JP6657637B2 - Information generation system, information generation device, information generation method, information generation program, probe information collection device, probe information collection method, and probe information collection program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information generation system, an information generation device, an information generation method, an information generation program, a probe information collection device, a probe information collection method, and a probe information collection program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information generation system, an information generation device, an information generation method, and an information generation program for generating provided information using a probe information group provided by a business operator. Further, the present invention relates to a probe information collecting device, a probe information collecting method, and a probe information collecting program for collecting probe information from a plurality of vehicles.

  Conventionally, systems have been proposed that generate traffic information useful for driving a vehicle, such as travel time information, based on probe information collected from vehicles traveling on a road, and provide the generated traffic information to a driver (for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, in a system for directly acquiring probe information from a privately owned vehicle and generating traffic information, a system for providing an incentive to an individual who transmitted probe information according to the quality of each acquired probe information has also been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 2). This system also discloses that probe information of a plurality of vendor vehicles owned by a vendor performing a certain kind of work can also be acquired and used.

JP 2007-241987 A JP 2008-310396 A

  In order to generate traffic information, it is necessary to acquire probe information that is valuable to a business operator (probe business operator) that generates traffic information as efficiently as possible. The present inventors have focused on the following points of the conventional system. In other words, in the conventional system, a probe provider that collects probe information and distributes traffic information to / from a vehicle owned by an individual uses a probe information collected from his / her member who is a contracted individual. They are just serving. For this reason, attention has been paid to the problem that the amount of probe information obtained is limited or the running area may be biased.

  Further, in Patent Literature 2, probe information of a trader vehicle is also collected. For example, the taxi trader, the bus trader, or the like, which is a trader referred to here, has only a few hundred vehicles at most. In addition, since the dealer vehicle travels for the purpose of performing a specific task, the vehicle travels on a special road or route on which the general vehicle does not normally travel, or stops for a long time in a place where the general vehicle does not normally stop. For this reason, the present inventors have noticed that there is a limit to the use of the probe information obtained from the trader vehicle described in Patent Document 2.

  In these prior arts, a closed service is provided in their own probe information center by one probe provider, which is a framework similar to the conventional system.

  The present invention has been made based on such a new point of view of the present inventors, and probe information necessary for generating traffic information, an information generation system that efficiently collects information, an information generation device, An object of the present invention is to provide an information generation method and an information generation program.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a probe information collection device, a probe information collection method, and a probe information collection program that can efficiently provide probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, an information generating system according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a system for collecting probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position, from each of a plurality of businesses. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business entity, based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, An information generating unit that generates provided information for providing to the outside, and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit to the outside are provided.

  (9) A probe information collecting unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, which collects, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position. A probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group; and An information acquisition unit configured to acquire the provided information according to a value of the probe information group from the device.

  (10) An information generating device according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time when the vehicle passes through the position, the information generation device being associated with the business. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles to be provided, based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, for providing to the outside. The information processing apparatus includes an information generation unit that generates provided information, and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit to the outside.

  (11) An information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of collecting probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes through the position, from each of a plurality of companies that collect probe information. Acquiring a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles to be provided; and, based on the acquired probe information group, generating provided information to be provided to the outside. Providing the provided information to the outside.

  (12) A probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a step of collecting, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time when the vehicle passes the position, Providing a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information, to an information generation device that generates provided information using the probe information group, and from the information generation device, according to a value of the probe information group. Acquiring the provided information.

  (13) An information generating program according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to a program for collecting probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes through the position, from each of a plurality of companies collecting probe information. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles to be provided, based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, for providing to the outside. A computer is caused to function as an information generating unit that generates provided information and an information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit to the outside.

  (14) A probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein a probe information collection unit that collects, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position. A probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group; and A computer functions as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group from the device.

  According to the present invention, probe information required for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained or provided.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of a traffic information providing system concerning an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a probe information collection device. It is a figure showing the example of a format of the probe information collected from the probe terminal of vehicles. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the information generation device. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process executed by the probe information collection device. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process executed by the information generation device. FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing map matching. It is a scatter diagram of travel time information as traffic information generated by the information generation device and travel time information as traffic information generated by an external device. FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing position accuracy of probe information.

(Knowledge underlying the present invention)
The present inventors have further found the following findings regarding the conventional system described in the section of “Background Art”.

  If probe information from multiple operators is integrated and traffic information is created and returned to each operator, improvement in traffic information can be expected due to a significant increase in the number and area of probe information, and the merits of operators are also large. . When the business entity provides probe information or traffic information, it may exchange payment. The consideration is not limited to cash, but may be electronic money or a point system.

  On the other hand, hardware such as sensors and software for collecting and transmitting probe information vary widely depending on the provider, and it is expected that the quality of probe information will vary. Even within the same company, the same may occur due to differences in hardware and software generations.

  If each provider is treated similarly in such a situation, there is a possibility that a superior provider that provides high-quality probe information may feel unfair and be reluctant to provide probe information.

  Conversely, if an incentive is given to a good company, it will be motivated to provide it, and there is a possibility that a movement to improve the quality of probe information and increase the amount of information to obtain further incentives will increase. Car manufacturers and major service providers who develop in-vehicle navigation systems and application software for smartphones may be able to actively improve hardware and software to accelerate technological progress. Can be expected.

  Then, the quality of the probe information is further improved, and as a result, the quality of the traffic information is improved, and the contribution to society by the improvement of traffic congestion is great.

  The present invention has been made based on such findings.

  First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

  (1) An information generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of companies that collect probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position, from a plurality of companies related to the company. A probe information group acquiring unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for the vehicle, and information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquiring unit. And an information providing unit that externally provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit.

  According to this configuration, a probe information group is acquired from a plurality of providers, and the provided information is generated from the acquired probe information group. The provided information is traffic information such as travel time information or traffic congestion section information, or information useful to the business operator (for example, discount information on products and services). Since the probe information group is acquired from a plurality of operators, it is possible to acquire probe information and the like in an area that cannot be covered by only one operator. Further, it is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from among a group of probe information having different qualities among operators. For this reason, probe information required for generating traffic information can be efficiently acquired.

  (2) Further, the information generation system described above may further include, for each of the businesses, a value evaluation unit that evaluates the value of the probe information group provided by the business.

  According to this configuration, the value of the probe information group is evaluated for each provider. Therefore, it is possible to change the contents of the provided information to be generated or change the price to be paid to the business operator, according to the value of the probe information group. Therefore, an incentive is provided to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  (3) The information generation unit generates the provided information based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit and the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. Is also good.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to generate the provided information in consideration of the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of probe information with high position accuracy and high value of probe information is set larger than the weight of probe information with low position accuracy and low value, and travel time is calculated using probe information obtained from multiple operators. Generate information. As a result, traffic information such as travel time information with high accuracy can be generated.

