JP2012018175A - Guide information selection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To distribute information with high usefulness according to a user's current situation in a guide information selection system using a route guidance device.SOLUTION: A server 200 manages information which can be distributed to a user (guide information) for each category. A priority and an evaluation value to be fixed according to a movement purpose and a movement state are imparted as recommendation data to each category. The user refers to the recommendation data based on the movement purpose and the movement state in the process of route guidance to determine the evaluation value in each category. The category having the high evaluation value is preferentially selected to realize information distribution with high usefulness reflecting the user's situation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a guide information selection system for selecting guide information useful for a moving user.

  An advertisement distribution system that distributes advertisement data registered in advance by a store to a user is widely used. There has also been proposed a technique for distributing an advertisement to a user who is moving in a vehicle by using a car navigation as a distribution target by the advertisement distribution system. Unlike the distribution to a normal personal computer, the amount of information that can be viewed by the user is limited in the distribution to the car navigation, and the user using the car navigation is moving for some purpose. In many cases, the information content desired by the user is limited to some extent according to the purpose.

  Based on such characteristics, various techniques for providing information desired by users in a timely manner have been proposed for advertisement distribution to car navigation systems. For example, in Patent Document 1, by setting distribution conditions based on an advertisement distribution target area, a distribution period, and a distribution time zone, the advertisement can be efficiently aggregated to users who are thought to be able to effectively obtain the PR effect by the advertisement. Disclosed is a technology to be distributed. Patent Document 2 compares personal information such as the user's age, sex, and occupation with the delivery conditions set by the advertiser, that is, conditions such as the time zone in which the advertisement should be delivered and the age of the delivery target person. A technology for efficient advertisement distribution is disclosed.

JP 2003-99670 A JP 2002-77464 A

  However, the conventional narrowing is to narrow down the users to be distributed according to the intention of the advertiser, and it cannot be said that the information required by the user is selected according to the situation of the user at that time. For example, even if information related to a user's hobby is selected, it may not be said that the user needs it in situations where there is no room for browsing information related to the hobby, such as when traveling in business, and that information should be used effectively. I can't.

  In the route guidance device including the car navigation, the user browses various information while moving, so that the amount of information that can be browsed by the user is limited as described above. Therefore, when many pieces of information that the user feels useless are distributed, the user ignores the entire information, and there is a possibility that the usefulness of information such as advertisements may be lost at once.

  The above-described problems are not limited to advertisements, but are common to various guide information such as tourist information. In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to enable a user who is using a route guidance device to provide guide information required by the user according to the situation of the user at that time.

  The present invention can be configured as a guide information sorting system that sorts guide information useful for a moving user using a route guidance device or the like. In this specification, “moving” is used in a broad sense that includes both a state of actually moving according to guidance from a route guidance device and the like, and a state of moving virtually by simulation. Guide information includes general information unrelated to a point such as news, quizzes, fortune-telling, and economic information, and various information registered in advance in relation to any point, such as advertisements, tourist information, administration, and other information. Includes regional information. The guide information may be registered in advance as a guide information database, or may be acquired via a network using a Web server or the like as an information source. The guide information may be divided into a plurality of predetermined genres. As the route guidance device, for example, a mobile phone, a car navigation device, a notebook personal computer, a PDA or the like can be used. The guide information selection system may be configured to operate stand-alone in these devices, or may be configured by connecting a terminal using these devices and a server or the like via a network. The guide information selection system of the present invention realizes efficient provision of guide information with various configurations shown below.

  The guide information selection system stores in advance a correspondence relationship between a plurality of evaluation parameters set in advance regarding at least a part of a user's movement purpose and movement status, and the guide information itself or the genre's necessity level. The degree of necessity means an index indicating the possibility that the user needs guide information. The degree of necessity may be represented by a numerical value or a rank such as “A, B, C”. The purpose of movement can include a group configuration such as whether the user is alone, a family member, or a couple. This is because the purpose of travel often differs depending on the group structure, such as business, leisure, and date. In addition, the evaluation parameter representing the purpose of movement may directly include purposes such as business, leisure, rest, meal, and shopping. The evaluation parameters representing the movement situation can include the current time, the current position, the distance from the departure place or the destination, the elapsed time after the start of driving, and the like. For example, the degree of necessity of restaurant information is increased in the time zone before eating, but the degree of necessity is affected by the current time, such as being lowered in the time zone after eating. Various parameters that can affect the necessity of the guide information can be included in the evaluation parameters representing the purpose of movement and the movement situation.

  The guide information selection system inputs the information corresponding to at least a part of the above-described evaluation parameters for the user, and refers to the above-mentioned correspondence relationship based on the input information, thereby determining the necessity level for each guide information or genre. Judging. Based on the determination result, useful guide information for the user is selected. The selected guide information may be provided to the user, or may be accumulated in the system as a database for the user to refer to as appropriate. Further, the user's next destination may be automatically set based on the selected guide information, and route guidance may be performed.

  The guide information sorting system of the present invention undergoes the process of evaluating the necessity of each guide information or genre according to the conditions such as the movement status in the above sorting. In this way, unlike the method of uniformly setting guide information to be selected based on the movement situation, etc., the user can flexibly and qualify according to the situation where the movement purpose and movement situation are different. Necessary guide information can be provided.

  As an example, let us consider a case where guide information is provided to a user at lunch time (here, a time zone such as 11:00 am to 1 pm). In the case of “lunch time”, when selecting information based on a uniform condition setting of providing “meal information”, information on nearby restaurants and the like is selected regardless of the user's purpose of movement. It will be. On the other hand, in the present invention, the degree of necessity for genres such as “meal information” and “lunch spot” is evaluated based on the correspondence prepared in advance under the evaluation parameter of lunch time. At the same time, the necessity of genres such as “bookstore information” that can be used to collect business-related information and “time service information” for shopping is also evaluated. This evaluation differs depending on the purpose of movement of the user. For example, if the user is in business, the necessity of “meal information” and “bookstore information” increases. If the user is a leisure with a family, the necessity of “lunch box spot” increases. If the user is shopping with a friend, the necessity of “time service information” increases. The guide information sorting system sorts information by comparing evaluation results for each guide information or genre. Accordingly, the information to be selected is not uniform and results in a wide variety of results reflecting the user's purpose of movement. In order to obtain an appropriate selection result from the evaluation of the degree of necessity for each guide information or the like, the above-described correspondence relationship may be reviewed and the degree of necessity for each guide information or genre may be adjusted. By these actions, the present invention can realize flexible and qualified information selection. Here, an example in which the evaluation is performed for each genre is shown, but the degree of necessity may be evaluated for each guide information.

  In the present invention, the correspondence relationship for evaluating the degree of necessity can be prepared in various forms such as a table and a function. Further, this correspondence may be fixed, or various correspondences may be used properly based on various conditions. For example, depending on the user's attributes such as gender, age, etc., depending on whether the user's current location is on a general road or on an expressway, depending on whether the current location is in the city center or in the country, depending on whether it is a weekday, weekend or holiday There are various ways to use them, depending on the season, whether they are walking or driving, and how to use them depending on the moving speed. By selectively using these, it is possible to select more flexible and qualified information.

  Further, the correspondence relationship may be prepared hierarchically. For example, prepare a correspondence that gives the degree of necessity in a large genre such as “meal information”, and prepare a correspondence that gives the degree of necessity in a genre that subdivides meals such as “Japanese food” and “Western food” in the lower layers. May be. In this way, when it is determined that the necessity of “meal information” is high, it is possible to select highly useful information in the subdivided genre using the lower layer correspondence.

  The information selection of the present invention can be performed in various ways. For example, guide information with a high degree of necessity may be selected from a plurality of guide information or genres prepared in advance. Further, as another aspect, an aspect may be adopted in which specific guide information or genre is targeted and whether or not the guide information should be selected. In the latter case, when the degree of necessity obtained by evaluating guide information or the like exceeds a predetermined standard, the guide information or the like can be selected.

  In this invention, you may make it memorize | store the delivery performance of the guide information with respect to a user for every guide information or a genre. In addition to the necessity, the guide information sorting system can sort the guide information with reference to this delivery record. By doing so, for example, it is possible to refrain from distributing guide information that is the same as or similar to already-distributed guide information, and it becomes possible to provide more useful information. As another aspect, the distributed guide information may be periodically distributed to further impress the user.

  Whether or not the user has used the distributed guide information may be stored together with the distribution result. By doing so, it is possible to preferentially provide guide information utilized by the user. Moreover, you may make it reflect the results of whether guide information was utilized in the correspondence between an evaluation parameter and a required level. For example, with respect to the utilized guide information, the degree of necessity may be increased according to the actual result, and the degree of necessity may be reduced when not utilized.

  When the guide information selection system includes a map database including the position of the feature and the attribute of the feature, the guide information selection system detects the current position of the user, and the map database is based on the current position. By referring to, it becomes possible to specify the feature on which the user stopped. Then, it becomes possible to select the guide information with reference to the attribute of the feature that has visited. In this way, for example, for a user who has already stopped by a restaurant, the possibility that the restaurant information is distributed even before the meal can be reduced, and instead, it is more useful. It becomes possible to select guide information. Conversely, when the user stops at a scenic sightseeing spot, it is possible to select a lot of tourist information that the user would like. Such sorting may be performed by a method that reduces or increases the necessity of each guide information according to the attribute of the feature that visited, or some guide information is excluded from the sorting target based on the attribute. You may carry out by the method.

