JP5794112B2 - Information providing system, information providing apparatus, information providing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a computer program that provide information about a meeting place to a user who makes a meeting.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a plurality of users are waiting, a system for specifying an appropriate place for waiting and providing information on the waiting place to the user so that the user can reach the specified waiting place. Has been proposed. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-103524, when a meeting place is input by a user operation, a route to the meeting place input from a plurality of users who perform waiting is searched for, and the expected arrival time of the meeting place is determined. When the difference between users is greater than or equal to a predetermined time difference, a technique for detecting a new meeting place where the difference in scheduled arrival times is within the predetermined time difference and guiding the route to the detected new meeting place has been proposed. Yes.

JP 2009-103524 A (page 6-8, FIG. 2)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the waiting place is selected in consideration of the difference between the scheduled arrival times of the waiting place among users, but the route to the waiting place is an appropriate route for the user who is waiting. It was not determined whether there was any. Therefore, a meeting place that is difficult for the user to move to the meeting place may be selected. As a result, for example, a user who travels by a vehicle moves a route that requires complex vehicle operation, or a user who travels by train moves a route that has a high number of transfers or a high fare. It becomes.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user who makes the meeting, the user can reach the meeting place. An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing system, an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a computer program capable of preventing a place that is difficult to move from being selected as a meeting place and appropriately supporting a meeting by a user. And

In order to achieve the object, the information providing system (1) according to claim 1 of the present application includes a waiting candidate place extracting means (11) for extracting a plurality of waiting candidate places that are candidates for a waiting place of a plurality of users (6). , For each of the plurality of users, a guide route search means (11) for searching for a candidate place guide route that is a route to the plurality of wait candidate places extracted by the wait candidate place extraction means; and the candidate place guide route Difficulty calculation means (11) for calculating the difficulty level of each of the plurality of waiting candidate locations, and a predetermined number of waiting positions in order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculation means from among the plurality of waiting candidate locations. A difficulty level guidance means for extracting candidate locations and associating the extracted predetermined number of waiting candidate locations with the ranks of difficulty levels and guiding the user; And operation accepting means for accepting a manipulation of the user to select one of the guided predetermined number of waiting candidate site by difficulty guiding means, from said predetermined number of waiting candidate site of the user accepted by the operation acceptance means A meeting place specifying means (11) for specifying a meeting candidate place selected based on the operation as a meeting place, and an information providing means (11) for providing information for specifying the meeting place to the plurality of users. It is characterized by having.
The “difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route” refers to the difficulty level of moving the route, the difficulty level of waiting at the meeting location, etc., when the user moves along the candidate location guidance route and waits at the waiting candidate location. including.

  Moreover, the information provision system (1) according to claim 2 is the information provision system according to claim 1, wherein the difficulty level calculation means (11) includes the candidate location guidance route for each of the plurality of users. Calculating a difficulty level, and calculating a difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route of the waiting candidate site as a value obtained by adding up the difficulty levels of the candidate site guidance routes calculated for the plurality of users by all users. Features.

  Further, the information providing system (1) according to claim 3 is the information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the difficulty level calculation means (11) constitutes the candidate site guidance route. The difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is determined based on the difficulty level specified for the link, node, and meeting candidate site that specifies the difficulty level for the link, node, or meeting candidate site. Is calculated.

  An information providing system (1) according to claim 4 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the difficulty level calculation means (11) The difficulty level of the candidate route guidance route is calculated in consideration of the cost required to move the vehicle and the number of transfers.

An information providing system (1) according to claim 5 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the plurality of users move after waiting at a meeting place. Destination acquisition means (11) for acquiring a destination, position acquisition means (11) for acquiring the positions of the plurality of users, and meeting candidate location extraction means (11) A plurality of candidate meeting points are extracted based on the position of the destination.

An information providing system (1) according to claim 6 is the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , and acquires a method of moving the plurality of users to the destination. The movement method acquisition means (11) and the candidate meeting place extraction means extract the candidate meeting place based on the movement method acquired by the movement method acquisition means.

Further, the information providing apparatus (2) according to claim 7 includes a waiting candidate place extracting means (11) for extracting a plurality of waiting candidate places that are candidates for a waiting place of the plurality of users (6), and each of the plurality of users. In addition, a guide route search means (11) for searching for a candidate site guide route that is a route to the plurality of meeting candidate sites extracted by the candidate meeting location extraction unit, and a plurality of difficulty levels of the candidate site guide route A difficulty level calculating means (11) for each waiting candidate site, and extracting a predetermined number of waiting candidate locations in order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculating means from the plurality of waiting candidate locations. A difficulty level guidance means for guiding the extracted number of candidate meeting places extracted to the user in association with the rank of difficulty, and guidance by the difficulty level guidance means. And operation accepting means for accepting a manipulation of the user to select one of said predetermined number of waiting candidate site which is selected from the predetermined number of waiting candidate site based on the operation of the user accepted by the operation acceptance means And a meeting place specifying means (11) for specifying the waiting candidate place as a meeting place, and an information providing means (11) for providing information for specifying the meeting place to the plurality of users. .

The information providing method according to claim 8, the waiting candidate site extracting means, and away step to extract a plurality of queuing candidate site that is a candidate for meeting place of the plurality of users (6), the guide route search means, for each of the plurality of users, and Luz step to explore candidate point guidance route is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate sites extracted by the queuing candidate site extracting means, the difficulty calculating means, the candidate site information predetermined and Luz step to calculate the degree of difficulty of the route for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites, the difficulty guiding means, in the order of easy difficulty calculated by the difficulty calculating means from among the plurality of meeting the candidate site Extracting a number of meeting candidate locations, guiding the extracted predetermined number of meeting candidate locations in association with the rank of difficulty, and an operation acceptor But a step of accepting an operation of the user to select one of said predetermined number of waiting candidate sites guided by the difficulty guiding means, the meeting place specifying means, the operation reception from the predetermined number of waiting candidate site queuing candidate locations selected based on the operation of the user accepted by the unit, away to provide a step of identifying as a meeting place, the information providing means, information specifying the meeting place to the plurality of users And tep.

