JP2007327975A - Route guiding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a route guiding device for predicting and providing traffic information on a route following a traveling route or a planned traveling route of each user. <P>SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a means for outputting a recommended departure time from a starting place to which a traffic state of the route changing with a time zone is added, in response to input of an arrival time to a destination; and a means for outputting a plurality of recommended departure times from the starting place or a plurality of estimated arrival times to the destination to which the traffic state of the route changing with the time zone is added, in response to input of a time zone when starting from the starting place or a time zone when reaching the destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a route traffic information service and a terminal device, and more particularly to a route traffic information service and a terminal device that provide predicted traffic information on a route.

  As a terminal device for realizing the route traffic information service, a vehicle-mounted terminal (car navigation device) is a typical terminal device. A conventional in-vehicle terminal is provided with route search and route guidance means to a destination, and also receives traffic information sent from the outside of the vehicle and displays it on a screen display device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-230837. It has a function to do.

  In addition, a service for predicting and providing future traffic information is also known. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-69673, a highly accurate route plan and required time prediction are made by using a travel record of a car actually passed. An apparatus and system are presented.

JP 2000-230837 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-69673

  The above prior art only displays the received traffic information, presents the estimated arrival time and recommended route, and changes the service contents according to the individual travel route or planned travel route of the traffic information service user. Not considered. In order for the user to know the required time to the destination and the traffic jam situation, the user himself had to make a prediction based on the traffic information provided.

  In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a recommended departure time providing service corresponding to a change in traffic conditions on a road that has not been realized by a conventional service, and according to a user's individual travel route or planned travel route. Thus, it is to provide a route traffic information service for predicting and providing traffic information on a route, and a terminal device thereof.

  The route guidance device of the present invention comprises means for outputting a recommended departure time of a departure place taking into account the traffic situation of the route that changes depending on the time zone in response to the arrival time input of the destination, and a time zone for leaving the departure place Or a means for outputting a plurality of recommended departure times or estimated arrival times of destinations taking into account the traffic conditions of routes that change according to the time zone, in response to the input of the time zone of arrival at the destination. To do.

  Furthermore, the route guidance device of the present invention displays a recommended departure time at the departure point when traveling along the candidate route together with a candidate route from the departure point to the destination, and a plurality of recommended departure times and predicted arrival times at the destination. When the combination of the recommended departure time and the predicted arrival time is selected, at least one of a candidate route from the departure point to the destination and a traffic jam section on the route is displayed. And

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the route traffic information service which predicts and provides the traffic information on a path | route according to a user's each driving | running route or a driving | running | working driving | running route, and its terminal device. A recommended departure time that takes into account traffic jams is provided along with the recommended routes for each arrival time zone. According to the present invention, the traveler can determine the departure time before the trip in advance. In addition, since the departure time can be selected from a plurality of departure / arrival time candidates, the traveler can make a travel plan that avoids traffic jams.

  The route traffic information service and the terminal device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The route traffic information service is realized by cooperation between a service request from a terminal device on the user side and a center system that performs processing based on the service request. First, the configuration of the terminal device and the center system will be described as a system configuration. Next, route traffic information services will be specifically listed, and the implementation method will be described using the terminal device screen configuration and the processing flow in the center system.

[System configuration]
An embodiment of the terminal device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 shows a mobile terminal that is used on the premise of movement among terminal devices that realize the route traffic information service, and particularly shows a configuration of an in-vehicle terminal. The in-vehicle terminal 8 includes a main body 84, a screen display device 81, a microphone 82, a speaker 83, a current position detection unit 85, and a bidirectional communication unit 86. The main body 84 includes a processor, a memory, and a storage device, and performs necessary processes in the in-vehicle terminal. Specific processing will be described later in relation to specific service items. The screen display device 81 displays a map, traffic information, route guidance, an input menu, and the like. The in-vehicle terminal 8 is provided with a remote controller or an operation controller and performs input on the screen with respect to user operations such as menu input and point designation on a map. Further, the screen display device 81 itself is a touch panel type display device, and an interface for performing input by touching a designated location can be used as an example. The microphone 82 detects a user's voice input, and the speaker 83 is a means for outputting a voice to the user, and is necessary when realizing a voice input / output interface. The current position detecting means 85 is a means for specifying the current position of the in-vehicle terminal 8 and uses GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like. The bidirectional communication means 86 is means for performing bidirectional data communication with the center system via the network 87.

  When the in-vehicle terminal 8 realizes voice input / output, voice recognition / synthesis means is required on the main body 84 or the center system side. In this system configuration, the center system side has voice recognition / synthesis means. . At that time, when the main body 84 converts sound into data, the bidirectional communication means 86 only needs to have a data communication function. When the voice is sent to the network 87 as it is, the bidirectional communication means 86 is a means for simultaneously realizing voice and data communication. As a specific example of the bidirectional communication means 86, a mobile phone (especially a third-generation mobile phone can simultaneously transmit and receive voice and data communication) can be considered, but a communication terminal of a satellite communication system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). As an example of the in-vehicle terminal 8 of the present embodiment, a form such as a communication type car navigation device, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a mobile phone with a position detection function (of a kind that can be connected to a screen display and a network) can be considered.

  FIG. 9 is an example of a fixed terminal device that does not assume movement among terminal devices that realize the route traffic information service. The fixed terminal device 9 includes a main body 94, a screen display device 91, a departure point input unit 95, and a bidirectional communication unit 96. The main body 94 and the screen display device 91 perform the same processing as the in-vehicle terminal 8 in FIG. As an input interface for item selection, position specification, character entry, etc. shown on the screen display device 91, the fixed terminal device 9 is provided with input means such as a mouse or a keyboard. The departure place input means 95 is a means for inputting the departure place from the screen of the screen display device 91, and a method of displaying a map on the screen and pointing the departure place, or a method of specifying the departure place from the place name input. Etc. The bidirectional communication means 96 is means for performing bidirectional data communication with the center system via the network 87, and varies depending on the connection method to the network. Specifically, a modem, dial-up router, LAN connection, etc. Is available. Examples of the realization of the fixed terminal device 9 include a personal computer, a dedicated terminal, or a mobile phone having no position detection function (a screen display or a network connection type).

  FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a center system that realizes a route traffic information service. The center system 10 includes a router connected to the network 87, a route search server 1001, a traffic information server 1002, a speech recognition / synthesis server 1003, a router, and a LAN 1004 that connects the servers to the network. The route search server 1001 includes a map database and realizes route search processing for searching for a route mainly from a departure place and a destination. The traffic information server 1002 includes a traffic information database, and implements a traffic information extraction process that mainly outputs a required time on a given route, a traffic jam section, or a predicted travel time, a predicted arrival time, and a predicted traffic jam section. The speech recognition / synthesis server 1003 mainly implements speech recognition processing for converting the content into data and speech synthesis processing for synthesizing the data into speech converted into speech or data, with speech converted into speech or data as input. To do. Detailed processing contents of the route search server 1001, the traffic information server 1002, and the speech recognition / synthesis server 1003 will be described later in relation to specific service items. The system configuration shown in the center system 10 is one embodiment, and if the functions of each server can be realized as a whole center system, it can be realized on, for example, one server or an external network beyond a router. It is. In other words, the center system only needs to be able to realize the above-described processes even if it is physically distributed and consolidated.

