JP2014115906A - Information providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate an information service on a new kind of facility matched with a user's taste.SOLUTION: An information service process (25) provides an information service even on an unvisited facility where the accumulated number of visiting times by a user is 0. When it is determined that a user visited the unvisited facility provided by the information service, a first learning process (S13) raises the frequency of the information service on the unvisited facility of the same kind as the unvisited facility determined to be visited.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus that provides information to a user.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for providing facility information by displaying facility information is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a facility of the same type as the facility identified as used by the user on the basis of the parking lot usage history obtained by detecting the vehicle position and the facility information related to the parking lot. A technique for displaying the above information on a display unit is disclosed.

JP 2012-68041 A

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, information on a facility of the same type as the facility identified as being used by the user is always provided, and therefore information on facilities of a similar type is always provided. Therefore, it becomes difficult to provide information on a new type of facility that matches the user's preference.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information providing apparatus that makes it easier to provide information on a new type of facility that suits the user's preference. It is to provide.

  The information providing apparatus according to the present invention is an information providing apparatus (1) provided with information providing means (25) for providing information on a facility, and is a stoppage determining means (determining whether or not the user of the apparatus has stopped at the facility). 25, S1, S2, S3) and a counting means (25, S4) that counts the cumulative number of stops for the facility determined to have stopped by the stop determination means, and the information providing means counts the cumulative number counted by the count means. Provides information on unvisited facilities that are zero-time facilities, and if the visitor determines that there is a visit to an unvisited facility that has provided information, The first learning means (25, S13) is provided that increases the frequency of information provision in the information providing means of an unvisited facility of the same type as the unvisited facility that has decided to stop by. It is.

  If it can be determined that the user has stopped at the unvisited facility that provided the information, it can be said that the unvisited facility matched the user's preference. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not an unvisited facility meets the user's preference. In addition, an unvisited facility of the same type as the previously unvisited facility that matches the user's preference can be said to be a new type of facility that matches the user's preference. It is possible to increase the frequency of information provision for new types of facilities that match. As a result, it is possible to make it easier to provide information on a new type of facility that matches the user's preference.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a navigation system 100. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of cumulative number count related processing in the control device 25. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a center 3. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a first learning process in a control device 25. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the fashion unvisited facility information provision process in the control apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of travel destination related facility information provision processing in a control device 25. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a second learning process in the control device 25. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a third learning process in the control device 25. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of retry-related processing in the control device 25 according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the fashion pending | holding facility information provision process in the control apparatus 25 in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of travel destination related facility information provision processing in the control device 25 according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a navigation system 100 to which the present invention is applied. A navigation system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a navigation device 1 and a center 3.

  The navigation device 1 is not limited to that used in a vehicle, but in the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 is described as being used in a vehicle. The navigation device 1 may be a vehicle-mounted device or a portable terminal that can be brought into a vehicle. The navigation device 1 corresponds to the information providing device in the claims. Hereinafter, a vehicle in which the navigation device 1 is used is called a host vehicle.

  When the mobile device is configured to be used as the navigation device 1, the navigation device 1 communicates with a system such as an in-vehicle LAN of the host vehicle and a known wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wired communication through a USB connection. The information may be exchanged by the above.

  Here, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 includes a position detector 11, a map database (DB) 16, an external memory 17, a display device 18, a voice output device 19, an operation switch group 20, a remote control terminal (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 21, A remote control sensor 22, an external input interface (I / F) 23, a communication device 24, and a control device 25 are provided.

  Each of the position detectors 11 is a well-known geomagnetic sensor 12, a gyroscope 13, a vehicle speed (distance) sensor 14 for calculating a travel distance, and a GPS (Global) that detects the position of its own device based on radio waves from a satellite. GPS receiver 15 for Positioning System), and sequentially detects the current position (hereinafter referred to as user position) of the user of the device. For example, the user position is assumed to be coordinates represented by latitude and longitude.

  Since these have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy of each sensor, the position detector 11 may be configured as a part of the above.

  The map DB 16 stores road map data, POI (Points Of Interest) data of various facilities, and the like. The road map data includes road data including node data and link data, background data indicating topography, character data for displaying place names, and the like. The POI data is data indicating the name, address, position, and attribute of the facility corresponding to the POI.

  The facility position data is, for example, coordinates represented by latitude and longitude. The facility attribute data is data representing the type and nature of the facility. In addition, it is good also as a structure which also contains the information of link ID which a plant | facility contacts as POI data.

  As an example of the type of facility, there are restaurants, clothing stores, general stores, florists, beauty-related stores, and the like. In addition, the restaurants are further subdivided into categories such as Italian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, soba restaurants, ramen restaurants, etc., family restaurants, luxury restaurants, cafes, taverns, fast food. There are store types such as stores. Facilities other than stores include gas stations, coin parking, stations, medical facilities, and the like. As an example of the most subdivided type of facility, a configuration using a type divided for each franchise chain may be used.

  The data of the map DB 16 may be acquired by the control device 25 being downloaded from the center 3 through the communication device 24 described later, or may be stored in advance. As map DB16, it is good also as a structure using storage media, such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, a memory card, HDD, for example.

  The external memory 17 is a mass storage device such as a writable HDD. The external memory 17 has many uses such as storing a large amount of data and data that should not be erased even when the power is turned off, and copying frequently used data from the map DB 16 for use. The external memory 17 may be a removable memory having a relatively small storage capacity.

  The display device 18 is capable of full color display, for example, and can be configured using a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, or the like. The voice output device 19 includes a speaker or the like, and outputs a guidance voice or the like based on an instruction from the control device 25.

  For example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 18 is used as the operation switch group 20, and an operation instruction for various functions is given to the control device 25 by a switch operation. The remote controller 21 is provided with a plurality of operation switches (not shown). By inputting various command signals to the control device 25 via the remote control sensor 22 by the switch operation, the same functions as the operation switch group 20 are provided. Can be executed.

  The external input I / F 23 is an interface for the control device 25 to acquire vehicle state information from an ECU or a sensor mounted on the host vehicle. For example, vehicle status information is input to the external input I / F 23 from an ECU or a sensor mounted on the host vehicle via an in-vehicle LAN that conforms to a communication protocol such as CAN (controller area network). To do.

  Examples of vehicle state information include a shift position sensor signal, a parking brake switch on / off signal, a door courtesy switch on / off signal, and an ignition power on / off signal.

  The communication device 24 communicates with the center 3 via a base station or a network. The communication device 24 corresponds to the communication means in the claims. The communication device 24 may be configured to perform communication with the center 3 through an in-vehicle communication module used for telematics communication such as DCM (data communication module) mounted on a vehicle. In addition, the communication device 24 may be configured to perform communication with the center 3 through a DSRC communication module, or may be configured to be performed through a mobile terminal connected by Bluetooth or the like.

  The control device 25 is mainly composed of a microcomputer composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, backup RAM, and the like. Then, the control device 25 performs a route search process based on various information input from the position detector 11, the map DB 16, the external memory 17, the operation switch group 20, the remote control sensor 22, the external input I / F 23, and the communication device 24. Various processes such as a route guidance process, a cumulative count-related process, an information providing process, a first learning process, a second learning process, and a third learning process are executed.

