JP2002342884A - Method for processing traffic information, and system for processing traffic information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To process traffic information acquired from a vehicle rapidly with a limited computer resource, and to output in a form easy to use later. SOLUTION: This system includes a travel information housing part 20 for housing travel information received through a memory card 6, an electronic map housing part 21 for housing an electronic map, a processed travel information housing part 22 for housing processed travel information, a travel information acquiring part 23 for acquiring the travel information from the travel information housing part 20, a passing point deciding part 24 for deciding whether a probe car passes two or more points previously set on the electronic map, a between-points passing time calculating part 25 for calculating a passing time of the predetermined two points the probe car passes, and a passing speed calculating and counting part 26 for calculating a passing speed between the two points, and outputting a calculation result to the processed travel information housing part 22 in a state that the calculation result is related to each point on the electronic map.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a traffic information processing method and a traffic information processing system for processing traffic information detected by a probe car or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent sophistication and complexity of road traffic networks, the need for collecting and analyzing traffic information has been rapidly increasing. In Japan, traffic information is
As represented by a road traffic information system (VICS), data collected using a sensor or the like installed on the road side is generally used.

On the other hand, in Europe and Singapore, a probe car or floating car data (Floating Car Data) is used.
A mechanism called Data) for collecting information from the vehicle itself has been introduced, and interest has been increasing in Japan in recent years.

Therefore, in Japan, the Ministry of Construction (currently the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) uses a car navigation system to obtain information on traffic congestion from May 2000, mainly on general roads in Tokyo. A survey has been started to record the route taken by the taxi. The survey was conducted with the cooperation of 20 trucks operated by a transportation company operating mainly in the city center and 20 taxis operated by a taxi company, and each car was equipped with a car navigation device equipped with a memory card. Then, the behavior of the vehicle is recorded on the memory card. Then, by collecting the card every month, the stored information is analyzed. In this way, the peak traffic congestion is judged, etc., and "5/10 (monthly)" and "
They are also trying to find out whether the road traffic is congested, and to use it for planning road construction / expansion and setting time zones for road construction.

[0005]

However, the analysis of the data is performed manually, which takes time and has a certain limit in accuracy.

Therefore, there is a demand for a system capable of efficiently processing the data collected as described above and outputting the data in a form that can be easily processed and used later.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can process traffic information obtained from a vehicle as described above quickly with a small amount of computer resources.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a traffic information processing method and a traffic information processing system capable of outputting in a form that can be easily used later.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and according to a first main aspect, travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position is obtained. And a passing point determining step of determining whether the vehicle has passed two or more predetermined points set on the map data based on a time-series change in the position information of the vehicle. And a passing time or an average passing speed required for the vehicle to pass between each two points based on the position information of the vehicle between two predetermined points among the points determined to have passed by the vehicle. The traffic information processing method includes a point-to-point transit time / average transit speed calculating step of calculating Here, it is preferable that the passing time, the average passing speed, or both are stored in association with each point on the electronic map.

According to such a configuration, the information on the transit time or the average transit speed can be output in association with each point on the electronic map using the computer system. Data that is easy to handle. In addition, according to this method, traffic information is aggregated as information on a predetermined point set in advance, so that even a large amount of travel information can be efficiently processed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above method, a plurality of passing times or average passing speeds calculated for the same two points are totaled, and the totaling result is displayed on the map data. The method further includes a passing time / average passing speed totaling / calculating step which is output in association with each point. It is preferable that this step totals the passing times of a plurality of vehicles. It is further desirable that the passing time or the average passing speed between the points is totaled for each predetermined time zone.

According to such a configuration, a plurality of pieces of information can be totaled for the same two points, so that accurate traffic information data can be obtained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention,
The predetermined point on the map data includes an intersection.

According to such a configuration, the passing time or the average passing speed can be calculated in association with an intersection which has a great influence on the calculation of the travel time.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
The point-to-point passage time / average passage speed calculation step is required for the vehicle to pass between each two points among all two adjacent points among all the points where the vehicle is determined to have passed. The passage time or the average passage speed is calculated.

According to such a configuration, the transit time or the average transit speed is stored as a set of all two points adjacent to each other on the transit route, so that the travel time or the like is calculated later. Very easy-to-use data can be obtained.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
The passing time / average passing speed totaling / calculating step includes a step of calculating an average of all passing times or average passing speeds calculated for the same two points, and a step of calculating a passing time or an average passing speed in a predetermined time zone. Calculating a deviation value with respect to the average of all the passing times or average passing speeds; and calculating the average value of the all passing times or average passing speeds and the deviation value in the predetermined time zone on each of the points on the map. And outputting the information in association with.