  In the present invention, the correspondence relationship may be set so that the necessary degree is given by a continuous function for the value of the evaluation parameter. For example, the present invention can be applied to evaluation parameters that can take real values such as time zones and distances. By doing so, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the degree of necessity changes drastically when the time is different by about one minute, and the evaluation parameters can be appropriately reflected in the degree of necessity.

  In the present invention, a priority that determines superiority or inferiority between genres with respect to selection of guide information may be held. The priority is, for example, information indicating that “sightseeing guidance” is given priority over the genre “weather forecast”. The priority can be expressed in various forms such as a numerical value and a rank. While the degree of necessity according to the evaluation parameter reflects the situation of the user, the priority can be said to reflect the usefulness according to the quality of information of each genre. . The guide information sorting system sorts guide information in consideration of this priority. By doing so, it is possible to select guide information whose usefulness has been judged from many aspects.

  The priority may be set and registered in advance by the administrator, or the guide information selection system specifies guide information to be selected and sets it based on the content of the specified guide information. You may do it. What is necessary is just to set the priority for every genre based on the guide information in each genre. For example, the priority may be set so that the priority becomes higher as the date when the guide information is updated is newer. The priority may be a fixed value or may be reset under a predetermined condition.

  For the priority, a method can be adopted in which a wording set in advance as having a high PR degree is set according to the amount or ratio included in the guide information. Examples of high-PR wordings include expressions such as “Topic of topic”, “Matrix can be created”, and “Japan's largest…”. The guide information selection system registers in advance such expressions with a high PR degree from various expressions used in the guide information, and the number of such expressions is included in the guide information or in the guide information. The guide information is evaluated according to the ratio of the total expression and the priority is set. By doing so, it is possible to preferentially distribute guide information having a higher PR degree.

  The guide information selection system may not be able to search for information that is more than a predetermined level. In such a case, an error display or the like may be simply performed. As another aspect, a method of giving the user a future prospect may be adopted. That is, the guide information selection system holds a route to be guided to the user. If guide information having a degree of necessity greater than or equal to a predetermined range cannot be selected within a predetermined range from the current position of the user, a point where guide information can be provided on the route is searched, and the result is provided to the user. . For example, information is provided that there is no restaurant near the user's request, but there is a good restaurant “Advance by ○” or “Om ahead” on the planned route. In this way, the user can use the guide information based on the future prospects.

  In addition to dividing the guide information into genres, the hierarchy may be managed by providing sub-genres within the genre. For example, a sub-genre such as “Italian”, “French cuisine”, “Fast food”, etc. is provided in the genre “restaurant”. In addition to configuring the sub-genre according to the type of dish, the sub-genre may be configured based on the usage mode of the restaurant such as “budget” or “for adults”. By providing sub-genres in this way, it is only necessary to search for guide information for each sub-genre, so that information selection can be performed efficiently.

  In the case of hierarchical management, priorities for determining superiority or inferiority between sub-genres may be set for the selection of guide information. By doing so, guide information can be provided with a certain tendency, such as optimum information and suboptimal information according to the priority setting method. For example, superiority or inferiority between sub-genres can be set according to the user's hobbies / preferences, age, sex, and the like. When set in this way, it is possible to preferentially provide guide information according to the user's hobbies / preferences, and to provide guide information that deviates from hobbies / preferences when such information does not exist. . As another aspect, superiority or inferiority between sub-genres may be determined according to the amount of the budget. When set in this way, it is possible to preferentially provide guide information that matches the user's budget, and when such information does not exist, it is possible to provide guide information that is out of the budget. As described here, by providing superiority or inferiority between the sub-genres, it is possible to give a certain tendency to the provision of guide information, and it is possible to further improve the usefulness of the guide information.

  The present invention does not necessarily have all the various features described above, and may be configured by omitting some or combining them appropriately. In addition to the above-described guide information selection system, the present invention can also be configured as a guide information providing method for providing guide information by a computer. Further, it may be configured as a computer program for providing guide information, or may be configured as a recording medium on which at least a part of the computer program is recorded. In this case, as a recording medium, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a ROM cartridge, a punch card, a printed matter on which a code such as a barcode is printed, an internal storage device of a computer (RAM, ROM, etc. Various types of computer-readable media such as a memory) and an external storage device can be used.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the guide information selection system as an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of the personal profile 201 and my box 203. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of recommendation data. It is a flowchart of the control processing in a guide information selection system. It is a flowchart of a schedule registration / change process. It is a flowchart of an information collection process. It is a flowchart of an information box maintenance process. It is a flowchart of a schedule guide process. It is a flowchart of a guide information selection process. It is a flowchart of the information selection process in a genre. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of guide information selection. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of selection of notice information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of notice information selection. It is explanatory drawing which shows the recommendation data in 2nd Example. It is a flowchart of the guide information selection process in 2nd Example. It is a flowchart of a priority setting process. It is a flowchart of the information selection process in genre in 2nd Example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
A. System configuration:
B. data structure:
C. Control processing for providing guide information:
D. Schedule registration / change processing:
E. Information box maintenance processing:
F. Schedule guide processing:
F1. Guide information selection process:
F2. In-genre information selection processing:
F3. Guide information selection example:
G. Second embodiment:
G1. Guide information selection process:
G2. Priority setting process:
G3. In-genre information selection processing:

A. System configuration:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a guide information sorting system as an embodiment. The guide information sorting system is a system that sorts information that can be effectively used by the user in the course of travel when performing route guidance from the departure point specified by the user to the destination. In this embodiment, the system is configured as a system for providing the selected information to the user. However, the provision of the information is not essential. For example, the selected information is registered as a database for the user to appropriately refer to the information. Alternatively, the route guidance destination may be automatically set based on the selected information.

  In this embodiment, when a user registers a schedule in advance, the guide information selection system collects useful information from various information sources. When the user executes the schedule, the guide information selection system provides information that the user can effectively use from the collected information together with the movement route. However, this is only an example, and the guide information selection system of the present embodiment can be used in a mode in which route guidance is performed simply by designating a departure place and a destination regardless of the schedule. Further, the information to be provided may be realized not only in advance but also in a manner of collecting in real time.

  The guide information selection system of the embodiment is configured by connecting an information providing server 200 (hereinafter also simply referred to as “server”) and a terminal 100 via the Internet INT. In the example in the figure, the terminal 100 is a car navigation device. In addition, various portable devices such as a mobile phone, a notebook PC, and a PDA can be used as the terminal. The terminal 100 is required to have a communication function with the Internet INT in order to obtain guide information provided from the information providing server 200, but access to the Internet INT is always secured during execution of the schedule. There is no need. In the example of the figure, an example in which the Internet INT is applied is shown, but a limited network such as an intranet may be used instead of the Internet INT.

  As described above, the guide information selection system is configured with the server 200 and the terminal 100 as the center, but in addition to this, the personal computer 300 and many Web servers 400 [1] and 400 [2] can be included. The personal computer 300 is a device for registering a schedule in the server 200 and managing information collected in advance according to the schedule. In this embodiment, these functions are realized by a Web page provided from the server 200. Therefore, in order to realize the above-described function, the personal computer 300 only needs to have a browser. The above-described functions can also be realized by the terminal 100. In this sense, the personal computer 300 can also be called a type of the terminal 100, but functions such as schedule registration can also be realized by a device that cannot be carried such as a desktop personal computer. Separately shown.

  Web servers 400 [1] and 400 [2] (hereinafter, both may be collectively referred to as Web server 400) are servers that provide various types of information through Web sites on the Internet. In the figure, the Web server 400 [1] provides tourism information, and the Web server 400 [2] provides gourmet information. The provided information is not limited to these, and includes a wide variety of information such as shopping information and administrative information. The Web server 400 need not be a server specialized for the guide information selection system. However, if the server is affiliated with the guide information selection system, a more convenient system can be constructed. For example, the information collection efficiency of the present system can be improved by providing information according to a prescribed format by the Web server 400.

  In the figure, functional blocks of the information providing server 200 for providing a function as a guide information selection system are also shown. In the present embodiment, these functional blocks are realized in software by installing a computer program configured with CGI (Common Gateway Interface) for realizing these functions in the information providing server 200. At least a part of the functional blocks in the figure can also be configured in hardware by a circuit such as an ASIC.

  The server 200 includes four databases shown in the figure. As will be described later, the personal profile 201 stores user identification information such as a user ID, name, and date of birth, information such as user hobbies and preferences, and customization information related to screens and audio output. The profile management unit 240 controls reading and writing of the personal profile 201.

