JP5612925B2 - Traffic information processing apparatus, traffic information processing system, program, and traffic information processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic information processing apparatus, a traffic information processing system, a program, and a traffic information processing method.

  Based on vehicle detection information obtained from vehicle detectors installed on the road, probe information obtained from vehicles equipped with a predetermined in-vehicle device, etc., traffic accidents and traffic congestion that are estimated to occur in road traffic A traffic information processing system that detects a traffic event and provides a driver with information on the traffic event has been put into practical use.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a road event data is collected from a vehicle detector, an ITV camera, etc., the collected data for the past week is stored, and the collected data is applied to a predetermined rule to cause an unexpected event. An unexpected event automatic detection device that detects the above is disclosed.

JP-A-5-290292

  However, for example, in the case of estimating the travel time of the link where the vehicle sensor is not installed based on the probe information, when the certainty of the obtained average speed is low due to the small number of samples of the probe information, The certainty of traffic event estimation is also reduced. For this reason, there is a possibility that erroneous information indicating that “traffic congestion has occurred” may be provided even though no actual traffic congestion has occurred.

  In order to avoid the provision of such incorrect information, it is possible to operate not to provide information when the certainty of estimation is low. In this case, the necessary number of probe information is collected. Since information cannot be provided until the certainty of estimation increases, the timing of providing information from a traffic control center or the like is delayed. For example, the information “traffic jam occurrence” can be provided only after the necessary number of probe information is collected and the occurrence of traffic jam is surely detected.

  However, for the driver, the traffic control center has a low estimation certainty, such as the initial stage when traffic jams occur or the stage when traffic accidents that have caused traffic jams but have not yet occurred. Even in the situation where no official information has been provided yet, if any information can be obtained at an early stage, a detour route can be selected before being involved in a traffic jam, which is very beneficial.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even in situations where formal information has not yet been provided from the traffic control center, it is possible for the user to obtain information on traffic events that have occurred. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a traffic information processing apparatus, a traffic information processing system, a program, and a traffic information processing method.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention desires to provide information from a first in-vehicle apparatus mounted on a vehicle on which an information provision applicant who desires to provide information related to traffic is mounted. The information can be provided from the first receiving means for receiving the provision request data indicating the information and the second in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provider who can provide information related to traffic is mounted. A second receiving means for receiving data that can be provided, a linking means for linking the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, and an interaction between the information providing applicant and the information providing person Relaying means for relaying the audio data relating to between the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the first receiving means provides a request indicating that information is desired to be provided from the first in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provision applicant desires to board. Receive the desired data. Further, the second receiving means receives provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which the information provable person is boarded. The linking unit connects the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, and the relay unit transmits the voice data related to the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider to the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device. Relay with other in-vehicle devices. Therefore, a person who wants to provide information can obtain necessary information through a dialogue with the person who can provide information. As a result, for example, even if a traffic event has occurred but the information has not been provided from the traffic information processing device due to the low certainty of estimation, information requesters It becomes possible to obtain information on the traffic event from the information provider.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is a vehicle that is expected to go to a point where it is estimated that some traffic event has occurred, particularly in the traffic information processing apparatus according to the first aspect. And a transmitting unit that transmits to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle whether or not to provide information asking whether or not to provide information. The first receiving means receives the provision request data as an answer to the provision necessity inquiry data.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the specifying means specifies a vehicle expected to go to a point where some traffic event is estimated to occur, and the transmitting means includes the vehicle The provision necessity inquiry data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device mounted on the. Accordingly, the passenger of the vehicle can know that some traffic event has occurred ahead by receiving the provision necessity inquiry data from the traffic information processing apparatus. And the information regarding the traffic event which generate | occur | produced can be acquired from an information provider by returning provision request data with respect to provision necessity inquiry data.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the traffic information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, in particular, wherein the specifying means includes a vehicle including the point in the route from the current location to the destination, It is specified as the vehicle that is expected to go to a point.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the specifying means detects a vehicle including a point where a certain traffic event is estimated to occur in the route from the current location to the destination. Identified as a vehicle that is expected to head for. Thereby, it is possible to accurately narrow down the transmission targets of the necessity / unnecessity inquiry data.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is a point where it is estimated that some traffic event occurs, particularly in the traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects. Specific means for specifying a vehicle located in the vicinity of the vehicle, and transmission means for transmitting provision availability inquiry data for inquiring whether information can be provided to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, The second receiving means receives the provisionable data as a response to the provision availability inquiry data.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the specifying means specifies a vehicle located in the vicinity of a point where some kind of traffic event is estimated to occur, and the transmitting means The provision availability inquiry data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle. Thereby, it is possible to accurately narrow down the transmission target of the provision availability inquiry data.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, in particular, the second receiving means is independent from the information provider. The provisionable data transmitted to the network is received.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the second receiving means receives the provisionable data independently transmitted from the information provider. Accordingly, even at an extremely early stage where the traffic information processing apparatus does not even estimate the occurrence of a traffic event, the second receiving means receives the provable data voluntarily transmitted from the information provable person. By receiving the information, the traffic information processing apparatus can estimate that some traffic event has occurred. Then, when an information provision applicant appears, the information provision applicant can connect the information provider and the information provision applicant and have them interact with each other. Information about the traffic event can be obtained from an information provider.

