JP2005004359A - Probe car information system, collecting/providing method and collecting/providing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate information collection or/and provision from/to a probe car. <P>SOLUTION: A management center terminal 40 calculates the number of vehicles regarding specific sensor information, a region and a time zone from location information and information acquisition time of a plurality of vehicles, and sets a basic price of information to be provided to users regarding the specific sensor information stored in a database 50, the region and the time zone together with price information set by a previous number of vehicles, number of previous access and a user's auction and prices to be paid to vehicle owners. The terminal 40 organizes requests sent from a plurality of users within a fixed time interval and provides information to top ranks of the plurality of users in descending order of selling prices. The terminal 40 records payment prices etc. for provided information at each ID information into the database 50 and pays the prices to the vehicle owners. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a probe car information system, a collection providing method, and a collection providing program, and more particularly, to a probe information system, a collection providing method, and a collection providing program that make it easy to efficiently collect or / and provide sensor information from a probe car. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a probe car information system, it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2001-357490, for example. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-357490, a mobile information communication device that has received request information from an information request source from a personal computer or the like searches a memory and uses corresponding mobile information (measurement equipment and sensors). If there is information to be collected), it is sent back to the information requesting source. If not, the request information is sent to the moving body (probe car), and the moving body always collecting the moving information responds to the received information request. A technique is described in which the mobile body information is returned to the mobile body information communication apparatus when the mobile body information is held, and the mobile body information communication apparatus returns the mobile body information received from the mobile body to the request source.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-357490 A
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the probe car information system described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-357490 cannot have a vehicle equipped with an onboard device as a probe car at all points and time zones. Since there are few numbers and there is a bias in existence depending on the business type and driving purpose of the vehicle owner, there is a problem that it may be difficult to provide information on points and times that sufficiently satisfy the user's request.
Furthermore, there is a problem that the vehicle owner feels resistance to providing the third party with vehicle information that is closed to the owner.
[0005]
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to facilitate information collection and / or information provision from a probe car.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a probe car information system of the present invention communicates with a server, a plurality of vehicles communicating with the server via a first network, and a server via a second network. A plurality of user terminals, collecting vehicle information including current position information of the own vehicle and output information of a sensor for detecting the state of the own vehicle from a plurality of vehicles, and providing the information to the user terminal as local road information A probe car information system, wherein the server monitors a vehicle passing through a road in a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle, and a vehicle passes through a road in the predetermined section monitored by the monitoring means And calculating at least one of travel time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information from the vehicle information of the vehicle. Totaling means for calculating the road information including the above for each time zone by calculating the road information for each time zone, and the predetermined section according to the density of the number of vehicles passing through the road in the predetermined section by the totaling means A calculation means for calculating a basic price of the road information for the road of the road, and a basic price calculated by the calculation means when a request for road information of the road in the predetermined section is received from the user terminal or the vehicle. Notification means for notifying the user terminal or the vehicle.
[0007]
Further, in the above probe car information system, the notifying means sends a notification including the start of an auction to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle.
[0008]
Further, in the above probe car information system, the road information of the area in which the request has been made with respect to a pre-determined higher one of the offered prices responded by the notifying means from the user terminal or the vehicle as a request source. The first providing means for providing road information of the road in the predetermined section to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle.
[0009]
Further, in the above probe car information system, the road information of the road in the predetermined section where the request has been made is such that the server sends a travel time, an hourly speed, and rainfall information to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle. Item that prompts selection from provided information including at least one of road slip condition information and danger information, item that prompts selection from each region, item that prompts selection from preset time zone, and desired payment price It is the information selected by transmitting the menu screen including the item that prompts the input.
[0010]
Furthermore, in the probe car information system, the server provides all the vehicle owners who provided the road information with the amount obtained by subtracting expenses and profits from the total income obtained by providing the road information. It has a distribution means for distributing.
[0011]
Furthermore, in the above probe car information system, the server transmits the vehicle information to the vehicle if the vehicle information presented price for the road of the predetermined section from the vehicle is lower than the basic price. It is characterized by having an acceptance means.
[0012]
Furthermore, in the probe car information system, the vehicle has second providing means for selecting whether to provide information for each sensor information and providing the selected sensor information to the server as road information. It is characterized by.
[0013]
The probe car information collection and provision method of the present invention includes a server, a plurality of vehicles that communicate with the server via a first network, and a plurality of user terminals that communicate with the server via a second network. A probe car that collects vehicle information including current position information of the own vehicle and output information of a sensor that detects the state of the own vehicle from a plurality of vehicles, and provides it to the user terminal as local road information A method for collecting and providing information, wherein the server monitors a vehicle passing through a road of a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle, and determines the number of vehicles passing through the road of the monitored predetermined section according to time zone. Road information including at least one or more of travel time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information calculated from the vehicle information of the vehicle By calculating by time zone, the step of counting by time zone for each road of the predetermined section, and calculating the basic price of the road information for the road of the predetermined section according to the density of the number of vehicles passing through the road of the predetermined section A step of notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of the basic price calculated by the calculating means when there is a request for road information of the road in the predetermined section from the user terminal or the vehicle; It is characterized by including.
[0014]
Furthermore, in the above probe car information collection and provision method, the step of notifying the user terminal or the vehicle is characterized in that a notification including the start of an auction is sent to the user terminal or the vehicle that is a request source.
[0015]
Furthermore, in the above probe car information collection and provision method, with respect to a pre-determined high-order price among the presented prices responded from the requesting user terminal or the vehicle by the step of notifying the user terminal or the vehicle Providing road information of the road in the predetermined section to the user terminal or the vehicle that has requested the road information of the requested area.
