JP5746911B2 - Facility search system along route and facility search method along route - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a facility search system and a facility search method.

  In recent years, route search systems using map data are widely used not only for in-vehicle navigation devices but also for devices that use portable terminals or the like. In such a route search system, facilities along the searched route such as a gas station or a convenience store are searched and displayed together with the route (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-9-33272

  By the way, in order to search for facilities along the searched route, a method of searching for a facility within a predetermined distance from each point on the route with reference to a database storing the location of the facility is generally used. It is.

  However, in such a method, it is necessary to execute a facility search process based on a large number of points on the route, and the processing load when searching for a facility along the route becomes very high.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the processing load when searching for facilities along a route.

  A facility search system along a route according to an aspect of the present invention receives a search route information storage unit that stores route information indicating a searched route and a search request that triggers searching for a facility along the route from a user terminal. A mesh area specification that identifies a mesh area on the route indicated by the route information from a plurality of mesh regions obtained by dividing the region on the map into meshes in response to the search request receiving unit. A facility for acquiring facility information corresponding to the identified mesh region with reference to the facility information storage unit in which the facility information indicating the facility is stored in association with the mesh region, and the acquired facility An information output unit that outputs information to the user terminal.

  In the present invention, the “part” does not simply mean a physical means, but includes a case where the function of the “part” is realized by software. Also, even if the functions of one “unit” or device are realized by two or more physical means or devices, the functions of two or more “units” or devices are realized by one physical means or device. May be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load when searching for facilities along a route.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the information processing system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the search request | requirement transmitted to a facility search server along a route from a user terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the route information transmitted from a route search server to a facility search server along a route. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of a facility information storage part. It is a figure for demonstrating the adjacent mesh area | region set to facility information. It is a figure which shows an example of the facility search request | requirement transmitted to the facility search server from the facility search server along a route. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the process which specifies the mesh area | region on a path | route. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the process which specifies the mesh area | region on a path | route. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the process which searches the plant | facility in the identified mesh area | region. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the filtering process of facility information. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the information output with respect to a user terminal from an information output part. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed in a user terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process in the facility search server along a route.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 10 includes a user terminal 12, a map server 14, a route search server 16, a facility search server 18, and a route along facility search server 20.

  The user terminal 12 is an information processing apparatus such as a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, or a personal computer, and includes a communication unit 30, a control unit 32, a display unit 34, and an operation unit 36.

  The communication unit 30 transmits / receives data to / from the map server 14 and the facility search server 20 along the route via, for example, a cellular phone packet communication network or the Internet. The control unit 32 controls the operation of the entire user terminal 12, and for example, various functions can be realized by a processor executing a program stored in a memory. The display unit 34 displays various information such as map information, route information, and facility information, and includes a display. The operation unit 36 includes, for example, input keys, a touch panel, and the like, and accepts user operations on the user terminal 12.

  In this embodiment, the control part 32 can acquire map data from the map server 14, and can display a map on the display part 34, for example. Further, the control unit 32 designates a starting point and a destination on the map displayed on the display unit 34, and issues a search request for searching for a route (route) and facilities along the route, for example, along the route. It can be transmitted to the search server 20. And the control part 32 can receive this search result from the facility search server 20 along a path | route, and can display the searched path | route and a facility with the map on the display part 34. FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search request transmitted from the user terminal 12 to the route along facility search server 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the search request includes a route search request and a facility search request. The route search request includes information necessary for searching a route, such as a departure point, a destination, and a latitude / longitude of a waypoint. The facility search request is for searching for a facility along the route to be searched, and includes, for example, a genre code and a name.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the map server 14 provides map data for displaying a map, and includes a map information storage unit 40 and a map information search unit 42. The map information search unit 42 receives from the user terminal 12 a map acquisition request in which a map center point, range, scale, and the like are set, acquires map data corresponding to the request from the map information storage unit 40, and receives the user terminal. 12 can be transmitted. Note that the map server 14 can be accessed not only from the user terminal 12 but also from other information processing apparatuses such as the facility search server 20 along the route.