  The general information DB 202 stores general information provided to the user by the guide information selection system. General-purpose information refers to information that can be provided regardless of the schedule, and includes news, weather forecasts, various advertisements, and the like. Music may be included. My box 203 stores a schedule registered by the user and information collected by server 200 regarding this schedule (hereinafter referred to as “schedule related information”). The contents of My Box 203 will also be described later. In this embodiment, general-purpose information and schedule-related information are stored and managed separately in genres such as “weather”, “news”, “meal”, and “sweets”. In the present embodiment, the general information and the schedule management information are described as having the same genre, but they may be different, and there may be a genre provided for only one of the information.

  The map DB 204 is a database used for route search and guidance to a destination determined based on a schedule, road network data representing roads as a set of nodes and links, drawing data for displaying a map, Is stored. In this embodiment, the server 200 provides guide information by using the function blocks described below while utilizing these databases. Road network data should include network data for vehicles that can be used when traveling by vehicle, network data for pedestrians that can be used when walking, network data for transportation that can be used when using transportation, etc. Can do. In the drawing data, for each feature included in the map, the position coordinates of the representative point, polygon data for drawing, attributes including the type of the feature, and the like are stored.

  The communication unit 210 has a function of controlling information exchange via the Internet INT. The information collection unit 250 has a function of storing information obtained via the communication unit 210 in the general-purpose information DB 202 or the My Box 203, or conversely reading out information from these databases. As an example, the information collection unit 250 exchanges information with the personal computer 300, and updates, reads, etc. the schedule in the My Box according to the designation from the user. Further, the information collection unit 250 accesses the Web server 400 to collect general information such as news and advertisements to be stored in the general information DB 202, and collects information to be stored in the My Box 203, that is, schedule related information. To do.

  The information provision control unit 230 refers to the personal profile 201, the general-purpose information DB 202, and the my box 203, and selects guide information to be provided to the user during execution of the schedule. The processing content for selection will be described later. In this embodiment, the degree of necessity is set for each genre of general-purpose information and schedule-related information in relation to an evaluation parameter for evaluating a user's movement purpose and movement status. ing. The data set to give the necessary degree is hereinafter referred to as “recommended data”. The information provision control unit 230 refers to the recommended data according to the evaluation parameter, obtains the necessity level of each genre, and selects guide information to be provided from the genre having a high degree of necessity. With such a function of the information provision control unit 230, the server 200 can provide highly useful information in each situation of the user.

  The route guidance unit 260 searches for a moving route when moving according to the schedule registered in the My Box 203 and a detour route for moving to each point obtained from the schedule related information. The route search can be realized by referring to the road network data in the map DB 204 and applying a known method such as the Dijkstra method. The route guidance unit 260 also displays a map based on the drawing data and displays a travel route and a detour route on the map when the schedule is executed.

  The output data generation unit 220 generates display data to be displayed on the terminal 100 based on data provided from the information provision control unit 230 and the route guide unit 260. In this embodiment, display data is generated using HTML and XML so that a wide variety of terminals 100 can be used. The output data generation unit 220 includes various screens required for the guide information selection system such as a screen for providing guide information and the like, a screen for registering and managing a schedule, and a menu screen for selecting an operation. Generate display data.

  In the figure, functional blocks provided in the terminal 100 are also illustrated. In the terminal 100, each functional block shown in the figure operates under the management of the main control unit 110. In this embodiment, these functional blocks are configured in software by a program for realizing the function as the terminal 100, but may be configured in hardware.

  The communication unit 120 controls transmission / reception of information via the Internet INT. The command input unit 130 inputs various commands such as selection of a menu, start of guidance, and selection of information to be displayed according to a user operation. The display control unit 150 has a function of performing screen display according to data from the information providing server 200. In this embodiment, it is provided by a browser. A GPS (Global Positioning System) 140 detects the current position of the user. The current position is transmitted to the server 200 and used for display control of guide information and route guidance.

  What is shown here is only an example of a guide information selection system. Each functional block shown in FIG. 1 is not necessarily provided in the information providing server 200 or the terminal 100, and may be realized by cooperation of a plurality of servers by distributed processing.

B. data structure:
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of the personal profile 201 and the my box 203. The contents of the personal profile 201 are shown on the left side, and the contents of the My Box 203 are shown on the right side. The personal profile 201 is a database for managing users of the guide information selection system and also a database for providing information that can be utilized when selecting information useful for the user. As shown in the figure, personal profile 201 stores personal identification information such as user ID, name, date of birth, sex, and family composition. In the example in the figure, an example in which “USR001” is stored as the user ID is shown. Although the example of storing the number of people such as “wife, one daughter, and one son” is shown as the family structure, the age, hobbies, preferences, and the like of each person may be stored. The more detailed the family structure, the more useful the information collected and selected. For example, when providing guide information when going out for leisure with a family, useful information differs depending on whether the daughter is an elementary school student or a high school girl.

  The personal profile 201 also stores information such as user hobbies and preferences. This information is also used for collecting schedule-related information and selecting guide information. As shown in the figure, it is possible to provide useful information to the user in a manner such as giving priority to ramen shops when providing restaurant information by grasping preferences such as ramen preference Become. The same applies to hobbies. In the example of the figure, preference and hobbies are illustrated, but in addition to this, various information that can be used for collection and selection of guide information, such as occupation, usage record of guide information, and the like can be included.

  The personal profile 201 may further store option information. In the example of the figure, customization information related to information provision is illustrated. The screen color means selection of the background color of the information providing screen. The voice means the type of reading voice at the time of voice output (hereinafter referred to as “voice type”). In this embodiment, the user's favorite voice type is selected from a plurality of types of voice types registered in advance. “FVOICE1” stored in the voice is a registered female voice identification code. When the server 200 outputs the guide information or the like by voice, the voice output data reflecting the voice identification code may be generated and transmitted to the terminal 100.

  My box 203 stores a schedule registered by the user and information collected by server 200 regarding this schedule (hereinafter referred to as “schedule related information”). My box 203 and personal profile 201 are associated with each other by a user ID. In the schedule, a date, a time zone, a place, contents of the schedule, and the like are registered. In the example shown in the figure, there is a schedule of “Meeting at company Z from 13:00” on March 1st, and there is no particular schedule of travel between 10:00 and 13:00. I understand that. Further, in the example on March 2, it is understood that a schedule of “customer from 11:00 to 12:00” is included, and a schedule of “lunch after 12:00 to 13:00” is included.

  In the information box, schedule related information is registered. This information and the schedule are associated with each other by “Related ID”. The information shown in the example in the figure has a related ID of “INFO1”, and the related ID of “INFO1” is added to the travel time in the March 1 schedule. It can be seen that the information can be used during the day's movement. A lot of schedule related information is registered in the information box. The related ID may be unique to each piece of information or may be unique to a schedule item. For example, consider a case where there are a plurality of schedule related information related to “move” on March 1 in the example of the figure. According to the former example, since individual pieces of related IDs are attached to all of the information, a plurality of related IDs are registered for “movement” in the schedule. According to the latter example, the schedule-related information is assigned the related ID “INFO1” attached to “move”. Which mode is adopted can be arbitrarily selected. In the case of adopting the former mode, by setting a related ID in a form including a common “INFO1” like “INFO1 ***”, it is possible to easily determine the correspondence with “movement”. Also good.

  Various information shown in the figure is stored in each schedule related information. “Path” represents a storage location of information. A directory or a file name in the server 200 may be used, or a URL of information stored in the Web server 400 may be used. “Name” stores a name representing schedule-related information such as a store name, a name of a famous place, and a place name. “Location” stores latitude and longitude representing a point related to schedule-related information such as the location of a store, the location of a famous place, and the like. When collecting schedule-related information with reference to the Web server 400, the latitude and longitude may not be specified even if the address can be specified. In such a case, the “location” may be registered as an address. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the processing when providing guide information, “location” is stored in a unified format of latitude and longitude. When the latitude and longitude cannot be collected directly, the server 200 searches the latitude and longitude by referring to the map DB 204 based on the address.

  In addition to this, the user himself / herself may be able to register a place where the user wants to go to the My Box. This registration can use the same format as the schedule related information. This information is preferably registered in advance regardless of the schedule. This makes it possible for the user to register information that has gained interest in a magazine or the like, and to make effective use of the information when going out to the vicinity.

  “Voice” is a voice identification code at the time of outputting voice output data. Similar to the information registered in the personal profile 201, it is information for specifying the voice type registered in the server 200 in advance. This voice identification code is stored when the voice identification code is embedded in the information provided on the website. In this way, the information provider can control the type of voice when it is used in the guide information selection system simply by embedding a voice identification code in a part of the information provided by the user through the website. Is possible. For example, in the example of the figure, the store owner of “XX ramen” can provide advertisements and guidance for his / her store with his / her favorite voice.

  The “required time” represents a time margin required when acting according to the schedule related information. For example, in the case of a ramen shop, the time from ordering ramen to finishing eating can be set as the required time. In the case of popular ramen shops, average waiting time may be considered. The required time may be embedded in the information by the information provider, or the server 200 sets an average value according to the type of store, sights, popularity, etc. given by the schedule related information. You may make it do.