  For example, when the destination is set via the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21, the control device 25, for example, the distance priority, time priority, etc. from the departure place such as the current user position to the set destination, etc. A route search process for searching for a recommended route that satisfies the preset conditions using a known search method is performed.

  Further, the control device 25 performs a route guidance process for guiding the travel of the recommended route searched by the route search process. For example, in the route guidance process, an electronic map indicating the recommended route and the user position is sequentially displayed on the display device 18, and guidance voices to the destination are sequentially output from the voice output device 19, thereby guiding the travel of the recommended route. To do.

  Here, the cumulative number count related processing in the control device 25 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 2 is started every time the ignition power source of the host vehicle is turned on, for example.

  In step S1, when it is detected that the host vehicle is parked (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if it is not detected that the host vehicle is parked (NO in step S1), the flow returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  A configuration in which the host vehicle is parked is detected from the fact that the ignition power is turned off, the parking brake is turned on, the shift position is in the parking position (P), the door is opened, etc. And it is sufficient.

  A configuration in which the ignition power source is turned off may be detected from the on / off signal of the ignition power source, and the parking brake on state may be detected from the on / off signal of the parking brake switch. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure detected from the signal of the on / off of a door courtesy switch that the shift position became the parking position (P) from the signal of the shift position sensor and that the door was opened.

  In step S2, a facility identification process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S3. In the facility specifying process, a stop-by facility corresponding to a position where parking of the host vehicle is detected (hereinafter referred to as a parking detection position) is specified based on data on the position of the facility stored in the map DB 16. The parking detection position may be obtained from the position detector 11. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which identifies the plant | facility in which the position which the data of the facility position shows as the example of the identification method of the facility applicable to a parking detection position is nearest to a parking detection position.

  When the navigation device 1 is applied to a mobile terminal used in a vehicle or applied to a mobile terminal used when using, for example, walking or a multimodal route without using the vehicle, the user can What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which identifies the plant | facility of the point where the operation input via the operation switch group 20 and the remote control 21 which show having stopped at the facility was detected. As an example, it may be configured to specify a facility at a point checked in in a known location service.

  In step S <b> 3, it is determined whether or not the facility identified in the facility identifying process (hereinafter referred to as “specified facility”) is a type of facility corresponding to the target (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding facility”). It is assumed that the type of the facility is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the control device 25. Therefore, the processing from step S1 to step S3 corresponds to the drop-in determination means in the claims.

  The control device 25 determines whether or not the specified facility is the corresponding facility based on whether or not the type of the specified facility matches the type of the corresponding facility stored in advance. The identified facility type may be specified based on the facility type data. In addition, as an example of the type of the corresponding facility stored in advance, the type of the facility that is less relevant to the user's preference such as a station, coin parking, or medical facility or that is less likely to stop by jumping in is excluded. The type may be used.

  If it is determined in step S3 that the specified facility is the corresponding facility (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that the specified facility is not the corresponding store (NO in step S3), the flow ends.

  In step S4, a cumulative count process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S5. In the cumulative number counting process, the cumulative number of stops visited is counted for the specified facility (hereinafter referred to as a drop-in store) determined to be the relevant facility in step S3. Therefore, the process of step S4 corresponds to the counting means in the claims.

  The cumulative number is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the control device 25 for each facility, and is not erased even when the ignition power is turned off, and is updated each time the same facility is counted. As an example, a time stamp indicating the date and time when the count is performed may be given to the cumulative number of times for each facility every time the count is performed. In addition, the time stamps may be sequentially deleted except for the time stamps for counts within a predetermined number of times from the latest count.

  In step S5, center transmission processing is performed, and the flow ends. In addition, when it is set as the structure which does not perform the fashion non-visiting facility information provision process mentioned later, it is good also as a structure which abbreviate | omits the center transmission process of step S5. In the center transmission process, the stop-by facility of the own vehicle specified in the facility specifying process, the cumulative number of the stop-off facility counted in the cumulative count counting process, a time stamp indicating the date and time when the count was performed, and the transmission source user Probe information including identification information for identification is transmitted to the center 3 via the communication device 24.

  The identification information may be the vehicle ID of the host vehicle or the device ID of the navigation device 1. Assuming that the navigation device 1 is portable such as a portable terminal with a GPS function and the user can bring it into another vehicle, the identification information may be the device ID of the navigation device 1. More preferred.

  In addition, the control device 25 performs an information providing process for providing information about the facility. Therefore, the control device 25 corresponds to the information providing means in the claims. As a trigger for starting the information providing process, for example, when an operation input for requesting the start of information provision is received via the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21 can be cited. In addition, the destination may be set, the route guidance process may be started, or the ignition power of the host vehicle may be turned on.

  As an example of information provision, when the recommended facility is approached at the time of route guidance, the position of the recommended facility and the content of the facility are displayed on the display device 18 or output from the audio output device 19 Is mentioned. In addition, the icon of the recommended facility on the electronic map displayed on the display device 18 may be displayed in a manner that can be distinguished from facilities other than the recommended facility. In addition, for example, a configuration in which a list of recommended facilities on the periphery of the destination, on the way around, or on the recommended route is displayed on the display device 18 is also possible.

  In addition, in the information provision processing, as information on recommended facilities, the frequency of information provision for facilities where the number of times the user of the user's device is 0 (hereinafter referred to as unvisited facilities) is calculated from the previous count. It is higher than the frequency of providing information about a facility (hereinafter referred to as a one-time visit facility) once or more for a predetermined period. This is because facilities that have been visited once by the user but have not been visited again for a long period of time are likely not to meet the user's preference, and whether or not it matches the user's preference. This is because there is a high possibility that the recommended degree is lower than the fixed unvisited facility.

  The period from the previous count may be calculated from the time stamp at the previous count and the current date and time. In addition, the predetermined period mentioned here is a value that can be arbitrarily set, and is preferably a value that is set in consideration of a general usage frequency that differs for each type of facility. For example, a facility with a general usage frequency of several days may be set, for example, several weeks as a predetermined period, and a facility with a general usage frequency of week may be set as, for example, one month.

  As an example of a specific configuration, the correspondence relationship between the type of facility and the value of the predetermined period is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory of the control device 25, and the control device 25 refers to this correspondence relationship to What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which sets the predetermined period according to a kind.

  The frequency of information provision includes, for example, a ratio of providing information on the facility with respect to the number of times of approaching the target facility. In addition, as the frequency of information provision, the ratio to the total number of facilities that receive information while traveling a fixed distance, the ratio to the total number of facilities in the list when displaying facilities as a list, etc. Is mentioned. In the present embodiment, for convenience, when approaching the recommended facility at the time of route guidance, the information indicating the position of the recommended facility and the content of the facility on the display device 18 or outputting the sound from the audio output device 19 is provided. The following explanation will be given with provision as an example.