According to such a configuration, the passing time or the average passing speed in the predetermined time zone can be represented by the average value and the deviation value therefrom.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
The passing point determination step includes a step of creating a temporary route by connecting the positions at which the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed in the shortest distance in the position information of the vehicle acquired in the step, and setting the map on the map data in advance. Extracting the points that are within a predetermined distance from the temporary route, estimating a passing route of the vehicle based on the extracted points, and points that are on the estimated passing route. Is determined as the point at which the vehicle has passed. Here, the passing point determination step further compares the tentative route and the estimated passing route, and when a distance between the tentative routes is equal to or more than a predetermined value,
A step of outputting an error signal or, when the error signal is output, dividing the passing path at a point where the distance between the temporary path and the estimated passing path is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and for each of the divided paths, It is preferable that the method further includes a step of re-estimating a passage route of the vehicle based on the extracted points.
Further, the step of extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the temporary route includes determining whether at least one or more points have been extracted for each temporary route connecting the two positions where the traveling directions have changed. Preferably, the method further includes a step of, when at least one or more points are not extracted, extracting the points by increasing the predetermined distance for the temporary route between the two positions.

According to such a configuration, the passing route of the vehicle is estimated based on the temporary route created by connecting the positions at which the running direction of the vehicle has changed with the shortest distance. Map data can be matched with high accuracy. Thereby, accurate traffic information data can be obtained.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the step of determining a stay position and a stay factor of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, The time / average passage speed calculation step is for calculating the passage time so that the stay time when the stay factor is other than traffic jam is removed from the passage time. Here, the step of determining the staying position and the staying factor of the vehicle includes, based on the speed of the vehicle and the duration of the speed, the moving distance in a predetermined time, or the required time per moving distance, Outputting the position where the vehicle is staying, calculating the staying time based on the staying position and the time at the position, and determining the staying factor based on the length of the staying time And outputting the staying factor in association with the staying position. Further, the step of determining the staying position and the staying factor of the vehicle is to determine the staying factor based on the staying time of the vehicle and the type of the vehicle, and the staying factor is at least traffic jam, stop or parking. It is preferable that it contains.

According to such a configuration, the staying time of a predetermined factor which becomes unnecessary when calculating the travel time can be removed in advance. This makes it possible to generate data that can be easily used later.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,
The method further includes receiving a start point and an end point of the travel route, receiving environment and conditions at the time of travel, and calculating a travel route from the start point to the end point based on the start point and the end point of the travel route. Extracting points on a map through which the travel route passes, obtaining the total transit time or average transit speed for each passing point, and setting the average travel time between each point to the received environment A step of calculating a corrected passage time or an average passage speed between each point by applying a parameter according to a condition, and a step of outputting a corrected passage time or an average passage speed between all the points constituting the travel route. And Here, it is preferable that the method further includes a step of updating the corrected passage time or the average passage speed at a predetermined cycle.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to calculate the required time of the travel route based on the passing time or the average passing speed stored in association with each point set on the map.

According to a second main aspect of the present invention, travel information acquiring means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position, and a time-series change of the position information of the vehicle A passing point determining means for determining whether the vehicle has passed at least two predetermined points set on the map data, and a passing point determining means for determining whether the vehicle has passed between two predetermined points. And a point-to-point transit time calculating means for calculating a transit time required for the vehicle to pass between each two points based on the position information of the vehicle. You.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a traffic information processing system capable of executing the traffic information processing method.

The other features and remarkable effects of the present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the description of the following embodiment and the accompanying drawings.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The gist of the present invention is to process a huge amount of travel information using a computer system and process the information as information on transit time or average transit speed at each point on an electronic map. By outputting the data in association with each other, it is possible to obtain data which is very easy to handle when obtaining travel time.

The present invention will be described below with reference to "traffic information processing" which collects travel information using a "probe car" composed of taxis and other specially selected vehicles, processes the information and provides the information to various users. Center "will be described.

(Basic Configuration) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic information processing center 1 according to this embodiment.

What is indicated by 2 in the figure is a so-called “probe car”. The probe car 2 includes a car navigation system 3 and the car navigation system 3
And a GPS antenna 4 for detecting the position of the probe car 2, the time at the position, the traveling direction, and the like, a vehicle speed pulse detector 5, and the like. The car navigation system 3 performs not only road navigation using information detected by the GPS antenna 4 and the vehicle speed pulse detector 5 but also stores various information detected by the memory card 6. .

The memory card 6 is collected at a predetermined cycle, for example, every month, and passes the stored travel information to the traffic information processing system 8 of the traffic information processing center 1. The traffic information processing system 8 has a function of processing the travel information together with external information 12 such as traffic congestion information 10 and weather information 11 to generate processed travel information 13. Specifically, the processed travel information 13 includes an electronic map (DRM: DRM) as described later in detail.
It is information on travel time or passing speed generated in association with a predetermined point (intersection, entrance / exit of an expressway, etc.) set in advance in the “iginal Road Map”.

In this embodiment, a travel time guide system 15 is provided, as shown in FIG.
Has a function of providing and guiding the estimated travel time to the guide user on the Internet, the driver of the traveling probe car 2, and the like. Specifically, as explained in more detail below,
This travel time guidance system 15
Calculates the optimal travel route based on the conditions specified by, and based on the points on the electronic map through which the travel route passes,
It has a function of calculating the required time of the entire travel route by taking out the average passing speed or required passing time between the points from the processed travel information 13 and summing up the obtained data.