  “Provision history” records a history of schedule-related information provided to the terminal 100. In the example shown in the figure, this information is provided to the terminal 100 [1] on March 1, 2006. By referring to the provision history, the server 200 can avoid the same information being repeatedly provided to the user. The provision history may include a history of whether or not the user has used this information.

  The data structure described above is only an example. Both the personal profile 201 and the my box 203 do not need to store all the data shown in the figure, and some items may be omitted. Further, data other than the items shown in the figure may be included. The data storage format is not limited to the example shown in the figure, and various formats can be adopted.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of recommended data. As described above, it is data that gives the necessity level of information of each genre with respect to the evaluation parameters representing the user's movement purpose and movement situation. “Weather”, “news”, “market price” and the like shown in the figure correspond to genres. As the evaluation parameters, “scene” is provided as an item related to the purpose of movement, and “time zone” is provided as an item related to the movement status. “Scene” is an item that indicates what kind of group the user is moving or for what purpose when the user moves, such as “commuting, business trip, one person, couple, family, friend” It is. The evaluation parameters shown in the figure are examples, and more evaluation parameters may be provided. Also, in the example in the figure, a table that gives the degree of necessity individually for “scene” and “time zone”, but this correspondence gives the degree of necessity when “scene” and “time zone” are determined. You may comprise as a two-dimensional table. Further, it can be configured as a multidimensional table determined according to many evaluation parameters.

  In the recommended data, a degree of necessity is given to each evaluation parameter. For example, the genre “weather” is “◯” in the scene “commuting”, and “◎” in the time zone “5-11 am”. The method of using the necessity level will be described in the guide information selection process. In this embodiment, the degree of necessity is represented by ranks “◎”, “◯”, and “×”, but may be represented by a numerical value.

  In addition, “priority” and “conditions” for distribution are also set in the recommended data. “Priority” is data that gives superiority or inferiority between genres when providing guide information. When there are a plurality of genres that have the same degree of necessity determined based on the evaluation parameter, information with a high “priority” is provided. “Priority” is also expressed by ranks S, A, B, and C in descending order, but may be expressed numerically.

  “Condition” is used to control whether or not to provide information regardless of necessity and priority. In the example in the figure, “weather” has a condition of “5 minutes after the start of driving + congestion”. According to this condition, “weather” is not distributed even in scenes with a high degree of necessity and priority during the period from the start of driving to 5 minutes later and during periods other than during traffic jams. For this condition, the parameters “Elapsed time after start of driving” and “Is it in a traffic jam” are set in the evaluation parameter. For “Weather”, the elapsed time is up to “5 minutes later” and “In a traffic jam” respectively. You may implement | achieve by setting a necessity degree to "(double-circle)", and setting to "x" in other cases.

  “Conditions” are not only the ones that regulate the availability of information, but also the genre, such as the condition “Guided when there is no store with the corresponding conditions in“ Food ”” attached to “Family”. It may include those that define the superiority or inferiority of information provision. In effect, the genre of “meal” is divided into the sub-genre of “Family” and “Other”, and then the priority is set to give priority to “Other” over “Family”. It is equivalent. The “conditions” shown in the figure can be incorporated in the evaluation parameters and the priorities as described above.

C. Control processing for providing guide information:
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control processing in the guide information selection system. This corresponds to a main routine executed by the server 200. When the process is started, the server 200 accepts a login from the user (step S10), presents a menu screen, and inputs an instruction from the user (step S12). An example of the menu screen MENU is shown in the figure. In this example, four menus of “1. Schedule registration / change”, “2. Information box maintenance”, “3. Schedule guide”, and “4. Personal profile management” are provided. In response to the selection instruction from the user (step S14), the server executes a process corresponding to each menu.

  When “1. schedule registration / change” is selected, the server 200 performs schedule registration / change processing (step S100). This is a process for registering a schedule in the My Box 203 or changing a registered schedule. Either the terminal 100 or the personal computer 300 can be used, but the personal computer 300 is preferable in terms of operability. Details of the schedule registration / change process will be described later.

  When “2. Information box maintenance” is selected, the server 200 performs information box maintenance processing (step S200). This is a process for adding, changing, and deleting schedule related information accumulated in the My Box 203. Either the terminal 100 or the personal computer 300 can be used, but the personal computer 300 is preferable in terms of operability. The contents of the information box maintenance process will be described in detail later.

  When “3. schedule guide” is selected, the server 200 performs a schedule guide process (step S300). This is a process for guiding a travel route according to the schedule and providing guide information when the schedule is executed. Since it is a process of providing guidance and information provision while the user is moving, the portable terminal 100 is used.

  When “4. Personal profile management” is selected, the server 200 performs personal profile management processing (step S400). This is a process for registering, changing, and deleting the personal profile 201. Either the terminal 100 or the personal computer 300 can be used, but the personal computer 300 is preferable in terms of operability. In this process, the server 200 displays the contents of the personal profile 201 (see FIG. 2) on the user's personal computer 300 and the like, and when the user inputs each item, the personal profile 201 is updated with the contents.

D. Schedule registration / change processing:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the schedule registration / change process. This process corresponds to step S100 of the main routine (FIG. 4). As described above, in this process, the terminal 100 can be used. However, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the following description will be made assuming that the personal computer 300 is used.

  When this process is started, the server 200 reads an existing schedule from the my box 203 (step S102). If the schedule is unregistered, the process of step S102 is terminated with substantially nothing being read. Then, the server 200 displays the read schedule on the screen of the personal computer 300, and inputs a schedule editing command based on the user's operation (step S104).

  An example of the schedule edit screen is shown in the figure. The personal computer 300 displays a schedule screen W1 for the designated day. The already registered schedule is displayed on this screen W1. In the example in the figure, the schedule “Meeting at company Z from 13:00” has been registered. When the user operates the mouse or keyboard of the personal computer 300 to designate any time zone in the screen W1, a sub window W2 for inputting a schedule is displayed. When a time slot in which a schedule has already been registered is clicked, the registered schedule contents are displayed in the sub-window W2. The user can register the date and time, title, location, member, other memos, and the like using this sub-window. Further, whether or not to collect schedule related information can be switched (ON / OFF). When the information collection is turned on, the server 200 assigns a related ID that associates the schedule with the schedule related information. The example in the figure shows a state in which “INFO1” is assigned as the related ID. The editing of the schedule is not limited to the illustrated screen, and various known editing screens can be used.

  In the figure, an example is shown in which the user specifies whether to collect schedule related information. It may not be necessary to specify ON / OFF of information collection. For example, when a schedule is registered, the server 200 may automatically set information collection to ON for the free time immediately before that. In addition, information collection may be performed for all time zones without performing such setting. For example, for a time zone in which a schedule is registered, information corresponding to the schedule may be collected, and for free time, information that can be used effectively while moving to the next schedule may be collected.

  When the editing of the schedule is completed, the server 200 stores the editing result in the my box 203 and updates the schedule (step S106). Then, an information collecting process, that is, a process for collecting schedule related information is executed (step S110).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the information collection process. In this process, the server 200 reads a schedule from the My Box 203 and extracts a schedule to be collected information, that is, a target schedule (Step S112). In this embodiment, as described above, a schedule for which information collection is set to “ON” is extracted.

  For this target schedule, the server 200 sets the location of the immediately preceding schedule as the start position, and sets the location immediately after the target schedule as the end position (step S114). Then, a route search from the start position to the end position is performed (step S116). The route search can be performed with reference to the road network data in the map DB 204. Here, since schedules before and after the target schedule are given, it is necessary to search for a movement method that does not interfere with the schedule. That is, the start position must be departed at the end time of the immediately preceding schedule, and the end position must be reached at the start time of the immediately following schedule. Such a route may be searched under the condition that the required time is the shortest. When using the Dijkstra method, a route search may be performed so that the cost reflecting the time required for passing through each link is minimized. Various conditions can be considered for the route search. For example, each route may be obtained by variously changing the moving means such as when using a vehicle, walking, or using a transportation facility. When walking, a route that avoids hills and stairs may be searched by attaching a high cost value to hills and stairs. Similarly, by reflecting the user's request in the cost, it is possible to perform a route search considering various requests.

  In this embodiment, the target schedule may be scheduled to be unmovable. For example, the case where the collection of schedule related information is ON for the schedule “conference” is applicable. The processing in step S116 may be omitted for such a schedule that cannot be moved.

  Next, the server 200 reads data relating to user preferences and hobbies from the personal profile 201 (step S118). Then, information is collected from the Web server based on the information taken in above (step S120). This information collection is performed under the following conditions because the purpose is to provide useful information to the user. First, the condition is that the information matches or resembles the user's preference and hobby. For example, when the user has a preference of “Ramen lover”, guidance information on “Ramen shop” may be collected as matching information. Further, as similar information, information on noodle shops such as “Chinese restaurant”, soba shop and udon shop may be collected. The same applies to hobbies. When collecting information, the member composition accompanying the schedule may be considered. For example, in the case of family leisure, it is possible to consider the family structure, family member preferences, hobbies, and the like. In the case of a business trip, it is possible to consider the tastes and hobbies of colleagues at the company.

