JP2020166525A - Information providing device, information providing program, and information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the convenience for a driver of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information providing device 10 comprises: a landmark database 43 that holds information about a location around each of a plurality of intersections; a hierarchical relation holding unit that holds the hierarchical relation of a hierarchized set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs; a connection relation holding unit that holds the connection relation of the plurality of intersections and sets; a target intersection identification section 22 that identifies a target intersection for which information is provided; an extraction unit 23 that refers to the hierarchical relation holding unit and the connection relation holding unit to extract locations that can be reached from each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection at a particle size according to a distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time; a selection unit 25 that selects, for each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, information to be presented among the information about the extracted locations; and a presentation unit 26 that presents the selected information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to information providing technology, and more particularly to an information providing device, an information providing program, and an information providing method for providing information on a place reachable from an intersection.

When a route for reaching the destination is set, the navigation system mounted on the vehicle or the like guides the set route. Patent Document 1 searches for a travelable route from the current location to the destination by the desired arrival time, and based on the searched travelable route, an area capable of arriving at the destination by the desired arrival time. A technique for setting a drop-in area and displaying a map to distinguish the stop-by area from other areas is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-215144

The present inventors consider that it is possible to further improve the convenience of the user by providing useful information not only when the destination is set but also when the destination is not set. I came up with the present invention.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to improve user convenience.

In order to solve the above problems, the information providing device of a certain aspect of the present disclosure includes a database that holds information about locations around each of a plurality of intersections, and a hierarchy of a layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs. A hierarchical relationship holding unit that holds a relationship, a connection relationship holding unit that holds a connection relationship between a plurality of intersections and a set, an intersection specifying unit that specifies a target intersection for which information is provided, a hierarchical relationship holding unit and a connection relationship. With reference to the holding section, the extraction section that extracts the locations that can be reached from each of the multiple roads that branch off from the target intersection at a granularity according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time. Of the information about the location extracted by the extraction unit, a selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and a presentation unit that reads the information selected by the selection unit from the database and presents it. To be equipped.

Another aspect of the disclosure is an information providing program. This program refers to the computer as an intersection identification part that identifies the target intersection for which information is provided, the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the multiple intersections belongs, and the connection relationship of the multiple intersections and the set. Then, the locations that can be reached from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection are extracted by the extraction unit and the extraction unit that extract the locations that can be reached from each of the target intersections at a granularity according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time. It functions as a selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and a presentation unit that presents the information selected by the selection unit.

Another aspect of the disclosure is a method of providing information. This method refers to the step of identifying the target intersection for which information is provided to the computer, the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs, and the connection relationship of the plurality of intersections and the set. Information on the steps to extract the locations that can be reached from each of the multiple roads that branch off from the target intersection with the particle size according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time, and the extracted locations. Among them, a step of selecting the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection and a step of presenting the selected information are executed.

It should be noted that any combination of the above components and the conversion of the expressions of the present disclosure between methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs and the like are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, the convenience of the user can be improved.

It is a figure for demonstrating the granularity of the information handled by the information providing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the structure of the information provision system which concerns on embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the structure of the information providing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the internal data of an intersection database. It is a figure which shows the example of the internal data of a regional database. It is a figure which shows the example of the internal data of a landmark database. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed on the display device. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed on the display device. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the information providing method which concerns on embodiment.

As an embodiment of the present disclosure, a technique for providing information on a location reachable from each of a plurality of roads branching from an intersection will be described.

The information providing device of the present embodiment not only provides information such as landmarks around the route when guiding the route to reach the destination, but also the destination is not set. Occasionally, information on places that are likely to be of interest to the driver or passenger among the places that can be reached from the intersection in front is presented for each direction of travel. If there is a place the driver wants to go among the multiple places presented, the driver should follow the guidance provided at each intersection and drive in the direction of travel to reach that place. If you do, you can naturally reach your favorite place. As described above, the information providing device of the present embodiment can provide a novel navigation function completely different from the conventional navigation system, and thus can improve the fun and convenience of driving.

