JP4796880B2 - Traffic information processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for presenting traffic information related to a route to a destination.

There is an in-vehicle device that displays a recommended route from a departure place to a destination on a map (see Patent Document 1). Such an in-vehicle device can present the expected arrival time and required time on the recommended route. The user determines the suitability of the recommended route using these pieces of information.
JP-A-2005-70015

  However, it cannot be said that conventional vehicle-mounted devices sufficiently provide information useful for the user's judgment. For example, depending on the user, if past driving records of other vehicles one day or one week ago are shown, it is possible to consider how reliable the required time and expected arrival time of the recommended route displayed by the in-vehicle device can be. There are cases where the suitability of the route can be accurately determined. Conventional in-vehicle devices cannot answer such needs.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, and is to display information useful for a user to determine whether a recommended route is appropriate.

  In order to solve the above problem, in the present invention, when presenting a recommended route, a past driving record at a predetermined date and time is presented.

For example, the first aspect of the present invention is a traffic information processing apparatus that displays a recommended route from a departure place to a destination , sets a day before a predetermined period, and sets the recommended route on the set date. comprising the time required for a vehicle actually travels at least a portion, the day was set, and a display means for displaying the weather in the time zone corresponding to the running time period of the recommended route.

  A second aspect of the present invention is a traffic information processing apparatus, which displays a recommended route from a departure place to a destination, travel results of a vehicle that actually traveled at least a part of the recommended route, and Display means for displaying the restriction on the recommended route at the date and time when the traveling performance was collected.

  The traffic information processing apparatus is a vehicle that has actually traveled at least a part of the recommended route in a time zone corresponding to a time zone between the departure time of the departure point of the recommended route and the arrival time at the destination, There may be provided means for calculating the required time of the recommended route using the travel record of the vehicle that has traveled along the recommended route for the longest time.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traffic information server device that transmits information to a traffic information display device that displays traffic information, in which travel results collected from vehicles actually traveling on a road are stored. Means for storing results data, means for setting a departure place, destination and desired arrival date and time, means for searching for a recommended route from the departure place to the destination, and for arriving at the destination at the desired arrival date and time And obtaining the recommended departure time of the vehicle and extracting the travel record of the vehicle having the longest distance traveled along the recommended route from the travel record data at a predetermined past date and time, and using the extracted travel record Means for obtaining the required time of the recommended route, means for obtaining restriction information on the recommended route at the past predetermined date and time, means for obtaining weather information regarding the recommended route at the past predetermined date and time, And means for transmitting the weather information required time and the restriction information of the recommended route to the traffic information display device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traffic information server device that transmits information to a traffic information display device that displays traffic information, in which a travel record collected from a vehicle that actually traveled on a road is stored. Means for storing performance data; means for setting a starting point and destination; means for searching for a recommended route from the starting point to the destination; and means for obtaining a weather forecast for an area related to the recommended route And at least the area related to the recommended route, the date and time specifying means for specifying the past date and time corresponding to the weather forecast, and the date and time specified by the date and time specifying means from the travel performance data A means for extracting a travel record of a vehicle having the longest distance traveled along the recommended route and obtaining a required time of the recommended route using the extracted travel record; and a required time of the recommended route And means for transmitting the traffic information display device.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traffic information server device that transmits information to a traffic information display device that displays traffic information, in which a travel record collected from a vehicle that actually traveled on a road is stored. Means for storing actual data, means for setting a starting point and a destination, means for searching for a recommended route from the starting point to the destination, and specifying a past date and time when traffic restrictions were imposed on the recommended route The date and time specifying means to extract the driving record of the vehicle having the longest distance traveled along the recommended route at the date and time specified by the date and time specifying means from the driving record data, and using the extracted driving record Means for obtaining the required time for the recommended route, means for searching for an alternative route from the departure point to the destination, avoiding a road that is subject to the traffic restriction at the specified date and time, From the data, the travel record of the vehicle having the longest distance traveled along the alternative route is extracted at the date and time specified by the date and time specifying means, and the required time of the alternative route is obtained using the extracted travel record Means for transmitting the required time for the recommended route and the required time for the alternative route to the traffic information display device.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traffic information server device that transmits information to a traffic information display device that displays traffic information, in which a travel record collected from a vehicle that actually traveled on a road is stored. Means for storing performance data; means for setting a starting point and destination; means for searching for a recommended route from the starting point to the destination; and means for acquiring a construction schedule related to at least the recommended route; Travel along the recommended route at the date and time specified by the date and time specifying means from the travel record data and the date and time specifying means for specifying the past date and time when the work corresponding to the construction schedule was on the recommended route A means for obtaining a travel record of the vehicle having the longest distance, obtaining a time required for the recommended route using the extracted travel record, and avoiding a road on which construction was performed at the specified date and time. Means for searching for an alternative route from a departure place to the destination, and a driving record of the vehicle having the longest distance traveled along the alternative route at the date and time specified by the date and time specifying means from the driving result data And a means for obtaining the time required for the alternative route using the extracted traveling performance.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Example 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a traffic information display system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the traffic information display system of the present embodiment includes a traffic information server 100 and a traffic information display device 200 mounted on a vehicle. The traffic information server 100 and the traffic information display device 200 are connected via a network 80 such as the Internet.