  The feature of the system configuration shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 is that the center system 10 has processing of route search, traffic information extraction, and voice recognition / synthesis, and the user is the same even in different terminal devices. It is possible to enjoy the service. For example, it is possible to determine a scheduled travel route with a home personal computer (fixed terminal device 9) and receive traffic information on the route with the in-vehicle terminal 8.

[Entrance to route traffic information service]
In the following, a service use embodiment will be described. In the following embodiments, as a terminal device, the in-vehicle terminal shown in FIG. 8 will be described as an example. A supplementary description will be given of the case where the display and input modes are different between the in-vehicle terminal and the fixed terminal device of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a service use initial screen of the route traffic information service. The screen display device of the in-vehicle terminal takes the state of the map display screen 1 before using the route traffic information service. The map display screen 1 is a screen in which the current position of a vehicle (strictly speaking, an in-vehicle terminal) is displayed on a map, where 100 is a menu bar, 101 is an expressway, 102 is a general road, and 103 is the current position of the vehicle. It is assumed that the longitudinal apex of the triangle of the vehicle current position 103 represents the progress of the vehicle. In the menu bar 100, there is a traffic information menu 11 representing a route traffic information service. The menu 11 is selected and executed (as a selection and execution method, a method of pressing the menu 11 with a finger, or a remote control or a vehicle-mounted terminal) When there is an operation controller, there is a method of moving and determining the selection cursor), and selection buttons 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 appear. When the button is selected and executed, processing corresponding to the item is started. The button 12 is a route prediction traffic information overview service, the button 13 is an arbitrary time passage point prediction service, the button 14 is an arbitrary point passage time prediction service, and the button 15 is traffic jam. The transit time prediction service button 16 corresponds to the route monitoring setting. Further, the button 17 corresponds to a recommended departure time providing service, and the button 18 corresponds to a recommended departure time / estimated arrival time providing service corresponding to a plurality of time zones. When voice input is used, the processing of each service is started by uttering a voice corresponding to each service item in the state of the map display screen 1. An example of voice utterance will be described later in the explanation of each service. When the fixed terminal device 9 is used, it is assumed that the current position 103 in FIG. 1 is not displayed, and there is a cursor display that allows the departure point input to be pointed on the map instead.

  Below, the Example of each service item of route traffic information service is described.

[Route prediction traffic information overview service]
FIG. 2 is a screen display example of an overview of route predicted traffic information in the in-vehicle terminal. The screen display mainly transitions from screen display 20 → screen display 21 → screen display 22 → screen display 23. The screen display 20 is a destination input screen, 201 represents the current position of the vehicle, and 202 represents a destination selection cursor. The vehicle current position 201 is displayed based on the latitude, longitude, and direction information acquired by the current position detection means of the in-vehicle terminal. The destination selection cursor 202 moves on the map screen by the user's operation (remote control or operation controller) and determines the destination. As a method for determining the destination, it is possible to select a place name and a facility name from a menu in addition to the selection method from the map screen. When the destination is determined and the destination input is completed, the screen transitions to the screen display 21 and displays that the route is being searched.

  Also, when using voice input, the voice recognition means interprets that there was a route output request to the destination and destination by speaking through the microphone like “Route to Hitachi (name of place)” . The voice recognition means notifies the in-vehicle terminal that the destination input has been accepted, and the screen of the in-vehicle terminal transitions to the screen display 21. When inputting a destination with a fixed terminal device, it is assumed that the departure point is simultaneously input by the departure point input means.

  After the end of the route search, the screen display changes to the route determination screen display 22. In the screen display 22, 221 and 222 are candidate routes 1 and 2, respectively, and 223 and 224 are predetermined times (time determined based on the current time on the service side in advance. The distance from the predicted passing point and the starting point at a time of mainly 30 minutes), 225 indicates the starting point, 226 indicates the destination, and 229 indicates the predicted traffic jam on the route. The predicted traffic jam 229 represents a traffic jam predicted to occur in the direction from the departure point to the destination when it is assumed that the vehicle travels on the route 1. Since the direction of traffic jam is limited, unlike the conventional display method of displaying up and down on the left and right of the road, it is wider than the display width on the road and can be displayed in a user-friendly manner.

  When using audio output, the in-vehicle terminal utters an overview of predicted traffic conditions up to the route via a speaker. For example, “If you travel on Route 1, you will pass Owada (place name) at 12:30 from your current location at 11:30 and will arrive at the destination Hitachi at about 12:43. On the way from“ Ishinozaka ”(place name) “Mikahara” (name of place) is predicted to be congested. When traveling on route 2, the predicted passing point, predicted arrival time, and predicted congested section at a predetermined time are output as voice.

  In addition to the map display, it is also possible to display the predicted traffic condition summary of the route in a simple graphic display in the format shown in FIG. An arrow 304 represents a route from the departure point to the destination, and the passing point is represented as a point 307, and the distance is displayed in proportion to the actual distance. In addition, the place name is displayed as 306, the predicted passage time 305, and the predicted congestion section is displayed as 303. Tab displays 301 and 302 for each route are provided, and information on another route is selected and displayed by selecting a tab.

  When the route is selected and determined, the screen display changes to the screen display 23 of FIG. 2, the selected route 232 is displayed, and route guidance is started. When selecting to display the route predicted traffic information overview again from the button 12 in FIG. 1 during route guidance, it is possible to select whether to search for a new route or to display the traffic information overview of the current route. When the traffic information overview display is selected, the in-vehicle terminal redisplays the predicted arrival time and predicted traffic congestion status of the route as shown in the screen display 22 in FIG. 2 or the screen display 30 in FIG.

  Next, a processing flow for realizing the route traffic information service in the route prediction traffic information overview will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a processing flow for displaying the predicted traffic information overview, and FIG. 14 is a processing flow when the voice input / output is supported. First, the processing flow of FIG. 13 will be described, and then the processing flow of FIG. 14 will be described by adding portions corresponding to voice input / output.