  The route search server 16 provides route information indicating a route from the departure point to the destination in response to a search request, and includes a route information storage unit 50 and a route information search unit 52. The route information search unit 52 receives a route search request in which information such as a departure place, destination, and waypoint is set from the facility search server 20 along the route, and receives route information corresponding to the request from the route information storage unit 50. It can be acquired and transmitted to the facility search server 20 along the route.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of route information transmitted from the route search server 16 to the facility search server 20 along the route. As shown in FIG. 3, the route information includes the distance and required time of the searched route, the charge required on the expressway, shape data such as latitude / longitude for specifying each link constituting the route, Guidance information for performing guidance such as a right turn or a left turn at an intersection is included.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the facility search server 18 provides facility information indicating a facility (POI: Point of Interest) in response to a search request, and includes a facility information storage unit 60 and a facility information search unit 62. Is done. The facility information search unit 62 receives a facility search request in which information such as the name, genre, and mesh code of the facility is set from the facility search server 20 along the route, and receives facility information corresponding to the request from the facility information storage unit 60. It can be acquired and transmitted to the facility search server 20 along the route. Here, the mesh code is an identifier of a mesh area (also simply referred to as “mesh”) obtained by dividing an area on the map into a mesh shape by latitude and longitude.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the facility information storage unit 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the facility information stored in the facility information storage unit 60 includes position information, name, address, telephone number, genre code, mesh code, and adjacent mesh code. Here, the genre code is information for identifying the genre of the facility, such as a convenience store, a restaurant, or a gas station. In the mesh code, the mesh code of the mesh area where the facility exists is set. In the adjacent mesh code, the code of the mesh area adjacent to the mesh area where the facility exists is set. In the adjacent mesh code, codes for all adjacent mesh areas are not set, but codes for mesh areas determined to be within a predetermined threshold distance or time from the facility are set.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining adjacent mesh regions set in facility information. In FIG. 5, the facility X belongs to the mesh area A. Therefore, the mesh code of the mesh area A is set as the mesh code of the facility information of the facility X. In addition, the facility X is located within a broken-line circle indicating that it is within a predetermined distance from the center of the mesh region B adjacent to the mesh region A. That is, although the facility X is outside the mesh region B, it is determined that it is located near the mesh region B. In this case, the mesh code of the mesh region B is set in the adjacent mesh code of the facility information of the facility X. In addition, although the example which determines an adjacent mesh area | region by the linear distance from the center of a mesh area | region was shown here, the determination method is not restricted to this. For example, the determination may be made based on the distance from the intersection in the mesh region, or may be made based on the moving time by a predetermined moving means. Moreover, you may use the distance which considered the road and the route instead of a linear distance. In addition, a mesh code of a plurality of mesh regions can be set as the adjacent mesh code. Further, the mesh code of the mesh area to which the facility belongs and the mesh code of the adjacent mesh area may be managed by one data item.

  Although FIG. 5 shows a quadrangular mesh region, the shape of the mesh region is not limited to a quadrangular shape. Moreover, it is good also as the area | region which overlaps between adjacent mesh area | regions being provided. In this case, it is possible to determine that a facility located near the boundary of a certain mesh region is also included in a mesh region adjacent to this mesh region. Thereby, similarly to the example of FIG. 5, mesh codes of a plurality of mesh regions can be associated with the facility information of one facility.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a facility search request transmitted from the facility search server 20 along the route to the facility search server 18. As shown in FIG. 6, the facility search request includes a mesh code, a genre code, and a name. In response to such a facility search request, the facility information search unit 62 of the facility search server 18 searches for facility information that matches the conditions set in the facility search request, and transmits the search result to the facility search server 20 along the route. To do. Specifically, the facility information search unit 62 extracts facility information in which each mesh code set in the facility search request is set as a mesh code of the facility information or an adjacent mesh code, and the genre code and the name match. . Only one of the genre code and the name may be set, or both may not be set. Moreover, it is good also as selecting whether an adjacent mesh area | region is included in search object. The mesh code is structured according to the order of the mesh area, and the facility information in which the mesh code of the lower mesh area is set using the mesh code of the upper mesh area set in the facility search request. Can also be extracted.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the facility search server 20 along the route searches the route and facility using the route search server 16 and the facility search server 18 in response to a search request from the user terminal 12, and sends the search result to the user terminal 12. The search request receiving unit 70, the search unit 72, the search route information storage unit 74, the mesh region specifying unit 76, and the information output unit 78 are configured to transmit. In addition, each part which comprises the facility search server 20 along a path | route can be implement | achieved by using storage areas, such as a memory and a memory | storage device, or running the program memorize | stored in memory.

  The search request receiving unit 70 receives a search request transmitted from the user terminal 12. The search request transmitted from the user terminal 12 includes a route search request for searching for a route and a facility search request for searching for facilities along the route, as shown in FIG. .