  In addition, in the information provision process, as information on recommended facilities, the frequency of information provision for unvisited facilities is calculated based on the frequency of information provision for facilities with a cumulative count of 2 or more (hereinafter referred to as “multiple visit facilities”). Is also low. This is because the facility that the user visits not only once but also the second time is likely to be a facility that the user likes, and therefore, it is highly likely that the recommended degree is higher than the unvisited facility.

  In summary, the frequency of providing information is a facility visited multiple times, an unvisited facility, and a facility visited once in descending order. By default, the frequency of providing information for multiple-visited facilities is high, the frequency of providing information for unvisited facilities is low, and the frequency of providing information for once-visited facilities is even lower than that for unvisited facilities. Shall. For example, if the frequency of information provision is 10 stages, the default is the 8th stage from the lowest number of facilities visited multiple times, the 2nd stage for unvisited facilities, and the 1st stage for visited facilities. That's fine. The reason why the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is set low is that it is uncertain whether or not the user preference is met.

  In addition, as described above, facilities that have been accumulated less than a predetermined period from the previous count are excluded from one-time visiting facilities. This is because there is a possibility that a facility that has not passed for a long time since the user's first visit has a possibility that the user will make a second visit in a short period of time, and that the user's preference may be met Because there is also.

  In addition, it is preferable that the facility where the cumulative number of times the user is not local is one is excluded from the one-time visit facility. This is because a facility that is not local to the user, such as a travel destination, may not be able to return to the store even if it is a favorite facility, or it may take a long time to return to the store.

  Whether or not it is a user's local facility is determined based on the data on the location of the facility where the count was performed and the information on the user's living area as described above. In the case of the surrounding area, it may be configured to be determined as a local facility. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure discriminate | determining that it is not a local facility when the position of the facility which performed the count is out of a user's living area.

  As described above, for a facility whose cumulative number of times to be excluded from the once-visit facility, for example, the information provision frequency may be set higher than that of the unvisited facility and lower than that of the visited facility. Note that the first learning process, the second learning process, and the third learning process in the control device 25 will be described in detail later.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the center 3 is composed of server devices. The center 3 may be composed of one server device or may be composed of a plurality of server devices. Here, a schematic configuration of the center 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the center 3 includes a communication unit 31, a collection information DB 32, a map DB 33, and a control unit 34.

  The communication unit 31 receives various information transmitted from the communication device 24 via a communication network such as a mobile phone network or the Internet, and inputs it to the control unit 34. Further, the communication unit 31 transmits information to the communication device 24 via the communication network in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 34.

  In the collection information DB 32, probe information received from the navigation device 1 is stored according to instructions from the control unit 34. The map DB 33 stores road map data and POI data of various facilities in the same manner as the map DB 16 described above. In the map DB 33 of the center 3, data representing the property of the facility is stored as the facility attribute data in the POI data.

  As an example of the property of the facility, there is a cumulative number of visits for each customer of the facility (hereinafter, cumulative number of each customer). The cumulative number of times for each user may be set by collecting the probe information from a plurality of navigation devices 1. The accumulated number of times by user may be set only for the above-mentioned corresponding facilities excluding gas stations, stations, coin parking, medical facilities, and the like.

  The control unit 34 is mainly configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a backup RAM, and the like. And the control part 34 performs various processes based on the various information input from the communication part 31, collection information DB32, and map DB33.

  For example, the control unit 34 determines the accumulated number of times for each customer and stores it as the facility property data in the POI data in the map DB 33 or updates the facility property data. For example, based on the drop-in facility, the cumulative number of times, the time stamp, and the identification information in the probe information transmitted from the navigation device 1, the accumulated visit of the user indicated by the identification information about the drop-in facility The number of times is determined as the number of accumulated times by customer. Then, according to the determined cumulative number for each customer, the facility property data in the POI data of the map DB 33 is set or updated. Further, a time stamp included in the probe information is associated with the accumulated number of times for each customer as information indicating the latest stop date and time.

  Then, the 1st learning process in the control apparatus 25 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 is started when information about an unvisited facility is provided in the information providing process.

  First, in step S11, an information provision facility drop-in determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S12. In the information provision facility drop-off determination process, it is determined whether or not a visit to the unvisited facility has been performed within a predetermined time after providing information on the unvisited facility in the information provision process. The predetermined time mentioned here can be arbitrarily set, and may be, for example, about several minutes.

  In the information provision facility drop-off determination process, it is determined whether or not a visit to the unvisited facility has been performed after passing through the unvisited facility after providing information on the unvisited facility in the information provision process. It is good also as a structure.

  The drop-in to the unvisited facility that has provided the information may be determined based on whether or not the identified facility identified by performing the same process as in steps S1 to S2 described above matches the unvisited facility.

  In step S12, if it is determined that a visit to an unvisited facility that has provided information has been made (YES in step S12), the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if it is determined that no visit has been made to the unvisited facility that provided the information (NO in step S12), the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S13, a first frequency setting process is performed, and the flow ends. In the first frequency setting process, a setting is made to increase the frequency of information provision in the information provision process of an unvisited facility of the same type as the unvisited facility that has provided the information. Therefore, the process of step S13 corresponds to the first learning means in the claims. Even when the frequency of providing information on an unvisited facility of the same type as that of an unvisited facility that has provided information is increased, the frequency is limited to a range lower than the frequency of providing information on a visited facility multiple times.

  The first frequency setting process may be configured to set a frequency at a predetermined level that is higher than a frequency set by default for an unvisited facility among a plurality of predetermined frequency levels. preferable. For example, in the case where the frequency of 10 stages is determined in advance and the frequency set by default for unvisited facilities is the third to the lowest, the configuration may be set to the fourth from the lowest. . In this case, even when the first frequency setting process is performed for another unvisited facility of the same type, the frequency of the predetermined stage (in this example, the fourth stage) without increasing the frequency cumulatively. Is set.

  Here, the same type indicates that the type of facility described above is the same. The classification of the facility types is not limited to the configuration in which the facilities are classified for the same genre, and may be configured to be classified for each related genre, and can be arbitrarily set.

  In step S14, a second frequency setting process is performed, and the flow ends. In the second frequency setting process, a setting is made to reduce the frequency of information provision in the information provision process of an unvisited facility of the same type as the unvisited facility that has provided the information.

  The second frequency setting process may be configured to set a frequency at a predetermined level that is lower than a frequency set as a default for unvisited facilities among a plurality of predetermined frequencies. preferable. For example, in the case where the frequency of 10 stages is determined in advance and the frequency set by default for unvisited facilities is the third to the lowest, the configuration may be set to the second stage from the lowest. . In this case, even when the second frequency setting process is performed for another unvisited facility of the same type, the frequency of a predetermined stage (the second stage in this example) is not accumulated and the frequency is not lowered. Is set.

  If it can be determined that the user has stopped at the unvisited facility that provided the information, it can be said that the unvisited facility matched the user's preference. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not an unvisited facility meets the user's preference. In addition, an unvisited facility of the same type as the previously unvisited facility that matches the user's preference can be said to be a new type of facility that matches the user's preference. It is possible to increase the frequency of information provision for new types of facilities that match. As a result, it is possible to make it easier to provide information on a new type of facility that matches the user's preference.