  (4) The information providing unit may provide the provided information to the plurality of businesses.

  According to this configuration, each provider can receive the provision information as compensation for the provision of the probe information group. For this reason, an incentive to provide probe information to the business operates, and as a result, probe information required for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business.

  (5) The information providing unit may provide the provided information that is different for each business operator based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit.

  According to this configuration, more valuable provision information can be provided to a provider that has provided a valuable probe information group. For this reason, an incentive works to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  (6) Further, the information providing unit may provide the provided information to a user other than the plurality of businesses.

  According to this configuration, the provided information can be used by anyone other than the provider that provides the probe information.

  (7) Further, the above-mentioned information generation system further includes a consideration information acquisition unit that acquires compensation information indicating compensation paid by the business or a user other than the business for providing the provided information, The information generating unit may generate the provided information by changing the content of the provided information for each of the businesses or the users according to the price indicated by the price information acquired by the price information acquiring unit. .

  According to this configuration, a business or a user who pays a higher price can receive higher-quality provision information.

  (8) In addition, the value evaluation unit includes: (1) a total traveling distance of the plurality of vehicles indicated by the probe information group; (2) a total number of the probe information included in the probe information group; An area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the information group; (4) real-time property of the probe information group; (5) a position interval of a movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group; (6) the probe Ratio of the probe information occupied by map matching in the information group, (7) ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal in the probe information group, (8) probe information included in the probe information group (9) the ratio of the probe information detected for the pedestrian in the probe information group, (10) the position of the predetermined road Presence / absence of probe information including position information, (11) presence / absence of probe information obtained from a vehicle traveling in a congested section, (12) traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group (13) the distance between the starting point and the end point of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group, (14) the position accuracy of the probe information indicated by the probe information group, and (15) the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information group. The value of the probe information group may be evaluated based on at least one of the type of the road and (16) a ratio of the probe information of the stopped vehicle in the probe information group.

  According to this configuration, it can be evaluated that the probe information group that is useful for generating traffic information has higher value. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the business operator that collects the probe information group, and to provide high-quality provision information to the business company that provides the high-value probe information group. Therefore, an incentive is provided to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  (9) A probe information collection unit according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: a probe information collection unit configured to collect, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position. A probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group; And an information acquisition unit for acquiring the provided information according to the value of the probe information group.

  According to this configuration, the higher the value of the probe information group provided to the information generating device, the higher the quality of the provided information can be obtained. For this reason, an incentive works to provide more valuable probe information to a company that operates the probe information collection device. As a result, the probe information collecting device efficiently provides the information generating device with probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

  (10) An information generation device according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to a plurality of companies that collect probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes through the position, the information being related to the company. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles, and a provision for providing the information to the outside based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. An information generating unit for generating information, and an information providing unit for providing the provided information generated by the information generating unit to the outside are provided.

  This configuration is the same as the configuration of the information generation system shown in (1), and its operation and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description will not be repeated here.

  (11) An information generation method according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position, the information is related to the business. Obtaining a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles; and, based on the obtained probe information group, generating provided information for providing to the outside; Providing the provided information to the outside.

  This configuration includes steps corresponding to each processing unit of the information generation system shown in (1), and the operation and effect are the same as those shown in (1). Therefore, the detailed description will not be repeated here.

  (12) A probe information collecting method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a step of collecting, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes through the position. Providing a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information, to an information generation device that generates provided information using the probe information group, and, from the information generation device, the value corresponding to the value of the probe information group. Obtaining provided information.

  This configuration includes steps corresponding to each processing unit of the probe information collecting device shown in (9), and the operation and effect are the same as those shown in (9). Therefore, the detailed description will not be repeated here.

  (13) An information generation program according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on a position of a vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position, the information generation program relates to the business. A probe information group acquisition unit that acquires a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles, and a provision for providing the information to the outside based on the probe information group acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit. A computer is caused to function as an information generating unit that generates information and an information providing unit that externally provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit.

  This configuration is the same as the configuration of the information generation system shown in (1), and its operation and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description will not be repeated here.

  (14) A probe information collection program according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe information collection unit that collects, from each of a plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position. A probe information group providing unit that provides a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group; And causing the computer to function as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group.

  This configuration is the same as the configuration of the probe information collecting device shown in (9), and its operation and effect are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description will not be repeated here.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present invention. Numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. The present invention is specified by the claims. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are not necessarily required to achieve the object of the present invention. It is described as constituting a preferred form.
Note that at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

(Embodiment)
[1. Overall Configuration of Traffic Information Providing System]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a traffic information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The traffic information providing system 100 collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle 5 and the time at which the vehicle 5 passes through the probe terminals disposed on the vehicles 5A to 5C traveling on the road. The traffic information providing system 100 generates traffic information such as travel time information and congestion section information based on probe information collected from a probe terminal of each vehicle 5, and transmits the generated traffic information to a car navigation system of each vehicle 5. provide. Each vehicle 5 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and the like, and collects position information of the vehicle 5.

  The traffic information providing system 100 includes probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C, an information generating device 2, a user device 3, and a probe using device 4.

  The probe information collecting device 1A is a device managed by the operator A, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of the vehicle 5A contracted by the operator A. The probe information collecting device 1B is a device managed by the company B, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of the vehicle 5B contracted by the company B. The probe information collecting device 1C is a device managed by the operator C, and is a device that collects probe information from a probe terminal of the vehicle 5C contracted by the operator C. The company is a manufacturer that manufactures the vehicle 5 or a manufacturer that manufactures a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 5. However, operators are not limited to these as long as they collect probe information

  In the following description, when the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C are not distinguished, they are described as a probe information collecting device 1, and when the vehicles 5A to 5C are not distinguished, they are described as a vehicle 5.

  The information generation device 2 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, and generates provision information including traffic information based on the acquired probe information group. The information generation device 2 provides the generated provision information to the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C. In addition, the information generation device 2 may provide, to the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, price information having a monetary value as a price for providing the probe information group. Further, the information generation device 2 acquires the value information having a monetary value from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, and provides the generated provided information to the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C as a price for the acquired value information. You may.

  The user device 3 is, for example, a device used by a general driver or the like. The user device 3 does not provide probe information to the information generating device 2 but receives the provided information from the information generating device 2. The user device 3 is, for example, a car navigation system provided in a vehicle, a smartphone used by a driver of the vehicle, or the like. Upon receiving the provision of the provision information, the user device 3 transmits consideration information having a monetary value to the information generation device 2.

  The probe using device 4 is a device that generates traffic information by reusing the probe information group collected by the information generating device 2 from the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C. For example, the probe using device 4 is operated by a business different from the business that operates the information generating device 2 and generates traffic information from a different viewpoint from the information generating device 2. Upon receiving the provision of the probe information group from the information generating device 2, the probe using device 4 transmits consideration information having a monetary value to the information generating device 2.