[0016]
Further, in the probe car information collection and provision method, road information on a road in a predetermined section where the request has been made is sent to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle from the server by the travel time, hourly speed, and rainfall. An item that prompts selection from provided information including at least one of information, road slip condition information, and danger information, an item that prompts selection from each region, an item that prompts selection from a preset time zone, and payment And an item that prompts the user to input a desired price.
[0017]
Further, in the above probe car information collection and provision method, the server possesses all the vehicles that have provided the road information by subtracting various expenses and profits from the total income obtained by provision of the road information. A distribution step of distributing to a person.
[0018]
Further, in the probe car information collection and provision method, the transmission consent means for transmitting the vehicle information to the vehicle if the vehicle information presented price for the road of the predetermined section from the vehicle is lower than the basic price. It is characterized by having.
[0019]
Further, in the above probe car information collection and provision method, the vehicle includes a step of selecting presence / absence of provision for each piece of sensor information and providing the selected sensor information to the server as road information. It is said.
[0020]
Further, the probe car information collection and provision program of the present invention collects vehicle information including current position information of each vehicle and output information of a sensor for detecting the state of each vehicle from a plurality of vehicles, and serves as regional road information. A program for collecting and providing probe car information for causing a computer to function a means for providing to a user terminal, wherein the computer monitors a vehicle passing through a road in a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle, Road information including the number of vehicles passing through the monitored road of a predetermined section for each time zone and including at least one or more of travel time, hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information from the vehicle information of the vehicle Means for calculating by time zone for each road in the predetermined section, and passing through the road in the predetermined section Means for calculating a basic price of the road information for the road of the predetermined section according to the density of the number of vehicles, and the calculation when there is a request for road information of the road of the predetermined section from the user terminal or the vehicle It is made to function as means for notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of the basic price.
[0021]
Further, in the above probe car information collection and provision program, the means for notifying the user terminal or the vehicle sends a notification including the start of an auction to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle.
[0022]
Further, in the above probe car information collection and provision program, for a pre-determined high-order price among the offered prices responded from the user terminal or the vehicle that is a request source by means for notifying the user terminal or the vehicle The road information of the requested area is caused to function as means for providing road information of the road in the predetermined section to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle.
[0023]
Further, in the above probe car information collection and provision program, road information on the road in the predetermined section requested is sent from the server to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle by the travel time, speed and rainfall. An item that prompts selection from provided information including at least one of information, road slip condition information, and danger information, an item that prompts selection from each region, an item that prompts selection from a preset time zone, and payment And an item that prompts the user to input a desired price.
[0024]
Further, in the above-described probe car information collection and provision program, an amount obtained by subtracting various expenses and profits from the total income obtained by providing the road information is distributed to all the vehicle owners who have provided the road information. It functions as a distribution means.
[0025]
Furthermore, in the above-described probe car information collection and provision program, the vehicle functions as means for transmitting vehicle information to the vehicle if the vehicle information presented price for the road in the predetermined section from the vehicle is lower than the basic price. Let
Further, in the above-described probe car information collection and provision program, the presence or absence of provision is selected for each sensor information, and the selected sensor information is functioned as means for collecting as road information.
[0026]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0027]
Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the probe car information system of the present invention includes a vehicle 10, an in-vehicle device 20 mounted on the vehicle 10, a wireless network 30, a management center terminal 40, a database 50, It comprises a user terminal 70 and a network 60 such as the Internet for connecting the management center terminal 40 and the user terminal 70 to each other. In addition, the vehicle 10 shall be provided with the various sensor information which detects a driving | running | working state. The sensor information includes, for example, vehicle speed information, hazard information, wiper ON / OFF information, and the like.
[0028]
The vehicle-mounted device 20 is mounted (connected) on the vehicle 10, collects various sensor information, and transmits it to the management center terminal 40 through the wireless network 30 together with position information, information acquisition time, and ID information (vehicle identification information). It has a function. In addition, it has a function of receiving price information attached to area and time zone information from the management center terminal 40 and displaying it on the screen. Furthermore, the vehicle owner has a function of selecting sensor information to be transmitted to the management center terminal 40, a function of setting a threshold value for sensor information provided by the vehicle owner, and a price information higher than the threshold set by the vehicle owner by checking the price information. It has a function of transmitting sensor information only in cases.
[0029]
The management center terminal 40 is an information processing apparatus (computer) such as a workstation server used by a system administrator and operates as a server.
[0030]
The management center terminal 40 has a function of receiving sensor information from the vehicle-mounted device 20 via the wireless network 30 and processing it into information provided to the user. For example, the vehicle position information and the vehicle speed information can be processed into travel time (passing time) and traffic jam information for a specific road section. In addition, a function of receiving information sent from the user terminal 70, that is, an item of information requested by the user, a region (a road in a predetermined section), a time, selecting corresponding information, and transmitting the information to the user terminal 70, and in-vehicle A function for calculating the number of vehicles in a region or time zone from vehicle position information and information acquisition time sent from the vehicle 10 when receiving information from the device 20, a function for calculating a region or time zone in which there are many requests from users, a vehicle The basic price for providing information to the user in a specific region and time zone, the function of paying the information provided to the vehicle owner, or the price attached to the information when the user requests information A function to receive information, among price information from multiple users received within a certain period of time, select one or more high-priced users The function of transmitting the processed information to the user terminal 70 of the selected user via the network 60 such as the Internet, the function of notifying the user terminal 70 of availability, the vehicle-mounted device 20 and the user terminal 70 And has a function of notifying the latest price assigned to each information. Furthermore, the management center terminal has a function of recording the price of information provided to the user terminal 70 and the vehicle that is the information source.