  In addition, when an unvisited facility that is presumed to be in fashion is extracted, the control device 25 performs trendy unvisited facility information provision processing for providing information on the unvisited facility. Here, the trend non-visit facility information provision processing in the control apparatus 25 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 5 may be configured to start, for example, when a trigger for starting the information providing process described above is detected.

  First, in step S21, a center information acquisition process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S22. In the center information acquisition process, the cumulative number of each customer for each facility is acquired from the center 3 through the communication device 24 together with the time stamp with the date added to the cumulative number of each customer. The accumulated number of times for each facility for each facility is stored in the map DB 33 of the center 3 as described above.

  When acquiring the cumulative number of users by facility for each facility, it may be configured to acquire the cumulative number by user for all of the above-mentioned facilities, but from the viewpoint of the memory capacity and processing load of the navigation device 1, It is preferable to have a configuration in which the accumulated number of times for each user of some facilities is acquired.

  As an example, in the center information acquisition process, the facility facing the link of the recommended route searched in the route search process, the facility within the predetermined range from the recommended route, the facility within the predetermined range from the destination, waypoint, or user position, etc. For example, it may be configured to acquire the cumulative number of times for each customer.

  The facility facing the link means that the site of the facility is in contact with the road indicated by the link, and can be determined using the information of the link ID that the facility contacts in the POI data. The predetermined range from the recommended route mentioned here may be, for example, a range within a predetermined distance centered on each node on the recommended route, a range in which meshes including the recommended route are gathered, or a recommended range. It may be a range in which administrative divisions including routes are gathered. A mesh is an information unit obtained by dividing an electronic map into fixed areas according to a scale.

  In step S22, a trendy facility extraction process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S23. In the trendy facility extraction process, the number of users whose cumulative number has changed from 0 to 1 within a predetermined period is increased to a predetermined number based on the cumulative number and time stamp of each facility acquired by the center information acquisition process. Extract the facilities that have been reached. Therefore, the process of step S22 corresponds to the trendy facility extraction means in the claims. Since it can be presumed that a facility where the number of users whose cumulative number has changed from 0 to 1 within a predetermined period has reached a predetermined number is prevalent, the facility is hereinafter referred to as a prevalent facility.

  In step S23, when the trendy facility can be extracted (YES in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if the trendy facility cannot be extracted (NO in step S23), the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S24, when there is an unvisited facility corresponding to a trendy facility among unvisited facilities (YES in step S24), the process proceeds to step S25. On the other hand, when there is no unvisited facility corresponding to the trendy facility among the unvisited facilities (NO in step S24), the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S25, information on an unvisited facility corresponding to a trendy facility (hereinafter, trendy unvisited facility) is provided, and the process proceeds to step S26. The information provision of the fashion unvisited facility may be performed in the same manner as the information provision in the information provision processing described above. In addition, when providing information on non-fashioned facilities, the frequency of providing information on non-visited facilities other than non-fashionable facilities in the information provision process is reduced by the amount of information provided for non-fashionable facilities. And it is sufficient.

  In step S26, when it is the end timing of the fashion unvisited facility information provision processing (YES in step S26), the flow is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the fashion unvisited facility information providing process (NO in step S26), the process returns to step S21 to repeat the flow. As an example of the end timing of the fashion unvisited facility information provision process, an operation switch is used to indicate that the user position has reached the destination, the ignition power of the vehicle has been turned off, or the information provision process is terminated. There are times when it is received via the group 20 or the remote controller 21.

  A facility presumed to be popular is likely to be of interest to the user. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information on an unvisited facility that is likely to be of interest to the user.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the configuration in which the accumulated number of times for each customer and the time stamp for each facility is acquired from the center 3 is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the control unit 34 of the center 3 may be configured to identify the trendy facility from the cumulative number of times for each customer and the time stamp for each facility, and the control device 25 may acquire the trendy facility identified on the center side. In this case, the trendy facility acquired from the center 3 may be extracted as a trendy facility by the trendy facility extraction process.

  In addition, when the control device 25 extracts an unvisited facility related to a travel destination estimated that the user has traveled, the control device 25 performs a travel destination related facility information provision process for providing information on the unvisited facility. Here, the travel destination related facility information provision processing in the control device 25 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 6 may also be configured to start when, for example, a trigger for starting the information providing process described above is detected.

  First, in step S31, a travel destination acquisition process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S32. In the travel destination acquisition process, the travel destination of the user of the device is acquired. Therefore, the processing in step S31 corresponds to the travel destination acquisition unit in the claims.

  As an example of the travel destination acquisition process, when the user position returns to the living area after being located outside the administrative area including the above-mentioned user's living area (hereinafter, outside the user's administrative area), the user's administrative area The administrative district to which the user's outside stop location belongs is identified, and the identified administrative district is acquired as a travel destination. The administrative division referred to here is preferably a prefecture, state or province. Moreover, it is good also as a structure using the division | segmentation of local units, such as Tokai district and Kanto district, and country units, such as Japan and China, instead of the administrative division mentioned above.

  Moreover, when the navigation apparatus 1 is a portable terminal, it is good also as a structure which specifies a travel destination using the area of a base station instead of a user position, and acquires a travel destination. In addition, when the navigation device 1 is a mobile terminal, the travel destination may be specified by character recognition of the text of the user's schedule recorded on the mobile terminal, and the travel destination may be acquired. As an example, when text such as “Travel” or “Business trip” and text indicating a region or country such as “Kyoto” or “China” are recognized, the region or country indicated by the text is identified as the travel destination. What is necessary is just composition.

  In step S32, a travel destination related facility extraction process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S33. In the travel destination related facility extraction process, a facility related to the travel destination (hereinafter referred to as a travel destination related facility) is extracted based on the travel destination acquired in the travel destination acquisition process. Therefore, the processing in step S32 corresponds to the travel destination related facility extracting means in the claims.

  As an example of the extraction of travel destination related facilities, a table in which the types of facilities related to each region or country are set in advance, and the above table based on the travel destination acquired in the travel destination acquisition process With reference to, the configuration relating to the travel destination may be extracted. For example, if “Chinese restaurant” is associated with “Chinese” as a type of facility in the table, “Chinese restaurant” may be extracted.

  In step S33, when the travel destination related facility extraction process can be extracted (YES in step S33), the process proceeds to step S34. On the other hand, when the travel destination related facility extraction process cannot be extracted (NO in step S33), the process proceeds to step S36.

  In step S34, when there is an unvisited facility corresponding to the travel destination related facility among the unvisited facilities (YES in step S34), the process proceeds to step S35. On the other hand, when there is no unvisited facility corresponding to the travel destination related facility among the unvisited facilities (NO in step S34), the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S35, information on unvisited facilities corresponding to the travel destination related facilities (hereinafter referred to as travel destination related unvisited facilities) is provided, and the process proceeds to step S36. The information provision of the travel destination-related unvisited facilities may be performed in the same manner as the information provision in the information provision processing described above. When providing information on non-visited facilities related to travel destinations, the frequency of providing information on non-visited facilities other than travel destination-related unvisited facilities in the information provision process should be provided. It may be configured to lower by the amount performed.