  The devices shown in FIG. 1 may be connected via a communication network such as the Internet, or may be connected via a dedicated communication network. Further, the probe terminals of the vehicles 5A to 5C and the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C may be connected by a wireless communication network such as a mobile phone network, or may be connected by a dedicated wireless communication network. Good.

[2. Configuration of Probe Information Collection Device 1]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the probe information collecting device 1.

  The probe information collecting device 1 includes a communication I / F unit 11, a probe information collecting unit 12, a probe information accumulating unit 13, a probe information group providing unit 14, a price information providing unit 15, an information acquiring unit 16, The system includes a provided information storage unit 17, a consideration information storage unit 18, and an information providing unit 19.

  The communication I / F unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 and the information generating device 2 by wire or wirelessly, and is configured by a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter or the like.

  The probe information collecting unit 12 collects probe information from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The probe information collecting unit 12 stores the collected probe information in the probe information storage unit 13 by writing the collected probe information in the probe information storage unit 13.

  The probe information storage unit 13 is a storage device that stores the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit 12, and is configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a format example of probe information collected from the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The probe terminal of the vehicle 5 acquires probe information at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 30 seconds) or at predetermined distance intervals (for example, every 100 m). The probe information includes vehicle ID information, position information, time information, direction information, fuel efficiency information, terminal type information, vehicle type information, and a map matching flag.

  The vehicle ID information is information for identifying the vehicle 5 or the probe terminal of the vehicle 5. The position information is information indicating the traveling position of the vehicle 5 by latitude and longitude. The time information is information indicating the time at which the position information was acquired. The azimuth information is information indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 5. The fuel efficiency information is information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle 5. The terminal information is information for specifying the type of the terminal for acquiring the probe information. That is, the terminal information indicates whether the probe terminal arranged on the vehicle 5 is a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system mounted on the vehicle 5 or a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone used by a driver of the vehicle 5. . The vehicle type information is information indicating a vehicle type classification of the vehicle 5. For example, the vehicle type information indicates whether the vehicle 5 is a mini car, a normal car, a medium-sized car, or a large car. The map matching flag indicates whether or not the position information is map-matched position information.

  Referring to FIG. 2 again, the probe information group providing unit 14 transmits the probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collecting unit 12 and stored in the probe information storing unit 13, to the communication I / F unit. 11 to the information generating device 2. Here, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 13 during a predetermined time. Also, the probe information group providing unit 14 may transmit a probe information group in which the predetermined number of probe information items are collected after a predetermined number of probe information items are stored in the probe information storage unit 13. Good.

  The consideration information providing unit 15 transmits consideration information having a monetary value to the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. By transmitting the consideration information, it is possible to pay a consideration for acquiring higher quality provided information to a company that operates the information generation device 2.

  The information obtaining unit 16 obtains provided information according to the value of the probe information group provided by the probe information group providing unit 14 from the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. That is, the higher the value of the provided probe information group is, the more the information obtaining unit 16 can obtain higher quality provided information. Further, when the consideration information providing unit 15 is transmitting consideration information to the information generation device 2, the information acquisition unit 16 acquires higher-quality provision information as the monetary value indicated by the consideration information is higher. be able to. The information obtaining unit 16 stores the obtained provided information in the provided information storage unit 17.

  Further, the information acquisition unit 16 may acquire, from the information generation device 2, price information having a monetary value as a price for providing the probe information group via the communication I / F unit 11. The information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired price information in the price information storage unit 18. The case where the information obtaining unit 16 obtains the price information means that the price information is obtained instead of the provided information as a price for providing the probe information group, and the obtained information is obtained as the price for providing the probe information group. However, the value of the probe information group may be higher than the value of the provided information. In the latter case, the information obtaining unit 16 obtains, from the information generating device 2, value information in which the difference between the value of the probe information group and the value of the provided information is replaced with a monetary value.

  The provided information storage unit 17 and the consideration information storage unit 18 are storage devices that respectively store the provided information and the consideration information acquired by the information acquisition unit 16, and are configured by an HDD or the like.

  The information providing unit 19 provides the provided information to the vehicle 5 by transmitting the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. For example, when the provided information is traffic information, the probe terminal supports the driver of the vehicle 5 by displaying the traffic information on the screen of the probe terminal. When the provided information is video content information, the probe terminal displays the video content information on the screen of the probe terminal, thereby providing entertainment during the break time of the driver or the passenger of the vehicle 5.

  Further, the information providing unit 19 provides the price information by transmitting the price information stored in the price information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11. The operator of the probe information collection device 1 determines the amount of the price indicated by the price information individually.

  The destination of the provided information and the value information is not limited to the probe terminal, but may be a car navigation system, a smartphone, or the like.

[3. Configuration of Information Generation Device 2]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information generating device 2.

  The information generation device 2 includes a communication I / F unit 21, a probe information group acquisition unit 22, a probe information storage unit 23, a value evaluation unit 24, a price information acquisition unit 25, an information generation unit 26, And a unit 27.

  The communication I / F unit 21 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the probe information collecting devices 1A to 1C, the user device 3, and the probe using device 4 by wire or wirelessly, and is configured by a LAN adapter or the like.

  The probe information group acquisition unit 22 acquires a probe information group, which is a set of probe information, from each of the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C via the communication I / F unit 21. The probe information group acquiring unit 22 accumulates the acquired probe information group in the probe information accumulating unit 23 for each probe information collecting device 1.

  The probe information storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores the above-described probe information group, and is configured by an HDD or the like.

  The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 for each probe information collection device 1. The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group from the viewpoint of quantity and quality. The method of evaluating the value will be described later.

  The consideration information acquisition unit 25 acquires consideration information from the probe information collection devices 1A to 1C, the user device 3, and the probe utilization device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21. This price information is information indicating the price paid as the price of the provided information provided by the information generating device 2. For example, it is assumed that the price indicated by the price information has five levels from 1 to 5, and the higher the value, the larger the value of the price. It is assumed that the price information having a price of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 has a value of 100,000, 200,000, 300,000, 400,000 and 500,000 yen.

  The information generation unit 26 generates traffic information as provision information to be provided to the outside based on the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, the information generation unit 26 generates travel time information indicating a travel time of a predetermined road section from a movement locus of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information group including time information of a predetermined time zone, Or traffic congestion section information indicating a traffic congestion section among the above.