  In the traffic information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the traffic information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision request data has transmitted the provisionable data. In the case where the number of the available data is larger than the number of vehicles, search means for searching for other vehicles capable of providing information located in the vicinity of the vehicle that has transmitted the provisionable data is further provided.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the search means transmits the provisionable data when the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision request data is greater than the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provisionable data. The vehicle is searched for other vehicles that can be provided in the vicinity of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the number of information providers is insufficient with respect to the number of information providers in a communication mode in which a one-to-one conversation is performed between an information provider and an information provider. it can.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention specifies a vehicle located in the vicinity of a point related to information requested by the information provider, particularly in the traffic information processing apparatus according to the first aspect. The second receiving means further comprises: specifying means; and sending means for sending provision availability inquiry data for inquiring whether information can be provided to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle. The provisionable data is received as an answer to the provision availability inquiry data.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, the specifying unit specifies a vehicle located in the vicinity of a point related to information requested by the information providing applicant, and the transmission unit is mounted on the vehicle. The provision availability inquiry data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device. Thereby, it is possible to accurately narrow down the transmission target of the provision availability inquiry data. In addition, if a person who wants to provide information wants to know information such as the weather at the destination, the road surface conditions, the degree of congestion in the parking lot, etc. Alternatively, it is possible to obtain information to be obtained from an information provider who is located in the vicinity thereof.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, particularly in a dialog between the information provision applicant and the information provider. It further comprises a changing means for changing the frequency of the sound.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the changing means changes the frequency of the voice in the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider. Thereby, the privacy of both the information provision applicant and the information provider can be protected.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the present invention is based on the usefulness of information provided by the information provider, particularly in the traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects. It further comprises management means for managing the evaluation index for each in-vehicle device.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the management means manages the evaluation index based on the usefulness of the information provided from the information providing person for each in-vehicle device. Therefore, when useful information can be obtained, it is possible for the information requesting person to give a high evaluation point to the information provider, and the system usage fee is set according to the accumulation status of the evaluation points. Services such as discounts can be implemented. As a result, it is possible to give the user an incentive for providing information. In addition, a user with a low evaluation point or a user who does not always reply even if the provision availability inquiry data is transmitted can be managed as a non-cooperating user. Therefore, it is possible to take measures such as excluding such non-cooperating users from the transmission target of provision availability inquiry data. In addition, when there are multiple information providers, the information requester can display the status of accumulating evaluation points of each information provider together with the identification information of the information provider. It can be used as a judgment material when selecting.

  The traffic information processing apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further comprises a recording means for recording the audio data. To do.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus of the tenth aspect, the recording means records voice data relating to a dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider. Accordingly, by providing the recorded voice data to the user of the other vehicle from the traffic information processing apparatus, the passenger of the other vehicle can make a live voice (privacy protection) in the dialogue between the information provision candidate and the information provider. Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp the situation and cause of the traffic event that has occurred.

  A traffic information processing system according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a traffic information processing device and an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, and the traffic information processing device desires to provide information related to traffic. Information capable of providing information relating to traffic, and first receiving means for receiving provision request data indicating that information is desired to be provided from a first in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which the provision applicant rides Second receiving means for receiving provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which the provider can board, the first in-vehicle device, and the first A relay that relays voice data relating to a conversation between the information requesting person and the information provider, between the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device. Means The one in which the features.

  According to the traffic information processing system according to the eleventh aspect, the first receiving means provides a request indicating that information is desired to be provided from the first in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provider desires to board. Receive the desired data. Further, the second receiving means receives provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which the information provable person is boarded. The linking unit connects the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, and the relay unit transmits the voice data related to the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider to the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device. Relay with other in-vehicle devices. Therefore, a person who wants to provide information can obtain necessary information through a dialogue with the person who can provide information. As a result, for example, even if a traffic event has occurred but the information has not been provided from the traffic information processing device due to the low certainty of estimation, information requesters It becomes possible to obtain information on the traffic event from the information provider.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program from a first in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle on which an information provision applicant who desires to provide information related to traffic is loaded on a computer installed in a traffic information processing device. From the first receiving means for receiving the provision request data indicating that the provision of information is desired, and the second in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provider who can provide information related to traffic is mounted. A second receiving means for receiving provable data indicating that information can be provided, a linking means for linking the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, and the information providing applicant It is a program for causing voice data related to a dialogue with the information provider to function as relay means for relaying between the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device.

  According to the program according to the twelfth aspect, the first receiving means obtains provision request data indicating that information provision is desired from the first in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provision applicant is aboard. Receive. Further, the second receiving means receives provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which the information provable person is boarded. The linking unit connects the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, and the relay unit transmits the voice data related to the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider to the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device. Relay with other in-vehicle devices. Therefore, a person who wants to provide information can obtain necessary information through a dialogue with the person who can provide information. As a result, for example, even if a traffic event has occurred but the information has not been provided from the traffic information processing device due to the low certainty of estimation, information requesters It becomes possible to obtain information on the traffic event from the information provider.

  A traffic information processing method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention provides (A) provision of information from a first in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provider who desires to provide information related to traffic is mounted. A step of receiving provision request data indicating that it is desired; and (B) provision of information from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provider capable of providing information related to traffic is mounted. (C) linking the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device; (D) the information provider and the information provider Relaying voice data related to the dialogue between the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device.

  According to the traffic information processing method according to the thirteenth aspect, in step (A), a provision request indicating that information provision is desired from the first in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provision applicant is aboard. Receive data. In step (B), provisionable data indicating that information can be provided is received from the second in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information provider can board. Then, in step (C), the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device are connected, and in step (D), the voice data relating to the interaction between the information providing applicant and the information providing person is converted into the first in-vehicle device. Relay between the device and the second in-vehicle device. Therefore, a person who wants to provide information can obtain necessary information through a dialogue with the person who can provide information. As a result, for example, even if a traffic event has occurred but the information has not been provided from the traffic information processing device due to the low certainty of estimation, information requesters It becomes possible to obtain information on the traffic event from the information provider.

  According to the present invention, even in a situation where formal information is not yet provided from the traffic control center, it becomes possible for the user to obtain information on the traffic event that has occurred.

