JP3561201B2 - Traffic information providing system for mobile terminals - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for providing a traffic information providing medium to a mobile phone, a portable personal computer, or another portable terminal device having a function of acquiring character information by communication and displaying the character information. ) And provide real-time traffic information provision in characters based on a user's request to provide events such as route congestion information and regulation information through bidirectional communication with the mobile terminal. The present invention relates to a traffic information providing system emphasizing a user interface that enables the user.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, for example, as a method of providing traffic information by text, at the request of the user, classified by region or by route, or by each event such as traffic congestion or regulation, for example,
[Event display example]
As of 14:05, the inner city loop line is restricted 2 traffic jams 2 closed 1 “Regulation”
・ Iikura IC-Ichinohashi JCT
One lane regulation, Daikancho IC-Miyakezaka JCT
Accident 1 lane regulation "congestion"
・ 1km traffic jam around Hamasakibashi JCT 2km traffic congestion accident ・ 1km traffic jam near Iikura IC “closed”
・ Shiba Park IC
As described above, a method of listing and providing items by item has been adopted. In such a method of enumerating events, it is difficult to express the traffic condition of the area or the entire route only by characters, and a method of overlapping and displaying the traffic condition on a map image has been adopted.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In order for the user to accurately know the positional relationship of events such as traffic congestion information and regulation information and the traffic situation of the entire route based on the character information enumerated in this manner, knowledge of the region or the route is required in advance. is there.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and enables a user who can immediately know the traffic condition of a route by an event display provided on a mobile terminal without the user having knowledge of the region or the route. It is an object of the present invention to provide a real-time traffic information providing system using characters with emphasis on an interface.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The mobile terminal traffic information providing system according to the present invention has a user interface that allows the user to immediately know the traffic condition of the route by the event display provided on the mobile terminal without the user having knowledge of the area or the route. In a traffic information providing system that displays real-time traffic information using characters and symbols with emphasis, a required information database is read from provided data storage means for a route specified by a user and requested, and predetermined data processing is performed. events relating to traffic conditions and regulatory status of the routes by using the characters and symbols turned into flow diagrams by, and transmitted as real-time traffic information to the user, the selection display traffic information of a predetermined route to the mobile terminal at the user side if desired It is characterized by having been constituted so that .
[0005]
[Action]
As described above, the traffic information providing system for portable terminals according to the present invention expresses routes, intersections, interchanges, junctions, connection routes, and the like by using character symbols, and furthermore, transmits real-time traffic information to the characters. Displaying with a symbol or the like is effective when the user knows the positional relationship of events or when knowing the traffic situation of the entire route, and it is easy to grasp the traffic situation even if there is no knowledge about the area or the route. This has the effect.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a traffic information providing system for a portable terminal according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, 1 is an information receiving means for receiving information on events such as traffic congestion conditions and regulation situations on a route, 2 is a received data storage means for storing received information, and 3 is notified from the information receiving means 1. The database storage means for reading information from the received data storage means 2 and editing and storing the information in a predetermined format, 4 and 5 are provided data storage means in which the database storage means 3 stores information, and 6 is a user The information providing means 7 reads out and provides information from the provided data storage means 4 and 5 in response to a request from the user. It is a database management means to control.
[0007]
Next, the configuration, relevance, and functional outline of each of the above units will be described.
FIG. 2 is a functional outline sequence diagram showing the relevance of each unit. In FIG. 2, an information receiving unit 1 receives data from an information providing source, transmits the data to a received data storage unit 2, monitors the received data, and sets one period having a period divided by a certain time. The database storage means 3 is notified that the reception for the cycle has been completed. The database storage unit 3 reads information from the received data storage unit 2 according to the notification from the information reception unit 1 and stores the information in the provided data storage units 4 and 5.
[0008]
On the other hand, the database management unit 7 switches the provided data storage units 4 and 5 between an update system for storing the database storage unit 3 and a reference system for the information providing unit 6 to call information. Upon completion of storage in the provided data storage means 4 and 5 in the system state, switching between the update system and the reference system is performed. As a result, the information providing means 6 always reads information from the reference system, and enables smooth information updating.
[0009]
Next, a method of creating a user interface performed when providing information to a user will be described with an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a provided route database created in advance in the database storage unit 3. This database is classified for each route and has a route code for identifying the route, interchanges arranged on the route, names and location information of intersections, other route information to be connected, presence / absence of entrances and exits of interchanges, and the like. , One record at interchanges and intersections.
[0010]
FIG. 4 shows a reception information database in which the database storage means 3 reads and edits information from the reception data storage means 2 according to a notification from the information reception means 1 and stores the information as reception data. This database is classified for each route, one record for each event, and is provided with an event number (event number), names and positions of the start and end points of the event, an event distance, a cause number, and the like.
