JP7006663B2 - Information generation system, information generation device, information generation method, information generation program, probe information collection device, probe information collection method, and probe information collection program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information generation system, an information generation device, an information generation method, an information generation program, a probe information collection device, a probe information collection method, and a probe information collection program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information generation system, an information generation device, an information generation method, and an information generation program that generate provided information using a probe information group provided by a business operator. The present invention also relates to a probe information collecting device for collecting probe information from a plurality of vehicles, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program.

Conventionally, a system has been proposed in which traffic information useful for driving a vehicle such as travel time information is generated based on probe information collected from a vehicle traveling on the road, and the generated traffic information is provided to the driver (for example). See Patent Document 1).

In addition, in a system that directly acquires probe information from an individual-owned vehicle and generates traffic information, a system that gives an incentive to the individual who transmitted the probe information according to the quality of each acquired probe information has also been proposed. (See, for example, Patent Document 2). It is also disclosed that this system can acquire and use probe information of a plurality of trader vehicles owned by a trader who performs a certain business.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-241987 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-310396

In order to generate traffic information, it is necessary to acquire probe information that is valuable to the business operator (probe business operator) that generates traffic information as efficiently as possible. The present inventors focused on the following points of the conventional system. That is, in the conventional system, the probe operator that collects probe information and distributes traffic information to and from a vehicle owned by an individual is based on the probe information collected from his / her own member who is an individual contracted with him / her. It's just servicing. Therefore, we focused on the problems that the amount of probe information that can be obtained is limited and that the traveling area may be biased.

Further, Patent Document 2 is configured to collect probe information of a trader's vehicle, but for example, the number of vehicles owned by the trader such as a taxi trader or a bus trader is only about several hundred. In addition, since the trader's vehicle travels for the purpose of performing a specific business, it travels on a special road or route where the general vehicle does not normally travel, or stops for a long time in a place where the general vehicle does not normally stop. Therefore, the present inventors have noticed that there is a limit to the use of the probe information obtained from the vendor vehicle described in Patent Document 2.

In these prior documents, the framework is similar to that of the conventional system in that one probe operator provides a closed service in its own probe information center.

The present invention has been made based on such a new point of view of the present inventors, and is an information generation system, an information generation device, which efficiently collects probe information necessary for generating traffic information. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information generation method and an information generation program.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a probe information collecting device, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program capable of efficiently providing the probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the information generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention is from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. Based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business operator, and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. It includes an information generation unit that generates information to be provided to be provided to the outside, and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

(9) The probe information collecting device according to another embodiment of the present invention is a probe information collecting unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from each of a plurality of vehicles. The probe information group providing unit that provides the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to the information generation device that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generation unit. The device includes an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group.

(10) The information generator according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. To provide to the outside based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. It includes an information generation unit that generates provided information, and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

(11) The information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. A step of acquiring a probe information group, which is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles, and a step of generating provided information to be provided to the outside based on the acquired probe information group. It includes a step of providing the provided information to the outside.

(12) The probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a step of collecting probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position from each of a plurality of vehicles, and collecting the probe information. The step of providing the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information, to the information generator that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generator according to the value of the probe information group. The step of acquiring the provided information is included.

(13) The information generation program according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. To provide to the outside based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. The computer functions as an information generation unit that generates the provided information and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

(14) The probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention is a probe information collection unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from each of a plurality of vehicles. The probe information group providing unit that provides the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to the information generation device that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generation unit. The computer functions as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group from the device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently acquire or provide probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the traffic information provision system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional configuration of a probe information collecting apparatus. It is a figure which shows the format example of the probe information collected from the probe terminal of a vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of an information generator. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a probe information collecting apparatus executes. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by an information generator. It is a figure for demonstrating map matching. It is a scatter diagram of the travel time information as the traffic information generated by the information generator and the travel time information as the traffic information generated by the external device. It is a figure for demonstrating the position accuracy of a probe information.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
The present inventors have further found the following findings regarding the conventional system described in the “Background Art” column.

If the probe information of multiple businesses is integrated to create traffic information and returned to each business, it is expected that the traffic information will be improved by significantly expanding the number of probe information and the area, and the merits of the business will be great. .. Consideration may be given or received when the business operator provides probe information or traffic information. The consideration is not limited to cash, but may be electronic money or a point system.

On the other hand, hardware such as sensors and software for collecting and transmitting probe information vary widely depending on the operator, and it is expected that the quality of probe information will vary. Even within the same operator, the same thing can happen due to differences in hardware and software generations.

If each business operator is treated in the same way under such circumstances, a good business operator who provides high-quality probe information may feel unfair and may be reluctant to provide probe information.

On the contrary, if some kind of incentive is given to a good business operator, it becomes motivated to provide it, and there is a possibility that there is a great movement to improve the quality of probe information and increase the amount of information in order to obtain further incentive. In addition, in the case of car makers and major service providers who are developing application software for in-vehicle navigation systems and smartphones, they may actively improve their hardware and software to accelerate technological progress. You can expect it.

If this happens, the quality of probe information will be further improved, and as a result, the quality of traffic information will be improved, and the improvement of traffic congestion will greatly contribute to society.

The present invention has been made based on such findings.

First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

(1) The information generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a plurality of business operators related to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. Information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for the vehicle and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. It is provided with an information generation unit for generating the information and an information providing unit for providing the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

According to this configuration, probe information groups are acquired from a plurality of businesses, and provided information is generated from those acquired probe information groups. The provided information is traffic information such as travel time information and traffic jam section information, or information useful to the business operator (for example, discount information of products and services). Since the probe information group is acquired from a plurality of business operators, it is possible to acquire probe information and the like in an area that cannot be covered by only one business operator. It is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from a group of probe information having different qualities among business operators. Therefore, the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information can be efficiently acquired.

(2) Further, the above-mentioned information generation system may further include a value evaluation unit for evaluating the value of the probe information group provided by the business operator for each business operator.

According to this configuration, the value of the probe information group is evaluated for each operator. Therefore, the content of the provided information to be generated can be changed or the consideration paid to the business operator can be changed according to the value of the probe information group. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

(3) Further, the information generation unit generates the provided information based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. May be good.

According to this configuration, the provided information can be generated by adding the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of probe information with high position accuracy and high value of probe information is made larger than the weight of probe information with low position accuracy and low value, and then travel time is used using probe information acquired from multiple businesses. Generate information. As a result, it becomes possible to generate highly accurate traffic information such as travel time information.

