JP2021067639A - Information provision device, information provision method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information provision device, information provision method, and program, which can provide useful information to users.SOLUTION: A navigation server 100 provided herein comprises a second communication unit 110, destination setting reception unit 120, location acquisition unit 122, route search unit 124, specific point extraction unit 130, destination prediction unit 132, provision unit 140, and storage unit 170. The specific point extraction unit 130 is configured to extract a specific point corresponding to a destination of a given number of second users or more, different from a user to be provided with information (hereunder called a first user), to provide alternative point information to the first user. The provision unit 140 provides information on an alternative point that can replace the specific point extracted by the specific point extraction unit 130 to a navigation device 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program.

Conventionally, destination information indicating a user's destination is acquired via a communication unit, one or a plurality of recommended destinations belonging to the same category as the destination indicated by the destination information is selected, and the selected recommended destination is selected. The invention of an apparatus that outputs the recommended destination information shown via the communication unit is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2019-091223

In the conventional technology, the information that can be proposed to the user is limited.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program capable of providing useful information to a user.

The information providing device, the information providing method, and the program according to the present invention have adopted the following configurations.

(1): The information providing device according to one aspect of the present invention provides information on an alternative point that can be substituted for a specific point as a destination by a predetermined number or more of the second users different from the first user. It is provided with a processing unit that outputs to the device to be used.

(2): In the aspect of the above (1), in the processing unit, a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user are the destinations, and the predetermined number or more of the second users are common. Information on an alternative point that can be substituted for a specific point that is scheduled to exist in the band is output to the device used by the first user.

(3): In the aspect of (2) above, the processing unit can substitute for the specific point when the first user is expected to exist at the specific point in the common time zone. The information of the alternative point where the number of users who are expected to exist is smaller than that of the specific point is output to the device used by the first user.

(4): In any of the above aspects (1) to (3), the processing unit can substitute for the specific point when the first user is on a route guided by the navigation system. The information of the alternative point is output to the device used by the first user.

(5): In any of the above aspects (1) to (4), when the specific point matches the destination or waypoint of the first user, the processing unit substitutes for the specific point. Information on an alternative point that is possible and is expected to have a smaller number of users than the specific point is output to the device used by the first user.

(6): In any of the above aspects (1) to (5), the processing unit causes the device used by the first user to output information on the alternative point having the same attributes as the specific point. It is a thing.

(7): In any of the above aspects (1) to (6), the processing unit selects a point where the number of second users as the destination is smaller than the specific point as the alternative point. Is what you do.

(8): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), the device used by the first user is a display device, and the processing unit specifies the device used by the first user. An image showing a point and the alternative point is superimposed on a map image and displayed.

(9): In any of the above aspects (1) to (8), the processing unit determines the predetermined number based on the attributes of the specific point.

(10): In any of the above aspects (1) to (9), the processing unit determines the predetermined number based on the time zone in which the first user or the second user stays at the specific point. It is the one to decide.

(11): In any of the above aspects (1) to (10), the processing unit determines the attribute of the second user based on the attribute of the specific point, and the determined attribute of the second user. The predetermined number is determined based on the above.

(12): The processing unit outputs information representing the number of the second users at the specific point to the device used by the first user.

(13): In the information providing method according to another aspect of the present invention, the computer acquires information on a specific point targeted by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user, and the specific point is reached. The information of the alternative point that can be substituted is output to the device used by the first user.
Information provision method.

(14): The program according to another aspect of the present invention allows a computer to acquire information on a specific point targeted by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user, and can substitute for the specific point. The information of the alternative point is output to the device used by the first user.

According to the above aspects (1) to (14), useful information can be provided to the user.