  In step S36, when it is the end timing of the travel destination related facility information providing process (YES in step S36), the flow is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the travel destination related facility information providing process (NO in step S36), the process returns to step S31 and the flow is repeated. As an example of the end timing of the travel destination related facility information providing process, an operation switch is used to input an operation input for ending the information providing process when the user position reaches the destination or when the ignition power of the host vehicle is turned off. There are times when it is received via the group 20 or the remote controller 21.

  The facility related to the travel destination estimated to have traveled by the user is likely to be of interest to the user. Therefore, even with the above configuration, it is possible to provide information on an unvisited facility that is likely to be of interest to the user.

  In addition, the control device 25 sets the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities, etc., according to the ratio of the user visiting the unvisited facilities (hereinafter referred to as the pioneering pace) for providing information on unvisited facilities. Perform learning process. Here, the 2nd learning process in the control apparatus 25 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 7 may be configured to start, for example, when the power of the own device is turned on or at a predetermined time such as 0:00 of the day.

  First, in step S41, a pioneering pace specifying process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S42. In the development pace identification process, the development pace is identified. Therefore, the pioneering pace corresponds to the pioneering rate of claims, and step S41 corresponds to the pioneering rate specifying means of the claims.

  For example, in the pioneering pace specifying process, the control device 25 accumulates the results of the information providing facility visit determination process described above, and calculates the ratio of the unvisited facilities with respect to the total number of unvisited facilities that have provided information. Identify the pace of development. Note that the total number of unvisited facilities that have provided information may be the total number of unvisited facilities that have provided information within a certain period in the past.

  In step S42, a third frequency setting process is performed, and the flow ends. In the third frequency setting process, the ratio of the provision of information on unvisited facilities, information on one-visit facilities, and provision of information on facilities visited multiple times as the pioneer pace specified in the pioneer pace identification process increases. Among them, while increasing the rate of providing information on unvisited facilities, the rate of providing information on unvisited facilities is reduced as the pace of reclamation decreases. Therefore, this step S42 corresponds to the second learning means in the claims.

  For example, in the third frequency setting process, when the pioneering pace is equal to or higher than the first predetermined value, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is raised from the default, and the frequency of providing information on visited facilities multiple times is lowered from the default. Thus, the ratio of providing information on unvisited facilities may be increased. At this time, the frequency of providing information on the once-visit facility may be lowered or may not be changed.

  Further, in the third frequency setting process, when the pioneering pace is not less than the second predetermined value less than the first predetermined value and less than the first predetermined value, the unvisited facility, the first visited facility, and the multiple visited What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which does not change the frequency of information provision of a facility from default.

  Further, in the third frequency setting process, when the pioneering pace is less than the second predetermined value, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is lowered from the default, and the frequency of providing information on visited facilities multiple times is raised from the default. Thus, the ratio of providing information on unvisited facilities may be reduced. At this time, the frequency of providing information on the once-visit facility may be increased or may not be changed. The first predetermined value and the second predetermined value are values that can be arbitrarily set.

  In the third frequency setting process, if the same threshold determination result has already been obtained in the previous third frequency setting process, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities, one-time visited facilities, and multiple-visited facilities is not changed. What is necessary is just composition.

  It is considered that the higher the rate of stopping at information-unvised facilities, that is, the higher the pace of development, the stronger the tendency for users to prefer new facilities. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by increasing the ratio of providing information on unvisited facilities to users who tend to prefer new facilities. In addition, it is considered that users tend to prefer a standard facility as the rate of stopping at information-provided unvisited facilities is low, that is, the pace of development is low. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by reducing the ratio of information provision of unvisited facilities to users who tend to prefer standard facilities.

  Further, the control device 25 performs a third learning process for setting the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities and the like according to the tendency of the user to drop in to the facilities (hereinafter, “pioneering mind”). Here, the 3rd learning process in the control apparatus 25 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 8 may also be configured to start when the power of the own device is turned on or when a predetermined time such as 0:00 of the day is reached.

  First, in step S51, a pioneering mind specifying process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S52. In the pioneering mind identification process, the pioneering mind is identified. Therefore, the pioneering mind corresponds to the pioneering tendency of claims, and step S51 corresponds to the pioneering tendency identifying means of claims.

  For example, in the pioneering mind specifying process, the pioneering mind is specified based on the cumulative number of visits of the user for each facility counted in the cumulative number counting process described above. As an example, the tendency that the number of facilities visited once in a facility of the same type is equal to or greater than a third predetermined value is identified as the first pattern development mind.

  Also, regardless of whether the facility is of a different type or the same type of facility, the tendency that the number of facilities visited multiple times is equal to or greater than a fourth predetermined value is identified as the second pattern development mind. Regardless of whether the facility is of a different type or the same type, the proportion of the multiple-visited facility out of the proportion of the non-visited facility, the one-time visited facility, and the multiple-visited facility is the fourth predetermined value or more. It is good also as composition which specifies a tendency as the development mind of the 2nd pattern.

  Furthermore, the tendency that the number of facilities visited once in the same type of facility is equal to or greater than the fifth predetermined value is identified as the development mind of the third pattern. In addition, when it does not correspond to any of the first pattern to the fourth pattern, it is identified as the development mind of the fourth pattern. As an example, when the first pattern overlaps with the second pattern or the third pattern, the configuration may be such that it is identified as the pioneering mind of the first pattern. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure identified with the pioneer mind of a 2nd pattern, when a 2nd pattern and a 3rd pattern overlap. The third predetermined value, the fourth predetermined value, and the fifth predetermined value are values that can be arbitrarily set.

  In step S52, the fourth frequency setting process is performed, and the flow ends. In the fourth frequency setting process, according to the development mind specified in the development mind specifying process, the ratio of information provision of unvisited facilities, information of one-time visited facilities, and information provision of a plurality of visited facilities is set. Therefore, this step S52 corresponds to the third learning means in the claims.

  For example, in the fourth frequency setting process, when the pioneering mind specified in the pioneering mind identifying process is the pioneering mind of the first pattern or the third pattern, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is increased from the default, A configuration may be adopted in which the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is increased by lowering the frequency of providing information on facilities visited multiple times from the default. At this time, the frequency of providing information on the once-visit facility may be lowered or may not be changed.

  In the fourth frequency setting process, if the pioneering mind specified in the pioneering mind identifying process is the pioneering mind of the second pattern, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities is lowered from the default, and the facility visited multiple times By increasing the frequency of information provision from the default, the ratio of providing information on unvisited facilities may be reduced. At this time, the frequency of providing information on the once-visit facility may be increased or may not be changed.

  Further, in the fourth frequency setting process, when the development mind specified in the development mind identification process is the fourth pattern development mind, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities, one-time visit facilities, and multiple-visit facilities May be configured so as not to be changed from the default.

  In the fourth frequency setting process, if the same threshold determination result has already been obtained in the previous fourth frequency setting process, the frequency of providing information on unvisited facilities, once visited facilities, and multiple visited facilities is not changed. What is necessary is just composition.