(4) Further, the information providing unit may provide the provided information to the plurality of businesses.

According to this configuration, each business operator can receive the provided information in consideration of the provision of the probe information group. Therefore, an incentive to provide the probe information to the business operator is provided, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

(5) Further, the information providing unit may provide the provided information different for each business operator based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit.

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide higher-value provision information to the business operator who has provided the high-value probe information group. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

(6) Further, the information providing unit may provide the provided information to users other than the plurality of business operators.

According to this configuration, the provided information can be used by a business other than the business operator who provides the probe information.

(7) Further, the above-mentioned information generation system further includes a consideration information acquisition unit for acquiring consideration information indicating the consideration paid by the business operator or a user other than the business operator for the provision of the provided information. The information generation unit may change the content of the provided information for each business operator or the user according to the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired by the consideration information acquisition unit, and generate the provided information. ..

According to this configuration, a business operator or a user who pays a higher price can receive higher quality information.

(8) Further, the value evaluation unit includes (1) the total mileage of the plurality of vehicles indicated by the probe information group, (2) the total number of the probe information included in the probe information group, and (3) the probe. The area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the information group, (4) the real-time property of the probe information group, (5) the position interval of the movement locus indicated by the probe information group, and (6) the probe. The ratio of the map-matched probe information in the information group, (7) the ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal in the probe information group, and (8) the probe information included in the probe information group. (9) Percentage of probe information detected for pedestrians in the probe information group, (10) Presence / absence of probe information including position information of a predetermined road position, (11) Congestion Presence / absence of probe information obtained from a vehicle moving in a section, (12) accuracy of traffic information as the provided information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group, (13) movement indicated by the probe information group. The distance between the start point and the end point of the trajectory, (14) the position accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group, (15) the type of road related to the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information group, and (16) the probe information group. The value of the probe information group may be evaluated based on at least one of the proportions of the probe information of the stopped vehicle.

According to this configuration, it can be evaluated that the probe information group useful for generating traffic information is more valuable. Therefore, the business operator who collects the probe information group can be appropriately evaluated, and the business operator who provides the high-value probe information group can be provided with high-quality provided information. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

(9) The probe information collecting device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information collecting unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from each of a plurality of vehicles. , The probe information group providing unit that provides the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to the information generation device that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generating device. To provide an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group.

According to this configuration, the higher the value of the probe information group provided to the information generator, the higher the quality of the provided information can be obtained. Therefore, there is an incentive to provide more valuable probe information to the business operator who operates the probe information collecting device. As a result, the probe information collecting device efficiently provides the information generating device with the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information.

(10) The information generator according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. Provided to provide to the outside based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. It includes an information generation unit that generates information and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

This configuration is the same as the configuration of the information generation system shown in (1), and its action and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed explanation is not repeated here.

(11) The information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. A step of acquiring a probe information group which is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles, a step of generating provided information to be provided to the outside based on the acquired probe information group, and a generated step. It includes a step of providing the provided information to the outside.

This configuration includes a step corresponding to each processing unit of the information generation system shown in (1), and its action and effect are the same as those shown in (1). Therefore, the detailed explanation is not repeated here.

(12) The probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a step of collecting probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from each of a plurality of vehicles, and is collected. The step of providing the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information, to the information generator that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generator according to the value of the probe information group. Includes steps to get the provided information.

This configuration includes a step corresponding to each processing unit of the probe information collecting device shown in (9), and its action and effect are the same as those shown in (9). Therefore, the detailed explanation is not repeated here.

(13) The information generation program according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position. Provided to provide to the outside based on the probe information group acquisition unit that acquires the probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. The computer functions as an information generation unit that generates information and an information provision unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generation unit to the outside.

This configuration is the same as the configuration of the information generation system shown in (1), and its action and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed explanation is not repeated here.

(14) The probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information collecting unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from each of a plurality of vehicles. , The probe information group providing unit that provides the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to the information generation device that generates the provided information using the probe information group, and the information generating device. Therefore, the computer functions as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group.

This configuration is the same as the configuration of the probe information collecting device shown in (9), and its operation and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed explanation is not repeated here.

[Details of Embodiments of the present invention]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, all of the embodiments described below show a preferable specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, the order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention is specified by the scope of claims. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are not necessarily necessary for achieving the object of the present invention, but more. Described as constituting a preferred embodiment.
In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

(Embodiment)
[1. Overall configuration of traffic information provision system]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a traffic information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The traffic information providing system 100 collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle 5 and the time when the vehicle passes through the position from the probe terminals arranged on the vehicles 5A to 5C traveling on the road. The traffic information providing system 100 generates traffic information such as travel time information and traffic jam section information based on the probe information collected from the probe terminals of each vehicle 5, and the generated traffic information is used in the car navigation system of each vehicle 5 and the like. offer. Each vehicle 5 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver or the like, and collects the position information of the vehicle 5.

The traffic information providing system 100 includes probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C, an information generating device 2, a user device 3, and a probe utilization device 4.

The probe information collecting device 1A is a device managed by the business operator A, and is a device that collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5A contracted by the business operator A. The probe information collecting device 1B is a device managed by the business operator B, and is a device that collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5B contracted by the business operator B. The probe information collecting device 1C is a device managed by the business operator C, and is a device that collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5C contracted by the business operator C. The business operator may be a manufacturer that manufactures the vehicle 5 or a manufacturer that manufactures a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 5. However, the business operator is not limited to these as long as it is a business operator that collects probe information.

In the following description, when the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C are not distinguished, the probe information collecting device 1 is described, and when the vehicles 5A to 5C are not distinguished, the vehicle 5 is described.

The information generation device 2 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, and generates provided information including traffic information based on the acquired probe information group. The information generation device 2 provides the generated provided information to the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C. Further, the information generation device 2 may provide the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C with consideration information having a monetary value as a consideration for providing the probe information group. Further, the information generation device 2 acquires consideration information having a monetary value from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, and provides the generated provided information to the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C as consideration for the acquired consideration information. You may.

The user device 3 is, for example, a device used by a general driver or the like, and is a device that does not provide probe information to the information generation device 2, but receives the provided information from the information generation device 2. The user device 3 is, for example, a car navigation system installed in a vehicle, a smartphone used by a vehicle driver, or the like. Upon receiving the provision of the provided information, the user device 3 transmits the consideration information having a monetary value to the information generation device 2.