  Connected to the network 80 are a weather forecast server 81 for delivering a weather forecast and a construction notice server 82 for delivering a construction notice. The traffic information server 100 can obtain a weather forecast for each region and a road construction notice from these servers 81 and 82.

  The traffic information server 100, the traffic information display device 200, the weather forecast server 81, and the construction notice server 82 are an arithmetic device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a RAM and a ROM, a bus for transmitting and receiving data, and a communication It is comprised by the general purpose computer provided with the interface. Moreover, each component and function described below are achieved by executing a computer program, for example.

  The traffic information server 100 obtains a required time for a recommended route, a main control unit 110 that is a central unit that performs various processes, a route search unit 120 that searches for a recommended route from a set departure point to a destination, and the like. A required time calculation unit 130, a communication unit 140 that communicates with an external device via the network 80, and a storage unit 150 that stores various information.

  The storage unit 150 stores map data 151, travel record data 300, regulation record data 310, and weather record data 320.

  The map data 151 stores link data of links constituting roads for each mesh area that is a partitioned area on the map. In the link data, for each link ID that identifies each link, the node coordinates of the start and end points of the link, the length of the link, the type of road to which the link belongs, and the approximate time required for traveling the link Etc. are included. Further, the map data 151 includes data other than roads, such as buildings and facilities.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the running record data 300. The travel record data 300 stores travel record information generated based on information received from the traffic information display device 200 mounted on each vehicle (for example, the current position of the vehicle). Specifically, the record 305 for storing the travel record information is stored in the travel record data 300 for each vehicle ID 301 that identifies the vehicle. Each record 305 stores a link ID 302, an entry time 303 to the link of the link ID 302, and a travel time 304 of the link.

  As described above, the travel record data 300 is obtained by accumulating travel record information generated based on information (for example, current position) collected from the traffic information display device 200 mounted on each vehicle. Here, how to generate travel performance information will be described. The traffic information display device 200 of each vehicle periodically detects the current position while the vehicle is traveling. And the detected present position is sent to the traffic information server 100 with the information (vehicle ID) which identifies a vehicle. The main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 receives these pieces of information via the communication unit 140. And the driving | running | working performance information for every vehicle is produced | generated. Specifically, with reference to map data 151, the link ID of the link that the vehicle has entered is specified. Furthermore, the movement of the current position of the vehicle is tracked, and the date and time when the vehicle exits from the entered link is obtained. Then, the record 305 to which the vehicle ID 301 of the vehicle is assigned is added to the travel record data 300, and the link ID of the link that has entered and exited this time is stored in the link ID 302 of the added record 305. The travel time 304 stores the time required from entry to exit. In this way, the travel record information for each vehicle is accumulated in the travel record data 300.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the regulation result data 310. As shown in FIG. The regulation performance data 310 stores information related to past traffic regulation of each link. Specifically, the record 314 to which the date and time 311 is assigned is stored in the regulation performance data 310, and the link ID 312 and the regulation information 313 of the link that has traffic regulation are stored in the record 314. Yes. The regulation information 313 includes the contents of regulations such as speed regulation, road closure, lane regulation, the cause of the regulation (for example, construction), and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the weather performance data 320. The weather record data 320 stores information related to the past weather of each link. Specifically, the record 324 given the date and time 321 is stored in the weather record data 320, and the link ID 322 and the weather information 323 are stored in the record 324. Note that weather information may be stored not for each link but for each mesh region or each specific region.