In order to realize such a function, the information providing device of the present embodiment extracts information on a reachable place from each of the roads branching from the target intersection to which the information is provided, and the extracted information Select the information to be presented according to the driver's attributes and preferences. By expanding the range of places where information is extracted to a wide range, it is possible to propose driving not only around the road on which the driver is driving, but also to distant landmarks where the driver does not normally drive. However, in areas where infrastructure is being developed and the road network is highly developed, the number of places that can be reached from the target intersection can be enormous, so the wider the range of places to be extracted, the greater the processing load. ..

In order to solve such a new problem, in the present embodiment, the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time can be reached from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection. Extract with a particle size according to. Specifically, the intersections are grouped hierarchically, and reachable places are extracted with a finer particle size in the range closer to the target intersection and a larger particle size as the distance from the target intersection is extracted, and the information on the extracted places is included. Select the information to present from.

If you limit the range of places where information is extracted in order to reduce the processing load, only information in the vicinity of the place you are driving will be presented, so it is suggested to drive to a distant place that the driver did not know. The real thrill of this function that it can be done is diminished. On the other hand, according to the information providing device of the present embodiment, it is possible to expand the information extraction range while suppressing an increase in the processing load. Moreover, since the processing load can be suppressed, the information can be updated and presented at each intersection. Therefore, it is possible to provide a novel navigation function that supports free driving without setting a destination.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the granularity of information handled by the information providing device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1A, a road network can be represented by a directed graph in which intersections are nodes and roads connecting adjacent intersections are edges. Landmarks around the intersection shall belong to the intersection on the starting point side of the road to which the landmark touches. For example, the landmark "W" belongs to the node "2" which is the starting point of the edge where the "W" touches. Landmarks accessible by turning right from the oncoming lane belong to the intersections at both ends of the road. For example, the landmark "Y" is accessible from both the road from intersection "7" to intersection "A" and from the road from intersection "A" to intersection "7", so nodes "7" and " It belongs to both of "A".

By decomposing the directed graph into strongly connected components, the nodes that can go back and forth between each other are collectively made into the parent node. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), child nodes "2" and "6" are grouped into a parent node "C", and child nodes "3", "4", and "5" are grouped into a parent node "D". , And the child nodes "7", "8", "9", and "A" are grouped into the parent node "F". Parent nodes that can move back and forth between each other are further grouped into higher-level parent nodes. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the parent nodes "C" and "D" are grouped into the parent node "E". In this way, by grouping the child nodes representing the intersections hierarchically to form the parent node, a simplified directed graph can be formed as shown in FIG. 1D. The upper parent node may be hierarchized according to administrative divisions such as town area, chome, city, ward, town, group, and prefecture. This makes it possible to facilitate the correspondence between the map information and the node.

The parent node includes landmark information owned by the child node to which it belongs. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the parent node "C" has information on the landmark "W" possessed by the child node "2" to which it belongs and the landmark "V" possessed by the child node "6" to which it belongs. Includes information. Further, as shown in FIG. 1D, the parent node "E" has information on the landmarks "W" and "V" possessed by the child node "C" to which the parent node "E" belongs, and the child node "D" to which the parent node "D" belongs. Includes information on landmark "X". Such a affiliation relationship between a landmark and an intersection, a connection relationship between intersections, and a hierarchical relationship of a set of intersections are created in advance and stored in an information providing device.

Using this figure, a method of extracting the reachable locations from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection with appropriate particle size will be described. It is assumed that the vehicle is traveling from the intersection "5" toward the intersection "3". Referring to the directed graph, at the target intersection "3" in front of the vehicle, the road branches into a road toward the adjacent intersection "2" and a road toward the adjacent intersection "4". The information providing device extracts the locations reachable from each road using a directed graph. For example, from the road heading to the intersection "2", it is possible to reach the intersections "2", "1", "6", "5", etc., and the landmarks "W", "V" are on the route. is there. From the road heading to the intersection "4", you can reach the intersections "4", "5", "7", "8", "9", "A", "B", etc. There are landmarks "Y" and "Z". By following the directed graphs in order, all reachable locations from each road can be extracted.

