JP2019100986A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic device provided with a navigation function capable of performing a route search obtained by taking mileage into account.SOLUTION: According to this invention, an on-vehicle device 30 applies points corresponding to a payment amount when traveling on a toll road, and acquires mileage information related to a point balance Pa and an expiration date of a mileage service from a server 60 of a provider providing an ETC mileage service which can transfer the points to a toll. Further the on-vehicle device 30 includes route search means for searching a route on the basis of road map data, and display means for displaying information on the searched route. The route search means calculates additional points Pc to reach transferrable points Pb from difference between the point balance Pa and the number of transferrable points Pb, and searches a route obtained by taking into account a mileage that can acquire the additional points Pc.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device having a navigation function, and more particularly to a route search considering ETC mileage and guidance thereof.

  The navigation function installed in the in-vehicle device is linked to the ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) function, and when traveling on a toll road, the information of the toll is also presented. In addition, when traveling on a toll road, wireless communication is performed between the ETC in-vehicle device and the ETC gate, and automatic settlement is performed using a credit card inserted in the ETC in-vehicle device. In such an electronic toll collection system, Patent Document 1 discloses a route presentation device that allows a user to determine the suitability of a route in consideration of the points given in the toll road toll settlement. Specifically, the user determines the suitability of the route by displaying the toll generated when the user travels the route and the actual savings that are determined based on the points generated when the toll is settled with a credit card. I am able to do it.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2016-128782

  Currently, when traveling on an expressway, etc., ETC mileage services are being introduced that give points to the user according to the amount of payment of the toll, and can exchange points for the amount of return (free traffic). The current navigation system does not perform route search or route guidance taking into consideration the expiration date of ETC mileage points and the amount of refund. Therefore, the user may not use the expressway despite having ETC mileage points, or may forget the expiration date of the redemption point and may invalidate the redemption amount.

  In addition, ETC Mileage Service, each road operator (NEXCO East / Central / West Japan-Miyagi Prefecture Road Public Corporation, Honshu Shikoku Expressway Co., Ltd., Hanshin Expressway Co., Ltd., Nagoya Expressway Public Corporation, Aichi Prefecture Road Public Corporation, Kobe City Road Provided by public corporations, the Hiroshima Expressway Public Corporation, the Fukuoka Kitakyushu Expressway Public Corporation, etc., and the structure is not necessarily the same among road operators. Therefore, it is assumed that it is difficult for the user to understand the point giving mechanism of each road company and the point returning mechanism (such as the return ratio according to the number of points), and as a result, it is assumed that points can not be used effectively. For example, although points are stored for each road operator, there are also roads in which points can be summed up among the road operators.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide an electronic device provided with a navigation function capable of performing route search in consideration of mileage.

  The electronic device provided with the navigation function according to the present invention gives points according to the amount paid when traveling on a toll road, and provides a mileage service from a server of a business provider who provides a mileage service that can return the points to the toll. It has an acquisition means for acquiring mileage information on point balance and expiration date of service, a route search means for searching for a route based on road map data, and a display means for displaying information on the searched route, said route search A means calculates the additional point for reaching the point which can be reduced from the difference of the point balance and the number of points which can be reduced based on the mileage information, and searches the path which considered the mileage which can acquire the additional point concerned. .

  In one embodiment, the route searching means searches for the route considering the mileage when the time until the expiration date of the balance point is less than a certain value. In one embodiment, the route search means further compares the amount of return by points with the difference between the toll of the route considering the mileage and the toll of the normal route, and the amount of return is greater than the difference. Information on both the route considering the mileage and the normal route is displayed on the display means. In one embodiment, the route searching means hides a route considering the mileage and displays the recommended route when the amount of return is smaller than the difference. In one embodiment, the route searching means calculates an additional point for reaching the next reducible point number at which the reduction ratio changes, when the point balance exceeds a certain reducible point number. Search for a route taking into account the mileage that can obtain the additional point. In one embodiment, the route searching means varies the cost of the expressway or the toll road when searching for a route considering the mileage.