The probe utilization device 4 is a device that generates traffic information by reusing the probe information group collected from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C by the information generation device 2. For example, the probe utilization device 4 is operated by a business operator different from the business operator that operates the information generation device 2, and generates traffic information from a different viewpoint from the information generation device 2. When the probe information group is provided by the probe information generation device 2, the probe utilization device 4 transmits consideration information having a monetary value to the information generation device 2.

The devices shown in FIG. 1 may be connected via a communication network such as the Internet, or may be connected via a dedicated communication network. Further, the probe terminals of the vehicles 5A to 5C and the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C may be connected by a wireless communication network such as a mobile phone network, or may be connected by a dedicated wireless communication network. good.

[2. Configuration of probe information collection device 1]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the probe information collecting device 1.

The probe information collecting device 1 includes a communication I / F unit 11, a probe information collecting unit 12, a probe information storage unit 13, a probe information group providing unit 14, a consideration information providing unit 15, and an information acquisition unit 16. The provision information storage unit 17, the consideration information storage unit 18, and the information provision unit 19 are provided.

The communication I / F unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting / receiving data to / from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 and the information generation device 2 by wire or wirelessly, and is a LAN (Local Area Network).
Network) It is composed of an adapter and the like.

The probe information collecting unit 12 collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The probe information collecting unit 12 stores the collected probe information in the probe information storage unit 13 by writing the collected probe information in the probe information storage unit 13.

The probe information storage unit 13 is a storage device that stores the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit 12, and is configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a format example of probe information collected from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The probe terminal of the vehicle 5 acquires probe information at predetermined time intervals (for example, 30 second intervals) or predetermined distance intervals (for example, 100 m intervals). The probe information includes vehicle ID information, position information, time information, direction information, fuel consumption information, terminal type information, vehicle type information, and a map matching flag.

The vehicle ID information is information for identifying the vehicle 5 or the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The position information is information indicating the traveling position of the vehicle 5 by latitude and longitude. The time information is information indicating the time when the position information was acquired. The directional information is information indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 5. The fuel consumption information is information indicating the fuel consumption of the vehicle 5. The terminal information is information for specifying the type of the terminal for which the probe information is acquired. That is, the terminal information indicates whether the probe terminal arranged in the vehicle 5 is a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 5 or a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone used by the driver of the vehicle 5. .. The vehicle type information is information indicating the vehicle type classification of the vehicle 5. For example, the vehicle type information indicates whether the vehicle 5 is a light vehicle, an ordinary vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, or a large-sized vehicle. The map matching flag indicates whether or not the location information is map-matched location information.

With reference to FIG. 2 again, the probe information group providing unit 14 transfers the probe information group, which is a set of probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit 12 and stored in the probe information storage unit 13, to the communication I / F unit. It is transmitted to the information generation device 2 via 11. Here, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 13 within a predetermined time. Further, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit a probe information group summarizing the predetermined number of probe information after the predetermined number of probe information is accumulated in the probe information storage unit 13. good.

The consideration information providing unit 15 transmits the consideration information having a monetary value to the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. By transmitting the consideration information, the consideration for acquiring higher quality provided information can be paid to the business operator operating the information generation device 2.

The information acquisition unit 16 acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group provided by the probe information group provision unit 14 from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. That is, the higher the value of the provided probe information group, the higher the quality of the provided information can be acquired by the information acquisition unit 16. Further, when the consideration information providing unit 15 transmits the consideration information to the information generation device 2, the information acquisition unit 16 acquires higher quality provided information as the monetary value indicated by the consideration information is higher. be able to. The information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired provided information in the provision information storage unit 17.

Further, the information acquisition unit 16 may acquire consideration information having a monetary value from the information generation device 2 as consideration for providing the probe information group via the communication I / F unit 11. The information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired consideration information in the consideration information storage unit 18. The case where the information acquisition unit 16 acquires the consideration information is the case where the consideration information is acquired instead of the provision information as the consideration for providing the probe information group, and the provision information is acquired as the consideration for the provision of the probe information group. However, the value of the probe information group may be higher than the value of the provided information. In the latter case, the information acquisition unit 16 acquires consideration information from the information generation device 2 in which the difference between the value of the probe information group and the value of the provided information is replaced with a monetary value.

The provided information storage unit 17 and the consideration information storage unit 18 are storage devices for storing the provided information and the consideration information acquired by the information acquisition unit 16, respectively, and are configured by an HDD or the like.

The information providing unit 19 provides the provided information to the vehicle 5 by transmitting the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. For example, when the provided information is traffic information, the probe terminal supports the driver of the vehicle 5 by displaying the traffic information on the screen of the probe terminal. When the provided information is video content information, the probe terminal displays the video content information on the screen of the probe terminal to provide entertainment during the break time of the driver or passenger of the vehicle 5.

Further, the information providing unit 19 provides the consideration information by transmitting the consideration information stored in the consideration information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The amount of consideration indicated by the consideration information is individually determined by the business operator operating the probe information collecting device 1.

The destination of the provided information and the consideration information is not limited to the probe terminal, and may be a car navigation system, a smartphone, or the like.

[3. Configuration of information generator 2]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information generation device 2.

The information generation device 2 includes a communication I / F unit 21, a probe information group acquisition unit 22, a probe information storage unit 23, a value evaluation unit 24, a consideration information acquisition unit 25, an information generation unit 26, and information provision. A unit 27 is provided.

The communication I / F unit 21 is a communication interface for transmitting / receiving data to / from the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C, the user device 3 and the probe using device 4 by wire or wirelessly, and is composed of a LAN adapter or the like.

The probe information group acquisition unit 22 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C via the communication I / F unit 21. The probe information group acquisition unit 22 divides the acquired probe information group into each probe information collection device 1 and stores the acquired probe information group in the probe information storage unit 23.

The probe information storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores the above-mentioned probe information group, and is composed of an HDD or the like.

The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 for each probe information collecting device 1. The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value from the viewpoint of the quantity and quality of the probe information group. The value evaluation method will be described later.

The consideration information acquisition unit 25 acquires consideration information from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, the user device 3, and the probe utilization device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21. This consideration information is information indicating the consideration paid as the consideration for the provided information provided by the information generation device 2. For example, it is assumed that the consideration indicated by the consideration information has five stages from 1 to 5, and the higher the value, the larger the amount of consideration. Further, the consideration information having the consideration of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 shall have a value of 100,000 yen, 200,000 yen, 300,000 yen, 400,000 yen, and 500,000 yen.