-Route prediction traffic information overview processing flow (Figure 13)
Step 1 (abbreviated as S1 in FIG. 13, hereinafter abbreviated as Sn): The user (indicated as a user in FIG. 13) inputs a destination from the screen (FIG. 2).
S2: The in-vehicle terminal transmits to the center system the current location acquired from the current position detecting means and the destination input by the user.
S3: The route search server executes route search processing from the current location to the destination. If there are multiple candidates, output multiple. As the cost of route search, link travel time based on link distance and regulation speed, link travel time based on traffic information (dynamic route search), and the like are used.
S4: The traffic information server receives a route candidate as input, executes traffic information extraction / creation processing on the route, and outputs a predicted arrival time to the destination, a predicted traffic jam section, and a predicted passing point at a predetermined time. A specific processing method will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a table showing the predicted traveling speed for each distance from the departure point regarding a certain route. As a method for creating the table itself, the speed information for each point obtained from other traffic information organizations is accumulated, and the statistical information is compared with the currently obtained speed information, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-235692. The traveling speed for each future point is predicted using a method as described in the publication, and each point speed 1100 is calculated. Next, according to the calculated speed, a predicted travel locus 1101 is obtained, and a predicted arrival time at the destination is obtained. When the intersection with the predicted traveling locus 1101 at a predetermined time is traced as indicated by an arrow 1102, the distance at the intersection can be calculated by following the arrow 1103, and a passing point at the predetermined time is obtained. Further, when the speed is a predetermined threshold (here, set to 10 km / h) is defined as traffic jam, the area 1104 becomes a traffic jam, and a section where the predicted travel locus 1101 is included in the area 1104 is obtained as a predicted traffic jam section.
S5: The in-vehicle terminal receives the route candidate and the predicted traffic condition overview from the center system and displays them on the screen (FIGS. 2 and 3).
S6: The user selects a travel route and confirms the route (FIG. 2).
S7: The in-vehicle terminal starts route guidance based on the confirmed route (FIG. 2). The confirmed route (if the route search server holds the route at the time of route search, only the route ID can be used) is transmitted to the route search server.
S8: The route search server registers the confirmed route and uses it for other route traffic information services.

  With the above processing flow, a service that provides an overview of route traffic information can be realized.

-Voice input / output compatible route prediction traffic information overview processing flow (Figure 14)
S11: The user speaks the place name and the route output request to the destination. Example: “Route to ○ × △ (location name)”.
S12: The in-vehicle terminal transmits to the center system the current location data acquired from the current position detection means, the destination name, and the voice or voice data of the route output request to the destination.
S13: The speech recognition / synthesis server interprets the utterance content by the speech recognition process, and converts the utterance content into data indicating that it is a destination and a route output request.
S14: The speech recognition / synthesis server invokes route search request processing in accordance with the route output request output by the speech recognition processing. Send current location and destination to route search server.
S15: The route search server searches for a route in the same manner as S3 in FIG.
S16: The traffic information server extracts and creates traffic information as in S4 of FIG.
S17: The speech recognition / synthesis server receives the route candidate and the predicted traffic situation overview from the route search server and the traffic information server, respectively, converts them into speech or speech data by speech synthesis processing, and transmits them to the in-vehicle terminal.
S18: The in-vehicle terminal outputs a predicted passage point, arrival predicted time, and predicted traffic jam section at a predetermined time for each route candidate from the speaker by voice output (the route may be displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 at the same time). . Example: “If you drive on Route 1, you will pass Owada (place name) 12km from your current location at 11:30, and you will arrive at the destination Hitachi at about 12:43. (Place name) is predicted to be congested.
S19: The user selects a route ID and speaks. Example: “Select route 1”
S20: The in-vehicle terminal transmits voice or voice data to the center system.
S21: The voice recognition / synthesis server recognizes the route ID by voice recognition.
S22: The voice recognition / synthesis server transmits the determined route ID to the in-vehicle terminal and the route search server.
S23: The route search server registers the route in the same manner as S8 in FIG.

  With the above processing flow, it is possible to realize a service that provides an overview of route traffic information corresponding to voice input / output.

  As described above, the feature of the present invention is that, as shown in the screen display 22, a candidate route to the destination is displayed or output with a predicted passing point and time along the route, a predicted traffic jam, or voice output. By providing the service, it is possible to support the route selection behavior of the service user, to help avoid traffic jams, and to know the future driving pattern to the destination.

[Any time passing point prediction service]
FIG. 4 is a screen display example of arbitrary time passage point prediction in the in-vehicle terminal. The screen display changes from screen display 40 to screen display 41 to screen display 42. The screen display 40 is a time input screen displayed when an arbitrary time passage prediction service is selected from the menu shown in FIG. In the time input dialog 401 on this screen, the time is determined by rotating the dial of the hour and minute displayed on the screen by the user's operation and changing the time. As a method for determining the time, it is also possible to place a numeric keypad on the remote control or the screen display and select it. When the time input is determined and the time input is completed, the screen transitions to the screen display 41 and displays that the passing point is being predicted.

  Also, when using voice input, the voice recognition means made a request for predicting the time and the passing point at the time by speaking through the microphone such as “Where is the position at 12:15?” I interpret it as a thing. The voice recognition means notifies the in-vehicle terminal that the time input has been accepted, so that the screen of the in-vehicle terminal transitions to the screen display 41. In the fixed type terminal device, it is assumed that the departure point is simultaneously input by the departure point input means.

  After the passing point prediction is completed, the screen display transitions to the passing point screen display 42. In the screen display 42, 402 is the current position of the vehicle, 403 is the planned travel route to the destination already determined by the route search, 421 is the predicted traffic jam, 423 is the predicted passing point, 424 is the time input on the time input screen 40 Represents the distance from the current location of the vehicle. At the predicted passing point on the map corresponding to this input time, an arrival position mark is displayed separately from the own vehicle position mark displayed at the current position 402 of the vehicle, and the time specified in the area extending from the arrival position mark And the mileage to that is displayed. The predicted traffic jam 421 represents a traffic jam predicted to occur in the direction from the current location to the destination on the route 403.

  In FIG. 4, the predicted passing point is displayed as a point like 423, but a road section that is predicted to pass at a specified time may be displayed with a certain range as a predicted passing area. When using audio output, the in-vehicle terminal speaks the predicted passing point on the route via the speaker. For example, the predicted passing point or the predicted passing area at a predetermined time is output as a voice in the form of “planned to pass near XX (place name) at a point 26 km from the current location” at 12:15.

  Next, a processing flow for realizing the route traffic information service for inquiring predicted passage points at an arbitrary time will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a processing flow for handling display output, and FIG. 16 is a processing flow for handling voice input / output. First, the processing flow of FIG. 15 will be described, and then the processing flow of FIG. 16 will be described by adding portions corresponding to voice input / output.

・ Processing flow for predicted passage point inquiry (Figure 15)
S31: The user inputs time from the screen (FIG. 4).
S32: The in-vehicle terminal transmits the current location acquired from the current position detecting means and the time input by the user to the center system.
S33: The route search server has previously performed route search processing, and if the route has been registered (for example, during route prediction traffic overview service in FIG. 13 or FIG. In such a case, the route is called. As a route call key, the user ID used when the in-vehicle device accesses the system is used. Subsequently, a section from the current location to the destination in the route called is cut out, and the cut-out section is transmitted as a new route to the traffic information server.
S34, S35: The traffic information server executes the traffic information extraction / creation process on the route with the extracted route as an input, and the route search server outputs the predicted passing point at the input time of the user. A specific processing method will be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the route predicted traffic overview service, a predicted travel trajectory 1101 is calculated from the input of the route, the intersection with the predicted travel trajectory 1101 at the input time is traced as indicated by an arrow 1102, and the distance at the intersection is calculated by following the arrow 1103. The predicted passing point at the input time is obtained. Alternatively, a certain distance error (for example, about 1 km before and after the calculated predicted passing point) is allowed, and a section of [predicted passing point−distance error, predicted passing point + distance error] is cut out from the route to set the predicted passing area. calculate.
S36: The in-vehicle terminal receives the predicted passage point or the predicted passage area from the center system and displays the screen (FIG. 4).