  A system according to the present invention includes the electronic device described above, and a server that stores the mileage information and provides the mileage information in response to a request from the electronic device.

  According to the present invention, an additional point for reaching a reducible point is calculated, and a route considering a mileage capable of acquiring the additional point is searched and presented, so that it is acquired by the mileage Points can be used effectively. Furthermore, it is possible to encourage the use of points before the expiration date of points passes.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an ETC mileage system to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the vehicle-mounted apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure showing functional composition of a route search program concerning an example of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the mileage information registered into the mileage server which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the route search result which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure showing the flow of the route search operation concerning the example of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a specific example of the route search according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7A is an example in which the route in consideration of mileage is not displayed, and FIG. 7B is an example in which the route in consideration of mileage is preferentially displayed. It is.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The electronic device according to the present invention can be an on-vehicle device fixedly mounted on a mobile object such as a car, a portable computer device that can be carried in a mobile object, or a tablet computer device. Further, the electronic device of the present invention has a navigation function, but as other functions, for example, a function of reproducing audio and video data, a function of receiving television and radio broadcasting, a function of executing application software, etc. It may be provided. Furthermore, the electronic device according to the present invention may store road map data for executing the navigation function by itself, or may acquire necessary road map data from a server or the like distributing the road map data. It may be

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of an ETC mileage system to which the present invention is applied. An ETC card (credit card) 10 for performing automatic settlement of tolls is inserted into the ETC communication device 20, and the ETC communication device 20 is connected to an on-vehicle apparatus 30 including a navigation function. The on-vehicle apparatus 30 includes a wireless communication function 40 for transmitting and receiving data to and from an ETC mileage service server (hereinafter, mileage server) 60 storing information on ETC mileage via the Internet 50.

  When the vehicle passes through the ETC gate 80, the ETC gate 80 receives a toll, a user ID, etc. from the ETC communication device 20, and provides the received information to the road operator central processing server (hereinafter, operator server) 70. Do. The business server 70 confirms with the mileage server 60 whether or not there is a return of the points of the user, and if there is a return by points, calculates the payment amount that offsets it and requests the payment amount to the credit card company While transmitting to 90, the point according to the payment amount is calculated, and the calculated point is transmitted to the mileage server 60. The mileage server 60 adds points corresponding to the payment amount to the user's points.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the configuration of the in-vehicle apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In-vehicle device 100, input unit 110, external interface (I / F) 120, navigation unit 130, multimedia reproduction unit 140, display unit 150, audio output unit 160, communication unit 170, storage unit 180, and control unit 190. It consists of However, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and a different configuration or another function may be included.

  The input unit 110 receives an instruction from the user and provides the instruction to the control unit 190. The external I / F 120 enables connection with an external device, and in this example, the external I / F 120 performs connection with the ETC communication device 20 shown in FIG.

  The navigation unit 130 calculates the current position of the vehicle based on the GPS signals and outputs of various sensors, and provides road guidance around the vehicle position and guides the route to the destination. The multimedia reproduction unit 140 reproduces audio data and video data stored in a recording medium such as a disk medium, a semiconductor memory, or a hard disk. The display unit 150 displays an image generated by the navigation unit 130 or the multimedia reproduction unit 140. The audio output unit 160 outputs the audio generated by the navigation unit 130 or the multimedia reproduction unit 140.

  The communication unit 170 enables communication to a network outside the vehicle, and enables access to the mileage server 60 via the Internet 50 as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The communication unit 170 may be a communication unit embedded in the on-vehicle apparatus itself, or may connect a communication function such as a smartphone to a terminal and use the communication function.

  The storage unit 180 can store application software and programs executed by the control unit 190, map data required by the navigation unit 130, and other data used by the on-vehicle apparatus 100.