Also, if there is a cause of the occurring event, the relationship between the occurring event and the causal event can be determined by entering the event number of the causal event in the item such as the cause number. It has become.
[0011]
FIG. 5 shows a provided information database stored in provided data storage means 4 and 5 in the database storage means 3. This database is a combination of the provided route database of FIG. 3 and the received information database of FIG. 4 so that the information providing means 6 can easily refer to and process the information. and one record in such, route code for identifying the route, arranged interchange the route, the names and position information such as an intersection, other route information connecting, whether entrance interchange, the presence or absence of events related to traffic congestion and regulation have.
[0012]
FIG. 6 shows a user interface when the information providing means 6 reads the provided information database of the route from the provided data storage means 4 and 5 for the route specified and requested by the user, and outputs the information to the providing screen file. the ized easily flow diagram a part of creating a user interface creation flow diagram.
The database storage means 3 reads the received data from the received data storage means 2 according to the notification from the information receiving means 1, and stores it as a received information database as shown in FIG. This is referred to the provided route database as shown in FIG. 3 held by the database storage unit 3, edited as shown in FIG. 5, and stored in the provided data storage units 4 and 5. Since the information providing means 6 responds to a plurality of users, the provided data can be quickly extracted and created.
[0013]
On the other hand, the information providing means 6 performs the processing shown in the operation flow of FIG. 6 on the data read from the provided data storage means 4 and 5, completes the providing screen as shown in FIG. 7, and provides the information to the user.
[0014]
Next, a method of processing the information read from the provided data storage means 4 and 5 by the information providing means 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, "▽" and "▼" are used as symbols emphasizing the user interface to indicate the direction of travel and traffic congestion , and "▽" for non-congestion, In the case of traffic jam, "▼" is used properly . Also, to indicate other situations, letters and symbols that also focus on the user interface, such as "regulation" when indicating regulations, "things" when indicating an accident, and when there is an exit at the interchange Is displayed as a “down-left arrow”, when there is an entrance, a “down-right arrow”, and when the entrance of the interchange is closed, “x” is displayed. Each of the above-mentioned symbols shows an example as a display method, and is not necessarily limited to each of the above-mentioned displays.
[0015]
The information providing means 6 allows the user to select a road type such as a general road or an expressway in order to select a route desired by the user, and then selects a region such as the Kanto region or the Tohoku region, and then transitions to a route selection. I do. When the route is selected by the user, the information of FIG. 5 read from the provided data storage means 4 and 5 is processed for each record as in the operation flow of FIG.
[0016]
For example, when a record having a location name “Iikura” is read as shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not the “congestion” item of the record is “1”. If it is “1”, it is determined that there is traffic congestion with the point one record before, and “▼” is pasted on the providing screen as a mark indicating the traveling direction and the traffic congestion status.
Similarly, the information providing unit 6 refers to the “accident” item, the “restriction” item, the “closed” item, the “entrance” item, the “exit” item, etc. I do.
As a result of performing the processing for each record for one line in this manner, the example of the providing screen shown in FIG. 7 is created and provided to the user.
[0017]
In the above embodiment, a system for providing traffic information through two-way communication between a user and a traffic information provider is disclosed. It is also possible to always provide as real-time traffic information with emphasis on the user interface, and to display the traffic information of a predetermined route selected by the user on the portable terminal as desired. Of course.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
Since the traffic information providing system for a mobile terminal according to the present invention is configured as described above, it expresses a route or a route intersection, an interchange, a junction, a connecting route, and the like by using a character symbol, and further, Not only is it possible to display real-time traffic information with characters and symbols, but it is also particularly effective when the user knows the positional relationship of events or the traffic situation of the entire route, etc. Even if there is no knowledge about the route, the effect obtained by implementing the present invention is very large, for example, the traffic situation can be easily grasped.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of a traffic information system for a portable terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a functional outline and relevance in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a provided route database in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a reception information database in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a provided information database in the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart when creating a user interface in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an image diagram of a provision screen in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 information receiving means 2 received data storing means 3 database storing means 4 provided data storing means 5 provided data storing means 6 information providing means 7 database managing means

Claims (1)

Even if the user does not have knowledge of the area or route, real-time traffic information using characters and symbols with emphasis on the user interface that can immediately know the traffic situation of the route by the event display provided on the mobile terminal In the traffic information providing system to be displayed,
Designated by the user, reads the advertisement database required from providing data storage means for the requested line, turned into flow diagram using the route traffic conditions and character events regulatory status and symbols by predetermined data processing A traffic information providing system for a portable terminal, wherein the traffic information is transmitted to the user as real-time traffic information, and the traffic information of a predetermined route can be selectively displayed on the portable terminal on the user side as desired.

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