  The search unit 72 acquires route information from the route search server 16 by transmitting a route search request included in the search request from the user terminal 12 to the route search server 16 and stores the route information in the search route information storage unit 74. That is, the search unit 72 indirectly refers to the route information storage unit 50 of the route search server 16 and acquires route information. Further, the search unit 72 generates the facility search request illustrated in FIG. 6 in order to search for a facility along the route that matches the condition set in the facility search request included in the search request from the user terminal 12, It transmits to the facility search server 18. That is, the search unit 72 indirectly refers to the facility information storage unit 60 of the facility search server 18 and acquires the facility information. Note that the mesh code set in the facility search request is specified by the mesh region specifying unit 76.

  The mesh region specifying unit 76 specifies a mesh region on the route based on the route information stored in the search route information storage unit 74, and outputs a mesh code of the specified mesh region. Here, the size of the mesh region may be determined in advance, or may be changed according to a request from the user terminal 12. For example, size information for designating the size of the mesh area may be set in the facility search request transmitted from the user terminal 12. Further, as will be described later, the mesh area specifying unit 76 can change the size of the mesh area in accordance with the number and density of facilities along the searched route and specify the mesh area on the route again. is there.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an outline of processing for specifying a mesh region on a route. First, the mesh area specifying unit 76 configures a route based on the route information stored in the search route information storage unit 74 (1). Next, the mesh area specifying unit 76 selects a line (link) between two points constituting the route (2). The mesh area specifying unit 76 creates a rectangle of the selected line (3), and specifies a mesh area including the created rectangle (4). Since the mesh region is defined by a predetermined rule based on latitude / longitude, the mesh region specifying unit 76 may specify the target mesh region based on the latitude / longitude information included in the route information. Is possible. The mesh area specifying unit 76 obtains a mesh area that overlaps the line selected in (2) within the mesh area specified in (4) (5), and leaves only the mesh area that overlaps the line (6). And the mesh area | region on a path | route is specified by performing the process of (2)-(6) about each line which comprises a path | route.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the process of specifying the mesh region on the route. Here, it is assumed that the processes (1) to (4) shown in FIG. 7 are performed. Thereafter, the mesh area specifying unit 76 creates a buffer for the line selected in (2) (5). Here, the line buffer is an area having a predetermined width including the line, and the width of the buffer can be changed according to a request from the user terminal 12, for example. Then, the mesh area specifying unit 76 obtains a mesh area that at least partially overlaps the buffer created in (5) within the mesh area specified in (4) (6), and selects only the mesh area that overlaps the buffer. Leave (7). And the process of (2)-(7) is performed about each line which comprises a path | route, and the mesh area | region on a path | route is specified. In this way, by creating a line buffer and specifying a mesh area, a mesh area that does not overlap the line but is close to the line is included, such as mesh areas X and Y shown in FIG. Is possible.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an overview of processing for searching for facilities in the identified mesh area. FIG. 9 shows the mesh region specified by the process shown in FIG. When the mesh region is specified in this way, the search unit 72 generates a facility search request in which the mesh code of the specified mesh region is set, and transmits the facility search request to the facility search server 18. Then, the facility search server 18 refers to the facility information storage unit 60 and searches for facility information that matches the conditions set in the facility search request. As described above, when searching for facility information, adjacent mesh codes may be considered. Further, when a plurality of mesh codes are set in the facility information or when adjacent mesh codes are set, if the same facility information is searched repeatedly, the facility search server 18 The facility information can be transmitted to the facility search server 20 along the route after the information is merged. The facility information searched in this way is transmitted from the facility search server 18 to the facility search server 20 along the route.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the information output unit 78 associates the route information acquired from the route search server 16 with the facility information acquired from the facility search server 18 and outputs the information to the user terminal 12. At this time, the information output unit 78 can filter the facility information in consideration of the distance from the route.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the facility information filtering process. Here, it is assumed that the route information and facility information shown in FIG. 9 have been acquired. In this state, the information output unit 78 first creates a buffer for the entire line (1). Here, the buffer for the entire line is an area having a predetermined width including the entire line, and the width of the buffer can be changed according to a request from the user terminal 12, for example. Then, the information output unit 78 leaves only the facility information of the facility included in the created buffer (2). In this way, by creating a buffer for the entire line and filtering the facility information, it is possible to exclude facilities that are more than a predetermined distance from the route.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of information output from the information output unit 78 to the user terminal 12. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the information output unit 78 outputs the filtered facility information to the user terminal 12 in association with the link information constituting the route information. Note that the association between the facility information and the link information can be performed based on the distance between the facility and the link, for example. By outputting the facility information in association with the link information in this way, the user terminal 12 can easily extract the facility information to be displayed, for example, displaying only the facility information of the facility in the traveling direction from the current position. Become.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal 12. The control unit 32 of the user terminal 12 can display the route information and facility information acquired from the route along facility search server 20 on the display unit 34 together with a map. At this time, when the facility information includes a plurality of genres, the control unit 32 can display the genre of each facility information in an identifiable manner. In addition, the control unit 32 can display the type of genre included in the facility information, and can display only the facility information of the genre selected by the user. Further, the control unit 32 can acquire map data necessary for displaying route information and facility information from the map server 14. The information output unit 78 of the route along facility search server 20 may acquire map data necessary for displaying route information and facility information from the map server 14 and transmit the map data to the user terminal 12.

