JP2023072928A - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suggesting a route candidate that causes less stress perceived by a user driving a vehicle.SOLUTION: The present disclosure provides an information processing device that calculates a cost of each of a plurality of route candidates from a point of departure to a destination and sets a higher recommendation level for a route candidate with a lower cost. Among the plurality of route candidates, for a first route candidate including a first segment with a road width that makes passing an oncoming vehicle difficult, a control unit of the information processing device calculates its cost on the basis of whether or not a user can check presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first segment and traffic of oncoming vehicles in the first segment. If the user can check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first segment, the control unit calculates the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic of oncoming vehicles in the first segment is smaller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing method.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 discloses a technique of calculating the cost in consideration of traffic volume, regulation information, etc. when calculating the cost of a candidate route.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses a technique of calculating costs in consideration of good visibility when route candidates include narrow streets.

Patent Literature 3 discloses a technique of, when determining the priority of route candidates, lowering the priority of a route for which the number of times the travel safety system is operated in the probe vehicle is large.

Japanese Patent No. 6320739 Japanese Patent No. 5705055 JP-A-2000-186941

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that allows a user to expand options when determining a travel route of a vehicle.

The present disclosure can also be regarded as an information processing device applied to a car navigation system that searches for a route based on the cost of each of multiple route candidates from a departure point to a destination. The information processing device in that case is, for example,
For a first route candidate including a first section having a road width that makes it difficult for oncoming vehicles to pass each other among the plurality of route candidates, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle is confirmed before entering the first section. Calculating the cost based on whether or not it is possible and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section,
A control unit may be provided.

The present disclosure can also be regarded as an information processing method applied to a car navigation system that searches for a route based on the cost of each of multiple route candidates from a departure point to a destination. The information processing method in that case is, for example,
the computer
For a first route candidate including a first section having a road width that makes it difficult for oncoming vehicles to pass each other among the plurality of route candidates, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle is confirmed before entering the first section. The cost may be calculated based on whether or not it is possible to do so and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section.

The present disclosure can also be viewed as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method described above, or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the information processing program.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that allows a user to expand options when determining a travel route of a vehicle.

1 is a diagram showing an overview of a car navigation system; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of each of a user terminal and a server device included in a car navigation system; FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structural example of a server apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the data stored in the road link database in embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing routine performed by the server device when OD information is received; FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a subroutine performed in step S105 in FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a road link database in modified example 1; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a processing routine performed by the server device when determining suitability of route candidates selected as first route candidates in modification 1;

The information processing device of the present disclosure is applied to a car navigation system that searches for a route for a vehicle. A car navigation system receives an input of a departure point and a destination from a user and searches for a route from the departure point to the destination.

In the route search, the information processing device, for example, extracts a plurality of route candidates from the departure point to the destination, calculates the cost of each of the extracted plurality of route candidates, and calculates the calculated cost and presenting the route candidates with the highest recommendations to the user.

In a conventional car navigation system, the cost of each route candidate is calculated using parameters such as distance, required time, and toll for each route candidate. For example, a route candidate with a shorter distance is calculated with a smaller cost. In addition, the cost is calculated to be smaller for a route candidate with a shorter required time. In addition, the cost is calculated to be smaller for a route candidate with a lower toll. A higher degree of recommendation is set for a route candidate with a smaller cost calculated in this way.

By the way, in a conventional car navigation system, the cost of a route candidate (first route candidate) including a section (first section) with a road width so narrow that it is difficult to pass an oncoming vehicle is calculated to be large, or , the first route candidate may be excluded from the route candidates for cost calculation. As a result, there is a high possibility that the first candidate route including the first section will not be proposed to the user.

On the other hand, in recent years, with the spread of application programs for car navigation, user needs have diversified. For example, the number of users who want to propose the first route candidate including the first section is increasing.

In response to the needs described above, a method of calculating the cost in consideration of the visibility of the first section can be considered for the first route candidate. That is, if the visibility is good enough to confirm in advance whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle entering the first section, the cost of the first route candidate is calculated to be smaller than in the conventional case, or A method of not excluding route candidates from route candidates can be considered. According to such a method, if the visibility of the first section is good, there is a high possibility that the first route candidate including the first section is presented to the user.

Here, when the user drives the vehicle along the first route candidate including the first section with good visibility, the user must enter the first section before the vehicle enters the first section. It is possible to check whether there is an oncoming vehicle. If the user can confirm that there is no oncoming vehicle entering the first section before allowing the vehicle to enter the first section, the user can enter the first section without worrying about passing an oncoming vehicle. Vehicles can enter the section.

However, even if the visibility of the first section is good, if the number of oncoming vehicles passing through the first section is large, the chances of allowing the vehicle to enter the first section are reduced. As a result, the vehicle is kept waiting before the first section for a long period of time, which may cause the user to feel stressed.

Therefore, in the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure, whether or not the control unit can check whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section for the first route candidate among the plurality of route candidates. and the amount of oncoming traffic in the first section, the cost is calculated. As a result, it is possible to check whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section (that is, whether or not the line of sight in the first section is good). It is possible to calculate the cost of the first route candidate by also taking into account the amount of vehicle traffic.

Here, if it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, the control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure determines that the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small. The cost of the first route candidate may be calculated to be smaller the more. As a result, when it is possible to confirm whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, and when there is a large amount of oncoming vehicle traffic in the first section, the first route candidate is selected. is calculated to be large. As a result, even if it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is large, the degree of recommendation of the first route candidate is can be lowered. On the other hand, if it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section and if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, the first route candidate is selected. Computes at low cost. As a result, when it is possible to confirm whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, and when the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, the first route candidate is selected. can be highly recommended.

If it is not possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section (that is, if the visibility of the first section is not good), the control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure , the cost calculation based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section may not be performed for the first route candidate. Even if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, if the visibility in the first section is not good, the user may pass an oncoming vehicle when traveling in the first section. It's easy to get stressed out by worrying about. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the cost of such a first route candidate to be small.