[0031]
The database 50 is a function for recording (storing) various sensor information, vehicle position information, information acquisition time, ID information sent from the vehicle 10, a function for recording a price attached to information provided to the user, and an information source. A function of recording (storing) the consideration paid to the vehicle 10 and a function of recording (storing) information processed (calculated) by the management center terminal 40 to provide sensor information to the user. That is, the database 50 is a non-volatile recording medium device (for example, a magnetic disk), and the database 50 is a database for position information that records information from each vehicle 10 for each ID information (as an example, FIG. 4), a processing information database (see FIG. 5 as an example) that records sensor information processed by road link / time zone to provide sensor information to users, and information applied to users Information providing database for recording price by information item (see FIG. 6 as an example), and user-based compensation information database for recording purchase price and paid price for provided information for each ID information (see FIG. 7 as an example) And digital map information stored in advance. The database 50 may be assigned to a database dedicated server under the management of the management center terminal 40 connected to the LAN.
[0032]
The user terminal 70 is an information processing apparatus (computer) such as a personal computer. The user terminal 70 has a function of transmitting to the management center terminal 40 information on the item requested by the user, region, time, and price information to be paid when the requested information is available. The management center terminal 40 has a function of accessing the information provided on the network 60 and displaying the information on the screen.
[0033]
Referring to FIG. 2, an internal configuration of the vehicle 10 is shown. The vehicle 10 includes an in-vehicle device 20, a wiper switch unit 11, a speed pulse generator 12, a hazard switch unit 13, an ABS unit 14, The TCS unit 15 and the brake unit 16 are included.
[0034]
The wiper switch unit 13 is a switch unit of the wiper in the driver's seat, and the decoded signal (for example, three signals indicating the positions of OFF, LOW, and HIGH) are converted into two signals so that the position of the wiper switch can be understood. To the interface unit 24.
[0035]
The speed pulse generator 12 generates, for example, a pulse (one pulse per rotation) synchronized with the rotation of the tire and transmits the pulse to the interface unit 24.
[0036]
The hazard switch unit 13 is a hazard switch unit in the driver's seat, and transmits a signal for distinguishing whether the hazard is on or off to the interface unit 24.
[0037]
The ABS unit 14 is a system for ensuring the safety of the vehicle at the time of sudden braking, and is a system for improving the safety of the vehicle because the tire lock is difficult to occur even on a slippery road surface such as rainy weather or a snowy road or a sudden break It has a certain ABS (anti-lock brake system). The ABS unit 14 generates a pulse each time the ABS is braked and transmits the pulse to the interface unit 24.
[0038]
The TCS unit 15 includes a TCS (transaction control system) that controls unnecessary idling of drive wheels that are likely to occur when starting on a slippery road or accelerating. The TCS unit 15 transmits a pulse to the interface unit 24 every time the TCS is braked.
[0039]
The brake unit 16 generates a pulse each time the driver steps on the brake and transmits the pulse to the interface unit 24.
[0040]
The vehicle-mounted device 20 includes a control unit 21 that operates under program control by a processor (not shown), an interface unit 24 that connects the wiper switch unit 11, the speed pulse generator 12, and the hazard switch unit 13 and stores the respective states. A wireless unit 22 that exchanges data with other devices via the wireless network 30, a GPS unit 23 that receives signals from satellites (not shown), and interrupts the control unit 21 at predetermined intervals. Timer 25 for counting, a clock unit 26 that records the current time, and a storage unit 27 that stores a control program for the vehicle-mounted device 20.
[0041]
The GPS unit 23 uses a GPS (Global Positioning System) that performs calculations based on signals sent from a plurality of satellites (not shown) that orbit the earth. That is, the GPS unit 23 receives a signal from the satellite by the GPS unit 23, extracts position information from the received signal, and temporarily updates the latest information in an internal memory (for example, RAM) (not shown) in the vehicle-mounted device 20. Save as.
[0042]
The interface unit 24 includes a state register 241 that stores states corresponding to the wiper switch unit 11, the speed pulse generator 12, the hazard switch unit 13, the ABS unit 14, the TCS unit 15, and the brake unit 16, respectively.
[0043]
The status register 241 includes wiper information (for example, 0: OFF state (wiper unused state), 1: LOW speed state, 2: HIGH speed state), and hazard information (0: OFF state). , 1: ON state), speed information (speed value), ABS information (ABS usage count), TCS information (TCS usage count), and brake information (brake usage count) are stored. The state register 241 stores the signal (decoded signal) from the wiper switch unit 11 into a speed value based on the pulse from the speed pulse generator 12 and converts the converted value into the hazard switch unit 13. Are respectively sampled by the internal clock of the vehicle-mounted device 20 and stored. The ABS information is stored in the status register 241 by generating a pulse when the ABS is activated and counting the pulses, and the TCS information is generated by the TCS unit 15 when the TCS is activated. The brake information is stored in the state register 241 by generating a pulse when the brake is depressed and counting the pulse.
[0044]
Referring to FIG. 3, the internal configuration of the management center terminal 40 of FIG. 1 is shown. The management center terminal 40 includes a control unit 41 operated by program control by a processor (CPU) (not shown), and a network 60. An interface unit 42 for exchanging data, an interface unit 43 for exchanging data with the wireless network 30, and a storage unit 44 (for example, a magnetic disk) for storing a program for providing probe car information services, are determined in advance. The timer 45 interrupts the control unit 41 at a predetermined time and the database 50. Therefore, the control unit 41 is performed via the interface unit 43 and the wireless network 30 when communicating with the vehicle 10 equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 20, and the interface unit 42 and the network when communicating with the user terminal 70. 60. The control unit 41 expands the program on the storage unit 45 to a readable / writable storage unit (for example, RAM) in the control unit 41 when the apparatus is started up. The expanded content (for example, a program code obtained by converting a program on the storage unit 45 into a machine language) is executed.