  Returning to FIG.

  The traffic information display device 200 is an in-vehicle device mounted for each vehicle. The traffic information display device 200 includes a main control unit 210, a current position detection unit 220, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a storage unit 260, and a communication unit 270.

  The main control unit 210 is a central unit that performs various processes, and controls each functional unit. The current position periodically detected by the current position detection unit 220 is transmitted to the traffic information server 100 via the communication unit 270 together with information for identifying the vehicle. Further, when a route search request is received from the user via the operation unit 250, the departure point, destination, departure date and time (desired arrival date and time) are set, and the traffic information server 100 is requested to search for a recommended route. Perform the process. In addition, a recommended route, a recommended departure time, an expected arrival date and time, etc. are received from the traffic information server 100 and displayed on the display unit 240.

  The current position detection unit 220 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro, and the like, and can detect the current coordinate position of the vehicle. In addition, when the traffic information display device 200 includes map data, the current position detection unit 220 can obtain a coordinate position on the map by map matching.

  The display unit 240 is a device for presenting traffic information to the user, and includes a liquid crystal display or the like. For example, the display unit 240 develops the map data in graphics and displays a mark indicating the current position on the map data. In addition to the recommended route, the recommended departure time and expected arrival time are displayed.

  The operation unit 250 is an interface for receiving input from the user. The operation unit 250 includes a remote controller provided with a hard switch, a touch panel stretched on the front surface of the liquid crystal display, and the like.

  The memory | storage part 260 hold | maintains the various information which the traffic information display apparatus 200 processes. For example, the traffic information received from the traffic information server 100 is stored.

  The communication unit 270 performs processing for connecting to the traffic information server 200 via the network 80.

  In the present embodiment, the traffic information display device 200 functions as a browser for a route search service provided by the traffic information server 100. That is, the traffic information display device 200 receives information (including data for map drawing) necessary for display from the traffic information server 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the traffic information display device 200 may have a function included in a general in-vehicle navigation device. That is, it may have a function of holding map data and searching for a route by itself or a function of guiding a route. Moreover, you may have the function to acquire and display traffic information from a beacon or FM multiplex broadcasting station.

<Description of operation>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a characteristic operation flow of the traffic information display system.

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information display apparatus 200 receives an input of a departure point, a destination, a desired arrival date and time, and a search condition from the user via the operation unit 250 (S101). Then, the main control unit 210 transmits the departure place, the destination, the desired arrival date and time, and the search conditions to the traffic information server 100, and requests a route search (S102). Search conditions include distance priority, required time priority, and general road priority.

  In response, the traffic information server 100 obtains a recommended route and a recommended departure time (S103).

  Specifically, when receiving a route search request from the traffic information display device 200, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches the route search unit 120 for a route that matches the user's request. Command.

  The route search unit 120 searches for a route (recommended route) that is a route from the departure point to the destination and that can reach the destination near the desired arrival date and time and that best matches the search condition. For example, when the search condition is a distance priority, the route search unit 120 uses the link data of the map data 151 and uses the link length as the link cost, and the total cost from the departure point to the destination is determined by the Dijkstra method or the like. Find the route that minimizes and make it the recommended route. Then, the required time of the recommended route is obtained by dividing the distance of the obtained recommended route by a predetermined vehicle speed. Then, the recommended departure time is obtained by subtracting the obtained required time from the desired arrival time.

  The required time obtained here is not directly obtained from the actual driving results, but is approximated by a predetermined calculation formula, and is referred to as “estimated required time”.

  In addition, when acquiring VICS information etc. and searching in consideration of a traffic situation, a link cost is weighted according to the degree of traffic congestion, etc., and a route with the minimum total cost is obtained and set as a recommended route.

  Next, the required time calculation unit 130 obtains the required time for the recommended route using the travel record data 300 (S104). Here, since the required time to be obtained is obtained based on the past traveling performance, it is referred to as “actual required time” in order to distinguish it from the “estimated required time”.