When such information is supplied to the probe car 2, the information is transmitted to an information receiving system 18 provided in the probe car 2, and is transmitted to the driver of the probe car 2 through the car navigation system 3. Preferably, the apparatus is configured to provide the travel time information.

Hereinafter, each component of the traffic information processing system 8 and the travel time guidance system 15 provided in the traffic information processing center 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Each component described below is actually a computer software program installed in an area formatted on a storage medium of a computer system and a predetermined area, and is stored on a RAM by a CPU of the computer system. When called and executed, each function of the present invention is achieved.

(Traffic Information Processing System) As shown in FIG. 2, the traffic information processing system 8 includes a travel information storage unit 20 for storing travel information received through the memory card 6, and an electronic map for storing an electronic map. Storage unit 21
A processed travel information storage unit 22 that stores the processed travel information, a travel information acquisition unit 23 that obtains the travel information from the travel information storage unit 20, and a position information of the probe car 2 in the travel information. A passing point judging unit 24 for judging whether the probe car 2 has passed two or more predetermined points on the electronic map based on the time-series change, and judging that the probe car 2 has passed A point-to-point transit time calculating unit 25 that calculates a transit time required for the probe car 2 to pass between the two points based on the position information, between two predetermined points among the points to be executed; Based on the passing time calculated between the two points, the passing speed between the points is calculated, and the calculation result is associated with each point on the electronic map. And a passing speed calculation and tabulation unit 26 for outputting the serial processed travel information storage unit 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the travel information acquisition unit 23 obtains the position 28 of the probe car 2 for each second, the time 29 at that position, and the travel information stored in the travel information storage unit 20. The information of the speed 30 at the position, the traveling direction 31 at the position, the vehicle type 32, and the event 33 at the position are acquired. Here, the event 33 is “real vehicle vacant information” for a taxi or the like, “baggage loading information” for a commercial vehicle, and the like. Such events can be detected by various sensors provided in the probe car 2. The events detected in this manner are preferably stored as the travel information together with a code specifying each event.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the passing point judging section 24 obtains the acquired position information 28 of the probe car.
Medium, a temporary route creation unit 3 that creates a temporary route by connecting the positions where the traveling directions of the probe car 2 have changed with the shortest distance.
5, a passing candidate point extracting unit 36 for extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the tentative route among the points set in advance on the electronic map, and the probe car 2 based on the extracted points. A passing route estimating unit 37 for estimating the passing route, and an error signal outputting unit for comparing the tentative route and the estimated passing route, and outputting an error signal when a distance between the tentative route and the estimated passing route is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 38, when the error signal is output, the passing route is divided at a point where the distance between the temporary route and the estimated passing route is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the extracted points are set for each of the divided routes. And a pass route re-estimating unit 39 for re-estimating the pass route of the probe car based on Passing point and outputs the output section 40
And

The passing point judging section 24 has a function of efficiently specifying points on the electronic map that the probe car 2 has passed. Less than,
The function of each of the above components is described in the flowchart of FIG.
This will be described with reference to the electronic map of FIG. 8 and the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 9 and 10. Note that reference numerals S1 to S9 in FIG. 5 are reference numerals for referring to steps, and correspond to step numbers in the following description.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the temporary route creating section 35 designates a start point S and an end point E of a portion to be processed in the passing route of the probe car 2 (step S1 in FIG. 5). Next, the temporary route creation unit 35 recognizes the position where the direction has changed using the direction information 31 in the travel information as shown in FIG. 7, and connects the positions with a straight line (step S2). . The temporary route 41 is formed by this straight line.

Next, the passing candidate point extracting unit 36
Extracts all points within a width of 30 m from the center of the temporary route 41 (step S3). This point is set in advance in the electronic map as coordinates as indicated by P1 to P8 in the schematic diagram of FIG. 10, and is located on the road 42 that affects travel time, for example, an intersection, It is set at the entrance of a highway, a sharp curve, etc. As shown in FIG. 10, the provisional route 41
Depending on the error of S, it is not always on the road 42 on the electronic map. For this reason, taking into account the above error, all points within about 30 m (chain line in the figure) are extracted. In this example, P1, P2, P3, and P4 are extracted. FIG. 8 shows this state on an electronic map.

Depending on the accuracy of the GPS, a sufficient number of points may not be extracted at a radius of 30 m. Therefore, the passing candidate point extracting unit 36
Has an extraction point presence / absence determination unit 44 and a passing candidate point re-extraction unit 45, as shown in FIG.
The extraction point presence / absence determination unit 44 determines two positions (K1 and K1 shown in FIG.
It is determined whether at least one or more points P have been extracted between K2) (Step S4 in FIG. 5). Then, the passage candidate point re-extraction section 45
If it is determined that at least one or more points are not extracted, the two positions (for example, K1 and K2)
Only for the interim temporary route, the predetermined distance 30m is increased by 10m to 40m and the passing candidate point is extracted (step S5).

When a sufficient number of passing candidate points have been extracted by the above steps, the passing route estimating section 37
Are all the passing candidate points P1, P2, P3, P
4 is searched for the shortest route, and an optimal route matching the road on the electronic data is calculated (step S
6). As a result, the route P1-P2 shown by the real gland in FIG.
-P3-P4 is determined as the optimum route 46. Also,
FIG. 9 shows the optimal route 46 on the electronic map.