The database 50 is a non-volatile recording medium device (for example, a magnetic disk). In addition to the above-described databases, the database 50 is digital for detecting the position on the road from the position information received from the vehicle-mounted device 20 by the control unit 41. A map and screen information including a menu screen to be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 70 / vehicle equipment 20 are also stored.
[0045]
Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 8 and 9 and the flowcharts of FIGS. In the following description, it is assumed that the network 60 is the Internet.
[0046]
The owner of the vehicle 10 has a service contract with the administrator of the management center terminal 40 as a provider of probe car information, and the mounting machine 20 mounted on the vehicle 10 is not illustrated in the mounting machine 20. Various sensor information is set in advance to the management center terminal 40 from the input unit.
[0047]
The vehicle 10 continues to transmit signals generated from the wiper switch unit 11, the speed pulse generator 12, and the hazard switch unit 13 to the vehicle-mounted device 20, and operates from the ABS unit 14, the TCS unit 15, and the brake unit 16. A pulse is generated every time. Based on these signals, the vehicle-mounted device 20 stores various sensor information (wiper information, speed information, hazard information, ABS information, TCS) in the status register 241 in the interface unit 24. Information, brake information). (Sequence S1 in FIG. 8).
[0048]
When the control unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 20 is set so that sensor information is transmitted in advance, when the time determined in advance by the timer 25 (for example, set from the input unit after the contract for this service) comes, Various sensor information is read from the state register 241 of the interface unit 24, vehicle position information (information indicating the latitude and longitude of the position of the vehicle 10) is extracted via the GPS unit 23 by communication with a GPS satellite, and the time is displayed as a clock unit. 26, as the acquisition time, and the ID information stored in advance in the storage unit 27 is read out. Further, the control unit 21 transmits various sensor information, vehicle position information, acquisition time, and ID information to the management center terminal 40 via the wireless unit 22 and the wireless network 30 as vehicle information. Note that the state register 241 is cleared when the control unit 21 reads from the state register 241. (Sequence S2).
[0049]
The control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 assigns ID information, position information, acquisition time, and various sensor information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted devices 20 of the plurality of vehicles 10 in the position information database of the database 50 in advance. Save it in the appropriate area. (Sequence S3, Step A101). Note that the time acquired by the control unit 41 so as to be managed in series may be a time read from a clock unit (not shown) when the control unit 41 receives sensor information or saves the database 50. In addition, when using the clock in the management center terminal 40 as acquisition time, acquisition information does not necessarily need to be included in vehicle information.
[0050]
Further, when a timer interrupt is generated by the timer 45 for which a predetermined time (for example, set every two minutes when the system is started) is set, the control unit 41 detects the current time zone (for example, Vehicles that pass through the area are monitored based on the location information of the past 1 hour (to the present), and if there are, the specific area and the number of vehicles in the current time zone (for example, the past 1 hour to the present) for each area. calculate. That is, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 receives the position information (corresponding to the current time zone) of the position information database and the digital map prepared in advance in the database 50 when a predetermined time is reached by the timer 45. By referring to the information, the road (region) of a predetermined section that connects the sections defined by the nodes on the road, such as intersections and U-junction turning points, as one unit, and for each region by time zone Number of passing vehicles, estimated travel time (average of time required to pass through a region with multiple vehicles), predicted hourly speed (calculated from expected travel time and regional distance), and rainfall information (wiper information speed) For example, unused state: no rain, LOW: small exit, HIGH: full exit, road slip condition information (ABS and TCS respectively) Set by setting the number of operations per unit to be greater than or equal to the number of times determined in advance when the system is built: for example, slippery if it is 5 times or more, “transmission if TCS, stop if ABS”, 5 If it is less than the number of times, it is difficult to slip “If TCS is outgoing, if ABS it is stopped”), danger information (set by setting the number of times of brake operation to be greater than or equal to the number previously determined at the time of system construction: "Dangerous area" or "hiari hat area"). In addition, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 indicates that the GPS detection abnormality has been continued for a certain time (for example, 5 minutes) or more, or the communication failure has continued for a certain time (for example, 30 seconds) or more. Data that can be stored to the extent that it cannot be stored, data when the miracle of the vehicle does not pass through the area because the vehicle has made a U-turn or loop in the middle of the road link, If there is data when the vehicle has stopped for more than the time required for waiting, etc., and there is data that the area to be referred to is not included in the digital map information of the database 50 as an area to be monitored, the estimated travel time, rainfall information, Remove from data to be processed such as expected speed, road slip condition information, danger information, etc. In this way, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 calculates the time zone (current past 1 hour) that is the basis of the calculation, the data calculated for each region (number of passing vehicles, expected travel time, expected hourly speed, (Rainfall information, road slip condition information, danger information) are stored in order of time at regular intervals (every interruption of the timer 45) in each area assigned to the processing information database of the database 50. (Sequence S4, steps A201 to A207 in FIG. 11).
[0051]
Further, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 can process information database if it is a predetermined time at the time of system construction for providing information (for example, every hour if the time zone width is 1 hour). Based on the above, the basic price corresponding to the information item, region, and time zone in the information providing database is set. In this case, for the same information item, the control unit 41 subtracts the information source identification number of the information providing database using the information item, region, and time zone as a key, and refers to the processing information database by the information source identification number. Compared to the average number of vehicles in the past, such as from one week before the previous day to the previous day in the same region and the surrounding region, from the previous month to the previous day, etc., and based on the information providing database, the same information items and regions in the past , Refer to the number of visits from the user regarding the time of day and the price provided. As a result, the control unit 41 sets a high basic price for information items, regions, and time zones in which the number of vehicles present, the demand from the user is large, and the price provided to the user in the past is high. Save the basic price calculated in the basic price area corresponding to the information item, region, and time zone in the database for provision, and save the identification number of the processing information database in the information source identification number area that is the source of the provided information To do. (Sequences S5, S6, S7, Steps A208, 209).