When there are multiple paths that can reach the same node, that node and the node beyond that node are assigned to the branch destination of the path that is the shortest path. For example, the intersection "5" can be reached from the target intersection "3" via the intersections "2" and "6", and can also be reached from the target intersection "3" via the intersection "4". Although it is possible, the path passing through the intersection "4" is shorter, so the intersection "5" is assigned as a place that can be reached from the branch destination toward the intersection "4". The shortest route may be determined based on distance, time, number of intersections, and the like.

When extracting reachable nodes along a directed graph, the granularity of the extracted nodes is increased as the distance from the target intersection increases, and higher-level nodes are extracted. For example, the intersection "4" is extracted as it is as a place that can be reached from the road toward the intersection "4", but the intersections "7", "8", "9", and "A" are collectively the parent node "F". Is extracted as. This makes it possible to reduce the total number of nodes to be extracted.

Since the directed graph is decomposed into strongly connected components and the lower nodes are tapped into the upper nodes, it is guaranteed that all the nodes to which they belong can be reached. Further, since the information included in the parent node can be decomposed into the child nodes to which the parent node belongs and restored, detailed information can be presented as needed. As a result, useful information can be provided to the user while suppressing an increase in the processing load.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the information providing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The information providing system 1 includes a vehicle 6 to which information is provided, a mobile terminal 5 used by a user such as a driver of the vehicle 6, an information distribution server 3 that distributes various information, and a social networking service (SNS). ), And a communication network 2 for connecting them.

The information providing device of the present disclosure is realized by an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 6, a driver's mobile terminal 5, and the like. The information distribution server 3 distributes landmark information, current affairs information, event information, traffic jam information, traffic information, weather information, and the like to an information providing device, a mobile terminal 5, and the like. The SNS server 4 provides a service that enables information and images posted by users to be shared among a large number of users and messages and the like to be exchanged between users. The information providing device collects information from the information distribution server 3, the SNS server 4, and the like, and updates the information that can be provided to the user at any time. As a result, it is possible to provide the user with information such as landmarks that have become a hot topic among SNS users and facilities where events are held.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the information providing device according to the embodiment. The information providing device 10 includes a communication device 11, an input device 12, a sensor 13, a display device 14, a voice output device 15, a control device 20, and a storage device 40.

The communication device 11 controls communication of any communication method by wire or wireless. The input device 12 receives an instruction input from the user to the control device 20. The sensor 13 detects information about the surroundings of the vehicle, the state of the vehicle, and the like. The display device 14 displays a display image or the like generated by the control device 20. The voice output device 15 outputs the voice generated by the control device 20. The storage device 40 stores data and programs used by each configuration of the information providing device 10, such as map data, various control data, detection data detected by the sensor 13, and the information providing program of the present disclosure.

The storage device 40 includes an intersection database 41, a regional database 42, a landmark database 43, and a user information holding unit 44. The intersection database 41 stores information about intersections. The area database 42 stores information about the area (parent node) to which the intersection belongs. The landmark database 43 stores information about landmarks. The user information holding unit 44 holds information about the user of the information providing device 10. The user information holding unit 44 selects, for example, attribute information such as the user's gender, age, address, occupation, preference information such as favorite foods and drinks, hobbies, contents posted by the user on the SNS server 4, and information selection. Alternatively, the conditions related to the display order, etc. are stored. The information held in the user information holding unit 44 is used to select the information to be presented to the user.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the internal data of the intersection database 41. The intersection database 41 includes an intersection ID column, a name column, a position column, an area ID column, a connection intersection column, and a landmark ID column. The intersection ID column stores an ID for identifying the intersection. The name field stores the name of the intersection. The position column stores information such as longitude and latitude indicating the position of the intersection. The area ID column stores the ID of the area to which the intersection belongs. The adjacent intersection column stores the ID of the adjacent intersection to which each of the plurality of roads branching from the intersection connects, and the distance to the intersection. The adjacent intersection column functions as a connection relationship holding unit that holds the connection relationship of a plurality of intersections. The landmark ID column stores the IDs of landmarks belonging to the intersection. The detailed information of the landmark is stored in the landmark database 43. The intersection database 41 is updated according to the installation or abolition of intersections and the addition, change, disappearance of landmarks, and the like. The intersection database 41 may further store information such as the speed limit of the road between the intersection and the adjacent intersection, the distinction between toll road and free road, the presence or absence of construction, traffic congestion, traffic restriction, the number of lanes, the road width, and the like.

