JP6171806B2 - Information providing system, information providing method, mobile information terminal, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information providing method, a mobile information terminal, and a computer program for sharing and guiding the position of a user carrying a mobile information terminal among a plurality of users.

  Conventionally, as a device for guiding a user's current position, an in-vehicle information terminal mounted on a vehicle such as a navigation device in addition to a mobile information terminal carried by a user such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal. Exists. Further, by performing communication between terminals, in addition to guiding the position of the user himself / herself who carries the terminal to be guided, it has also been performed to guide the position of other users other than the user.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-182394, when a plurality of users act in groups, a plurality of users including the user himself / herself are communicated via a server between mobile information terminals carried by each user. A system for sharing current location information is disclosed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-333247 also shares the current location information of a plurality of users with a mobile information terminal by communicating with a navigation device in addition to the mobile information terminal via a server. A system is disclosed.

JP 2011-182394 A (pages 12-14, FIG. 17) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-333247 (page 8-10, FIG. 1)

  Here, in the systems described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the positions of the other users are guided, the positions of all the other users who can be acquired are guided. However, an in-vehicle information terminal mounted on a vehicle such as a navigation device is mainly intended to provide vehicle travel guidance to a destination. Therefore, if the positions of all other users that can be acquired in the in-vehicle information terminal are guided, the amount of information to be guided increases, and the original purpose may be lost.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and it is possible to share a user's current location information in a mobile information terminal or an in-vehicle information terminal. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing system, an information providing method, a mobile information terminal, and a computer program that do not impair the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal by limiting the position guidance.

In order to achieve the above object, an information providing system (1), an information providing method and a computer program according to the present invention are carried by a user (4) and are communicably connected to other mobile information terminals via a server (2). Comprising: a mobile information terminal (5) that is connected to the mobile information terminal (7) that is mounted on the vehicle (6) and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user, and the system An information providing method for providing information to a user, and a computer program for causing the system to realize the following functions. The mobile information terminal acquires the position information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server and the information acquisition means (31). The mobile terminal guide means (31) for guiding the positions of all other users specified based on the position information of the other users and the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means The movement information extraction means (31) that preferentially extracts the position information of the other user whose connection time to the server is early with the maximum number of people, and the position of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means Information transmitting means (31) for transmitting information to the in- vehicle information terminal. On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal includes a guide route setting means (71) for setting a guide route to the destination, and an information receiving means (71) for receiving the location information of other users transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting means. ) And in-vehicle terminal guide means (71) for guiding the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guide route.

In order to achieve the above object, the mobile information terminal (5) and the computer program executed on the mobile information terminal according to the present invention are carried by the user (4) and are different from the user through the server (2). While being connected so as to be communicable with another mobile information terminal carried by a certain other user, the position information of the other user that is mounted on the vehicle (6) and transmitted from the outside and the guide route to the destination are respectively shown. A mobile information terminal communicably connected to an in-vehicle information terminal (7) having a guidance function, and a computer program for realizing the following functions for the mobile information terminal. The mobile information terminal includes the information acquisition means (31) for acquiring the position information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server, and the position of the other user acquired by the information acquisition means. Other user guidance means (31) for guiding the positions of all other users specified based on the information, and the position information of other users acquired by the information acquisition means to the server up to a predetermined number of people The movement information extraction means (31) that preferentially extracts the position information of the other user whose connection is started earlier and the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means are transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal. Information transmission means (31).

  According to the information providing system, the information providing method, and the computer program according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, it is possible to share location information of other users, which is information shared between mobile information terminals, even in the in-vehicle information terminal. . In addition, in the in-vehicle information terminal, by limiting the guidance of the position of other users, the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal (vehicle travel guidance to the destination) can be achieved without increasing the amount of information to be guided. There is no risk of damage.

  According to the mobile information terminal and the computer program executed by the mobile information terminal according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the location information of other users, which is information shared between the mobile information terminals, with respect to the connection destination in-vehicle information terminal This information can be shared by transmitting. In addition, by limiting the number of other users' location information transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal, it is possible to prevent the amount of information to be guided in the in-vehicle information terminal from being excessively increased, It is possible to control the vehicle so that the travel guidance of the vehicle to the ground is not impaired.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an information providing system according to a first embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the information provision system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the mobile information terminal especially of the information provision system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of especially the vehicle-mounted information terminal of the information provision system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the waiting information provision program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the meeting guidance screen displayed on the display of a mobile information terminal. It is a flowchart of the sub process program of the vehicle-mounted information terminal communication process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the waiting guidance screen displayed on the liquid crystal display of a vehicle-mounted information terminal. It is a flowchart of the sub-process program of the vehicle-mounted information terminal communication process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment and a second embodiment that embody an information providing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the information providing system according to the present invention shares the location information of the user among a plurality of users (for example, three people), thereby the current location of the user himself / herself and the current status of other users other than the user. It is a system that provides information including location. In particular, in the following embodiment, an example will be described in which the information providing system is applied as a system for providing information on the current position and meeting place of each user belonging to a group to a group of a plurality of users who are waiting. .

[First Embodiment]
First, a schematic configuration of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment includes an information management center 3 having an information management server 2, a mobile information terminal 5 carried by each of a plurality of users 4 waiting, 4 is basically composed of an in-vehicle information terminal 7 mounted on a vehicle 6 on which the vehicle 4 rides. Examples of the mobile information terminal 5 include a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal. In-vehicle information terminal 7 includes, for example, a navigation device. Further, the user 4 may be in a state of getting on the vehicle 6 or may be in a state of not getting on the vehicle 6. Moreover, the number of the users 4 who meet is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more. The information management server 2 and the mobile information terminal 5 are configured to be able to transmit and receive electronic data to and from each other via the communication network 8. On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 does not have a communication means for connecting to the information management server 2 but has a wireless communication function using Bluetooth (registered trademark). The mobile information terminal 5 also has the same wireless communication function by Bluetooth, and the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 within the communicable range directly transmit / receive electronic data without going through the communication network 8. It is configured to be possible. In particular, in the first embodiment, when the user 4 gets on the vehicle 6, communication is performed between the mobile information terminal 5 carried by the user 4 who gets on the vehicle 6 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 mounted on the vehicle 6.

  Here, the information management center 3 manages the status (current position, etc.) of each user 4 in the group to be waited for, and also provides information (waiting place and wait) required for waiting for each user 4 included in the group. This is a waiting support center that distributes the position of the other party, the route to the meeting place, and the like. The route to the meeting place may be searched from the current position of the user 4 and the meeting place in each mobile information terminal 5 or in-vehicle information terminal 7 without being distributed from the information management center 3.

  On the other hand, the mobile information terminal 5 is an information terminal that is carried by the user 4 registered in the information management center 3 and has a function for specifying the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 such as GPS and a navigation function. For example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, and the like are applicable.