Furthermore, the computer program according to claim 9 is a computer program that extracts a plurality of candidate meeting place candidates that are candidates for a meeting place of a plurality of users (6), and the waiting candidate place extracting means for each of the plurality of users. Guidance route search means for searching for a candidate location guide route that is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the candidate location extraction means, and a difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route is calculated for each of the waiting candidate locations. and difficulty calculation means for, extracts the predetermined number of waiting candidate site is sequentially easy difficulty calculated by the difficulty calculating means from among the plurality of meeting candidate sites, extracted the predetermined number of waiting candidate It is guided by the difficulty level guidance means for associating the ground with the ranking of the difficulty level and guiding the user, and the difficulty level guidance means. Operation receiving means and, meeting selected based from the predetermined number of waiting candidate site to the operation of the user accepted by the operation acceptance means for accepting an operation of the user to select one of said predetermined number of waiting candidate site The candidate place is made to function as a meeting place specifying means for specifying as a meeting place, and an information providing means for providing information for specifying the meeting place to the plurality of users.

According to the information providing system of claim 1 having the above-described configuration, it is possible for the user to move to the meeting place by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user performing the meeting. It is possible to prevent a difficult place from being selected as a meeting place. As a result, it is possible to appropriately support waiting by the user.
In addition, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site is guided to the user, and the meeting place is specified based on the user's operation to which the difficulty level is guided. It is possible to specify the meeting place in consideration of the user's intention of grasping the difficulty level.

  In addition, according to the information providing system according to claim 2, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated for each of a plurality of users who are waiting, and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route calculated for the plurality of users. Is calculated as the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route of the waiting candidate location, considering whether or not the route to the waiting location is an appropriate route for each user performing the waiting, It is possible to specify the meeting place. As a result, it is possible to specify an appropriate meeting place even when there are a large number of users who meet.

  According to the information providing system according to claim 3, the difficulty level is specified for the link, node, or meeting candidate site that constitutes the candidate site guidance route, and the link, node, and meeting that constitutes the candidate site guidance route. Since the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated based on the difficulty level specified for the candidate site, it is possible to accurately calculate the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route.

  In addition, according to the information providing system described in claim 4, since the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated in consideration of the cost necessary for moving the candidate site guidance route and the number of transfers, the user who waits Therefore, it is possible to accurately calculate the difficulty level of the candidate location guide route in consideration of the physical and financial burdens that occur.

According to the information providing system according to claim 5 , a candidate meeting place is extracted based on a destination to which the plurality of users move after meeting at the meeting place and a position of the user performing the meeting. Therefore, it is possible to extract a place suitable for the user heading to the destination after waiting as a waiting candidate place.

Further, according to the information providing system according to the sixth aspect , since the candidate meeting place is extracted based on the moving method of the user, even when a plurality of users moving by different moving methods are waiting, the user Therefore, it is possible to extract a suitable place as a meeting candidate place.

In addition, according to the information providing apparatus of the seventh aspect , it is difficult for the user to move to the meeting place by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user performing the meeting. It is possible to prevent the place from being selected as a meeting place. As a result, it is possible to appropriately support waiting by the user.
In addition, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site is guided to the user, and the meeting place is specified based on the user's operation to which the difficulty level is guided. It is possible to specify the meeting place in consideration of the user's intention of grasping the difficulty level.

According to the information providing method described in claim 8 , it is difficult for the user to move to the meeting place by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user performing the meeting. It is possible to prevent the place from being selected as a meeting place. As a result, it is possible to appropriately support waiting by the user.
In addition, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site is guided to the user, and the meeting place is specified based on the user's operation to which the difficulty level is guided. It is possible to specify the meeting place in consideration of the user's intention of grasping the difficulty level.

Furthermore, according to the computer program according to claim 9 , a place where it is difficult for the user to move to the meeting place by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user performing the meeting. Can be prevented from being selected as a meeting place. As a result, it is possible to appropriately support waiting by the user.
In addition, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site is guided to the user, and the meeting place is specified based on the user's operation to which the difficulty level is guided. It is possible to specify the meeting place in consideration of the user's intention of grasping the difficulty level.

It is a schematic structure figure showing an information service system concerning this embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the information provision system which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which showed an example of the difficulty data memorize | stored in difficulty DB. It is the figure which showed an example of the difficulty set with respect to the node. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the communication terminal especially of the information provision system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the waiting management program which the communication terminal or information management center which concerns on this embodiment performs. It is the figure which showed the guidance screen of the candidate meeting place evaluation result displayed on the display of a communication terminal. It is the figure which showed the guidance screen of the meeting place displayed on the display of a communication terminal. It is a flowchart of the sub process program of a meeting candidate site evaluation process. It is the figure shown about the example of extraction of the meeting candidate site. It is the figure shown about the calculation method of the difficulty of a candidate location guidance route | root when a user moves with a motor vehicle. It is the figure shown about the calculation method of the difficulty of a candidate site guidance route | root when a user moves by a train. It is the figure shown about the calculation method of the difficulty level of the candidate place guidance route | root for every meeting candidate place.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, an information providing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on a specific embodiment. First, a schematic configuration of the information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information providing system 1 according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an information management center 3 having an information management server 2 corresponding to an information providing device, and communication terminals owned by a plurality of users 4 who are waiting. 5 basically. Examples of the communication terminal 5 include a mobile phone, a PDA, a smartphone, a PC, and a navigation device mounted on a vehicle. Further, the user 4 may be moving by a moving means other than the vehicle (for example, train, bicycle, walking, etc.) or may be in a state of not moving. Further, the number of users 4 to wait for is not limited to two, and may be three or more. Further, the information management center 3 and the communication terminal 5 are configured to be able to transmit / receive electronic data to / from each other via the communication network 6.

  Here, the information management center 3 manages the situation (current position, registration ID, etc.) of the user 4 who is waiting, and is suitable for waiting when the user 4 indicates that he / she wishes to wait. This is a waiting support center that selects a meeting place and distributes information (such as a meeting place and a route of the meeting place) required for the meeting to the person who wants to meet and the meeting partner.

