 only shows the prediction results from the prediction unit 154 as the conditions for each location, but it may also show the latest measured values ​​for each location as indicated by the sensor data. Furthermore, if the terminal device 100_1 acquires images (moving images or still images) captured by the camera as sensor data, the output processing unit 155 may display images of each location. Also, in the example shown in Figure 4, an image showing information indicating the prediction results is displayed on a map, but the output processing unit 155 may also perform processing to display information indicating the prediction results on the display without using a map. Furthermore, if the UI unit 130 is equipped with a speaker, the output processing unit 155 may provide information to the user U_1 by voice.

[0043] In this embodiment, the output processing unit 155 displays information such as the image exemplified in Figure 4 on the UI unit 130 (display) when the UI unit 130 receives an operation from user U_1 to instruct it to display information. However, it may also output information regardless of instructions from user U_1.

[0044] Furthermore, the output processing unit 155 may output a predetermined notification when the predicted situation at the scheduled arrival timing of the planned movement point is a predetermined situation. For example, the output processing unit 155 may display a predetermined message on a display or output audio via a speaker when the predicted weather of the planned movement point at the scheduled arrival timing satisfies a predetermined condition defining bad weather. In this case, the predetermined message may be, for example, a message warning that bad weather is predicted at the scheduled arrival timing. Furthermore, the output processing unit 155 may display a predetermined message on a display or output audio via a speaker when the predicted weather of the planned movement point at the scheduled arrival timing satisfies a predetermined condition defining good weather. In this case, the predetermined message may be, for example, a message informing that the user can arrive at the planned movement point in good weather if the user starts moving now. Such a message can, for example, inform a user U_1 who has been waiting in a rest hut or the like due to bad weather of the timing to start moving to the summit. As described above, by outputting a predetermined notification when the predicted situation is the predetermined situation, high convenience can be provided to the user U.

[0045] Note that when the terminal device 100 is in an area where it can communicate with a communication network, that is, when the terminal device 100 can connect to a communication network such as the Internet, the terminal device 100 can acquire information via the communication network. Therefore, in such a case, the communication processing unit 153 may acquire information (for example, weather information from an external weather forecast website, the Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System, or the like) from a server or a data center via the communication network. Then, the communication processing unit 153 may transmit and receive the weather information acquired via the communication network to and from another terminal device 100 by short-range wireless communication. Furthermore, the information acquired in this way may be used for processing in the terminal device 100 (for example, processing by the prediction unit 154, processing by the output processing unit 155, and the like).

[0046] Next, an example of the flow of the above-described process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the terminal device 100_1.

[0047] In step S100, a movement estimation unit 151 estimates a movement schedule (a scheduled movement point and a scheduled arrival timing) of a user U_1 carrying the terminal device 100_1.

[0048] In step S101, a sensor data acquisition unit 152 acquires sensor data obtained by sensing by a sensor 140 of the terminal device 100_1, and stores the acquired sensor data in a storage unit 120. Note that this step is executed every time sensing by the sensor 140 is performed.

[0049] In step S102, a communication processing unit 153 transmits and receives sensor data to and from another terminal device 100 via short-range wireless communication. The communication processing unit 153 stores the received sensor data in the storage unit 120.

[0050] In step S103, a prediction unit 154 predicts the situation of each point using the sensor data stored in the storage unit 120. In particular, the prediction unit 154 predicts weather at the scheduled arrival timing of the estimated scheduled movement point.

[0051] In step S104, an output processing unit 155 determines whether or not the predicted situation at the scheduled arrival timing of the scheduled movement point is a predetermined situation. If the predicted situation is the predetermined situation (YES in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, if the predicted situation is not the predetermined situation (NO in step S104), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0052] In step S105, the output processing unit 155 outputs a predetermined notification (message) corresponding to the predetermined situation using a UI unit 130.

[0053] In response to this, in step S106, the output processing unit 155 determines whether the UI unit 130 has received an operation from user U_1 to instruct the display of information. If the UI unit 130 has received such an operation, the process proceeds to step S107; if the UI unit 130 has not received such an operation, the processing flow of this flowchart ends.

[0054] In step S107, the output processing unit 155 outputs information including the prediction results from step S103 using the UI unit 130. That is, for example, the output processing unit 155 performs the process of displaying a map on the display, as illustrated in Figure 4.