  Here, in the navigation function, a map image around the current position of the user 4 is displayed based on the map data acquired from the server or stored in the memory, or the current position of the user 4 is displayed in the displayed map image. It is possible to search and guide the route to the set destination. In particular, the mobile information terminal 5 according to the first embodiment also guides information on the meeting place and the position of the meeting partner received from the information management center 3 as will be described later. Note that the mobile information terminal 5 does not have to have all the navigation functions described above. For example, the mobile information terminal 5 is configured to display at least a meeting place and a user's current position on a map image. Is possible.

  The mobile information terminal 5 is connected to a communication network 8 via a transmission / reception circuit unit (RF) 10 described later, and is configured to be capable of bidirectional communication with the information management center 3. Furthermore, the mobile information terminal 5 is configured to be capable of bidirectional communication with the in-vehicle information terminal 7 via Bluetooth via a wireless communication device 11 described later. Details of the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 will be described later.

The communication network 8 includes a large number of base stations arranged in various parts of the country and a communication company that manages and controls each base station. The base station and the communication company are connected to each other by wire (optical fiber, ISDN, etc.) or wirelessly. It is configured by connecting.
Here, the base station has a transceiver (transmitter / receiver) for communicating with the mobile information terminal 5 and an antenna. The base station performs wireless communication between the communication companies, and communicates with the information management center 3 from the mobile information terminal 5 that is at the end of the communication network 8 and is within the range (cell) of the base station's radio waves. Have the role of relaying.

  Next, the configuration of the information management server 2 provided in the information management center 3 constituting the information providing system 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the information management server 2 includes an information management ECU 12, a registration information DB 13 as information recording means connected to the information management ECU 12, a map information DB 14, a waiting management information DB 15, and a center communication device 16. Is provided.

  An information management ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 12 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire information management server 2, and includes a CPU 21 serving as an arithmetic device and a control device, and a working memory when the CPU 21 performs various arithmetic processes. In addition to a RAM 22 used as a control program, a control program, an internal storage device such as a ROM 23 in which a waiting information providing program (see FIGS. 5 and 7) described later is recorded, a flash memory 24 that stores a program read from the ROM 23, and the like It has.

  The registration information DB 13 is a storage unit that stores registration information related to the user 4. The registration information stored in the registration information DB 13 includes the registration ID, name, address, identification number and communication address of the mobile information terminal 5 to be carried. Therefore, the information management server 2 can transmit information to the specific mobile information terminal 5 by referring to the information stored in the registration information DB 13. Further, when the information is received, it is possible to specify the mobile information terminal 5 that is the transmission source.

  The map information DB 14 is storage means for storing map data. Map data includes link data relating to roads (links), node data relating to node points, point data relating to points such as facilities, map display data for displaying maps, intersection data relating to each intersection, and searching for routes. It consists of search data, search data for searching points, and the like.

  The meeting management information DB 15 is a storage unit that stores meeting place information 17 for managing the currently set meeting place of the user 4 and position management information 18 for managing the current position of the user 4. Here, the meeting place information 17 is information for specifying the current meeting place set by the user 4 (for example, facility ID, facility name, position coordinates, etc.). Note that the meeting place is basically specified in the mobile information terminal 5 when the user 4 wishes to meet. However, even after the meeting place is once set, it can be appropriately changed by the operation of the mobile information terminal 5 by the user 4. On the other hand, the position management information 18 is information for specifying the current position of the user 4. In the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment, information about the current position coordinates of the user 4 detected by the registration ID and the GPS of the mobile information terminal 5 from each user 4 to the information management center 3 every predetermined time (for example, 60 sec). Is sent. Then, the information management server 2 sequentially updates the location management information 18 stored in the meeting management information DB 15 based on the information transmitted from each user 4. The location management information 18 may be constantly updated in a state where communication with the mobile information terminal 5 is possible, or updated only while a later-described waiting information providing program (see FIGS. 5 and 7) is being executed. It is good also as composition to do. The information management server 2 can always manage the currently set meeting place and the current position of the user 4 by referring to the waiting management information DB 15.

  On the other hand, the center communication device 16 is a communication device for communicating with the mobile information terminal 5 via the communication network 8.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the mobile information terminal 5 carried by the user 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the mobile information terminal 5 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile information terminal 5 has a data bus BUS, a CPU 31, a memory 32 storing user information (user ID, name, etc.), map information, etc. regarding the user 4 who owns the mobile information terminal 5, A transmission / reception circuit unit (RF) 10 for transmitting / receiving signals to / from a base station of the communication network 8, a wireless communication device 11 for performing wireless communication by Bluetooth or the like, and an RF (Radio) received by the transmission / reception circuit unit 10 (Frequency) signal is converted into a baseband signal and a baseband processing unit 34 for converting the baseband signal into an RF signal, an input / output unit 37 serving as an interface with a microphone 35 and a speaker 36, a liquid crystal display panel, and the like. The display 38, the input operation unit 39 including a touch panel, a keyboard, and the like, and the GPS 40 are connected. It is constructed by.

  Here, the CPU 31 incorporated in the mobile information terminal 5 is a control unit of the mobile information terminal 5 that executes various operations according to the operation program stored in the memory 32, and constitutes the mobile information terminal ECU 41 together with the memory 32. . Various processing contents of the mobile information terminal ECU 41 are displayed on the display 38 as necessary. The mobile information terminal ECU 41 constitutes various means as processing algorithms. For example, the information acquisition unit acquires the position information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal 5 carried by the other user via the information management server 2. The other user guide means guides the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means. The movement information extraction unit extracts the position information of the other user from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition unit with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit. The information transmitting unit transmits the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extracting unit to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. The meeting place setting means sets a meeting place with another user. The meeting information transmitting unit transmits information specifying the meeting place set by the meeting place setting unit to the in-vehicle information terminal 7.

  In addition, the memory 32 stores user information (user ID, name, etc.) and map information related to the user 4 who owns the mobile information terminal 5, as well as a waiting information providing program (see FIGS. 5 and 7) described later. It is a medium. The map information may be acquired from the information management server 2 or other servers by communication without being stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 may be constituted by a hard disk, a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, and the like.

  The memory 32 also stores information on the current position and meeting place of other users received from the information management server 2. The information management server 2 receives information necessary for waiting for each user 4 included in the group to be waited for when the user 4 indicates that he / she wishes to wait (position information of the other party to be waited, a waiting place, etc.). ).

  The display 38 is disposed on one surface of the housing, and a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like is used. Then, various information such as the contents input by the input operation unit 39 and the Internet site are displayed. When the navigation function is executed, a map image including a road, traffic information, a planned travel route from the departure place to the destination, guidance information along the planned travel route, and the like are also displayed. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, after the user 4 displays an intention to wait, the meeting place, the current position of the own user, the current position of another user who is a meeting partner, and the like are displayed (see FIG. 6). However, the own user gets on the vehicle 6 and satisfies the conditions (for example, the side brake is off or the vehicle speed is a certain speed (for example, 10 km / h or more)) that restricts the user's operation to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. In some cases, guidance by the display 38 is limited.