  On the other hand, the communication terminal 5 is owned by the user 4 registered in the information management center 3 and has a function for specifying the current position of the communication terminal 5 such as GPS (that is, the current position of the user 4) and a navigation function. An information communication terminal is used, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, a smartphone, a PC, a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, and the like. Here, in the navigation function, a map image around the current position of the communication terminal 5 (user 4) is displayed based on the map data acquired from the server or stored in the memory, or the communication terminal is displayed in the displayed map image. 5 (user 4) can display the current position, and can search and guide a route to a set destination. In particular, the communication terminal 5 according to the present embodiment also guides information on a meeting place and a route to the meeting place received from the information management center 3 as described later. The communication terminal 5 is connected to a communication network 6 via a transmission / reception circuit unit (RF) 10 described later, and is configured to be capable of bidirectional communication with the information management center 3. Note that the navigation function does not necessarily have to be provided in the communication terminal 5. For example, the present invention can be configured if it has a function of displaying at least a meeting place on a map image. Details of the communication terminal 5 will be described later.

The communication network 6 includes a large number of base stations arranged in various parts of the country and a communication company that manages and controls each base station. The base station and the communication company are connected to each other by wire (optical fiber, ISDN, etc.) or wirelessly. It is configured by connecting.
Here, the base station has a transceiver (transmitter / receiver) for communicating with the communication terminal 5 and an antenna. The base station performs wireless communication between the communication companies, while communicating with the information management center 3 at the terminal of the communication network 6 and communicating with the communication terminal 5 in the range (cell) within which the radio waves of the base station can reach. Have a role to relay.

  Next, the configuration of the information management server 2 provided in the information management center 3 constituting the information providing system 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the information management server 2 includes an information management ECU 11, a registration information DB 12 as information recording means connected to the information management ECU 11, a map information DB 13, a difficulty level DB 14, and a center communication device 15. Prepare.

  An information management ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 11 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire information management server 2, and includes a CPU 21 as an arithmetic device and a control device, and a working memory when the CPU 21 performs various arithmetic processes. In addition to the RAM 22 used as a control program, a control program, an internal storage device such as a ROM 23 storing a waiting management program (see FIG. 6) described later, a flash memory 24 storing a program read from the ROM 23, and the like are provided. . The information management ECU 11 constitutes various means as processing algorithms. For example, the candidate meeting place extraction unit extracts a plurality of candidate meeting places that are candidates for the meeting place of the plurality of users 4. The guidance route search means searches for a candidate site guidance route that is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the waiting candidate location extraction means for each of a plurality of users. The difficulty level calculation means calculates the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each of a plurality of waiting candidate sites. The meeting place specifying unit specifies a meeting place from the plurality of meeting candidate sites based on the difficulty level of the candidate site guide route for each of the plurality of meeting candidate sites calculated by the difficulty calculating unit. The information providing means provides information specifying a meeting place to a plurality of users. The difficulty level guidance unit guides the user of the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites calculated by the difficulty level calculation unit. The operation accepting unit accepts an operation of the user whose degree of difficulty is guided by the difficulty level guiding unit. The destination acquisition means acquires a destination to be moved after a plurality of users meet at the meeting place. The position acquisition unit acquires the positions of a plurality of users. The movement method acquisition means acquires a movement method to the destinations of a plurality of users.

  The registration information DB 12 is a storage unit that stores registration information regarding the user 4. The registration information stored in the registration information DB 12 includes the registration ID, name, address, identification number and communication address of the owned communication terminal. Therefore, the information management server 2 can transmit information to the specific communication terminal 5 by referring to the information stored in the registration information DB 12. In addition, when the information is received, it is possible to identify the communication terminal 5 that is the transmission source.

  The map information DB 13 is storage means for storing map data. Map data includes link data related to roads (links), node data related to node points, route data related to railway lines, facility data related to facilities, map display data for displaying maps, intersection data related to each intersection, and routes. It consists of search data for searching, search data for searching for points, and the like. Then, the information management server 2 refers to the map information DB 13 to extract candidate locations (hereinafter referred to as candidate locations) for a plurality of users 4 who are to meet or wait from the current location of the user 4. A candidate route guidance route that is a recommended route to the candidate site is searched.

  The difficulty level DB 14 is storage means for storing difficulty level data used for calculating the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route, which is a recommended route from the current position of the user 4 who is waiting to the waiting candidate location. . The difficulty level data includes link difficulty level data 16 for specifying the difficulty level for the links included in the candidate location guidance route and a difficulty level for the nodes (branch points) included in the candidate location guidance route. Node difficulty data 17 and a plurality of data such as meeting place difficulty data 18 for specifying the degree of difficulty for the meeting place included in the candidate place guidance route. Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the link difficulty level data 16, the node difficulty level data 17, and the meeting place difficulty level data 18.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the link difficulty level data 16 is data in which a link ID and a difficulty level are associated with each link stored in the map information DB 13. The node difficulty level data 17 is data in which the passage mode (specified by the exit side link ID and the entrance side link ID) and the difficulty level are associated with each other between the links stored in the map information DB 13. It is. In addition, in the meeting place difficulty level data 18, a point that can be a meeting place (specifically, an exit of a station, a parking lot, etc.) among the points such as facilities stored in the map information DB 13 is associated with the difficulty level. Data. Here, the difficulty level is specified by a numerical value. In the link difficulty level data 16, the larger the numerical value, the more difficult the vehicle travels. Further, in the node difficulty level data 17, the larger the numerical value, the more difficult the vehicle is to pass. In the meeting place difficulty level data 18, the larger the value, the more difficult the meeting is (for example, there are few parking spaces, many people, etc.).

Further, the difficulty level in the link difficulty level data 16 is set by, for example, the road type, the road width, the number of lanes, the gradient, the road shape, and the traffic congestion level of the link. As an example, a link having a narrow road width or a steep slope has a high difficulty level.
Further, the difficulty level in the node difficulty level data 17 is set by, for example, the link connection angle, the lane number change, the road width change, the congestion level of the link to be connected, etc. As an example, a node having a reduced number of lanes or an acute link connection angle is set to a high difficulty level. Moreover, even when passing through the same node, the difficulty level varies greatly depending on the passing mode. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle passes through a branch point 25 of a three-way, even if it passes through the same branch point 25, it enters from the left as compared with a route 26 that passes straight ahead. The route 27 is more difficult to travel and has a higher difficulty level. Therefore, with respect to the node difficulty level data 17, the difficulty level is set not for each node but for each node and for each passage mode (specified by the exit side link ID and the entrance side link ID) (see FIG. 3).
In addition, the difficulty level in the meeting place difficulty level data 18 is specified by, for example, the size of the meeting place, the number of parking spaces, the degree of congestion, and the like. As an example, the difficulty is set high in a narrow place or a crowded place.
Then, the information management server 2 calculates the difficulty level of the candidate guidance route using the difficulty levels set for the links, nodes, and meeting places included in the candidate location guidance route. Details will be described later.

