JP2021157190A - Map maintenance device, guiding device, control method, program, and storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a map maintenance device capable of preferably automatically creating a list regarding a change point in need of update of map data.SOLUTION: A map maintenance device 1 includes a distribution map DB10. The map maintenance device 1 extracts information on a change point of the distribution map DB10 based on news information D2 received from a server device 4 and the distribution map DB10 to create a change point list Lc. The map maintenance device 1 updates the distribution map DB10 based on the change point list Lc to transmit map data D1 extracted from the distribution map DB10 to an on-vehicle machine 2. The on-vehicle machine 2 performs route guidance based on the received map data D1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a map data maintenance technique.

Conventionally, there is a technique for preparing map data. For example, Patent Document 1 stores pre-opening information including information on routes scheduled to be in service and map data including routes already in service and scheduled to be in service, and is a non-use data version stored as pre-opening information. Disclosed is an information processing device that determines whether or not the map data corresponding to the pre-opening information can be used by comparing with the data version of the map data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-238471

The closure and new opening of facilities, the construction and removal of signs, etc. occur at various points, and there is a problem that it takes time and effort to accurately grasp this information and reflect it in the map data. Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a map maintenance device capable of suitably and automatically generating a list of changes to be updated in map data.

The invention according to claim 1 is a map maintenance device, in which a candidate for a change in the map data is selected based on an acquisition unit for acquiring news information, the news information, and map data to be updated. An extraction unit to be extracted, and a transmission request unit that requests transmission of an image of the change candidate point to an in-vehicle device specified based on the change candidate point, which is a point corresponding to the change candidate point. Be prepared.

The invention according to claim 12 is a control method executed by a map maintenance device, which is based on an acquisition process for acquiring news information, the news information, and map data to be updated. Transmission that requests transmission of an image of the change candidate point to the in-vehicle device specified based on the extraction process for extracting the change candidate and the change candidate point that corresponds to the change candidate. It has a required process.

The invention according to claim 13 is a program executed by a computer of a map maintenance device, and is based on the acquisition unit for acquiring news information, the news information, and the map data to be updated. Requests transmission of an image of the change candidate point to the extraction unit that extracts the change candidate and the in-vehicle device specified based on the change candidate point that corresponds to the change candidate. The computer functions as a transmission request unit.

It is a schematic configuration of the map management system according to the embodiment. The outline configuration of the map maintenance device is shown. This is an example of the data structure of the change list. This is an example of the data structure of map data. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the update process of the change list. This is a display example of a news site searched based on the search word "closed". This is a display example of a news site searched based on the search word "opening a store". This is a display example showing the content posted by SNS. Shows the content of the post when a new sign is displayed on the photo posted by SNS. A display example of an in-vehicle device that searches for a route is shown.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the map maintenance device obtains information regarding changes in the map data based on the acquisition unit for acquiring news information, the news information, and the map data to be updated. It includes an extraction unit for extracting and a generation unit for generating a list of the changes.

The map maintenance device includes an acquisition unit, an extraction unit, and a generation unit. The acquisition department acquires news information. Here, the news information includes, in addition to the web information provided on the news site, web information posted by SNS (Social Networking Service), audio information such as radio, and the like. The extraction unit extracts information on changes in the map data based on the news information and the map data to be updated. Here, the changed points are information related to changes in facilities and other features (including traffic lights, signboards, signs, etc.) registered in the map data. The generator generates a list of changes. According to this aspect, the map maintenance device can generate a list of changes to be reflected when updating the map data from the news information, and can suitably streamline the map update process.