However, in the case where the density of points set in advance on a map is high, such as in an urban area, or in a large city, such as Tokyo, where a taxi or the like has a complicated running pattern, such estimation is performed. Optimal route is the original GP
It is also conceivable that the detection data greatly deviates from the detection data in S. Then, the error signal output unit 38 compares the optimum route 46 thus obtained with the tentative route 41 and determines whether there is a location where the difference between them is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S).
7). In this case, the passing route re-estimating unit 39 divides the temporary route at a location where the difference is equal to or more than a predetermined value (Step S8), and repeats Step S4 for each temporary route.
To S7. Then, if the error between the estimated passing route and the temporary route falls within a predetermined value, the passing point output unit 40 outputs all points (P1, P2, P3, P4) on the estimated passing route. ) Is determined as a passing point and output (step S9).

After the passing points have been determined in this way, the passing time between points calculation unit 25 (FIG. 2) then determines the passing time between the passing points based on the passing points output above. Output time. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, the required passage time between points is calculated every P1 and P2 and between P2 and P3.

On the other hand, the required transit time obtained in this way includes the staying time caused by the traffic event, but includes the time spent due to the staying factor that cannot be handled uniformly by all vehicles, for example, And waiting for customers in taxis, staying in passengers getting on and off, etc. are included. When calculating a travel time or the like to be described later, the stay time due to such a predetermined stay factor should be removed. Therefore, the point-to-point transit time calculation unit 25, as shown in FIG.
A stay determination unit 47 that determines a stay position and a stay factor of the probe car 2 based on the travel time between the points.
And a stay time removing unit 48 that removes the stay time when the stay factor is other than traffic jam from the passing time between the points.

The stagnation judging section 47 determines the speed of the vehicle, the duration of the speed, the moving distance in a predetermined time,
Or, based on the required time per travel distance, in the travel information, a stay position output unit 49 that outputs the position where the vehicle is staying, and based on the staying position and the time at that position, A staying time calculating unit 50 for calculating the staying time, a staying factor determining unit 51 for determining a staying factor based on the length of the staying time, and a staying position for outputting the staying factor in association with the staying position・
A retention factor output unit 52.

Hereinafter, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The procedure of this stay determination (steps S10 to S12) will be described.

First, the staying position output unit 49 and the staying time calculating unit 50 determine the continuous stop time at each position, that is, the continuous speed of 0 km / h, based on the position information for each second stored in the memory card 6. The time is calculated, and the position and the continuous stop time are specified (step S10). Then
The staying factor determining unit 51 determines the staying factor at each position based on the type of the probe car 2, the continuous stop time, and the event data received from the probe car 2 (step S <b> 11). In the vehicle type information, for example,
General vehicles, taxis / hire, and commercial vehicles (such as trucks) are described. When the probe car 2 is a taxi or a hire, the event data includes actual vehicle vacancy detection information. In this case, if the vehicle type is a taxi and the actual vehicle vacancy detection information fluctuates during a stop,
It can be determined that the passenger has got on and off. If the vehicle has been stopped for a long time in an empty state, it can be determined that it is a customer waiting or a break.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show the staying factor determination tables 54 for ordinary vehicles and taxis. In the case of a general vehicle, as shown in FIG.
The traffic light / traffic jam or break is determined according to the stop time. On the other hand, in the case of a taxi, as shown in FIG.
According to the stop time and the actual vehicle empty information (displayed as "real / empty"), the respective factors of stay such as signal / traffic jam, drop-in, waiting for customers, getting on / off passengers, and breaks are determined.

Such a staying factor is later associated with the staying position and time and the processed travel information storage 22
It is stored in.

Next, the staying time removing section 48 removes the staying time from the passing time when the staying factor is other than signal waiting and traffic jam (step S12). In the case of a taxi, even if it is determined that the stop time is less than 2 minutes, usually a signal waiting or traffic jam is determined, it is determined as a passenger getting on and off time based on the occurrence of the event that the actual vehicle becomes empty. When the travel time, the time is removed from the travel time.

After the predetermined staying factor has been removed from the travel time in this way, the passing speed between the two predetermined points is calculated by the passing speed calculating / aggregating unit 26. For this reason, the passing speed calculation / aggregation unit 26
As shown in FIG. 15, a passing speed calculating unit 55 that calculates a passing speed between the points based on a required time between the points of the probe car 2 (calculates the passing speed between the points as constant in the section), An average passing speed calculating unit 56 that calculates an average of passing speeds of all the probe cars 2 that have passed through, a deviation value calculating unit 57 that calculates a deviation value of the travel time of the probe car 2 from the average time, and the calculation result And an output unit 58 that outputs the measured values in association with the measured points, time, and the like.