  In the present embodiment, the actual travel time is obtained using the travel past information of a predetermined past date and time. Specifically, the actual required time is obtained by using the traveling performance in the corresponding time zone one day ago and one week ago. At this time, if there is a vehicle that has traveled exactly the same route as the recommended route on the predetermined past date and time, and there is travel performance information of the vehicle, the required time of the vehicle may be used as the actual required time. However, since the probability that such a vehicle exists is low, in this embodiment, the actual required time for the recommended route is obtained from the actual driving results of a plurality of vehicles.

  As a method for calculating the actual required time, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the recommended route is finely divided for each link, and the required time is obtained from the driving actual result for each link, and finally summed up. Can be considered. Specifically, the recommended route is divided into links, and for each link, the vehicle that has traveled the link is appropriately extracted. And the required time of a link unit is calculated | required from the driving | running | working performance information of the extracted vehicle. The required time is obtained for all the links constituting the recommended route, and finally summed (see FIG. 6B).

  However, this method does not consider the continuity of the vehicle. In this method, there may be a case where different vehicle running results are used for each link, and an extremely large number of vehicle running results are used to obtain the required time for the recommended route. In a sense, it may be possible to find an averaged duration, but it may be different from the actual one.

  The travel performance data 310 stores travel time 304 for each link when the same driver travels a predetermined route for each vehicle. This is a result of continuously traveling a link on a certain route, and reflects the actual situation of the driver's habit and road conditions. Disregarding this fact, the recommended route is divided into links, and whether the vehicles are the same between the links (continuity) is ignored. There is a possibility that.

  In this embodiment, an object is to display information useful for determining the suitability of the recommended route. For that purpose, it is better to present raw data that has not been processed as much as possible. In that case, the user can freely determine.

  Therefore, the actual time required for the recommended route is obtained by using the traveling performance of as few vehicles as possible. That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the recommended route is not divided into small parts and the required time is not obtained. As shown in FIG. 6A, the actual required time of the recommended route is calculated by dividing it as much as possible.

  For this purpose, a vehicle having a longer overlapping portion with the recommended route is extracted, and the actual required time of the recommended route may be obtained from the travel performance of the extracted vehicle. Specifically, first, the vehicle having the longest portion (overlapping portion) that has traveled along the recommended route is identified. Further, for the routes before and after the overlapping portion on the recommended route, the vehicle having the longest portion that has traveled the route is specified. Further, the process of specifying the vehicle that has traveled the longest is repeated for the remaining portions. Then, the time required for the overlapping part of the vehicle thus identified with the recommended route is obtained and finally summed up. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing for extracting a vehicle that has traveled the longest along a certain route X and obtaining an overlapping portion between the traveling route of the vehicle and the route X.

  First, the required time calculation unit 130 sets “day”. In this embodiment, the day before one day or the day before one week is set based on “today” (S201).

  Furthermore, the start point passage time t1 and the end point passage time t2 of the route X are set. When the route X is the recommended route itself, the starting point is the departure point, so the starting point passage time t1 = departure time. Since the end point is the destination, the end point passage time t2 = the expected arrival time.

  Next, in order from the starting point, one link on the route X is selected and set as a link a (S203).

  Next, a vehicle traveling on the link a is extracted between the start point passage time t1 and the end point passage time t2 on the day set in S201 (S204). Specifically, a record 305 in which the link ID 302 is the link a and the entry date and time 303 is between the time t1 and the time t2 is extracted from the travel record data 300, and the vehicle ID 301 of the record 305 is extracted. To do.

  Next, the vehicle ID of the vehicle that has traveled the longest along the route X is extracted from the extracted vehicle ID 301 (S205). As for the length of the portion that has traveled along the route X, the link ID 302 that is the same as the link that constitutes the route X is extracted from the record 305 in which the travel record information of the extracted vehicle ID 301 is stored. It can be obtained by referring to the map data 151 and totaling the link lengths of the extracted link IDs 302.

  Here, an overlapping portion (a portion that has traveled along the route X) with the route X of the vehicle that has traveled the longest along the route X is defined as a route n (S206).

  Next, the required time calculation unit 130 determines whether or not the length of the route n is longer than the route N (S207). The route N is set to 0 in the initial state.

  Only when the route n is longer than the route N (Y in S207), the required time calculation unit 130 replaces the route N with the route n (S208).

  Next, the required time calculation unit 130 determines whether or not the link a is the last link of the route X (S209). If the link a is not the last link (N in S209), the process returns to S203 and selects the next link. And the subsequent processing is continued.