The information generation unit 26 generates traffic information as provided information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, the information generation unit 26 may generate travel time information indicating a predetermined road section travel time from the movement locus of the vehicle 5 indicated by a probe information group including time information in a predetermined time zone, or generate travel time information indicating the road section. It also generates traffic jam section information that indicates the traffic jam section.

The information generation unit 26 may generate traffic information in consideration of the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, the value of the probe information group acquired from the probe information collecting device 1A is 5 (for example, the higher the value in 5 steps, the higher the value), and the value of the probe information group collected from the probe information collecting device 1B is. It is assumed that the value of the probe information group collected from the probe information collecting device 1C is 1. At this time, the information generation unit 26 does not generate traffic information using all the probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 23, but generates traffic information using the probe information selected as follows. You may. That is, in the information generation unit 26, the ratio of the probe information acquired from the probe information collection device 1A, the probe information collection device 1B, and the probe information collection device 1C is 5 from the probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 23. : Select probe information so that it is 3: 1. The information generation unit 26 generates traffic information using the selected probe information. In this way, by preferentially using the high-value probe information group to generate the traffic information, it is possible to generate the highly accurate traffic information.

The information generation unit 26 may generate video content information as provided information by acquiring video content information stored in advance or acquiring video content information from an external server.

The information generation unit 26 changes the quality of the provided information provided to the probe information collecting device 1 according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24. That is, high-quality provided information is provided to the probe information collecting device 1 that has provided a high-value probe information group. The higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the time resolution of the travel time information to be provided. For example, the time resolutions of the travel time information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set to 1 minute unit, 5 minute unit, and 10 minute unit, respectively. Further, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the position resolution of the traffic jam section information to be provided. For example, the position resolutions of the congestion section information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set to 1 m unit, 5 m unit, and 10 m unit, respectively. Further, when the video content information is provided as the provided information, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the screen resolution of the provided video content information may be. For example, the screen resolutions of the video content information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be 1024 × 768 pixels, 640 × 480 pixels, and 320 × 240 pixels, respectively. ..

The information generation unit 26 may generate useful information such as discount information for goods and services for the operator of the probe information collecting device 1 or the driver of the vehicle 5 as provided information. At that time, the information generation unit 26 may generate discount information having a larger discount rate than the probe information collecting device 1 that provides a high-value probe information group.

When the information generation unit 26 has acquired the consideration information from the probe information collecting device 1, the probe is based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 and the consideration indicated by the consideration information. The provided information provided to the information collecting device 1 is generated. That is, the information generation unit 26 provides higher quality provided information to the probe information collecting device 1 in which the total value of the value of the probe information group and the consideration indicated by the consideration information is large.

The information generation device 2 does not acquire the probe information group from the user device 3, but acquires only the consideration information. Therefore, the information generation unit 26 generates higher quality provided information as the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired from the user device 3 is higher as the provided information to be provided to the user device 3.

The information generation device 2 does not acquire the probe information group from the probe utilization device 4, but acquires only the consideration information. Further, the information provided by the information generation device 2 to the probe utilization device 4 is a probe information group. Therefore, the information generation unit 26 generates high-quality probe group information as the probe information group to be provided to the probe utilization device 4, the higher the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired from the probe utilization device 4. For example, the information generation unit 26 selects probe information from the probe information storage unit 23 so that the higher the consideration, the more probe information evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 as having higher value. As a result, the information generation unit 26 generates a probe information group according to the consideration.

The information generation unit 26 may generate consideration information according to the value of the probe information group instead of generating the provided information. That is, the probe information collecting device 1 that provides the high-value probe information group may generate the high-value consideration information.

Further, the information generation unit 26 may generate consideration information in addition to generating the provided information. That is, when the value of the provided probe information group is higher than the value of the generated provided information, the information generation unit 26 generates consideration information in order to pay the difference in value as consideration.

The information providing unit 27 provides the provided information or the consideration information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting the provided information or the consideration information to the probe information collecting device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, the information providing unit 27 provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting the provided information to the user device 3 via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, the information providing unit 27 provides the probe information group generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting it to the probe utilization device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21.

[4. Processing flow of probe information collection device 1]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the probe information collecting device 1.

The probe information collecting unit 12 collects probe information from a probe terminal arranged in the vehicle 5 (S1). An example of the format of the collected probe information is as shown in FIG.

The probe information collecting unit 12 stores the collected probe information by writing it in the probe information storage unit 13 (S2).

The probe information group providing unit 14 provides the probe information group, which is a set of probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 13, by transmitting the probe information group to the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S3). ). For example, the probe information group providing unit 14 collects the probe information accumulated between the probe information storage units 13 and provides the probe information group to the information generation device 2 every three minutes. The probe information group providing unit 14 may delete the provided probe information group from the probe information storage unit 13.

The consideration information providing unit 15 determines whether or not there is consideration information to be provided to the information generation device 2 (S4). For example, if a contract is made between the operator of the probe information collecting device 1 and the operator of the information generating device 2 to pay a consideration of 100,000 yen every month, it is provided when the payment date is reached. It is judged that there is consideration information to be paid.

If there is consideration information to be provided (YES in S4), the consideration information providing unit 15 transmits the consideration information indicating the consideration of a predetermined amount to the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. By doing so, consideration information is provided (S5).

After the consideration information providing process (S5) or when there is no consideration information to be provided (NO in S4), the information acquisition unit 16 receives probe information from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. The provided information according to the value of the probe information group provided by the group providing unit 14 is acquired (S6).
The information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired provided information in the provision information storage unit 17 (S7).

The information providing unit 19 provides the provided information by transmitting the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S8).

The information acquisition unit 16 determines whether or not the information generation device 2 provides the consideration information having a monetary value as the consideration for providing the probe information group via the communication I / F unit 11 (S9). ).

When the consideration information is provided (YES in S9), the information acquisition unit 16 acquires the consideration information by receiving the consideration information from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (YES in S9). S10).

Further, the information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired consideration information in the consideration information storage unit 18 (S11).

Further, the information providing unit 19 provides the consideration information by transmitting the consideration information stored in the consideration information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S12).

[5. Processing flow of information generator 2]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the information generation device 2. FIG. 6 shows a process executed by the information generation device 2 with the probe information collection device 1.

The probe information group acquisition unit 22 acquires the probe information group from the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S21).