It is a block diagram of the navigation system 1 using the information providing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the user information 172 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a basic process / communication about a route guidance. It is a figure which shows an example of the 1st screen IM1 displayed by the display unit 30 in a navigation device 10. It is a figure which shows an example of the 2nd screen IM2 displayed by the display unit 30 in a navigation device 10. It is a figure which shows another example of the 1st screen IM1 displayed by the display unit 30 in a navigation device 10. It is a figure which shows another example of the 2nd screen IM2 displayed by the display unit 30 in a navigation device 10. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of processing executed by the navigation server 100 of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the navigation system 1A using the information providing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the user information 172A which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the information providing device, the information providing method, and the embodiment of the program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The information providing device is realized by one or more processors. The information providing device may be a device that provides information to a device (various terminal devices) used by the user via a network such as the Internet, or may be a terminal device such as an in-vehicle device or a smartphone. Further, the information providing device may add a characteristic function to the navigation system, or may add a characteristic function to the agent system. The agent system is a technology known by names such as Siri (registered trademark), ALEXA (registered trademark), and Google (registered trademark) assistant at the time of filing of this application, and various services are provided using an interactive interface. Is provided to the user. In the following description, as a typical example, the information providing device is a virtual machine included in a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, or a virtual machine included in a navigation server that constructs a navigation system in cooperation with the navigation device. Suppose there is.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a navigation system 1 using the information providing device according to the first embodiment. The navigation system 1 includes a navigation device 10 and a navigation server 100.

The navigation device 10 is, for example, a device (vehicle-mounted device) mounted on a vehicle. The navigation device 10 includes, for example, a first communication unit 20, a display unit 30, an input unit 40, a speaker 50, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 60, and a control unit 70. The navigation device 10 may be realized by installing an application program on a general-purpose device such as a smartphone.

The first communication unit 20 communicates with the second communication unit 110 of the navigation server 100 via the network NW. The network NW includes, for example, a cellular network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, and the like. The first communication unit 20 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication using a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network in the network NW.

The display unit 30 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device. The display unit 30 is installed, for example, at the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle on which the navigation device 10 is mounted in the vehicle width direction so that the display surface faces the seat.

The input unit 40 is, for example, a touch panel (contact detection mechanism) integrally formed with the display unit 30. The input unit 40 may include a mechanical switch provided around the display surface of the display unit 30. Further, the input unit 40 may include a microphone that collects the voice emitted by the occupant of the vehicle.

The speaker 50 outputs sound into the vehicle interior of the vehicle.

The GNSS receiver 60 identifies the position of its own device (position of the vehicle) based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The GNSS satellite is a satellite that constitutes a system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, and Gagan.

The control unit 70 controls the entire navigation device 10. The control unit 70 is realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). The control unit 70 is realized by hardware (circuit unit; including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). It may be realized by the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or a removable storage device such as a DVD or a CD-ROM. It is stored in a medium (non-transient storage medium) and may be installed by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

With such a configuration, the navigation device 10 provides services such as destination setting, uploading of location information to the navigation server 100, route guidance, and provision of information related to the route to the user boarding the vehicle. Details will be described later. Further, the navigation device 10 may hold a map used for route guidance in a storage unit (not shown), or may acquire the map from the navigation server 100 at the time of route guidance.

The navigation server 100 includes, for example, a second communication unit 110, a destination setting reception unit 120, a position acquisition unit 122, a route search unit 124, a specific point extraction unit 130, a destination prediction unit 132, and a provision unit. It includes 140 and a storage unit 170. Each of the components except the second communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 is realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU (including circuit part; circuitry), or realized by collaboration between software and hardware. May be good. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory (a storage device including a non-transient storage medium), or a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM (non-transient). It is stored in a sex storage medium) and may be installed by attaching the storage medium to a drive device. The storage unit 170 is, for example, an HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. Information such as user information 172, map information 174, and point information 176 is stored in the storage unit 170. An example of a "processing unit" is one that includes at least a specific point extraction unit 130 and a providing unit 140.

The second communication unit 110 communicates with the first communication unit 20 via the network NW. The second communication unit 110 is, for example, a network card.

The destination setting reception unit 120 acquires the destination input by the touch panel operation, voice utterance, or the like in the navigation device 10 via the first communication unit 20 and the second communication unit 110, and registers the destination in the user information 172.

The position acquisition unit 122 acquires the position (vehicle position) of the navigation device 10 specified by the GNSS receiver 60 of the navigation device 10 via the first communication unit 20 and the second communication unit 110, and user information 172. Register with.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172 according to the first embodiment. The user information 172 corresponds to, for example, information on items such as the current position, destination, estimated destination arrival time, waypoint, waypoint arrival time, and user registration position with respect to the user ID which is the user's identification information. It is attached. The current position and destination are represented by, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude. The estimated destination arrival time and stopover arrival estimated time are derived by the navigation server 100 based on the distance from each user's position to the destination, the road type of the road on the way, the traffic environment information (traffic jam information), and the like. is there. The user registration position is one that is not registered in the point information 176 but can be set as a destination, such as a home or a work place. Regarding the user ID of the user who is not in the vehicle, that is, the user whose navigation device 10 is not activated, the items of the current position, destination, estimated destination arrival time, waypoint, and estimated waypoint arrival time are blank (null). ) May be set.