In one aspect of the map maintenance device, the extraction unit extracts at least one of the target, the position, the date, and the mode of the change from the news information. As a result, the map maintenance device can suitably collect the information necessary for updating the map data in the list of changes to be generated.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the acquisition unit receives news information searched based on one or a plurality of keywords from news information that can be acquired via a communication network. According to this aspect, the map maintenance device can preferably acquire news information including the contents related to the changes in the map data and efficiently generate a list of the changes.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the map maintenance device further includes a reliability determination unit for determining the reliability of the change, and the generation unit adds the reliability information to the list of changes. include. In this aspect, the map maintenance device can preferably include the reliability of the information about the changes generated by the news information in the list of changes.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the reliability determination unit determines the reliability based on the information regarding the source of the news information from which the information regarding the change is extracted. According to this aspect, the map maintenance device can suitably determine the reliability of the information regarding the change.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the reliability determination unit increases the reliability corresponding to the change as the number of news information about the change increases. In this way, the map maintenance device can accurately determine the reliability by determining the reliability of the change according to the number of related news information.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the map maintenance device is a change to be reflected in the map data from the list of the changes generated by the generation unit based on the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit. It also has a map update section that determines points. According to this aspect, the map maintenance device can suitably maintain the reliability of the map data.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the extraction unit extracts information on a traffic light or a sign as information on the change based on an image included in the news information. According to this aspect, the map maintenance device can suitably register changes related to traffic lights and signs in the list of changes.

In another aspect of the map maintenance device, the acquisition unit acquires at least one of the display information of the news site or the social networking site or the audio information regarding the broadcast voice as the news information. As a result, the map maintenance device can preferably acquire news information to be extracted from the information regarding the changed points.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guide device provides guidance based on the map data updated by the map maintenance device, and is a facility or a place other than the facility to which reliability information is added in the map data. When providing guidance on an object, it is provided with a warning unit that outputs a warning based on the reliability. According to this aspect, the guidance device can suitably utilize information on changes that are not sufficiently certain by notifying the user of the reliability of the target facility or feature.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control method executed by the map maintenance device is based on an acquisition process for acquiring news information, the news information, and map data to be updated. It has an extraction step of extracting information about changes in the map data and a generation step of generating a list of the changes. By executing this control method, the map maintenance device can generate a list of changes to be reflected when updating the map data from the news information, and can suitably streamline the map update process.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the program executed by the computer of the map maintenance device is based on the acquisition unit for acquiring news information, the news information, and the map data to be updated. The computer functions as an extraction unit that extracts information about changes in the map data and a generation unit that generates a list of the changes. By executing this program, the computer can generate a list of changes to be reflected when updating the map data from the news information, and can suitably streamline the map update process. Preferably, the program is stored in a storage medium.

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

[Overview of map management system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration of a map management system according to this embodiment. The map management system includes a map maintenance device 1 that updates and distributes map data, a plurality of in-vehicle devices 2 that move with each vehicle, and a server device 4.

The map maintenance device 1 stores the distribution map DB 10, extracts the map data “D1” from the distribution map DB 10 and transmits it in response to a request from the vehicle-mounted device 2. The map data D1 may be partial map data around the position of the vehicle-mounted device 2 or may be difference information for updating the map DB 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the latest information. Further, the map maintenance device 1 can communicate with the server device 4 via a communication network such as the Internet, and information about news stored in the server device 4 based on a predetermined keyword (also referred to as "news information D2") is obtained. Acts as a crawler to search and collect. Here, the news information D2 corresponds to, for example, various display information such as a website or SNS that can be displayed by a browser or the like, and audio information of a radio distributed by a podcast or the like. Then, the map maintenance device 1 is a list of changes related to the facility and features other than the facility from the latest update time of the distribution map DB 10 based on the news information D2 received from the server device 4 (also referred to as "change point list Lc"). Call) is generated and stored.

The vehicle-mounted device 2 is a stationary terminal or a mobile terminal, and receives and stores map data D1 from the map maintenance device 1. Then, the vehicle-mounted device 2 searches for a route to the destination set by the user based on the received map data D1 and the like, and provides guidance based on the set route. The in-vehicle device 2 is an example of the "guidance device" in the present invention.

The server device 4 is a web server that stores various information of HTML documents related to news and transmits information specified by a URL from a client such as a map maintenance device 1 according to a predetermined protocol such as HTTP. In FIG. 1, only one server device 4 is shown, but in reality, a plurality of server devices 4 can communicate with the map maintenance device 1 and the like.