The probe information group acquisition unit 22 divides the acquired probe information group into each probe information collection device 1 and stores the acquired probe information group in the probe information storage unit 23 (S22). That is, the probe information group is attached with the identifier of the probe information collecting device 1 and stored.

The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 (S23). The value evaluation method will be described later.

The consideration information acquisition unit 25 determines whether or not the consideration information is provided by the probe information collecting device 1 (S24).

When the consideration information is provided (YES in S24), the consideration information acquisition unit 25 receives the consideration information from the probe information collecting device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 to receive the consideration information. (S25).

After the consideration information acquisition process (S25) or when the consideration information is not provided (NO in S24), the information generation unit 26 generates the provided information to be provided to the probe information collection device 1. (S26). The provided information is generated according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 and the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired by the consideration information acquisition unit 25.

The information providing unit 27 provides the generated provided information by transmitting it to the probe information collecting device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S27).

The information generation unit 26 determines whether or not it is necessary to pay the consideration to the probe information collection device 1 (S28). In other words, if the value of the probe information group provided is higher than the value of the generated provided information, it is determined that the consideration must be paid. For example, if the value of the probe information group is 5 and the value of the generated provided information is 3, the information generation unit 26 needs to pay the consideration of 2 which is the difference value (for example, 200,000 yen). Judge that. That is, if the difference value is larger than 0, it may be determined that the consideration must be paid. When the consideration information acquisition unit 25 acquires the consideration information from the probe information collecting device 1, the difference between the value of the consideration and the probe information group indicated by the acquired consideration information and the value of the generated provided information. Based on the value, you may decide whether or not you need to pay for it.

When it is determined that the consideration needs to be paid (YES in S28), the information generation unit 26 generates the consideration information in order to pay the difference in value as the consideration (S29).

The information providing unit 27 provides the generated consideration information by transmitting it to the probe information collecting device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S30).

[6. Specific example of value evaluation processing of probe information group]
Next, a specific example of the value evaluation process (S23 in FIG. 6) of the probe information group executed by the value evaluation unit 24 of the information generation device 2 will be described. The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group from the quantitative or qualitative aspect of the probe information. Specifically, the value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collecting device 1 based on at least one of (1) to (16) shown below.

(1) Total mileage of a plurality of vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates the movement locus of the plurality of vehicles 5. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 evaluates that the larger the total mileage of the plurality of vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group, the higher the value of the probe information group. The total mileage is calculated as, for example, the total value of the distances between the start point and the end point of the movement locus indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group, and the value increases as the distance increases, is referred to, and the probe information group is calculated from the total mileage. You may ask for value.

(2) Total number of probe information included in the probe information group The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates that the larger the total number of probe information included in the probe information group, the higher the value. However, even if the probe information group is sampled while the vehicle 5 travels the same distance, the smaller the sampling interval, the larger the number of probe information. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 weights the total number of probe information with a weight that becomes smaller as the sampling interval becomes smaller, and evaluates the value of the probe information group based on the total number of weighted probe information. good. The value evaluation unit 24 is weighted with reference to a data table in which the relationship between the number of probe information and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the larger the number of probe information, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the total number of probe information.

(3) Area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group The probe information obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a wide area is the probe obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a narrow area. It can be useful in generating traffic information on more roads than information. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 may evaluate the value of the probe information group higher as the area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group is wider. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the area of the area and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the larger the area, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the area.

(4) Real-time property of probe information group The probe information with a new time when the position information is acquired can be useful for generating travel time information and congestion section information provided as real-time information to the driver. On the other hand, the probe information whose time is old cannot be provided as real-time information, and can only be used as statistical information of travel time information and traffic jam section information. Therefore, the newer the time when the position information is acquired, the higher the value of the probe information. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average of the difference between the time indicated by the time information of the probe information included in the probe information group and the current time, and the smaller the average of the differences, the higher the value of the probe information group is evaluated. You may. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the difference from the current time and the value of the probe information group, and the smaller the difference, the higher the value, and refers to the above-mentioned difference. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the average.

(5) Positional spacing of the movement locus indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates the movement locus for each vehicle 5, but the narrower the position interval of the movement locus (the interval between the positions indicated by the position information of the probe information), the more. The movement locus of the vehicle 5 is shown in more detail. That is, the narrower the position interval of the movement locus, the more accurately the position of acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 5, the position of sudden braking, the position of the sudden steering wheel, and the like can be detected. Therefore, the narrower the position interval of the movement locus, the higher the value of the probe information group. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the position interval of the movement locus and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the narrower the position interval is, the higher the value is. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the average of the position intervals indicated by the probe information group.

(6) Percentage of probe information that has been map-matched in the probe information group FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining map matching. FIG. 7A shows a position indicated by the position information of the probe information before map matching (hereinafter referred to as a probe position), and FIG. 7B shows a probe position after map matching. Before map matching, the probe position 31 is separated from the road 32 as shown in FIG. 7 (a), but after map matching, the probe position 31 is placed on the road 32 as shown in FIG. 7 (b). There is. Map matching processing is required to generate accurate traffic information, but if map matching processing is performed in advance, the information generation device 2 does not need to perform map matching processing. Therefore, the processing amount of the information generation device 2 can be reduced. Therefore, it can be determined that the probe information to which the map matching process is performed has high value.

Whether or not map matching is performed may be determined by the map matching flag provided in the probe information shown in FIG. For example, the probe information collecting device 1 may set a map matching flag for the probe information for which map matching has been performed (1 may be set in the map matching flag). However, if it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided by the probe information collecting device 1 is map-matched or not map-matched due to a prior contract with the business operator or the like, the probe is probed. It is not necessary to set the map matching flag in the information.

The information generation device 2 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the map-matched probe information and the value of the probe information group is predetermined, and refers to the map-matched probe among the probe information groups acquired from the probe information collection device 1. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the ratio of the information. The relationship defined by the data table is such that the larger the ratio, the higher the value.

(7) Percentage of probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal in the probe information group The probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system always indicates the movement trajectory of the vehicle 5. However, the probe information acquired by a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone may indicate the movement locus of the vehicle 5 or may indicate the movement locus of a pedestrian. Therefore, the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal is more reliable and more valuable to the information generation device 2. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal in the probe information group from the terminal type information of the probe information shown in FIG. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the larger the ratio, the higher the value. Then, the value of the probe information group may be obtained from the calculated ratio of the probe information. Examples of terminal type information include in-vehicle navigation systems, GPS loggers, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and the like. Of these, the in-vehicle navigation system is a dedicated terminal, and the GPS logger, mobile phone, smartphone, and tablet are general-purpose terminals. In addition, if it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided by the probe information collecting device 1 is the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with the business operator, the probe information is added to the terminal. There is no need to provide type information.