[0055] The flowchart above illustrates the flow of the terminal device 100, but the processing flow described above is merely an example. For example, in step S102, the communication processing unit 153 may choose not to receive data from locations that do not correspond to the travel plans of user U_1 of terminal device 100_1 (for example, locations other than the travel plans). In particular, in this case, the communication processing unit 153 may request other terminal devices 100 to transmit only sensor data from locations corresponding to user U_1's travel plans by notifying them of information indicating the locations corresponding to user U_1's travel plans. This reduces the amount of data transmitted via short-range wireless communication. In other words, communication can be completed in a short time.

[0056] Furthermore, in Figure 5, for the sake of explanation, the processing flow is described in the order of steps S100, S101, and S102, but the processing of these steps can be executed at any time. For example, step S100 can be executed at any time before step S103. Also, for example, step S101 is executed when sensing is performed by sensor 140. Also, for example, step S102 is executed when user U_1 and another user U pass each other.

[0057] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 5, the display according to the user U_1's instructions is performed after the prediction process in step S103, but it may also be performed before the process in step S103. In this case, instead of the prediction result, sensor data received from another terminal device 100 may be displayed on the map. Thus, the processing flow shown in Figure 5 is merely one example.

[0058] The embodiments have been described above. According to the embodiments described above, the situation at the time of the user's planned arrival at their destination is predicted based on data received from another terminal device 100, and the prediction results are provided to the user. Therefore, even if communication via a communication network such as the Internet is not possible, the user can know the situation at their destination when they arrive.

[0059] <Modified Version> Next, a modified version of the above-described embodiment will be explained. The modified version differs from the above-described embodiment mainly in that the terminal device has an abnormality detection unit 156 that detects the occurrence of an abnormality using sensor data. The differences from the embodiment will be described in detail below, and similar configurations and processes will be omitted from explanation as appropriate.

[0060] In this modified example, the information processing system is composed of terminal devices 100a_1, ..., 100a_N. When referring to terminal devices 100a_1 through 100a_N without making a specific distinction, they will be referred to as terminal device 100a. Also in this modified example, the users of terminal devices 100a_1 through 100a_N can be distinguished as users U_1 through U_N, but when referring to users U_1 through U_N without making a specific distinction, they will simply be referred to as user U.

[0061] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of terminal device 100a_1. Since the configuration is similar for other terminal devices 100a_1, this explanation will focus on terminal device 100a_1. In the modified example, user U carries terminal device 100a instead of terminal device 100. Terminal device 100a differs from terminal device 100 in that the control unit 150 is replaced by control unit 150a. Furthermore, control unit 150a differs from control unit 150 in that it further includes an abnormality detection unit 156 and a camera control unit 157.

[0062] In the modified version, the sensor data includes observed altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface at the point where sensing was performed by sensor 140. The observed altitude data may be obtained by sensing with sensor 140 as an altimeter, or by sensing with sensor 140 as a GNSS sensor.

[0063] In another modified version, the map data pre-stored by the memory unit 120 includes data indicating the altitude values ​​of each point shown on the map (hereinafter referred to as reference altitude data). The reference altitude data indicates the altitude values ​​of each point when no abnormalities occur.

[0064] The anomaly detection unit 156 detects the occurrence of a landslide by comparing reference altitude data stored in terminal device 100a_1 with observed altitude data received from other terminal devices 100a via short-range wireless communication. For example, the anomaly detection unit 156 of terminal device 100a_1 compares the observed altitude data for each point obtained by sensing with the sensor 140 of terminal device 100a_2 with the corresponding reference altitude data for each point stored in terminal device 100a_1. If the difference between the observed altitude data and the reference altitude data at any point exceeds a predetermined threshold, the anomaly detection unit 156 determines that a landslide has occurred at that point. In other words, the anomaly detection unit 156 determines that a landslide has occurred at a certain point if the difference between the ground surface height indicated by the observed altitude data and the ground surface height indicated by the reference altitude data exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0065] Furthermore, the anomaly detection unit 156 may determine that an anomaly has occurred only if the number of sensing data that satisfy the criteria for determining the occurrence of an anomaly is greater than or equal to a predetermined number. This also applies to other anomaly detection processes of the anomaly detection unit 156, which will be described later.