  With the above processing flow, a service that provides a predicted passage point for any time input can be realized.

・ Processing flow of predicted passage point inquiry for voice input / output (Fig. 16)
S41: The user utters a request for prediction of a passing point including a time for obtaining a predicted passing point. Example: “Where is the position at 12:15?” Or “Where do you go by lunch?”.
S42: The in-vehicle terminal transmits the time for obtaining the predicted passing point and the voice or voice data of the request for the predicted passing point at the time to the center system.
S43: The speech recognition / synthesis server interprets the utterance content through the speech recognition process, and converts the utterance content into time and a predicted passage point output request.
S44: The voice recognition / synthesis server activates the passage point request process according to the predicted passage point output request output by the voice recognition process. Send current location and time to route search server.
S45: The route search server calls the route in the same manner as S33 in FIG.
S46, S47: The traffic information server and route search server extract and create traffic information in the same manner as S34 and S35 in FIG.
S48: The speech recognition / synthesis server receives the predicted passage point or the predicted passage area from the route search server, converts it into speech or speech data by speech synthesis processing, and transmits it to the in-vehicle terminal.
S49: The in-vehicle terminal outputs the predicted passing point or the predicted passing area at the time designated at the time of input from the speaker by voice output (at the same time, the predicted passing point may be displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 4). Example: “At 12:15, we plan to pass around XX (place name) at 26km from the current location.” Or “At around noon, it is predicted that XX (place name) will pass around XX (place name). . "

  With the above processing flow, a predicted passage point inquiry service that supports voice input / output can be realized.

  As described above, the feature of the present invention is that the predicted passing point or the predicted passing area at an arbitrary time specified by the user is displayed or output by voice, and the service user's action plan schedule is provided by providing the service. Can be supported.

[Arbitrary point transit time prediction service]
FIG. 5 is a screen display example of arbitrary point passage time prediction in the in-vehicle terminal. The screen display changes from screen display 50 to screen display 51 to screen display 52. The screen display 50 is a point input screen displayed when an arbitrary point passage time prediction service is selected from the menu shown in FIG. The point input cursor 501 moves on the map screen by the user's operation and determines a point for which the passage time is to be obtained. In addition, it is possible to determine a point by displaying a representative point (such as an intersection) on the route and selecting the point. When the point input is completed, the screen transitions to the screen display 51 to display that the passage time is being predicted.

  Also, when using voice input, the voice recognition means requested the place name and the passage time prediction for the place name by speaking through the microphone, such as “What time is it passing (○ △ (place name)?”. I interpret it as a thing. The voice recognition means notifies the in-vehicle terminal that the place name input has been accepted, so that the screen of the in-vehicle terminal transitions to the screen display 51. In the fixed type terminal device, it is assumed that the departure point is simultaneously input by the departure point input means. After the passage time prediction is completed, the screen display transitions to the passage time screen display 52. In the screen display 52, 502 is the current position of the vehicle, 503 is the planned travel route to the destination already determined by the route search, 523 is the predicted traffic jam, 522 is the passing point entered on the screen 50, 521 is the predicted passing time and current location Represents the distance from.

  In FIG. 5, the predicted passing point is displayed as a point like 423, but it may be displayed with a certain range as the time zone at which the passing is expected at the specified point. When using audio output, the in-vehicle terminal utters the predicted passage time of the designated point via the speaker. For example, the predicted passing time or the predicted passing time zone at a predetermined point is output as a voice in the form of “passing around △ (place name) around 27 km from the current location is scheduled to be around 12:18”.

  Next, a processing flow for realizing a route traffic information service for querying a predicted passage time at an arbitrary point will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 17 is a processing flow for handling display output, and FIG. 18 is a processing flow for handling voice input / output. First, the processing flow of FIG. 17 will be described, and then the processing flow of FIG. 18 will be described by adding portions corresponding to voice input / output.

・ Processing flow of predicted passage time inquiry (Fig. 17)
S61: The user inputs a point from the screen (FIG. 5).
S62: The in-vehicle terminal transmits the current location acquired from the current position detecting means and the point input by the user to the center system.
S63: The route search server previously performed route search processing in the route search server, and if the route has been registered, calls the route. Subsequently, a section from the current location to the input point in the called route is cut out, and the cut out portion is transmitted as a new route to the traffic information server.
S64, S65: The traffic information server executes the traffic information extraction / creation process on the route with the extracted route as an input, and the route search server outputs the predicted passage time at the input point of the user. A specific processing method will be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the route predicted traffic overview service, the predicted travel locus 1201 is calculated from the route input (route input cut out in S63). Next, the intersection with the predicted traveling locus 1201 at the distance from the starting point of the route of the input point is traced as indicated by an arrow 1202, and the time at the intersection is calculated by following the arrow 1203 to obtain the predicted passing time at the input point. Alternatively, a certain time error (for example, about 10 minutes before and after the calculated predicted passage time) is allowed, and a time zone of [predicted passage time−time error, predicted passage time + time error] is calculated as a predicted passage time zone. .
S66: The in-vehicle terminal receives the predicted passage time or the predicted passage time zone from the center system and displays the screen (FIG. 5).

  With the above processing flow, it is possible to realize a service that provides a predicted passage time for an arbitrary point input.

・ Processing flow of predicted passage time inquiry for voice input / output (Fig. 18)
S71: The user utters a request for predicted passage time including a point for which the predicted passage time is obtained. Example: “When is the pass (○ △)?
S72: The in-vehicle terminal transmits to the center system the point for obtaining the predicted passage time and the voice or voice data of the passage time prediction request at the point.
S73: The speech recognition / synthesis server interprets the utterance content by the speech recognition process, and converts the utterance content into a point and a predicted passage time output request.
S74: The speech recognition / synthesis server invokes the passage time request process according to the predicted passage time output request output by the voice recognition process. Send current location and input point to route search server.
S75: The route search server calls the route in the same manner as S63 in FIG.
S76, S77: The traffic information server and route search server extract and create traffic information in the same manner as S64 and S65 in FIG.
S78: The speech recognition / synthesis server receives the predicted passage time or predicted passage time zone from the route search server, converts it into speech or speech data by speech synthesis processing, and transmits it to the in-vehicle terminal.
S79: The in-vehicle terminal outputs the predicted passing time or the predicted passing time zone at the point designated at the time of input from the speaker by voice output (the predicted passing time may be displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 5 at the same time). Example: “Passing near ○ △ (place name) around 27km from the current location is scheduled to be around 12:18” or “It is predicted that the place near ○ △ (place name) will pass in the afternoon.”

  With the above processing flow, a predicted passage time inquiry service corresponding to voice input / output can be realized.

  As described above, the feature of the present invention is that the predicted passage time or the predicted passage time zone at an arbitrary point designated by the user is displayed or output by voice, and the service user's action plan is provided by providing the service. You can support the schedule and know the transit time clearly. For example, when there is a store that is open only during a limited time period on the way to the destination, it is possible to determine whether or not the store is in time.