The passing speed calculating section 55 obtains the passing speed by dividing the distance between the points obtained from the electronic map by the travel time between the points. That is, the passing speed is a running average speed between the points by the probe car 2.
Next, the average passing speed calculation unit 56 calculates the average passing speed of all the probe cars 2 by integrating the passing speeds of all the probe cars 2 passing between the points and dividing the total by the total number. This average speed is the average speed obtained for all the probe cars 2 in all the time zones. The deviation value calculator 57 compares the average speed with the passing speed of the probe car 2 and obtains a deviation value of the passing speed of the probe car 2 from the average speed. This deviation value is later applied to the average speed when determining the passing speed under a specific time zone and specific external conditions.

The output unit 58 stores the information obtained in the above steps in the processed travel information storage unit 22. The information output by the output unit 58 is as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this output information will be described.

First, the vehicle identification of item 1 is a character string for identifying the probe car. For example 1: General vehicle,
2: Taxi, 3: Carriage, etc., are stored together with the vehicle number of the probe car 2. Next, item 2
The point numbers of ~ 5 are two point numbers that define between the points, and the smaller number is the node 1,
The larger one is stored as node 2. The mesh number is a number of a section (mesh) on the electronic map to which the node belongs.

As the direction code of item 6, a code indicating the traveling direction of the probe car is stored. For example, 1: a direction from node 1 to node 2 and 2: a direction from node 2 to node 1 are defined. Also,
Item 7 is the road type of the point obtained from the information stored in the electronic map (DRM). For example, each code is stored as 1: highway, 2: urban expressway, 3: national highway, 4: major local road, 5: general prefectural road, 6: other roads, and 0: unexamined. The distance between points (node 1 and node 2) acquired from the electronic map is stored in the point-to-point length of item 8.

On the other hand, the passing speed between points in item 9 includes:
The passing speed of the probe car calculated by the passing speed calculating unit 55 is stored. Items 10 to 13 store the actual traveling date and time of the probe car. Each entry and exit time is a time that matches the point (node). Item 14 stores the average passing speed calculated by the average passing speed calculating section 56, and Item 15 stores the deviation value calculated by the deviation value calculating section 57.

Item 16 includes external information 12 (congestion information 10, weather information 1) when the probe car traveled.
1 etc., see FIG. 1).

The processed travel information output in this manner is information on travel time and passing speed in a predetermined time period associated with two or more points set in advance on the electronic map. Therefore, by using the processed travel information, for example, FIGS.
Can be easily obtained.

Hereinafter, the results of the aggregation will be briefly described.

First, FIGS. 17 and 18 show examples of the results obtained by summing up the travel speeds of a specific section along Meguro Street. FIG. 17 shows the down direction and FIG. 18 shows the up direction. FIG. 17 (a), FIG.
8A shows a change in average travel speed between links such as an intersection and a curve, and FIGS. 17B and 18B show a distance ratio configuration for each speed rank.

According to the result of the aggregation, the descent area (FIG. 17) of this section partially stays at a specific point (link) (such as waiting for a signal), but flows smoothly as a whole. You can see that there is. On the other hand, in the upward direction (FIG. 18), the ratio of the staying distance occupies a large proportion, and it can be seen that the entire section is intermittently staying (traffic jam).

Next, FIGS. 19 and 20 show the difference in the average travel speed in the same mesh under different conditions. 19 (a) is by day of the week, FIG. 19 (b) is by traffic volume,
20A shows the average travel speed for each month, and FIG. 20B shows the average travel speed for each road type. For example, from the tabulated result of the average travel speed for each day of the week in FIG. 19A, it can be seen that in this section, the change in the traffic flow for each day of the week is large, and the difference between the weekday and the weekend is particularly large. On the other hand, looking at the tabulation results in FIG. 20A, it can be seen that there is almost no change in traffic flow in this section on a monthly basis.

[0086] These total results are different from mere traffic congestion information and navigation information, and can be provided as very useful travel information that matches the travel conditions specified by the user described later. By accumulating such information, it is possible to use the information in formulating road construction / expansion plans.

(Travel Time Guidance System) Next, a travel time guidance system 15 for providing travel time guidance using the processed travel information will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, this system 15
A travel route start point / end point receiving unit 61 for receiving a start point and an end point of a desired travel route from the guide user 16 (FIG. 1) through, for example, the Internet, an environment / condition receiving unit 62 for receiving an environment / condition when a travel is desired, The travel route from the start point to the end point is calculated based on the start point and the end point of the travel route, and a travel route passing point extraction unit 63 that extracts points on the map through which the travel route passes, and counts between each passing point. A passing speed acquiring unit 64 that acquires the obtained passing speed, and corrects the average passing speed between each point by applying a parameter corresponding to the received environment and condition to calculate a corrected passing speed between each point. Travel time calculation for calculating the total travel time of the travel route based on the travel speed between all points constituting the travel route and the travel speed correction unit 65 66, consists of passing time updating unit 67 for updating the transit time between points in a predetermined cycle.