  In a preferred embodiment, the control unit 190 is constituted by a microcontroller including ROM, RAM, etc., and the ROM or RAM can execute various programs for controlling the operation of each part of the on-vehicle apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the control unit 190 executes, as a program for controlling the navigation unit 130, a route search program for performing a route search in consideration of ETC mileage.

  FIG. 3 shows the functional configuration of the route search program. The route search program 200 of the present embodiment includes a user information acquisition unit 210, a mileage information acquisition unit 220, a point usage determination unit 230, a reducible point calculation unit 240, a reduction required point calculation unit 250, a route search unit 260, and a search. A route display unit 270 is included.

  When the ETC communication device 20 is connected via the external I / F 120, the user information acquisition unit 210 may obtain necessary user information on the ETC mileage service, for example, identification information of the ETC card 10, identification information of the ETC communication device 20, A user ID or the like is acquired and stored in the storage unit 180 or the like. The user information acquisition unit 210 may automatically acquire the user information from the ETC communication device 20, or may allow the user to input necessary information via the input unit 110. .

  The mileage information acquisition unit 220 accesses the mileage server 60 via the communication unit 170, and acquires information on the mileage of the user based on the user information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 210. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the mileage server 60 manages information such as a point balance and an expiration date for rewarding points as mileage information of a user who has subscribed to the ETC mileage service. The mileage information is updated as appropriate when the user travels on the toll road and the toll is settled by the ETC card, when the points are returned, or when the points have expired. The mileage information acquisition unit 220 acquires mileage information of each road enterpriser from the mileage server 60 when the mileage server 60 collectively manages point balances and expiration dates of a plurality of road enterprises, and each of them When the mileage server 60 exists for each road enterprise, mileage information is acquired from each mileage server 60.

  The point use determination unit 230 determines whether to use points from the expiration date of the points acquired by the mileage information acquisition unit 220, that is, determines whether the expiration date of the points is imminent. When the number of days until the expiration date of the point is less than a certain number, the point use determination unit 230 estimates that the point may be revoked and determines to use the point. In addition, when there is a point having a plurality of expiration dates, it is determined for each point whether or not it is used.

  When the point use determination unit 230 determines that the points are to be used, the reducible points calculation unit 240 calculates the points for which the reduction is possible according to the current point balance. For example, if the redeemable points are 1,000 points, 5,000 points, and 10,000 points, the nearest redeemable point is selected from the current point balance. For example, if the point balance is 919, the redeemable points are 1,000 points, and if the point balance is 3,500, the redeemable points are 5,000 points.

  Also, the reducible point calculation unit 240 calculates the amount of money to be reduced when the reducible point is reached. The reduction ratio varies depending on the number of points. For example, if it is 1,000 points, the reduction amount is 500 yen, and if it is 5,000 points, the reduction amount is 5,000 yen.

  Information on points awarded by each road operator, points that can be redeemed, and the amount of refund that can be redeemed by points that can be redeemed may be prepared in advance in the storage unit 180 or acquired from the mileage server 60 You may do it.

  The reduction required point calculation unit 250 calculates, from the difference between the reducible points calculated by the reducible points calculation unit 240 and the current point balance, the additional points required to reach the reducible points. For example, if the current point balance is 919, the additional point is 81 points (1000-919 = 81). Also, if the point balance has already exceeded the redeemable point, the necessary additional points to reach the next redeemable point at which the rate of reduction changes is calculated. For example, if the current point balance is 3,500 points and the next reducible point at which the reduction ratio changes is 5,000 points, the additional point is 1,500 points.

  When it is determined by the point use determination unit 230 that a point is to be used, the route search unit 260 searches for a route in consideration of mileage in addition to the normal route search. The route in which the mileage is taken into consideration is a route that can earn the additional points calculated by the reduction required point calculation unit 240. For example, if the additional point required for the reduction is 81, it is a path that can earn 81 points.

  With regard to ordinary route search, the route search unit 260 prioritizes the route to which the travel distance to the destination is prioritized, the route which prioritizes the travel time to the destination, and the route width to the destination based on the link cost etc. Search for a preferred route etc. and select a recommended route from among them. The recommended route is selected based on, for example, preference conditions set by the user.