  On the other hand, when it is the last link (Y in S209), the required time calculation unit 130 stores the route N in the divided route information (S210).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing division path information. For easy understanding, the divided paths are represented by a tree diagram.

  Here, the required time calculation unit 130 sets a route from the start point of the route X to the start point of the route N as the route X1. A route from the end point of the route N to the end point of the route X is defined as a route X2. Each is stored in the divided route information.

  As shown in the figure, the same processing is performed for the remaining routes X1 and X2 divided by the route N, so that the vehicles that have traveled the longest for each of the routes X1 and X2 are extracted. The routes N11 and N12 on the traveled route X1 or X2 are specified.

  By repeating such processing, a tree diagram as shown in FIG. 8 can be obtained. The overlap portion between the travel route of the vehicle that has traveled the longest along the recommended route X and the recommended route X is the route N. The parent route (route X) is divided into a route N and two child routes (route X1 and route X2). The overlapping traveling portion with the route X1 of the vehicle that has traveled the longest along the route X1 is a route N11. Similarly, the overlapping traveling portion with the route X2 of the vehicle that has traveled the longest along the route X2 is a route N21. Thus, the longest traveling vehicle is sequentially obtained for the remaining divided routes.

  On the other hand, when the start point of the child route overlaps with the start point of the parent route, or when the end point of the child route overlaps with the end point of the parent route, the division of the route ends.

  In this way, it is possible to divide the recommended route based on the traveling results of as few vehicles as possible.

  The required time calculation unit 130 obtains the actual required time for each divided route from the actual driving information of the vehicle that has continuously traveled the divided route. Then, the required time for each divided route is totaled to obtain the actual required time for the entire recommended route. The required time for each route is obtained by summing up the link travel times 304 of the links constituting the route.

  Here, the required time calculation unit 130 may obtain the actual required time for each specific section on the recommended route in addition to the actual required time for the entire recommended route. For example, the actual required time for each specific section of the expressway is obtained.

  Moreover, you may obtain | require the traffic congestion degree for every specific area. For example, the actual required time calculated for a specific section is divided by the distance of the specific section to determine the vehicle speed. And the congestion degree of a specific area is calculated | required with the congestion degree predetermined according to the vehicle speed.

  Returning to FIG.

  When the actual required time for the recommended route is obtained (S104), the main control unit 110 then recommends the date set in S201 when the actual required time is obtained (one day before and one week before). The restriction information in a time zone corresponding to the travel time zone of the route is acquired. Specifically, a record 314 in which the date and time 311 belongs to the travel time zone (between the departure time and the arrival time) and the link ID 312 is a link constituting the recommended route is extracted from the regulation performance data 310. Then, the restriction information 313 of the extracted record 314 is extracted (S105).

  Next, the main control unit 110 selects the weather in the time zone corresponding to the travel time zone of the recommended route on the day (the day before one week and the day before one week) set in S201 when the actual required time is obtained. Get information. Specifically, a record 324 in which the date and time 321 belongs to the travel time zone (between the departure time and the arrival time) and the link ID 322 is a link constituting the recommended route is extracted from the regulation performance data 310, The weather information 323 of the extracted record 324 is extracted (S106).

  Then, the main control unit 110 transmits the recommended route, the recommended departure time, the actual required time, the regulation information, and the weather information obtained in S103 to S106 to the traffic information display device 200 via the communication unit 140 (S107). ).

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information display device 200 acquires these pieces of information via the communication unit 270. Then, the recommended route, the recommended departure time, and the result information (result required time, regulation information, weather information) are displayed on the display unit 240 (S108).

  FIG. 9 is a screen display example of the traffic information display device 200. On the display screen 2410, a recommended route 2412 from the departure place to the destination is displayed on the map 2411. Further, as the prediction information 2415, a recommended departure time and an expected arrival time (also a desired arrival time set by the user) are displayed. In addition, as the performance information 2416, the actual time required for one day and one week before is displayed. Also, weather information for one day and one week before is displayed. In addition, when there is regulation information, the contents and cause of the regulation (accident etc.) are also displayed. In addition, restriction information 2413 is displayed at a corresponding position on the recommended route.