  The information generation unit 26 may generate the traffic information in consideration of the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23. For example, the value of the probe information group acquired from the probe information collection device 1A is 5 (for example, the higher the value in five stages, the higher the value is), and the value of the probe information group collected from the probe information collection device 1B is 3, and the value of the probe information group collected from the probe information collection device 1C is assumed to be 1. At this time, the information generation unit 26 does not generate traffic information using all the probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 23, but generates traffic information using the probe information selected as follows. May be. That is, the information generation unit 26 determines that the ratio of the probe information acquired from the probe information collection device 1A, the probe information collection device 1B, and the probe information collection device 1C among the probe information accumulated in the probe information accumulation unit 23 is 5%. : 3: 1 probe information is selected. The information generation unit 26 generates traffic information using the selected probe information. As described above, by generating the traffic information by using the high-value probe information group preferentially, it is possible to generate highly accurate traffic information.

  The information generation unit 26 may generate video content information as provided information by acquiring video content information stored in advance or by acquiring video content information from an external server.

  The information generation unit 26 changes the quality of the information provided to the probe information collection device 1 according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24. That is, high-quality provision information is provided to the probe information collection device 1 that has provided a high-value probe information group. The higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the time resolution of the provided travel time information may be. For example, the time resolution of the travel time information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set in units of 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes, respectively. Further, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the position resolution of the congested section information to be provided. For example, the position resolution of the traffic congestion section information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be set to 1 m unit, 5 m unit, and 10 m unit, respectively. When providing video content information as provided information, the higher the value of the probe information group, the higher the screen resolution of the provided video content information may be. For example, the screen resolutions of the video content information provided to the probe information collecting device 1A, the probe information collecting device 1B, and the probe information collecting device 1C may be 1024 × 768 pixels, 640 × 480 pixels, and 320 × 240 pixels, respectively. .

  The information generation unit 26 may generate information useful for the business operator of the probe information collection device 1 or the driver of the vehicle 5, such as discount information of a product or service, as provision information. At that time, the information generation unit 26 may generate discount information with a higher discount rate for the probe information collection device 1 that has provided a higher value probe information group.

  When the information generation unit 26 has acquired the price information from the probe information collection device 1, the information generation unit 26 performs a probe based on the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 and the price indicated by the price information. Information to be provided to the information collection device 1 is generated. That is, the information generation unit 26 provides higher-quality provision information to the probe information collection device 1 in which the total value of the value of the probe information group and the price indicated by the price information is large.

  The information generation device 2 does not acquire the probe information group from the user device 3 but acquires only the value information. For this reason, the information generation unit 26 generates higher-quality provided information as provided information to be provided to the user device 3 as the value indicated by the value information acquired from the user device 3 is higher.

  The information generating device 2 does not acquire the probe information group from the probe using device 4 but acquires only the value information. The information provided by the information generating device 2 to the probe using device 4 is a probe information group. Therefore, the information generating unit 26 generates higher-quality probe group information as a probe information group to be provided to the probe using device 4 as the price indicated by the price information acquired from the probe using device 4 is higher. For example, the information generation unit 26 selects the probe information from the probe information storage unit 23 so that the higher the price, the more the probe information evaluated as high in the value evaluation unit 24 is included. Thereby, the information generating unit 26 generates a probe information group according to the price.

  Note that the information generation unit 26 may generate value information according to the value of the probe information group instead of generating the provided information. That is, for the probe information collecting apparatus 1 that has provided a high-valued probe information group, high-value price information may be generated.

  Further, the information generation unit 26 may generate consideration information in addition to generation of the provision information. That is, when the value of the provided probe information group is higher than the value of the generated provided information, the information generating unit 26 generates value information in order to pay a difference between the values as a value.

  The information providing unit 27 provides the provided information or the value information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting it to the probe information collecting apparatus 1 via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, the information providing unit 27 provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting the provided information to the user device 3 via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, the information providing unit 27 provides the probe information group generated by the information generating unit 26 by transmitting the probe information group to the probe using device 4 via the communication I / F unit 21.

[4. Processing flow of probe information collection device 1]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process performed by the probe information collection device 1.

  The probe information collecting unit 12 collects probe information from a probe terminal arranged in the vehicle 5 (S1). A format example of the collected probe information is as shown in FIG.

  The probe information collection unit 12 accumulates the collected probe information by writing it into the probe information accumulation unit 13 (S2).

  The probe information group providing unit 14 provides the probe information group, which is a set of probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 13, by transmitting the probe information group to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S3). ). For example, the probe information group providing unit 14 collects the probe information stored in the probe information storage unit 13 every three minutes and provides the probe information group to the information generating device 2. The probe information group providing unit 14 may delete the provided probe information group from the probe information storage unit 13.

  The consideration information providing unit 15 determines whether there is consideration information to be provided to the information generating device 2 (S4). For example, if there is a contract between the operator of the probe information collecting device 1 and the operator of the information generating device 2 to pay 100,000 yen per month, the provision is made when the due date is reached. It is determined that there is consideration information to be provided.

  If there is price information to be provided (YES in S4), the price information providing unit 15 transmits the price information indicating the value of the predetermined amount to the information generating device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11. Then, the consideration information is provided (S5).

After the price information providing process (S5), or when there is no value information to provide (NO in S4), the information acquisition unit 16 sends the probe information from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 to the probe information. The providing information corresponding to the value of the probe information group provided by the group providing unit 14 is acquired (S6).
The information acquisition unit 16 accumulates the acquired provided information in the provided information storage unit 17 (S7).

  The information providing unit 19 provides the provided information by transmitting the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 17 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S8).

  The information acquisition unit 16 determines whether or not price information having a monetary value is provided from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 as a price for providing the probe information group (S9). ).

  When the consideration information is provided (YES in S9), the information acquisition unit 16 acquires the consideration information by receiving the consideration information from the information generation device 2 via the communication I / F unit 11 ( S10).

  The information acquisition unit 16 stores the acquired price information in the price information storage unit 18 (S11).

  Further, the information providing unit 19 provides the price information by transmitting the price information stored in the price information storage unit 18 to the probe terminal of the vehicle 5 via the communication I / F unit 11 (S12).

[5. Processing flow of information generating device 2]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process performed by the information generation device 2. FIG. 6 shows a process performed by the information generation device 2 with the probe information collection device 1.

  The probe information group acquisition unit 22 acquires a probe information group from the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S21).

  The probe information group acquisition unit 22 accumulates the acquired probe information group in the probe information accumulation unit 23 for each probe information collection device 1 (S22). That is, the probe information group is added with the identifier of the probe information collection device 1 and stored.

  The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group stored in the probe information storage unit 23 (S23). The method of evaluating the value will be described later.

  The price information acquisition unit 25 determines whether or not price information has been provided from the probe information collection device 1 (S24).

  If the price information has been provided (YES in S24), the price information acquisition unit 25 receives the price information from the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21, and thereby receives the price information. Is acquired (S25).