[Server device configuration]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the map maintenance device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the map maintenance device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a control unit 15, and a display unit 16. Each of these elements in the map maintenance device 1 is connected to each other via a bus line.

The communication unit 11 communicates various data with the vehicle-mounted device 2 based on the control of the control unit 15. In this embodiment, when the communication unit 11 receives the acquisition request of the map data D1 from the vehicle-mounted device 2, the communication unit 11 transmits the map data D1 extracted from the distribution map DB 10 to the vehicle-mounted device 2. Further, the communication unit 11 performs data communication with the server device 4 that manages display information or voice information related to news based on the control of the control unit 15, and receives news information D2.

The storage unit 12 stores a program for controlling the operation of the map maintenance device 1 and holds information necessary for the operation of the map maintenance device 1. The storage unit 12 stores the distribution map DB 10 and the change list Lc for updating the distribution map DB 10. The input unit 13 is an interface that receives various inputs by the user, and corresponds to, for example, a button, a touch panel, a keyboard, a voice input device, and the like. The input unit 13 supplies the generated input signal to the control unit 15. The display unit 16 displays predetermined information based on the control of the control unit 15.

The control unit 15 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like (not shown), and performs various controls on each component in the map maintenance device 1. In this embodiment, the control unit 15 analyzes the news information D2 received from the server device 4 to generate the change list Lc. Further, the control unit 15 updates the distribution map DB 10 by the change list Lc based on the input to the input unit 13 and the like. Further, when the communication unit 11 receives a predetermined request signal from the vehicle-mounted device 2, the control unit 15 extracts the map data D1 from the distribution map DB 10 and transmits the map data D1 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 by the communication unit 11. In this case, the above-mentioned request signal includes, for example, the own vehicle position information of the vehicle-mounted device 2 and / and the latest update date / time information of the map DB 20, and the control unit 15 bases the distribution map DB 10 based on this information. The map data D1 to be distributed is extracted from. The control unit 15 is an example of the "acquisition unit", the "extraction unit", the "generation unit", the "reliability determination unit", the "map update unit" in the present invention, and the "computer" that executes the program in the present invention. ..

[data structure]
Next, a specific example of the data structure of the change list Lc and the map data D1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is an example of the data structure of the change list Lc. The change list Lc mainly has each item of "list number", "position", "status", "change date and time", "reliability", "type", and "name". Here, the "list number" indicates an identification number assigned to each record of the change list Lc. In addition, "position" indicates the latitude and longitude representing the point where the change is presumed to have occurred. In addition, "status" indicates the mode of change of the facility or the like to be changed. “Change date and time” indicates the date and time when the change is made or is estimated to be made. "Reliability" indicates the reliability of the change information indicated by the corresponding record. In the example of FIG. 3, the reliability is an evaluation value on a 5-point scale with the maximum being "5". "Type" indicates the type (category) of the facility or the like whose status has changed, and "name" indicates the name of the facility or the like whose status has changed.

The map maintenance device 1 generates each record of the change list Lc shown in FIG. 3 based on the news information D2 received from the server device 4. The process of generating the change list Lc will be described later.

FIG. 4 is an example of the data structure of the map data D1. The map data D1 shown in FIG. 4 includes facility information and road data. The facility information mainly includes location information, name information, type information, and reliability information.

The reliability information is included in, for example, the facility information corresponding to the record of the change list Lc whose reliability is less than a predetermined degree (for example, the maximum value “5”) among the facility information. The reliability information mainly includes information on each item such as "status", "change date and time", and "reliability" registered in the change list Lc. For example, when the map maintenance device 1 reflects the record of the change list Lc whose "status" is extinguished and the "reliability" is less than a predetermined degree in the distribution map DB10, the facility information of the target facility is distributed on the distribution map. Instead of completely deleting from the DB 10, the above-mentioned reliability information is added to the facility information. The method of utilizing the reliability information will be described later.