[0052]
On the other hand, the user accesses the information providing home page (for example, the management center terminal 40 that manages the information providing home page) established by the management center on the Internet via the user terminal 70. (Sequence S8).
[0053]
Then, the control unit 41 of the accessed management center terminal 40 transmits the menu screen information stored in advance in the database 50 to the user terminal 70 that requested it, and displays the menu screen information on the screen of the user terminal 70. Display. (Sequences S9 and S10, step A301 in FIG. 12).
[0054]
The user terminal 70 displays various information items on the screen as a menu screen as shown in the example of FIG. 13, and one of the displayed information items is selected one by one (in the example, provided information item selection, provided area selection, When a user selects and inputs a desired price, the user terminal 70 requests the management center terminal 40 for information on the selected information. In this case, as the provided information item selection, travel time (travel time required), hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, danger information, and the like are displayed, and one of them is selected. However, a display screen that allows multiple selections may be used. (Sequence S21 in FIG. 4).
[0055]
Then, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 counts up the content of the access count area of the information providing database by +1 using the information item, region, and time zone information selected by the user as a key, and also calculates the basic price in the database. The information is extracted from the 50 information providing databases and transmitted to the user terminal 70 that requested it. (Sequence S22).
[0056]
The user terminal 70 displays a basic price corresponding to the selected information on the screen. When a desired price to be paid to the system administrator is input when information on the information item, region, and time zone specified by the user can be obtained, the user terminal 70 sends the input desired price information to the management center terminal 40. To send. In this case, the price input by the user on the user terminal 70 is set to be equal to or higher than the basic price. The road information that can be obtained by the user is specified information items, region, time zone performance information, or estimation information created using the information. (Sequence S23).
[0057]
In response to a request from each user within a certain period of time, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 compares the prices presented by each user, and one or the top several user terminals 70 that present the highest price. Send the road information that the auction was won and requested. In this case, if the requested road information requires road information in a certain time zone, the control unit 41 first notifies that the road information can be obtained at the desired price, After that, when the time is reached, the requested road information is transmitted. In the case of a request for old road information, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 estimates processing information based on past sensor information such as one week ago or one day ago, and uses the estimated processing information as a certain low price. Or provide it to all users for free. (Sequences S24 and S25, steps A304 to A307).
[0058]
Further, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 records the price (provided price) paid by the user for the road information provided to the user in the provided price area of the information providing database of the database 50. (Sequences S26 and S27, Step A308).
[0059]
Further, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 totals the prices paid from all users who have provided information on specific information items, regions, and time zones from the information providing database of the database 50, and the system administrator's expenses And the amount obtained by subtracting a certain percentage of profit, by referring to the processing information database from the information source identification number in the information providing database, the ID information and the number of passing vehicles are checked for each user, and the sensor information is passed The value divided by the number of vehicles is calculated as a consideration and stored in the payment consideration area of the compensation information database for each user in the database 50. Note that the management center terminal 40 has a user database (not shown) (for example, assigned in a magnetic disk), and a user who is a vehicle owner (registered with a user ID in this case) in this user database. Each time, user information such as ID information and account transfer destination is registered at the time of contract of the service, and ID information is identified from the user ID before calculating the consideration. In addition, if the system administrator has previously set, for example, a command from the input unit of the management center terminal 40 to pay the information provider on a monthly basis, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 may Paying consideration (in this case, the total value of the payment consideration area for the corresponding month from the time of occurrence) and purchase by referring to the contents of the payment price area corresponding to the ID information and the purchase price based on another consideration information database The price is calculated from (in this case, the total value of the purchase price area of the corresponding month from the time of occurrence) and paid to the bank account of each vehicle owner who provided the information. (Sequence S28, Step A309). In this case, if the purchase price exceeds the payment price, it will be debited from the bank account of the vehicle owner.
[0060]
On the other hand, the user accesses the management center terminal 40 from the user terminal 70, and after confirming with a password registered in advance, a payment accumulation information button (for example, payment status in April) displayed on a menu screen not shown. When the user terminal 70 is selected, the user terminal 70 requests the management center terminal 40 for an information on a cumulative list of payments for the month for the vehicle ID information. Then, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 extracts the target information and payment consideration for the month from the corresponding ID information from the user-specific consideration information database of the database 50, summarizes it in a table as a cumulative list, It transmits to the user terminal 70. Then, the user terminal 70 displays the requested payment accumulation list on the screen (sequences S25 to S27).
[0061]
In the above example, the road information is requested from the user terminal 70, but the road information can be requested from the vehicle 10 equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 20 to the wireless terminal 40 via the wireless network 30. Since the operation in this case is the same as the operation for requesting road information from the user terminal 70, the description is omitted.
In the user terminal 70 and the vehicle-mounted device 20, the basic price of each information is displayed for each region and time zone. The vehicle owner can see the information and select a route including a region and a time zone where the price is high when the vehicle travel route is determined.
[0062]
The vehicle owner selects sensor information so that only the information desired by the vehicle owner 20 is transmitted to the management center terminal 40 by the vehicle-mounted device 20. Further, the vehicle-mounted device 20 sets a threshold value for the sensor information provided by the vehicle owner, transmits the sensor information only when the price information is confirmed and is higher than the threshold value set by the vehicle owner.
[0063]
Next, the above description will be described using an example using a more specific price.