(8) Types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group As shown in FIG. 3, various information is included in the probe information. The more types of information contained in the probe information, the more traffic information can be generated and the more accurate the traffic information can be. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average number of types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the number of types of information and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the larger the number of types of information, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the average of the calculated numbers of types. It should be noted that the more valuable information is, the larger the weight is given, and the number of types of information may be calculated by adding the weights.

(9) Percentage of probe information detected for pedestrians in the probe information group The probe information acquired by a general-purpose terminal may be probe information detected for pedestrians, and the probe information for pedestrians is traffic information. It is noise for the generation of. Therefore, it can be said that the smaller the proportion of the probe information detected for pedestrians in the probe information group, the higher the value of the probe information group. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average moving speed of the moving body for each moving locus from the moving locus indicated by the probe information group, and walks with the probe information constituting the moving locus whose average moving speed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. It is determined that the probe information is detected for the person. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian and the value of the probe information group, and the smaller the ratio, the higher the value, is referred to. The value of the probe information group is calculated from the ratio of the probe information detected for pedestrians in the information group. If it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided by the probe information collecting device 1 is the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with the business operator, the probe information is added to the terminal. There is no need to provide type information. In that case, the number of probe information detected for the pedestrian is zero.

(10) Presence / absence of probe information including position information of a predetermined road position Depending on the road, it may be difficult to collect probe information. This may occur when the vehicle 5 contracted by the probe information collecting device 1 is unevenly distributed in a specific area and cannot cover all the areas, in addition to a road with a small traffic volume. However, even on a road where probe information is difficult to collect, it is desirable to generate traffic information from the viewpoint of improving services. Therefore, it can be said that probe information (hereinafter referred to as “probe information when traveling on a predetermined road”) including position information of a predetermined road such as a road with a small traffic volume is highly valuable. For example, it is assumed that the value of the probe information group including the predetermined road traveling probe information and the value of the probe information group not including the predetermined road traveling probe information are predetermined. In addition, it is assumed that the information indicating these values is stored in the data table. The value evaluation unit 24 determines whether or not the probe information group includes the probe information when traveling on a predetermined road, and obtains the value of the probe information group by referring to the data table.

(11) Presence / absence of probe information obtained from a vehicle moving in a congested section When the vehicle 5 is moving in a congested section, the congested section information can be generated from the probe information of the vehicle 5. Such probe information is useful and valuable for the generation of traffic information. For example, it is assumed that a data table in which the value of the probe information group including the probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 moving in the congested section and the value of the probe information group not including the probe information are predetermined is prepared. If the travel locus indicated by the probe information group includes a section in which the traveling speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed threshold, the value evaluation unit 24 includes probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 moving in the congested section in the probe information group. The value of the probe information group is obtained from the above data table.

(12) Accuracy of traffic information as provided information generated by the information generation unit 26 based on the probe information group.

When the accuracy of the traffic information generated by the information generation unit 26 based on the probe information group is high, the value of the probe information group is high. In order to obtain such accuracy, for example, the value evaluation unit 24 has the traffic information generated by the information generation unit 26 based on the probe information group and the traffic acquired from an external device that provides highly accurate traffic information. The correlation coefficient with the information is calculated, and the calculated correlation coefficient is obtained as the accuracy. FIG. 8 is a scatter diagram of the travel time information as the traffic information generated by the information generation device 2 and the travel time information as the traffic information generated by the external device. The horizontal axis shows the travel time generated by the information generation device 2, and the vertical axis shows the travel time generated by the external device. If the correlation coefficient between the two travel times is close to 1, it is judged that they are similar and the probe information group is highly accurate and valuable. That is, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the relationship between the correlation coefficient and the value of the probe information group by referring to a data table in which a predetermined relationship is determined so that the larger the correlation coefficient is, the higher the value is. Obtain the value of the probe information group from the correlation coefficient. The value evaluation unit 24 shall acquire the traffic information generated by the external device via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the traffic information is generated after the value of the probe information group is evaluated. However, when the value evaluation shown in (12) is performed, the traffic is prior to the evaluation of the probe information group. Information may be generated.

The accuracy of the traffic information may be obtained by comparing the traffic information between the operators, and the value of the probe information group may be evaluated. For example, it is assumed that probe information is provided from probe information collecting devices 1 of five businesses A, B, C, D, and E. In this case, the information generation unit 26 calculates travel time information for each business operator using the probe information provided by the probe information collecting device 1 of the business operator. The value evaluation unit 24 compares trends in travel time information among businesses. For example, the transition of travel time in the same road section is compared. As a result, if the travel time information of the businesses A to D shows the same tendency, but only the business E shows a different tendency from the others, the value of the probe information group of the business E is set to another. It may be lower than the value of the probe information group of the operators A to D.

Depending on the business operator, traffic information such as travel time information may be provided without providing probe information. In such a case, the value evaluation unit 24 may generate traffic information for each business operator based on the traffic information provided and the probe information group provided by another business operator. May be compared with. If the provided traffic information has a different tendency from the generated multiple traffic information, the evaluation of the business operator that provides only the traffic information is lowered, the quality of the provided information is lowered, or the consideration indicated by the provided consideration information is shown. You may lower the amount of.

(13) Distance between the start point and the end point of the movement locus indicated by the probe information group The probe information group shows a plurality of movement loci, but when the probe information group includes only short-distance movement loci, the travel time. Is difficult to calculate accurately, and the value of the probe information group is low. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average of the distances between the start points and end points of the plurality of movement loci indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group, and the value increases as the distance increases, is referred to, and the probe is calculated from the average of the distances. Seeking the value of the information group.

(14) Positional accuracy of probe information indicated by the probe information group The higher the positional accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group, the more accurate traffic information can be generated. Therefore, the probe information group including the probe information with high position accuracy is more valuable. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the position accuracy of the probe information. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the probe position 31 and the road 32 of the probe information having relatively high position accuracy. 9 (b) is a graph showing the error occurrence probability of the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9 (a), the horizontal axis shows the error, and the vertical axis shows the error occurrence probability. The error is the distance of the broken line shown in FIG. 9A, which is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32. FIG. 9C is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the probe position 31 and the road 32 of the probe information having relatively low position accuracy. 9 (d) is a graph showing the error occurrence probability of the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9 (c), and the horizontal axis shows the error and the vertical axis shows the error occurrence probability. The error is the distance of the broken line shown in FIG. 9 (c), which is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32.