It is a figure which simplifies and shows the whole structure of a traffic information processing system. It is a figure which simplifies and shows the structure of a traffic information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the function implement | achieved by a process part by running a program. It is a figure which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the map of the destination vicinity of a vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the element which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in different drawing shall show the same or corresponding element.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a simplified overall configuration of a traffic information processing system 1. The traffic information processing system 1 includes a traffic information processing device 2 installed at a traffic control center or the like, and on-vehicle devices 4A and 4B mounted on vehicles 3A and 3B, respectively. The traffic information processing device 2 and the in-vehicle devices 4A and 4B can communicate with each other by wireless communication. The in-vehicle devices 4A and 4B may be dedicated devices installed in the vehicles 3A and 3B, or may be portable terminal devices (for example, smartphones) installed with a dedicated application for realizing functions as the in-vehicle devices. Also good.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a simplified configuration of the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The traffic information processing apparatus 2 includes a processing unit 11 such as a CPU and a storage unit 12 such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 12 stores a program 13 for operating the processing unit 11.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating functions implemented in the processing unit 11 by executing the program 13. By executing the program 13, the processing unit 11 associates the receiving unit 21, the transmitting unit 22, the first receiving processing unit 23 (first receiving unit), the second receiving processing unit 24 (second receiving unit), It functions as a processing unit 25, a search processing unit 26, a relay processing unit 27, a change processing unit 28, a management unit 29, a recording unit 30, a specific processing unit 31, an estimation processing unit 32, and a database 33. In other words, the program 13 includes a processing unit 11 as a computer mounted on the traffic information processing apparatus 2, a receiving unit 21, a transmitting unit 22, a first receiving processing unit 23, a second receiving processing unit 24, and a binding processing unit. 25, a search processing unit 26, a relay processing unit 27, a change processing unit 28, a management unit 29, a recording unit 30, a specific processing unit 31, an estimation processing unit 32, and a database 33.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 4A. The in-vehicle device 4A includes an acquisition unit 51A, a timing control unit 52A, a reception unit 53A, a transmission unit 54A, a control unit 55A, a speaker 56A, a microphone 57A, and an input unit 58A.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the in-vehicle device 4B. The in-vehicle device 4B includes an acquisition unit 51B, a timing control unit 52B, a reception unit 53B, a transmission unit 54B, a control unit 55B, a speaker 56B, a microphone 57B, and an input unit 58B.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the traffic information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

<First Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the traffic information processing apparatus 2 that has estimated the occurrence of some traffic event (in the following example, traffic congestion) determines the information provision applicant and the information provider who are related to the estimated traffic event. The operation when recruiting will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the estimation processing unit 32 acquires traffic information such as probe information sequentially transmitted from a plurality of vehicles and vehicle detection information sequentially transmitted from a vehicle detector installed on the road. To do. Then, by analyzing the traffic situation based on the acquired traffic information, it is constantly monitored whether or not there is a traffic jam at a certain point or area. When the occurrence of traffic jam is estimated in a certain road section, the approximate point (bottleneck intersection) that is the start point of the traffic jam is determined, and the estimation result data D1 including the location information of the traffic jam start point is specified. Input to the unit 31.

  Here, in order to detect the occurrence of the traffic jam at an early stage, the estimation processing unit 32 estimates the occurrence of the traffic jam at the stage where the sign of the traffic jam starts. For example, when the actual average travel speed is reduced by 10% with respect to the average travel speed prescribed in advance for each road, or the actual vehicle stop time is 10% with respect to the vehicle stop time prescribed in advance for each road Estimate the occurrence of traffic jams, etc.

  Based on the estimation result data D1, the identification processing unit 31 identifies an in-vehicle device to which the provision necessity inquiry data D2 and the provision availability inquiry data D3 should be transmitted. Here, whether the provision necessity inquiry data D2 desires to receive provision of information from the information provider by interacting with a user (information provider) capable of providing information related to traffic. Is the data for inquiring the passenger (driver or passenger) of the vehicle. Further, the provision availability inquiry data D3 indicates whether or not it is possible to provide information to the information provision applicant by interacting with a user who wishes to receive provision of information related to traffic (information provision applicant). This is data for inquiring the vehicle passenger.

  The specific processing unit 31 manages the current location of each vehicle, the destination, and the route from the current location to the destination using the database 33 based on probe information, route setting information, and the like sent from each vehicle. Then, one or a plurality of vehicles (referred to as vehicle 3B in the following example) that are expected to go to the estimated traffic jam occurrence point are specified as transmission targets of the provision necessity inquiry data D2. Specifically, a vehicle including the estimated congestion occurrence point in the route from the current location to the destination is identified as a vehicle that is expected to go to the congestion occurrence point. Further, the identification processing unit 31 identifies one or a plurality of vehicles (referred to as a vehicle 3A in the following example) traveling in the vicinity of the traffic jam start point as transmission targets of the provision availability inquiry data D3.

  The provision necessity inquiry data D2 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 4B of the vehicle 3B. Further, the provision availability inquiry data D3 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 toward the in-vehicle device 4A of the vehicle 3A.

  Referring to FIG. 5, provision necessity / unnecessity inquiry data D2 is received by receiving unit 53B and input from receiving unit 53B to control unit 55B. The control unit 55B sends a predetermined voice message for inquiring of the passenger of the vehicle 3B whether or not it is desired to receive the information from the speaker 56B (car navigation system) provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle 3B. Audio output from a speaker). Instead of voice output, the necessity of providing information may be inquired by displaying text messages or images on a car navigation screen, a head-up display, or the like.

  Here, the acquisition unit 51B operates based on detection signals from a wheel speed sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a gyro sensor, an inter-vehicle distance sensor, and the like mounted on the vehicle 3B. Status information S31 is acquired. The driving status information S31 is input from the acquisition unit 51B to the timing control unit 52B. Based on the driving situation information S31, the timing control unit 52B is performing a right turn or a left turn, the vehicle 3B is traveling at a certain speed or more, the vehicle 3B is traveling within an intersection, and In a dangerous situation where the driver's attention of the vehicle 3B is distracted, such as when the distance between the vehicle 3B and the preceding and following vehicles is within a certain value, the voice output of the inquiry from the speaker 56B is not performed. After the situation is resolved, an inquiry voice is output. This makes it possible to ensure the safety of driving the vehicle 3B. If the dangerous situation is not resolved after a certain time (for example, several minutes), information indicating that “response is impossible” is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4B to the traffic information processing device 2. However, the inquiry to the passenger of the vehicle 3B may not be performed.