FIG. 5 shows an example of internal data of the regional database 42. The area database 42 includes an area ID column, a name column, a position column, a higher area ID column, an adjacent area ID column, and a landmark ID column. The area ID column stores an ID for identifying the area. The name field stores the name of the area. The position column stores information such as longitude and latitude indicating the location of the area. The position of the area may be the position of the center of gravity of a plurality of intersections to which the area belongs, the position of the center of gravity of the corresponding administrative division, the position of the government office, etc., or the position of a representative landmark to which the area belongs. You may. The upper area ID column stores the ID of the upper area to which the area belongs. The lower area ID column stores the ID of the lower area belonging to the area. If the lower area corresponds to an intersection, the intersection ID is stored. The upper area ID column and the lower area ID column function as a hierarchical relationship holding unit that holds the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs. The adjacent area column stores the ID of the adjacent area that can be reached from the area and the distance to the area. The adjacent area column functions as a connection relationship holding unit that holds the connection relationship of a plurality of areas. The landmark ID column stores the IDs of representative landmarks selected from the landmarks around the intersection belonging to the area based on the information about the user held in the user information holding unit 44 and the like. A typical landmark may be updated at a predetermined timing by the update unit 28, as will be described later. Since the number of landmarks belonging to a region increases in the higher regions, the processing load can be enormous if all landmarks are extracted, but the processing load can be reduced by selecting representative landmarks in advance. However, it is possible to provide useful information. If necessary, all landmarks can be extracted by tracing the lower area ID. The area database 42 is updated according to the establishment or abolition of intersections belonging to the area, addition, change, disappearance of landmarks, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the internal data of the landmark database 43. The landmark database 43 includes a landmark ID column, a position column, an intersection ID column, a name column, a type column, an event information column, a word-of-mouth information column, a history column, and an evaluation column. The landmark ID field stores an ID for identifying the landmark. The position column stores information such as longitude and latitude indicating the position of the landmark. The intersection ID column stores the ID of the intersection to which the landmark belongs. The name field stores the name of the landmark. The type column stores the type of landmark. The event information column stores information on events scheduled to be held at the landmark. The word-of-mouth information column stores word-of-mouth information by other users regarding the landmark. The event information and word-of-mouth information are acquired from the information distribution server 3 and the like, and are registered in the landmark database 43. The history column stores the history of the user's past visits to landmarks. The evaluation column stores the user's own evaluation of the landmark. The history and evaluation are acquired from the user via the input device 12 and registered in the landmark database 43.

The control device 20 includes a current position acquisition unit 21, a target intersection identification unit 22, an extraction unit 23, a scoring unit 24, a selection unit 25, a presentation unit 26, a user information setting unit 27, and an update unit 28. These configurations can be realized by the CPU, memory, or other LSI of any computer in terms of hardware, and can be realized by programs loaded in memory in terms of software, but here, by linking them. It depicts the functional blocks that will be realized. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms only by hardware and by a combination of hardware and software.

The current position acquisition unit 21 is based on the information around the vehicle acquired by sensors such as a GPS receiver, millimeter-wave radar, LIDAR, and sonar, and the analysis result of the image around the vehicle captured by the imaging device. And get the current position.

The target intersection identification unit 22 specifies a target intersection for which information is provided. When providing information while the vehicle is traveling, the target intersection identification unit 22 refers to the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 21 and the map information held in the storage device 40, and is in the direction of travel. The nearest intersection in front is specified as the target intersection. The target intersection identification unit 22 may specify an intersection designated by the user by the input device 12 as the target intersection.