The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average error of the probe information included in the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 obtains the value of the probe information group from the average of the calculated errors by referring to a data table in which the relationship between the error and the value of the probe information group is predetermined so that the value becomes higher as the error is smaller. ..

(15) Type of road related to the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information group The value of the probe information may be changed depending on whether the type of the road on which the vehicle 5 travels is an expressway or a general road. For example, when the information generator 2 provides traffic information centered on a general road, the probe information group containing more probe information collected from the vehicle 5 traveling on the general road may be evaluated more highly. good. The type of the road on which the vehicle 5 travels may be determined by collating the position information included in the probe information with the road information (not shown) indicating the position of the road for each type. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the probe information collected when traveling on a general road to the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the above by referring to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of general roads and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance so that the larger the ratio of general roads is, the higher the value is. The value of the probe information group is calculated from the ratio.

On the contrary, when the information generator 2 provides traffic information mainly on the expressway, the probe information group containing more probe information collected from the vehicle 5 traveling on the expressway is highly evaluated for its value. May be good. In this case, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of the probe information collected when driving on the expressway in the probe information group, and determines a relationship in which the value increases as the proportion of the expressway increases. The value of the probe information group is obtained from the above-calculated ratio with reference to.

(16) Percentage of probe information of stopped vehicles in the probe information group Vehicle 5 stops for loading and unloading of luggage, breaks, waiting for transportation at educational institutions such as schools and in front of stations, waiting for parking lots, etc. In some cases. Even while the vehicle 5 is stopped, probe information is collected from the vehicle 5 during that time. However, the probe information collected from such a stopped vehicle is not useful for generating traffic information such as travel time information and traffic jam section information. Therefore, it can be said that the smaller the proportion of the probe information of the stopped vehicle in the probe information group, the higher the value of the probe information group. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 detects from the probe information group the probe information indicating that the position information has not changed for a predetermined time or more as the probe information of the stopped vehicle. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the stop time indicated by the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total travel time indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of stop time and the value of the probe information group, and the smaller the ratio, the higher the value, is referred to, and the probe is calculated from the ratio of stop time. Seeking the value of the information group.

The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the number of probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total number of probe information included in the probe information group, and even if it is determined that the smaller the ratio is, the higher the value of the probe information group is. good.

Conversely, the greater the ratio of the stop time indicated by the probe information of the stopped vehicle or the ratio of the number of probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total number of probe information among the total travel time indicated by the probe information group, the more valuable the probe information group. May be judged to be high. For example, the above ratio is large in areas where parking lots are waiting to be stored, but such a judgment is made for requests to actively discover such areas and use them for parking lot marketing. It is valid. In this way, the value evaluation index of the probe information group may be changed according to the purpose of use of the probe information and the like. The value evaluation index may be changed in the same manner for the items shown in (1) to (15).

The value of the probe information group may be obtained by combining the items (1) to (16) described above. For example, the value may be obtained from the total mileage of the vehicle shown in (1), the value may be obtained from the total number of probe information shown in (2), and the sum of them may be used as the value of the probe information group.

[7. Effect of embodiment, etc.]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information generation device 2 acquires probe information groups from probe information collection devices 1 of a plurality of businesses, and obtains provided information from the acquired probe information groups. It is generating. The provided information is traffic information such as travel time information and traffic jam section information, or information useful to the business operator (for example, discount information of products and services). Since the information generation device 2 acquires the probe information group from the probe information collecting devices 1 of a plurality of business operators, it is possible to acquire probe information and the like in an area that cannot be covered by only one business operator. It is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from a group of probe information having different qualities among business operators. Therefore, the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information can be efficiently acquired.

Further, the information generation device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 of the business operator. Therefore, the content of the provided information to be generated can be changed or the consideration paid to the business operator can be changed according to the value of the probe information group. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

Further, the information generation device 2 can generate the provided information in consideration of the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of probe information with high position accuracy and high value of probe information is made larger than the weight of probe information with low position accuracy and low value, and then travel time is used using probe information acquired from multiple businesses. Generate information. As a result, it becomes possible to generate highly accurate traffic information such as travel time information.

Further, the information generation device 2 provides the generated provided information to the probe information collection device 1. As a result, each business operator of the probe information collecting device 1 can receive the provided information as a consideration for providing the probe information group. Therefore, an incentive to provide the probe information to the business operator is provided, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating the traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

Further, the information generation device 2 can provide higher-value provision information to the business operator who has provided the high-value probe information group. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

Further, the information generation device 2 also provides the provided information to the user device 3 and the like other than the probe information collection device 1. As a result, the provided information can be used by a business other than the business operator that provides the probe information.

Further, the information generation device 2 can change the provided contents according to the consideration paid by the probe information collecting device 1 or the user device 3. As a result, the business operator or user who pays a higher price can receive the provision of higher quality information.

Further, the value evaluation unit 24 of the information generation device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 based on at least one of (1) to (16) described above. As a result, it can be evaluated that the probe information group that is useful for generating traffic information is more valuable. Therefore, the business operator who collects the probe information group can be appropriately evaluated, and the business operator who provides the high-value probe information group can be provided with high-quality provided information. Therefore, there is an incentive for the business operator to provide more valuable probe information, and as a result, the probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business operator.

Further, the probe information collecting device 1 can acquire higher quality provided information as the value of the probe information group provided to the information generating device 2 is higher. Therefore, there is an incentive to provide more valuable probe information to the business operator who operates the probe information collecting device 1. As a result, the probe information collecting device 1 efficiently provides the information generating device 2 with the probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

[8. Addendum]
Although the traffic information providing system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

For example, the probe information collection device 1 or the information generation device 2 has been described as being composed of one device each, but each device is composed of a plurality of devices, and the probe information collection device 1 or the information generation device 1 or the information generation device 2 is composed of a plurality of devices. 2 may be configured as a probe information collection system or an information generation system, respectively. The devices constituting each system may be connected to each other via a wide area network such as the Internet and may be distributed.