Further, in the information processing device according to the present disclosure, the control unit determines whether or not it is possible to check whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, and whether or not the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is checked. In addition, the cost of the first route candidate may be calculated based on the presence or absence of the evacuation area in the first section. As a result, it is possible to check not only whether or not there are oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, but also the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the presence or absence of a turn-around area in the first section. can be added to calculate the cost of the first route candidate.

Here, when there is a turn-around area in the first section, the control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure reduces the cost of the first route candidate as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section decreases. You may make it calculate small. As a result, even if it is not possible to confirm the existence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section (when the line of sight to the first section is poor), the evacuation area exists in the first section. , and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, the degree of recommendation of the first route candidate can be increased. If there is a turnaround area in the first section, even if the visibility in the first section is not good, you can use the turnaround area to pass oncoming vehicles, so when driving in the first section user's stress can be reduced. Furthermore, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is low, the frequency of passing by oncoming vehicles using the evacuation area will be reduced, so the user's stress when driving in the first section will be reduced. can be kept small.

In addition, when there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure may calculate the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller. This means that even if there is no evacuation area in the first section, if the visibility in the first section is good and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, the vehicle can travel in the first section. This is because the user's stress at the time of doing so can be reduced.

Further, when there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is not possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure , the cost calculation based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section may not be performed for the first route candidate. Even if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, if the visibility of the first section is poor and there is no evacuation area in the first section, when driving the vehicle in the first section In addition, the user is likely to feel stress because he is worried about passing an oncoming vehicle. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the cost of such a first route candidate to be small.

Further, in the information processing device according to the present disclosure, the control unit can check whether or not there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, and whether or not the amount of oncoming vehicle traffic in the first section can be checked. In addition, the cost of the first route candidate may be calculated based on the presence or absence of the evacuation area in the first section and the distance of the first section. As a result, not only can the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles be checked before entering the first section, but also the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the presence or absence of a shelter area in the first section, and the distance length of the first section, the cost of the first route candidate can be calculated.

Here, when there is a turn-around area in the first section, the control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure determines that the smaller the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the distance length of the first section The shorter the length, the lower the cost of the first route candidate may be calculated. As a result, even if it is not possible to confirm the existence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section (when the line of sight to the first section is poor), the evacuation area exists in the first section. In addition, if the amount of oncoming traffic in the first section is small and the distance of the first section is short, the degree of recommendation of the first route candidate can be increased. If the first section has a turn-around area, as described above, even if the visibility in the first section is not good, the turn-around area can be used to pass an oncoming vehicle. However, if the distance of the first section is long, there is a possibility that the user's vehicle and the oncoming vehicle will meet at a point away from the evacuation area. In such a case, the distance traveled by the user to move the vehicle to the evacuation area may become long, and the user is likely to feel stress. On the other hand, according to the present disclosure, even if there is a turn-around area in the first section and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, if the distance length of the first section is long, , the first route candidate can be less recommended.

In addition, when there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, the control of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure is performed. The unit may calculate the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller and as the distance of the first section is shorter. This is because even if there is no evacuation area in the first section, the visibility in the first section is good, the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small, and the distance of the first section is This is because if the time is short, the user's stress when traveling the first section can be reduced.

However, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is greater than the first threshold, and/or if the distance length of the first section is longer than the second threshold, the information processing device according to the present disclosure The control unit may not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the distance length of the first section for the first route candidate. Traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, even if there is a turnout area in the first section and if it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section is excessively large and/or the distance length of the first section is excessively long, the stress of the user tends to increase when the vehicle travels through the first section. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the cost of such a first route candidate to be small.

Further, when there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is not possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure However, for the first route candidate, the cost calculation based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the distance length of the first section may not be performed. Even if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small and the distance length of the first section is short, the visibility of the first section is poor and the evacuation area is located in the first section. Without it, the user is likely to feel stress when the vehicle travels through the first section. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the cost of such a first route candidate to be small.

<Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, a system (car navigation system) for searching for a route from a starting point to a destination when a user (user) who desires to travel by vehicle specifies a starting point and a destination. An example of applying the information processing device will be described.

(Overview of car navigation system)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a car navigation system. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the car navigation system includes a vehicle 100, a user terminal 200, and a server device 300. FIG. Although only one vehicle 100 and one user terminal 200 are illustrated in the example shown in FIG.

The user terminal 200 and the server device 300 are connected via the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a worldwide public communication network such as the Internet, or another communication network. The user terminal 200 is connected to the network N1 using wireless communication. Wireless communication is, for example, mobile communication such as 5G (5th-Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution), narrowband communication such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

A vehicle 100 is a vehicle that a user uses to travel from a starting point to a destination, such as an automobile or a motorcycle. A user terminal 200 is a terminal device used by a user. An application program for using car navigation services is installed in the user terminal 200 . The user can receive the car navigation service by causing the user terminal 200 to execute the predetermined application.

In the car navigation service, the user sends information indicating the desired departure point and destination (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "OD (Origin-Destination) information") to the server device 300 through the user terminal 200. Send to In addition, the user receives, at the user terminal 200, information indicating route candidate search results by the server device 300 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “recommended route information”). The recommended route information includes information on a candidate with a higher recommendation level (hereinafter also referred to as a “recommended route”) among multiple route candidates from the departure point to the destination. The recommended route information is information representing the recommended route by a set of road links.

The recommended route may be only the route candidate with the highest degree of recommendation, or may be N route candidates from the highest degree of recommendation up to the N-th (N is a natural number). If information about N recommended routes is included in the recommended routes, information about the recommended order in the N recommended routes may be included in the recommended route information.

Based on the OD information received from the user terminal 200, the server device 300 extracts a plurality of route candidates connecting the departure point and destination desired by the user. Server device 300 calculates the cost of each of the plurality of extracted route candidates. In this embodiment, the server device 300 calculates the cost of each route candidate using the distance, required time, toll, road width, visibility, and oncoming vehicle traffic of each route candidate as parameters. At this time, the server device 300 may calculate the cost for each road link for each route candidate, and calculate the total cost for each road link as the cost for each route candidate. For example, for a route candidate including a first road link and a second road link, the server device 300 calculates the cost of the first road link and the cost of the second road link. The server device 300 calculates the sum total of the cost of the first road link and the cost of the second road link as the cost of the route candidate. A method of calculating the cost for each road link will be described later.