With reference to the intersection database 41 and the area database 42, the extraction unit 23 determines the location reachable from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time. Extract with the appropriate particle size. The extraction unit 23 reads the information of the target intersection specified by the target intersection identification unit 22 from the intersection database 41, and extracts the ID of the adjacent intersection of the target intersection as a reachable place. Further, the extraction unit 23 reads the information of the adjacent intersection from the intersection database 41 and extracts the ID of the intersection adjacent to the adjacent intersection as a reachable place. When the extracted intersection belongs to an area different from the area to which the previously extracted intersection belongs, the extraction unit 23 increases the granularity of the extraction location and extracts the area ID instead of the intersection ID. The extraction unit 23 reads the information of the extracted area from the area database 42, and extracts the ID of the adjacent area as a reachable place. When the extracted area belongs to a higher area different from the upper area to which the immediately extracted area belongs, the extraction unit 23 further increases the granularity of the extraction place and extracts the ID of the upper area. In this way, the extraction unit 23 traces the connection relationship of adjacent intersections or areas starting from the target intersection, and extracts the place while increasing the particle size each time the upper area to which the extraction unit belongs changes. As a result, a list of places that can be reached from the target intersection is dynamically constructed for each intersection. As described above, the extraction unit 23 filters the overlapping intersections or sets so that only the shortest path remains.

The scoring unit 24 scores information about the location extracted by the extraction unit 23. The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the current position or the distance from the target intersection to the extracted location. For example, the score of the place where the distance is equal to or more than the predetermined value may be added, or conversely, the score of the place where the distance is less than the predetermined value may be added.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the current time. A range of times when the score is added may be retained for each location or landmark type, and the score may be added when the current time is within that range. For example, you may add the score of the restaurant at the time of meal, or you may add the score of spots such as beaches, parks, and observatories where you can see the beautiful sunset before and after sunset. The score of the spot where you can see the beautiful night view may be added to the time after sunset, or the score of those facilities may be added to the business hours of facilities such as shopping centers and movie theaters.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the current season. The season in which the score is added may be retained for each location or landmark type, and the score may be added when the current season is that season. For example, in the spring, the scores for cherry blossom viewing spots and parks may be added, in the summer, the scores for beaches, pools, mountains, etc. may be added, and in the fall, the scores for the autumn leaves hunting spots may be added. You may add scores for ski resorts and hot springs in winter.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the current weather. The weather to which the score is added may be retained for each location or landmark type, and the score may be added when the current weather or future weather acquired from the information distribution server 3 is that weather. For example, if the weather is sunny, the scores for outdoor facilities such as parks and observatories may be added, and if the weather is rainy, the scores for indoor facilities such as museums, art galleries, and shopping malls may be added. Alternatively, the score of the parking lot where the vehicle can be safely parked may be added when the weather is snow.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on traffic conditions. The scoring unit 24 may acquire traffic information, traffic jam information, and the like from the information distribution server 3, and add scores if there is no traffic jam between the target intersection and the extracted location.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the necessity of constant display. The scoring unit 24 may set the score of the designated place as the maximum value so that the place designated by the user such as the user's home or work is always displayed.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the necessity of priority display. The scoring unit 24 may add the scores of the designated places so that the places designated by the user are displayed preferentially.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the usage history of the navigation system. The scoring unit 24 may add scores such as a destination set in the navigation system and a waypoint that has traveled in the past.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on the information acquired from the information distribution server 3 or the SNS server 4. In addition, the scoring unit 24 registers keywords such as place names, store names, foods, and music that the user is interested in in advance, and is related to the keywords acquired from the information distribution server 3 and the SNS server 4. The score of the information may be set high. The scoring unit 24 may add the score of the place corresponding to the search keyword in the SNS server 4, the posted article, the image, the moving image, etc., or the score of the place where the event is scheduled to be held. You may add. The score according to the number of positive evaluations may be added to the articles posted on the SNS server 4.

The scoring unit 24 may score information based on whether or not it is set by the user. For example, when a specific landmark on the screen is pressed and held for a long time, the landmark may be scored so that the landmark is always presented. In the scoring unit 24, the user inputs the input device 12 from the presented information. The score of the place specified by may be added. In this case, the scoring unit 24 may add half of the maximum value of the score to the score at the designated place.