  After the price information acquisition process (S25), or when the price information has not been provided (NO in S24), the information generating unit 26 generates the provided information to be provided to the probe information collection device 1. (S26). The provided information is generated according to the value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluation unit 24 and the price indicated by the price information acquired by the price information acquisition unit 25.

  The information providing unit 27 provides the generated provided information by transmitting it to the probe information collecting apparatus 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S27).

  The information generation unit 26 determines whether payment for the probe information collection device 1 is necessary (S28). That is, if the value of the provided probe information group is higher than the value of the generated provided information, it is determined that payment of the consideration is necessary. For example, when the value of the probe information group is 5 and the value of the generated provided information is 3, the information generation unit 26 needs to pay the difference value of 2 (for example, 200,000 yen). Is determined to be. That is, if the difference value is larger than 0, it may be determined that payment of the consideration is necessary. When the price information acquisition unit 25 has acquired the price information from the probe information collection device 1, the difference between the value of the price and the probe information group indicated by the acquired price information and the value of the generated provided information. Based on the value, it may be determined whether or not payment is necessary.

  If it is determined that payment of the consideration is necessary (YES in S28), the information generation unit 26 generates consideration information to pay the difference in value as consideration (S29).

  The information providing unit 27 provides the generated consideration information by transmitting it to the probe information collection device 1 via the communication I / F unit 21 (S30).

[6. Specific example of value evaluation processing of probe information group]
Next, a specific example of the probe information group value evaluation process (S23 in FIG. 6) executed by the value evaluation unit 24 of the information generation device 2 will be described. The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group from a quantitative or qualitative aspect of the probe information. Specifically, the value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 based on at least one of the following (1) to (16).

(1) Total travel distance of the plurality of vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates the trajectories of the plurality of vehicles 5. Therefore, the value evaluating unit 24 evaluates the probe information group as having a higher value as the total traveling distance of the plurality of vehicles 5 indicated by the probe information group is larger. The total travel distance is calculated, for example, as a total value of the distance between the start point and the end point of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group is determined such that the greater the distance, the higher the value. You may ask for value.

(2) Total number of probe information included in probe information group The value evaluation unit 24 evaluates the value as higher as the total number of probe information included in the probe information group is larger. However, even if the probe information group is sampled while the vehicle 5 moves the same distance, the number of pieces of probe information increases as the sampling interval decreases. For this reason, the value evaluation unit 24 weights the total number of probe information with a weight that becomes smaller as the sampling interval becomes smaller, and evaluates the value of the probe information group based on the total number of weighted probe information. Good. The value evaluation unit 24 is weighted with reference to a data table in which the relationship between the number of probe information and the value of the probe information group is determined such that the greater the number of probe information, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the total number of the probe information.

(3) An area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group The probe information obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a wide area is a probe obtained by the vehicle 5 traveling in a narrow area. This can be helpful in generating traffic information on more roads than information. Therefore, the value evaluation unit 24 may evaluate the value of the probe information group higher as the area covered by the position of the vehicle 5 indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group is larger. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the area of the area and the value of the probe information group is determined such that the larger the area, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the area.

(4) Real-time property of probe information group The probe information with the new time at which the position information was acquired can be used for generating travel time information and traffic congestion section information provided as real-time information to the driver. On the other hand, probe information with an earlier time cannot be provided as real-time information, but can only be used as statistical information of travel time information or traffic congestion section information. For this reason, the value of the probe information is higher as the time when the position information is acquired is newer. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average of the difference between the time indicated by the time information of the probe information included in the probe information group and the current time, and evaluates the value of the probe information group higher as the average of the difference is smaller. May be. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the difference from the current time and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance such that the smaller the difference is, the higher the value is. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the average.

(5) Position Interval of Movement Trajectory Shown by Probe Information Group The probe information group shows the movement trajectory of each vehicle 5, but as the position interval of the movement trajectory (the interval of the position indicated by the position information of the probe information) becomes smaller, The movement locus of the vehicle 5 is shown in more detail. That is, as the position interval of the movement trajectory is smaller, the position of the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 5, the position of the sudden braking, the position of the sudden steering wheel, and the like can be detected with higher accuracy. Therefore, the value of the probe information group is higher as the position interval of the movement trajectory is smaller. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the position interval of the movement trajectory and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance such that the smaller the position interval is, the higher the value is, The value of the probe information group may be determined from the average of the position intervals indicated by the probe information group.

(6) Proportion of Probe Information with Map Matching in Probe Information Group FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining map matching. FIG. 7A shows the position indicated by the position information of the probe information before map matching (hereinafter, referred to as a probe position), and FIG. 7B shows the probe position after map matching. Before the map matching, the probe position 31 is separated from the road 32 as shown in FIG. 7A, but after the map matching, the probe position 31 is placed on the road 32 as shown in FIG. I have. To generate accurate traffic information, a map matching process is necessary. However, if the map matching process is performed in advance, the information generating device 2 does not need to perform the map matching process. For this reason, the processing amount of the information generation device 2 can be reduced. Therefore, it can be determined that the probe information on which the map matching processing has been performed has a high value.

  Whether or not map matching has been performed may be determined by a map matching flag provided in the probe information shown in FIG. For example, the probe information collecting device 1 may set a map matching flag for the probe information on which the map matching has been performed (the map matching flag may be set to 1). However, if it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided from the probe information collecting apparatus 1 is map-matched or not map-matched due to a prior contract with a business operator or the like, the probe There is no need to provide a map matching flag in the information.

  The information generating device 2 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the map-matched probe information and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance. The value of the probe information group may be determined from the ratio of the information. The relationship defined by the data table is such that the greater the ratio, the higher the value.

(7) Proportion of Probe Information Acquired by Dedicated Terminal in Probe Information Group Probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal such as a car navigation system always indicates a movement locus of the vehicle 5. However, the probe information acquired by a general-purpose terminal such as a smartphone may indicate the moving track of the vehicle 5 or may indicate the moving track of a pedestrian. For this reason, the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal has higher reliability and is of higher value to the information generator 2. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio occupied by the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal in the probe information group from the terminal type information of the probe information shown in FIG. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the probe information acquired by the dedicated terminal and the value of the probe information group is determined, and the relationship is such that the larger the ratio is, the higher the value is. Then, the value of the probe information group may be obtained from the calculated ratio of the probe information. Note that examples of the terminal type information include an in-vehicle navigation system, a GPS logger, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet. Among them, the in-vehicle navigation system is a dedicated terminal, and the GPS logger, mobile phone, smartphone, and tablet are general-purpose terminals. If it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided from the probe information collecting apparatus 1 is probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with a business operator, the terminal There is no need to provide type information.