  The second condition is that information is collected in a spatial range in time for the schedule immediately after. For example, no matter how popular the ramen restaurant is, it cannot be used for information about stores that are so far away that the next schedule is not met. This condition can be determined by various methods. For example, the determination may be made by a simple method such as information about a place within a predetermined distance from the route searched in step S116. The “predetermined distance” in this case can be set in consideration of a margin time to the next schedule, a distance to the next destination, and a user's moving speed. As another aspect, the route search in step S116 may be performed using a place corresponding to the schedule related information as a transit point, and it may be determined whether or not it is in time for the next schedule.

  When information matching the above conditions is obtained, the server 200 attaches the related ID attached to the target schedule to the information and stores it in the information box (step S122). The server 200 repeatedly executes the information collecting process as appropriate, thereby collecting schedule related information for all schedules to which related IDs are attached and strives to collect as much schedule related information as possible for each schedule. For example, the information collection process may be repeatedly executed until a certain number of pieces of information are collected for all schedules.

  In the above description, the case where the information collection processing is performed when the schedule is registered / changed is shown. The information collection process can also be executed at other timings. For example, until the schedule is executed, the schedule may be periodically executed regardless of whether or not the schedule is registered / changed. By repeatedly executing in this way, more information and newer information can be collected.

E. Information box maintenance processing:
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the information box maintenance process. This process corresponds to step S200 of the main routine. This process is a process for the user to confirm the schedule related information collected by the server 200 before executing the schedule, and to instruct to delete unnecessary information or to always provide the collected information. As described above, in this process, the terminal 100 can be used. However, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the following description will be made assuming that the personal computer 300 is used.

  When the process is started, the server 200 receives a schedule for displaying schedule-related information from the user, that is, designation of a target schedule (step S202). When the user designates the target schedule using the personal computer 300, the server 200 refers to the information box of the my box 203 and reads information with the related ID assigned to the target schedule (step S204).

  The server 200 displays the read result on the personal computer 300 and accepts editing of schedule related information (step S206). The example of the edit screen displayed on the personal computer 300 is shown in the figure. In this example, as indicated by an arrow on the left side of the screen, a travel route according to the schedule is displayed on the map. An item of schedule related information is displayed in the lower right, and a location corresponding to this item is displayed on the map. In the example in the figure, information a “XX ramen”, information b “ΔΔ champon”, and information c “** udon” are obtained as schedule related information. In the map on the left, the positions of the stores corresponding to the respective information are displayed with the symbols a to c. Here, an example of a store has been shown, but the same applies to famous places and the like. The registered schedule is displayed on the upper right.

  In the illustrated editing screen, as described above, the user can grasp the positional relationship between the point corresponding to the schedule related information (hereinafter referred to as “setting place”) and the moving route by the map, and at the same time, the schedule screen on the upper right. Can grasp the time margin until the next schedule. Further, when each item is clicked on the lower right screen, detailed information may be displayed. The user lists these pieces of information and determines whether schedule-related information is necessary. For example, if it is determined that the information a “XX ramen” is unnecessary because the store is far away, check the information a check box in the lower right area of the screen and click the “delete” button. . If there is information that must be provided, check the check box and click the “Register” button.

  When the editing result is input, the server 200 updates the contents of the information box accordingly (step S208), and ends the information box maintenance process. In the embodiment, the method of deleting information and registering it as a provision target has been exemplified, but it is also possible to add information collected by the user himself / herself. For example, the user can input a path or URL of information on the editing screen shown in step S206, and in step S208, the server 200 may acquire information and store it in the information box according to this.

F. Schedule guide processing:
When it is time to execute the schedule, the user instructs the schedule guide on the menu screen MENU (see FIG. 4). In response to this instruction, the server 200 provides the terminal 100 with support information when the user executes the schedule, that is, a route to the destination and other useful information. In the following, first, specific processing contents in the schedule / guide processing will be described using a display screen example of the terminal 100, and then a flowchart for realizing this processing will be shown.

  As described above, at the time of starting the schedule, the server 200 has accumulated all the information necessary for the schedule guide. Therefore, the user can execute schedule / guide processing without performing communication with the server 200 by downloading these pieces of information to the terminal 100 at once. However, in the following description, it is assumed that the terminal 100 is in an environment where communication with the server 200 is possible as appropriate. This is because by communicating with the server 200 during the schedule guide, there is an advantage that the content of the information to be provided can be flexibly changed according to the current state of the user.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the schedule / guide processing. This is a process for providing route guidance and providing guide information according to the current position after the user starts moving. First, the server 200 reads schedule data and a route search result from the My Box 203 (Step S302). Then, the user's current position and current time are input (step S303). The current position can be detected using the GPS 140 of the terminal 100.

  When the current position of the user does not move for a predetermined time, it is determined that the user is stopped (step S304), and the server 200 identifies the stop location from the map DB 204 (step S305) and records it as a travel history in the my box 203 (step S304). S306). The stop location may be extracted from the feature corresponding to the coordinates of the current position by referring to the map DB 204. When the corresponding feature cannot be obtained, it is assumed that the stop location is unknown. Considering an error range included in the current position, features within a predetermined distance may be handled as a stopover location. If not stopped (step S304), these processes are skipped.

  Next, the server 200 executes guide information selection processing (step S310). This is a process of selecting guide information that matches the distribution conditions according to the user's scene, time zone, etc. (see FIG. 3). Information to be transmitted is selected for both general-purpose information and schedule-related information. The details of the guide information selection process will be described later. The server 200 outputs the guide information thus selected to the terminal 100, that is, the car navigation system (step S500).

  A display example of the terminal 100 is shown in the figure. In the present embodiment, the screen of the terminal 100 is composed of three windows W1 to W3. In the window W1, a map, a route, and a current position are displayed. The window W2 displays weather information, traffic jam information, distance to the destination, estimated arrival time, and the like. Other guide information is displayed in the window W3. When the user clicks “view details” in the window W3, the registered detailed guide information can be displayed. When “confirm location” is clicked, the store position where the guide information is registered is displayed in the window W1. The route from the current position to the store may be displayed together.

  The server 200 repeats the above processing until it reaches the destination (step S502). The above description is processing in a situation where communication between the server 200 and the terminal 100 is ensured. In the present embodiment, as described above, the route search result and guide information are acquired in advance in the route search process. Therefore, when communication between the server 200 and the terminal 100 is interrupted due to a moving situation, route guidance and guide information output (step S500) may be performed using data acquired in the terminal 100. .

F1. Guide information selection process:
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the guide information selection process. This process corresponds to step S310 of the schedule / guide process (FIG. 8), and is a process for selecting guide information to be provided to the user from the general-purpose information DB 202 and the My Box 203 (see FIG. 1).

  First, the server 200 determines the presence / absence of information instructed by the user to be provided from the general-purpose information DB 202 and the my box 203 (see step S206 in FIG. 7) (step S311). If there is such information, the designated guide information is read (step S312), the guide information is distributed, and the distribution record is recorded (step S341).

  When there is no information instructed by the user (step S311), the server 200 reads a mode, a movement status, a distribution result, and a travel history in order to select information to be provided to the user (step S315). The mode is information corresponding to a scene of recommended data (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the server 200 determines the mode from the contents of the schedule and accompanying members. A method of allowing the user to select a mode at the stage of executing step S315 or starting the route guidance may be adopted. In this embodiment, the movement status is information corresponding to the “time zone” of the recommended data, and here, the current time is input. When many types of evaluation parameters are provided for the movement status, information corresponding to each evaluation parameter is input. The distribution record is stored in the general-purpose information DB 202 and the My Box 203 in association with each information. The travel history is the history of the elapsed time after departure and the place where the user stopped. These are stored in the My Box 203 in this embodiment.

  The server 200 calculates an evaluation value for each genre based on such information (step S316). In this embodiment, the evaluation value is obtained as the sum of the necessary degrees. First, referring to the recommended data (FIG. 3) based on the mode, the degree of necessity is obtained (a value representing the degree of necessity obtained is referred to as a “mode evaluation value”). Next, the degree of necessity is similarly obtained according to the movement situation (a value representing the calculated degree of necessity is referred to as a “movement situation evaluation value”). The sum of the two (mode evaluation value + movement status evaluation value) is set as an “evaluation value”. This is only an example of how to obtain the evaluation value, and the sum of the mode evaluation value and the movement situation evaluation value, which may be obtained by multiplying both by the weighting coefficient, is adopted as the evaluation value. Or the product of both may be used as the evaluation value.

  This will be described with reference to the example of FIG. The degree of necessity “◎”, “◯”, and “×” are represented by numerical values “2”, “1”, and “0”, respectively. For the genre “weather”, the mode evaluation value is “1” because the degree of necessity is “◯” in the “commuting” mode. In the time zone of “5-11 o'clock”, since the degree of necessity is “◎”, the movement status evaluation value is “2”. Therefore, the evaluation value of “weather” for this situation is obtained as “3”. Evaluation values can also be obtained for other genres depending on the mode and time zone.