[Congestion time prediction service]
FIG. 6 is a screen display example of traffic jam passage time prediction in the in-vehicle terminal. The screen display changes from screen display 60 to screen display 61 to screen display 62. The screen display 60 is a traffic jam designation screen. The traffic jam designation cursor 601 moves on the map screen by the user's operation, and selects and determines a traffic jam location for which the traffic jam passing time is obtained. In the example of FIG. 6, the traffic jam location 603 on the route acquired in advance by another route traffic information service or the like is selected. When the input of the traffic jam location is completed, the screen transitions to the screen display 61 and displays that the traffic jam passing time is being predicted.

  When voice input is used, the voice recognition means uses the current position and utterance content acquired at the same time by speaking through the microphone, such as "When can this traffic jam be cleared?" Interpret that there was a request for prediction. In addition, when a traffic jam is selected using the traffic jam designation cursor 601 and the utterance is similarly given via the microphone, such as "When can this traffic jam be cleared?" Interpret the location. In addition, when an utterance such as “How long does it take for traffic jams near XX (place name)?” Is recognized, the place name is identified by identifying the place name. The voice recognition means informs the in-vehicle terminal that the traffic location input has been accepted, so that the screen of the in-vehicle terminal transitions to the screen display 61. In the fixed type terminal device, it is assumed that the departure point is simultaneously input by the departure point input means.

  After the traffic jam passage time prediction is completed, the screen display changes to the passage time screen display 62. In the screen display 62, reference numeral 602 represents the current position of the vehicle, 604 represents a planned travel route to the destination already determined by route search, 621 represents the predicted traffic congestion passage time, 622 represents the traffic congestion passage speed, and 623 represents the traffic congestion prediction entry time. Further, although not shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the display of the traffic congestion speed at 622, the time required for traffic congestion may be displayed as 20 minutes. When using audio output, the in-vehicle terminal utters the predicted passage time of the traffic jam through the speaker. For example, “Congestion with a heading around ○ × (place name) 30km from the current location will enter the traffic jam at around 12:20 if you drive as it is, it will take 19 minutes to pass around 12:39. The average speed of traffic in a traffic jam is about 10km / h, and it is a non-noro operation. "In this form, the predicted entry time, required travel time, predicted transit time, or traffic jam speed at a traffic jam location is output as a voice. .

  Next, a processing flow for realizing a route traffic information service for inquiring predicted time at a traffic jam location will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. 19 is a processing flow for handling display output, and FIG. 20 is a processing flow for handling voice input / output. First, the processing flow of FIG. 19 will be described, and then the processing flow of FIG. 20 will be described by adding portions corresponding to voice input / output.

・ Processing flow of traffic congestion estimated time inquiry (Fig. 19)
S81: The user inputs a traffic jam location from the screen (FIG. 6).
S82: The in-vehicle terminal transmits to the center system the current location acquired from the current position detection means and the traffic jam location by the user's input.
S83: If the route search process has been previously performed in the route search server and the route has been registered, the route search server calls the registered route. Send the route to the traffic information server.
S84, S85: The traffic information server executes the traffic information extraction / creation process on the route with the route as an input, and the route search server outputs the predicted traffic passage passing time at the traffic jam location inputted by the user. A specific processing method will be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the route predicted traffic overview service, a table representing the predicted traveling speed for each distance from the departure point is created, and the predicted traveling locus 2301 is calculated from the input of the route. Next, the intersection point between the input point 2307 and the predicted traveling locus 2301 is traced as indicated by an arrow 2308, and a predicted traffic congestion point 2306 around the intersection point is detected. Next, a point where the outer periphery of the predicted traffic jam location 2306 intersects the predicted travel locus 2301 is detected, the distance of the traffic jam entry position is obtained from the arrow 2302, and the traffic jam entry time is obtained from the arrow 2303. Similarly, the distance from the traffic jam escape position is obtained from the arrow 2304, and the traffic jam escape time is obtained from the arrow 2305. In addition, the traffic speed is calculated by averaging the predicted speed on the predicted travel locus 2301 between the traffic jam entry position and the traffic jam exit position, and the distance between the traffic jam entry position and the traffic jam exit position is divided by the traffic jam passage speed. The required travel time can be calculated.
S86: The in-vehicle terminal receives the predicted entry time, the estimated required transit time, and the congestion passing speed from the center system as a predicted passing time at the traffic jam location or other traffic jam status and displays the screen (FIG. 6).

  With the above processing flow, it is possible to realize a service that provides a predicted passage time for any traffic jam location input.

-Voice I / O compatible traffic jam estimated time inquiry processing flow (Fig. 20)
S91: The user utters a request for prediction of traffic jam passage time. Example: “When can I get out of this traffic?” Or “How long does it take to pass traffic around XX (place name)?”.
S92: The in-vehicle terminal transmits to the center system the voice or voice data of the traffic jam passage time prediction request including the traffic jam location and the data of the current location or the traffic jam designated location.
S93: The voice recognition / synthesis server interprets the utterance content by voice recognition processing, and converts the utterance content into data indicating that it is a traffic jam predicted time output request. If the voice data includes a traffic jam location, the traffic jam location is converted into data.
S94: The voice recognition / synthesis server activates the traffic jam passage time request process according to the traffic jam predicted time output request output by the voice recognition process. In addition, the current location, the input location obtained from the user's location input, or the traffic jam location obtained by voice recognition processing is transmitted to the route search server.
S95: The route search server calls the route in the same manner as S83 in FIG.
S96, S97: The traffic information server and route search server extract and create traffic information in the same manner as S84 and S85 in FIG.
S98: The speech recognition / synthesis server receives the predicted entry time, the estimated required time for passing, and the traffic passing speed from the route search server as the predicted traffic passage time or other traffic conditions, and converts them into voice or voice data by voice synthesis processing. And sent to the in-vehicle terminal.
S99: The in-vehicle terminal outputs the predicted traffic time or the traffic situation at the traffic location designated at the time of input from the speaker by voice output (at the same time, the predicted time may be displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 6). Example: “Congestion with a heading around ○ × (place name) 30km from the current location will run into the traffic at around 12:20 if you drive as it is, and it will take about 19 minutes to pass around 12:39. In addition, the average speed of traffic in a traffic jam is about 10km / h, and it is a non-noro operation. "

  With the above processing flow, it is possible to realize a traffic jam predicted time inquiry service that supports voice input / output.

  As described above, the feature of the present invention is that the service user is entering by displaying or outputting the predicted traffic congestion time or detailed traffic situation at the traffic congestion designated by the user or providing the service. Alternatively, it is possible to grasp in advance a traffic jam situation that is expected to enter. Therefore, it becomes possible to take actions such as changing the route or avoiding the traffic jam route in advance depending on the traffic jam situation.

[Route monitoring service]
The route monitoring service is a route traffic information service that notifies a service user of a traffic jam that has occurred on a route registered in advance. The service user uses the in-vehicle terminal 8 shown in FIG. 8 or the fixed terminal device 9 shown in FIG. 9 to start the route monitoring service from the route monitoring setting button 16 shown in the screen display 11 of FIG. And stop can be specified. It is also assumed that the monitoring cycle can be set. The service is started on the center system side when there is a service start instruction from the user and the route specified by the route search processing or the like. As shown in S7 and S8 in FIG. 13, the route registration method can be performed by using the method described in the section of the predicted traffic information overview service.