[Change list generation process]
(1) Outline of processing

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the change list Lc generation process executed by the map maintenance device 1. The map maintenance device 1 repeatedly executes the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the map maintenance device 1 searches for news information D2 necessary for generating a record of the change list Lc based on a predetermined keyword (also simply referred to as “search word”), and the searched news information. D2 is received from the server device 4 (step S101). That is, the map maintenance device 1 collects news information D2 necessary for generating a record of the change list Lc from a predetermined search word using a known search engine or the like. Here, the above-mentioned search word is, for example, "closed", "opened", "opened", "opened", etc., and is predetermined based on a personal method or a known learning technique.

After that, the map maintenance device 1 specifies the name, location, change date and time, etc. of the facility or the like whose status has changed or is scheduled to be changed, such as closing or opening, from the news information D2 received from the server device 4 (step). S102). The details of the specific process in step S102 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

Next, the map maintenance device 1 determines whether or not the change in the status related to the facility or the like specified in step S102 has been reflected in the distribution map DB 10 (step S103). That is, the map maintenance device 1 determines whether or not the status change such as closing or opening of the store has been changed or the status change of the facility or the like scheduled to be changed is reflected in the distribution map DB 10 in step S103. Then, when the change related to the facility or the like specified in step S102 has been reflected in the distribution map DB 10 (step S103; Yes), the map maintenance device 1 ends the processing of the flowchart without updating the change list Lc.

On the other hand, when the map maintenance device 1 determines that the change related to the facility or the like specified in step S102 is not reflected in the distribution map DB 10 (step S103; No), the map maintenance device 1 updates the change list Lc (step S104). That is, the map maintenance device 1 generates or updates the record of the change list Lc corresponding to the facility or the like specified in step S102. At this time, the map maintenance device 1 sets the reliability of the facility or the like specified in step S102 according to the source or the like of the news information D2 used in step S102.

Here, a specific example (first example to third example) of the update process of the change list Lc to the distribution map DB 10 will be described.

In the first example, when the update timing of the distribution map DB 10 comes, the map maintenance device 1 reflects only the record of the change list Lc whose reliability is equal to or higher than the predetermined degree in the distribution map DB 10. As a result, the map maintenance device 1 can suitably secure the reliability of the distribution map DB 10. The above-mentioned update timing may be, for example, a predetermined timing determined at predetermined time intervals, or may be a predetermined timing based on user input.

In the second example, in place of or in addition to the first example, the map maintenance device 1 is used, for example, when there is a record of the change list Lc whose reliability is less than a predetermined degree. Add reliability information (see Fig. 4) indicating reliability, status after change (closed, etc.), date and time of status change, etc. to the facility information of the facility. An example of using the reliability information will be described later.

In the third example, the map maintenance device 1 reflects the change list Lc in the distribution map DB 10 with the record of the change list Lc specified by the user input. In this case, for example, the administrator of the map maintenance device 1 reflects only the record of the change list Lc for the facility or the like for which the change in the status can be actually confirmed in the distribution map DB 10. Further, in this case, the map maintenance device 1 accepts the input by the input unit 13 when there is an item (for example, position, reliability, etc.) of the change list Lc that could not be specified from the news information D2. Information necessary for updating the distribution map DB 10 may be acquired as appropriate.

In addition, in the map maintenance device 1, in order to confirm the above-mentioned change in status, the status of the facility or the like specified in the change list Lc may be changed from the in-vehicle device 2 equipped with a camera that captures the scenery in front of the vehicle. You may receive an image of a position (also referred to as a "change candidate point"). In this case, the map maintenance device 1 may acquire the above-mentioned image by transmitting an image transmission request to the vehicle-mounted device 2 existing in the vicinity of the change candidate point. Then, the map maintenance device 1 displays, for example, an image of the change candidate points acquired from the in-vehicle device 2 on the display unit 16, and the administrator of the map maintenance device 1 confirms whether or not there is a change at the change candidate points. Accept. In another example, the map maintenance device 1 changes by acquiring the communication status of Wifi (registered trademark) at the change candidate point from the on-board unit 2 or another device and detecting the new occurrence or disappearance of the Wifi spot. It may be determined that the facility or the like disappears or occurs at the candidate point.