  The input operation unit 39 includes a touch panel provided on the front surface of the display 38, a hard button disposed on the housing, and the like. Then, the mobile information terminal ECU 41 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on an electrical signal output by pressing a touch panel or a hard button. Further, in the first embodiment, when waiting for an appointment, an operation is performed to input information related to the appointment (for example, an appointment place or an appointment time). The input operation unit 39 can also be constituted by various keys such as a number / character input key, a cursor key for moving a cursor for selecting displayed contents, and an enter key for confirming selection.

  In addition, the GPS 40 can detect the current position and the current time of the mobile information terminal 5 (that is, the user 4) by receiving radio waves generated by an artificial satellite.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 mounted on the vehicle 6 on which the user 4 gets will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the in-vehicle information terminal 7 according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 according to the first embodiment includes a current position detection unit 51 that detects a current position of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is mounted, and a data recording unit in which various data are recorded. 52, an in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53 that performs various arithmetic processes based on the input information, an operation unit 54 that receives operations from the user, and a facility map related to the vehicle and facilities related to the facility is displayed to the user. A liquid crystal display 55, a speaker 56 for outputting voice guidance regarding route guidance, a DVD drive 57 for reading a DVD as a storage medium, and a communication module 58 for performing wireless communication by Bluetooth or the like.

Below, each component which comprises the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7 is demonstrated in order.
The current position detection unit 51 includes a GPS 61, a vehicle speed sensor 62, a steering sensor 63, a gyro sensor 64, and the like, and can detect the current vehicle position, direction, vehicle traveling speed, current time, and the like. . Here, in particular, the vehicle speed sensor 62 is a sensor for detecting a moving distance and a vehicle speed of the vehicle, generates a pulse according to the rotation of the driving wheel of the vehicle, and outputs a pulse signal to the in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53. The in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53 calculates the rotational speed and the moving distance of the drive wheels by counting the generated pulses. The in-vehicle information terminal 7 does not have to include all the four types of sensors, and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 may include only one or more of these types of sensors.

  In addition, the data recording unit 52 is a driver for reading out an external storage device and a hard disk (not shown) as a recording medium, a map information DB 65 and a predetermined program recorded in the hard disk, and writing predetermined data in the hard disk And a recording head (not shown). The data recording unit 52 may be constituted by a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, instead of the hard disk. Further, the map information DB 65 may be stored in an external server, and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 may be obtained by communication.

  Here, the map information DB 65 includes, for example, link data relating to roads (links), node data relating to node points, point data relating to points such as facilities, map display data for displaying maps, intersection data relating to each intersection, and routes. It is a storage means in which search data for searching, search data for searching for points, and the like are stored.

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53 is an electronic control unit that performs overall control of the in-vehicle information terminal 7. The on-board information terminal ECU 53 is used as a working memory when the CPU 71 performs various arithmetic processes. A program that is read from a ROM 73 and a ROM 73 in which a RAM 72 that stores route data when a route is searched, a control program, and a waiting information providing program (see FIGS. 5 and 7) described later are recorded. And an internal storage device such as a flash memory 74 for storing the current position of other users received from the mobile information terminal 5. The in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53 constitutes various means as processing algorithms. For example, the guide route setting means sets a guide route to the destination. The information receiving means receives the position information of other users transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 by the information transmitting means. The in-vehicle terminal guide means guides the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means, with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guide route. The in-vehicle information extracting means extracts the position information of the other user from the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means, with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit. The meeting information receiving means receives the information specifying the meeting place transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 by transmitting the meeting information. The destination setting means sets the meeting place as the destination.

  The operation unit 54 is operated when inputting a departure point as a travel start point and a destination point as a travel end point, and includes a plurality of operation switches (not shown) such as various keys and buttons. The in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on switch signals output by pressing the switches. The operation unit 54 can also be configured by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 55. Moreover, it can also be comprised with a microphone and a speech recognition apparatus.

  The liquid crystal display 55 includes a map image including a road, traffic information, operation guidance, operation menu, key guidance, guidance route from the departure point to the destination, guidance information along the guidance route, news, weather forecast, Time, mail, TV program, etc. are displayed. In particular, in the first embodiment, in a state where the user 4 getting on the vehicle 6 is waiting with another user, the meeting place is basically set as the destination. As a result, the meeting place, the current position of the own user, the current position of the other user who is a meeting partner, the route from the current position of the own user to the meeting place, and the like are displayed (see FIG. 8).

  Further, the speaker 56 outputs voice guidance for guiding traveling along the guidance route and traffic information guidance based on an instruction from the in-vehicle information terminal ECU 53.

  The DVD drive 57 is a drive that can read data recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD or a CD. Based on the read data, music and video are reproduced, the map information DB 65 is updated, and the like.

  The communication module 58 is a communication device for communicating with the mobile information terminal 5 by wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

  Next, a waiting information providing program executed in the information management server 2, the mobile information terminal 5, and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 constituting the information providing system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the waiting information providing program according to the first embodiment. Here, the waiting information providing program is executed when a predetermined operation is performed in the mobile information terminal 5 of the user 4 who wishes to wait, and provides information necessary for waiting to each user 4 who waits. It is. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 7 below are stored in the RAM, ROM, or the like included in the information management server 2, the mobile information terminal 5, or the in-vehicle information terminal 7, and are executed by the CPU 21, CPU 31, or CPU 71. Is done. In the following description, a user carrying the mobile information terminal 5 on which the waiting information providing program is executed is referred to as a self user, and a user who waits other than the self user is referred to as another user.

  First, a waiting information providing program executed in the mobile information terminal 5 will be described. In step (hereinafter abbreviated as “S”) 1, the CPU 31 of the mobile information terminal 5 activates a predetermined application program in the mobile information terminal 5, and displays information related to the waiting request (hereinafter referred to as waiting request information) on the application program. Input based on the user's operation. Note that the waiting request information includes information for specifying the “password” and the “waiting place”, respectively. Here, the “password” is identification information for specifying the user who is to wait for on the information management server 2 side as will be described later. The “meeting place” may be specified by inputting a facility name, or may be performed by designating a point to be a meeting place on the map. In addition, “waiting time” may also be input as waiting request information.

  Next, in S <b> 2, the CPU 31 transmits the waiting request information input in S <b> 1 to the information management server 2 including information (such as a user ID) that identifies the user who is the sender. The above S1 and S2 are performed only in the mobile information terminal 5 of any one of the plurality of users 4 who are waiting, and only the processes after S3 are performed in the mobile information terminal 5 of the other user 4. Is done.