Hereinafter, the configuration and function of each component of the travel guide system will be described together with its operation with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the travel route start point / end point receiving section 61
The environment / condition receiving unit 62 provides, for example, a guide user who has accessed through the Internet network, an interface for providing travel time guidance, and allows the user to input the start point and end point of the travel route and the environment / condition when the user desires to travel. (Step S13). The start point and the end point of the travel route may be displayed on the interface and selected from the map, or the address may be directly input. The environment / condition at the time of desire to travel includes, for example, a travel desired date, setting of weather (rain, snow, cloudy, fine), and the like.
Then, when the user inputs the information and presses, for example, a transmission button, the information is transmitted to the travel time guidance system (step S14).

Next, the travel route passing point extraction unit 63
Calculates an optimal route on the electronic map based on the start point and the end point. The calculation of the optimum route is performed by a generally known method. Next, a plurality of points through which the optimal route passes are extracted from the electronic map (step S15). This point is shown in FIG.
As shown and described in 1 to P8, the coordinates are set in advance in the electronic map, and the coordinates on the road 42 which affect the travel time, such as intersections, entrances and exits of expressways, sharp curves, etc. It is set.

Next, the passing speed acquisition section 64 uses the combination of all two adjacent points (node 1 and node 2) of the plurality of points and the passing direction to store the processed travel information in the processed travel information storage section 22. Information (see FIG. 16) is searched, and the processed travel information that matches the two points and the passing direction and that is closest to the setting condition is extracted (step S16).

Next, the passing speed correcting section 65 obtains and applies a predetermined deviation value corresponding to the date and time and the environment / condition to the average passing speed between the points to apply the corrected passing speed between the points. The speed is calculated (step S17). The predetermined parameter according to the environment / condition is a parameter predetermined according to the weather, the day of the week, and the like, for example,
This is applied by multiplying the passing speed.

The travel time calculating section 66 divides the distance between the points by the passing speed calculated by the passing speed correcting section 65 to obtain the travel time between the points, thereby obtaining the optimal route. The travel time for all routes is calculated by adding the above values for all sections constituting (step S18). The travel time calculation unit 6
6 instructs the point extraction unit 63 to search for another route when it is determined that the route is heavily congested and takes a predetermined time or more compared to the required time calculated at a normal average speed. Is issued. In addition to the above method, the average passing speed on all routes may be calculated based on the passing speed between points, and the travel time required for all routes may be calculated based on the average passing speed.

The calculation section 66 provides the guide user with an interface for displaying the travel time together with the map or explanation of the optimal route (step S19).

According to such a guide system, travel time guidance is performed by using information actually collected, such as the average speed between each passing point and the passing time, so that an accurate travel time is provided. it can.

Further, the information may be provided to a traveling probe car or a general vehicle and presented through the route guidance of the car navigation.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified without changing the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the average passing speed between two points is obtained and output in order to calculate the travel time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the travel time can be calculated only by summing up the passing time between two points, it is not necessary to calculate the passing speed.

The type of the probe car is not limited to the one described in the above embodiment. Further, the means for collecting traffic information is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the data is acquired via the memory card. However, the data may be acquired wirelessly.

In the above-described embodiment, the "event" of the probe car is stored in the memory card, and this event is used to determine whether the vehicle is an actual or empty vehicle in a taxi. Need not be output or used. For example, in the case of a taxi, the above event may be able to be determined from the work data of the vehicle, and in this case, this data may be used.

In the embodiment, when the candidate passage points are extracted based on the temporary route, three or
Although all routes within 0 m are extracted, the present invention is not limited to this. The distance from the temporary route can be appropriately changed according to the condition of the road.
For example, the distance may be set to 20 m in an urban area, 40 m in a suburb, and the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the stop time is set to be within 2 minutes as a criterion for determining whether the vehicle is in a signal waiting / traffic congestion state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. According to the applicant's preliminary research and analysis, "2 minutes"
It has been found that the above-mentioned criterion allows the most appropriate separation of the above events from other events. However, this may also change in the future depending on the road environment and the like.

The information used as a parameter in the travel time guide system is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, various other data may be used as parameters.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention, a traffic information processing system capable of quickly processing traffic information obtained from a vehicle with a small amount of computer resources and outputting the traffic information in a form that can be easily used later. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a traffic information processing center.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining types of information acquired by a travel information acquisition unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining processing of a passing point determination unit.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a point-to-point transit time calculation unit.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing of a point-to-point passing time calculation unit.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a table for determining a stay determination factor.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a passing speed calculation / aggregation unit.