Further, the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 5 is an example, and the processing procedure applicable to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of searching for news information D2 based on the search word in step S101, the map maintenance device 1 crawls a specific news site and receives it as news information D2, and specifies processing for each news information D2 based on step S102. May be done.

(2) Specific Example of Change List Lc Generation Process Next, a specific example of the specific process in step S102 of FIG. 5 will be described.

FIG. 6A is a display example of a news site searched based on the search word “closed”. In this example, in step S101 of FIG. 5, the map maintenance device 1 receives the display information of the news site shown in FIG. 6A as news information D2 from the server device 4 based on the search word “closed”.

In this case, the map maintenance device 1 uses elements such as words necessary for generating a record of the change list Lc from the character string of the news site shown in FIG. 6 (A) (also referred to as "list generation element WE"). Is extracted. Specifically, the map maintenance device 1 sets a word representing information such as when, where, what, and what happened (what happens) from the character string of the news site shown in FIG. 6 (A) as a list generation element WE. Extract as.

FIG. 6B is a display example of the above-mentioned news site in which the list generation element WE is clearly shown. In the example of FIG. 6B, each list generation element WE is surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line frames 3A to 3G for convenience of explanation. In this case, the map maintenance device 1 uses the proper noun "○○ ramen △△ store" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3A and 3D) as a list generation element representing the name of the facility whose status has changed (that is, closed or opened). Extract as WE. Further, the map maintenance device 1 extracts "closed" (see one-dot chain line 3B, 3C, 3G) as a list generation element WE indicating a change in status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 extracts "xx prefecture xx city xx1-1" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3E), which is a word presumed to represent an address, as a list generation element WE representing a position. Further, the map maintenance device 1 extracts "December 20" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3F), which is a word presumed to represent the date and time, as a list generation element WE representing the status change date and time.

Then, the map maintenance device 1 generates the first record of the change list Lc shown in FIG. 3 based on the extracted list generation element WE and the like. Specifically, the map maintenance device 1 registers "(X1, Y1)" in the item "position" and "xx-1-1, xx city, xx prefecture", which is a list generation element WE representing the position, in latitude and longitude. Identified by converting to. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "disappearance" to be registered in the item "status" based on "closed" which is a list generation element WE representing a change in status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "December 20, 2016" to be registered in the item "change date and time" based on "December 20" which is a list generation element WE representing the change date and time of the status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "4" to be registered in the item "reliability" based on the source of the news site (in this case, "xx newspaper") shown in FIG. 6 (A). In this case, the map maintenance device 1 stores, for example, a table in which a source such as a news site and the corresponding reliability are associated with each other in advance, and determines the reliability with reference to the table. In addition, the map maintenance device 1 sets the "restaurant" registered in the item "type" to the word "ramen" in "○○ ramen △△ shop" which is a list generation element WE representing the facility name whose status has changed. Estimate from. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies the “○○ ramen △△ shop” registered in the item “name” based on the above-mentioned list generation element WE “○○ ramen △△ shop”.

In addition, after the map maintenance device 1 generates a record related to the facility "○○ ramen △△ shop" in the change list Lc of FIG. 3, the list generation element WE related to the same facility "○○ ramen △△ shop" is again generated. When extracted from the news information D2, the list generation element WE of the news information D2 having the higher reliability based on the source may be preferentially reflected in the record of the change list Lc. Further, when the map maintenance device 1 represents contents in which the news information D2 does not conflict with each other (for example, when all the contents are related to the closing of "○○ ramen △△ shop"), the reliability is one of them. It may be set higher than the reliability. For example, in the map maintenance device 1, when the news information D2 of the source of the reliability "2" and the news information D2 of the source of the reliability "3" represent the same content, the corresponding change list Lc The reliability of the record may be set to a value higher than "3" (for example, "5" which is the total value of these reliabilitys). As described above, the map maintenance device 1 may set the reliability of the record of the corresponding change list Lc higher as the number of news information D2 representing the same content increases.