  In the above example, the difficulty level set for the link, the node, and the meeting place has been described. However, the difficulty level can be set for elements other than the link, the node, and the meeting place. For example, when calculating the difficulty level of a candidate route guide route that travels by public transport such as a train, each route (Tokaido Line, Chuo Line, Yamanote Line, etc.) It is necessary to set the difficulty level for the number of transfers. For example, the less difficult the route, the higher the difficulty level, the more connected the station, the higher the difficulty level, the higher the fare, the higher the difficulty level, and the higher the number of transfers, the higher the difficulty level. Set. Moreover, you may comprise so that a difficulty level may be changed even if it is the same link, a node, and a meeting place according to the moving method (walking, a bicycle, a car) of the user 4.

  On the other hand, the center communication device 15 is a communication device for communicating with the communication terminal 5 through the communication network 6.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the communication terminal 5 possessed by the user 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the communication terminal 5 according to the present embodiment.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication terminal 5 is connected to the data bus BUS, a CPU 31, a memory 32 in which user information (user ID, name, etc.) and map information regarding the user 4 who owns the communication terminal 5 is stored, A transmission / reception circuit unit (RF) 10 that transmits and receives signals to and from a base station of the communication network 6, and an RF (Radio Frequency) signal received by the transmission / reception circuit unit 10 is converted into a baseband signal and the baseband signal is converted into a baseband signal. An input composed of a baseband processing unit 34 for converting to an RF signal, an input / output unit 37 which is an interface with a microphone 35 and a speaker 36, a display 38 composed of a liquid crystal display panel, etc., a touch panel, a keyboard, etc. The operation unit 39 and the GPS 40 are connected to each other.

  Here, the CPU 31 incorporated in the communication terminal 5 is a control unit of the communication terminal 5 that executes various operations according to the operation program stored in the memory 32, and constitutes the communication terminal ECU 41 together with the memory 32. Various processing contents of the communication terminal ECU 41 are displayed on the display 38 as necessary.

  The memory 32 is a storage medium that stores user information (user ID, name, etc.) and map information related to the user 4 who owns the communication terminal 5, as well as a waiting management program (see FIG. 6) described later. The map information may be acquired from the server by communication without being stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 may be constituted by a hard disk, a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, and the like.

  The memory 32 also stores information on the meeting place and the route to the meeting place received from the information management center 3. The information management center 3 selects an appropriate meeting place for waiting when the user 4 indicates that he / she wants to wait, and sends information necessary for waiting for the person himself / herself or the other party ( Deliver the meeting place and the route of the meeting place).

  The display 38 is disposed on one surface of the housing, and a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like is used. Then, various information such as the contents input by the input operation unit 39 and the Internet site are displayed. When the navigation function is executed, a map image including a road, traffic information, a planned travel route from the departure place to the destination, guidance information along the planned travel route, and the like are also displayed. Further, in the present embodiment, after the user 4 displays the intention to wait, a list of the candidate site and the difficulty level of the candidate site guide route for each candidate site is displayed on the communication terminal 5 of the applicant himself / herself. (See FIG. 7). Further, after the meeting place is selected, the selected meeting place and the route to the meeting place are displayed on the applicant himself / herself and the communication terminal 5 of the meeting partner (see FIG. 8).

  The input operation unit 39 is constituted by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the display 38. Then, the communication terminal ECU 41 performs control to perform various corresponding operations based on an electrical signal output by pressing the touch panel or the like. Further, in the present embodiment, when the user wishes to wait, he / she operates to input information related to the request for waiting (a meeting partner, a destination to move after waiting, a user moving method, etc.). It is also operated when selecting a meeting place from a list of candidate meeting places. The input operation unit 39 can also be constituted by various keys such as a number / character input key, a cursor key for moving a cursor for selecting displayed contents, and an enter key for confirming selection.

  The GPS 40 can detect the current position and the current time of the communication terminal 5 (that is, the user 4) by receiving radio waves generated by the artificial satellite.

  Next, a waiting management program executed in the information management center 3 and the communication terminal 5 constituting the information providing system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the waiting management program according to the present embodiment. Here, the waiting management program is executed when a predetermined operation is performed on the communication terminal 5 of the user 4 who wishes to wait, specifies an appropriate waiting place for the waiting, the specified waiting place, etc. It is a program that provides each user 4 who waits for information necessary for waiting. Note that the programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 9 below are stored in a RAM, a ROM, or the like provided in the information management center 3 or the communication terminal 5 and executed by the CPU 21 or the CPU 31.

  First, a waiting management program executed in the communication terminal 5 that wishes to wait will be described. In the following description, a communication terminal 5 owned by one user 4 (hereinafter referred to as a main user) who performs an intention display request to the information management center 3 among a plurality of users 4 who are waiting. Let A be a communication terminal 5 owned by another user 4 other than the main user (a user designated by the main user as a meeting partner, hereinafter referred to as a sub-user). Although the number of communication terminals A is basically one, the number of communication terminals B may be one or more.

  In step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1, the CPU 31 of the communication terminal A activates a predetermined application program in the communication terminal A, and information on the request for waiting (hereinafter referred to as waiting request information) on the application program is the main user. Input based on the operation. The waiting request information includes information for specifying “meeting partner (sub user)”, “destination to move after waiting”, and “main user and sub user moving method”, respectively. The “sub user” may be specified by inputting a user ID, a name, a mail address, or the like, or by selecting from an address book. Furthermore, the “destination to move after meeting” may be specified by entering the facility name, telephone number, coordinates, etc., or by selecting an arbitrary point on the map. . In addition, the “destination to move after waiting” may not be input.

  Next, in S <b> 2, the CPU 31 transmits the waiting request information input in S <b> 1 to the information management center 3 including information (such as a user ID) that identifies the main user who is the sender.