The route search unit 124 refers to the user information 172, the map information 174, and the point information 176, and searches for a route from the "current position" to the "destination" according to a desired algorithm. The desired algorithm is an algorithm that minimizes the time required, the cost, and other objective functions according to user settings. The map information 174 is, for example, a road represented by a link and a node. The location information 176 is information including the location of a location that may be set as a destination, for example, the location of a facility such as various commercial facilities, parks, schools, transportation terminals, and corporate offices, and an outline of the facility. Each point included in the point information 176 is given an attribute (category) of a facility existing at that point. The attributes of the facility are, for example, leisure facilities, sports facilities, commercial facilities such as supermarkets, and transportation terminals. Further, the point information 176 also includes information on an event that occurs only in a specific time zone, and information on the time zone and the attribute of the event is also added. Event attributes include, for example, music events, festivals, and children's festivals. The event information may be acquired from another device (web server or the like) via the Internet instead of being included in the point information 176. In this case, other devices that provide information using a knowledge-based database are preferably used.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a basic processing / communication flow related to route guidance. First, the input unit 40 of the navigation device 10 accepts the setting of the destination (step S1), the GNSS receiver 60 specifies the position of the navigation device 10 (step S2), and the first communication unit 20 receives these from the navigation server 100. (Step S3).

In the navigation server 100, the destination setting reception unit 120 acquires the destination and registers it in the user information 172, the position acquisition unit 122 acquires the position of the navigation device 10 and registers it in the user information 172, and the route search unit 124. Searches for a route from the "current position" to the "destination" (step S4). The second communication unit 110 transmits the route obtained as a result of the search to the navigation device 10 (step S5). At this time, the navigation server 100 may cut out a map (local map) required for route guidance from the map information 174 and transmit it to the navigation device 10, or may simply transmit only the route information to the navigation device 10. Good. In the latter case, the local map may be rendered by the navigation device 10 or cut out from the map information held by the navigation device 10 to be generated.

In the navigation device 10, the display unit 30 displays the navigation screen and the speaker 50 gives voice guidance for turning left or right so that the vehicle can travel along the route received from the navigation server 100 (step S6). .. Since the position of the vehicle changes as the vehicle moves, the GNSS receiver 60 repeatedly identifies the position of the navigation device 10 (step S7). The first communication unit 20 transmits the position specified at a desired timing to the navigation server 100 (step S8).

In the navigation server 100, the position acquisition unit 122 acquires the position of the navigation device 10 and registers it in the user information 172, and the route search unit 124 searches for a route from the “current position” to the “destination” (step S9). ). The second communication unit 110 transmits the route obtained as a result of the search to the navigation device 10 (step S10).

The navigation device 10 causes the display unit 30 to display information related to the navigation screen and option information provision, and causes the speaker 50 to perform voice guidance for turning left or right (step S11). Since the position of the vehicle changes as the vehicle moves, the GNSS receiver 60 repeatedly identifies the position of the navigation device 10 (step S12). The first communication unit 20 transmits the position specified at a desired timing to the navigation server 100 (step S13).

In the navigation system 1, such an operation is repeatedly executed, and route guidance to the user is performed.

[Providing information on alternative points]
Hereinafter, the configuration and processing for providing information on the alternative points will be described. The specific point extraction unit 130 targets a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user in order to provide information on the alternative point to the user to be provided with information (hereinafter referred to as the first user). Extract a specific point. “As a destination” may mean that the destination is set as a destination (may include a waypoint: the same applies hereinafter) in the navigation system by the second user, and the behavior history information of the second user. It may mean that the destination is predicted based on the above, or both of them may be meant. In the following description, both are meant. A specific point is likely to be set as a destination for an event, etc., and may cause congestion so that the first user may want to avoid visiting or passing through. is there. The relationship between the first user and the second user does not have to be fixed, and a user treated as the first user at a certain timing may be treated as a second user at another timing.