On the other hand, with regard to route search considering mileage, the route searching unit 260 can change the weighting of link costs on expressways so that a route considering mileage can be prioritized over a normal route.
(1) Difference in arrival time with recommended route The lower the cost of driving on the expressway, the smaller the difference in arrival time with the recommended route. This makes it possible to give priority to a route taking into account mileage on a freeway with a small difference between the recommended route and the arrival time.
(2) The difference between the refund amount and the additionally required expressway toll The lower the cost of driving on the expressway, the greater the difference between the two. This makes it possible to give priority to a route considering mileage on a substantially saving expressway.
However, it is essential to search for a route where an amount larger than the additional express fare is reduced, and even if the route is reduced, a route that substantially increases the payment amount when traveling on an additional expressway is prioritized Or it is not displayed on the display unit 150 even if it is searched.
(3) Point Expiration Date As the expiration date of the point approaches, the cost of traveling on the expressway is lowered. In this way, a route considering mileage on a freeway near the expiration date is prioritized.

  When it is determined that the point use presence / absence determination unit 230 does not use the point, the search route display unit 270 causes the display unit 150 to display the recommended route searched for by the route search unit 250 and determines that the point is used. In the case, in addition to the normal route, the route in which the mileage is considered is displayed on the display unit 150.

  FIG. 5 shows a display example of a search result when searching for a route in consideration of mileage. As shown in the figure, in addition to the search results 310 of the normal five routes, a route 300 in consideration of mileage is simultaneously displayed. In the search result 300 in consideration of mileage, the number of points “5,000” reached by this traveling is also displayed. Also, in the route 5 of the normal 5 routes, if the route travels on a freeway, the number of points “4, 980” is displayed there. The searched route display unit 270 gives priority to the route 300 in which the mileage is considered in comparison with the route 5 in the case where the route 300 in consideration of the mileage is smaller than the route 310 in the normal five route. May be displayed.

  For example, when the button 320 is selected by the user, the search path display unit 270 can display the selected path on the map. In addition, when the selection of the search route is finally determined, the navigation unit 130 can start guidance by the selected route.

  Next, the route search operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the navigation unit 130 is activated and, for example, an instruction for a route search to a destination is given by the user. The user information acquisition unit 210 acquires the point balance Pa of the user of each road enterprise and the expiration date of the point balance Pa from the mileage server 60 shown in FIG. 1 (S100, S102). Next, the point use / non-use determination unit 230 determines that the points are used if the expiration date of the point balance Pa is less than X days, and determines that the points are not used if it is X days or more (S104). The X day is optional and can be set by the user, for example. In addition, when there is a point balance having a plurality of expiration dates, it is determined whether or not each point balance is used.

  Next, if it is determined to use a point, the reducible point calculation unit 240 calculates a point Pb that can be reduced (S106), and the reduction amount C1 reduced when the point Pb is reached. Is calculated (S108), and the reduction required point calculation unit 250 calculates the necessary additional point Pc from the difference between the reducible point Pb and the point balance Pa (Pc = Pb−Pa).

  Next, the route search unit 260 searches for the route R1 considering the mileage to obtain the additional point Pc necessary to reach the reducible point Pb (S110), and includes the normal recommended route R2 5 Routes are searched (S112).

  Next, the route search unit 260 calculates the difference C2 between the charge necessary for the route R1 considering the mileage and the charge necessary for the recommended route R2 (S114), and compares the difference C2 with the reduction amount C1 (S116) The comparison result is provided to the search path display unit 270. In the case of C1> C2, that is, when the reduction amount C1 becomes larger than the difference C2, the search path display unit 270 considers the mileage as shown in FIG. 5 because the amount of money actually paid by the user decreases. The normal route including the route R1 and the recommended route R2 is displayed together on the display unit 150 (S118). On the other hand, in the case of C1 <C2, the search route display unit 270 does not display the route R1 in consideration of mileage, and the recommended route R2 is usually included since the amount paid by the user actually increases even if the user receives a refund amount. Only the 5 routes of are displayed (S120).