  Next, the server 200 sorts the genres (step S317). The sort key can be arbitrarily set, but in this embodiment, the distribution result is the first key, the evaluation value is the second key, and the priority is the third key. By doing so, undelivered genres, genres with high evaluation values, and genres with high priority are arranged at the top.

  When the sorting is completed, the server 200 excludes, from the distribution target, the same genre as the stop location of the travel history and the genre that does not satisfy the distribution condition (see FIG. 3) (step S318). For example, when it is obtained from the travel history that the user has already stopped by a restaurant, the genre to which the restaurant guide information belongs, that is, “meal”, “family restaurant”, and the like are excluded from the distribution target. By doing so, it is possible to avoid the repeated distribution of information that is less useful to the user due to a drop in the way.

  This is merely an example of processing, and conversely, processing for re-sorting the same genre as the stop location may be performed. For example, when the user stops at a tourist spot with a beautiful scenery, it can be determined that the user is seeking another place with a beautiful scenery. Therefore, it is possible to provide highly useful information by re-sorting the genre corresponding to “tourist attraction” to the top. Depending on the genre in which the stop location of the travel history is included, a mode may be adopted in which switching is performed between whether to exclude or sort higher.

  When the above process is completed, the server 200 selects the highest genre as a distribution target (step S319), and executes an in-genre information selection process (step S320). This is a process of selecting information to be distributed from various guide information included in a specified genre. When information to be distributed is selected by this process (step S340), the server 200 distributes the guide information, records it in the distribution result (step S341), and ends the guide information selection process.

  In the in-genre information selection process, there may be no guide information to be distributed. For example, there is a case where only guide information for a point far from the current position of the user is collected in the specified genre. If the information is not selected (step S340), the server 200 designates the next genre according to the sorted order and tries the in-genre information selection process again until the guide information to be selected is obtained (step S340). Step S320).

F2. In-genre information selection processing:
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the in-genre information selection process. This is a process corresponding to step S320 of the guide information selection process (FIG. 9). In this process, the server first reads guide information corresponding to the genre from the general-purpose information DB 202 and the my box 203 (step S321).

  Next, the server 200 sorts the guide information (step S322). Although the sort key can be arbitrarily set, in this embodiment, the mode adaptability is the first key, the information freshness is the second key, and the information PR degree is the third key (step S322). Mode suitability refers to the determination of whether or not the guide information is suitable for the mode specified by the user. For example, while traveling in the “couple” mode, a stylish restaurant suitable for couples is determined to be compatible with the mode, and fast food is determined to be non-compatible. For this determination, for example, a suitable mode is registered in advance for each guide information, and the server 200 determines whether or not the mode specified by the user is included in the mode. Can do. Registration of the suitable mode may be performed manually by the operator of the server 200 judging the content of each guide information. The provider of the guide information may upload to the Web server 400 after setting a suitable mode in consideration of the aim of the guide information of the guide information provider. Furthermore, a mode to which the server 200 fits may be automatically set based on the store name and type. Automatic setting can be realized relatively easily by referring to a table in which store names, types, and modes are associated in advance. Of course, it is also possible to apply various methods exemplified here in combination.

  The newness of information is the elapsed time from the last update date of each guide information. By using the newness of information as a sort key, new information can be preferentially provided. The PR degree of information is an evaluation value representing the appeal of guide information for the user. The PR degree can be evaluated by various methods. In the present embodiment, a predetermined expression, for example, “Topic of topic”, “Matrix can be created”, “Japan's largest…”, etc. is evaluated based on the ratio included in the guide information. did. The ratio is the ratio that the expression with a high PR degree occupies in the expression of the entire guide information. Each expression can be obtained by quantifying each expression by the number of words. You may evaluate by the quantity by which the expression with high PR degree is used.

  When the sorting of the guide information is completed, the server 200 extracts the highest-level guide information (step S323). Then, a required time from the current position to a point corresponding to the guide information (hereinafter referred to as “installation location”) is calculated (step S324). The required time may be easily obtained based on the straight line distance between the two points, or may be obtained based on a route obtained by performing a route search between the two points.

  When the required time thus obtained is within the preset allowable range (step S325), the server 200 selects the guide information as a distribution target (step S329). If the allowable range is exceeded (step S325), the same processing is executed for the next guide information in the sorted order until the determination is completed for all guide information in the genre (step S326) (step S326). Steps S324 and S325). The “allowable range” is a value that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not guide information is accepted, and can be arbitrarily set. Increasing the allowable range increases the possibility that guide information far from the current position is provided, and reducing the allowable range makes it difficult to obtain guide information that satisfies the conditions. The allowable range may be adjusted to a range in which an appropriate amount of useful information can be provided to the user in consideration of these balances.

  When the required time exceeds the allowable range for all the guide information (steps S325 and S326), the server 200 selects the advance notice information (step S327) and ends the in-genre information selection process. The advance notice information is information that is located far from the current position but is highly useful to the user. By providing this information, the user can make a prospect that desired guide information can be obtained by continuing traveling for a while. For example, when looking for a restaurant for couples, even if the restaurant is not found near the current location, if the notice information provides that it is about 30 minutes away, look out for fashion. This makes it possible to avoid the mistake of missing a romantic meal by using a standing soba noodle nearby.

  In the present embodiment, the selection of the advance notice information is performed by selecting the guide information closest to the current position among the guide information that satisfies the mode and is within a predetermined distance from the route (step S327). ). The selection of the advance notice information will be described later with a specific example.

  In the above selection, business hours may be considered in addition to the required time. For example, it is possible to acquire information on business hours for a facility such as a restaurant and exclude the facility from the selection target when the estimated arrival time at the store is out of business days and business hours. Similarly, information may be selected in consideration of the movie show time.

F3. Guide information selection example:
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of guide information selection. An example of sorting (step S317 in FIG. 9) in the guide information selection process is shown. In the upper left of the figure, the priority order, the evaluation value, and the distribution result are shown for each genre. The evaluation value is a value set based on the recommended data (FIG. 3) under the condition “11-14” at lunch time for “couple”. In the guide information selection process, these genres are sorted using the distribution result, evaluation value, and priority as keys. The sorting result is shown in the upper right. Within the genre shown in the figure, further subdivided genres may be evaluated. For example, sub-genres such as “Western food” and “Japanese food”, which are subdivided “meals” sorted at the top, may be provided, and the necessary degree of these genres may be evaluated and sorted. By performing evaluation and sorting of the necessity level hierarchically in this way, for genres that were low evaluation such as `` quiz '', while avoiding unnecessary evaluation for sub-genre, for genres with high necessity It becomes possible to realize more flexible and appropriate information selection.

  The figure on the upper right also shows the stop by record. It is the result judged based on a user's run history. Here, it is assumed that the restaurant does not stop at a “meal” or “family restaurant” but a coffee shop. Since the server 200 excludes the same genre as the stop location (step SS318 in FIG. 9), the cafe is excluded from the distribution target.

  An example of guide information selection processing is shown on the lower side of the figure. It is assumed that guide information of restaurants A to D is collected in the genre of “meal”. In the in-genre information selection process, sorting is performed based on mode adaptability, information novelty, and information PR degree (step S322 in FIG. 10). First, mode compatibility will be considered in accordance with the example of FIG. Since restaurant A is for “couples”, it is suitable for the mode “couple” specified by the user. Restaurants B and C are non-conforming. Since the restaurant D is not designated as a mode, the restaurant D is treated as being suitable for the mode “couple” designated by the user.

  Since restaurant A has an update date of “2006.7.2” and restaurant D has “2006.6.4”, restaurant A is ranked higher in information freshness. Next, in the PR degree of information, the restaurant D has an evaluation value of 5, which is higher than the evaluation value 4 of the restaurant A. However, in the present embodiment, since the newness of information is a sort key that is prioritized over the PR degree, the restaurant A is comprehensively higher-level guide information than the restaurant D. However, the time required for restaurants A and B exceeds the allowable range. Therefore, the server 200 selects a restaurant D within the allowable range as a distribution target. In this example, if the guide information of the restaurant D does not exist, the server 200 selects the information of the restaurant A as the notice information.

  The above-described example shows an example in which an item to be provided to the user is selected from a plurality of guide information. In addition to this, this embodiment can also be used in a mode of determining whether or not to provide information searched in real time. For example, it is assumed that the genre is sorted as shown in FIG. At this point, it is assumed that the guide information selection system has obtained new information from a Web server or the like. The guide information selection system determines to which genre in FIG. 11 this new information belongs. If the information belongs to a genre that exceeds a predetermined standard that is arbitrarily set such as the third or higher degree of necessity, it is provided to the user. For example, when restaurant information belonging to a genre of 3rd or higher from the top is obtained, the information is provided to the user, but is not provided in the case of quiz information. As described above, the present embodiment flexibly and appropriately selects information to be provided to the user by determining whether or not to provide newly obtained information based on the result of evaluating the necessity level of each genre. It becomes possible.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of selecting the advance notice information. The situation where the user heads to the destination GL from the current position ST is illustrated. It is assumed that there is no guide information to be distributed to the terminal 100 in the guide information selection process. In this case, the server 200 selects the advance notice information in the in-genre information selection process (step S327 in FIG. 10). Here, it is assumed that restaurants for “couple” are provided, and four restaurants 1 to 4 are obtained as guide information that can be provided by the server 200. As the advance notice information, information closest to the current position is selected from guide information that satisfies the mode and is within a predetermined distance from the route (step S327 in FIG. 10). First, consider the mode. As illustrated, the restaurant 1 is for "Family" and the restaurants 2-4 are for "Couple". Accordingly, the restaurant 1 is excluded from the selection target of the notice information.