[0066] The anomaly detection unit 156 may detect the occurrence of a landslide using observed altitude data obtained by sensing with the sensor 140 of terminal device 100a_1, rather than observed altitude data received from another terminal device 100a. In this case, the sensor 140 of terminal device 100a_1 senses, for example, the height of the ground surface at the point where terminal device 100a_1 is currently located. The anomaly detection unit 156 then compares the reference altitude data stored in the memory unit 120 of terminal device 100a_1 with the height of the ground surface sensed by the sensor 140 of terminal device 100a_1 (the height of the ground surface indicated by the observed altitude data). If the difference between the observed altitude data and the reference altitude data exceeds a predetermined threshold, the anomaly detection unit 156 determines that a landslide has occurred at the point where terminal device 100a_1 is currently located. Thus, the anomaly detection unit 156 may use the sensor data from the sensor 140 of the terminal device 100a_1 to detect the occurrence of a landslide at the location where the terminal device 100_1 is currently located.

[0067] The output processing unit 155 may output a warning to user U_1 to inform them of the occurrence of an anomaly (landslide) when the anomaly detection unit 156 detects an anomaly. This warning may indicate the location where the anomaly occurred. The warning may be displayed on the UI unit 130 (display) or output as audio from the UI unit 130 (speaker). Furthermore, when the anomaly detection unit 156 detects an anomaly (landslide), the communication processing unit 153 may notify other terminal devices 100a of the detection of the anomaly via short-range wireless communication. The output processing unit 155 may also perform similar processing if an anomaly is detected in other anomaly detection processes described later.

[0068] Furthermore, if the terminal device 100a_1 is equipped with a camera as a sensor 140, the camera control unit 157 of the terminal device 100a_1 may perform the following processing. The camera control unit 157 may start taking pictures with the camera when it detects the occurrence of an anomaly (landslide) at the location where the terminal device 100a_1 is currently located. The camera control unit 157 may also start taking pictures with the camera when the sensor 140 detects a strong tremor. The camera control unit 157 then stores the images (moving images or still images) taken by the camera in the storage unit 120. Through this processing, the occurrence of an anomaly can be recorded in images. If such processing is not necessary, the terminal device 100a_1 does not need to have a camera and a camera control unit 157.

[0069] Furthermore, the anomaly detection unit 156 may detect anomalies using sensor data other than altitude data. For example, if the sensor data received by terminal device 100a_1 from terminal device 100a_m via short-range wireless communication includes the change in location information of terminal device 100a_m (or yet another terminal device 100a_k), the following anomaly detection process may be performed. That is, the anomaly detection unit 156 may detect the occurrence of an anomaly based on the movement speed of another user U calculated from the change in received location information. Note that the change in location information refers to periodic time-series data of location information and may include time information when location information sensing was performed. Specifically, the anomaly detection unit 156 may determine that an anomaly has occurred in a certain section if the movement speed of user U in a certain section is slower than a predetermined speed defined as the standard movement speed for that section, and the difference between the two is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. Note that the predetermined speed indicating the standard movement speed may be determined by referring to map data. For example, if the section described above is shown as a footpath (mountain path) in the map data, the standard walking speed is used as the predetermined speed, and if the section described above is shown as a roadway in the map data, the predetermined speed may be the standard vehicle speed. In addition, if the section described above is a roadway, the abnormality detection unit 156 may determine that congestion is occurring in that section.

[0070] Furthermore, if the sensor data received by terminal device 100a_1 from terminal device 100a_m via short-range wireless communication includes the change in location information of terminal device 100a_m (or yet another terminal device 100a_k), the following abnormality detection process may be performed. The abnormality detection unit 156 may detect the occurrence of an abnormality by detecting a return to the path of another user U based on the change in location information. That is, the abnormality detection unit 156 may determine that an abnormality has occurred at the point of return when a return is detected. In order for the abnormality detection unit 156 to implement this abnormality detection process, the communication processing unit 153 may receive the planned route of user U_m (or yet another user U_k) from terminal device 100_m via short-range wireless communication when user U_1 passes user U_m. In this case, the abnormality detection unit 156 detects a return to the path of user U_m (or user U_k) based on the change in location information of user U_m (or user U_k). The anomaly detection unit 156 then determines that an anomaly occurred at the turnaround point if the detected turnaround point is an intermediate point on the planned travel route.

[0071] Furthermore, detection of anomalies based on the detection of a return trip by another user U may be performed as follows: The anomaly detection unit 156 detects a return trip by another user U based on the changes in the received location information. The anomaly detection unit 156 may then determine that an anomaly occurred at the return point if the time spent by the other user U at the return point, which is identified based on the changes in location information including time information, is less than a predetermined threshold. For example, if the return point is a location where a parking lot exists in the map data, the anomaly detection unit 156 may determine that the other user U was unable to park their vehicle. In other words, in this case, the anomaly detection unit 156 may detect the event that the parking lot is full as an anomaly detection.