  A processing flow for realizing the route traffic information service for route monitoring will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 is a processing flow for handling display output, and FIG. 22 is a processing flow for handling audio output. First, the processing flow of FIG. 21 will be described, and then the difference from FIG. 19 corresponding to audio output will be described using the processing flow of FIG.

-Route monitoring process flow (Fig. 21)
S111: The route search server transmits the planned travel route registered in advance by the user to the traffic information server at a monitoring cycle designated by the user or at a predetermined time interval of a predetermined time interval (for example, about 5 minutes).
S112: The traffic information server receives the route, executes traffic information extraction / creation processing on the route, and extracts a traffic jam location on the route. A specific processing method will be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the route predicted traffic overview service, a table representing the predicted traveling speed for each distance from the departure point is created, and the predicted traveling locus 2301 is calculated from the input of the route. Next, the predicted travel locus 2301 is traced from the departure side of the route toward the destination, and a traffic congestion entry point is detected. The determination of the traffic congestion entry point is made when the speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (here, set to 10 km / h). Further, when the vehicle travels in the direction of the destination and the speed becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold (here, set to 10 km / h), it is determined as a traffic jam escape point. Next, as in the traffic jam passage time monitoring service, the distance of the traffic jam entry position is obtained from the arrow 2302 and the traffic jam entry time is obtained from the arrow 2303. Similarly, the distance from the traffic jam escape position is obtained from the arrow 2304, and the traffic jam escape time is obtained from the arrow 2305. In addition, the traffic speed is calculated by averaging the predicted speed on the predicted travel locus 2301 between the traffic jam entry position and the traffic jam exit position, and the distance between the traffic jam entry position and the traffic jam exit position is divided by the traffic jam passage speed. The required travel time can be calculated. Even after detecting the exit position of the traffic jam, if the traffic congestion entry position is detected by tracing the predicted travel locus 2301 to the destination, the traffic congestion entry position, time, traffic exit position, time, traffic jam passing speed, The time required to pass through the traffic jam is obtained and output as the traffic jam status.
S113: If there is a traffic jam condition in the traffic information extraction process of S112, the route search server newly determines that there is a traffic jam and proceeds to S114. If there is no traffic jam, the process returns to S111 and the route is monitored again at regular time intervals.
S114: The route search server pushes the traffic jam status to the in-vehicle terminal. Push distribution methods include pseudo push distribution in which the bidirectional communication means of the in-vehicle terminal periodically accesses the center system, a method of calling a communication connection request to the bidirectional communication means, and starting connection. Use.
S115: The in-vehicle terminal notifies the user of the occurrence of traffic jam by using the screen display as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the screen display changes as 70 → 71, and the screen display 70 displays a pop-up display 701 that notifies that a traffic jam has occurred on the route. A notification sound can be generated from the speaker simultaneously with the pop-up display to notify the user of the traffic jam. After the pop-up display 701 is displayed for a certain time, the screen display 71 is entered. In the screen display 71, a traffic jam location 717 is displayed on the map display screen, and a predicted entry time 714, a predicted passing time, and a traffic passing speed 715 are received from the center system as a predicted passing time 716 or other traffic conditions. indicate. A pop-up dialog 713 may be displayed to prompt the user to search for a new route.

  The route monitoring service can be realized by the above processing flow.

-Process flow for route monitoring corresponding to voice output (Fig. 21)
S111 to S114 are the same as FIG.
S125: The voice recognition / synthesis server synthesizes the occurrence of the traffic jam and the traffic jam situation by voice synthesis means and push-distributes it to the in-vehicle terminal.
S126: The in-vehicle terminal outputs a traffic jam notification and a traffic jam status from the speaker (at the same time, the predicted passage time may be displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 7). Example: “There was a traffic jam on the planned travel route. A traffic jam with a heading around ○ × (place name) 30km from the current location would enter a traffic jam at around 12:20 if you drive as it is, 19 minutes to pass the traffic jam It is going to pass around 12:39, and the speed in traffic jams is about 10km / h, and it is a nonroro driving. "

  With the above processing flow, a route monitoring service corresponding to voice input / output can be realized.

  As described above, the feature of the present invention is that the user of the service is automatically expected to enter by notifying the traffic jam that has occurred on the route, displaying the traffic status or outputting the voice, and providing the service. It is possible to grasp in advance the situation of traffic jams. Therefore, the frequency with which a user voluntarily acquires a traffic jam condition is reduced, and communication costs can be reduced and communication traffic can be reduced.

[Departure recommended time offer service]
FIG. 25 is a screen display example of the recommended departure time providing service in the terminal device. The terminal device can be implemented in either the in-vehicle terminal shown in FIG. 8 or the fixed terminal device shown in FIG. In the terminal device, the screen display transitions from the screen display 2501 to the screen display 2514. A screen display 2501 is an input screen for a departure point, a destination, and a desired arrival time. By selecting and pressing buttons 2502, 2503, and 2504, information for each item can be input and changed. it can. For the departure point input corresponding to the button 2502, in the case of an in-vehicle terminal, the current position detecting means 85 shown in FIG. 8 can be used. In the case of a fixed type terminal device, it is possible to display a map on the screen by the departure point input means 95 shown in FIG. 9 and point the departure point, or specify the departure point by inputting the place name. is there. The destination input corresponding to the button 2503 is a method of displaying a map on the screen in the same manner as the departure point input and pointing the destination on the map on the screen by using a pointer or a touch panel, or a place name Suppose that a method for specifying a destination by inputting search information such as a telephone number of a facility near the destination is used. The arrival time input corresponding to the button 2504 displays a pop-up screen 2513 by depressing the button 2504, and inputs an arrival date and an arrival time. As an arrival date input method, there is a method of displaying a calendar screen by pressing a button 2505 and selecting a date from this calendar screen. As an input method of arrival time, there is a method of selecting the time with a dial instructing increase / decrease of an input numerical value as indicated by 2506. When the user depresses the search button 2507 after inputting the departure place, destination, and arrival time, the screen changes from the screen display 2501 to the screen display 2514. The screen display 2514 displays the recommended departure time and the arrival route to the destination. Reference numeral 2508 denotes a recommended departure time, 2509 denotes a departure place, 2510 denotes a destination, 2511 denotes a recommended route, and 2512 denotes a traffic jam location on a route expected to be encountered when traveling on the recommended route 2511. “13:20” in the recommended departure time display 2508 represents the recommended departure time when the arrival time is “18:00”.

  Next, a processing flow for realizing the route traffic information service providing recommended departure time will be described with reference to FIG.