FIG. 16 is a format diagram showing an output data format.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of processing.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the processing of the travel time guidance system.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of data used in the travel time guidance system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Traffic information processing center 2 ... Probe car 3 ... Car navigation system 4 ... GPS antenna 5 ... Vehicle speed pulse detector 6 ... Memory card 8 ... Traffic information processing system 10 ... Congestion information 11 ... Weather information 12 ... External information 13 ... Processing Travel information 15 ... Travel time guidance system 16 ... Guide user 18 ... Information receiving system 20 ... Travel information storage unit 21 ... Electronic map storage unit 22 ... Processed travel information storage unit 23 ... Travel information acquisition unit 24 ... Transit point determination Unit 25: Point-to-point transit time calculation unit 26: Passing speed calculation / aggregation unit 28 ... Position 29 ... Time 30 ... Speed 31 ... Driving direction 32 ... Vehicle type 33 ... Event 35 ... Temporary route creation unit 36 ... Passing candidate point extraction unit 37 ... passing path estimating section 38 ... error signal output section 39 ... passing path re-estimating section 40 ... passing point output section 4 ... Temporary route 42 ... Road 44 ... Existing point presence / absence discriminating unit 45 ... Passing candidate point re-extracting unit 46 ... Optimal route 47 ... Standing judging unit 48 ... Stay time removing unit 49 ... Stuck position output unit 50 ... Stay time calculating unit 51 Staying factor determining unit 52 ... Staying position / staying factor output unit 54 ... Staying factor determination table 55 ... Passing speed calculating unit 56 ... Average passing speed calculating unit 57 ... Deviation value calculating unit 58 ... Output unit 61 ... Travel route start point / end point receiving Unit 62: Environment / condition receiving unit 63: Travel route passing point output unit 64: Passing speed acquisition unit 65: Passing speed correction unit 66: Travel time calculation unit 67: Passing time update unit

Continued on the front page F-term (reference)

Claims (34)