  Subsequently, in S3, the CPU 31 receives the position information request transmitted from the information management center 3. The position information request is a signal for requesting the current position of the user 4 (including the main user and the sub user) who is waiting.

  Thereafter, in S4, the CPU 31 acquires the current position of the communication terminal A (that is, the current position of the main user) based on the detection result of the GPS 40.

  In S5, the CPU 31 transmits the information on the current position of the communication terminal A acquired in S4 to the information management center 3. Then, the information management center 3 that has acquired the desired meeting information and the current position information of the user 4 (including the main user and the sub user) who performs the waiting, extracts a plurality of candidate waiting areas that are candidates for the meeting place as will be described later. Further, for each extracted waiting candidate site, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route, which is a route from each user 4 to be waiting to the meeting place, is calculated (see FIG. 9).

  Next, in S <b> 6, the CPU 31 receives the meeting candidate site evaluation result transmitted from the information management center 3. It should be noted that the candidate meeting place evaluation result is obtained for each candidate meeting place extracted by the information for specifying the candidate meeting place extracted by the later-described meeting candidate place evaluation process (see FIG. 9) executed by the information management center 3. Information that specifies the difficulty level of the calculated candidate site guidance route, the time required for each user 4 to reach the meeting candidate site, the maximum arrival time difference between the users 4, and the like are included.

  Subsequently, in S7, the CPU 31 displays the meeting candidate site evaluation result received in S6 on the display 38. Here, FIG. 7 is a view showing a display example of the guide screen 45 of the candidate meeting place evaluation result displayed on the display 38 of the communication terminal A in S7. As shown in FIG. 7, the display 38 of the communication terminal A displays a plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the information management center 3, and further, the time required for each user 4 to the waiting candidate location, The maximum arrival time difference that occurs between them and the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route are displayed. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 7, three waiting candidate sites are displayed, but two or less waiting candidate sites or four or more waiting candidate sites may be displayed. Moreover, you may display only the predetermined number of places in the order with the difficulty of a candidate site guidance path | route easily. Further, it is desirable that the display order for displaying the waiting candidate sites is displayed in the order of difficulty of the candidate site guidance routes. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the difficulty level is displayed in three levels of “low”, “medium”, and “high”, but the display mode of the difficulty level may be another display mode. For example, you may display by a numerical value and a color.

  Thereafter, in S8, the CPU 31 accepts an operation for selecting a candidate meeting place performed by the main user with reference to the candidate meeting place evaluation result displayed on the display 38 in S7. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the main user selects a candidate meeting place by checking a check box corresponding to the candidate meeting place. In addition, the candidate meeting place selected by the selection operation of the main user is specified as the meeting place as described later.

  Next, in S <b> 9, the CPU 31 transmits the selection result of the candidate meeting place accepted in S <b> 8 to the information management center 3. Then, the information management center 3 identifies a candidate meeting place selected by the main user's selection operation as a meeting place, as will be described later.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 10, the CPU 31 receives information on the meeting place (hereinafter referred to as meeting place information) transmitted from the information management center 3. The meeting place information includes information (facility name, position coordinates, etc.) for specifying the meeting place. Further, information for specifying the recommended route to the meeting place and the current position of the sub user who is the meeting partner may be included.

  In S11, the CPU 31 guides the meeting place information received in S10. As a result, the meeting place information including information for specifying the meeting place is provided to the main user who performs the meeting through the communication terminal A.

Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen 50 for meeting place information displayed on the display 38 in S11.
As shown in FIG. 8, the display 38 has a map image 51 around the main user, a current location mark 52 that indicates the current location of the main user, a waiting location mark 53 that specifies a waiting location and a waiting time, and the main user's location. A recommended route 54 from the current position to the meeting place and a partner mark 55 for specifying the current position of the sub user who is the meeting partner are displayed. As a result, the main user can grasp not only the meeting place but also the route to the meeting place and the current position of the meeting partner by referring to the guidance screen 50 displayed on the display 38. The recommended route 54 and the partner mark 55 may not be displayed. Furthermore, the recommended route 54 may be acquired by the information management center 3 or may be searched by the communication terminal A.

Next, a waiting management program executed in the information management center 3 will be described.
First, in S21, the CPU 21 receives waiting request information transmitted from the communication terminal A. As described above, the waiting request information includes “sending request information sender (main user)”, “waiting party (sub user)”, “destination to move after waiting”, “main user and sub user”. It includes information specifying each of the “user movement methods”.

  Next, in S22, the CPU 21 specifies the user 4 (including the main user and the sub user) who performs the meeting based on the meeting request information received in S21, and the position information for the specified communication terminal 5 of each user 4. Send a request. The position information request is a signal for requesting the current position of the user 4.

  Subsequently, in S23, the CPU 21 receives the current position information transmitted from each communication terminal 5 in response to the position information request transmitted in S22.

  Thereafter, in S24, the CPU 21 performs a waiting candidate site evaluation process (FIG. 9) described later. Here, the candidate meeting place evaluation process is based on the waiting request information acquired in S21 and the information on the current position of the user 4 (including the main user and sub-user) performing the waiting acquired in S23. This is a process of extracting a plurality of candidate meeting candidate sites and calculating the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route, which is a route from each user 4 performing the meeting to the meeting place, for each extracted meeting candidate site.

  In S25, the CPU 31 transmits the evaluation result of the candidate meeting place evaluation process in S24 to the communication terminal A of the main user. A configuration may also be adopted in which it is also transmitted to the sub-user communication terminal B. In addition, the candidate meeting place evaluation result includes information for specifying the candidate meeting place extracted by the candidate meeting place evaluation process of S24, the difficulty level of the candidate place guide route calculated for each extracted meeting candidate place, Information for specifying the time required to meet each user 4 and the maximum difference in arrival time between the users 4 is included.

  Next, in S26, the CPU 31 receives the selection result of the candidate meeting place transmitted from the communication terminal A of the main user.

  Subsequently, in S27, the CPU 31 specifies the candidate meeting place selected by the selection operation of the main user received in S26 as the meeting place.