  When receiving a request to display the details of the record information from the user, the main control unit 210 displays the record required time 2417 for each specific section on the recommended route. At this time, the congestion degree for each specific section may be displayed.

  According to the first embodiment, together with the recommended route, past driving performance of other vehicles at the date and time corresponding to the recommended route can be presented. In addition, the required time calculated based on the traveling performance is displayed, and the environment (weather and traffic regulations) that has achieved the traveling performance is displayed. That is, it is possible to present information useful for determining whether or not the recommended route is appropriate to the user.

<Example 2>
The second embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment. Therefore, description of common configurations is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the recommended route to the destination is searched using the current position of the user as the departure point, and the searched recommended route is presented, and the past driving performance in the same weather as the “Today” weather is presented.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow according to the second embodiment.

  First, the main control unit 210 of the traffic information display device 100 receives an input of a destination and a search condition from the user via the operation unit 250 (S111). Then, the main control unit 210 transmits the current position, the destination, and the search condition to the traffic information server 100, and requests a route search (S112).

  In response, the traffic information server 100 obtains a recommended route and an estimated arrival time (S113).

  Specifically, when receiving a route search request from the traffic information display device 200, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches the route search unit 120 for a route that matches the user's request. Command.

  The route search unit 120 searches for a route (recommended route) that is the route from the departure point to the destination and best matches the search condition, with the current time as the departure time. Further, the required time (estimated required time) of the recommended route is obtained by dividing the determined distance of the recommended route by a predetermined vehicle speed. Then, the estimated arrival time is obtained by adding the obtained approximate required time to the current time.

  As in the first embodiment, when VICS information or the like is acquired and a search is performed in consideration of traffic conditions, a route with the minimum total cost is obtained by weighting the link cost according to the degree of congestion. Find the recommended route.

  Next, the main control unit 110 acquires a weather forecast for the recommended route from the weather forecast server 81 via the network 80 (S114). Here, the weather forecast relating to the recommended route to be acquired is a weather forecast of the area through which the recommended route passes in the time zone from the departure time to the expected arrival time.

  Next, the main control unit 110 acquires a past date and time of the same weather type as the weather forecast (S115). Specifically, the main control unit 210 extracts a record 324 in which the weather information 323 matches the weather forecast and the link ID 322 is the link ID of the link that constitutes the recommended route from the weather performance data 320, The date and time 321 of the record 324 is specified. If there are a plurality of days, the day closest to “Today” is selected.

  Next, the main control unit 110 calculates the actual required time of the recommended route using the travel performance information of the date and time acquired in S115 (S116). The actual required time is calculated in the same manner as the flow shown in FIG. However, in the “day” setting in S201, the date acquired in S115 is set.

  Next, the main control unit 110 transmits the recommended route, the expected arrival time, and the actual required time obtained in S113 to S116 to the traffic information presentation device 200 (S117).

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information presentation device 200 displays the expected arrival time together with the recommended route on the display of the display unit 240. Furthermore, the actual required time is displayed. The weather forecast for the recommended route may be acquired from the traffic information server 110 and displayed.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to present a running record on a past day of the same weather as today's weather. That is, it is possible to display information useful for the user to determine the recommended route in accordance with the fact that similar traffic conditions occur if the weather is the same.
In the second embodiment, the departure date may be set to a future date instead of the current time. Then, the result required time may be obtained by using a travel record in the same type of weather as the weather forecast at a future date and time. Further, the departure point may be a point set by the user instead of the current position.

<Example 3>
The third embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment. Therefore, description of common configurations is omitted.

  In the third embodiment, when there is traffic regulation in the past in the recommended route searched, an alternative route that avoids the link with such traffic regulation is obtained, and the actual required time on the day when the regulation is found is obtained and presented.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow according to the third embodiment.

  First, the main control unit 210 of the traffic information display device 100 receives an input of a destination and search conditions from the user via the operation unit 250 (S121). Then, the main control unit 210 transmits the current position, the destination, and the search conditions to the traffic information server 100 and requests a route search (S122).

  The traffic information server 100 obtains the recommended route to the destination with the current time as the departure time and the expected arrival time (S123).

  Specifically, when receiving a route search request from the traffic information display device 200, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches the route search unit 120 for a route that matches the user's request. Command.