  FIG. 7 shows an example of route search from the point P1 to the destination P2, FIG. 7 (A) shows an example where the route R1 considering mileage is not displayed, and FIG. 7 (B) shows a route considering mileage It is an example in which R2 is displayed.

  As a condition for the reduction, the amount of reduction is set to 500 yen at 1,000 points and to 5,000 yen at 5,000 points. In addition, the difference C2 of the toll of the expressway is 810 yen, and the acquisition point difference is 81 points.

If you earn 81 points and earn 1,000 points for redemption,
As shown in FIG. 7 (A), the toll of the expressway on the recommended route R2 from the point P1 to the destination P2 is 1,890 yen. FIG. 7 (B) shows a route R1 considering mileage, and the toll on the expressway at that time is 2,700 yen. Then,
Since the amount of refund 500 yen (C1)-express charge 810 (C2) = -310 yen and traveling on route R1 considering mileage, the amount actually paid by the user will be higher than in recommended route R2, In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the route R1 considering the mileage or its guidance is not displayed, and the recommended route R1 or its guidance is displayed.

On the other hand, when achieving a reducible point of 5,000 at 81 points,
Reduction amount 5,000 yen-High-speed charge 810 yen = 4,310 yen In this case, since the actual amount of reduction is larger, as shown in Fig. 7 (B), the mileage from points P1 to P2 is considered. A guide is displayed as a route R1.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to perform route search in consideration of mileage, and to provide the result to the user. As a result, the mileage points can be effectively used without revoking the expiration date of the mileage points or without being familiar with the conditions of the mileage of each road operator.

  In the above embodiment, an example of setting a destination and searching for a route to a destination has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a route search when a destination is not set. . For example, the route search program 200 determines whether or not the own vehicle is traveling on the expressway, and while traveling on the expressway, if going down the expressway at what number of interchanges from the vehicle position When it is possible to reach a point which can be redeemed and the amount of refund C1 is larger than the difference C2 of expressways, a route taking mileage into consideration may be automatically guided.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. Modifications and changes are possible.

100: in-vehicle device 110: input unit 120: external interface 130: navigation unit 140: multimedia reproduction unit 150: display unit 160: voice output unit 170: communication unit 180: storage unit 190: control unit 200: route search program 210: User information acquisition unit 220: mileage information acquisition unit 230: point use / non-existence determination unit 240: reducible point calculation unit 250: reduction required point calculation unit 260: route search unit 270: search route display unit

Claims (7)

An electronic device having a navigation function,
Earn mileage information on mileage balance points and expiration dates from the server of the company that provides mileage services that can return points according to the amount paid when traveling on a toll road and return the points to tolls Acquisition means,
Route searching means for searching for a route based on road map data;
And displaying means for displaying information on the searched route,
The route searching means calculates an additional point for reaching a reducible point from the difference between the point balance and the number of reducible points based on the mileage information, and a route considering the mileage capable of acquiring the additional point. Electronic devices to explore. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the route searching means searches for a route taking into account the mileage, when the time until the expiration date of the balance point is less than a predetermined time. The route searching means further compares the amount of return by points with the difference between the toll of the route taking into account the mileage and the toll of the normal route, and considers the mileage when the amount of return is greater than the difference. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein information of both the normal route and the normal route is displayed on the display means. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the route searching means hides the route considering the mileage and displays the recommended route when the amount of return is smaller than the difference. When the point balance exceeds a certain retrievable point number, the route searching means calculates an additional point for reaching the next retrievable point number at which the reduction ratio changes, and the additional point The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a path is searched in consideration of the mileage that can be obtained. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the route search means changes a cost of a highway or a toll road when searching for a route considering the mileage. A system comprising: the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and a server for storing the mileage information and providing the mileage information in response to a request from the electronic device.

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