  When the passenger of the vehicle 3B desires to receive information, he / she inputs provision request data D4 indicating that fact from the input unit 58B. The provision desired data D4 can be input by, for example, pressing a button such as a steering switch provided in the vehicle 3B or operating a panel such as a touch panel of a car navigation system. The provision request data D4 is input from the control unit 55B to the transmission unit 54B and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provision request data D4 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4B. In addition, when the passenger of the vehicle 3B inputs data indicating that he / she does not want to provide information from the input unit 58B, or when no answer is input within a certain period of time, he / she does not want to provide information. Data to the effect is transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2.

  Referring to FIG. 4, provision availability inquiry data D3 is received by receiving unit 53A and input from receiving unit 53A to control unit 55A. The control unit 55A sends a predetermined voice message for inquiring to the passenger of the vehicle 3A whether or not information can be provided, by a speaker 56A (a car navigation speaker and a speaker provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle 3A). Can also be used as an audio output. Instead of voice output, the necessity of providing information may be inquired by displaying text messages or images on a car navigation screen, a head-up display, or the like.

  Here, the acquisition unit 51A acquires the driving status information S31 related to the driving status of the vehicle 3A based on detection signals from a wheel speed sensor, a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, and an inter-vehicle distance sensor mounted on the vehicle 3A. doing. The driving status information S31 is input from the acquisition unit 51A to the timing control unit 52A. Based on the driving situation information S31, the timing control unit 52A is performing a right turn or a left turn, the vehicle 3A is traveling at a certain speed or more, the vehicle 3A is traveling within an intersection, and In a dangerous situation where the driver's attention of the vehicle 3A is distracted, such as when the distance between the vehicle 3A and the preceding and following vehicles is within a certain value, the voice output of the inquiry from the speaker 56A is not performed. After the situation is resolved, an inquiry voice is output. This makes it possible to ensure the safety of driving the vehicle 3A. If the dangerous situation is not resolved even after a certain time (for example, several minutes), information indicating that “response is impossible” is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4A to the traffic information processing device 2. However, the inquiry to the passenger of the vehicle 3A may not be performed.

  When it is possible for the passenger of the vehicle 3A to provide information, the occupant data D5 indicating that fact is input from the input unit 58A. The provisionable data D5 can be input by, for example, pressing a button such as a steering switch provided in the vehicle 3A or operating a panel such as a touch panel of a car navigation system. The provisionable data D5 is input from the control unit 55A to the transmission unit 54A and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provisionable data D5 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4A. If data indicating that the passenger of the vehicle 3A cannot provide information is input from the input unit 58A, or if no answer is input within a certain time, data indicating that information cannot be provided The information is transmitted from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the receiving unit 21 receives provision desired data D4 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4B and provisionable data D5 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4A. The first reception processing unit 23 extracts the provision desired data D4 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provision desired data D4 to the linking processing unit 25. Further, the second reception processing unit 24 extracts the provable data D5 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provable data D5 to the binding processing unit 25.

  The binding processing unit 25 has the same function as the central exchange in the packet switching (or circuit switching) communication method, and includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4B included in the provision desired data D4 and the provisionable data D5. Is connected to the in-vehicle device 4B of the person who wants to provide information and the in-vehicle device 4A of the person who can provide the information. That is, a passenger (information requesting person) of the vehicle 3B on which the in-vehicle device 4B is mounted and a passenger (information provider) of the vehicle 3A in which the on-vehicle device 4A is mounted via the on-vehicle devices 4A and 4B. Mediate between them so that they can talk (call).

  The association processing unit 25 inputs the data D6 indicating the result of the association of the in-vehicle devices 4A and 4B to the relay processing unit 27, and then starts the interaction start data D7 for prompting the information providing applicant and the information providing person to start the interaction. To the transmitter 22. The conversation start data D7 is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 toward the in-vehicle devices 4A and 4B.

  Referring to FIG. 5, dialogue start data D7 is received by receiving unit 53B and input from receiving unit 53B to control unit 55B. The control unit 55B outputs a predetermined voice message for prompting the start of the dialogue from the speaker 56B. Similarly, referring to FIG. 4, conversation start data D7 is received by receiving unit 53A and input from receiving unit 53A to control unit 55A. Control unit 55A outputs a predetermined voice message for prompting the start of the dialogue from speaker 56A. Thereby, the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider is started.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the voice of the information requester is collected by a microphone 57B (which can also be used as a car navigation microphone) provided at any location (for example, the steering or its vicinity) in the vehicle 3B. The voice data D8 is input to the control unit 55B. The control unit 55B performs data processing such as AD conversion and data packetization on the audio data D8 input from the microphone 57B, and then transmits the audio data D8 from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. . Similarly, referring to FIG. 4, the voice of the person who can provide information is collected by microphone 57A provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle 3A and input to controller 55A as voice data D9. The control unit 55A transmits the audio data D9 from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2 after performing data processing such as AD conversion and data packetization on the audio data D9 input from the microphone 57A. .

  Referring to FIG. 3, receiving unit 21 receives audio data D8 wirelessly transmitted from in-vehicle device 4B and audio data D9 wirelessly transmitted from in-vehicle device 4A, and relays these audio data D8 and D9. Input to the processing unit 27. The relay processing unit 27 adds the destination address of the in-vehicle device 4A to the data packet of the voice data D8 received from the in-vehicle device 4B and inputs the data to the change processing unit 28. Further, the relay processing unit 27 adds the destination address of the in-vehicle device 4B to the data packet of the audio data D9 received from the in-vehicle device 4A, and inputs it to the change processing unit 28.