  Thereafter, in S28, the CPU 31 transmits information on the meeting place specified in S27 (waiting place information) to the communication terminal 5 of each user 4 (including the main user and sub-user) who performs the waiting. The meeting place information includes information (facility name, position coordinates, etc.) for specifying the meeting place. Further, information for specifying the recommended route to the meeting place and the current position of the sub user who is the meeting partner may be included. And the communication terminal 5 which received meeting place information guides meeting place information (S11, S35).

Finally, the waiting management program executed in the communication terminal B of the sub user designated as the meeting partner by the main user will be described.
First, in S <b> 31, the CPU 31 of the communication terminal B receives the position information request transmitted from the information management center 3. The position information request is a signal for requesting the current position of the user 4 (including the main user and sub user) who waits as described above.

  Next, in S32, the CPU 31 acquires the current position of the communication terminal B (that is, the current position of the sub user) based on the detection result of the GPS 40.

  Subsequently, in S33, the CPU 31 transmits the information on the current position of the communication terminal B acquired in S4 to the information management center 3.

  Thereafter, in S34, the CPU 31 receives the meeting place information transmitted from the information management center 3. The meeting place information includes information (facility name, position coordinates, etc.) for specifying the meeting place. Moreover, information for specifying the recommended route to the meeting place and the current position of the main user who is the meeting partner may be included.

  In S35, the CPU 31 guides the meeting place information received in S34. As a result, the meeting place information including the information for specifying the meeting place is provided to the sub user who performs the meeting through the communication terminal B. Note that the guidance example of the meeting place information is the same as the guidance for the main user already described (FIG. 8), and the description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, the sub-process of the candidate meeting place evaluation process executed in S24 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a sub-processing program for the candidate meeting place evaluation process.

  First, in S41, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the “destined destination to move after waiting” is included in the waiting request information based on the waiting request information received from the communication terminal A of the main user in S21. .

  If it is determined that “destined to move after waiting” is included in the waiting request information (S41: YES), the process proceeds to S42. On the other hand, when it is determined that “the destination to move after waiting” is not included in the waiting request information (S41: NO), the process proceeds to S43.

  In S <b> 42, the CPU 21 sets a waiting candidate location that is a candidate for a waiting location based on the current location of the user 4 (including the main user and sub-user) who is waiting and the location of the destination that is to move after waiting. Set the range. Specifically, a range surrounded by the current position of the main user, the current position of the sub-user, and the position of the destination that moves after waiting is set as the setting range of the waiting candidate place (see FIG. 10). . Thereafter, the process proceeds to S43.

  In S43, the CPU 21 reads map information around the set range set in S42 from the map information DB 13. In addition, when the process of S42 is not performed, map information around the current position of the main user or the sub user is read.

  Thereafter, in S44, the CPU 21 obtains the map acquired in S43 based on the moving method and the current position of the user 4 (including the main user and the sub user) who waits and the position of the destination that moves after waiting. A candidate meeting place that is a candidate for a meeting place is extracted from the information. Specifically, it is a place where you can meet (station exit, parking lot, etc.), and the time required for the main user to reach and the time required for the sub-user to reach each. A place within a predetermined time and within a predetermined time difference is extracted as a candidate meeting place.

  Further, when the set range is set in S42, the fact that it is within the set range is also set as the condition for the waiting candidate site. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when a main user is located at a point X and a sub-user is located at a point Y and a destination Z is set to move after waiting, the CPU 21 first waits. The time required for the main user to reach and the time required for the sub-user to reach each other are within a predetermined time and the predetermined time. Points H to K are extracted as places within the time difference. Thereafter, the points H to J located within the setting range 58 surrounded by the current position of the main user, the current position of the sub-user, and the position of the destination are extracted as waiting candidate sites. Exclude from In addition, when the destination Z is not set, the points H to K are extracted as waiting candidate sites.

  Next, in S45, the CPU 21 acquires traffic information including information such as traffic jam information, regulation information, and traffic accident information transmitted from a traffic information center such as a VICS (registered trademark) center or a probe center.

The subsequent processes of S46 to S49 are executed for each candidate meeting place extracted in S44.
First, in S46, based on the map information read out in S43 and the traffic information acquired in S45, the CPU 21 recommends from the user 4 (including the main user and sub-users) who waits to the candidate site to be processed. A route (candidate site guidance route) is searched. The route search process of S46 is performed by a known Dijkstra method or the like using link information, node data, route data, traffic information acquired from a VICS (registered trademark) center or the like included in map information. Note that the candidate site guidance route may include a route that travels by public transportation such as a train when a method other than a vehicle is selected as the user's travel method.

The subsequent processes of S47 and S48 are executed for each candidate place guidance route searched in S46.
In S47, the CPU 21 extracts an evaluation point for evaluating the difficulty level of the candidate location guide route to be processed. Here, as evaluation points for evaluating the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route, there are links, nodes, and meeting candidate sites included in the candidate site guidance route. In addition, especially for candidate site guidance routes that travel by public transport such as trains, the sections of the route (Tokaido Line, Chuo Line, Yamanote Line, etc.) included in the candidate site guidance route, stations where transfers are made, number of transfers, fares Etc. are also evaluation points.

  Next, in S <b> 48, the CPU 21 calculates the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route to be processed based on the evaluation points extracted in S <b> 47 and the difficulty level data (FIG. 3) stored in the difficulty level DB 14. Below, the calculation method of the difficulty level of a candidate place guidance route is demonstrated using FIG.11 and FIG.12. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the calculation method of the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route in which the user is located at the point X and travels by car to the meeting candidate site H is shown. On the other hand, in the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the calculation method of the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route in which the user is located at the point Y and travels by train to the meeting candidate site H is shown.

  The candidate site guidance route shown in FIG. 11 is configured by links A to D, and nodes a to c are arranged between the links. Therefore, first, the CPU 21 reads the difficulty level set for the links A to D, the nodes a to c, and the meeting place H from the difficulty level DB 14. Note that the difficulty levels of the nodes a to c are specified in consideration of the passing direction of the nodes. Next, the CPU 21 multiplies the difficulty level of the link A by the difficulty level of the node a entering from the link A, the value obtained by multiplying the difficulty level of the link B by the difficulty level of the node b entering from the link B, and The difficulty level of the link C is multiplied by the difficulty level of the node c entering from the link C, the difficulty level of the link D, and the difficulty level of the meeting place H are added, and the added value is the difficulty level of the candidate route guide route. Calculate as degrees.