When the costs of each of the plurality of route candidates are calculated, the server device 300 compares the costs among the plurality of route candidates to determine the degree of recommendation (recommendation order (priority)) among the plurality of route candidates. do. In this embodiment, the server device 300 determines a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a lower cost. The server device 300 selects the route candidate with the highest degree of recommendation as the recommended route. The server device 300 generates recommended route information including information on the recommended route, and transmits the generated recommended route information to the user terminal 200 .

Note that in the present embodiment, the server device 300 corresponds to the “information processing device” according to the present disclosure.

(Hardware configuration)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each of the user terminal 200 and the server device 300 included in the car navigation system.

Server device 300 is a computer managed by a car navigation service provider. As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 300 of this embodiment includes a processor 301, a main storage unit 302, an auxiliary storage unit 303, a communication unit 304, and the like. These processor 301, main storage unit 302, auxiliary storage unit 303, and communication unit 304 are connected to each other by a bus. The hardware configuration of the computer is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

The server device 300 implements a function that meets a predetermined purpose by causing the processor 301 to load a program stored in a recording medium into the work area of the main storage unit 302 and execute the program. A series of processes executed by the server device 300 can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software.

The processor 301 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The processor 301 controls the server device 300 by controlling the server device 300 and performing various information processing operations.

The main storage unit 302 is a computer-readable recording medium. The main storage unit 302 is used as a recording area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303, or as a buffer for temporarily storing calculation results of the processor 301. It is a device. The main storage unit 302 includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

The auxiliary storage unit 303 is a computer-readable recording medium. The auxiliary storage unit 303 stores various programs, various data and various tables used when the processor 301 executes various programs. The auxiliary storage unit 303 includes, for example, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The auxiliary storage unit 303 can include removable media, ie, portable recording media. The removable medium may be, for example, a disk recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 include an OS (Operating System) and a program for realizing functions related to providing car navigation services. Part or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage section 303 may be stored in the main storage section 302 .

The communication unit 304 transmits and receives information between an external device (for example, the user terminal 200 ) and the server device 300 . The communication unit 304 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. A LAN interface board or a wireless communication circuit is connected to the network N1.

Next, the user terminal 200 is a small computer that can be carried by the user, such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable computer (smartwatch, etc.). Note that the user terminal 200 may be an in-vehicle terminal such as a display audio installed in the vehicle 100 . In that case, the vehicle-mounted terminal is configured to be connectable to the network N1 using wireless communication.

The user terminal 200 includes a processor 201 , a main storage section 202 , an auxiliary storage section 203 , a display section 204 , an input section 205 , a position acquisition section 206 and a communication section 207 . These processor 201, main storage unit 202, auxiliary storage unit 203, display unit 204, input unit 205, position acquisition unit 206, and communication unit 207 are connected to each other by a bus. The processor 201, the main memory unit 202, and the auxiliary memory unit 203 are the same as the processor 301, the main memory unit 302, and the auxiliary memory unit 303 of the server device 300, and thus descriptions thereof are omitted.

The display unit 204 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electroluminescence) panel. The input unit 205 includes, for example, a touch panel capable of inputting symbols such as characters, a microphone capable of inputting voice, or a camera. The position acquisition unit 206 is a device that acquires the current position of the user terminal 200, and typically includes a GPS receiver and the like. The communication unit 207 is, for example, a communication circuit for accessing the network N1 using a mobile communication service (telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, or wireless communication such as WiFi) and performing data communication with the server device 300 or the like. is. Note that the hardware configuration of the user terminal 200 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

A series of processes executed by the user terminal 200 configured as described above can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software.

(Functional configuration of server device)
Here, the functional configuration of the server device 300 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 300 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 300 in this embodiment has, as its functional components, an acquisition unit F310, an extraction unit F320, a calculation unit F330, a determination unit F340, a map information database D310, and a road link database D320. .

The acquisition unit F310, the extraction unit F320, the calculation unit F330, and the determination unit F340 are implemented by the processor 301 of the server apparatus 300 loading the program of the auxiliary storage unit 303 onto the main storage unit 302 and executing the program. Note that the acquisition unit F310, the extraction unit F320, the calculation unit F330, and the determination unit F340 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

In this embodiment, the processor 301 that implements the functional components of the acquisition unit F310, the extraction unit F320, the calculation unit F330, and the determination unit F340 corresponds to the "control unit" according to the present disclosure.

The map information database D310 and the road link database D320 are constructed by managing data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 using a database management system (DBMS). A database management system is a program executed by the processor 301 of the server device 300 . The map information database D310 and the road link database D320 are, for example, relational databases.

Any of the functional components of server device 300 or part of the processing thereof may be executed by another computer connected to network N1. Moreover, the functional configuration of the server device 300 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3, and it is possible to omit, change, or add functional components as appropriate.

Map data of roads that the vehicle 100 can pass is registered in the map information database D310. Data in a well-known form can be used as the map data. For example, the map data may include multiple map meshes corresponding to multiple areas divided by latitude and longitude. Each map mesh may include road links indicating roads on which automobiles can pass, and information for specifying a position on the map (for example, latitude and longitude, address, etc.). Each road link may be given a link ID for identifying each road link.

The road link database D320 stores information on road links registered in the map information database D310. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the road link database D320.

The road link database D320 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, has a table for each road link (hereinafter also referred to as "road link information table"). Each road link information table has fields such as link ID, distance length, required time, toll, road width, visibility, and traffic volume. The configuration of the road link information table is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4, and fields can be added, changed, or deleted as appropriate.

Information (link ID) for identifying each road link is registered in the link ID field. The distance length of each road link is registered in the distance length field. The time required for the vehicle 100 to travel on each road link at a predetermined speed (required time) is registered in the required time field. The predetermined speed is, for example, the legal speed of each road link. The information registered in the required time field may be the required time estimated from the traffic congestion and traffic regulation of each road link, or the time required for the probe vehicle to travel on each road link. The toll field registers the toll required when a vehicle travels on each road link. When the road link includes at least a partial section of a toll road, an amount indicating the toll required when the vehicle 100 travels through the section is registered in the toll field. If the road link does not include a section of toll road, an amount indicating free of charge (for example, "0") is registered in the charge field. A numerical value indicating the road width of each road link is registered in the road width field.