  The route search unit 120 searches for a route (recommended route) that is the route from the departure point to the destination and best matches the search condition, with the current time as the departure time. Further, the required time (estimated required time) of the recommended route is obtained by dividing the determined distance of the recommended route by a predetermined vehicle speed. Then, the estimated arrival time is obtained by adding the obtained approximate required time to the current time.

  As in the first embodiment, when VICS information is acquired and a search is performed in consideration of traffic conditions, a route with the minimum total cost is obtained by weighting the link cost according to the degree of traffic congestion. So that the recommended route is obtained.

  Next, the main control unit 110 acquires the date and time when there was a restriction in the past in the recommended route (S124). Specifically, a record 314 in which the restriction information 313 is information indicating restriction such as “speed restriction” and the link ID 312 is a link ID of a link constituting the recommended route is extracted from the restriction result data 310, The date and time 311 of the record 314 is specified. If there are a plurality of days, the day closest to “Today” is selected.

  Next, the main control unit 110 calculates the actual required time of the recommended route at the date and time acquired in S124 (S125). The actual required time is calculated in the same manner as the flow shown in FIG. However, in the “day” setting in S201, the date acquired in S124 is set.

  Next, the main control unit 110 transmits the restriction route, the recommended route, the expected arrival time, and the actual required time to the traffic information presentation device 200 (S126).

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information presentation device 200 displays the expected arrival time together with the recommended route on the display of the display unit 240. Further, the regulation information is displayed together with the actual required time (S127).

  Further, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches for a route (alternative route) that reaches the destination while avoiding a restricted link (S128).

  Then, the main control unit 110 obtains the actual required time of the searched alternative route (S129). The method for obtaining the actual required time is as shown in the flow of FIG. 7, but the date acquired in S124 is set in the “Day” setting in S201.

  Next, the main control unit 110 transmits the alternative route and the actual required time to the traffic information presentation device 200 (S130).

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information presentation device 200 displays the actual required time along with the alternative route on the display of the display unit 240 (S131).

  According to the third embodiment, when there is a traffic restriction in the past in the recommended route that has been searched, an alternative route that avoids the traffic restriction is searched, and the actual required time of the alternative route at the date and time when the traffic restriction was found is calculated. Seek and display. In the past, traffic regulations may have occurred in the past. In this example, traffic information is displayed in consideration of this, that is, the user selects a recommended route. Information useful for making decisions can be displayed.

  In the third embodiment, the departure date may be set to a future date instead of the current time.

<Example 4>
The fourth embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the third embodiment. Therefore, description of common configurations is omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, when there is a link for which construction is predicted on the searched recommended route, the actual required time at the past date and time when the similar construction was performed is obtained and displayed. In addition, an alternative route that avoids a link whose traffic is restricted due to such construction is obtained, and the actual required time on the day when the restriction is found is obtained and displayed.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow according to the fourth embodiment.

  First, the main control unit 210 of the traffic information display device 100 receives an input of a departure date and time, a destination, and a search condition from the user via the operation unit 250 (S141). Then, the main control unit 210 transmits the current position, the destination, the departure time, and the search conditions to the traffic information server 100, and requests a route search (S142).

  The traffic information server 100 obtains a recommended route from the current position to the destination at the set departure time and an expected arrival time (S143).

  Specifically, when receiving a route search request from the traffic information display device 200, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches the route search unit 120 for a route that matches the user's request. Command.

  The route search unit 120 searches for a route (recommended route) that is a route from the departure point to the destination and best matches the search condition. Further, the required time (estimated required time) of the recommended route is obtained by dividing the determined distance of the recommended route by a predetermined vehicle speed. Then, the estimated arrival time is obtained by adding the obtained approximate required time to the departure time.

  As in the first embodiment, when VICS information is acquired and a search is performed in consideration of traffic conditions, a route with the minimum total cost is obtained by weighting the link cost according to the degree of traffic congestion. So that the recommended route is obtained.

  Next, the main control unit 110 obtains a construction notice of a link constituting the recommended route in the time zone between the departure time and the expected arrival time from the accident notice server 82 via the network 80 (S144). .