Further, the specific point extraction unit 130 may extract points that are set as destinations by a predetermined number or more of second users and are scheduled to exist in a common time zone as specific points. The "common time zone" means, for example, that the second user A stays from 13:00 to 16:00, the second user B stays from 14:00 to 17:00, and the second user C stays from 15:00 to 17:00. When staying, it means the time zone from 15:00 to 16:00. In this case, the specific point extraction unit 130 refers to the estimated arrival time of the destination or the estimated arrival time of the waypoint of the first user in the user information 172, and it is expected that the first user exists in the "common time zone". You may narrow down a specific point to a certain point. Regarding the staying time of the first user or the second user at the specific point, the specific point extraction unit 130 may use the general staying time at the point, or the first user or the second user may use the general staying time at the point. If the departure time from is registered in the navigation system or the like, it may be used.

Further, the specific point extraction unit 130 may narrow down the specific points to the points existing on the route provided to the first user, or the destinations or waypoints of the first user. "Existing on the route" does not mean that there is a facility related to a specific point on the route, but that the travel time or distance from the route to the facility is within a predetermined range. It may be included. The destination or waypoint of the first user may be a point set as the destination or waypoint by the first user in the navigation system, or the destination or waypoint based on the action history information of the first user. It may be a point that is predicted to be a stopover, or both of them may be included. As a result, the navigation server 100 provides the first user with information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point when the specific point exists on the route provided to the first user. When the specific point matches the destination or waypoint of the first user, the information of the alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point is provided to the first user.

The destination prediction unit 132 registers not only the destination set in the navigation system 1 but also the destination predicted in consideration of the movement history of the second user and the like in the user information 172. The destination prediction unit 132 acquires, for example, the position information of a user's vehicle for which a destination has not been set, and when there is a facility such as a famous tourist spot ahead of the route generated from the position information, the location information is obtained. Predict the facility as the destination. The destination prediction unit 132 may be omitted. The movement history is an example of the action history information, and the action history information may include a search history and a browsing history on the Internet.

Here, the above-mentioned "predetermined number" may be a fixed value or a value dynamically changed by the specific point extraction unit 130. For example, the specific point extraction unit 130 may increase a predetermined number of facilities (for example, facilities whose attribute is a transportation terminal) where people are likely to gather on a regular basis as compared with other facilities. Further, the specific point extraction unit 130 compares the time zone in which the number of second users staying is large with respect to the time zone in which the number of staying users periodically fluctuates according to the time zone, as compared with the other time zones. The predetermined number may be increased, and the predetermined number may be decreased for a small number of time zones as compared with other time zones. Further, the specific point extraction unit 130 may determine the attribute of the corresponding second user based on the attribute of the specific point, and determine a predetermined number based on the attribute of the second user. The attributes of the second user are acquired in advance at the time of user registration or the like, or are estimated based on the behavior history of the second user. For example, when the specific point is a point where "housewives" tend to gather in "daytime" such as a supermarket, the predetermined number for "daytime" and "housewife" may be larger than in the case where it is not.

The providing unit 140 provides the navigation device 10 with information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point extracted by the specific point extracting unit 130. An alternative point is, for example, a point to which an attribute similar to or similar to that of a specific point is given, and the number of second users who use that point as a destination is smaller than that of the specific point. The providing unit 140 provides the navigation device 10 with display information for displaying, for example, the display unit 30 of the navigation device 10 superimposing an image representing a specific point and an image representing an alternative point on a map image. 2 Transmission to the navigation device 10 using the communication unit 110).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the first screen IM1 displayed by the display unit 30 in the navigation device 10. The first screen IM1 includes a map display area IM1-1 and a bird's-eye view display area IM1-2. In the map display area IM1-1, in addition to the icon Ie indicating the position of the vehicle of the first user and the route Rt being guided, the position of the specific point set as the destination by the first user and the specific point are targeted. The information image If-1 showing the number of second users set on the ground and the information image If-2 showing the position and outline of the alternative point are superimposed on the map image and displayed. An alternative point is, for example, a point where a facility of the same type as the destination (specific point) is located. A facility of the same type is a facility that is included in the point information 176 and has the same attributes assigned to the points.