Information indicating the quality of the line of sight of each road link is registered in the line of sight field. Specifically, at the position of one end of each road link, the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles passing through each road link and the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles attempting to enter each road link from the other end of each road link are visually recognized. Information is registered in the line-of-sight field indicating whether or not it is possible to do so. In the example shown in FIG. 4, at the position of one end of each road link, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle passing through each road link, and the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle attempting to enter each road link from the other end of each road link. is visible, a "good" is registered in the line-of-sight field. Also, at the position of one end of each road link, visually confirm the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle passing through each road link and/or the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle attempting to enter each road link from the other end of each road link. If it is not possible, the line of sight field is registered as "bad".

Information indicating the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on each road link is registered in the traffic volume field. Since the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on each road link changes according to the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles for each traveling direction is registered in the traffic volume field. That is, the traffic volume when the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 is from one end to the other end of each road link, and the traffic volume when the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 is from the other end to the other end of each road link. is registered in the traffic volume field.

The time required for each road link and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on each road link may change depending on the day of the week, time of day, and the like. Therefore, in the required time field and the traffic volume field, the required time for each day of the week for each time slot and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles for each time slot for each day of the week may be registered.

Further, with respect to the visibility field and the traffic volume field, the corresponding information may be registered only in the road link information table corresponding to the road link whose road width is equal to or less than a predetermined width. The "predetermined width" referred to here is the upper limit of the road width at which it is difficult for the oncoming vehicle to pass each other. The road width that makes it difficult to pass an oncoming vehicle may be a road width that makes it physically impossible to pass an oncoming vehicle, but a road width that makes it difficult for the user driving the vehicle 100 to pass an oncoming vehicle. It's okay. The information registered in the line-of-sight field and the traffic volume field may be acquired by an on-site inspection by a system administrator or the like.

Here, returning to the description of FIG. 3, the acquisition unit F310 acquires the OD information from the user terminal 200. FIG. Specifically, when OD information is transmitted from the user terminal 200 to the server device 300, the acquisition unit F310 acquires the OD information through the communication unit 304. FIG. The OD information, as described above, is information about the departure point and the destination specified by the user. The OD information acquired by the communication unit 304 is passed to the extraction unit F320.

The extraction unit F320 extracts information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “first information”) regarding route candidates based on the OD information acquired by the acquisition unit F310. A route candidate is a route that is a candidate for a recommended route, and is a route that connects the departure point and the destination indicated by the OD information. The first information is data representing a combination of road links forming a route candidate, and is data in which the link IDs of the road links are arranged according to the arrangement order of the road links from the departure point to the destination.

The extraction unit F320 identifies, as route candidates, a plurality of routes connecting the starting point and the destination indicated by the OD information based on the map data registered in the map information database D310. The extraction unit F320 reads the link ID of the road link that constitutes each of the plurality of identified route candidates from the map information database D310. The extraction unit F320 generates the first information of each route candidate based on the link ID read from the map information database D310. At that time, for a route candidate configured by combining a plurality of road links, the extraction unit F320 extracts a plurality of link IDs corresponding to the plurality of road links according to the order of the road links from the departure point to the destination. By arranging them, the first information is generated.

The first information of multiple route candidates is passed from the extraction unit F320 to the calculation unit F330.

The calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of each of the plurality of route candidates extracted by the extraction unit F320. In this embodiment, the cost is calculated by calculating the route candidate including the road link whose road width is less than a predetermined width (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "first route candidate"), and the road width less than the predetermined width. route candidates that do not include road links (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “second route candidates”). Therefore, the calculation unit F330 first sorts the plurality of route candidates extracted by the extraction unit F320 into first route candidates and second route candidates.

Selection of the first route candidate and the second route candidate is performed based on the information stored in the road link database D320. That is, the calculation unit F330 accesses the road link information table of road links included in each route candidate, and determines whether the road width registered in the road width field is equal to or less than a predetermined width. A route candidate including a road link (first section) for which the road width registered in the road width field is determined to be equal to or less than a predetermined width is selected as a first route candidate. Route candidates (route candidates not including the first section) that include only road links whose road width registered in the road width field is determined to be larger than a predetermined width are selected as second route candidates.

For the first route candidate, suitability for cost adjustment is determined before the cost is calculated. The term "cost adjustment" as used herein refers to subtracting and correcting the cost calculated by the same method as for the second route candidate, which will be described later, according to the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section. The adequacy of cost adjustment is determined based on the visibility of the first section. Specifically, the calculation unit F330 accesses the road link information table of the road link corresponding to the first section, and determines whether information indicating "good" is registered in the visibility field. If information indicating "bad" is registered in the line of sight field, the first route candidate including the road link is determined not to be suitable for cost adjustment. In that case, the first route candidate is excluded from cost adjustment targets, and the cost is calculated in the same manner as for the second route candidate. That is, a route candidate that is determined to be unsuitable for cost adjustment is reselected as a second route candidate. If information indicating "good" is registered in the line of sight field, the first route candidate including the road link is determined to be suitable for cost adjustment. In that case, the first route candidate is subject to cost adjustment.

For the first route candidate determined to be suitable for cost adjustment, the calculation unit F330 calculates the total distance length, total required time, total toll, minimum road width, and first section Cost is calculated based on the amount of traffic of oncoming vehicles in . The total distance length is the total distance length of the road links included in the first route candidate. The total required time is the sum of the required times included in the first route candidate. The total toll is the sum of the tolls of the road links included in the first route candidate. The minimum road width is the road width of the narrowest link among the road links included in the first route candidate.

Cost based on total distance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "first cost"), cost based on total required time (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "second cost"), and total traffic The cost based on the toll (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "third cost"), the cost based on the minimum road width (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fourth cost"), and the first section A cost based on the amount of traffic of oncoming vehicles on a road link corresponding to (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "fifth cost") is calculated by the calculation unit F330. In this embodiment, the calculation unit F330 calculates the first cost to be smaller as the total distance is shorter. Further, the calculation unit F330 calculates the second cost to be smaller as the total required time is shorter. Further, the calculation unit F330 calculates the third cost to be smaller as the total toll is lower. Further, the computation unit F330 computes the fourth cost to be smaller as the minimum road width is wider. Further, the calculation unit F330 calculates the fifth cost to be larger as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller.