(8) Types of Information Included in Probe Information Included in Probe Information Group As shown in FIG. 3, probe information includes various types of information. As the number of types of information included in the probe information increases, the number of traffic information that can be generated can be increased, and the accuracy of the traffic information can be improved. For this reason, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average of the number of types of information included in the probe information included in the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the number of types of information and the value of the probe information group is determined in advance such that the greater the number of types of information, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group may be obtained from the average of the calculated numbers of types. Note that the more valuable the information, the greater the weight, and the number of types of information may be calculated by adding the weights.

(9) Proportion of probe information detected for pedestrians in the probe information group The probe information acquired by the general-purpose terminal may be probe information detected for pedestrians, and the probe information of pedestrians may be traffic information. Is noise for the generation of For this reason, it can be said that the value of the probe information group is higher as the proportion of the pedestrian detected and occupied by the probe information in the probe information group is smaller. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average moving speed of the moving object for each moving locus from the moving locus indicated by the probe information group, and walks the probe information forming the moving locus whose average moving speed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. It is determined that the information is probe information detected for the person. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the probe information detected for the pedestrian and the value of the probe information group, and the smaller the ratio is, the higher the value of the relationship is determined. The value of the probe information group is determined from the ratio of the probe information detected for the pedestrian in the information group. If it is known in advance that all of the probe information provided from the probe information collection device 1 is probe information acquired by a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with a business operator, etc. There is no need to provide type information. In that case, the number of pieces of probe information detected for the pedestrian is zero.

(10) Presence or absence of probe information including position information of a predetermined road position Depending on the road, there are roads for which probe information is difficult to collect. This may occur, for example, when the vehicle 5 to which the probe information collecting apparatus 1 is contracted is unevenly distributed in a specific area and cannot cover all areas in addition to a road with a small traffic volume. However, it is desirable to generate traffic information even on a road where probe information is difficult to be collected from the viewpoint of service improvement. Therefore, it can be said that probe information including position information of a position of a predetermined road such as a road with a small traffic volume (hereinafter, referred to as “probe information when traveling on a predetermined road”) has high value. For example, it is assumed that the value of a probe information group that includes probe information when traveling on a predetermined road and the value of a probe information group that does not include probe information when traveling on a predetermined road are determined in advance. It is also assumed that information indicating these values is stored in a data table. The value evaluation unit 24 determines whether or not the probe information group includes probe information when traveling on a predetermined road, and obtains the value of the probe information group by referring to the data table.

(11) Presence or absence of probe information obtained from a vehicle traveling in a congested section If the vehicle 5 is traveling in a congested section, congested section information can be generated from the probe information of the vehicle 5. Such probe information is useful and valuable for generating traffic information. For example, it is assumed that a data table in which the value of a probe information group including probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 traveling in a congested section and the value of a probe information group not including the probe information are prepared in advance. If the travel trajectory indicated by the probe information group includes a section in which the traveling speed is equal to or less than the predetermined speed threshold, the value evaluation unit 24 includes the probe information obtained from the vehicle 5 traveling in the congested section in the probe information group. Then, the value of the probe information group is obtained from the above data table.

  (12) Accuracy of traffic information as provision information generated by information generation unit 26 based on probe information group

  If the accuracy of the traffic information generated by the information generating unit 26 based on the probe information group is high, the value of the probe information group is high. In order to obtain such accuracy, for example, the value evaluator 24 determines whether the traffic information generated by the information generator 26 based on the probe information group and the traffic obtained from an external device that provides highly accurate traffic information are provided. A correlation coefficient with information is calculated, and the calculated correlation coefficient is obtained as accuracy. FIG. 8 is a scatter diagram of travel time information as traffic information generated by the information generation device 2 and travel time information as traffic information generated by an external device. The horizontal axis indicates the travel time generated by the information generating device 2, and the vertical axis indicates the travel time generated by the external device. If the correlation coefficient between the two travel times is close to 1, it is determined that the two are similar and the accuracy of the probe information group is high and the value is high. In other words, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the relationship between the correlation coefficient and the value of the probe information group with reference to a data table in which the relationship is such that the larger the correlation coefficient, the higher the value. The value of the probe information group is obtained from the correlation coefficient. Note that the value evaluation unit 24 acquires the traffic information generated by the external device via the communication I / F unit 21. Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the traffic information is generated after the value of the probe information group is evaluated. However, when the value evaluation shown in (12) is performed, the traffic information is generated before the evaluation of the probe information group. Information may be generated.

  The accuracy of the traffic information may be obtained by comparing the traffic information between the operators, and the value of the probe information group may be evaluated. For example, it is assumed that probe information is provided from the probe information collecting apparatuses 1 of five operators A, B, C, D and E. In this case, the information generation unit 26 calculates travel time information for each company using the probe information provided from the probe information collection device 1 of the company. The value evaluation unit 24 compares the tendency of the travel time information between the businesses. For example, the transition of travel time in the same road section is compared. As a result, if the travel time information of the operators A to D shows the same tendency, but only the operator E shows a different tendency from the others, the value of the probe information group of the operator E is set to another value. The value may be lower than the value of the probe information group of the operators A to E.

  It should be noted that some providers provide traffic information such as travel time information without providing probe information. In such a case, the value evaluation unit 24 generates the traffic information generated by the information generation unit 24 for each business based on the traffic information provided and the probe information group provided from another business. It may be compared with. If the provided traffic information has a different tendency from the multiple generated traffic information, the evaluation of the provider that provides only the traffic information is reduced, the quality of the provided information is reduced, and the price indicated by the provided price information is reduced. May be reduced.

(13) Distance between the starting point and the end point of the trajectory indicated by the probe information group The probe information group indicates a plurality of trajectories, but if the probe information group includes only short trajectories, the travel time Is difficult to calculate accurately, and the value of the probe information group is low. For this reason, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the average of the distances between the start point and the end point of the plurality of movement trajectories indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the distance and the value of the probe information group is determined such that the greater the distance, the higher the value. Find the value of a group of information.

(14) Position accuracy of probe information indicated by probe information group The higher the position accuracy of probe information indicated by the probe information group, the more accurate traffic information can be generated. Therefore, the value of the probe information group including the probe information with higher position accuracy is higher. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the positional accuracy of the probe information. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the probe position 31 and the road 32 of the probe information having relatively high positional accuracy. FIG. 9B is a graph showing the probability of occurrence of an error at the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9A. The horizontal axis represents the error, and the vertical axis represents the probability of occurrence of the error. The error is the distance indicated by the broken line in FIG. 9A, and is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32. FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the probe position 31 of the probe information having relatively low positional accuracy and the road 32. FIG. 9D is a graph showing the probability of occurrence of an error at the probe position 31 shown in FIG. 9C, wherein the horizontal axis represents the error and the vertical axis represents the probability of occurrence of the error. The error is the distance indicated by the broken line in FIG. 9C, and is the distance between the probe position 31 and the road 32.