  Further, the relay processing unit 27 records the audio data D8 and D9 in the recording unit 30. The voice data D8 and D9 related to the conversation between the information provision applicant and the information provider who is recorded in the recording unit 30 can be disclosed to other users. When the number of persons who can provide information is smaller than the number of persons who want to provide information, there are information requesters who are not matched with those who can provide information. In such a case, the information providing applicant may be able to obtain the information he / she desires by listening to the conversation between others recorded in the recording unit 30. In addition, considering the convenience when other users search for the required conversation file from a list of multiple conversation files, the conversation between the information provider and the information provider can be analyzed with a simple voice recognition process. Then, keywords such as “accident”, “traffic jam”, “road surface condition”, and “weather” may be extracted and tag information may be attached to each conversation file. Furthermore, a list of frequently used keywords (for example, the top 10 keywords) among various keywords included in the tag information is created for each region, and the list is published on a predetermined public site on the Internet. Also good. Thereby, the user can estimate a specific traffic event or the like that is likely to occur in each region by accessing a public site through the Internet from a personal computer or a mobile terminal and browsing the list. . For example, if the keyword “accident” and “traffic jam” are included in the list for a certain area, the user can estimate that there is a high possibility that the traffic jam has occurred in that area. . For registered users, not only a list of keywords but also related conversation files may be disclosed on the public site.

  The change processing unit 28 has a function as a voice changer, and performs processing such as shifting the audio frequency on the audio data D8 input from the relay processing unit 27, so that the information providing person's own Output as voice data D10 of a voice color different from the voice color. Similarly, the change processing unit 28 performs processing such as shifting the audio frequency on the audio data D9 input from the relay processing unit 27, so that the audio data having a voice color different from the voice color of the information provider itself can be obtained. Output as D11. The audio data D10 is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 4A, and the audio data D11 is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 4B.

  Referring to FIG. 5, audio data D11 is received by receiving unit 53B and input from receiving unit 53B to control unit 55B. The control unit 55B outputs audio data D11 from the speaker 56B. Similarly, referring to FIG. 4, audio data D10 is received by receiving unit 53A and input from receiving unit 53A to control unit 55A. The control unit 55A outputs audio data D10 from the speaker 56A.

  In this way, by transmitting and receiving the audio data D8 to D11 between the in-vehicle devices 4A and 4B via the traffic information processing device 2, the information provider and the information provider can have a peer-to-peer dialogue. A person who wants to provide information can obtain information he / she wants, such as a traffic jam condition or a cause of the traffic jam, from an information provider.

  In addition, it is not preferable for communication traffic to leave the state where both parties can interact indefinitely, so the interaction time is limited to a certain time (for example, several minutes) and the conversation ends when the time limit approaches. It is desirable to transmit a message prompting to the vehicle-mounted devices 4A and 4B from the traffic information processing device 2 and forcibly end the dialogue when the time limit is reached.

  The information provider may be able to evaluate the information provider according to the usefulness of the information obtained from the information provider by the information provider. Referring to FIG. 5, after the dialogue is finished, the information requesting person evaluates the usefulness of the information by a plurality of stages such as “very useful”, “useful”, “useless”, etc. Data D12 is input from the input unit 58A. The evaluation data D12 is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. Referring to FIG. 3, receiving unit 21 receives evaluation data D12 wirelessly transmitted from in-vehicle device 4B, and inputs it to relay processing unit 27. The relay processing unit 27 inputs the evaluation data D12 together with the identification information of the in-vehicle device 4A to the management unit 29.

  The management unit 29 manages the rank (evaluation index) of the information provider according to the usefulness of the information provided by the information provider for each in-vehicle device. For example, when the evaluation is “very useful”, the evaluation point is added by “2”, and when the evaluation is “useful”, the evaluation point is added by “1”. When the evaluation “not useful” is made, the evaluation point is subtracted by “1”. The information providers are ranked according to a plurality of stages such as “A”, “B”, and “C” according to the assigned evaluation point values. Based on the evaluation content indicated by the evaluation data D12, the management unit 29 increases or decreases the evaluation points assigned corresponding to the in-vehicle device 4A.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus 2 (and the traffic information processing system 1, the program 13, and the traffic information processing method) according to the present embodiment, the first reception processing unit 23 is attached to the vehicle 3B on which the information provision applicant is aboard. The provision request data D4 indicating that the provision of information is desired is received from the mounted on-vehicle apparatus 4B. In addition, the second reception processing unit 24 receives provisionable data D5 indicating that information can be provided from the in-vehicle device 4A mounted on the vehicle 3A on which the information provider can board. The association processing unit 25 connects the in-vehicle device 4A and the in-vehicle device 4B, and the relay processing unit 27 transmits the audio data D8 to D11 related to the interaction between the information providing applicant and the information providing person to the in-vehicle device 4A and the in-vehicle device. Relay to / from device 4B. Therefore, a person who wants to provide information can obtain necessary information through a dialogue with the person who can provide information. As a result, for example, even if a traffic event has occurred, but the information is not yet provided from the traffic information processing device 2 because the estimation certainty is low, It is possible to obtain information on the traffic events that have occurred from the information provider.

  In addition, when an event occurs that cannot be directly recognized by vehicle detection information or probe information, such as a traffic accident or a march of a demonstrator, the staff has visited the site to check the event details. Detailed information about the event cannot be provided to the user until the information about the event is collected and the information is input to the system. It was. Therefore, a very large time lag has occurred between the actual occurrence of an event and the time when detailed information regarding the event is provided to the user. On the other hand, according to the traffic information processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the information can be provided from the information provider who has witnessed the event to the information provider, so that the event occurs. The time lag until information is provided to the person who wants to provide information is very small compared to when the staff goes to the site. As a result, the probability that the user will be involved in traffic regulation, traffic congestion, etc. due to the delay in providing information is greatly reduced, which is very useful for the user.

  Further, the identification processing unit 31 identifies the vehicle 3B that is expected to go to a point where it is estimated that some traffic event has occurred, and the transmission unit 22 performs the in-vehicle device 4B mounted on the vehicle 3B. In response to this, the provision necessity inquiry data D2 is transmitted. Therefore, the passenger of the vehicle 3 </ b> B can know that some traffic event is occurring ahead by receiving the provision necessity inquiry data D <b> 2 from the traffic information processing device 2. And the information regarding the traffic event which generate | occur | produced can be acquired from an information provider by returning the provision request data D4 with respect to provision necessity inquiry data D2.