In addition, in the value judgment items shown in (7) or (9) above for the value evaluation process of the probe information group (S23 in FIG. 6), all of the probe information is a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with the business operator or the like. If it is known in advance that the probe information is acquired in, it is not necessary to provide the terminal type information in the probe information. Even if it is not a contract, if it is known in advance that, for example, a GPS receiver, base station information, vehicle speed sensor, orientation sensor, accelerometer or angular velocity sensor is used, all of the probe information is dedicated. It is judged to be the probe information acquired by the terminal. Therefore, in such a case, it is not necessary to provide the terminal type information in the probe information.

Further, each of the above devices may be specifically configured as a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, hard disk drive, display unit, keyboard, mouse and the like. Computer programs are stored in the RAM or hard disk drive. As the microprocessor operates according to a computer program, each device achieves its function. Here, a computer program is configured by combining a plurality of instruction codes indicating commands to a computer in order to achieve a predetermined function.

Further, a part or all of the components constituting each of the above-mentioned devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). A system LSI is a super-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating a plurality of components on one chip, and specifically, is a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, and the like. .. A computer program is stored in the RAM. The system LSI achieves its function by operating the microprocessor according to the computer program.

Further, the present invention may be the method shown above. Further, the present invention may be a computer program that realizes these methods by a computer, or may be a digital signal composed of the computer program.

Further, the present invention relates to a non-temporary recording medium capable of computer-reading the computer program or the digital signal, such as a hard disk drive, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, or a BD (Blu-ray). It may be recorded on a registered trademark) Disc), a semiconductor memory, or the like. Further, it may be the digital signal recorded on these non-temporary recording media.

Further, the present invention may transmit the computer program or the digital signal via a telecommunication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network typified by the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

Further, another independent computer by recording and transferring the program or the digital signal on the non-temporary recording medium, or by transferring the program or the digital signal via the network or the like. It may be carried out by the system.

Further, each step included in the above program may be executed by a plurality of computers.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims, not the above-mentioned meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1 Probe information collection device 1A Probe information collection device 1B Probe information collection device 1C Probe information collection device 2 Information generation device 3 User device 4 Probe utilization device 5 Vehicle 5A Vehicle 5B Vehicle 5C Vehicle 11 Communication I / F section 12 Probe information collection Unit 13 Probe information storage unit 14 Probe information group provision unit 15 Consideration information provision unit 16 Information acquisition unit 17 Provided information storage unit 18 Consideration information storage unit 19 Information provision unit 21 Communication I / F unit 22 Probe information group acquisition unit 23 Probe information Storage unit 24 Value evaluation unit 25 Consideration information acquisition unit 26 Information generation unit 27 Information provision unit 31 Probe position 32 Road 100 Traffic information provision system

Claims (14)

A probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position. The probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired and
A value evaluation unit that determines the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses based on the comparison result of the probe information group provided by each business among the plurality of businesses.
An information generation unit that generates provided information based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information generation unit.
An information generation system including an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit. The information generation system according to claim 1, wherein the value evaluation unit evaluates the value of the probe information group provided by the business operator for each business operator. The second aspect of claim 2, wherein the information generation unit generates the provided information based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. Information generation system. The information generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information to the plurality of business operators. The item according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information that differs for each business operator based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit. Information generation system. The information generation system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information to users other than the plurality of business operators. Moreover,
It is provided with a consideration information acquisition unit for acquiring consideration information indicating consideration to be paid for the provision of the provided information by the business operator or a user other than the business operator.
The claim that the information generation unit generates the provided information by changing the content of the provided information for each of the business operators or the users according to the consideration indicated by the consideration information acquired by the consideration information acquisition unit. 4. The information generation system according to any one of claims 6. The value evaluation department
(1) The total mileage of the plurality of vehicles indicated by the probe information group,
(2) The total number of the probe information included in the probe information group,
(3) An area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group.
(4) Real-time property of the probe information group,
(5) Positional intervals of movement loci indicated by the probe information group,
(6) The ratio of the map-matched probe information in the probe information group,
(7) The ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal to the probe information group.
(8) Types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group,
(9) Percentage of probe information detected for pedestrians in the probe information group,
(10) Presence or absence of probe information including position information of a predetermined road position,
(11) Presence or absence of probe information obtained from a vehicle moving in a congested section,
(12) Accuracy of traffic information as the provided information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group.
(13) Distance between the start point and end point of the movement locus indicated by the probe information group,
(14) Positional accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group (15) The type of road related to the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information group, and (16) The ratio of the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the probe information group. The information generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which evaluates the value of the probe information group based on at least one of the above. A probe information collection unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position from each of a plurality of vehicles.
The probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, is provided to an information generation device that generates provided information by using the probe information group and the probe information group collected from another business operator. Probe information group providing unit and
Depending on the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses determined based on the comparison result among the plurality of businesses of the probe information group collected from each business from the information generator. It also has an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information.
Probe information collector. A probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position. The probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired and
A value evaluation unit that determines the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses based on the comparison result of the probe information group provided by each business among the plurality of businesses.
An information generation unit that generates provided information based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information generation unit.
An information generation device including an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit. A probe that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the operator from each of the operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the computer passes the position. Steps to get information and
A step in which the computer determines the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses based on the comparison result between the plurality of businesses of the probe information group provided by each business. ,
A step in which the computer generates information to be provided based on the acquired probe information group of the plurality of businesses.
An information generation method comprising the step of providing the generated information provided by the computer. A step in which a computer collects probe information from each of a plurality of vehicles, including information on the position of the vehicle and the time of passage through the position.
The computer provides a probe information group, which is a set of the collected probe information, to an information generator that generates provided information by using the probe information group and the probe information group collected from another business operator. Steps and
The qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses determined by the computer based on the comparison result among the plurality of businesses of the probe information group collected from each business from the information generator. Including the step of acquiring the provided information according to the height of
Probe information collection method. A probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business operator from each of a plurality of business operators that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position. The probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired and
A value evaluation unit that determines the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses based on the comparison result of the probe information group provided by each business among the plurality of businesses.
An information generation unit that generates provided information based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, and an information generation unit.
An information generation program for operating a computer as an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit. A probe information collection unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time when the vehicle passes the position from each of a plurality of vehicles.
The probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, is provided to an information generation device that generates provided information by using the probe information group and the probe information group collected from another business operator. Probe information group providing unit and
Depending on the level of qualitative value of the probe information group among the plurality of businesses determined based on the comparison result among the plurality of businesses of the probe information group collected from each business from the information generator. A probe information collection program for operating a computer as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information.

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