  The value evaluation unit 24 calculates an average of errors of the probe information included in the probe information group. The value evaluating unit 24 obtains the value of the probe information group from the average of the calculated errors with reference to a data table in which the relationship between the error and the value of the probe information group is set such that the smaller the error is, the higher the value is. .

(15) The type of road related to the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information group The value of the probe information may be changed depending on whether the type of road on which the vehicle 5 runs is an expressway or a general road. For example, when the information generating device 2 provides traffic information mainly on general roads, a probe information group including a larger amount of probe information collected from the vehicle 5 traveling on general roads may be evaluated to have higher value. Good. The type of the road on which the vehicle 5 runs may be determined by comparing the position information included in the probe information with the road information (not shown) indicating the position of the road for each type. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the probe information collected during traveling on a general road in the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which the relationship between the ratio of the general roads and the value of the probe information group is determined. From the ratio obtained, the value of the probe information group is obtained.

  Conversely, when the information generating device 2 provides traffic information mainly on the expressway, the probe information group including a larger amount of probe information collected from the vehicle 5 traveling on the expressway is evaluated to have higher value. Is also good. In this case, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the proportion of the probe information collected by the probe information collected during traveling on the highway, and sets a relationship in which the value is determined in advance such that the higher the proportion of the highway, the higher the value. , The value of the probe information group is calculated from the calculated ratio.

(16) Percentage of Probe Information of Stopped Vehicles in Probe Information Group Vehicle 5 stops for loading / unloading of luggage, resting, waiting for pick-up at an educational institution such as a school or in front of a station, waiting for parking in a parking lot, and the like. In some cases. Even while the vehicle 5 is stopped, probe information is collected from the vehicle 5 during that time. However, probe information collected from such stopped vehicles is not useful for generating traffic information such as travel time information and congestion section information. Therefore, it can be said that the smaller the proportion of the probe information of the stopped vehicle in the probe information group, the higher the value of the probe information group. For example, the value evaluation unit 24 detects, from the probe information group, probe information indicating that the position information has not changed for a predetermined time or more as probe information of the stopped vehicle. The value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the stop time indicated by the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total travel time indicated by the probe information group. The value evaluation unit 24 refers to a data table in which a relationship between the ratio of the stop time and the value of the probe information group, and the smaller the ratio is, the higher the value is. Find the value of a group of information.

  In addition, the value evaluation unit 24 calculates the ratio of the number of the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total number of the probe information included in the probe information group, and determines that the smaller the ratio is, the higher the value of the probe information group is. Good.

  Conversely, the value of the probe information group increases as the ratio of the stop time indicated by the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total travel time indicated by the probe information group or the ratio of the number of the probe information of the stopped vehicle to the total number of the probe information increases. May be determined to be high. For example, in areas where parking lots are waiting to enter the parking lot, the above ratio increases. However, such a determination is made in response to a request to actively discover such areas and use them for marketing of parking lots. It is valid. As described above, the value evaluation index of the probe information group may be changed according to the purpose of use of the probe information and the like. Note that the value evaluation index may be similarly changed for the items shown in (1) to (15).

  The value of the probe information group may be obtained by combining the items (1) to (16) described above. For example, the value may be obtained from the total traveling distance of the vehicle shown in (1), the value may be obtained from the total number of probe information shown in (2), and the sum of them may be used as the value of the probe information group.

[7. Effects of Embodiment, etc.]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information generation device 2 acquires the probe information group from the probe information collection devices 1 of a plurality of operators, and provides the provided information from the acquired probe information group. Has been generated. The provided information is traffic information such as travel time information or traffic congestion section information, or information useful to the business operator (for example, discount information on products and services). Since the information generating device 2 obtains the probe information group from the probe information collecting devices 1 of a plurality of businesses, the information generating device 2 can obtain probe information of an area that cannot be covered by only one business company. Further, it is also possible to select and use high-quality probe information from among a group of probe information having different qualities among operators. For this reason, probe information required for generating traffic information can be efficiently acquired.

  The information generation device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 of the business operator. Therefore, it is possible to change the contents of the provided information to be generated or change the price to be paid to the business operator, according to the value of the probe information group. Therefore, an incentive is provided to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  Further, the information generating device 2 can generate the provided information in consideration of the value of the probe information group. For example, the weight of probe information with high position accuracy and high value of probe information is set larger than the weight of probe information with low position accuracy and low value, and travel time is calculated using probe information obtained from multiple operators. Generate information. As a result, traffic information such as travel time information with high accuracy can be generated.

  Further, the information generating device 2 provides the generated provided information to the probe information collecting device 1. This allows each provider of the probe information collection device 1 to receive the provision information as compensation for the provision of the probe information group. For this reason, an incentive to provide probe information to the business operates, and as a result, probe information required for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the business.

  Further, the information generation device 2 can provide more valuable provided information to a company that has provided a valuable probe information group. For this reason, an incentive works to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  The information generating device 2 also provides the provided information to the user devices 3 and the like other than the probe information collecting device 1. Thus, the provided information can be provided to a use other than the provider that provides the probe information.

  In addition, the information generating device 2 can change the provided contents according to the price paid by the probe information collecting device 1 or the user device 3. Thus, the higher the value of the business or the more the paying company, the higher the quality of the provided information can be provided.

  The value evaluation unit 24 of the information generation device 2 evaluates the value of the probe information group for each probe information collection device 1 based on at least one of the above (1) to (16). Thereby, it can be evaluated that the probe information group useful for generating traffic information has higher value. For this reason, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the business operator that collects the probe information group, and to provide high-quality provision information to the business company that provides the high-value probe information group. Therefore, an incentive is provided to provide the operator with more valuable probe information, and as a result, probe information necessary for generating traffic information can be efficiently obtained from the operator.

  In addition, the probe information collection device 1 can acquire higher quality provided information as the value of the probe information group provided to the information generation device 2 is higher. For this reason, an incentive to provide more valuable probe information to a company that operates the probe information collection device 1 works. As a result, the probe information collecting device 1 efficiently provides the information generating device 2 with probe information necessary for generating traffic information.

[8. Appendix]
Although the traffic information providing system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

  For example, although the probe information collecting device 1 or the information generating device 2 has been described as being configured by one device, each device is configured by a plurality of devices, and the probe information collecting device 1 or the information generating device 2 may be configured as a probe information collection system or an information generation system, respectively. The devices constituting each system may be interconnected via a wide area network such as the Internet and may be distributed.