  In addition, the identification processing unit 31 identifies the vehicle 3B including a point where it is estimated that some traffic event is occurring in the route from the current position to the destination as a vehicle expected to go to the point. To do. Thereby, it is possible to accurately narrow down the transmission targets of the necessity / unnecessity inquiry data D2.

  Further, the identification processing unit 31 identifies the vehicle 3A located in the vicinity of a point where it is estimated that some traffic event has occurred, and the transmission unit 22 is mounted on the vehicle 3A. Provision availability inquiry data D3 is transmitted to 4A. Thereby, the transmission object of the provision availability inquiry data D3 can be narrowed down exactly.

  Further, the change processing unit 28 changes the frequency of the voice in the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider. Thereby, the privacy of both the information provision applicant and the information provider can be protected.

  In addition, the management unit 29 manages an evaluation index based on the usefulness of information provided by the information provider for each on-vehicle device. Therefore, when useful information can be obtained, it is possible for the information requesting person to give a high evaluation point to the information provider, and the system usage fee is set according to the accumulation status of the evaluation points. Services such as discounts can be implemented. As a result, it is possible to give the user an incentive for providing information. In addition, it is possible to manage a user with a low evaluation point or a user who does not always reply even if the provision availability inquiry data D3 is transmitted as a non-cooperating user. Accordingly, it is possible to take measures such as excluding such non-cooperating users from the transmission target of the provision availability inquiry data D3. Furthermore, when there are a plurality of information providers, the information provision request is displayed by displaying the accumulation status of evaluation points of each information provider together with the identification information of the information provider (see FIG. 6 described later). The person can use it as a judgment material when selecting a person who can provide information.

  In addition, the recording unit 30 records audio data D8 and D9 related to the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider. Accordingly, by providing the recorded audio data D8 and D9 to the user of the other vehicle from the traffic information processing apparatus 2, the passenger of the other vehicle can live in the dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider. Since voice (including voice processed by a voice changer for privacy protection) can be heard, it is possible to accurately grasp the situation and cause of the traffic event that has occurred.

<Second Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, an operation will be described in which a passenger of a vehicle 3A who has confirmed an event that may cause some kind of traffic event voluntarily provides information.

  Referring to FIG. 4, if a passenger of vehicle 3A can observe an event that may cause some traffic event and can provide information, the passenger of vehicle 3A can provide the information. Is provided from the input unit 58A. For example, if you witness an event that could cause traffic congestion, such as increased traffic volume, a traffic accident, a demonstration party marching, or a local heavy rain, The person inputs the available data D5 from the input unit 58A. The provisionable data D5 is input from the control unit 55A to the transmission unit 54A and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provisionable data D5 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4A.

  Referring to FIG. 3, receiving unit 21 receives provisionable data D5 wirelessly transmitted from in-vehicle device 4A. In addition, the second reception processing unit 24 extracts the provable data D5 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provable data D5 to the specific processing unit 31.

  The identification processing unit 31 identifies the in-vehicle device to which the provision necessity inquiry data D2 and the provision availability inquiry data D3 should be transmitted based on the input provisionable data D5.

  The specific processing unit 31 manages the current location of each vehicle, the destination, and the route from the current location to the destination using the database 33 based on probe information, route setting information, and the like sent from each vehicle. Then, one or a plurality of vehicles (referred to as vehicle 3B in the following example) that are expected to go to the current location of the vehicle 3A that has transmitted the provisionable data D5 are specified as transmission targets of the provision necessity inquiry data D2. . Further, the identification processing unit 31 identifies the vehicle 3A that has transmitted the provisionable data D5 as a transmission target of the provision availability inquiry data D3.

  Here, even if the traffic information processing apparatus 2 receives the data D5 that can be provided from the in-vehicle apparatus 4A, the estimation processing unit 32 is somehow based on the current location of the vehicle 3A, probe information, vehicle sensing information, and the like. If the point or area where the occurrence of the traffic event is estimated does not overlap, the provision necessity inquiry data D2 and the provision availability inquiry data D3 may not be transmitted. Thereby, the processing load of the traffic information processing apparatus 2 can be reduced because the traffic information processing apparatus 2 does not respond to transmission of the data D5 that can be provided for the user's erroneous operation or mischief. On the other hand, even if the current location of the vehicle 3A and the point or area where the estimation processing unit 32 estimates the occurrence of some traffic event based on the probe information and vehicle sensing information etc. do not overlap, Provision necessity inquiry data D2 and provision availability inquiry data D3 may be transmitted. As a result, there is a possibility that a person who wants to provide information can quickly obtain information on a traffic event that has not yet been detected by probe information or the like.

  The provision necessity inquiry data D2 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 4B of the vehicle 3B. Further, the provision availability inquiry data D3 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 toward the in-vehicle device 4A of the vehicle 3A.

  Referring to FIG. 5, provision necessity / unnecessity inquiry data D2 is received by receiving unit 53B and input from receiving unit 53B to control unit 55B. The control unit 55B outputs a predetermined voice message for inquiring of the passenger of the vehicle 3B whether or not it is desired to receive information from the speaker 56B.

  When the passenger of the vehicle 3B desires to receive information, he / she inputs provision request data D4 indicating that fact from the input unit 58B. The provision request data D4 is input from the control unit 55B to the transmission unit 54B and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provision request data D4 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4B.

  Referring to FIG. 4, provision availability inquiry data D3 is received by receiving unit 53A and input from receiving unit 53A to control unit 55A. The control unit 55A outputs a predetermined voice message for inquiring of the passenger of the vehicle 3A from the speaker 56A as to whether or not information can be provided.