  Subsequently, in S3, the CPU 31 activates a predetermined application program in the mobile information terminal 5, and inputs a “secret word” on the application program. Note that the “secret word” to be input in S3 is the “secret word” input as waiting request information in S1. That is, the user who has correctly input the “password” input as the waiting request information in S1 is specified as the user who is waiting.

  Next, in S <b> 4, the CPU 31 transmits the “secret word” input in S <b> 3 to the information management center 3 including information (user ID and the like) specifying the user who is the sender.

  Thereafter, in S5, the CPU 31 receives information (facility name, position coordinates, etc.) specifying the meeting place transmitted from the information management server 2. Note that the meeting place transmitted from the information management center 3 in S5 is basically the “waiting place” input as the waiting request information in S1, but information that the input meeting place is inappropriate. If the management server 2 determines, a new meeting place may be set in the information management server 2. Further, the information management server 2 may be configured to set an appropriate meeting place from the current position of the user performing the waiting without causing the user to input the meeting place. Note that the processing after S5 is performed only in the mobile information terminal 5 that has correctly input and transmitted the "password" input as the waiting request information in S1.

  In S6, the CPU 31 guides the currently set meeting place based on the information specifying the meeting place received in S5. For example, it is performed by displaying an icon or the like for specifying the meeting place on the map, or displaying the name of the facility that becomes the meeting place.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 7, the CPU 31 receives the position information request transmitted from the information management server 2. The position information request is a signal for requesting the current position of the user who is waiting.

  Next, in S8, the CPU 31 obtains the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 based on the detection result of the GPS 40. In addition, you may use the detection result of other sensors (for example, gyro sensor etc.) with which the mobile information terminal 5 is provided other than GPS40 for acquisition of a present position.

Thereafter, in S9, the CPU 31 transmits the information on the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 acquired in S8 to the information management server 2. And the information management server 2 which acquired the information of the present position from the movement information terminal 5 updates the position management information 18 of the waiting management information DB 15 as will be described later. Specifically, the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 transmitted from each mobile information terminal 5 is specified as the current position of the user carrying the mobile information terminal 5. As a result, the information management server 2 can manage the current positions of all users who are waiting.
In the first embodiment, the current position information of the mobile information terminal 5 is transmitted to the information management server 2 in response to the position information request transmitted from the information management server 2 in S7. A configuration may be adopted in which information on the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 is periodically transmitted to the information management server 2 regardless of whether or not there is a request for position information.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 10, the CPU 31 receives the position information of all users included in the waiting group transmitted from the information management server 2. Note that the user location information received in S10 is the latest location information managed by the information management server 2 at the present time. That is, for a user who is not communicating with the information management server 2 for some reason (for example, communication failure or the like), there may be location information that specifies a location different from the current location. Note that the location information of the own user may not be received.

  Then, in S11, the CPU 31 guides the position of the own user and the positions of all other users other than the own user based on the position information of all users included in the group performing the waiting received in S10. As a result, in addition to the meeting place, it is possible to grasp the own position and the position of the meeting partner.

Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen 80 for meeting place information displayed on the display 38 in S11.
As shown in FIG. 6, the display 38 has a map image 81 around the user, a current location mark 82 indicating the current location of the user, a meeting location mark 83 that specifies a meeting place and a meeting time, and a meeting partner. A partner mark 84 for specifying the current position of a certain other user is displayed. In addition, when there are a plurality of other users who are waiting partners, the partner mark 84 displays the positions of all other users located in the displayed map image. Further, it is desirable to display the partner mark 84 together with the user ID so that other users can be identified. As a result, by referring to the guidance screen 80 displayed on the display 38, the user can grasp his current position and the current position of the meeting partner in addition to the meeting place. The mobile information terminal 5 is basically configured not to display the guidance route to the destination (that is, the meeting place). However, it may be configured to display when a user performs a predetermined operation in order to display the guidance route.

  Next, in S12, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the mobile information terminal 5 is connected to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 and is communicable. The communication between the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is performed by wireless communication using Bluetooth or the like. Therefore, the user carrying the mobile information terminal 5 gets on the vehicle 6 on which the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is mounted (that is, the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 are within a communicable range), and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 Mobile information terminal 5 and in-vehicle information terminal 7 can communicate with each other. The communication between the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 may be configured to be performed by wired communication. In that case, it is a condition that the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 are connected by a cable.

  And when it determines with the mobile information terminal 5 being connected with the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7 and being able to communicate (S12: YES), it transfers to S13. On the other hand, when it is determined that the mobile information terminal 5 cannot communicate with the in-vehicle information terminal 7 (S12: NO), the process proceeds to S14.

  In S13, the CPU 31 executes an in-vehicle information terminal communication process (FIG. 7) described later. The in-vehicle information terminal communication process includes information (facility ID, facility name, position coordinates, etc.) specifying the meeting place received in S5 to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 to which the mobile information terminal 5 is connected as described later. This is a process of transmitting the position information (position coordinates, etc.) of each user of the group that is waiting in S10. On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 executes travel guidance based on the transmitted information. The processing of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 will be described later.

  Thereafter, in S14, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the waiting has been completed. Note that whether or not the waiting has been completed is determined by whether or not the positions of all the users 4 included in the group to be waiting have been matched. Note that the mobile information terminal 5 or the information management server 2 may determine whether or not the positions of all the users 4 included in the group to wait for match. Then, when the positions of all the users 4 included in the group to wait for match, it is determined that the waiting has been completed.

  If it is determined that the waiting has been completed (S14: YES), the waiting information providing program is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the waiting has not been completed (S14: NO), the process returns to S8, and the guidance is continuously performed based on the newly acquired current positions of the own user and other users. .

  If it is determined that the user has arrived at the meeting place and the other user has not reached the meeting place, the recommended route from the meeting place to the current position of the other user is guided. It may be configured.

  Next, a waiting information providing program executed in the information management server 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in S <b> 21, the CPU 21 receives the waiting request information transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5. Note that the waiting request information includes information for specifying the “password” and the “waiting place” as described above.

  Next, in S <b> 22, the CPU 21 receives the “password” transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 together with information (user ID or the like) specifying the user 4 who is the sender.

  Subsequently, in S23, the CPU 21 specifies the user 4 included in the group to perform the waiting based on the waiting request information received in S21 and the “password” received in S22. Specifically, the “password” input as the waiting request information is specified as the user 4 included in the group in which the user who has correctly input the meeting.

  Thereafter, in S24, the CPU 21 transmits information (facility name, position coordinates, etc.) specifying the meeting place to the mobile information terminal 5 carried by each user specified in S23.

  Subsequently, in S25, the CPU 21 transmits a position information request to the mobile information terminal 5 carried by each user specified in S23. The position information request is a signal for requesting the current position of the user.