  In the user terminal 12, for example, by selecting the displayed facility information, it is possible to confirm detailed information on the facility or set the facility as a transit point. And the control part 32 can transmit the search request | requirement of the path | route which goes through the facility set as the waypoint to the facility search server 20 along a path | route, and can acquire the newly searched path | route information. At this time, the facility information may be searched based on a new route. Further, in the user terminal 12, for example, in order to adjust the number of facility information to be displayed, an operation for changing the size of the mesh region or the size of the buffer at the time of filtering may be possible. Information of such a size is set in a facility search request transmitted from the user terminal 12 to the facility search server 20 along the route, and can be taken into consideration in processing by the facility search server 20 along the route.

  Further, the user terminal 12 may display the facility information in a list as well as displaying the facility information along the route as shown in FIG. When the list is displayed in this way, the display order may be controlled based on the facility attribute information included in the facility information. For example, if the found facility is a gas station, the facility information may be displayed in ascending order of price per liter of gasoline. In addition, for example, the facility information may be displayed in order of the position of the facility from the current position.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the route along facility search server 20. The search request receiving unit 70 receives a search request including a route search request and a facility search request from the user terminal 12 (S1301). In response to the search request, the search unit 72 transmits a route search request to the route search server 16 (S1302), receives the route information from the route search server 16, and stores it in the search route information storage unit 74 ( S1303).

  When the route is searched, the mesh region specifying unit 76 specifies a mesh region on the route based on the route information (S1304). When the mesh region is specified, the search unit 72 generates a facility search request in which the mesh code of the specified mesh region is set, and transmits the facility search request to the facility search server 18 (S1305). Is received (S1306).

  When the facility along the route is searched, the information output unit 78 creates a buffer for the entire line constituting the route, and filters the facility information (S1307). Then, the information output unit 78 merges the route information and the facility information and transmits them to the user terminal 12 (S1308).

  In addition, when the number and density of searched facilities are less than a predetermined reference value, the mesh area specifying unit 76 can also specify a mesh area on the route using a higher (larger) mesh area. It is. On the other hand, when the number or density of searched facilities is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value, the mesh area specifying unit 76 may specify a mesh area on the route using a lower (smaller) mesh area. Is possible. When the size of the mesh region is changed in this way, the search unit 72 can search facility information again using the mesh code of the identified mesh region. In addition, the size change of the mesh area may be performed partially rather than the entire route. Note that the size of the buffer at the time of filtering can be changed in accordance with the size change of the mesh region. Further, when the size of the mesh area is partially changed, the buffer for filtering may be partially changed.

  The present embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, instead of searching for facilities along the route based on a large number of points on the route, a mesh region on the route is specified, and a facility corresponding to the mesh region is searched. . As a result, the number of search processes is reduced, and the processing load when searching for facilities along the route can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to specify a mesh area on a route by setting a buffer for the route as shown in FIG. Since the mesh area is obtained by dividing the area on the map into a mesh shape, there may be a case where the mesh area does not overlap with the lines constituting the path even though the distance to the path is short. Therefore, by setting a buffer as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to additionally specify a mesh region that is close to the route. As a result, the facility in the additionally specified mesh area is also searched, and the facility search accuracy can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to filter the retrieved facility information by setting a buffer for the route as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to exclude a facility that is within the identified mesh region but has a distance from the route that is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance.