  Further, in the value judgment items shown in the above (7) or (9) for the value evaluation processing of the probe information group (S23 in FIG. 6), all of the probe information is converted to a dedicated terminal due to a prior contract with a business operator or the like. If it is known in advance that the information is the probe information acquired in step (1), it is determined that there is no need to provide terminal type information in the probe information. Even if it is not a contract, if it is known in advance that a GPS receiver, base station information, a vehicle speed sensor, a direction sensor, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, etc. are used, all of the probe information is dedicated. It is determined that the information is probe information acquired by the terminal. Therefore, in such a case, it is not necessary to provide terminal type information in the probe information.

  In addition, each of the above devices may be specifically configured as a computer system including a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk drive, a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. A computer program is stored in the RAM or the hard disk drive. Each device achieves its function by the microprocessor operating according to the computer program. Here, the computer program is configured by combining a plurality of instruction codes indicating instructions to the computer in order to achieve a predetermined function.

  Further, a part or all of the constituent elements constituting each of the above devices may be configured from one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). The system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating a plurality of components on one chip, and is specifically a computer system including a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. . The RAM stores a computer program. When the microprocessor operates according to the computer program, the system LSI achieves its function.

  Further, the present invention may be the method described above. Further, the present invention may be a computer program that realizes these methods by a computer, or may be a digital signal including the computer program.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that can read the computer program or the digital signal, for example, a hard disk drive, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a BD (Blu-ray ( (Registered trademark) Disc), and may be recorded on a semiconductor memory or the like. Further, the digital signal may be the digital signal recorded on these non-temporary recording media.

  In the present invention, the computer program or the digital signal may be transmitted via an electric communication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network represented by the Internet, a data broadcast, or the like.

  In addition, by recording the program or the digital signal on the non-temporary recording medium and transferring the same, or transferring the program or the digital signal via the network or the like, another independent computer It may be implemented by a system.

  Further, each step included in the program may be executed by a plurality of computers.

  The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

Reference Signs List 1 probe information collecting device 1A probe information collecting device 1B probe information collecting device 1C probe information collecting device 2 information generating device 3 user device 4 probe using device 5 vehicle 5A vehicle 5B vehicle 5C vehicle 11 communication I / F unit 12 probe information collecting Unit 13 Probe information storage unit 14 Probe information group providing unit 15 Price information providing unit 16 Information acquisition unit 17 Provided information storage unit 18 Price information storage unit 19 Information providing unit 21 Communication I / F unit 22 Probe information group acquisition unit 23 Probe information Storage unit 24 value evaluation unit 25 consideration information acquisition unit 26 information generation unit 27 information provision unit 31 probe position 32 road 100 traffic information provision system

Claims (13)

From each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time at which the vehicle passes, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business. A probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired,
Based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, an information generation unit that generates provided information,
An information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit ;
For each of the businesses, comprising a value evaluation unit that evaluates the value of the probe information group provided by the business,
The value evaluation unit,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group,
An information generation system for evaluating the value of the probe information group based on at least one of the following . The value evaluation unit is configured to perform each of the events based on a result of comparison between the traffic information as the provided information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group provided by each of the businesses. The information generation system according to claim 1, wherein a value of the probe information group provided by a trader is evaluated. The information generating unit is configured based on the value assessment section the probe information group value and the probe information group acquiring unit has acquired the probe information group that has been evaluated, according to claim 1 to generate the advertisement Information generation system. The information generating system according to claim 1, wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information to the plurality of businesses. 5. The information providing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information that is different for each of the providers based on a value of the probe information group evaluated by the value evaluating unit. 6. Information generation system. The information generation system according to claim 4, wherein the information providing unit provides the provided information to a user other than the plurality of businesses. further,
The business or a user other than the business includes a price information acquisition unit that obtains price information indicating a price paid for the provision of the provided information,
The information generating unit generates the provided information by changing the content of the provided information for each of the business operators or the users according to a price indicated by the price information acquired by the price information acquiring unit. The information generation system according to any one of claims 4 to 6. From each of the plurality of vehicles, a probe information collection unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time of passing the position,
Providing a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group and the probe information group collected from another provider. A probe information group providing unit,
An information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group from the information generation device .
The probe information group, in the information generating device,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation device based on the probe information group,
A probe information collection device whose value is evaluated based on at least one of the following . From each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time at which the vehicle passes, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business. A probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired,
Based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, an information generation unit that generates provided information,
An information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit ;
For each of the businesses, comprising a value evaluation unit that evaluates the value of the probe information group provided by the business,
The value evaluation unit,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group,
An information generation device that evaluates a value of the probe information group based on at least one of the following . A probe, which is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles associated with the computer, from each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time when the computer passes the position. Obtaining a group of information;
The computer, based on the acquired probe information group of the plurality of businesses, generating provided information,
The computer provides the generated provision information ,
The computer, for each of the business, including the step of evaluating the value of the probe information group provided by the business,
In the step of evaluating the value,
Said computer,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of traffic information as the provided information generated based on the probe information group,
An information generation method for evaluating a value of the probe information group based on at least one of the above . A step of collecting, from each of the plurality of vehicles, probe information including information on a position of the vehicle and a time at which the vehicle passes the position;
The computer provides a probe information group, which is a set of the collected probe information, to an information generation device that generates provided information using the probe information group and a probe information group collected from another provider. Steps and
The computer, from the information generating device, viewed including the steps of acquiring the said providing information corresponding to the value of the probe information group,
The probe information group, in the information generating device,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation device based on the probe information group,
A probe information collection method , the value of which is evaluated based on at least one of the following . From each of a plurality of businesses that collect probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time at which the vehicle passes, a probe information group that is a set of probe information detected for a plurality of vehicles related to the business. A probe information group acquisition unit to be acquired,
Based on the probe information group of the plurality of businesses acquired by the probe information group acquisition unit, an information generation unit that generates provided information,
An information providing unit that provides the provided information generated by the information generating unit ;
Before each article of skill, an information generation program for causing a computer to function as the valuation unit for evaluating the value of the probe information group to which the operator is provided,
The value evaluation unit,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation unit based on the probe information group,
Evaluating the value of the probe information group based on at least one of the following.
Information generation program . From each of the plurality of vehicles, a probe information collection unit that collects probe information including information on the position of the vehicle and the time of passing the position,
Providing a probe information group, which is a set of the probe information collected by the probe information collection unit, to an information generating apparatus that generates provided information using the probe information group and the probe information group collected from another provider. A probe information group providing unit,
A probe information collection program for causing a computer to function as an information acquisition unit that acquires the provided information according to the value of the probe information group from the information generation device ,
The probe information group, in the information generating device,
(A) the area of the area covered by the position of the vehicle indicated by the probe information included in the probe information group,
(B) the position interval of the movement trajectory indicated by the probe information group,
(C) a ratio of probe information detected for a pedestrian in the probe information group,
(D) the likelihood of the traffic information as the provision information generated by the information generation device based on the probe information group,
Is valued based on at least one of the following:
Probe information collection program .