[0072] The above describes modifications of the embodiment. The abnormality detection unit 156 detects abnormalities, providing high convenience to the user U. The configuration or processing of the embodiment may be modified in ways other than those described above. For example, the communication processing unit 153 may transmit sensor data (which may include still images or moving images, etc.) to a predetermined server such as a data center when the terminal device 100 or terminal device 100a enters an area where it can communicate with the communication network. This allows the data to be used for various purposes such as research and anomaly detection.

[0073] The control unit 150 of the terminal device 100 or the control unit 150a of the terminal device 100a described above may be implemented by a computer as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that implements the control unit 150 or the control unit 150a. As shown in Figure 7, the computer 500 includes an input / output interface 501, memory 502, and a processor 503.

[0074] The input / output interface 501 is used to communicate with components other than the control unit 150 (control unit 150a) as needed. The memory 502 is composed of, for example, a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 502 is used to store software (computer programs) containing one or more instructions executed by the processor 503, and data used for various processes. The storage unit 120 may also be implemented by the memory 502.

[0075] The processor 503 reads and executes software (computer programs) from the memory 502, thereby processing each component of the control unit 150 (control unit 150a). The processor 503 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 503 may include multiple processors.

[0076] The program, when loaded into a computer, includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more of the functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium or a physical storage medium. Examples, but not limited to, include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted over a temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium. Examples, but not limited to, include temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium that includes electrical, optical, acoustic or other forms of propagating signals.

[0077] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be made as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0078] Some or all of the embodiments described above may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following. Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Appendices 2 to 11 that are dependent on Appendice 1 may also be dependent on Appendices 12 to 13 in the same way as in Appendices 2 to 11. Furthermore, some or all of the elements described in any of the appendices may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means, systems, and methods for recording software.

[0079] (Note 1) A terminal device carried by a first user, comprising: a communication processing means for receiving data sensed at one or more points on the travel path of the second user by a sensor provided by a second terminal device carried by a second user from the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user; a prediction means for predicting the situation of the planned destination of the first user, which is the first user's destination, at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and an output processing means for providing the first user with the prediction result of the situation. (Note 2) The terminal device according to Note 1, wherein the second terminal device stores data sensed at one or more points on the third user's travel route by a sensor provided by the third terminal device carried by the third user, the communication processing means receives the data sensed by the sensor provided by the third terminal device from the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user, and the prediction means predicts the situation using the data sensed by the sensor provided by the second terminal device and the data sensed by the sensor provided by the third terminal device. (Note 3) The terminal device according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the output processing means outputs a predetermined notification when the predicted situation at the scheduled arrival time of the planned travel destination is a predetermined situation. (Note 4) The terminal device according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the output processing means displays a map on the display of the first terminal device showing at least the planned travel destination and the predicted situation of the planned travel destination at the scheduled arrival time. (Note 5) The terminal device according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the data includes weather observation data, and the prediction means predicts the weather trends at one or more locations including the planned travel location based on the output from the machine learning model when at least the data is input to the machine learning model stored in the first terminal device.(Note 6) The data includes observed altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface, and the first terminal device is a terminal device according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, having an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of a landslide by comparing reference altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface at each point stored in the first terminal device with the observed altitude data received from the second terminal device. (Note 7) The first terminal device is equipped with a sensor, and the communication processing means transmits data sensed at one or more points on the first user's travel path by the sensor provided in the first terminal device to the second terminal device when the first user passes the second user, according to any one of Notes 1 to 6. (Note 8) The terminal device according to Note 7, wherein the sensor provided in the first terminal device senses the height of the ground surface at the point where the first terminal device is currently located, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of a landslide at the point where the first terminal device is currently located by comparing reference altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface stored in the first terminal device with the height of the ground surface sensed by the sensor provided in the first terminal device. (Note 9) The terminal device according to Note 8, wherein the first terminal device has a camera and a camera control means for starting to take pictures with the camera when the occurrence of a landslide at the point where the first terminal device is currently located is detected. (Note 10) The terminal device according to any one of Notes 1 to 9, wherein the data received from the second terminal device includes the change in the position information of the second terminal device, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of an anomaly based on the movement speed of the second user calculated from the change in the position information. (Note 11) The terminal device according to any one of Notes 1 to 10, wherein the data received from the second terminal device includes the change in location information of the second terminal device, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of an anomaly by detecting a return movement of the second user based on the change in location information.(Note 12) An information processing method using a first terminal device carried by a first user, wherein the first user receives data sensed at one or more points on the travel path of the second user by a sensor provided by a second terminal device carried by a second user from the second terminal device when the first user passes the second user, and uses the data received from the second terminal device to predict the situation at the first user's planned destination, which is the first user's destination, at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, and provides the first user with the predicted result of the situation. (Note 13) A program that causes the computer of a first terminal device carried by a first user to execute the following steps: a communication processing step in which the first user receives data sensed at one or more points on the second user's travel path by sensors provided by a second terminal device carried by a second user when the first user passes by the second user; a prediction step in which the computer predicts the situation of the planned destination of the first user, specifically the situation at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and an output processing step in which the computer causes the computer to execute the following steps:

[0080] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-048693, filed on 24 March 2025, and incorporates all of its disclosures herein.

[0081] U User 1 Terminal device 2 Communication processing unit 3 Prediction unit 4 Output processing unit 10 Information processing system 100 Terminal device 100a Terminal device 110 Communication unit 120 Storage unit 130 UI unit 140 Sensor 150 Control unit 150a Control unit 151 Movement estimation unit 152 Sensor data acquisition unit 153 Communication processing unit 154 Prediction unit 155 Output processing unit 156 Anomaly detection unit 157 Camera control unit 500 Computer 501 Input / output interface 502 Memory 503 Processor

Claims

1. A terminal device carried by a first user, comprising: communication processing means for receiving data sensed at one or more points along the second user's travel path by sensors provided in a second terminal device carried by a second user when the first user passes the second user; prediction means for predicting the situation at the first user's planned destination, the planned arrival time of the first user at the planned destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and output processing means for providing the first user with the predicted result of the situation.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal device stores data sensed at one or more points along the third user's travel path by a sensor provided by the third terminal device carried by the third user, the communication processing means receives the data sensed by the sensor provided by the third terminal device from the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user, and the prediction means predicts the situation using the data sensed by the sensor provided by the second terminal device and the data sensed by the sensor provided by the third terminal device.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output processing means outputs a predetermined notification when the predicted situation at the scheduled arrival time of the planned destination is a predetermined situation.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the output processing means displays on the display of the first terminal device a map showing at least the planned destination and the predicted situation of the planned destination at the planned arrival time.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the data includes weather observation data, and the prediction means predicts the weather trends at one or more locations, including the planned travel location, based on the output from the machine learning model when at least the data is input to the machine learning model stored in the first terminal device.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the data includes observed altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of a landslide by comparing reference altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface at each point stored in the first terminal device with the observed altitude data received from the second terminal device.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first terminal device is equipped with a sensor, and the communication processing means transmits data sensed at one or more points on the movement path of the first user by the sensor provided in the first terminal device to the second terminal device when the first user passes by the second user.

8. The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the sensor provided in the first terminal device senses the height of the ground surface at the point where the first terminal device is currently located, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of a landslide at the point where the first terminal device is currently located by comparing reference altitude data indicating the height of the ground surface stored in the first terminal device with the height of the ground surface sensed by the sensor provided in the first terminal device.

9. The terminal device according to claim 8, further comprising a camera and a camera control means that starts taking pictures with the camera when a landslide is detected at the location where the first terminal device is currently located.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the data received from the second terminal device includes the change in location information of the second terminal device, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of an anomaly based on the movement speed of the second user calculated from the change in location information.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the data received from the second terminal device includes the change in location information of the second terminal device, and the first terminal device has an anomaly detection means for detecting the occurrence of an anomaly by detecting a return movement of the second user based on the change in location information.

12. An information processing method using a first terminal device carried by a first user, wherein the first user receives data sensed at one or more points along the travel path of the second user by a sensor provided by a second terminal device carried by a second user from the second terminal device when the first user passes the second user, and uses the data received from the second terminal device to predict the situation at the first user's planned destination, which is the first user's destination, at the time of the first user's expected arrival at the planned destination, and provides the first user with the predicted result of the situation.

13. A program that causes the computer of a first terminal device carried by a first user to execute the following steps: a communication processing step in which the first user receives data sensed at one or more points along the second user's travel path by sensors provided in a second terminal device carried by a second user when the first user passes by the second user; a prediction step in which the computer predicts the situation at the first user's planned destination, the first user's planned arrival time at the planned destination, using the data received from the second terminal device; and an output processing step in which the computer performs the prediction of the situation and provides the first user with the result of that prediction.

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