  Thereafter, in S26, the CPU 21 receives the information on the current position transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 of each user who waits in response to the position information request transmitted in S25.

  In S27, the CPU 21 updates the position management information 18 of the meeting management information DB 15 based on the received information on the current position. Specifically, the current position of the mobile information terminal 5 transmitted from each mobile information terminal 5 is specified as the current position of the user carrying the mobile information terminal 5 and stored in the meeting management information DB 15.

  Next, in S28, the CPU 31 refers to the position management information 18 in the waiting management information DB 15, and for each user included in the group to be waited specified in S23, the position information of all users included in the group. Send. In addition, it is good also as a structure which does not transmit about the user's own positional information used as a transmission destination. As a result, in the mobile information terminal 5 carried by each user who waits as described above, the position of the own user, the position of another user, and the like are displayed in addition to the meeting place (FIG. 6).

  Next, a sub-processing program of the in-vehicle information terminal communication process executed in S13 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in S31, the CPU 31 has more than the predetermined number of other users who have been able to acquire location information other than the own user based on the location information of each user in the group that performs the waiting received from the information management server 2 in S10. It is determined whether or not. Here, the predetermined number of persons as the determination condition in S31 is the number of persons that does not interfere with the travel guidance even if the position information guidance is performed by the in-vehicle information terminal 7, for example, three persons. The predetermined number of people may be changed based on the positional relationship between the current position of the user and the meeting place. For example, when the current position of the user and the meeting place are close to each other, detailed travel guidance is not necessary, and a predetermined number of people may be set.

  If it is determined that the number of other users who have been able to acquire position information other than the own user is greater than the predetermined number (S31: YES), the process proceeds to S32. On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of other users who have been able to acquire position information other than the own user is equal to or less than the predetermined number (S31: NO), the process proceeds to S33.

In S <b> 32, the CPU 31 extracts position information of other users to be transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 from the position information of other users acquired from the information management server 2 with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit. The predetermined number of persons is the same as the predetermined number of persons that became the determination condition in S31.
The position information of other users to be extracted is determined based on any one of the following conditions (1) to (4) or a combination of a plurality of conditions.
(1) Priority is given to the position information of other users whose connection management (login) to the information management server 2 is started earlier.
(2) Priority is given to the position information of another user whose position information is updated.
(3) Priority is given to position information of other users who are close to the user.
(4) Prioritize location information of other users who have not arrived at the meeting place.

  For example, when the combination of the conditions (1) and (4) is used, among other users who have not arrived at the meeting place, the predetermined number of people in the order from the earliest time when connection (login) to the information management server 2 was started Extract location information of other users.

  Thereafter, in S33, the CPU 31 selects only the location information of other users excluding the location information of the own user from the current location information of all users received from the information management server 2 in S10, and is connected so as to be communicable. Is transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. However, when the process of S32 is performed, only the position information of the other users extracted in S32 is set as a transmission target. In S33, the CPU 31 also transmits information (facility ID, facility name, position coordinates, etc.) specifying the meeting place to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. As a result, as will be described later, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is also informed about the positions of other users and the meeting place. The location information of the own user need not be basically transmitted because the location of the own user can be detected by the in-vehicle information terminal 7, but may be configured to transmit.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to S14, where it is determined whether or not the waiting has been completed. When it is determined that the waiting has not been completed, the processes after S8 are repeatedly executed. Therefore, for example, when the user gets on the vehicle 6 on the way to the meeting place, guidance regarding the meeting place and the meeting partner, which has been performed only at the mobile information terminal 5 until then, is also performed at the in-vehicle information terminal 7 thereafter. Will be. On the other hand, when the user gets off from the vehicle 6 on the way to the meeting place, guidance regarding the meeting place and meeting partner that has been performed by the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 until then is given. Will be done only in 5.

  Next, a waiting information providing program executed in the in-vehicle information terminal 7 in accordance with the sub-processing program for in-vehicle information terminal communication processing will be described.

  First, in S <b> 41, the CPU 71 receives the position information transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 and information specifying the meeting place of other users included in the group performing the waiting.

  Next, in S <b> 42, the CPU 71 automatically determines the position of the vehicle 6 detected by the current position detection unit 51 included in the in-vehicle information terminal 7 and the position information of other users included in the waiting group received in S <b> 41. Guide the user's position and the position of other users other than the user. Specifically, the current position of the vehicle 6 detected by the current position detection unit 51 is guided as the current position of the user, and the position of the other user is determined based on the position information of the other user received from the mobile information terminal 5. Identify and guide. Furthermore, the currently set meeting place is guided based on the information specifying the meeting place received in S41. As a result, in addition to the meeting place, it is possible to grasp the own position and the position of the meeting partner. The in-vehicle information terminal 7 sets the received meeting place as the destination, and guides the guide route from the current position of the user to the destination on the same screen. The guide route may be searched by the information management server 2 and the search result may be received, or may be searched by the in-vehicle information terminal 7.

Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen 90 for meeting place information displayed on the liquid crystal display 55 in S42.
As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display 55 has a map image 91 around the user, a current location mark 92 indicating the current location of the user, a meeting location mark 93 that specifies a meeting place and a meeting time, and the own user. A guide route 94 from the current position to the meeting place and a partner mark 95 for specifying the current position of another user who is the meeting partner are displayed. In addition, when there are a plurality of other users who are waiting partners, the partner mark 95 displays the positions of the other users located in the displayed map image. Further, it is desirable to display the partner mark 95 together with the user ID so that other users can be identified. Since the position information of other users transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 is limited to a predetermined number or less as described above (S32), there is no possibility that more partner marks 95 are displayed than the predetermined number. For example, in the guidance screen 90 of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 shown in FIG. 8, the number of other users to be guided is limited to three, so compared with the guidance screen 80 of the mobile information terminal 5 shown in FIG. The number of other users to be guided is decreasing.

  As a result, by referring to the guidance screen 90 displayed on the liquid crystal display 55, the user can grasp the route to the meeting place, his current position, and the current position of the meeting partner in addition to the meeting place. It becomes possible. In addition, even when there are a large number of queuing partners, guidance is limited to only the location information of other users that is particularly important for the user, so the guidance route displayed on the guidance screen 90 is not easily seen, It is possible to guide the user more reliably to the meeting place.

  As described above in detail, in the information providing system 1, the information providing method by the information providing system 1, and the computer program executed in the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the user 4 has indicated an intention to wait. In this case, the information management server 2 identifies the user who is to wait, and acquires the identified current location of each user via the mobile information terminal 5 carried by each user (S27). Further, the mobile information terminal 5 acquires the position information of other users from the information management server 2 (S10), and guides the positions of all other users specified based on the acquired position information of other users ( S11) Further, if the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 are communicable, the acquired location information of other users is transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit (S33). On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 that has received the position information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 guides the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received from the mobile information terminal 5. (S42). As a result, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 can also share the position information of other users, which is information shared between the mobile information terminals 5. In addition, in the in-vehicle information terminal 7, by restricting the guidance of the positions of other users, the amount of information to be guided does not increase too much, and the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 (vehicle travel guidance to the destination) ) Will not be damaged.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an information providing system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the same reference numerals as those of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 8 are the same as or equivalent to those of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. Is shown.