  On the other hand, the candidate site guidance route shown in FIG. 12 is composed of track sections E and F, and a station d, which is a transfer station, is arranged between the track sections E and F. In addition, when the user moves along the candidate guidance route, the number of transfers is one and the required fare is 700 yen. Therefore, first, the CPU 21 reads out the difficulty levels set in the track sections E and F, the transfer station d station, and the meeting place H from the difficulty level DB 14. Similarly, the difficulty level set to one transfer and a fare of 700 yen is read from the difficulty level DB. Next, the CPU 21 determines the difficulty level of the track section E, the difficulty level of the transfer station d station, the difficulty level of the track section F, the difficulty level of the meeting place H, and the difficulty level set to one transfer. The difficulty level set for the fare 700 yen is added to each other, and the added value is calculated as the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route.

  Subsequently, in S49, the CPU 21 calculates the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each waiting candidate site extracted in S44 based on the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route calculated in S48. Specifically, the difficulty levels of the candidate site guidance routes from all the users 4 (main user, sub user) who perform the waiting are totaled for each waiting candidate site, and the total value of the candidate site guidance routes of each waiting candidate site. Calculated as difficulty.

  For example, in FIG. 13, the main user is located at the point X, the sub-user is located at the point Y, the destination Z to be moved after waiting is set, and the points H to J are extracted as waiting candidate locations. The case will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 61 from the point X to the meeting candidate site H is “60”, and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 62 from the point Y to the meeting candidate site H is Is “80”, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 63 from the point X to the meeting candidate site I is “55”, and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 64 from the point Y to the meeting candidate site I is “ 70 ”, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 65 from the point X to the meeting candidate site J is“ 70 ”, and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 66 from the point Y to the meeting candidate site J is“ 75 ”. It is. Therefore, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route of the waiting candidate site H is a value obtained by adding the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 61 and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route 62 to “140”. Similarly, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route of the waiting candidate site I is “125”, and the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route of the meeting candidate site J is “145”.

  Thereafter, in S50, the CPU 21 ranks the difficulty levels of the waiting candidate sites extracted in S44 based on the difficulty levels of the candidate site guidance routes for each waiting candidate site calculated in S49.

  Furthermore, in S51, the CPU 21 stores the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each waiting candidate site calculated in S49 and the rank specified in S52 in the RAM 22 or the like as the waiting site evaluation result. In addition, information for specifying the time required for each user 4 to meet and the maximum time difference of arrival between the users 4 may be calculated and stored as a candidate meeting place evaluation result. Then, as described above, in S25 executed thereafter, the candidate meeting place evaluation result extracted together with the candidate meeting place extracted in S44 is transmitted to the communication terminal A of the main user (FIG. 6).

As described above in detail, in the information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the information providing method by the information providing system 1 and the computer program executed in the information providing system 1, there is an indication of intention of waiting from the user 4 In addition, the information management center 3 extracts a candidate meeting place that is a candidate for a meeting place of a plurality of users 4 to meet (S44), and sets a candidate place guidance route that is a route to each of the plurality of waiting candidates for each user 4. A search is made (S46), the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated for each of a plurality of meeting candidate sites (S49), and the candidate site guidance route is calculated based on the calculated difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site. The meeting place is specified (S27), and information for specifying the meeting place is provided to the user 4 who is waiting (S27). 8) Therefore, by considering whether or not the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route for the user performing the meeting, it is possible to prevent a place that is difficult for the user to move to the meeting place from being selected as the meeting place. It becomes possible to do. As a result, it is possible to appropriately support waiting by the user.
Further, the difficulty level of the candidate location guide route is calculated for each of a plurality of users who are waiting, and the value obtained by adding up the difficulty levels of the candidate location guide routes calculated for the plurality of users for all users is a candidate for the waiting candidate location. Since it is calculated as the degree of difficulty of the route guidance route, it is possible to identify the meeting place for each user who is waiting in consideration of whether the route to the meeting place is an appropriate route. As a result, it is possible to specify an appropriate meeting place even when there are a large number of users who meet.
Also, the difficulty level is specified for the link, node, or meeting candidate site that constitutes the candidate site guidance route, and based on the difficulty level that is specified for the link, node, and meeting candidate site that forms the candidate site guidance route. Since the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated, it is possible to accurately calculate the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route.
In addition, since the difficulty of the candidate site guidance route is calculated in consideration of the cost necessary for moving the candidate site guidance route and the number of transfers, taking into account the physical and financial burdens that occur to the user who is waiting It is possible to accurately calculate the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route.
In addition, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each meeting candidate site is guided to the user, and the meeting place is specified based on the user's operation to which the difficulty level is guided. It is possible to specify the meeting place in consideration of the user's intention of grasping the difficulty level.
In addition, since a candidate meeting point is extracted based on the destination where a plurality of users meet after meeting at the meeting place and the position of the user who performs the meeting, the user who goes to the destination after meeting Therefore, it is possible to extract a suitable place as a meeting candidate place.
In addition, since the candidate meeting place is extracted based on the user's moving method, even when a plurality of users moving by different moving methods are waiting, it is possible to extract a suitable place for the user as the waiting candidate place. It becomes possible.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the information management center 3 executes the processes of S21 to S28 and S41 to S51 of the waiting management program (FIGS. 7 and 9), but the communication terminal 5 performs part or all of the processes. It is good also as a structure to perform.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route for each waiting candidate site is guided to the main user who has performed the desired intention display, and the meeting place is determined based on the operation of the main user who is guided the difficulty level. Although it is specified, the information management center 3 may compare the difficulty levels of the candidate site guidance routes for each waiting candidate site and specify the waiting candidate site having the lowest difficulty level as the waiting location. As a result, it is possible to specify a place where the user who makes a meeting can move easily to the meeting place as the meeting place.

  Moreover, it is good also as guiding the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance path | route for every waiting candidate site with respect to sub users other than a main user, and specifying a meeting place based on operation of the sub user to whom the difficulty level was guided. Furthermore, it is good also as totaling the operation result of each user 4 who performs waiting, and specifying a meeting place.

  In the present embodiment, the information management center 3 acquires the current position of each user 4 to wait for when the user 4 indicates that the user 4 wishes to wait. May be configured to receive the position information of the communication terminal 5.