The first cost may be calculated using a map or calculation model that derives the first cost using the total distance length as an argument. The map or computational model in that case is designed such that the shorter the total distance, the smaller the derived first cost. Such maps or computational models may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 in advance.

The second cost may be calculated using a map or computational model that derives the second cost using the total required time as an argument. The map or computational model in that case is designed such that the shorter the total required time, the smaller the derived second cost. Such maps or computational models may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 in advance.

The third cost may be calculated using a map or calculation model that derives the third cost using the total toll as an argument. The map or computational model in that case is designed such that the lower the total toll, the smaller the derived third cost. Such maps or computational models may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 in advance.

The fourth cost may be calculated using a map or calculation model that derives the fourth cost using the minimum road width as an argument. The map or computational model in that case is designed so that the wider the minimum road width, the smaller the derived fourth cost. Such maps or computational models may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 in advance.

The fifth cost may be calculated using a map or a calculation model for deriving the fifth cost using the amount of oncoming traffic as an argument. The map or computational model in that case is designed so that the smaller the amount of oncoming traffic, the larger the derived fifth cost. Such maps or computational models may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 in advance.

The calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the first route candidate according to the following formula (1).
(Cost of first route candidate)=(First cost)+(Second cost)+(Third cost)+(Fourth cost)-(Fifth cost) (1)
That is, the calculation unit F330 obtains the sum of the first to fourth costs, and subtracts and corrects the sum by the fifth cost to calculate the cost of the first route candidate.

Next, for the second route candidate, the computation unit F330 computes the cost without determining suitability for cost adjustment. That is, the calculation unit F330 calculates each cost for all route candidates selected as the second route candidates. The cost of the second route candidate is computed by summing the first cost, the second cost, the third cost and the fourth cost. The first cost in this case is the cost based on the total distance of the second candidate route. Also, the second cost is a cost based on the total required time of the second route candidate. Also, the third cost is the cost based on the total toll for the second route candidate. The fourth cost is the minimum road width of the second candidate route. These first cost, second cost, third cost, and fourth cost are calculated using the same map or calculation model as the first route candidate.

When the cost calculation is completed for all of the plurality of route candidates extracted by the extraction unit F320, the first information and costs of the plurality of route candidates are transferred from the calculation unit F330 to the determination unit F340.

The determination unit F340 determines a recommended route from among multiple route candidates. Specifically, the determination unit F340 first determines the degrees of recommendation of a plurality of route candidates. In this embodiment, the determining unit F340 determines a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a lower cost. The determination unit F340 determines the route candidate with the highest degree of recommendation among the plurality of route candidates as the recommended route. The determination unit F340 may determine, as recommended routes, N route candidates having the highest to N-th degree of recommendation among the plurality of route candidates.

If there are a plurality of route candidates with the same cost calculated by the calculation unit F330, the decision unit F340 determines the route candidates based on any of the total distance, the total required time, or the total toll. A degree of recommendation of route candidates may be determined. For example, the determination unit F340 may determine a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a shorter total distance. Further, the determination unit F340 may determine a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a shorter total required time. Further, the determination unit F340 may determine a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a lower total toll. When there are multiple route candidates with the same cost, the user of the vehicle 100 can specify which of the total distance length, the total required time, and the total toll is used to determine the degree of recommendation. may In that case, the OD information may include information indicating which of the total distance length, the total required time, and the total toll the user attaches importance to.

The determination unit F340 generates recommended route information based on the first information of the route candidate determined as the recommended route. The recommended route information includes, for example, information representing the recommended route as a set of road links, the total distance of the recommended route, the total required time of the recommended route, the total toll of the recommended route, and the like. When N route candidates with the highest recommendation level to N-th are determined as the recommended route, in addition to the above information, information indicating the recommendation order of the N recommended routes is included in the recommended route information. can be

The recommended route information generated by the determination unit F340 is transmitted to the user terminal 200 through the communication unit 304 of the server device 300. FIG.

(Processing flow)
Here, the flow of processing executed by the server apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a processing routine performed by the server device 300 triggered by reception of OD information transmitted from the user terminal 200 . FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a subroutine executed in the process of step S105 in FIG. 5 and 6 is executed by the processor 301 of the server device 300, the functional components of the server device 300 will be mainly described here.

In FIG. 5, when the OD information transmitted from the user terminal 200 is received by the communication unit 304 of the server device 300, the acquisition unit F310 of the server device 300 acquires the OD information from the communication unit 304 (step S101). The acquisition unit F310 passes the OD information acquired through the communication unit 304 to the extraction unit F320. The extraction unit F320 executes the process of step S102 with the reception of the OD information as a trigger.

In step S102, the extraction unit F320 identifies route candidates based on the OD information. That is, the extraction unit F320 accesses the map information database D310 and identifies multiple routes connecting the departure point and the destination indicated by the OD information as route candidates. After completing the process of step S102, the extraction unit F320 executes the process of step S103.

In step S103, the extraction unit F320 generates first information for each of the plurality of route candidates identified in step S102. The first information is, as described above, information in which the link IDs of the road links forming each route candidate are arranged according to the order of the road links from the departure point to the destination. The link ID of the road link forming each route candidate is extracted from the map information data stored in the map information database D310. The extraction unit F320 passes the first information of the plurality of route candidates to the calculation unit F330. The calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S104 with the reception of the first information as a trigger.

In step S104, the calculation unit F330 selects route candidates based on the first information and the information stored in the road link database D320. That is, the calculation unit F330 accesses the road link information table of road links included in each route candidate, and determines whether the road width registered in the road width field is equal to or less than a predetermined width. The calculation unit F330 selects the route candidate including the road link (first section) for which the road width registered in the road width field is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined width as the first route candidate. For route candidates (route candidates not including the first section) that include only road links for which the road width registered in the road width field is determined to be larger than a predetermined width, the calculation unit F330 calculates the second route Select as a candidate. After completing the processing of step S104, the calculation unit F330 executes the processing of step S105.