FIG. 7A is a display example of a news site searched based on the search word “opening a store”. In this example, in step S101 of FIG. 5, the map maintenance device 1 receives the display information of the news site shown in FIG. 7A as news information D2 from the server device 4 based on the search word “opening a store”.

In this case, the map maintenance device 1 is a list required to generate a record of the change list Lc from the character string of the news site shown in FIG. 7 (A), as in the examples of FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B). Extract the generation element WE. FIG. 7B is a display example of the above-mentioned news site in which the list generation element WE is clearly shown. In the example of FIG. 7B, each list generation element WE is surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line frames 3H to 3P. In this case, the map maintenance device 1 uses the proper noun "○ × mart" (see one-dot chain line 3H, 3K, 3P) as a list generation element WE representing a facility name whose status has changed (that is, closed or opened). Extract as. Further, the map maintenance device 1 extracts "opening a store" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3J) and "open" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3O) as the list generation element WE indicating the change in status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 displays a list showing the location of the word "△ × station square" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3I and 3L) and the map image 3N which roughly shows the opening points of the ○ × mart, which are the determination elements of the address. Extracted as a generation element WE. Further, the map maintenance device 1 extracts "20th of this month" (see the alternate long and short dash line 3M), which is a word presumed to represent the date and time, as a list generation element WE representing the date and time of the status change.

Then, the map maintenance device 1 generates the second record of the change list Lc shown in FIG. 3 based on the extracted list generation element WE and the like. Specifically, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "(X2, Y2)" to be registered in the item "position" based on the word "△ × station square" which is a list generation element WE representing the position and the map image 3N. do. In this case, for example, the map maintenance device 1 recognizes the map around the Δ × station from the distribution map DB10, and matches the map recognized from the distribution map DB10 with the map image 3N to emphasize in the map image 3N. Calculate the latitude and longitude of the area 3R. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "occurrence" to be registered in the item "status" based on "opening" and "opening", which are list generation elements WE representing changes in status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "December 22, 2016" to be registered in the item "change date and time" based on "this month 22nd" which is a list generation element WE representing the change date and time of the status. Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies "3" to be registered in the item "reliability" based on the source of the news site shown in FIG. 7 (A) (in this case, "XX newspaper"). Further, the map maintenance device 1 sets the "supermarket" registered in the item "type" as a word in "○ × mart" which is a list generation element WE representing a facility name whose status has been changed (that is, closed or opened). Estimate based on "mart". Further, the map maintenance device 1 specifies the "○ × mart" to be registered in the item “name” based on the above-mentioned list generation element WE “○ × mart”.

FIG. 8A is a display example showing the content posted by the SNS of the store manager of “○○ Ramen △△ store”. Further, FIG. 8B is a display example showing the content posted by the SNS of the user of the “○○ ramen △△ shop”.

In this case, the map maintenance device 1 receives the display information regarding the posting of the SNS shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B from the server device 4 as news information D2 based on the search word "closed". In this case, for example, in the case of FIG. 8A, the map maintenance device 1 extracts the character strings “○○ ramen △△ store”, “December 20”, “closed”, etc. as the list generation element WE. .. Similarly, in the case of FIG. 8B, the map maintenance device 1 extracts the character strings “○○ ramen △△ store”, “20th of this month”, “closed” and the like as the list generation element WE. Then, the map maintenance device 1 specifies the contents of each item to be registered in the change list Lc such as the change date and time, the status, and the name, based on the extracted list generation element WE. Further, preferably, the map maintenance device 1 may determine the reliability to be reflected in the change list Lc based on the account information of the posting source of the SNS. For example, when the SNS posting source account shown in FIG. 8A is an authenticated account, the map maintenance device 1 sets the reliability of the SNS posting source account to be higher than that of an unauthenticated account. .. Further, the map maintenance device 1 may set the reliability based on the name of the account of the posting source of the SNS. In that case, for example, the map maintenance device 1 stores a table in which the account name and the reliability are associated with each other in advance in the storage unit 12 of the map maintenance device 1, and refers to the table to obtain the reliability. To set. In another example, the map maintenance device 1 receives information on the reliability to be set by making an inquiry to the server device 4 in which the table is stored by designating the target account name.