When the information image If-2 is operated (for example, touched) on the first screen IM1, the alternative point indicated by the information image If-2 is set as the destination, for example. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the second screen IM2 displayed by the display unit 30 in the navigation device 10. The second screen IM-2 includes a map display area IM2-1 and a state display area IM2-2. In the map display area IM2-1, the information image If-2 indicating the alternative point is replaced with the information image If-3 indicating the destination. Further, in the state display area IM2-2, information indicating that the destination has been changed is shown. In this way, the first user can smoothly find an alternative facility of the same type when the facility at the point initially set as the destination is congested.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the first screen IM1 displayed by the display unit 30 in the navigation device 10. In the map display area IM1-1 of the first screen IM1 shown in this figure, in addition to the icon Ie indicating the position of the vehicle of the first user and the route Rt being guided, the identification set by the first user as a stopover. An information image If-1 showing the position of a point and the number of second users setting the specific point as a destination or a waypoint, and an information image If-2 showing the position and outline of an alternative point are map images. It is displayed superimposed on. The information image If-1 showing the number of the second users is not limited to the one that directly represents the number, and may represent the magnitude of the number of the second users in terms of color, character size, and the like. In the scene shown in this figure, the navigation system 1 sets the C service area as a stopover because the vehicle of the first user is traveling on the highway and plans to take a break in the C service area. Since there are many second users who set the destination or waypoint, the D service area a little ahead is recommended as an alternative point. In this case as well, the C service area and the D service area correspond to "facilities with the same attributes given to the points".

When the information image If-2 is operated (for example, touched) on the first screen IM1, for example, the alternative point indicated by the information image If-2 is set as a waypoint. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the second screen IM2 displayed by the display unit 30 in the navigation device 10. The second screen IM-2 includes a map display area IM2-1 and a state display area IM2-2. In the map display area IM2-1, the information image If-2 indicating the alternative point is replaced with the information image If-3 indicating the waypoint. Further, in the state display area IM2-2, information indicating that the waypoint has been changed is shown. In this way, the first user can smoothly find an alternative facility of the same type when the facility at the point initially set as the waypoint is congested.

The display information transmitted from the providing unit 140 to the navigation device 10 in order to realize the above control includes, for example, the coordinates and detailed information of a specific point, the coordinates and detailed information of an alternative point, and the like.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the navigation server 100. The processing of this flowchart is executed, for example, while the route guidance is being performed to the first user.

First, the specific point extraction unit 130 refers to the user information 172, acquires the destination and the waypoint of the first user (step S20), and sets the destination or the waypoint of the first user as the destination. Extract the second user (or predicted to be the destination) (step S22). Next, the specific point extraction unit 130 aggregates the number of second users extracted in step S22 (step S24), and determines whether or not the aggregated number of second users is a predetermined number N or more (step). S26). The predetermined number N is a natural number, and is arbitrarily set to a value of several tens to several hundreds or several thousand, for example. When the total number of second users is less than a predetermined number N, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

When the total number of second users is a predetermined number N or more, the specific point extraction unit 130 determines that the destination or waypoint of the first user is a specific point, and outputs the determination result to the providing unit 140. .. The providing unit 140 refers to the point information 176 and extracts an alternative point having the same attribute as the specific point (step S28). When an alternative point having the same attribute as the specific point exists (can be extracted), the providing unit 140 provides information to the first user regarding the alternative point (steps S30 and S32).

According to the first embodiment described above, the first user can obtain information on an alternative point that can be replaced with a specific point set as a destination in the navigation system 1 by a predetermined number or more of the second users different from the first user. It is possible to provide useful information to the first user by outputting it to the device used by.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a navigation system 1A using the information providing device according to the second embodiment. The navigation system 1 includes a navigation device 10 and a navigation server 100A. The navigation server 100A further includes a user preference learning unit 134 as compared with the navigation server 100 of the first embodiment. Further, the content of the user information 172A is different from the user information 172 in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, these differences will be mainly described.

The user preference learning unit 134 learns the preference of the first user based on the presence or absence of the operation of the first user with respect to the alternative point. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172A according to the second embodiment. For example, the user preference learning unit 134 changes the item of the alternative point selection tendency in the user information 172A based on whether or not the first user has selected the alternative point after providing the information about the alternative point to the first user. .. The user preference learning unit 134 increases the item value of the alternative point selection tendency when the first user selects an alternative point, and sets the item value of the alternative point selection tendency when the first user does not select an alternative point. Reduce. As a result, when the item value of the alternative point selection tendency is large, it is shown that the first user tends to select an alternative point (in other words, tends to avoid a crowded specific point).