  In this embodiment, the difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated based on the difficulty level set for the link, node, and meeting candidate site that constitute the candidate site guidance route. The difficulty level of the candidate site guide route may be calculated based on the difficulty level set for a part of the link, the node, and the waiting candidate site (for example, only the link and the node).

  In the present embodiment, difficulty level data in which the difficulty level is set for each link, node, and waiting candidate site included in the map information is stored in advance in the difficulty level DB 14, but only the difficulty level setting conditions are stored. Then, the information management center 3 may calculate the difficulty level for the link, node, and meeting candidate site that constitute the candidate site guidance route based on the stored conditions. As a condition for setting the difficulty level, for example, if the link has a road width equal to or larger than a predetermined width, the difficulty level is calculated as A, and if the link is less than the predetermined width, the difficulty level is calculated as B (> A). There is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information provision system 2 Information management server 3 Information management center 4 User 5 Communication terminal 11 Information management ECU
14 Difficulty DB
41 Communication terminal ECU

Claims (9)

Waiting candidate place extracting means for extracting a plurality of waiting candidate places that are candidates for waiting places of a plurality of users;
Guidance route search means for searching for a candidate location guidance route that is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the waiting candidate location extraction means for each of the plurality of users;
Difficulty calculation means for calculating the difficulty of the candidate site guidance route for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites;
A predetermined number of waiting candidate sites are extracted from the plurality of waiting candidate sites in the order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculation means, and the extracted predetermined number of waiting candidate sites are ranked as difficulty ranks. Difficulty level guidance means for associating and guiding the user;
Operation accepting means for accepting the user's operation to select one of the predetermined number of waiting candidate sites guided by the difficulty level guiding means;
A meeting place specifying means for specifying a meeting candidate place selected based on the user operation received from the predetermined number of meeting candidate places by the operation receiving means as a meeting place;
And an information providing unit for providing information for specifying the meeting place to the plurality of users. The difficulty level calculation means includes:
Calculate the difficulty level of the candidate location guidance route for each of the plurality of users,
2. The difficulty level of the candidate site guide route of the waiting candidate site is calculated by adding together the difficulty levels of the candidate site guide routes calculated for the plurality of users for all users. Information providing system described in 1. The difficulty level calculation means includes:
Specify the difficulty level for the link, node or meeting candidate site that constitutes the candidate site guidance route,
The difficulty level of the candidate site guidance route is calculated based on the difficulty level specified for the link, node, and meeting candidate site that constitute the candidate site guidance route. Information providing system described. The difficulty level calculation means includes:
The information according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the difficulty level of the candidate site guide route is calculated in consideration of a cost necessary for moving the candidate site guide route and the number of transfers. Offer system. Destination acquisition means for acquiring a destination to move after the plurality of users meet at a meeting place;
Position acquisition means for respectively acquiring the positions of the plurality of users;
The said waiting | listening candidate place extraction means extracts the said waiting | listening candidate place two or more based on the position of the said some user and the position of the said destination, The Claim 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Information provision system. A movement method acquisition means for acquiring a movement method of the plurality of users to the destination;
The information provision according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the meeting candidate site extracting unit extracts the meeting candidate site based on the moving method acquired by the moving method acquiring unit. system. Waiting candidate place extracting means for extracting a plurality of waiting candidate places that are candidates for waiting places of a plurality of users;
Guidance route search means for searching for a candidate location guidance route that is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the waiting candidate location extraction means for each of the plurality of users;
Difficulty calculation means for calculating the difficulty of the candidate site guidance route for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites;
A predetermined number of waiting candidate locations are extracted from the plurality of waiting candidate locations in the order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculation means, and the extracted predetermined number of waiting candidate locations are determined as difficulty ranks. Difficulty level guidance means for associating and guiding the user;
Operation accepting means for accepting the user's operation to select one of the predetermined number of waiting candidate sites guided by the difficulty level guiding means;
A meeting place specifying means for specifying a meeting candidate place selected based on the user operation received from the predetermined number of meeting candidate places by the operation receiving means as a meeting place;
An information providing device comprising information providing means for providing information identifying the meeting place to the plurality of users. Waiting candidate sites extraction means, and Luz step to multiple extraction queuing candidate sites to be a candidate of the meeting place of a plurality of users,
Guidance route search means, for each of the plurality of users, and Luz step to explore candidate point guidance route is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate sites extracted by the queuing candidate site extracting means,
Degree of difficulty calculating means, and the absence step to calculate the degree of difficulty of the candidate site guide path for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites,
The difficulty level guidance unit extracts a predetermined number of waiting candidate sites from the plurality of waiting candidate sites in the order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculating unit, and extracts the predetermined number of waiting candidate sites extracted. Guiding the user in association with the rank of difficulty,
A step of receiving an operation of the user for selecting one of the predetermined number of waiting candidate sites guided by the difficulty level guidance unit;
Meeting place specifying means, queuing candidate locations selected based on the operation of the user accepted by the operation acceptance means from said predetermined number of waiting candidate site, and step identifying as meeting place,
Information providing method information providing means, characterized by having a a Luz step to provide information identifying the meeting place to the plurality of users. The computer,
Waiting candidate place extracting means for extracting a plurality of waiting candidate places that are candidates for waiting places of a plurality of users;
Guidance route search means for searching for a candidate location guidance route that is a route to the plurality of waiting candidate locations extracted by the waiting candidate location extraction means for each of the plurality of users;
Difficulty calculation means for calculating the difficulty of the candidate site guidance route for each of the plurality of waiting candidate sites;
A predetermined number of waiting candidate locations are extracted from the plurality of waiting candidate locations in the order of difficulty calculated by the difficulty level calculation means, and the extracted predetermined number of waiting candidate locations are determined as difficulty ranks. Difficulty level guidance means for associating and guiding the user;
Operation accepting means for accepting the user's operation to select one of the predetermined number of waiting candidate sites guided by the difficulty level guiding means;
A meeting place specifying means for specifying a meeting candidate place selected based on the user operation received from the predetermined number of meeting candidate places by the operation receiving means as a meeting place;
A computer program for causing the plurality of users to function as information providing means for providing information for specifying the meeting place.

Images