The schematic configuration of the information providing system according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. Various control processes are also substantially the same as the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment.
However, the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment extracts the position information of other users to be guided by the in-vehicle information terminal 7 on the mobile information terminal 5 side, whereas in the second embodiment The information providing system is different in that the position information of other users to be guided by the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is extracted on the in-vehicle information terminal 7 side.

  Below, the sub-process program of the vehicle-mounted information terminal communication process performed in the mobile information terminal 5 which comprises the information provision system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.

  First, in S51, the CPU 31 selects only the location information of other users excluding the location information of the own user from the current location information of all users received from the information management server 2 in S10, and is connected to be communicable. Is transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. Furthermore, in S51, the CPU 31 also transmits information for specifying the meeting place (facility ID, facility name, position coordinates, etc.) to the in-vehicle information terminal 7. As a result, as will be described later, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is also informed about the positions of other users and the meeting place. In addition, since the position of the own user can be detected by the in-vehicle information terminal 7, it is not necessary to basically transmit the position information of the own user. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S14, where it is determined whether or not the waiting has been completed. When it is determined that the waiting has not been completed, the processes after S8 are repeatedly executed.

  Next, a waiting information providing program executed in the in-vehicle information terminal 7 in accordance with the sub-processing program for in-vehicle information terminal communication processing will be described.

  First, in S <b> 61, the CPU 71 receives the position information transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 and information specifying the meeting place of other users included in the group performing the waiting.

  Subsequently, in S62, the CPU 71 determines whether or not the number of other users whose position information has been acquired is greater than a predetermined number based on the position information of other users received from the mobile information terminal 5 in S61. Here, the predetermined number of people as the determination condition in S62 is the number of people who does not interfere with the travel guidance even if the location information guidance is performed by the in-vehicle information terminal 7, for example, three people. The predetermined number of people may be changed based on the positional relationship between the current position of the user and the meeting place. For example, when the current position of the user and the meeting place are close to each other, detailed travel guidance is not necessary, and a predetermined number of people may be set. Furthermore, you may change based on the display scale of the map displayed on the liquid crystal display 55 of the vehicle-mounted information terminal 7. FIG. For example, when the scale is small, the area to be displayed becomes larger than when the scale is large (that is, the number of other users to be displayed increases), so the predetermined number of people may be set smaller.

  If it is determined that the number of other users who have acquired position information is greater than the predetermined number (S62: YES), the process proceeds to S63. On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of other users whose position information has been acquired is equal to or less than the predetermined number (S62: NO), the process proceeds to S64.

In S <b> 63, the CPU 71 extracts the position information of the other users who are to be guided from the position information of the other users acquired from the mobile information terminal 5 with the predetermined number of people as the upper limit. The predetermined number of persons is the same as the predetermined number of persons that became the determination condition in S62.
Further, the position information of the other users to be extracted is determined based on any one of the above conditions (1) to (4) or a combination of a plurality of conditions. The specific extraction mode is the same as S32 described above, and the details are omitted.

  Next, in S64, the CPU 71 automatically determines the position of the vehicle 6 detected by the current position detector 51 included in the in-vehicle information terminal 7 and the position information of other users included in the waiting group received in S61. Guide the user's position and the position of other users other than the user. Specifically, the current position of the vehicle 6 detected by the current position detection unit 51 is guided as the current position of the user, and the position of the other user is determined based on the position information of the other user received from the mobile information terminal 5. Identify and guide. Further, the currently set meeting place is guided based on the information specifying the meeting place received in S61. However, when the process of S63 is performed, only the position information of other users extracted in S63 is set as a guidance target. As a result, in addition to the meeting place, the user's own position and the position of the meeting partner can be grasped (see FIG. 8). The in-vehicle information terminal 7 sets the received meeting place as the destination, and guides the guide route from the current position of the user to the destination on the same screen. In that case, even when there are many meeting partners, guidance is limited to only the location information of other users, which is particularly important for the user, so the displayed guidance route does not become difficult to see and the meeting place It is possible to guide the user more reliably. The guide route may be searched by the information management server 2 and the search result may be received, or may be searched by the in-vehicle information terminal 7.

  As explained in detail above, in the information provision system according to the second embodiment, the information provision method by the information provision system, and the computer program executed in the information provision system, when there is an intention to wait for the user 4, The information management server 2 specifies a user who is to wait, and acquires the specified current position of each user via the mobile information terminal 5 carried by each user. Further, the movement information terminal 5 acquires the position information of other users from the information management server 2, guides the positions of all other users specified based on the acquired position information of other users, and further moves information. If the terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 are communicable, the acquired position information of the other user is transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal 7 (S51). On the other hand, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 that has received the position information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal 5 determines the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received from the mobile information terminal 5. Guide the maximum number of people (S64). As a result, the in-vehicle information terminal 7 can also share the position information of other users, which is information shared between the mobile information terminals 5. In addition, in the in-vehicle information terminal 7, by restricting the guidance of the positions of other users, the amount of information to be guided does not increase too much, and the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal 7 (vehicle travel guidance to the destination) ) Will not be damaged.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the mobile information terminal 5 executes the processes of S1 to S14 of the waiting information providing program (FIGS. 5 and 7), and performs the processes of S21 to S28, S31 to 33, and S51. Although the information management server 2 executes the configuration in which the in-vehicle information terminal 7 executes the processes of S41, S42, and S61 to S64, the main body that executes each step can be appropriately changed among the three parties. .

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the communication between the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 is performed by wireless communication using Bluetooth, but may be wireless communication of other standards. . Alternatively, the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 may be connected by cable communication or the like.

  The in-vehicle information terminal 7 may have means for communicating with the communication network 8. In that case, communication between the mobile information terminal 5 and the in-vehicle information terminal 7 may be performed by Bluetooth or may be performed via the communication network 8.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the information providing system is applied as a system that provides information on the current position and meeting place of each user belonging to the group to a group of a plurality of users who are waiting. Although the above example has been described, application to other groups is also possible. For example, the present invention can be applied to a system that provides the current position of each user belonging to a group to a family or a group of friends without setting a meeting place. The mobile information terminal 5 is configured to guide the position of the own user and the position of the other user, but may be configured to guide only the position of the other user.

  Moreover, although the embodiment which actualized the information providing system according to the present invention has been described above, the information providing system can also have the following configuration, and in this case, the following effects can be obtained.