-Recommended departure time provision processing flow (Fig. 27)
S2701: The user inputs a departure place, a destination, and a desired arrival time to the in-vehicle terminal on the display screen 2501 (FIG. 25).
S2702: The in-vehicle terminal transmits the departure place, the destination, and the desired arrival time to the center system having the route search server.
S2703: The route search server performs route search processing based on the transmitted departure place, destination, and desired arrival time. The route of the search result and the desired arrival time are transmitted to the traffic information server.
S2704: The traffic information server receives the route of the search result and the desired arrival time as input, executes the traffic information extraction / creation process on the route, and sends the predicted traffic situation regarding this route to the route search server.
S2705: The route search server obtains a recommended departure time based on the predicted traffic situation sent from the traffic information server, and transmits it to the in-vehicle terminal together with the recommended route obtained earlier and the predicted traffic jam situation on the recommended route.

The processing from S2703 to S2705 surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 26 is referred to as a travel simulation 2710.
S2706: The in-vehicle terminal receives the recommended route, the predicted traffic jam situation, and the recommended departure time from the center system, and displays them as a screen 2514 (FIG. 25).

  The specific processing method uses a table representing the predicted traveling speed for each time in each distance section from the departure point for the recommended route, as in the route prediction traffic information overview service described in FIG.

  The traffic information server stores speed information for each point obtained from other traffic information organizations. Alternatively, the travel time of the corresponding section may be accumulated instead of the speed information, and the speed may be obtained from the distance of the section and the travel time. The speed information of the day type (classification such as weekdays, holidays, and weekends) similar to the date of arrival given from the route search server is extracted from the accumulated speed information, and the route given as input The speed information is averaged for each time zone (for example, every 5 minutes) for each of the upper sections, and the speed at each point is calculated as statistical information. In this way, traffic information on the route is extracted, and a table of average speeds calculated for each time zone in each section on the route as shown in FIG. 11 is created. The traffic information server returns this table to the route search server as a predicted traffic situation related to the route.

  Next, the route search server obtains a predicted traveling locus 1101 according to the table of average speeds by time zone for each section created by the traffic information server. At this time, since the desired arrival time is given, refer to the average speed table in the direction of going backward from the destination with this arrival time as the base point, and forecast for each time zone (corresponding to one horizontal line in the table) The travel time of each section (one foot of the table) at the estimated passage time is calculated from the average speed for each section (corresponding to one vertical column in the table) of the route, and is sequentially subtracted from the desired arrival time. Find the departure time for the corresponding section. By repeating this operation to the departure place, the predicted traveling locus 1101 and the recommended departure time are obtained. If the travel time of one section spans multiple time zones with different average speeds, the travel distance according to the average speed of the corresponding time zone is calculated backward from the arrival time of the section to the time zone of the same average speed The departure time of the section can be obtained by determining the point that has arrived and determining the time when passing the section start point. If the average speed is a predetermined threshold (for example, set to 10 km / h or less) as a traffic jam, a section where the predicted travel locus 1101 passes through the traffic jam area in the table of the average speed by time zone for each section is a recommended route. It is obtained as a traffic jam spot (predicted traffic jam section) that is expected to encounter when driving.

  Next, an example of a service that provides recommended departure times and estimated arrival times corresponding to a plurality of time zones will be described. FIG. 26 is a screen on the terminal device displayed when the button 18 in FIG. 1 is pressed, and is a screen display example of a service that provides recommended departure times and estimated arrival times corresponding to a plurality of time zones. The terminal device can be implemented in either the in-vehicle terminal shown in FIG. 8 or the fixed terminal device shown in FIG. In the terminal device, the screen display transitions from the screen display 2601 to the screen display 2515. The screen display 2515 is the same as the screen display 2514 shown in FIG. 25, but a list display button 2611 is added.

  A screen display 2601 is displayed when the button 18 in FIG. 1 is pressed. In order to perform a travel simulation to obtain the recommended departure time for the desired arrival time or the expected arrival time for the specified departure time, information on the departure point and destination, and the departure or arrival time for calculating the travel route to be subjected to the travel simulation This is the band input screen. As with the screen display 2501 shown in FIG. 25, the information of the departure place and the destination can be set by selecting and pressing down buttons 2602 and 2603, respectively. The method of specifying the starting point and destination is the same as the method described in the explanation of FIG. 25, and a method of displaying a map and pointing the starting point or a method of specifying the starting point or the destination by inputting a place name is used. Shall.

  The departure or arrival time zone corresponding to the button 2604 is input via a pop-up screen 2614 displayed by depressing the button 2604. On the pop-up screen 2614, the start date and end date of the date and time for obtaining the departure or arrival time, the start time and end time of the desired time zone, and the type of whether the designated time zone is the departure time or the arrival time In addition, it is possible to input the day type in order to improve the accuracy of the running simulation. The start date and end date can be set by selecting and pressing buttons 2605 and 2606, respectively. As a method of inputting the start date and the end date, there is a method of displaying a calendar by pressing a button and selecting a date from there. This is the same as the input of the arrival date by the button 2505 described in FIG. As a method of inputting the start time and end time of the time zone, there is a method of selecting the time by dials 2608 and 2609, respectively, which is the same as the input of the arrival time by the button 2506 described in FIG. The day type input 2607 is selected from options such as weekdays, Saturdays, and holidays. Departure or arrival type designation 2610 designates whether departure or arrival is desired in the time zone in which the start time and end time are set by dials 2608 and 2609. When departure is specified here, the predicted arrival time is calculated, and when arrival is specified, the recommended departure time is calculated. By depressing the search button 2615 of the user, the screen transitions to the screen 2515 and screen display is performed.

  On the screen display 2515, as in FIG. 25, a set of departure time and arrival time, an arrival route to the destination, and a traffic jam section where an encounter is expected are displayed. Further, when a list display button 2611 is pressed, the screen is switched to a list 2612 screen, and a list of combinations of departure time and arrival time in the time zone matching the conditions specified on the screen 2614 is displayed. When one set 2613 is selected from the list displayed at this time, the screen is switched to the map screen display 2514 again. When a combination of departure time and arrival time is selected from the list displayed in the list 2612, the map screen display 2515 changes in conjunction with the departure time and arrival time of the selected combination of departure time and arrival time. As another display method, the screen is displayed in a frame as shown in FIG. 28, the map screen display and the list are displayed side by side on the same screen, and the map screen is linked to the combination of the departure time and arrival time selected in the list. A method of changing the display may be used.

The process for realizing the route traffic information service that provides the recommended departure time and the predicted arrival time corresponding to a plurality of time zones as described above will be described with reference to the flow of FIG. In the following example, a process flow for outputting a plurality of recommended departure times will be described, but a process for calculating a plurality of predicted arrival times will also be described.
S2801: The user inputs the starting point and destination from the screen 2601 and the start date, end date, start time, end time, date type, and arrival flag via the pop-up window 2614 (FIG. 26). Here, the arrival flag is a flag indicating that the input condition is a condition regarding arrival, and is a departure flag when the departure condition is expressed.
S2802: The in-vehicle terminal transmits information on the departure point, destination, start date, end date, start time, end time, date type, arrival flag (departure flag) input on the input screen to the center system.
S2803: In the route search server, an arrival (departure) time group is created from the conditions of the start date, end date, start time, and end time. In the processing of S2803, it is assumed that arrival times that meet the conditions are generated at certain time intervals. In the case where a departure flag is sent from the in-vehicle terminal, here, of course, departure times corresponding to the conditions are generated at certain time intervals.