  A user who stops at a plurality of different facilities of the same type of facility only once is considered to have a strong tendency to prefer a new facility, such as a user who is eating and eating in a ramen shop. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by increasing the ratio of information provision of unvisited facilities to users who tend to prefer such new facilities become.

  In addition, a user who visits a plurality of different facilities of different types only once is a user who likes new things, and is likely to prefer new facilities. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by increasing the ratio of information provision of unvisited facilities to users who tend to prefer such new facilities become.

  Furthermore, it is considered that a user who visits a plurality of facilities twice or more is a user who likes classics, and has a strong tendency to like the standard facilities. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by reducing the ratio of information provision of unvisited facilities to users who tend to prefer standard facilities.

  The setting of the information provision frequency by the first frequency setting process, the second frequency setting process, the third frequency setting process, and the fourth frequency setting process may be overlapped, for example. The setting process may be determined, and the information provision frequency may be set according to the priority frequency setting process.

  In addition, the ratio of the provision of information on unvisited facilities, the provision of information on one-time visit facilities, and the provision of information on multiple-visit facilities is received via the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21 and is a user for changing the ratio. It is good also as a structure changed according to the operation input from. The operation switch group 20 and the remote controller 21 correspond to the operation input means in the claims.

  As an example, the user is allowed to select “I want to go to a new facility” or “I want to go to the same facility as usual” by the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21. Then, when the selection “I want to go to a new facility” is made, the ratio of information provision for unvisited facilities is increased, or the ratio of information provision for a plurality of visited facilities is decreased. On the other hand, when the selection “I want to go to the same facility as usual” is made, the rate of providing information on unvisited facilities is lowered, or the rate of providing information on facilities visited multiple times is increased.

  In addition, based on the operation input result from the user, the user's mood is determined, and according to the determined user's mood, the information provision of the unvisited facility, the information provision of the one-time visit facility, and the information of the facility visited multiple times It is good also as a structure which changes the ratio with provision.

  As an example, the display device 18 or the voice output device 19 is used to determine whether the user's mood is “I want to go to a new facility” or “I want to go to the same facility as usual”. And the user's mood is determined from the operation input result as an answer to the question. When it is determined that the user's mood is “I want to go to a new facility”, the rate of providing information on the visited facility is increased, or the rate of providing information on the visited facility is reduced several times. On the other hand, if it is determined that the user's mood is “I want to go to the same facility as usual”, the rate of providing information on unvisited facilities is reduced, or the rate of providing information on visited facilities is increased. .

  In addition, although this embodiment showed the structure which performs a 1st learning process, a fashion unvisited facility information provision process, and a travel destination related facility information provision process about an unvisited facility, it does not necessarily restrict to this. For example, it is good also as a structure which performs the process similar to a 1st learning process, a fashion unvisited facility information provision process, and a travel destination related facility information provision process about a once visited facility.

(Embodiment 2)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described first embodiment, and the following second embodiment is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Below, this Embodiment 2 is demonstrated using FIGS. 9-11. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in the drawings used in the description of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The navigation apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment except that a process related to a retry described later (hereinafter referred to as a retry-related process) in the control apparatus 25 and a process related to setting the retry frequency are performed. This is the same as the navigation device 1.

  Here, the retry-related processing in the control device 25 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 9 determines that, for example, information is provided about an unvisited facility or a once-visited facility in the information provision process, and no visit to the unvisited facility or the once-visited facility where the information is provided is not performed. Will start when you do. It is assumed that the determination of a visit to a facility once visited is performed in the same manner as the determination of a visit to an unvisited facility.

  First, in step S61, a selection screen display process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S62. In the selection screen display process, for the unvisited facility or the once-visited facility (hereinafter referred to as the information providing facility) for which information has been provided, a selection screen that prompts the user to select whether the information providing facility is to be suspended or rejected is displayed on the display device 18. To display. As an example, a touch switch button for selecting “hold” and “reject” may be displayed.

  In step S62, a selection process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S63. In the selection process, according to the operation input from the user received via the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21, “hold” and “reject” of information provision at the information providing facility are selected. Therefore, the processing in step S62 corresponds to the selection means in the claims. For example, when the operation input to the touch switch corresponding to the “hold” button display is performed, “hold” is selected, and the operation input to the touch switch corresponding to the “reject” button display is performed. In this case, select “Reject”.

  In step S63, when “hold” is selected in the selection process (YES in step S63), the process proceeds to step S64. On the other hand, when “reject” is selected in the selection process (NO in step S63), the process proceeds to step S66.

  In step S64, if a certain period of time has elapsed since the information was provided (YES in step S64), the process proceeds to step S65. On the other hand, if a certain period has not elapsed since the information was provided (NO in step S64), the flow in step S64 is repeated. The certain period mentioned here is a value that can be arbitrarily set, and for example, it may be one week by default.

  In step S65, a retry process is performed and the flow ends. In the retry process, the information providing facility (hereinafter referred to as the “holding facility”) for which “hold” has been selected in the selection process is re-provided (hereinafter referred to as “retry”). Therefore, the processing in step S65 corresponds to the retry means in the claims. The retry process may be configured to be performed when approaching the reserved facility, or may be configured to be mixed with information provision of other facilities when the information providing process is performed.

  In step S66, a rejection process is performed and the flow ends. The rejection process may be configured to reduce the information provision frequency of the information provision facility that has selected “rejection” in the selection process. In addition, the rejection process may be configured not to provide information of the information providing facility for which “reject” is selected in the selection process.

  According to the above configuration, even if the information providing facility has not been visited by the user, the user is prompted to select “pending” and “reject”, thereby providing information again for the facility in which the user is interested. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to learn the facility that matches the user's preference with higher accuracy.

  Moreover, the control apparatus 25 is good also as a structure which sets the frequency which performs retry according to the above-mentioned pioneering pace. In this case, the development pace may be specified by the above-described development pace specifying process. Then, a configuration may be adopted in which the frequency of retries is increased as the pioneering pace increases, and the retry frequency is decreased as the pioneering pace decreases.

  For example, when the pioneering pace is equal to or higher than the first predetermined value described above, the value of the fixed period in step S64 may be made shorter than the default to increase the retry frequency. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which does not change the value of the fixed period in step S64 from the default, when a pioneering pace is more than the above-mentioned 2nd predetermined value and less than the 1st predetermined value. Further, when the pioneering pace is less than the second predetermined value, the frequency of retries may be reduced by extending the fixed period in step S64 from the default. In the above processing, if the same threshold determination result has already been obtained in the previous processing, the retry frequency may not be changed.

  Furthermore, the control device 25 may be configured to set the frequency of retrying according to the above-mentioned development mind. In this case, the pioneering mind may be specified by the aforementioned pioneering mind specifying process.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by increasing the frequency of retrying the reservation facility for users who have a high pioneering pace and a strong tendency to prefer new facilities. It becomes possible. In addition, it is possible to provide information more suited to the user's preference by reducing the frequency of retrying the reservation facility for users who have a low tendency to pioneer and who tend to prefer a standard facility.