For example, the first configuration is as follows.
The first destination setting means includes an in-vehicle image display device for displaying an image on the in-vehicle information terminal, and the in-vehicle terminal guide means displays the position and guidance route of the other user on one screen of the in-vehicle image display device. It is characterized by that.
According to the information providing system having the above-described configuration, even if the position of another user and the guidance route are displayed on one screen, the destination can be displayed without hindering the display of the guidance route by the position of the other user displayed on the screen. It is possible to guide the user more reliably.

For example, the second configuration is as follows.
The mobile information terminal includes a mobile image display device that displays an image, and the mobile terminal guide means displays the position of another user on the mobile image display device, and does not display the guide route to the destination on the mobile image display device. It is characterized by that.
According to the information providing system having the above configuration, the mobile information terminal does not provide travel guidance to the destination as compared with the in-vehicle information terminal. Therefore, it is assumed that the positions of all other users are displayed on the screen in the mobile information terminal. In addition, the user can guide the user to the destination by visually recognizing the in-vehicle information terminal. On the other hand, even if there are many other users in the mobile information terminal, it becomes possible to guide the positions of all users in detail. Therefore, it is possible to provide more appropriate guidance to the user by using the mobile information terminal and the in-vehicle information terminal having different guidance modes.

The third configuration is as follows.
The movement information terminal has movement information extraction means for extracting position information of other users from the position information of other users acquired by the information acquisition means up to a predetermined number of people, and the information transmission means includes movement information extraction The position information of the other users extracted by the means is transmitted to the in-vehicle information terminal.
According to the information providing system having the above-described configuration, even if there are many other users, the mobile information terminal extracts the location information of other users to be guided by the in-vehicle information terminal, and thus becomes a guidance target. There is no possibility that the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal (travel guidance of the vehicle to the destination) is not impaired without increasing the amount of information. In addition, the amount of communication between the mobile information terminal and the in-vehicle information terminal can be reduced.

The fourth configuration is as follows.
The in-vehicle information terminal has in-vehicle information extraction means for extracting the position information of other users from the position information of other users received by the information receiving means up to a predetermined number of people. The position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user extracted by the means is guided.
According to the information providing system having the above configuration, even if there are many other users, the in-vehicle information terminal side extracts the position information of the other users to be guided by the in-vehicle information terminal, and thus becomes a guidance target. There is no possibility that the original purpose of the in-vehicle information terminal (travel guidance of the vehicle to the destination) is not impaired without increasing the amount of information.

The fifth configuration is as follows.
The movement information extraction unit or the in-vehicle information extraction unit preferentially extracts position information of other users whose connection time to the server is early.
According to the information providing system having the above configuration, even when there are a large number of other users, priority is given to the position information of other users who are particularly in the main position, that is, the position information of other users having high importance for the user. It can be a guidance target. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately perform guidance on the position of another user without increasing the amount of information to be guided.

The sixth configuration is as follows.
The movement information extraction unit or the in-vehicle information extraction unit preferentially extracts the position information of another user whose position information is updated and has a new time.
According to the information providing system having the above configuration, even when there are a large number of other users, the position information of the other users in which the position information is updated appropriately, that is, the other having high importance for the user. The user's location information can be given priority for guidance. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately perform guidance on the position of another user without increasing the amount of information to be guided.

The seventh configuration is as follows.
The movement information extraction unit or the in-vehicle information extraction unit preferentially extracts position information of other users who are close to the user.
According to the information providing system having the above configuration, even when there are a large number of other users, the position information of other users that are likely to be displayed on the in-vehicle image display device at a position close to the users, that is, for the users. Position information of other users with high importance can be given priority as a guidance target. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately perform guidance on the position of another user without increasing the amount of information to be guided.

The eighth configuration is as follows.
The mobile information terminal has a meeting place setting means for setting a meeting place with another user, and a waiting information transmitting means for transmitting information for specifying the meeting place set by the meeting place setting means to the in-vehicle information terminal. The in-vehicle information terminal has waiting information receiving means for receiving the information specifying the meeting place transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the waiting information sending means, and destination setting means for setting the meeting place as the destination. It is characterized by that.
According to the information providing system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to share a meeting place and position information of each user using a mobile information terminal and an in-vehicle information terminal among a plurality of users who are waiting. In addition, the in-vehicle information terminal can appropriately perform vehicle travel guidance to the meeting place.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information provision system 2 Information management server 3 Information management center 4 User 5 Mobile information terminal 6 Vehicle 7 Car-mounted information terminal 8 Communication network 38 Display 55 Liquid crystal display

Claims (19)