[0064]
For example, the user is a membership system and the membership fee and annual fee are free. Here, the price is expressed in points.
[0065]
When the user selects information in order to obtain information at the user terminal 70, the user pays a point for access to the system administrator. The price is set low, such as 1 point. This is to prevent hijacking access, and is a setting that takes into account the case where access was made but information could not be obtained.
[0066]
When the user accesses the management center terminal 40 via the user terminal 70, an information provision item selection screen is displayed on the user terminal 70 as shown in FIG. On the screen of the user terminal 70, it is possible to select a desired information item, region and time zone and to input a desired payment price, and a basic price is displayed for each information. When the user inputs the desired information item, region, time zone, and desired payment price, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 stores the basic price for the information item, region, and time zone requested for information from the database 50 in the database 50. The information is extracted from the information providing database and notified to the request source as an initial price for starting the auction. On the screen of the vehicle-mounted device 20 or the user terminal 70 of the vehicle owner that has received the notification, the price for each information item, region, and time zone is displayed.
[0067]
When there is an information request for an information item, region, or time zone from the user who provided the information via the user terminal 70 or the vehicle 10 (equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 20), the control unit of the management center terminal 40 41 extracts the user who provided the corresponding information, calculates the consideration for the requested user, and transmits the consideration for the requested information to the requesting source, so that the in-vehicle device 20 or the user terminal 70 that is the requesting source. The price that the vehicle owner obtains is also displayed on the screen. Note that the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 sets the basic price as low as 20 points at the beginning of the service (at the start of the auction).
[0068]
At this time, the basic price of the information to be provided is only different depending on the parameters determined by the number of vehicles existing in that region and time. The consideration paid to the vehicle owner is similar. The base price is set high in areas and time zones where the number of vehicles is small. For example, in order to urge the movement of the vehicle in an area where the number of vehicles is small, or in a time zone, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 sets the base price to +50 points in an area where the vehicle 10 does not exist, or in the time zone. In a small area or time zone, points are added to 10 points at a ratio of 10 points x (required number / number of existing vehicles) to obtain a basic price. If there are only half of the required number of vehicles in a certain area and time zone, 10 + 10 × 2 is 30 points. The required number in this case is the number set in advance by the system administrator, and is changed from an input unit (for example, a keyboard) (not shown) of the management center terminal 40 in accordance with, for example, the holiday season. Is also possible.
[0069]
When the operation of the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 in the case of performing the above price setting is expressed by a formula, for example, basic price = (b / a) * c + d. In this case, “b” is the required number, “a” is the number of existing vehicles, “c” is a coefficient, and “d” is a constant. Therefore, this formula may be incorporated in the program in advance. Note that “b”, “c”, and “d” are set in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of the management center terminal 40 so that they can be changed from an input unit (not shown). However, an upper limit value of the basic price (preliminarily set in the storage unit in the management center terminal 40 not shown) is provided, and if the control unit 41 is lower than the upper limit value when the above formula is executed, the formula If the value is high, an upper limit value is set. This formula is not limited.
[0070]
When the user wants to access the information he wants, as described above, the information has one point for access and there is a need. Since the point by access is reflected in the basic price after the next time, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 counts up by 1 to the basic price in the information providing database. However, an upper limit value of the basic price (preliminarily set in a storage unit in the management center terminal 40 not shown) is provided, and the control unit 41 counts up if it is lower than the upper limit value at the time of counting up. To. If the required number of vehicles does not exist in the selected area or time zone for the information accessed, the information cannot be provided to the user and the vehicle owner is not paid. The price to be obtained when the necessary number is reached by the vessel 20 can be confirmed.
[0071]
Referring to FIG. 14, it is assumed that the users 1 and 2 access the management center terminal 40 within the time zone T1 and request the processing information 1 estimated using the sensor information of the time zone T1.
Each user inputs the price to be paid for the processing information 1 at the user terminal 70 and transmits it to the management center terminal 40. The management center terminal 40 confirms that the information requested by the users 1 and 2 within the time zone T1 is the processing information 1, and at the same time the time zone T1, for example, 30 minutes from 12 o'clock to 12:30 is over. , The auction starts within a certain time, such as 5 minutes from 13:00, and information is provided to the user who presented the maximum amount.
[0072]
Since the information with a high price has high needs, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 may add 5 points to the basic price of the provided road information (in this case, for providing information) Add to the contents of the basic price area in the database). The management center terminal 40 managed by the system administrator allocates the amount obtained by subtracting various expenses and own profits from the total income obtained by providing information to the user for consideration paid to all vehicle owners.
[0073]
If the service is provided for a certain period and the balance is stable, the basic price of the information provided to the user and the consideration paid to the vehicle owner may be reset from the input part of the management center terminal 40 so that profits can be obtained. good.
[0074]
The vehicle owner can select sensor information to transmit only the information desired by the vehicle-mounted device 20 to the management center terminal 40. For example, the ON / OFF information of the wiper may not be output, and only the ON / OFF information of the light may be output. Therefore, the control unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 20 can select sensor information (selection of “ON” or “OFF” for each sensor information) when the user consents to provide sensor information on the screen. It is like that.