In step S105, the calculation unit F330 calculates the costs of multiple route candidates according to the selection results in step S104. Specifically, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the route candidate based on the subroutine of FIG. The subroutine of FIG. 6 is executed for each of the multiple route candidates extracted by the extraction unit F320.

In FIG. 6, the calculation unit F330 determines whether the target route candidate has been selected as the first route candidate (step S1051). If the target route candidate has been selected as the first route candidate (affirmative determination in step S1051), the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1052.

In step S1052, the calculation unit F330 determines whether the target route candidate is suitable for cost adjustment. In this embodiment, the adequacy of the route candidate is determined based on the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section among the road links forming the target route candidate. That is, the calculation unit F330 accesses the road link information table corresponding to the road link among the road link information tables stored in the road link database D320, and registers information indicating "good" in the visibility field. determine whether

If information indicating "bad" is registered in the prospect field, it is determined that the target route candidate is not suitable for cost adjustment (negative determination in step S1052). In this case, the target route candidate is reselected as a second route candidate, and the cost is calculated in steps 1055 and S1056, which will be described later. On the other hand, if information indicating "good" is registered in the prospect field, it is determined that the target route candidate is suitable for cost adjustment (affirmative determination in step S1052). In this case, the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1053.

In step S1053, the calculation unit F330 calculates the first to fifth costs of the target first route candidate. Specifically, the calculation unit F330 first calculates the total distance length, the total required time, and the total toll for the target first route candidate based on the information registered in the road link database D320. do. Further, the calculation unit F330 extracts the minimum road width of the target first route candidate based on the information registered in the road link database D320. Next, the calculation unit F330 calculates the first cost, the second cost, the third cost, and the fourth cost, respectively, using the total distance length, the total required time, the total toll, and the minimum road width as arguments. Calculate. At that time, as described above, the shorter the total distance, the smaller the first cost calculated. The second cost is calculated to be smaller as the total required time is shorter. The third cost is calculated to be smaller as the total toll is lower. The fourth cost is calculated to be smaller as the minimum road width is wider. Further, the calculation unit F330 calculates a fifth cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the road link corresponding to the first section. At that time, the fifth cost is calculated to be larger as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on the road link is smaller. After executing the process of step S1053, the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1054.

In step S1054, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the first target route candidate based on the first to fifth costs calculated in step S1053. Specifically, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the first target route candidate by substituting the first to fifth costs calculated in step S1053 into the above-described formula (1). . After the process of step S1054 is executed, the execution of this subroutine ends. In that case, the process of step S106 in FIG. 5 is executed.

In step S1051 in FIG. 6, when the target route candidate is selected as the second route candidate (negative determination in step S1051), and when the target route candidate is selected from the first route candidate If route candidate 2 is reselected (negative determination in step S1052), the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1055.

In step S1055, the calculation unit F330 calculates the first to fourth costs of the second target route candidate. After completing the process of step S1055, the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1056.

In step S1056, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the second target route candidate by totaling the first to fourth costs calculated in step S1055. After the process of step S1056 is executed, the execution of this subroutine ends. In that case, the process of step S106 in FIG. 5 is executed.

Here, returning to the processing routine of FIG. 5, after the processing of step S105 is executed, the first information and the cost of the route candidate subject to cost calculation are transferred from the calculation unit F330 to the determination unit F340. The decision unit F340 executes the process of step S106 with the receipt of the first information and cost as a trigger.

In step S106, the determination unit F340 determines the degree of recommendation for each of the route candidates for which cost calculation was performed in step S105. That is, the determining unit F340 determines a higher degree of recommendation for a route candidate with a lower cost calculated in step S105. After executing the process of step S106, the determination unit F340 executes the process of step S107. If there are a plurality of route candidates with the same cost calculated in step S105, a route candidate with a shorter total distance may be determined with a higher degree of recommendation. Also, a route candidate with a shorter total required time may be determined with a higher degree of recommendation. Also, a route candidate with a lower total toll may be determined with a higher degree of recommendation.

In step S107, the determination unit F340 determines a recommended route based on the degree of recommendation determined in step S106. For example, the determination unit F340 determines the route candidate with the highest degree of recommendation among the route candidates for which cost calculation is performed, as the recommended route. Note that the determining unit F340 may determine N route candidates having the highest degree of recommendation to the N-th route candidate among the route candidates for which cost calculation is performed, as the recommended route. After executing the process of step S107, the determination unit F340 executes the process of step S108.

In step S108, the determination unit F340 generates recommended route information based on the first information of the route candidate determined as the recommended route. The recommended route information includes information representing the recommended route by a set of road links, the total distance of the recommended route, the total required time of the recommended route, the total toll of the recommended route, and the like. When N route candidates with the highest to N-th recommendation degrees are determined as recommended routes, in addition to the information described above, information indicating the recommendation order of the N recommended routes is included in the recommended route information. After executing the process of step S108, the determination unit F340 executes the process of step S109.

In step S<b>109 , the determination unit F<b>340 transmits the recommended route information generated in step S<b>108 to the user terminal 200 via the communication unit 304 of the server device 300 . After the process of step S109 is executed, the process of this process routine ends.

When the user terminal 200 receives the recommended route information transmitted from the server device 300, the display unit 204 of the user terminal 200 outputs the recommended route information. Thereby, the user can determine the travel route of the vehicle 100 based on the recommended route information output to the display unit 204 . The user terminal 200 can provide route guidance according to the determined travel route through a car navigation application program.

(Action and effect of the embodiment)
According to this embodiment, even a route candidate including a road link (first section) having a road width that makes it difficult to pass an oncoming vehicle can be subject to cost adjustment if the visibility of the first section is good. Become. For route candidates including the first section with good visibility (route candidates subject to cost adjustment), the smaller the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the smaller the cost calculated. Conversely, even for a route candidate that includes a first section with good visibility, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is large, the calculated cost will be large. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a route candidate that includes the first section with good visibility and that has a large amount of oncoming vehicle traffic in the first section from being proposed to the user as a recommended route. . In other words, it is possible to prevent a route candidate from which the user is likely to feel stressed by passing an oncoming vehicle from being proposed as a recommended route. On the other hand, a route candidate that includes a first section with good visibility and has a low traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is calculated to have a small cost. Therefore, a route candidate that includes the first section with good visibility and a low traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section can be proposed to the user as a recommended route. This allows the user to expand options when determining the travel route of the vehicle 100 .