The selection unit 25 selects the information to be presented from the information about the location extracted by the extraction unit 23 for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection. The selection unit 25 selects information having a higher score calculated by the scoring unit 24 for each branch destination. The information selected may be any of landmarks, intersections, sets of intersections, and information about the area.

The presentation unit 26 reads the information selected by the selection unit 25 from the landmark database 43 and presents it by the display device 14 or the voice output device 15. The presentation unit 26 displays the information selected by the selection unit 25 on the display device 14 in an order according to the conditions specified by the user. The presentation unit 26 outputs a voice guiding the information selected by the selection unit 25 from the voice output device 15 in an order according to the conditions specified by the user. The presentation unit 26 may further present detailed information on the presented location. For example, landmark event information and word-of-mouth information may be presented.

The user information setting unit 27 acquires information about the user via the input device 12 or the like and registers it in the user information holding unit 44. The user information setting unit 27 sets conditions such as scoring conditions by the scoring unit 24 and presentation order by the presentation unit 26. The scoring conditions may be on / off for each item, a threshold value for calculating the score, and the like.

The update unit 28 updates the contents of the intersection database 41, the area database 42, the landmark database 43, or the user information holding unit 44 based on the information acquired from the information distribution server 3, the SNS server 4, and the like. The update unit 28 acquires information such as new landmark information, registered landmark event information, word-of-mouth information, posted articles, posted images, and posted moving images, and obtains information such as intersection database 41, regional database 42, and land. The mark database 43 is updated.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display device 14. Information on the location selected by the selection unit 25 is displayed on the display device 14 by the presentation unit 26 in the particle size according to the perspective in each direction of travel in front of the intersection where the left turn, the straight direction, and the right turn are possible. At this time, the reason why these candidates are selected may be further displayed. For example, it may be displayed that an event is scheduled to be held, that the spot is famous for its beautiful night view, etc., along with landmarks and local information.

When the driver makes a left turn at this intersection to go toward Kamoi and approaches the next intersection, the screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display device 14. As the vehicle approaches Kamoi, information on the vicinity of Kamoi will be displayed in fine particle size. This makes it possible to guide the vehicle to a location preferred by the driver in a more natural way than a conventional navigation system.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the information providing method according to the embodiment. The target intersection specifying unit 22 specifies the target intersection for which information is provided (S10). The extraction unit 23 refers to the regional database 42 that stores the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs and the intersection database 41 that stores the connection relationship of the plurality of intersections and the set from the target intersection. Locations reachable from each of the plurality of branching roads are extracted with a granularity according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time (S12). The selection unit 25 selects the information to be presented from the extracted information regarding the location for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection (S14). The presentation unit 26 presents the selected information (S16).

The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. This embodiment is an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible for each of these components or combinations of each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. .. Further, although the embodiment described in the present disclosure has been described using the in-vehicle device, the present disclosure is not limited, and the application can be implemented as an application for a mobile terminal such as a smart phone or a touch pad.

The outline of one aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. The information providing device of a certain aspect of the present disclosure is a hierarchical relationship holding unit that holds a database that holds information about locations around each of a plurality of intersections and a hierarchical relationship of a layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs. With reference to the connection relationship holding unit that holds the connection relationship of a plurality of intersections and sets, the intersection specifying unit that specifies the target intersection for which information is provided, the hierarchical relationship holding unit, and the connection relationship holding unit. Regarding the extraction unit that extracts the locations that can be reached from each of the multiple roads that branch off from the intersection with the granularity according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time, and the location extracted by the extraction unit. Among the information, a selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and a presentation unit that reads the information selected by the selection unit from the database and presents the information. According to this aspect, useful information can be provided to the user while suppressing an increase in the processing load, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

The layered set may be generated by decomposing a directed graph having a plurality of intersections as nodes and roads connecting adjacent intersections as edges into strongly connected components. According to this aspect, even when the intersections are treated as a layered set, it can be guaranteed that the intersections belonging to the set can be exchanged with each other.

The extraction unit may trace the intersection or set connected to the target intersection with reference to the connection relationship holding unit, and may raise the hierarchy of the set to be extracted when the range of the set of the immediately above layer is exceeded. According to this aspect, since the information can be handled at an appropriate particle size, useful information can be provided to the user while suppressing an increase in the processing load.