  Note that this embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed / improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

  For example, in the present embodiment, in response to a search request from the user terminal 12, the route search and the facility search are performed continuously and integrally, but only one of the searches is performed independently. It may be done. For example, the facility search server 20 along the route acquires route information in response to the route search request from the user terminal 12 and transmits the route information to the user terminal 12, and then responds to the facility search request transmitted from the user terminal 12. It is also possible to acquire facility information and transmit it to the user terminal 12.

  Further, for example, the facility search server 20 along the route acquires the route information and the facility information at the timing when the search request is received from the user terminal 12, while outputting only the route information to the user terminal 12, and then the user terminal The facility information may be output in response to a request from 12.

  Further, for example, the facility search request is not included in the search request transmitted from the user terminal 12, and the facility search server 20 along the route receives facility information regarding all facilities or facilities of a predetermined genre in response to the search request. It is good also as acquiring. Even in this case, the output timing of the facility information is arbitrary. For example, the facility search server 20 along the route can temporarily store the acquired facility information in the memory, and extract and output the facility information that matches the facility search request received from the user terminal 12. It is.

  The configuration of the route along facility search server 20 shown in the present embodiment is an example. For example, some or all of the functions of other servers such as the route search server 16, the facility search server 18, and the map server 14 are included. It may be included in the facility search server 20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Information processing system 12 User terminal 14 Map server 16 Route search server 18 Facility search server 20 Facility along the route search server 30 Communication unit 32 Control unit 34 Display unit 36 Operation unit 40 Map information storage unit 42 Map information search unit 50 Route information storage Unit 52 route information search unit 60 facility information storage unit 62 facility information search unit 70 search request receiving unit 72 search unit 74 search route information storage unit 76 mesh region specifying unit 78 information output unit

Claims (7)

A search route information storage unit for storing route information indicating the searched route;
A search request receiver that receives a search request from a user terminal as a trigger to search for facilities along the route;
In response to the search request, between two points constituting the route as a mesh region on the route indicated by the route information from among a plurality of mesh regions obtained by dividing the region on the map into a mesh shape Selecting a plurality of mesh regions that overlap a rectangle with a straight line connecting the diagonal lines, and from among the plurality of selected mesh regions, a mesh region specifying unit that specifies a plurality of mesh regions overlapping the straight line ;
A search unit that acquires facility information corresponding to the identified mesh region with reference to a facility information storage unit in which facility information indicating the facility is stored in association with the mesh region;
An information output unit for outputting the acquired facility information to the user terminal;
A facility search system along the route. The facility search system along a route according to claim 1,
The search request includes a route search request for searching for a route,
The search unit refers to a route information storage unit that stores route information for searching for a route, acquires route information according to the route search request, and stores the route information in the search route information storage unit.
The information output unit outputs the searched route information to the user terminal.
Facility search system along the route. The facility search system along a route according to claim 1 or 2,
The mesh region specifying unit specifies a mesh region at least partially overlapping a first buffer region having a predetermined width including the route as a mesh region on the route;
Facility search system along the route. The facility search system along a route according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The information output unit outputs facility information of a facility in a second buffer area having a predetermined width including the route among the acquired facility information to the user terminal.
Facility search system along the route. A facility search system along a route according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The search request includes size information for specifying the size of the mesh area when searching for facilities,
The mesh region specifying unit specifies a mesh region having a size corresponding to the size information on the route.
Facility search system along the route. A facility search system along a route according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mesh region specifying unit changes the size of the specified mesh region according to the number of facilities indicated by the acquired facility information, specifies the mesh region on the route again,
The search unit obtains facility information corresponding to the mesh region identified again;
Facility search system along the route. In the facility search system comprising a search request receiving unit, a mesh area specifying unit, a search unit, and an information output unit ,
The search request receiving unit receives a search request serving as a trigger for searching for facilities along the route from the user terminal,
The mesh area specifying unit is indicated by route information stored in a search route information storage unit from among a plurality of mesh regions obtained by dividing an area on a map into a mesh shape in response to the search request. As mesh regions on the route , select a plurality of mesh regions that overlap a rectangle whose diagonal line is a straight line connecting two points constituting the route, and overlap the straight line from among the selected mesh regions Identify multiple mesh regions,
The search unit refers to a facility information storage unit in which facility information indicating a facility is stored in association with a mesh region, and acquires facility information corresponding to the identified mesh region,
The information output unit outputs the acquired facility information to the user terminal;
A facility search method along the route.