  Next, consider the distance from the route. The distances from the routes of the restaurants 2 to 4 are D2, D3, and D4, respectively. The distance from the route is a distance to travel off the route, not the distance from the current position to each restaurant. This distance may be obtained by searching for a route from one point on the route to the restaurant, but in this embodiment, the shortest straight distance from the restaurant to the route is used. The allowable range of the distance from the route can be arbitrarily set. In the example of FIG. 12, it is assumed that the distance D2 of the restaurant 2 exceeds the allowable range, and the distances D3 and D4 of the restaurants 3 and 4 are within the allowable range. Therefore, the server 200 selects the restaurant 3 that is closest to the current position ST among the restaurants 3 and 4 as the notice information.

  Here, although the example which selects one restaurant was shown, restaurant 1-4 may be shown as a candidate and selection may be entrusted to a user. By making the final decision, the user can make a selection based on the mood at that time, the hunger condition, the atmosphere of the shop specifically presented, and the like. In the case of adopting this aspect, it is preferable to present after narrowing down information to a range that can be easily selected by the user, for example, about 2 to 5 pieces.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a modified example of the advance notice information selection. In FIG. 12, the example which performs information selection based on the distance from a path | route was shown. In the modification, a processing example in which the evaluation of the distance is simplified is shown. In the modification, as illustrated, the range including the departure place ST and the destination GL is divided into areas A1 to D5 having a predetermined size. And the passage passage area is selected from these. In the drawing, hatched areas (areas A4, B4, B3, C3, C2, C1, and D1) are passing areas. Next, it is determined whether the restaurants 1 to 4 belong to these passing areas. As illustrated, the restaurants 1 to 3 exist in the passage area, but the restaurant 4 is out of the passage area. In the modified example, based on this result, the restaurant 4 that is out of the passage area is determined to be too far from the route, and is excluded from the selection targets. As for the restaurants 1 to 3, whether or not the information is applicable is determined based on the type of restaurant and the like as in the embodiment. In this way, information selection reflecting the distance from the route can be realized with simple processing.

  According to the guide information selection system of the first embodiment described above, the recommended data (FIG. 3) is used to determine the necessity level of the genre of guide information according to the user's current mode and movement status. The guide information provided to the user can be selected reflecting this. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information for the user.

  In the first embodiment, the result of using a restaurant or the like based on the presented guide information may be recorded in a my box or the like. For example, it is possible to use a method in which an evaluation screen is provided to the user after using the facility, and the evaluation result registered by the user in five stages or the like is registered in association with the used facility. Next, when selecting guide information, information on facilities with a high evaluation is preferentially provided, and information with a low evaluation is excluded from the selection target, so that the information is highly useful to the user. Can be provided.

  Further, the above evaluation result may be shared among a plurality of users. By obtaining an average evaluation for each facility, it is possible to preferentially provide information regarding a reputed facility. In addition, by sharing information between users with similar preferences, it is possible to provide information suitable for the user's sense.

  The visit results shown in the examples can also be used for positive evaluation. It is possible to know the facility that the user is using on a daily basis by recording the results of the visit to a specific facility, and this can be used for selecting guide information. As an example, let us consider a case where it is determined that refueling is necessary based on the remaining fuel and average fuel consumption of the vehicle in the case where a stop by a user at a gas station is recorded. If the user uses a specific gas station from the stop result, it is determined whether or not the user can travel to this good gas station, and if the user can travel, the user is prompted to refuel. Information on other gas stations may be excluded from selection. When it is not possible to travel to a good gas station, it is possible to preferentially provide information on a gas station in the same series as the good gas station. The user may be able to set whether to give priority to the same series.

G. Second embodiment:
In the guide information selection system, the recommended data (FIG. 3) can be set in various ways. You may increase the kind of evaluation parameter. In the first embodiment (FIG. 3), an example is shown in which the degree of necessity is represented by a rank, but each may be represented by a numerical value. The degree of necessity may be given as a continuous function of evaluation parameters. Such an example is shown below as a second embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing recommended data in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the guide information is managed in a hierarchical manner as shown on the left side of the figure. Genres such as “weather”, “news”, and “quiz” are provided in the general category of general-purpose information, and categories such as “sweets” and “meal” are provided in the general category of food and drink. “Meals” are divided into sub-genres such as “Family” and “Gurume”. This hierarchical structure is not unique to the second embodiment, and can be similarly applied to the first embodiment.

  The priority and necessity corresponding to “weather” are shown on the right side of the figure. In the second embodiment, these data are set for each genre. As described later, the “priority” is set by the server 200 in the second embodiment. The “mode” is different from the first embodiment (FIG. 3) only in that what is represented by a symbol is represented by a numerical value, and the content is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the time zone, the operation time, and the distance to the destination are applied as evaluation parameters, and the evaluation value is given by a function as illustrated. Each graph in the figure gives an evaluation value for “weather” for each evaluation parameter. “Time zone” is expressed by taking time on the horizontal axis, and the evaluation value is set high in the morning time zone. “Operating time” represents the elapsed time after departure on the horizontal axis, and the evaluation value is set high within one hour after the start of operation. The “distance to the destination” is set higher as the distance increases. This means that the further away from the destination, the higher the necessity of the “weather” information of the destination. By adopting such a configuration in which the evaluation value is given by a continuous function, for example, it is possible to avoid the adverse effect that the evaluation value due to the “time zone” fluctuates greatly only when the current time differs by 1 minute. In the second embodiment, an example is shown in which all evaluation parameters relating to the movement situation are defined by continuous functions. However, items given by rank and items given by continuous functions may be mixed as in the first embodiment.

G1. Guide information selection process:
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the guide information selection process in the second embodiment. This process corresponds to step S310 of the schedule / guide process (FIG. 8). As in the first embodiment (FIG. 9), the server 200 reads the specified guide information (step S402) when there is information instructed by the user (step S401), and distributes the guide information and results of distribution. Is recorded (step S462).

  When there is no information instructed by the user (step S401), the server 200 reads the mode, movement status, distribution result, and travel history (step S403), and executes the priority setting process (step S410). In the first embodiment, the priority of each genre is given in advance, whereas in the second embodiment, the priority of each genre is set by this process. In the second embodiment, the priority is set as a numerical value.

Next, the server 200 calculates an evaluation value for each genre with reference to the recommended data (FIG. 14) (step S430). First, as in the first embodiment, the mode evaluation value is obtained based on the “mode” designated by the user. Next, a time zone evaluation value, an operation time evaluation value, and a distance evaluation value are calculated based on a graph of recommended data. In the second embodiment, the entire evaluation value including the priority is obtained by the following equation. This equation can be set arbitrarily.
Evaluation value = priority x (mode evaluation value + time zone evaluation value + driving time evaluation value + distance evaluation value)
By obtaining the evaluation value including the priority in this way, the evaluation parameter and the priority can be treated equally as a criterion for selecting a genre. For example, even if the genre has a relatively low mode evaluation value, time zone evaluation value, driving time evaluation value, and distance evaluation value, if it has a high priority, it can be selected as a provision target.

  Next, the server 200 sorts the genres based on the distribution results and the evaluation values (step S432). Unlike the first embodiment, since the priority is included in the evaluation value, it is not necessary to use it as a sort key. When the sorting is completed, as in the first embodiment, the server 200 excludes the same genre as the stop location of the travel history and the genre that does not satisfy the distribution condition (see FIG. 3) from the distribution target (step S434).

  Then, the server 200 selects the highest genre as a distribution target (step S436), and executes an in-genre information selection process (step S440). When information to be distributed is selected by this process (step S460), the server 200 distributes the guide information, records it in the distribution result (step S462), and ends the guide information selection process. If the information is not selected (step S460), the server 200 designates the next genre according to the sorted order and tries the in-genre information selection process again until the guide information to be selected is obtained (step S460). Step S440).

G2. Priority setting process:
FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the priority setting process. This process corresponds to step S410 of the guide information selection process (FIG. 15), and is a process for setting the priority of each genre included in the recommended data (FIG. 14).

  In this process, the server 200 selects any genre to be processed from among the recommended data (step S411), and reads the default priority (step S412). In this embodiment, the default priority is registered in advance in the recommended data.

  Next, the server 200 extracts guide information that can be provided based on the current position of the user within the genre to be processed (step S413). What is necessary is just to extract the guide information within a predetermined time from the current position. And freshness is set based on the newest among these guide information (step S414). An example of setting freshness is shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, a graph that provides freshness with real values in the range of 0.0 to 1.0 is prepared in accordance with the elapsed time after the update of the guide information. This graph can be set arbitrarily. The server 200 can determine the freshness level by referring to this graph based on the elapsed time of the latest guide information. Here, an example is shown in which a graph is prepared, but the relationship between elapsed time and freshness, such as functions and tables, can be given in various forms.