  Next, the main control unit 110 obtains the date and time when similar construction has been performed in the past on the recommended route (S145). Specifically, it indicates a construction similar to the construction for which the cause of the regulation contained in the regulation information 313 is foretold from the regulation performance data 310, and the link ID 312 is the link ID of the link constituting the recommended route. Is extracted, and the date 311 of the record 314 is specified. If there are a plurality of days, the day closest to “Today” is selected.

  Next, the main control unit 110 calculates the actual required time of the recommended route at the date and time acquired in S145 (S146). The actual required time is calculated in the same manner as the flow shown in FIG. However, in the “day” setting in S201, the date acquired in S145 is set.

  Next, the main control unit 110 transmits the recommended route, the estimated arrival time, the actual required time, the construction notice, and the regulations that may occur due to the construction to the traffic information presenting apparatus 200 (S147). The restriction that may occur due to the construction is the restriction content of the restriction information 313 of the record 314 extracted in S145.

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information presentation device 200 displays the expected arrival time together with the recommended route on the display of the display unit 240. Furthermore, the construction notice, the contents of the regulation that may occur due to the construction, and the actual required time are displayed (S148).

  In addition, the main control unit 110 of the traffic information server 100 searches for a route (alternative route) that reaches the destination while avoiding a link that is restricted due to construction (S149).

  Then, the main control unit 110 obtains the actual required time of the searched alternative route (S150). The method for obtaining the actual required time is as shown in the flow of FIG. 7, but the date acquired in S145 is set in the “day” setting in S201.

  Next, the main control unit 110 transmits the alternative route and the actual required time to the traffic information presentation device 200 (S151).

  The main control unit 210 of the traffic information presenting apparatus 200 displays the actual required time along with the alternative route on the display of the display unit 240 (S152).

  According to the fourth embodiment, when there is a link for which construction is predicted in the searched recommended route, the actual required time at the past date and time when the restriction is caused by the similar construction is obtained and displayed. Further, an alternative route that avoids the traffic restriction is searched, and the actual required time of the alternative route at the date and time when the traffic restriction was found is obtained and displayed. The fact that similar construction has been done in the past may cause similar traffic regulation, but in this embodiment, traffic information is displayed in consideration of this. That is, it is possible to display information useful for the user to determine the recommended route.

  Although several embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiment can be variously modified.

  For example, the traffic information presentation device 200 may perform processing of the traffic information server 100. For example, the main control unit 210 of the traffic information presentation device 200 searches for a recommended route and calculates the actual required time. In this case, it is assumed that the traffic information presentation device 200 holds the travel record data 300, the regulation record data 310, and the weather record data 320 in its own storage device. These data are updated periodically.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a traffic information display system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the running record data. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the regulation performance data. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the weather performance data. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how the recommended route is divided. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the actual required time calculation process (S104) in FIG. FIG. 8 is a tree diagram of the divided paths. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the operation. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the operation.

Explanation of symbols

100 ... traffic information server,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Main control part, 120 ... Route search part, 130 ... Required time calculation part, 140 ... Communication part, 150 ... Memory | storage part, 151 ... Map data, 300 ... Travel performance data, 310 ... Regulatory performance data, 320 ... Weather performance Data 200 ... Traffic information display device, 210 ... Main control unit, 220 ... Current position detection unit, 240 ... Display unit, 250 ... Operation unit, 260 ... Storage unit, 270 ... Communication unit,
80 ... Network, 81 ... Weather forecast server, 82 ... Construction notice server

Claims (3)

A traffic information processing device,
In addition to displaying the recommended route from the starting point to the destination,
Sets a predetermined time period before the day, at least the time required for a vehicle actually traveling part, the day was set, and the time zone corresponding to the running time period of the recommended route of the recommended route on the day of set A traffic information processing apparatus comprising display means for displaying the weather in the road. A traffic information processing device,
In addition to displaying the recommended route from the starting point to the destination,
Sets a predetermined time period before the day, at least the time required for a vehicle actually traveling part, the day was set, and the time zone corresponding to the running time period of the recommended route of the recommended route on the day of set A traffic information processing apparatus comprising display means for displaying restrictions on the traffic. The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A vehicle that has actually traveled at least a part of the recommended route in the time zone corresponding to the time of departure from the departure point of the recommended route and the arrival time at the destination, and is the longest along the recommended route. A traffic information processing apparatus comprising means for calculating the required time of the recommended route using the required time of the vehicle that has traveled.

Images