  When it is possible for the passenger of the vehicle 3A to provide information, the occupant data D5 indicating that fact is input from the input unit 58A. The provisionable data D5 is input from the control unit 55A to the transmission unit 54A and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provisionable data D5 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4A.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the receiving unit 21 receives provision desired data D4 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4B and provisionable data D5 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4A. The first reception processing unit 23 extracts the provision desired data D4 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provision desired data D4 to the linking processing unit 25. Further, the second reception processing unit 24 extracts the provable data D5 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provable data D5 to the binding processing unit 25.

  Here, when the provision desired data D4 is received from a vehicle other than the vehicle 3B (that is, when the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision desired data D4 is larger than the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provisionable data D5). The search processing unit 26 inputs data D13 indicating that there is a shortage of information providers (and the number of shortages) to the specific processing unit 31 in order to search for additional information providers. The identification processing unit 31 identifies another vehicle located in the vicinity of the vehicle 3A that has transmitted the provisionable data D5 based on the database 33, and transmits the provision availability inquiry data D3 to the other vehicle. 22 to transmit.

  A passenger of another vehicle located in the vicinity of the vehicle 3A is likely to have confirmed an event such as a traffic accident confirmed by the passenger of the vehicle 3A. By being added as an information provider, it is expected that necessary information is provided from the passenger of the other vehicle to the information provider. In the present embodiment, since it is assumed that the information provider and the information provider can communicate with each other on a peer-to-peer basis, when there is a shortage of information providers, an additional information provider is searched. However, it is possible to configure the system so that a simultaneous dialogue between three or more persons can be performed. In this case, it is not always necessary to search for additional information providers. Further, the additional information provider search process in the case where there is a shortage of the information provider described here can also be applied to the first embodiment.

  Subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus 2 (and the traffic information processing system 1, the program 13, and the traffic information processing method) according to the present embodiment, the second reception processing unit 24 is independently transmitted from the information provider. The provided data D5 is received. Therefore, even at an extremely early stage where the traffic information processing apparatus 2 does not even estimate the occurrence of the traffic event, the second reception process is performed on the provable data D5 transmitted independently from the information provider. When the unit 24 receives the information, the traffic information processing apparatus 2 can estimate that some kind of traffic event has occurred. Then, when an information provision applicant appears, the information provision applicant can connect the information provider and the information provision applicant and have them interact with each other. Information about the traffic event can be obtained from an information provider.

  Further, when the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision-desired data D4 is greater than the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision-provided data D5, the search processing unit 26 is in the vicinity of the vehicle 3A that has transmitted the provision-provided data D5. Search for other vehicles that are located and can provide information. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the number of information providers is insufficient with respect to the number of information providers in a communication mode in which a one-to-one conversation is performed between an information provider and an information provider. it can.

<Third Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, when the passenger of the vehicle 3B wants to know information such as the weather at the destination, the road surface condition, the congestion of the parking lot, etc., the information provider who is located at or near the destination An operation for requesting necessary information will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the passenger of vehicle 3B who wants to know information such as the weather at the destination inputs desired provision data D4 including the position information of the destination from input unit 58A. The provision request data D4 is input from the control unit 55B to the transmission unit 54B and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provision request data D4 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4B.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the receiving unit 21 receives the provision request data D4 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4B. Further, the first reception processing unit 23 extracts the provision desired data D4 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provision desired data D4 to the specific processing unit 31.

  The identification processing unit 31 identifies the in-vehicle device to which the provision necessity inquiry data D2 and the provision availability inquiry data D3 should be transmitted based on the input provision request data D4.

  The specific processing unit 31 manages the current location of each vehicle, the destination, and the route from the current location to the destination using the database 33 based on probe information, route setting information, and the like sent from each vehicle. Then, one or a plurality of vehicles (referred to as vehicle 3A in the following example) located at or near the destination included in the provision request data D4 are specified as transmission targets of the provision availability inquiry data D3. Further, the identification processing unit 31 identifies the vehicle 3B that has transmitted the provision request data D4 as a transmission target of the provision necessity inquiry data D2.

  The provision availability inquiry data D3 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 toward the in-vehicle device 4A of the vehicle 3A. Further, provision necessity inquiry data D2 is input from the specific processing unit 31 to the transmission unit 22, and is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 22 to the in-vehicle device 4B of the vehicle 3B.

  Referring to FIG. 4, provision availability inquiry data D3 is received by receiving unit 53A and input from receiving unit 53A to control unit 55A. The control unit 55A outputs a predetermined voice message for inquiring of the passenger of the vehicle 3A from the speaker 56A as to whether or not information can be provided.

  When it is possible for the passenger of the vehicle 3A to provide information, the occupant data D5 indicating that fact is input from the input unit 58A. The provisionable data D5 is input from the control unit 55A to the transmission unit 54A and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54A to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provisionable data D5 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4A.

  Referring to FIG. 5, provision necessity / unnecessity inquiry data D2 is received by receiving unit 53B and input from receiving unit 53B to control unit 55B. The control unit 55B outputs a predetermined voice message for inquiring of the passenger of the vehicle 3B whether or not it is desired to receive information from the speaker 56B.

  When the passenger of the vehicle 3B desires to receive information, he / she inputs provision request data D4 indicating that fact from the input unit 58B. The provision request data D4 is input from the control unit 55B to the transmission unit 54B and wirelessly transmitted from the transmission unit 54B to the traffic information processing apparatus 2. The provision request data D4 includes identification information of the in-vehicle device 4B.

  Here, when the provable data D5 is transmitted from a plurality of vehicles (that is, when there are a plurality of information providers), information on one information provider among the plurality of information providers can be obtained. It is good also as a structure which the offer candidate can select freely. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a map of the vicinity of the destination of the vehicle 3B. This map is displayed on the car navigation screen of the vehicle 3B. As described in the first embodiment, the management unit 29 manages the rank of the information provider for each in-vehicle device, and “A”, “B”, “ Information providers are ranked by a plurality of stages such as “C”.

  When there are a plurality of information providers, as shown in FIG. 6, each information provider can provide information in the vicinity of the mark (black circle in the figure) indicating the current location of the vehicle on which each person can provide information. The currently set rank is displayed to the user. A person who wants to provide information can freely select an information provider who wants to interact with reference to the displayed rank.