For example, if the time interval is 1 hour,
Start date: 2002/06/06 (Thursday)
End Date: 2002/06/10 (Monday)
Day type: Weekdays Start time: 16:30
End time: 19:15
If the above condition is given, since June 10th to 10th June 2002 is Monday to Friday, June 6th (Thursday), 7th (Friday) and 10th (Monday) in June 2002 It becomes. Further, since the time zone is 16:30 to 19:15, the time group is 17:00, 18:00, 19:00. Accordingly, the arrival (departure) time group to be output takes this product set from the above conditions and gives the following results (numbers are candidate numbers).

1: 2002/06/06 (Thursday) 17:00
2: 2002/06/06 (Thursday) 18:00
3: 2002/06/06 (Thursday) 19:00
4: 2002/06/07 (Friday) 17:00
5: 2002/06/06 (Friday) 18:00
6: 2002/06/06 (Friday) 19:00
7: 2002/06/10 (Monday) 17:00
8: 2002/06/10 (Monday) 18:00
9: 2002/06/10 (Monday) 19:00
S2804: The route search server and the traffic information server perform a route between the departure point and the destination corresponding to the arrival time and the recommended departure time, and output the route and the recommended departure time. A specific processing method is the same as the processing of S2704 and 2705. The method for obtaining the estimated arrival time with respect to the departure time is the same as the method described in S3 and S4. That is, a travel simulation process is performed for each candidate of the estimated arrival time group obtained in S2703, the route search server obtains a recommended route corresponding to each arrival time, and the traffic information server obtains predicted traffic information corresponding to each recommended route. Based on the calculation result, the route search server obtains the predicted departure time and the predicted traffic jam.
S2805: The route search server transmits a combination of a route, a departure time, an arrival time, and a predicted traffic jam situation created corresponding to the arrival time group to the in-vehicle terminal.
S2806: The in-vehicle terminal displays a list of route / departure recommended time (predicted arrival time) on the screen, and according to the user's selection, the recommended route, the recommended departure time, and the expected congestion location (predicted congestion section) ) Is displayed (FIG. 26).

  With the above processing flow, it is possible to realize a service that provides a plurality of recommended departure times or predicted arrival times corresponding to a designated time zone.

  The conventional route traffic information service related to the recommended departure time providing service includes a service that outputs the travel route and departure time or arrival time in response to the input of the departure place and destination, and the departure interchange and destination interchange on the expressway. There is a service that outputs a travel route in response to an input, and provides a required time and a congested section in the middle for an input of a departure date and time. However, since the former service is intended for movement by pedestrians, the time required for walking from the departure point to the station and the time required from the station to the station are linked to the timetable. The impact of changes in traffic conditions was not reflected in the required time. In the latter service, road traffic condition change prediction is used, but it does not correspond to providing the recommended departure time for the desired arrival date and time, and the time is widened. For multiple departure time requests, it was not possible to predict arrival times for each departure time.

  On the other hand, the present invention realizes a recommended departure time providing service corresponding to a change in traffic conditions on the road, which has not been realized by a conventional service, and also includes a traffic jam together with each recommended route for a desired departure or arrival time zone. A service that provides the recommended departure time or the estimated arrival time in consideration of the prediction is realized. According to the present invention, the traveler can determine the departure time before the trip in advance. In addition, since the departure time can be selected from a plurality of departure / arrival time candidates, the traveler can make a travel plan that avoids traffic jams.

  FIG. 24 shows an example of a main data format used in communication between the in-vehicle terminal and the center system and between servers in the center system. In FIG. 24, numerical data is text, but binary data may be used.

Initial screen display of route traffic information service. Map screen display of route prediction traffic information overview. Simple graphic display of route prediction traffic information overview. Map screen display of arbitrary time passing point prediction. Map screen display of arbitrary point passage time prediction. Map screen display of traffic time prediction. Map screen display of traffic congestion notification by route monitoring. The structural example of the vehicle-mounted terminal which implement | achieves route traffic information service. The structural example of the fixed-type terminal device which implement | achieves route traffic information service. An example of a center system for realizing a route traffic information service. A table showing the predicted traveling speed for each distance from the starting point of the route. Moreover, explanatory drawing of the method of estimating a passing point on a table | surface. Explanatory drawing of the method of estimating passage time on the table | surface showing the predicted traveling speed for every distance from the departure point of a route | route. An example of a route prediction traffic information overview processing flow. An example of a route prediction traffic information overview processing flow that supports voice input / output. An example of a processing flow of a predicted passage point inquiry at an arbitrary time. An example of a processing flow of a predicted passage point inquiry at an arbitrary time corresponding to voice input / output. An example of a processing flow of a predicted passage time inquiry at an arbitrary point. An example of a processing flow of a predicted passage time inquiry at an arbitrary point corresponding to voice input / output. An example of a processing flow of an estimated passage time inquiry at a traffic jam location. An example of a processing flow of a predicted passage time inquiry at a traffic jam compatible voice / input / output location. An example of a route monitoring processing flow. An example of a route monitoring flow for voice output. Explanatory drawing of the method of detecting a traffic congestion area by route monitoring. An example of communication data format. The example of a screen display of the recommended departure time provision service in a terminal device. The example of a screen display of the recommended departure time / estimated arrival time providing service corresponding to a plurality of time zones in the terminal device. Processing flow example of recommended departure time providing service. The other example of an output screen of the recommended departure time and estimated arrival time providing service corresponding to the time zone designation in the terminal device. An example of a processing flow of a service for providing a recommended departure time / estimated arrival time corresponding to a plurality of time zones.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Map display screen, 8 ... In-vehicle terminal, 9 ... Fixed terminal device, 10 ... Center system, 81, 91 ... Screen display device, 87 ... Network, 103, 201, 402, 502, 602 ... Vehicle present position, 221 , 222 ... Candidate route, 226 ... Destination, 232, 403, 503, 604 ... Scheduled travel route, 401 ... Time input dialog, 423 ... Predicted passage point, 501 ... Point input cursor, 521 ... Predicted passage time, 601 ... Congestion Designated cursor, 621 ... Traffic jam predicted passage time, 701 ... Traffic jam notification pop-up display, 1101, 1201, 2301 ... Predicted travel locus.

Claims (2)

In the route guidance device provided with the traffic information stored in the route search means and the traffic information storage means,
Traffic information providing means for predicting traffic jam information using the traffic information,
With respect to the recommended route obtained by the route search means for the departure place and destination designated in advance, the arrival time is designated, and the departure time for the arrival time and the predicted congestion situation are obtained in the traffic information providing means,
A route guidance apparatus that displays a list of combinations of departure time and arrival time and a predicted traffic jam section for each combination. In the route guidance device provided with the traffic information stored in the route search means and the traffic information storage means,
Traffic information providing means for predicting traffic jam information using the traffic information,
With respect to the recommended route obtained by the route search means for the departure place and destination specified in advance, the arrival time at a predetermined time interval is designated, and the departure time for the arrival time and the predicted congestion situation are determined in the traffic information providing means. Seeking
A route guidance device that displays a list of arrival times and traffic jam information in association with each other.

Images