<Modification 1>
In the above-described embodiment, the suitability of the route candidate selected as the first route candidate is determined based on the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section. On the other hand, in this modification, the suitability of the route candidate selected as the first route candidate is based on the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section and the presence or absence of a turn-around area on the road link. An example of determining is described.

Here, even if the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section is poor, if there is a refuge area in the middle of the road link, it is possible to pass the oncoming vehicle by using the refuge area. Furthermore, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on the road link is small, the frequency of passing by oncoming vehicles using the turn-around area is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce stress on the user when the vehicle 100 travels on the road link.

Even if the road link corresponding to the first section does not have a turn-around area, if the visibility of the road link is good, the user's vehicle 100 cannot pass through the road link before entering the road link. It is possible to visually recognize the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle that is approaching the road link and the oncoming vehicle that is about to enter the road link. Furthermore, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles on the road link is small, the chances of allowing the user's vehicle 100 to enter the road link increase. Therefore, it is possible to reduce stress on the user when the vehicle 100 travels on the road link.

Therefore, in this modified example, if the road link corresponding to the first section has a turn-around area and/or if the visibility of the road link is good, the route candidate including the road link is suitable for cost adjustment. , was determined to be. As a result, even if the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section is poor, if the road link has an evacuation area, the route candidate including the road link is subject to cost adjustment. Even if the road link corresponding to the first area does not have a shelter area, if the road link has good visibility, the route candidate including the road link is subject to cost adjustment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the road link database D320 in this modified example. The road link database D320 in this modified example has a road link information table for each road link, as in the above-described embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the road link information table in this modified example has a shelter area field in addition to the link ID, distance length, required time, toll, road width, visibility, and traffic volume fields. . Information registered in each field of link ID, distance length, required time, traffic volume, road width, visibility, and traffic volume is the same as the road link information table (see FIG. 4) of the above-described embodiment. . Information indicating whether or not there is a shelter area in the middle of each road link is registered in the shelter area field. For example, in the road link information table of a road link that has a retreat area, information indicating "present" is registered in the retreat area field. In addition, in the road link information table of road links that do not have a shelter area, information indicating "no" is registered in the shelter area field.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the processing executed by the server device 300 when determining the suitability of the route candidate selected as the first route candidate. That is, FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing executed instead of step S1052 in the subroutine of FIG. 6 described above.

In FIG. 8, the calculation unit F330 of the server device 300 performs evacuation in the road link corresponding to the first section among the road links forming the target route candidate (the route candidate selected as the first route candidate). It is determined whether or not there is an area (step S1052A). Specifically, the calculation unit F330 accesses the road link information table corresponding to the road link among the road link information tables stored in the road link database D320, and indicates "None" in the evacuation area field. Determine if the information is registered. If information indicating "no" is registered in the save area field (affirmative determination in step S1052A), calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1052B.

In step S1052B, the calculation unit F330 determines the visibility of the road link corresponding to the first section. Specifically, the calculation unit F330 determines whether information indicating "bad" is registered in the visibility field of the road link information table corresponding to the road link. If information indicating "defective" is registered in the line-of-sight field (affirmative determination in S1052B), operation unit F330 executes the process of step S1052C.

In step S1052C, the calculation unit F330 determines that the target route candidate is not suitable for cost adjustment. After the process of step S1052C is executed, the process routine of FIG. 8 ends. In that case, the route candidate of interest is re-sorted to a second route candidate. As a result, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the target route candidate by executing the same processing as steps S1055 and S1056 in the processing routine of FIG. 6 described above.

Further, in step S1052A described above, if it is determined that information indicating "existing" is registered in the evacuation area field (affirmative determination in step S1052A), and in step S1052B described above, if the visibility field is "good" is registered (negative determination in step S1052B), the calculation unit F330 executes the process of step S1052D.

In step S1052D, the calculation unit F330 determines that the target route candidate is suitable for cost adjustment. After the process of step S1052D is executed, the process routine of FIG. 8 ends. In that case, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the target route candidate by executing the same processing as steps S1053 and S1054 in the processing routine of FIG. 6 described above.

According to this modification, even if the route candidate includes a road link (first section) with a road width that makes it difficult to pass an oncoming vehicle and the visibility of the first section is poor, , if there is a shelter area in the first section, it is subject to cost adjustment. Further, even a route candidate that includes the first section and does not have a shelter area in the first section is subject to cost adjustment if the visibility of the first section is good. This allows the user to further expand the options when determining the travel route of the vehicle 100 .

Furthermore, according to this modification, for the candidate route including the first section with the evacuation area and/or the candidate route including the first section with good visibility, the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is The smaller the number, the smaller the calculation cost. Conversely, even if the candidate route includes the first section with a shelter area and/or the candidate route includes the first section with good visibility, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is large, the cost is calculated to be large. Therefore, a route candidate that includes a first section with good visibility and a high traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, and a route candidate that includes the first section with a shelter area, and It is possible to prevent a route candidate with a large amount of oncoming traffic in the first section from being proposed to the user as a recommended route. As a result, it is possible to prevent a route candidate from which a user is likely to feel stress when passing an oncoming vehicle from being proposed as a recommended route.

<Modification 2>
In the above-described embodiment and modification 1, the total distance Examples using length, total travel time, total toll, minimum road width, and oncoming traffic in the first leg have been described. On the other hand, in this modification, in addition to the total distance, total required time, total toll, minimum road width, and traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the distance of the first section is used. state.

Even if the line of sight in the first section is good and/or there is a turnout area in the first section, if the distance length of the first section increases, even if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section increases Even if there is a small amount, the stress on the user may increase when the vehicle 100 travels through the first section. For example, when the visibility of the first section is good, the user of the vehicle 100 traveling in the first section can visually recognize an oncoming vehicle waiting to enter the first section. When the user of the vehicle 100 visually recognizes an oncoming vehicle waiting to enter the first section, if the distance of the first section is long, the user of the vehicle 100 will notice that the oncoming vehicle is waiting. It can be stressful. Also, even if the first section has a retreat area, if the distance of the first section is long, the user's vehicle 100 may encounter an oncoming vehicle at a point away from the retreat area. . In such a case, the distance traveled by the user when moving the vehicle to the evacuation area becomes long, and the user is likely to feel stress.