As described above, the map maintenance device 1 can also suitably generate the change list Lc by receiving the information based on the posting by the SNS as the news information D2 from the server device 4.

Next, a specific example of the process of generating the change list Lc when a change occurs in a feature such as a traffic light, a signboard, or a signboard attached around the road will be described.

FIG. 9 shows the content of the post when the newly installed sign is displayed on the photo posted by the SNS. In the example of FIG. 9, the photograph 40 recently taken by the poster "△ × Taro" is included in the website of the posted content.

In this case, the map maintenance device 1 recognizes from the photograph 40 that the sign 41 forbidden to turn left exists by a known image recognition technique. Further, the map maintenance device 1 estimates the position of the sign 41 and the shooting date and time by referring to, for example, the position information of the shooting position and the date and time information which are the metadata included in the photograph 40. The map maintenance device 1 analyzes the text or the like posted together with the photo 40, and if there is a word related to the place where the photo 40 was taken, estimates the position or the like of the sign 41 based on the word. May be good. Then, the map maintenance device 1 refers to the distribution map DB 10 and determines whether or not the left turn prohibition sign is registered at the position indicated by the position information included in the photograph 40. Then, in the example of FIG. 9, the map maintenance device 1 determines that the sign is not registered in the distribution map DB 10, and records the change list Lc of the list number “L003” for the sign (see FIG. 3). Generate.

Similarly, the map maintenance device 1 detects features such as traffic lights and signboards that should be registered in the distribution map DB 10 in the photos posted by the SNS, and the information corresponding to the detected features is not registered in the distribution map DB 10. In some cases, a record of the change list Lc corresponding to the detected feature may be generated. Further, the map maintenance device 1 determines that the feature has disappeared when the feature registered in the distribution map DB 10 does not exist in the photograph posted by the SNS, and the list of changes regarding the disappearance of the feature. You may generate a record of Lc.

Instead of the examples of FIGS. 6 to 9, the map maintenance device 1 may generate a change list Lc based on audio data such as radio broadcasting. For example, the map maintenance device 1 receives voice information of radio voice related to news from the server device 4 by the communication unit 11, recognizes the voice information by voice recognition technology using a known voice recognition technique, and then texts the information, and then, FIG. 6 to FIG. By performing the same processing as in the example of FIG. 9, the change list Lc is generated. The map maintenance device 1 may directly receive the radio wave of the radio broadcast and generate the change list Lc from the sentence obtained by similarly recognizing the voice based on the received radio wave. As described above, the map maintenance device 1 may generate the change list Lc by using not only the display information obtained via the Internet or the like but also the voice information.

[Guidance based on reliability]
An example of utilizing the reliability information described in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 10 shows a display example of the vehicle-mounted device 2 that performs a route search based on the map data D1 that reflects the change list Lc of FIG. In this example, when the map maintenance device 1 updates the distribution map DB10 based on the change list Lc, there is a record of the change list Lc whose reliability indicating the disappearance (closed) of the facility is less than "5". In this case, instead of deleting the facility information of the facility, it is assumed that the reliability information indicating the reliability, the status after the change (closed), the date and time of the change of the status, etc. is added to the facility information. ..