In the second embodiment, for example, when the item value of the alternative point selection tendency is smaller than the reference value, the providing unit 140A stops providing information regarding the alternative point. Further, in the second embodiment, the specific point extraction unit 130A makes the predetermined number N smaller than the specified value for the first user having a large item value of the alternative point selection tendency so that the specific point can be easily extracted. For the first user whose item value of the alternative point selection tendency is small, the predetermined number N may be made larger than the specified value to make it difficult to extract a specific point.

According to the second embodiment described above, in addition to achieving the same effect as that of the first embodiment, information on the alternative point is provided based on the behavioral tendency of the first user, so that the needs of the user can be further met. Information can be provided.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
(A)
An acquisition unit that acquires information on the destination point of the second user, which is different from the first user.
A providing unit that outputs information on an alternative point that can be substituted for a specific point that the second user has as a destination by a predetermined number or more to a device used by the first user.
Information providing device including.

In the above (A), the information providing device is the navigation server 1 or 1A, the destination setting reception unit 120 is an example of the "acquisition unit", and the combination of the specific point extraction unit 130 and the providing unit 140 is " This is an example of "providing department".

The embodiment described above can also be expressed as follows.
(B)
An acquisition unit that acquires information on alternative points that can be substituted for a specific point as a destination by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user.
A providing unit that outputs information on the alternative point to the device used by the first user, and
Information providing device including.

In the above (B), when the information providing device is the navigation server 1 or 1A, the specific point extraction unit 130 is an example of the “acquisition unit”, and the providing unit 140 is an example of the “providing unit”. When the information providing device is the navigation device 10, the first communication unit 20 is an example of the “acquisition unit”, the control unit 70 is an example of the “providing unit”, and the display unit 30 is “used by the first user”. This is an example of a device for

Further, the embodiment described above can also be expressed as follows.
(C)
A storage device that stores programs and
With a hardware processor,
The hardware processor executes the program.
Information on alternative points that can be substituted for a specific point targeted by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user is output to the device used by the first user.
An information provider configured to.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be added.

1 Navigation system 10 Navigation device 20 1st communication unit 30 Display unit 40 Input unit 50 Speaker 60 GNSS receiver 70 Control unit 100, 100A Navigation server 110 2nd communication unit 120 Destination setting reception unit 122 Position acquisition unit 124 Route search unit 130, 130A Specific point extraction unit 132 Destination prediction unit 140, 140A Providing unit 170 Storage unit 172, 172A User information 174 Map information 176 Point information

Claims (14)

An information providing device including a processing unit that outputs information on alternative points that can be substituted for a specific point targeted by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user to a device used by the first user. The processing unit can be replaced with a specific point where a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user are set as the destination and the predetermined number or more of the second users are scheduled to exist in a common time zone. The information of the alternative point is output to the device used by the first user.
The information providing device according to claim 1. The processing unit is a device used by the first user to provide information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point when the first user is expected to exist at the specific point in the common time zone. To output to
The information providing device according to claim 2. The processing unit causes the device used by the first user to output information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point when the first user is on a route guided by the navigation system.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the specific point matches the destination or waypoint of the first user, the processing unit causes the device used by the first user to output information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point. ,
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The processing unit outputs information on the alternative point having the same attributes as the specific point to the device used by the first user.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The processing unit selects a point where the number of second users as the destination is smaller than the specific point as the alternative point.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The device used by the first user is a display device.
The processing unit causes the device used by the first user to superimpose and display an image showing the specific point and the alternative point on the map image.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The processing unit determines the predetermined number based on the attributes of the specific point.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The processing unit determines the predetermined number based on the time zone in which the first user or the second user stays at the specific point.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The processing unit determines the attribute of the second user based on the attribute of the specific point, and determines the predetermined number based on the attribute of the determined second user.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The processing unit outputs information representing the number of the second users at the specific point to the device used by the first user.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The computer
Acquire information on a specific point targeted by a predetermined number or more of second users different from the first user,
Information on an alternative point that can be substituted for the specific point is output to the device used by the first user.
Information provision method. On the computer
Have a predetermined number or more of second users, different from the first user, acquire information on a specific point as a destination.
The device used by the first user is made to output the information of the alternative point that can be substituted by the specific point.
program.

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