Therefore, in this modification, the calculation unit F330 first calculates a first cost based on the total distance, a second cost based on the total required time, a third cost based on the total toll, and a first A fourth cost based on the minimum road width of the section, a fifth cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, and a cost based on the distance length of the first section (hereinafter, "sixth cost" ) and are calculated. The first to fifth costs are calculated in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. The sixth cost is calculated to be larger as the distance length of the first section is shorter.

Next, the calculation unit F330 calculates the cost of the first route candidate according to the following formula (2).
(cost of first route candidate) = (first cost) + (second cost) + (third cost) + (fourth cost) - (fifth cost) - (sixth cost) ) (2)
That is, the calculation unit F330 obtains the sum of the first to fourth costs, and subtracts and corrects the sum using the fifth and sixth costs to calculate the cost of the first route candidate.

According to this modification, when the visibility in the first section is good and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is small; Even if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles is small, if the distance of the first section is long, the degree of recommendation of candidates including the first section can be lowered. As a result, it is possible to more reliably lower the degree of recommendation of route candidates including the first section, in which the user is likely to feel stress. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent a route candidate including the first section, in which the user is likely to feel stress, from being proposed to the user as a recommended route.

Note that if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is excessively large, or if the distance length of the first section is excessively long, route candidates that include the first section are subject to cost adjustment. may be excluded from That is, if the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is excessively large, and/or if the distance length of the first section is excessively long, the route candidate including the first section is subject to cost adjustment. It may be determined that there is no aptitude. In this case, the calculation unit F330 of the server device 300, when judging the suitability of the route candidate selected as the first route candidate, determines whether the visibility of the first section is good (and whether the first section has a shelter area). In addition to the determination of whether the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is greater than the first threshold, and whether the distance length of the first section is longer than the second threshold may As a result, a route candidate including a first section with an excessively large amount of oncoming traffic and/or a route candidate including a first section with an excessively long distance are proposed to the user as recommended routes. can be suppressed. On the other hand, a route candidate including a first section with a small amount of oncoming traffic and/or a route candidate including a first section with a short distance can be proposed to the user as a recommended route.

<Others>
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Also, the processes and configurations described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as there is no technical contradiction. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the "information processing device" in the present disclosure is applied to a server device has been described, but it may be applied to a user terminal. That is, the processing described as being performed by the server device may be performed by the user terminal. Also, the processing described as being performed by the server device may be performed by sharing the work between the server device and the user terminal. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change what kind of hardware configuration realizes each function.

Further, the present disclosure provides a computer program (information processing program) that implements the functions described in each of the above embodiments to a computer, and one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. is also feasible. The computer at that time may be a server device or a user terminal. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is a recording medium that can store information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer or the like. Such non-temporary computer-readable storage media include, for example, magnetic disks (floppy (registered trademark) disks, hard disk drives (HDD), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROM, DVD disks, Blu-ray disks, etc.), etc. It can be a disc. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, optical card, SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. It can be medium.

100 vehicle 200 user terminal 300 server device 301 processor 302 main storage unit 303 auxiliary storage unit 304 communication unit D310 map information database D320 road link database F310 acquisition unit F320 extraction unit F330 calculation unit F340 determination unit

Claims (20)

An information processing device applied to a car navigation system that searches for a route based on the cost of each of a plurality of route candidates from a departure point to a destination,
For a first route candidate including a first section having a road width that makes it difficult for oncoming vehicles to pass each other among the plurality of route candidates, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle is confirmed before entering the first section. Calculating the cost based on whether or not it is possible and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section,
comprising a control unit;
Information processing equipment. When it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section,
The control unit
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . If it is not possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
The control unit
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit
Whether or not it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, and in addition to the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the presence or absence of a shelter area in the first section computing the cost of the first route candidate based on
The information processing device according to claim 1 . When there is a retreat area in the first section,
The control unit
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
The control unit
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5. When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is not possible to check whether there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
The control unit
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The control unit
Whether or not it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, and in addition to the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the presence or absence of a shelter area in the first section, and calculating the cost of the first route candidate based on the distance length of the first section;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . When there is a retreat area in the first section,
The control unit
The cost of the first route candidate is calculated to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller and the distance length of the first section is shorter.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 . When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
The control unit
The cost of the first route candidate is calculated to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller and the distance length of the first section is shorter.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9. When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is not possible to check whether there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
The control unit
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the distance length of the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10. When the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is greater than the first threshold, and/or when the distance length of the first section is longer than the second threshold,
The control unit
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section and the distance length of the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11. An information processing method applied to a car navigation system that searches for a route based on the cost of each of a plurality of route candidates from a departure point to a destination, comprising:
the computer
For a first route candidate including a first section having a road width that makes it difficult for oncoming vehicles to pass each other among the plurality of route candidates, the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle is confirmed before entering the first section. Calculating the cost based on whether or not it is possible and the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section,
Information processing methods. When it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section,
the computer
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing method according to claim 13. If it is not possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
the computer
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing method according to claim 13 or 14. the computer
Whether or not it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, and in addition to the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the presence or absence of a shelter area in the first section computing the cost of the first route candidate based on
The information processing method according to claim 13. When there is a retreat area in the first section,
the computer
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing method according to claim 16. When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is possible to check the presence or absence of an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
the computer
calculating the cost of the first route candidate to be smaller as the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section is smaller;
The information processing method according to claim 16 or 17. When there is no evacuation area in the first section and when it is not possible to check whether there is an oncoming vehicle before entering the first section,
the computer
Do not calculate the cost based on the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section for the first route candidate;
The information processing method according to any one of claims 16 to 18. the computer
Whether or not it is possible to check the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles before entering the first section, and in addition to the traffic volume of oncoming vehicles in the first section, the presence or absence of a shelter area in the first section, and calculating the cost of the first route candidate based on the distance length of the first section;
The information processing method according to claim 13.

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