[0075]
Moreover, in the onboard equipment 20, you may make it set the threshold value regarding the consideration of the sensor information provided to the sensor information which a vehicle owner provides, for example, sensor information may be transmitted only when a threshold value is 100 points or more. That is, when the control unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 20 transmits condition information that provides road information to the management center 40 if the threshold is 100 points or more, the control unit 41 of the management center terminal 40 Extract the base price corresponding to the corresponding region and time zone (in this case, the time zone of the day in the past) from the database for provision, and determine whether to receive sensor information based on the extracted base price (for example, If the value is lower than the value obtained by adding 10 points to the basic price, the result is OK, and if it is higher, the result is NG), and the result is notified to the vehicle-mounted device 20 that is the information provider. Then, the onboard equipment 20 displays a result on a screen, and leaves a judgment whether information provision is performed to a user. In this case, the user may reset the threshold value again. If the negotiation is completed at a satisfactory point, for example, when the user selects a consent button for providing sensor information displayed on the screen of the vehicle-mounted device 20, the control unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 20 thereafter stores the sensor information in the management center. The transmission to the terminal 40 is continued.
[0076]
In the above description, wiper information, speed information, hazard information, ABS information, TCS information, and brake information have been described as sensor information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other sensor information may be used. . Moreover, although travel time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information are taken up as road information, the present invention is not limited to this, and road information other than this may be used.
As shown in the above embodiment, the management center terminal 40 monitors a vehicle passing through an area that is a road in a predetermined section, calculates the number of vehicles, and calculates the number of vehicles from the vehicle information (including sensor information). By processing sensor information for each time zone as information (travel time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, danger information, etc.), it is tabulated by time zone for each region, and the density of the number of vehicles passing through the tabulated region The base price is calculated accordingly, and the calculated base price is notified to the requester of the road information. Efficient information can be provided by the number of probe car vehicles. Furthermore, since it is possible to grasp the information provision items and the demands of the users for each region and time, it can be used for an efficient deployment plan of probe cars.
[0077]
Further, as shown in the above embodiment, the vehicle owner himself selects sensor information to be provided from the screen of the vehicle-mounted device 20 of the vehicle 10 and sets a threshold for the provided price. Therefore, since the resistance to providing information can be alleviated, an increase in the number of information providers can be expected.
[0078]
Further, as shown in the above embodiment, the management center terminal 40 monitors vehicles passing through an area that is a road in a predetermined section, calculates the number of vehicles, and calculates the number of vehicles from the vehicle information (sensor information) of the vehicle. By processing sensor information for each time zone as information (travel time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, danger information, etc.), it is tabulated by time zone for each region, and the density of the number of vehicles passing through the tabulated region Since the basic price is calculated accordingly, it is possible to set an appropriate price and to improve the use frequency of the user.
[0079]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the server of the management center monitors a vehicle passing through an area that is a road in a predetermined section, calculates the number of vehicles, and calculates road information (travel information) from vehicle information (sensor information) of the vehicle. (Time required, hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, danger information, etc.) Sensor information is processed by time zone, and is tabulated by time zone for each region. Basically, according to the density of vehicles passing through the calculated region Since the price is calculated and the calculated basic price is notified to the requester of the road information, it is possible to urge the probe car to move in areas and times when there is a high demand for information provision. There is an effect that information can be efficiently provided by the number of car vehicles. Furthermore, the server of the management center can grasp the user information for each provided information item, region, and time zone, and can be used for an efficient probe car deployment plan.
[0080]
In addition, since the present invention allows the vehicle owner to select sensor information provided from the vehicle and to set a threshold value for the offered price, the resistance to providing information can be alleviated. The effect is that the number can be expected to increase.
[0081]
Further, according to the present invention, since the information price to be provided is determined according to the user's demand, there is an effect that an appropriate price can be set and the use frequency of the user can be expected to be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration in the vehicle-mounted device of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration in the management center terminal of FIG. 1;
4 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a position information database in the database of FIG. 1 or FIG. 3. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a machining information database in the database of FIG. 1 or FIG. 3;
6 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an information providing database in the database of FIG. 1 or FIG. 3;
7 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a per-user compensation information database in the database of FIG. 1 or FIG. 3. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram (1/2) showing an operation flow of the entire system.
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram (2/2) showing an operation flow of the entire system.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when the control unit of the management center terminal of FIG. 3 receives sensor information from each vehicle.
11 is a flowchart showing an operation by a timer interrupt performed by the control unit of the management center terminal of FIG. 3;
12 is a flowchart showing an operation when the control unit of the management center terminal of FIG. 3 has an access from a user terminal or a vehicle accompanying information provision.
13 is a menu screen displayed on the screen of the user terminal 70 of FIG.
FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an example when processing information estimated using sensor information in the time zone T1 is requested.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Vehicle
11 Wiper switch
12 Speed pulse generator
13 Hazard switch
14 ABS Department
15 TCS Department
16 Brake part
20 Onboard equipment
30 wireless network
40 Management center terminal
21, 41 Control unit
22 Radio section
23 GPS section
24, 42, 43 Interface section
25, 45 timer
26 Clock part
27, 44 storage unit
241 status register
50 database
60 network
70 User terminal

Claims (21)

A server, a plurality of vehicles that communicate with the server via a first network, and a plurality of user terminals that communicate with the server via a second network. A probe car information system that collects vehicle information including output information of a sensor that detects the state of a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles and provides it to a user terminal as local road information,
The server is configured to monitor a vehicle passing through a road in a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle;
The number of vehicles passing through the road of the predetermined section monitored by the monitoring means is calculated for each time zone, and at least one of the required travel time, hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information is calculated from the vehicle information of the vehicle. Calculating the road information for each time zone by calculating road information for each time zone;
Calculating means for calculating a basic price of the road information for the road of the predetermined section according to the density of the number of vehicles passing through the road of the predetermined section by the counting means;
Notification means for notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of the basic price calculated by the calculation means when there is a request for road information of the road of the predetermined section from the user terminal or the vehicle. Probe car information system characterized by The probe car information system according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit sends a notification including a start of an auction to the user terminal or the vehicle as a request source. The road information of the requested area is sent to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle with respect to a pre-determined higher price among the suggested prices responded from the requesting user terminal or the vehicle by the notifying means. The probe car information system according to claim 1, further comprising first providing means for providing road information of the road in the predetermined section. For the road information of the road in the predetermined section where the request is made, the server sends the required time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle. A menu including items for prompting selection from provided information including at least one, items for prompting selection from each region, items for prompting selection from a preset time zone, and items for prompting input of a desired payment price 4. The probe car information system according to claim 1, wherein the information is selected by transmitting a screen. The server has distribution means for distributing the amount obtained by subtracting various expenses and profits from the total income obtained by providing the road information to all the vehicle owners who have provided the road information. The probe car information system according to claim 1, 3 or 4. The server includes transmission consent means for transmitting vehicle information to the vehicle if the vehicle price is lower than the basic price with respect to a vehicle information presentation price for the road in the predetermined section from the vehicle. Item 6. The probe car information system according to Item 1 or 5. The said vehicle has the 2nd provision means which selects the presence or absence of provision for every information of the said sensor, and provides the selected sensor information with respect to the said server as road information, The 1, 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The probe car information system according to 3, 4, or 5. Preparing a server, a plurality of vehicles that communicate with the server via a first network, and a plurality of user terminals that communicate with the server via a second network; A probe car information collection and provision method that collects vehicle information including output information of a sensor that detects a state of the host vehicle from a plurality of vehicles and provides the information to a user terminal as local road information,
The server monitoring a vehicle passing through a road of a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle;
A road that calculates the number of vehicles passing through the monitored road of the predetermined section for each time zone and includes at least one or more of travel time, hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information from the vehicle information of the vehicle Calculating the information for each time zone by calculating the information for each time zone;
Calculating a basic price of the road information for the road of the predetermined section according to the density of vehicles passing through the road of the predetermined section;
Notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of the basic price calculated by the calculating means when there is a request for road information of the road in the predetermined section from the user terminal or the vehicle. A characteristic probe car information collection and provision method. 9. The method of collecting and providing probe car information according to claim 8, wherein the step of notifying the user terminal or the vehicle includes notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of a notification including the start of an auction. Requesting the road information of the requested area with respect to a pre-determined higher one of the offered prices responded by the requesting user terminal or the vehicle by the step of notifying the user terminal or the vehicle 9. The probe car information collection and provision method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of providing road information of the road in the predetermined section to the user terminal or the vehicle. For the road information of the road in the predetermined section where the request is made, the server sends the required time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle. A menu including items for prompting selection from provided information including at least one, items for prompting selection from each region, items for prompting selection from a preset time zone, and items for prompting input of a desired payment price 11. The probe car information collection and provision method according to claim 8, wherein the information is selected by transmitting a screen. The server includes a step of distributing the amount obtained by subtracting expenses and profits from the total income obtained by providing the road information to all the vehicle owners who have provided the road information. The probe car information collection and provision method according to claim 8, 10, or 11. The server includes transmission consent means for transmitting vehicle information to the vehicle if the vehicle price is lower than the basic price with respect to a vehicle information presentation price for the road in the predetermined section from the vehicle. Item 13. A method for collecting and providing probe car information according to item 8 or 12. The vehicle includes a step of selecting presence / absence of provision for each information of the sensor and providing the selected sensor information to the server as road information. 12. The method for collecting and providing probe car information according to 12 or 13. A means for causing a computer to function to collect vehicle information including current position information of each vehicle and output information of a sensor that detects the state of each vehicle from a plurality of vehicles and provide the information to a user terminal as local road information A probe car information collection and provision program,
Means for monitoring a vehicle passing through a road in a predetermined section based on vehicle information received from the vehicle, the computer;
A road that calculates the number of vehicles passing through the monitored road of the predetermined section for each time zone and includes at least one or more of travel time, hourly speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information from the vehicle information of the vehicle Means for calculating the information for each time zone by calculating the information for each time zone;
Means for calculating a basic price of the road information for the road of the predetermined section according to the density of vehicles passing through the road of the predetermined section, and a request for road information of the road of the predetermined section from the user terminal or the vehicle. A program for collecting and providing probe car information for causing the calculated basic price to function as means for notifying the requesting user terminal or the vehicle when there is a program. 16. The program for collecting and providing probe car information according to claim 15, wherein the means for notifying the user terminal or the vehicle notifies the requesting user terminal or the vehicle of a notification including a start of an auction. Requesting the road information of the requested area with respect to a pre-determined higher one of the offered prices responded from the user terminal or the vehicle of the request source by means for notifying the user terminal or the vehicle 16. The program for collecting and providing probe car information according to claim 15 for causing the user terminal or the vehicle to function as means for providing road information of the road in the predetermined section. For the road information of the road in the predetermined section where the request is made, the server sends the required time, speed, rainfall information, road slip condition information, and danger information to the requesting user terminal or the vehicle. A menu including items for prompting selection from provided information including at least one, items for prompting selection from each region, items for prompting selection from a preset time zone, and items for prompting input of a desired payment price 18. The program for collecting and providing probe car information according to claim 15 or 17, wherein the information is selected by transmitting a screen. 16. A function for distributing the sum of revenues obtained by providing the road information, which is obtained by subtracting expenses and profits, to all the vehicle owners who have provided the road information. The program for collecting and providing probe car information according to 17 or 18. 20. The probe car according to claim 15 or 19, for causing the vehicle information to be transmitted to the vehicle if the vehicle information present price for the road in the predetermined section from the vehicle is lower than the basic price. Information collection program. 21. Probe car information collection according to claim 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 for selecting whether or not to provide each sensor information and functioning as a means for collecting the selected sensor information as road information. Offer program.

Images