A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing system comprising:
The mobile information terminal
Information acquisition means for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
Mobile terminal guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
The movement information extracting means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquiring means. When,
Information transmission means for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means to the in- vehicle information terminal;
The in-vehicle information terminal is
Guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination;
Information receiving means for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting means;
In-vehicle terminal guidance means for guiding the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route;
An information providing system characterized by comprising: A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing system comprising:
The mobile information terminal
Information acquisition means for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
Mobile terminal guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
The movement information extraction means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition means;
Information transmission means for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means to the in- vehicle information terminal;
The in-vehicle information terminal is
Guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination;
Information receiving means for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting means;
In-vehicle terminal guidance means for guiding the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route;
An information providing system characterized by comprising: A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing system comprising:
The mobile information terminal
Information acquisition means for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
Mobile terminal guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
Information transmission means for transmitting the location information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition means to the in-vehicle information terminal;
The in-vehicle information terminal is
Guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination;
Information receiving means for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting means;
In-vehicle information extraction means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose time when the connection to the server is started is limited to a predetermined number of people from the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means; ,
And vehicle terminal guidance means for the position of the other user identified based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extracting means, to the proposal in together with the guide path,
An information providing system characterized by comprising: A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing system comprising:
The mobile information terminal
Information acquisition means for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
Mobile terminal guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
Information transmission means for transmitting the location information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition means to the in-vehicle information terminal;
The in-vehicle information terminal is
Guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination;
Information receiving means for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting means;
In-vehicle information extraction means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated from the position information of the other user received by the information receiving means with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit;
And vehicle terminal guidance means for the position of the other user identified based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extracting means, to the proposal in together with the guide path,
An information providing system characterized by comprising: The in-vehicle information terminal includes an in-vehicle image display device that displays an image,
The vehicle terminal guiding means providing information as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each displayed position and the guide path of the other users on one screen of the vehicle image display device system. The mobile information terminal includes a mobile image display device that displays an image,
The mobile terminal guiding means, wherein the positions of other users as well as displayed on the mobile image display apparatus, according to claim 1 to claim the guidance route to the destination is characterized in that it does not appear in the moving image display device 5 An information providing system according to any one of the above. The mobile information terminal
A meeting place setting means for setting a meeting place with the other user;
Waiting information transmitting means for transmitting to the in-vehicle information terminal information identifying the meeting place set by the meeting place setting means,
The in-vehicle information terminal is
Waiting information receiving means for receiving information specifying the meeting place transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the waiting information transmitting means;
The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising destination setting means for setting the meeting place as the destination. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing method for providing information to the user using
In the mobile information terminal,
Information acquisition step for acquiring position information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
A mobile terminal guidance step for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition step;
A movement information extracting step that preferentially extracts the position information of the other user whose time when the connection to the server is started with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from among the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquiring step. When,
An information transmission step of transmitting the location information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction step to the in- vehicle information terminal,
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting step for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information receiving step of receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting step;
An in-vehicle terminal guidance step of guiding the location of the other user specified based on the location information of the other user received in the information receiving step, with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route, Information provision method. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing method for providing information to the user using
In the mobile information terminal,
Information acquisition step for acquiring position information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
A mobile terminal guidance step for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition step;
A movement information extraction step for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition step;
An information transmission step of transmitting the location information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction step to the in- vehicle information terminal,
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting step for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information receiving step of receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting step;
An in-vehicle terminal guidance step of guiding the location of the other user specified based on the location information of the other user received in the information receiving step, with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route, Information provision method. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing method for providing information to the user using
In the mobile information terminal,
Information acquisition step for acquiring position information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
A mobile terminal guidance step for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition step;
Performing the information transmission step of transmitting the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition step to the in-vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting step for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information receiving step of receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting step;
An in-vehicle information extraction step for preferentially extracting the location information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the location information of the other user received by the information reception step; ,
Characterized in that the position of the other user identified, performs, and vehicle terminal guidance step of the plan in together with the guide route based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extraction step Information provision method. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user An information providing method for providing information to the user using
In the mobile information terminal,
Information acquisition step for acquiring position information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
A mobile terminal guidance step for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition step;
Performing the information transmission step of transmitting the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition step to the in-vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting step for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information receiving step of receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmitting step;
In-vehicle information extraction step for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated from the position information of the other user received by the information receiving step with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit;
Characterized in that the position of the other user identified, performs, and vehicle terminal guidance step of the plan in together with the guide route based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extraction step Information provision method. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user , A computer program for realizing the following functions,
In the mobile information terminal,
An information acquisition function for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
A mobile terminal guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
A movement information extraction function that preferentially extracts the location information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server is early with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit from the location information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition function When,
Realizing the information transmission function of transmitting the location information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction function to the in- vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting function for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information reception function for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmission function;
An in-vehicle terminal guidance function for guiding the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving function with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route is realized. Computer program. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user , A computer program for realizing the following functions,
In the mobile information terminal,
An information acquisition function for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
A mobile terminal guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
A movement information extracting function for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition function;
Realizing the information transmission function of transmitting the location information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction function to the in- vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting function for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information reception function for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmission function;
An in-vehicle terminal guidance function for guiding the position of the other user specified based on the position information of the other user received by the information receiving function with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit together with the guidance route is realized. Computer program. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user , A computer program for realizing the following functions,
In the mobile information terminal,
An information acquisition function for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
A mobile terminal guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
Realizing the information transmission function of transmitting the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition function to the in-vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting function for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information reception function for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmission function;
An in-vehicle information extraction function for preferentially extracting the location information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the location information of the other user received by the information reception function; ,
And characterized in that to realize a vehicle terminal guidance function the position of the other users, is the proposal to the guidance route together with specified based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extracting function Computer program. A mobile information terminal that is carried by a user and is communicably connected to another mobile information terminal via a server, and an in-vehicle information terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and is communicably connected to the mobile information terminal carried by the user , A computer program for realizing the following functions,
In the mobile information terminal,
An information acquisition function for acquiring, via the server, location information of another user who is a different user from the user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user;
A mobile terminal guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
Realizing the information transmission function of transmitting the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition function to the in-vehicle information terminal;
In the in-vehicle information terminal,
A guide route setting function for setting a guide route to the destination,
An information reception function for receiving the location information of the other user transmitted from the mobile information terminal by the information transmission function;
In-vehicle information extraction function for preferentially extracting the location information of the other user with a new time when the location information is updated with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit from the location information of the other user received by the information reception function;
And characterized in that to realize a vehicle terminal guidance function the position of the other users, is the proposal to the guidance route together with specified based on the position information of the other users extracted by the vehicle-mounted information extracting function Computer program. While being carried by a user and being connected to another mobile information terminal carried by another user who is a different user from the user via a server, the other user is mounted on a vehicle and transmitted from the outside. A mobile information terminal communicably connected to an in-vehicle information terminal having a function of guiding each of the position information and the guidance route to the destination,
Information acquisition means for acquiring the position information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
Other user guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
The movement information extracting means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server with a predetermined number of people as an upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquiring means. When,
A mobile information terminal comprising: information transmission means for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means to the in-vehicle information terminal. While being carried by a user and being connected to another mobile information terminal carried by another user who is a different user from the user via a server, the other user is mounted on a vehicle and transmitted from the outside. A mobile information terminal communicably connected to an in-vehicle information terminal having a function of guiding each of the position information and the guidance route to the destination,
Information acquisition means for acquiring the position information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
Other user guidance means for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition means;
The movement information extraction means for preferentially extracting the position information of the other user whose position information is updated with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit from the position information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition means;
A mobile information terminal comprising: information transmission means for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction means to the in-vehicle information terminal. While being carried by a user and being connected to another mobile information terminal carried by another user who is a different user from the user via a server, the other user is mounted on a vehicle and transmitted from the outside. To mobile information terminals that are communicably connected to in-vehicle information terminals that have the function of guiding the location information and the guidance route to the destination,
An information acquisition function for acquiring the location information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
Another user guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
A movement information extraction function that preferentially extracts the location information of the other user whose time of starting connection to the server is early with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit from the location information of the other user acquired by the information acquisition function When,
An information transmission function for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction function to the in-vehicle information terminal;
A computer program characterized by realizing the above. While being carried by a user and being connected to another mobile information terminal carried by another user who is a different user from the user via a server, the other user is mounted on a vehicle and transmitted from the outside. To mobile information terminals that are communicably connected to in-vehicle information terminals that have the function of guiding the location information and the guidance route to the destination,
An information acquisition function for acquiring the location information of the other user from the other mobile information terminal carried by the other user via the server;
Another user guidance function for guiding the positions of all the other users specified based on the position information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function;
From the location information of the other users acquired by the information acquisition function, the location information of the other users is extracted with priority given to the location information of the other users whose location information is updated with a predetermined number of people as the upper limit. Movement information extraction function to
An information transmission function for transmitting the position information of the other user extracted by the movement information extraction function to the in-vehicle information terminal;
A computer program characterized by realizing the above.

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