  Next, the server 200 calculates the PR degree of each guide information extracted in step S413 (step S415). In the present embodiment, the PR degree is obtained by “period limited coefficient × selling phrase coefficient”. The term limited coefficient is a coefficient determined according to the expiration date of the guide information. An example of setting the time limited coefficient is shown in the figure. In this example, the coefficient is set to be higher as the expiration date is shorter. For example, it is a setting reflecting the fact that it is valuable information as the remaining period is short, such as a limited-time sale and cherry blossom information, and the degree of appeal to the user is considered high. The sales phrase coefficient is a ratio between the number of words corresponding to the sales phrase and the total number of words. The sales phrase coefficient is a value corresponding to the PR degree described in the first embodiment. What is shown here is only an example of a time-limited coefficient and a sales phrase coefficient, and these coefficients can be arbitrarily set. Further, other elements may be used. The sales phrase coefficient is not necessarily obtained in real time, but may be obtained when information is collected in advance, or may be included as one piece of information on the web page by the creator of the web page.

The server 200 calculates the priority according to the following formula based on the above result. The priority is a value obtained by correcting the default value in consideration of the freshness level and the PR level.
Priority = Freshness × Maximum PR degree × Default priority;
Since the PR degree is obtained for each guide information extracted within the genre, the maximum value is used here. An average value or other representative values may be used. The server 200 repeats the above values until all the genres are completed (step S417). By using the priority set in this way, a genre containing fresh information and information with a high PR degree has a higher priority, and a genre that does not have a lower priority.

G3. In-genre information selection processing:
FIG. 17 is a flowchart of in-genre information selection processing in the second embodiment. This is a process corresponding to step S440 of the guide information selection process (FIG. 15). In the second embodiment, the guide information has processing contents corresponding to a hierarchical structure (FIG. 14) of genres and sub-genres. For this reason, the server first sorts the guide information on a sub-genre basis based on the priority order (step S441). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the priority order in units of sub-genres is registered in advance in the recommended data (FIG. 14). This priority order may be set by priority order setting processing (FIG. 16) or the like.

  Next, the server 200 reads guide information corresponding to the sub-genre from the general-purpose information DB 202 and the my box 203 (step S442), and sorts the guide information as in the first embodiment (FIG. 10) (step S443).

  When the sorting of the guide information is completed, the server 200 extracts the top-level guide information (step S444), as in the first embodiment, and from the current position, the point corresponding to the guide information (hereinafter, referred to as “guide information”). The time required until “installation location” is calculated (step S445).

  When the required time thus obtained is within the preset allowable range (step S446), the server 200 selects the guide information as a distribution target (step S450). If the allowable range is exceeded (step S446), the same processing is executed for the next guide information according to the sorted order until the determination is completed for all the guide information in the genre (step S447).

  If the required time exceeds the allowable range for all guide information (steps S325 and S326), the server 200 moves to the next subgenre (step S448) and performs the above-described processing (steps S442 to S447). repeat. When all the sub-genres are completed, the server 200 selects the advance notice information (step S327) and ends the in-genre information selection process.

  In the in-genre information selection process of the second embodiment, the guide information is selected for each sub-genre after sorting the sub-genres according to the priority order. Therefore, guide information can be provided according to a certain tendency. For example, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, there are sub-genres such as “Family” and “Gurume” in the category of “meal”. According to the present embodiment, for example, it is possible to preferentially select a restaurant belonging to “Gurume” and specify to search for a restaurant belonging to “Family” when guide information to be distributed is not found in the restaurant. . As a result, even when a restaurant belonging to “Gurume” is slightly far away from the family restaurant, the guide information can be given priority over the family restaurant. By selecting guide information in units of sub-genres in this way, information selection according to the user's intention can be realized.

  According to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, highly useful guide information can be appropriately distributed in consideration of the circumstances of the user.

  As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these Examples, and can take a various structure in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. The present embodiment is not limited to the distribution of advertisements and the like, and various information such as tourist information and administrative information can be distributed. Further, in the embodiment, the technique for reflecting the user's circumstances in the advertisement distribution is illustrated, but the provider predetermines the conditions for the user to receive the guide information, and the server 200 receives the person to be received based on the conditions. You may make it narrow down. By doing so, the guide information can be provided to a user in accordance with the intention of the provider and a user who is assumed to desire the information, and the usefulness of the guide information can be further improved. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Terminal 110 ... Main control part 120 ... Communication part 130 ... Command input part 140 ... GPS
150 ... Display control unit 200 ... Information providing server 201 ... Map DB
202 ... User DB
203 ... My Box 204 ... Map DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 210 ... Communication part 220 ... Output data generation part 230 ... Information provision control part 240 ... Profile management part 250 ... Information collection part 260 ... Route guidance part 300 ... Personal computer 400 ... Web server

The guide information selection system may not be able to search for information that is more than a predetermined level. In such a case, take the way to give the future prospects in hot water over The. That is, the guide information selection system holds a route to be guided to the user. If guide information having a degree of necessity greater than or equal to a predetermined range cannot be selected within a predetermined range from the current position of the user, a point where guide information can be provided on the route is searched, and the result is provided to the user. . For example, information is provided that there is no restaurant near the user's request, but there is a good restaurant “Advance by ○” or “Om ahead” on the planned route. In this way, the user can use the guide information based on the future prospects.

Claims (14)

A guide information selection system for selecting useful guide information for a moving user,
In accordance with the guide information or its genre, a recommendation that stores a correspondence relationship between an evaluation parameter set in advance for at least a part of a user's movement purpose and movement situation and a necessity level of the user for the guide information A data holding unit;
For the user, an input unit for inputting information corresponding to the evaluation parameter;
Based on the inputted information, the correspondence information is referred to, the guide information or the genre necessity is determined, and guide information for selecting useful guide information for the user based on the determination result A guide information sorting system including a sorting unit. The guide information selection system according to claim 1,
The guide information selection unit is a guide information selection system that preferentially selects the guide information or genre having a high degree of necessity. The guide information selection system according to claim 1,
An information collection unit that identifies guide information or a genre to be selected by referring to a predetermined information source,
The guide information selection unit is configured to select the guide information or genre when the degree of necessity of the specified guide information or genre exceeds a predetermined standard. A guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
For each guide information or genre, a record database for storing a distribution record of guide information for the user is provided,
The guide information selection unit further includes a guide information selection system that performs the selection with reference to the distribution result. A guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A map database containing the location of features and attributes of the features;
A detection unit for detecting the current position of the user;
A progress holding unit for identifying and storing the feature visited by the user with reference to the map database based on the detected current position;
The guide information sorting unit further performs the sorting by referring to the attribute of the feature that has stopped by. A guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A guide information selection system in which at least a part of the correspondence relationship gives the degree of necessity as a continuous function with respect to an evaluation parameter. The guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The recommended data holding unit further holds a priority for determining the superiority or inferiority between the guide information or the genres regarding the selection,
The guide information selection unit is a guide information selection system that performs the selection in consideration of the priority. The guide information selection system according to claim 7,
A guide information selection system including a priority setting unit that specifies the guide information to be selected and sets the priority of the guide information or its genre based on the content of the specified guide information. A guide information selection system according to claim 7 or 8,
A guide information selection system in which a word set in advance as having a high PR degree sets the priority of the guide information or its genre according to the amount or ratio included in the guide information. A guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A route holding unit for holding a route to be guided to the user;
When the guide information selection unit cannot select guide information having a degree of necessity greater than or equal to a predetermined range within a predetermined range from the current position of the user, the guide information selection unit searches for a point where the guide information can be provided on the route, and A guide information selection system having a notice information providing unit for providing a result to the user. A guide information selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A guide information selection system having a guide information database that hierarchically manages the guide information according to a predetermined genre and sub-genre as an information source of the guide information. The guide information selection system according to claim 11,
The recommended data holding unit is a guide information sorting system that holds a priority level that determines superiority or inferiority between the sub-genres with respect to the sorting. A guide information providing method for selecting useful guide information for a moving user,
As a process executed by the computer,
A step of storing a correspondence relationship between an evaluation parameter set in advance for at least a part of a user's movement purpose and movement status according to the guide information or its genre, and a necessity level of the user for the guide information When,
Inputting information corresponding to at least a part of the evaluation parameter for the user;
Based on the input information, referring to the correspondence relationship, determining the necessity level for each guide information or genre, and selecting useful guide information for the user based on the determination result; A guide information providing method comprising: A computer program for selecting useful guide information for a moving user,
A sub for storing a correspondence relationship between an evaluation parameter set in advance for at least a part of a user's movement purpose and movement status according to the guide information or its genre, and a degree of necessity of the guide information for the user Program and
A subprogram for inputting information corresponding to the evaluation parameter for the user;
A subprogram that determines the necessity level for each guide information or genre by referring to the correspondence relationship based on the input information, and that selects useful guide information for the user based on the determination result A computer program comprising:

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