[Claims] A travel information acquiring step of acquiring travel information including a position of the vehicle and a time at the position; and setting the vehicle on map data in advance based on a time-series change of the position information of the vehicle. A passing point determining step of determining whether the vehicle has passed two or more predetermined points, and between two predetermined points among the points determined to have passed by the vehicle, based on the position information of the vehicle, A traffic information processing method, comprising: a point-to-point transit time / average transit speed calculating step of calculating a transit time or an average transit speed required for a vehicle to pass between each two points. 2. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of transit times or average transit speeds calculated for the same two points are totaled, and the totaled result is associated with each point on the map data. Traffic information processing method, further comprising a transit time / average transit speed summarizing / calculating step of outputting and outputting. 3. The traffic information processing method according to claim 2, wherein the transit time / average transit speed summation / calculation step is to aggregate the transit time or the average transit speed for a plurality of vehicles. Traffic information processing method. 4. The traffic information processing method according to claim 2, wherein the passing time / average passing speed totaling / calculating step calculates a passing time or an average passing speed between the same two points for each predetermined time zone. A traffic information processing method characterized by counting. 5. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined point on the map data includes an intersection. 6. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the passing time between points / average passing speed is performed between all two adjacent points among all the points determined to have passed by the vehicle. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating a passing time or an average passing speed required for the vehicle to pass between each two points. 7. The traffic information processing method according to claim 2, wherein the passing time / average passing speed totaling / calculating step calculates an average of all passing times or average passing speeds calculated for the same two points. Calculating and passing time or average passing speed in a predetermined time zone,
Calculating a deviation value with respect to the average of all the passing times or average passing speeds, and the average value of all the passing times or average passing speeds,
Outputting the deviation value in the predetermined time period in association with each point on the map. 8. The traffic information processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the passing point determining step, the position at which the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed is connected by a shortest distance in the position information of the vehicle acquired in the step. Creating a provisional route, extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the provisional route among the points set in advance on the map data, and passing the vehicle based on the extracted points. A traffic information processing method for a vehicle, comprising: estimating a route; and determining a point on the estimated passing route as a point passed by the vehicle. 9. The traffic information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the passing point determining step further compares the temporary route with the estimated passing route, and a distance between the tentative route and the estimated passing route is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A traffic information processing method, comprising the step of outputting an error signal when a traffic error occurs. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the passing point determining step further comprises: when the error signal is output, a distance between the temporary route and the estimated passing route is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A traffic information processing method, further comprising the steps of: dividing a passing route at the divided points; and estimating a passing route of the vehicle again based on the extracted points for each of the divided routes. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the tentative route includes: at least one or more for each tentative route connecting the two positions whose running directions have changed. Determining whether the point has been extracted, and, if at least one point is not extracted, increasing the predetermined distance for the temporary route between the two positions and extracting the point. A traffic information processing method, comprising: 12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining a stay position and a stay factor of the vehicle based on travel information of the vehicle, and calculating the passing time between points / average passing speed. The traffic information processing method is characterized in that the step calculates the passing time so as to remove the staying time from the passing time when the staying factor is other than traffic jam. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of determining the position and factor of staying of the vehicle includes: a speed of the vehicle and a duration of the speed; a moving distance in a predetermined time; or a time required per moving distance. Based on the travel information, outputting a position where the vehicle is staying; calculating the staying time based on the staying position and the time at the position; and A traffic information processing method, comprising: determining a staying factor based on a length of the vehicle; and outputting the staying factor in association with the staying position. 14. The traffic information processing method according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining the staying position and the staying factor of the vehicle includes determining the staying factor based on the staying time of the vehicle and the type of the vehicle. A traffic information processing method, characterized in that: 15. The traffic information processing method according to claim 13, wherein the staying factor includes at least traffic jam, stop, or parking. 16. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: receiving a start point and an end point of the travel route; receiving environment and conditions during travel; and from the start point based on the start point and the end point of the travel route. Calculating the travel route to the end point and extracting points on the map through which the travel route passes; obtaining the total passing time or average passing speed between each passing point; Correcting the average travel time by applying a parameter corresponding to the received environment / condition, and calculating a corrected transit time or an average transit speed between each point; and a correction between all points constituting the travel route. Outputting a transit time or an average transit speed. 17. The traffic information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of updating the passing time or the average passing speed at a predetermined cycle. 18. A travel information acquiring means for acquiring travel information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position, and the vehicle is preset on map data based on a time-series change of the position information of the vehicle. Passing point determining means for determining whether the vehicle has passed two or more predetermined points, and between two predetermined points among the points determined to have passed by the vehicle, based on the position information of the vehicle, A traffic information processing system comprising: point-to-point transit time / average transit speed calculating means for calculating a transit time or an average transit speed required for a vehicle to pass between two points. 19. The traffic information processing system according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of transit times or average transit speeds calculated between two points are totaled, and the totaled result is output in association with each point on the map data. A traffic information processing system, further comprising a tallying means for performing the counting. 20. The traffic information processing system according to claim 19, wherein said counting means counts said passing time or average passing speed for a plurality of vehicles. 21. The traffic information processing system according to claim 19, wherein said counting means counts a passing time or an average passing speed between said points for each predetermined time zone. . 22. The traffic information processing system according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined point on the map data includes an intersection. 23. The traffic information processing system according to claim 18, wherein the tallying unit calculates, for all the two points adjacent to each other, all of the points determined to have passed by the vehicle.
A system for calculating a passing time or an average passing speed required for the vehicle to pass between each two points. 24. The traffic information processing system according to claim 19, wherein the tallying unit includes an average transit time / passing speed calculating unit that calculates an average of all passing times or average passing speeds calculated for the two points. A deviation value calculating means for calculating a deviation value of the passing time or the average passing speed in the predetermined time zone with respect to the average of all the passing times or the average passing speeds; an average value of all the passing times; and the predetermined time Output means for outputting a deviation value in a band in association with each point on the map. 25. The traffic information processing system according to claim 18, wherein the passing point judging unit connects a position at which the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed in the position information of the vehicle acquired by the unit with a shortest distance. A provisional route creation means for creating a provisional route by: a candidate passage point extraction means for extracting the points within a predetermined distance from the provisional route among points preset on the map data; and the extracted points. A vehicle comprising: a passage route estimating unit that estimates a passage route of the vehicle based on the vehicle; and a passing point extraction unit that determines a point on the estimated passage route as a point at which the vehicle has passed. Traffic information system. 26. The traffic information processing system according to claim 25, wherein the passing point determination unit further compares the provisional route with the estimated passing route, and a distance therebetween is equal to or more than a predetermined value. An error signal output means for outputting an error signal when the error occurs. 27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the passing point determination unit determines, when the error signal is output, a point where a distance between the provisional route and the estimated passing route becomes a predetermined value or more. And a pass route re-estimating means for re-estimating the pass route of the vehicle based on the extracted points for each of the divided routes. 28. The system according to claim 25, wherein the passing candidate point extracting means determines whether at least one or more of the points has been extracted for each temporary route connecting the two positions where the traveling directions have changed. An extraction point presence / absence determination means for determining, and a passage candidate point re-extraction means for extracting the points by increasing the predetermined distance for a temporary route between the two positions when at least one point is not extracted. A system characterized in that: 29. The system according to claim 28, further comprising a stay determination unit that determines a stay position and a stay factor of the vehicle based on the travel information of the vehicle, wherein the passing time between points / average passing is provided. The speed calculation means calculates the passing time so that the staying time when the staying factor is other than the traffic jam is removed from the passing time. 30. The travel information according to claim 29, wherein the stay determination means is configured to determine the speed of the vehicle and the duration of the speed, the travel distance in a predetermined time, or the required time per travel distance. Staying position output means for outputting the position where the vehicle is staying, staying time calculating means for calculating the staying time based on the staying position and the time at the position, and a length of the staying time. Traffic information processing system, comprising: a staying factor determining unit that determines a staying factor based on the staying factor; and a staying position and staying factor output unit that associates the staying factor with the staying position. . 31. The traffic information processing system according to claim 30, wherein the staying factor determining means determines the staying factor based on a staying time of the vehicle and a type of the vehicle. system. 32. The traffic information processing system according to claim 30, wherein the staying factor includes at least traffic jam, stop, or parking. 33. The system according to claim 19, wherein: a travel route start point / end point receiving means for receiving a start point and an end point of the travel route; an environment / condition receiving means for receiving an environment / condition when a travel is desired; A travel route passing point extracting means for calculating a travel route from the start point to the end point based on a start point and an end point, and extracting points on a map through which the travel route passes; Transit time acquiring means for acquiring time, and corrected transit time calculating means for compensating the average travel time between each point by applying parameters according to the received environment and conditions, and calculating a corrected transit time between each point A travel time calculating means for calculating a travel time of the travel route by outputting a corrected transit time between all points constituting the travel route; and A system comprising: 34. The system according to claim 33, wherein
A system further comprising a transit time updating means for updating the transit time at a predetermined cycle.