A user information holding unit that holds information about the user is further provided, and the selection unit may score the information about the location extracted by the extraction unit based on the information about the user, and select the information having the higher score. .. According to this aspect, information suitable for the user can be appropriately provided, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

It may further include an update unit that acquires information about the location and updates the database. According to this aspect, information reflecting the trend can be provided, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

Another aspect of the disclosure is an information providing program. This program refers to the computer as an intersection identification part that identifies the target intersection for which information is provided, the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the multiple intersections belongs, and the connection relationship of the multiple intersections and the set. Then, the locations that can be reached from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection are extracted by the extraction unit and the extraction unit that extract the locations that can be reached from each of the target intersections at a granularity according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time. It functions as a selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and a presentation unit that presents the information selected by the selection unit. According to this aspect, useful information can be provided to the user while suppressing an increase in the processing load, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of providing information. This method refers to the step of identifying the target intersection for which information is provided to the computer, the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs, and the connection relationship of the plurality of intersections and the set. Information on the steps to extract the locations that can be reached from each of the multiple roads that branch off from the target intersection with the particle size according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time, and the extracted locations. Among them, a step of selecting the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection and a step of presenting the selected information are executed. According to this aspect, useful information can be provided to the user while suppressing an increase in the processing load, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

1 Information provision system, 2 Communication network, 3 Information distribution server, 4 SNS server, 5 Mobile terminal, 6 Vehicles, 10 Information provision device, 11 Communication device, 12 Input device, 13 Sensor, 14 Display device, 15 Voice output device, 20 Control device, 21 Current position acquisition unit, 22 Target intersection identification unit, 23 Extraction unit, 24 Scoring unit, 25 Selection unit, 26 Presentation unit, 27 User information setting unit, 28 Update unit, 40 Storage device, 41 Intersection database , 42 Regional Database, 43 Landmark Database, 44 User Information Retention Department.

Claims (7)

A database that holds information about the location around each of multiple intersections,
A hierarchical relationship holding unit that holds a hierarchical relationship of a layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs,
A connection relationship holding unit that holds the connection relationship between the plurality of intersections and a set,
An intersection identification part that identifies the target intersection for which information is provided, and
With reference to the hierarchical relationship holding unit and the connection relationship holding unit, the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time can be reached from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection. An extraction unit that extracts with a particle size according to
Among the information about the place extracted by the extraction unit, the selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and
A presentation unit that reads information selected by the selection unit from the database and presents the information.
An information providing device. The layered set according to claim 1, wherein the layered set is generated by decomposing a directed graph having the plurality of intersections as nodes and roads connecting adjacent intersections as edges into strongly connected components. Information providing device. The extraction unit traces an intersection or a set connected to the target intersection with reference to the connection relationship holding unit, and when the range of the set of the immediately above layer is exceeded, the layer of the set to be extracted is raised. Or the information providing device according to 2. It also has a user information holding unit that holds information about the user.
The information provision according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the selection unit scores information about the location extracted by the extraction unit based on the information about the user, and selects information having a higher score. apparatus. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an update unit that acquires information about the location and updates the database. Computer,
Intersection identification section that identifies the target intersection for which information is provided,
With reference to the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs and the connection relationship of the plurality of intersections and the set, the location reachable from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection is determined. An extraction unit that extracts particles according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections that pass through, or the required time.
A selection unit that selects the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection among the information about the location extracted by the extraction unit.
A presentation unit that presents information selected by the selection unit,
An information providing program that functions as. On the computer
Steps to identify the target intersections for which information is provided, and
With reference to the hierarchical relationship of the layered set to which each of the plurality of intersections belongs and the connection relationship of the plurality of intersections and the set, the location reachable from each of the plurality of roads branching from the target intersection is determined. A step of extracting at a particle size according to the distance from the target intersection, the number of intersections passing through, or the required time, and
Among the information about the extracted places, the step of selecting the information to be presented for each of a plurality of roads branching from the target intersection, and
Steps to present the selected information and
Information provision method to execute.

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