  For example, when the pioneering mind is the pioneering mind of the first pattern or the third pattern described above, the frequency of retries may be increased by shortening the predetermined period in step S64 from the default. Further, when the pioneering mind is the pioneering mind of the second pattern described above, the fixed frequency in step S64 may be set longer than the default to reduce the retry frequency. Further, when the pioneering mind is the pioneering mind of the above-mentioned fourth pattern, the value for a certain period in step S64 may be changed from the default. In the above processing, if the same threshold determination result has already been obtained in the previous processing, the retry frequency may not be changed.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to increase the frequency of retrying a reserved facility for a user who has a strong tendency to prefer a new facility, such as a user corresponding to the development mind of the first pattern or the third pattern described above. It is possible to provide information that suits the user's preference. In addition, for users who have a strong tendency to prefer standard facilities, such as those who fall under the development pattern of the second pattern described above, providing information that suits the user's preference by reducing the frequency of retrying reserved facilities It becomes possible to do.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 9, a configuration is shown in which retry is performed when “hold” is selected in the selection process and a certain period of time has elapsed after providing information. However, the configuration is not limited to this. . For example, the control device 25 may be configured to perform trendy pending facility information provision processing for retrying a pending facility when a pending facility that is presumed to be popular is extracted.

  Here, the trend hold facility information provision processing in the control apparatus 25 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 10 may be configured to start, for example, when the power of the own device is turned on or at a predetermined time such as 0:00 of the day.

  From step S71 to step S72, processing similar to that from step S21 to step S22 described above is performed. In step S73, if the trendy facility can be extracted (YES in step S73), the process proceeds to step S74. On the other hand, if the trendy facility cannot be extracted (NO in step S73), the flow ends.

  In step S74, when there is a reserved facility corresponding to a trendy facility among the reserved facilities (YES in step S74), the process proceeds to step S75. On the other hand, if there is no reserved facility corresponding to the trendy facility among the reserved facilities (NO in step S74), the flow ends. In step S75, the holding facility corresponding to the trendy facility (hereinafter, trendy holding facility) is retried, and the flow is terminated.

  A facility presumed to be popular is likely to be of interest to the user. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to retry a reservation facility that is likely to be of interest to the user.

  Further, the control device 25 may be configured to perform travel destination related reserved facility information provision processing for retrying the reserved facility when the reserved facility related to the travel destination estimated that the user has traveled is extracted. Good.

  Here, the travel destination related reservation facility information provision processing in the control device 25 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 11 may be configured to start, for example, when the power of the own device is turned on or when a predetermined time such as 0:00 of the day is reached.

  From step S81 to step S82, processing similar to that from step S31 to step S32 described above is performed. In step S83, when a travel destination related facility can be extracted (YES in step S83), the process proceeds to step S84. On the other hand, if the travel destination related facility cannot be extracted (NO in step S83), the flow ends.

  In step S84, when there is a holding facility corresponding to the travel destination related facility among the holding facilities (YES in step S84), the process proceeds to step S85. On the other hand, if there is no reserved facility corresponding to the travel destination related facility among the reserved facilities (NO in step S84), the flow ends. In step S85, a retry of the reservation facility corresponding to the travel destination related facility (hereinafter referred to as a travel destination related reservation facility) is performed, and the flow ends.

  The facility related to the travel destination estimated to have traveled by the user is likely to be of interest to the user. Therefore, even with the above configuration, it is possible to retry a reservation facility that is likely to be of interest to the user.

  The retry-related process, the trendy pending facility information providing process, and the travel destination related pending facility information providing process may be combined. In this case, if there is a pending facility corresponding to a trendy facility or a travel destination related facility, a retry will be performed for the reserved facility, and for other reserved facilities, a certain period of time has elapsed since the provision of information. In such a case, a configuration may be adopted in which a retry is performed by the above-described retry processing.

  Moreover, what is necessary is just to perform as follows, when combining a retry related process and a 1st learning process. As an example, when a visit is made to an unvisited facility that has provided information, a setting is made to increase the frequency of information provision in the information provision processing of an unvisited facility of the same type as the unvisited facility. On the other hand, if the visit to the unvisited facility that provided the information was not made, the retry-related processing described above was performed, and if “rejected” was selected in the selection process, the same type as the unvisited facility Set to reduce the frequency of information provision in the information provision processing of unvisited facilities. When “hold” is selected in the selection process, the setting of the information provision frequency in the information provision process of the same type of unvisited facility as the unvisited facility is also suspended.

  Although the flowchart of FIG. 9 shows a configuration in which retry-related processing is started when it is determined that no visit has been made to an unvisited facility or a one-time visited facility that has provided information, Not exclusively. For example, the retry-related process may be started between the provision of information on an unvisited facility or a once-visit facility until a stoppage determination.

  In this case, after the above-described selection screen display process is performed, when it is determined that a visit to an unvisited facility or a once-visit facility has been made, the above-described first learning process may be performed. In addition, after performing the above-described selection screen display process, if it is determined that there is no stop-off to an unvisited facility or a once-visit facility, the processing after step S62 described above may be performed.

  Furthermore, in Embodiment 2, although the structure which makes the object of a retry an unvisited facility and a once visited facility was shown, it does not necessarily restrict to this. For example, it is good also as a structure made into the object of retry also about a visiting facility in multiple times. In this case, the selection screen display process may be configured to display on the display device 18 a selection screen that prompts only the selection of whether or not to reject information provision for a plurality of visited facilities.

  The retry frequency may be changed according to an operation input from the user for changing the retry frequency received via the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21. As an example, the user is allowed to select “I want to go to a new facility” or “I want to go to the same facility as usual” by the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller 21. If the user selects “I want to go to a new facility”, the retry frequency is increased from the default. On the other hand, when the selection “I want to go to the same facility as usual” is made, the retry frequency is lowered from the default.

  Note that the user's mood may be determined based on the operation input result from the user, and the retry frequency may be set according to the determined user's mood. As an example, the display device 18 or the voice output device 19 is used to determine whether the user's mood is “I want to go to a new facility” or “I want to go to the same facility as usual”. And the user's mood is determined from the operation input result as an answer to the question. When it is determined that the user's mood is “I want to go to a new facility”, the retry frequency is increased from the default. On the other hand, if it is determined that the user's mood is “I want to go to the same facility as usual”, the retry frequency is lowered from the default.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the route search process is performed by the control device 25 of the navigation device 1 is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the route search process may be performed by the control unit 34 of the center 3. In this case, the control unit 34 of the center 3 performs the same route search processing as described above using the information of the departure place and destination received from the communication device 24 and the map DB 33, and the recommended route searched for. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which transmits information to the navigation apparatus 1 via the communication part 31. FIG.

  The recommended route information may be IDs of links and nodes included in the recommended route, or may include drawing data such as a map for performing route guidance. The control device 25 that has acquired the searched recommended route information from the center 3 via the communication device 24 may be configured to perform the above-described route guidance processing based on the recommended route information.