In the example of FIG. 10, after receiving the map data D1 from the map maintenance device 1, the vehicle-mounted device 2 accepts an input for designating the facility “○○ ramen △△ shop” as the destination. Then, the in-vehicle device 2 refers to the reliability information of the facility information corresponding to the facility "○○ ramen △△ shop" from the map data D1 having the data structure shown in FIG. Judge that the status of "○○ Ramen △△ Store" may have changed to "Disappeared". When the map maintenance device 1 updates the distribution map DB10 by the change list Lc, the reliability of the first record of the change list Lc regarding the closing of "○○ ramen △△ store" is less than "5". Therefore, instead of deleting the facility information of "○○ Ramen △△ store", the information registered in the change list Lc such as the reliability is added to the facility information as the reliability information. Since the in-vehicle device 2 has a relatively high reliability of "4" among the five levels included in the referenced reliability information, there is a possibility that the designated facility "○○ ramen △△ store" will be closed. A warning window 70 indicates that the value is high, and confirmation buttons of "YES" and "NO" are displayed.

In this way, the on-board unit 2 preferably utilizes the information of the change list Lc whose reliability is not enough to be completely reflected in the distribution map DB 10 and the map data D1 by referring to the reliability information, and is reliable. By notifying the possibility of changing the status according to the degree, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user.

As described above, the map maintenance device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the distribution map DB 10. Then, the map maintenance device 1 extracts information on the changes in the distribution map DB 10 based on the news information D2 received from the server device 4 and the distribution map DB 10, and generates a change list Lc. As a result, the map maintenance device 1 can automatically collect information on the changes in the distribution map DB 10 required when updating the distribution map DB 10, and save it as a change list Lc.

1 Map maintenance device 2 On-board unit 4 Server device 10 Distribution map DB
11 Communication unit 12 Storage unit 13 Input unit 15 Control unit 16 Display unit

Claims (14)

The acquisition department that acquires news information,
An extraction unit that extracts candidates for changes in the map data based on the news information and the map data to be updated.
A transmission requesting unit that requests transmission of an image of the change candidate point to the on-board unit specified based on the change candidate point, which is a point corresponding to the change candidate.
A map maintenance device equipped with. The map maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the extraction unit extracts at least one of a target, a position, a date, and a mode of change in which a change has occurred regarding a candidate for the change from the news information. The map maintenance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acquisition unit receives news information searched based on one or a plurality of keywords from news information that can be acquired via a communication network. A reliability determination unit that determines the reliability of the candidate for the change,
A generator that generates a list of candidates for changes,
With more
The map maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the generation unit includes the reliability information in the list of candidates for changes. The map maintenance device according to claim 4, wherein the reliability determination unit determines the reliability based on the information regarding the source of the news information from which the information regarding the candidate for the change is extracted. The map maintenance device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the reliability determination unit increases the reliability corresponding to the candidate for the change as the number of news information about the candidate for the change increases. Claims 4 to 6 include a map update unit that determines changes to be reflected in the map data from a list of candidates for the changes generated by the generation unit based on the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit. The map maintenance device according to any one of the above. When updating the map data from the list of candidates for changes, any one of claims 4 to 6 including a map update unit that includes the reliability information determined by the reliability determination unit in the map data. Described map maintenance device. The map maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the extraction unit extracts information on a traffic light or a sign as information on a candidate for a change based on an image included in the news information. The map according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the acquisition unit acquires at least one of display information of a news site or a social networking site or audio information related to broadcast audio as the news information. Maintenance equipment. A guidance device that provides guidance based on the map data updated by the map maintenance device according to claim 8.
A guidance device including a warning unit that outputs a warning based on the reliability when providing guidance on a facility or a feature other than the facility to which reliability information is added in the map data. It is a control method executed by the map maintenance device.
The acquisition process to acquire news information and
An extraction process for extracting candidates for changes in the map data based on the news information and the map data to be updated.
A transmission request process for requesting transmission of an image of the change candidate point to the on-board unit specified based on the change candidate point, which is a point corresponding to the change candidate point.
Control method having. A program executed by the computer of the map maintenance device
The acquisition department that acquires news information,
An extraction unit that extracts candidates for changes in the map data based on the news information and the map data to be updated.
A program that causes the computer to function as a transmission requesting unit that requests transmission of an image obtained by capturing a photograph of the change candidate point to an in-vehicle device specified based on the change candidate point which is a point corresponding to the change candidate. A storage medium that stores the program according to claim 13.

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