  Information on the current location of the vehicle on which each information provider is boarded and information on the rank currently set for each information provider are transmitted from the traffic information processing device 2 to the in-vehicle device 4B. In addition, the selection process by the information providing applicant when there are a plurality of information providing persons described here can also be applied to the first embodiment.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the receiving unit 21 receives provision desired data D4 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4B and provisionable data D5 wirelessly transmitted from the in-vehicle device 4A. The first reception processing unit 23 extracts the provision desired data D4 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provision desired data D4 to the linking processing unit 25. Further, the second reception processing unit 24 extracts the provable data D5 from various data received by the receiving unit 21 from the outside, and inputs the extracted provable data D5 to the binding processing unit 25.

  Subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  According to the traffic information processing apparatus 2 (and the traffic information processing system 1, the program 13, and the traffic information processing method) according to the present embodiment, the specific processing unit 31 is a point related to the information requested by the information provider. The vehicle 3A located in the vicinity is specified, and the transmission unit 22 transmits provision availability inquiry data D5 to the in-vehicle device 4A mounted on the vehicle 3A. Thereby, the transmission object of the provision availability inquiry data D5 can be narrowed down exactly. In addition, when a person who wants to provide information wants to know information such as the weather at the destination, the road surface condition, the degree of congestion of the parking lot, etc., by transmitting the provision request data D4 including the location information of the destination, It is possible to obtain the requested information from a person who can provide information located in or near the ground.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-mentioned meaning but by the scope of claims for patent, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traffic information processing system 2 Traffic information processing apparatus 3A, 3B Vehicle 4A, 4B Vehicle-mounted apparatus 13 Program 23 1st reception process part 24 2nd reception process part 25 Connection process part 26 Search process part 27 Relay process part 28 Change process part 29 Management unit 30 Recording unit 31 Specific processing unit

Claims (14)

A first receiving means for receiving provision request data indicating that information provision is desired from a first in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provision applicant who desires to provide information related to traffic;
Second receiving means for receiving provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provable person who can provide information related to traffic is mounted; ,
Linking means for associating the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, which should be capable of interacting , based on the provision desired data and the provisionable data ;
And relay means for relaying between the pre-Symbol audio data regarding interaction with the information providing seeker and the information provider can have, said associated by means tied first vehicle device and the second vehicle unit ,
A traffic information processing apparatus.   The said connection means transmits the dialog start data for encouraging the said information provision candidate and the said information provider to start a dialog to the said 1st vehicle-mounted apparatus and the said 2nd vehicle-mounted apparatus. Traffic information processing equipment. A specific means of identifying a vehicle that is expected to head to a point where some traffic event is expected to occur,
Transmitting means for transmitting provision necessity inquiry data for inquiring whether or not to provide information to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle;
Further comprising
The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first receiving unit receives the provision request data as an answer to the provision necessity inquiry data.   The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specifying unit specifies a vehicle including the point in a route from a current location to a destination as the vehicle expected to go to the point. A identifying means for identifying a vehicle located in the vicinity of a point where a traffic event is estimated to have occurred,
Transmitting means for transmitting provision availability inquiry data for inquiring whether information can be provided to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle;
Further comprising
5. The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second receiving unit receives the provisionable data as an answer to the provision availability inquiry data.   5. The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second receiving unit receives the provisionable data that is independently transmitted from an information provider. When the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provision request data is greater than the number of vehicles that have transmitted the provisionable data, information can be provided by being located in the vicinity of the vehicle that has transmitted the provisionable data. The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising search means for searching for another vehicle. A specifying means for specifying a vehicle located in the vicinity of a point related to information requested by an information applicant,
Transmitting means for transmitting provision availability inquiry data for inquiring whether information can be provided to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle;
Further comprising
The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second receiving unit receives the provisionable data as an answer to the provision availability inquiry data. The traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a changing unit that changes a frequency of a voice in a dialogue between the information provision applicant and the information provider.   The traffic information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a management unit that manages, for each in-vehicle device, an evaluation index based on a benefit level of information provided from the information provider.   The traffic information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising recording means for recording the audio data. A traffic information processing device;
An in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle;
With
The traffic information processing apparatus
A first receiving means for receiving provision request data indicating that information provision is desired from a first in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provision applicant who desires to provide information related to traffic;
Second receiving means for receiving provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provable person who can provide information related to traffic is mounted; ,
Linking means for associating the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, which should be capable of interacting , based on the provision desired data and the provisionable data ;
And relay means for relaying between the pre-Symbol audio data regarding interaction with the information providing seeker and the information provider can have, said associated by means tied first vehicle device and the second vehicle unit ,
A traffic information processing system. A computer installed in a traffic information processing device
A first receiving means for receiving provision request data indicating that information provision is desired from a first in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provision applicant who desires to provide information related to traffic;
Second receiving means for receiving provable data indicating that information can be provided from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provable person who can provide information related to traffic is mounted; ,
Linking means for associating the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, which should be capable of interacting , based on the provision desired data and the provisionable data ;
And relay means for relaying between the pre-Symbol audio data regarding interaction with the information providing seeker and the information provider can have, said associated by means tied first vehicle device and the second vehicle unit ,
Program to function as. A traffic information processing method in a traffic information processing apparatus comprising a first receiving means, a second receiving means, a linking means, and a relay means ,
(A) The first receiving means provides a request to indicate that information is desired to be provided from the first in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle on which the information providing person who desires to provide information related to traffic is mounted. Receiving data; and
(B) Providing that the second receiving means is capable of providing information from a second in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle on which an information provider who can provide information related to traffic is mounted. Receiving possible data; and
(C) The linking means associates the first in-vehicle device and the second in-vehicle device, which should be able to interact , based on the provision request data and the provisionable data ;
(D) the relay means relays the previous SL information provider seekers voice data regarding interaction with the information provider can have, between the associated said first vehicle device the second vehicle unit Steps,
A traffic information processing method comprising:

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