  In the navigation device 1, the control device 25 may acquire necessary road map data and POI data from the center 3 instead of the map DB 16. In this case, the control unit 34 of the center 3 reads road map data and POI data from the map DB 33 and transmits the read information to the communication device 24 via the communication unit 31. When the control device 25 acquires the necessary road map data and POI data from the center 3 instead of the map DB 16, the map DB 16 may be omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus (information provision apparatus), 25 Control apparatus (information provision means), S1, S2, S3 Stop determination means, S4 count means, S13 1st learning means

Claims (15)

An information providing device (1) comprising information providing means (25) for providing information on a facility,
Stopping determination means (25, S1, S2, S3) for determining whether or not the user of the own device has stopped at the facility;
For the facility determined to have stopped by the stop determination means, the counting means (25, S4) for counting the cumulative number of stops,
The information providing means also provides information on an unvisited facility that is a facility whose cumulative number counted by the counting means is zero,
When it is determined by the stop determination means that there has been a visit to the unvisited facility that has provided information, among the predetermined types of facilities, an unvisited facility of the same type as the unvisited facility that has determined the stop An information providing apparatus comprising first learning means (25, S13) for increasing the frequency of information provision by the information providing means. In claim 1,
The information providing means includes
An unvisited facility that is a facility whose cumulative number counted by the counting means is zero, a one-time visited facility that is a facility whose cumulative number counted by the counting means is one or more times from a previous count, and the count The frequency of providing information differs between the multiple-visit facility, which is a facility with a cumulative count of 2 or more by means,
The non-visited facility has a higher frequency of information provision than the one-time visited facility, and the non-visited facility has a lower frequency of information provision than the multiple-visited facility. Providing device. In claim 2,
Accepting an operation input from a user for changing a ratio of information provision of the unvisited facility, information provision of the one-time visit facility, and information provision of the plurality of visit facilities in the information provision by the information provision means An information providing apparatus comprising operation input means (20, 21). In claim 2 or 3,
A pioneering ratio specifying means (25, S41) for specifying a pioneering ratio that is a ratio of a user visiting the unvisited facility that provided information by the information providing means based on the determination result by the stop determining means. Prepared,
The information providing means provides the information on the unvisited facility, the information on the one-time visit facility, and the information provision on the plurality of times-visited facility according to an increase in the development ratio specified by the development ratio specifying means. The ratio of providing information on the unvisited facilities in accordance with the decrease in the development ratio specified by the development ratio specifying means, while increasing the ratio of providing information on the unvisited facilities An information providing apparatus comprising: second learning means (25, S42) for reducing the number of words. In any one of Claims 2-4,
Based on the cumulative number of times counted for each facility counted by the counting means, a pioneering tendency identifying means (25, S51) for identifying a pioneering tendency that is a tendency of the user to visit the facility,
According to the pioneering tendency specified by the pioneering tendency specifying means, the ratio of the information provision of the unvisited facility by the information providing means, the information provision of the one-time visited facility, and the information provision of the plurality of visited facilities An information providing apparatus comprising third learning means (25, S52) for setting. In claim 5,
The third learning means, when the pioneering tendency specifying means specifies a pioneering tendency in which the number of the one-time visiting facilities is a predetermined value or more for the same type of facility, the unvisited facility in the information providing means Information providing, setting of increasing the ratio of providing information on the unvisited facility among the ratios of providing information on the one-time visit facility and providing information on the multiple-time visit facility apparatus. In claim 5 or 6,
The third learning means is the pioneering tendency specifying means, wherein the number of the multiple-visited facilities, or the ratio of the multiple-visited facilities among the unvisited facilities, the one-time visited facilities, and the multiple-visited facilities Of the information provision of the unvisited facility in the information providing means, the information provision of the one-time visit facility, and the information provision of the plurality of visit facilities, An information providing apparatus configured to reduce a ratio of providing information on the unvisited facility. In any one of Claims 1-7,
A communication means (24) for communicating with a center that collects the cumulative number of facilities visited by a user of the other apparatus, counted by the counting means of the other apparatus that is the information providing apparatus other than the own apparatus;
Based on the information about the cumulative number of facilities visited by the user of the other device acquired from the center by the communication means, the number of users whose cumulative number has changed from 0 to 1 within a predetermined period has reached a predetermined number. A trendy facility extraction means (25, S22) for extracting a trendy facility which is a facility;
The information providing device provides information on an unvisited facility when the unvisited facility for the user of the device is extracted as the trendy facility by the trendy facility extracting unit. . In any one of Claims 1-8,
Travel destination acquisition means (25, S31) for acquiring the travel destination of the user of the device;
A travel destination related facility extracting means (25, S32) for extracting a travel destination related facility that is a facility selling goods related to the travel destination acquired by the travel destination acquiring means;
The information providing means provides information on an unvisited facility when the unvisited facility for the user of the device is extracted as the travel destination related facility by the travel destination related facility extracting means. To provide information. In any one of Claims 1-3,
A selection means (25, S62) for selecting the information provision suspension and rejection of the unvisited facility according to the user's operation input for the unvisited facility that has provided the information by the information providing means,
The holding facility which is the unvisited facility selected to be held by the selecting unit includes a retry unit (25, S65) for performing re-providing to provide information again by the information providing unit. To provide information. In claim 2 or 3,
Selection means (25) that selects information facility suspension and rejection according to a user operation input for at least one of the unvisited facility and the one-time visited facility that has been provided by the information providing means. , S62)
The information providing system comprises a retrying means (25, S65) for causing the information providing means to re-provide information for the holding facility which is selected as the facility reserved by the selecting means. apparatus. In claim 10 or 11,
Based on the determination result by the stop determination means, a pioneering ratio specifying means (25) for specifying a pioneering ratio that is a ratio of a user visiting the unvisited facility that provided the information by the information providing means,
The retry means increases the frequency of causing the re-provision as the pioneer ratio specified by the pioneer ratio specifying means increases, while the pioneer ratio specified by the pioneer ratio specifying means decreases. The frequency of the re-provision is reduced according to the information provision apparatus. In any one of Claims 10-12,
Based on the cumulative number of times counted for each facility counted by the counting means, a pioneering tendency identifying means (25) for identifying a pioneering tendency that is a tendency of the user to visit the facility,
The retry means sets the frequency at which the re-provision is performed according to the pioneering tendency specified by the pioneering tendency specifying means. In any one of Claims 10-13,
A communication means (24) for communicating with a center that collects the cumulative number of facilities visited by a user of the other apparatus, counted by the counting means of the other apparatus that is the information providing apparatus other than the own apparatus;
Based on the information about the cumulative number of facilities visited by the user of the other device acquired from the center by the communication means, the number of users whose cumulative number has changed from 0 to 1 within a predetermined period has reached a predetermined number. A trendy facility extraction means (25) for extracting a trendy facility as a facility,
The retry means causes the re-provision of the unvisited facility when the reserved facility for the user of the own device is extracted as the trendy facility by the trendy facility extraction means. . In any one of Claims 10-14,
Travel destination acquisition means (25) for acquiring the travel destination of the user of the device;
A travel destination related facility extracting means (25) for extracting a travel destination related facility that is a facility selling goods related to the travel destination acquired by the travel destination acquiring means;
The retry means re-provides the unvisited facility when the reserved facility for the user of the user apparatus is extracted as the travel destination related facility by the travel destination related facility extracting means. Information providing device.

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