JP7239355B2 - Information provision system, information provision method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for providing information on route guidance.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an information providing device that provides route guidance for automobiles, there is known a technology that measures the continuous travel time of the automobile and uses voice or a message to guide the driver to take a break according to the continuous travel time (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-10-26536 JP 2015-152469 A

In the conventional technology, even if the driver is guided to take a break during route guidance, whether or not to actually take a break is largely left to the driver's judgment. Also, even if the vehicle is moved to a resting place for a break, if the resting place is full and the availability condition is not satisfied, the rest cannot be taken. Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that allows the driver to take a rest without fail so that the continuous travel time does not exceed a predetermined reference time.

The present invention can be implemented as the following modes.
For example, as form 1, an information providing system is provided. This information providing system includes a position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of a vehicle of interest, a route search unit that searches for a route from a starting point to a destination that does not pass through resting points as an initial route, a prediction unit that predicts a predicted travel time required to move from a place to the destination; and a route guide unit that provides route guidance using the current position and the initial route, wherein the route search unit includes the When the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time, the predicted continuous travel time, which is the predicted travel time of the automobile from at least one candidate rest point to the candidate rest point, is equal to or less than the reference time. and searches for a re-route, which is a route from the departure point to the destination via the determined rest point, and the route guidance unit replaces the initial route with the re-route When there are a plurality of candidate rest points, the route searching unit further searches for the first candidate rest point located along the initial route, among the plurality of candidate rest points. If there is a class 1 spot, the rest spot is determined from the class 1 spots, and if the class 1 spot does not exist, a candidate rest spot located around the initial route is selected. The resting place is determined from among the two kinds of places.

(1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an information providing system is provided. This information providing system includes a position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of a vehicle of interest, a route search unit that searches for a route from a starting point to a destination that does not pass through resting points as an initial route, a prediction unit that predicts a predicted travel time required to move from a place to the destination; and a route guide unit that provides route guidance using the current position and the initial route, wherein the route search unit includes the When the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time, the predicted continuous travel time, which is the predicted travel time of the automobile from at least one candidate rest point to the candidate rest point, is equal to or less than the reference time. and searches for a re-route, which is a route from the departure point to the destination via the determined rest point, and the route guidance unit replaces the initial route with the re-route to provide route guidance. According to this mode, when the estimated travel time of the initial route from the departure point to the destination without passing through the rest point exceeds the reference time, the rest point is determined and the rest point is passed instead of the initial route. Route guidance is performed using the reroute. As a result, it is possible to make the driver of the car take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.
(2) In the above mode, the route search unit selects the resting place where the car can be parked from among the resting places where the rest is allowed, using information about the usage conditions of the resting place. You may determine as a candidate location. According to this mode, resting places where cars can be parked are determined as rest candidate places, so the possibility that the car cannot be parked at the resting places can be reduced.
(3) In the above mode, the information on the conditions of use includes vacancy information of the rest area, type information indicating the types of vehicles that can be parked at the rest area, and available time of the rest area. and at least one of information representing the band. According to this aspect, the information on the conditions of use includes at least one of the vacancy information, the type information, and the information representing the available time zone, so that the candidate resting place where the car can be parked can be determined more accurately. It can be carried out.
(4) In the above mode, the route searching unit may detect that the predicted continuous travel time to the resting place exceeds the reference time after the route guidance is started using the re-route. If this occurs, the rest point at which the predicted continuous travel time is equal to or less than the reference time is newly determined from among the at least one candidate rest point, and the route searching unit determines the newly determined rest point. A route from the current location to the destination via the rest point is searched as a second reroute, and the route guidance unit uses the second reroute instead of the first reroute, which is the reroute. The route guidance may be performed by According to this aspect, even if the predicted continuous travel time exceeds the reference time after the route guidance is started using the reroute, the second reroute via the newly determined rest point is performed. route guidance is possible. As a result, it is possible to make the driver of the car take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.
(5) In the above mode, the route searching unit may detect that the predicted continuous travel time to the destination exceeds the reference time after the route guidance is started using the initial route. If such a break occurs, the rest point at which the predicted continuous travel time is equal to or less than the reference time is newly determined from among the at least one candidate rest point, and the current location is passed through the newly determined rest point. to the destination as a re-route, and the route guidance section may perform the route guidance using the re-route instead of the initial route. According to this aspect, even if the estimated continuous travel time exceeds the reference time after the route guidance is started using the reroute, the reroute via the newly determined resting point is performed. Route guidance is possible. As a result, it is possible to make the driver of the car take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.
(6) In the above mode, the automobile is used to deliver packages to a plurality of delivery destinations, and the information providing system delivers the package to one of the delivery destinations before the other delivery destination. If there is a delivery destination, the other delivery destination is regarded as the departure point and the one delivery destination is regarded as the destination, and the route searching unit searches for the initial route, and the prediction unit performs the predicted movement. Prediction of time and the route guidance in the route guidance section may be performed. According to this mode, even if there are a plurality of delivery destinations, the driver of the car can be reliably made to take a break before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.
(7) In the above mode, when there are a plurality of candidate rest locations along the initial route, the route searching unit selects the candidate rest location that is closest to the reference time for the predicted continuous travel time. You may decide as a place. According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a rest candidate location whose predicted continuous travel time is significantly shorter than the reference time is determined as a rest location.
The present invention can be realized in various forms other than the information providing system, for example, in the form of an information providing method, a computer program for realizing the information providing method, a non-temporary recording medium recording the computer program, etc. be able to.

Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an information provision system. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing information about possible resting places held by a map database; Internal block diagram of the information providing device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining route search and route guidance executed by the information providing system; 4 is a flow chart of route search and route guidance performed by the information providing system; The flowchart of step S30. An example of route guidance displayed on the display unit. 4 is a flowchart executed by the information providing system after route guidance is started; The figure for demonstrating the information provision system of 2nd Embodiment. Internal block diagram of the information providing device.

A. First embodiment:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an information providing system 10 as a first embodiment of the invention. The information providing system 10 includes an information providing device 20 and a map server 50 . The information providing system 10 is a device for searching for a route. The information providing device 20 can access a map server 50 connected to the Internet INT via a communication carrier 70 including a transmitting/receiving antenna, a radio base station, and an exchange. The information providing device 20 is mounted on the target vehicle 15 . The information providing device 20 is a device that provides route guidance, and may be, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone, or a navigation device. The target vehicle 15 is provided with a carrier for delivering packages, for example.

The map server 50 includes a communication section 52 , a control section 54 and a map database 56 . The communication unit 52 can communicate with the information providing device 20 via the Internet INT.

The map database 56 stores map data for displaying a map on the information providing device 20 and network data for route searching. Network data includes nodes representing specific points such as intersections and dead ends, and links representing roads connecting nodes. The network data also stores an average transit time associated with each link. Average transit time is the average time it takes for a car to traverse the link. In addition, the map database 56 stores information on the above-mentioned resting places of the automobile. Details of this will be described later.

The control unit 54 has a CPU and a memory, and controls the entire operation of the map server 50 . The control unit 54 includes a route search unit 51 and a prediction unit 53 .

When a route search request is received from the information providing device 20 via the communication unit 52, the route search unit 51 uses the data stored in the map database 56 to skip the rest point from the departure point to the destination. Search the route as the initial route. The route search unit 51 performs route search using, for example, the Dijkstra method. Further, even after searching for a route from the departure point to the destination, the route searching unit 51 reads the map data from the map database 56 and transmits the map data to the information providing device 20 when receiving a map acquisition request from the information providing device 20 . .

The prediction unit 53 predicts the predicted travel time required for the target vehicle 15 to travel from the departure point or the current position to the destination. Information about the starting point and current location of the target vehicle 15 is received from the information providing device 20 . The prediction unit 53 also predicts the predicted travel time using the route searched by the route search unit 51 and the average transit time of each link included in the network data. Specifically, the prediction unit 53 calculates and predicts the average predicted time by accumulating the average transit time of each link that constitutes the searched route. The estimated estimated travel time is transmitted to the information providing device 20 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing information 58 on possible resting places (resting place information) held in the map database 56. As shown in FIG. A resting place is a place where a car can take a rest, such as a service area or a parking lot. The resting place information 58 includes a resting place ID associated with each resting place, a name associated with each ID, type information representing the types of cars that can be parked, available time slots, vacant information, and location information. have information. The available parking type information, available time zone, and vacant information constitute information (usage condition information) regarding the usage conditions of resting locations. The information on usage conditions is updated at predetermined time intervals.

The name is the name of the break point. The parkable type information is information representing the types of cars that can be parked at the resting place. In this embodiment, the parkable type information is represented by the parkable vehicle gross weight. For example, the parkable type information associated with the ΔΔ service area of ID1 is information that vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 8 tons or less can be parked. The parkable type information may be information about the width and height of parkable cars in addition to the gross vehicle weight or in place of the gross vehicle weight.

The available time zone is information representing the available time zone, which is the time zone during which parking is allowed at the resting place. For example, the usable hours of the □□ parking area with ID3 are from 6:00 to 24:00. The vacancy information is information indicating whether the resting place is full or vacant. The positional information represents the latitude and longitude of resting places. The positional information is, for example, the latitude and longitude of the representative point of the resting place.

FIG. 3 is an internal block diagram of the information providing device 20. As shown in FIG. The information providing device 20 includes a GNSS receiver 21 as a position acquisition unit, a timer 21, a main control unit 30, a wireless communication unit 23, a touch panel 24, a speaker 25, a display unit 26, and a storage unit 28. Prepare.

The GNSS receiver 21 detects the current position (longitude, latitude). The timer 22 is an integrated circuit (for example, a real-time clock circuit) that measures the current time. Note that the timer may be implemented in software by executing a program for measuring the current time by the main control unit 30, which will be described later.

The wireless communication unit 23 is a circuit for performing data communication and voice communication via the communication carrier 70 . The touch panel 24 is superimposed on the display unit 26 and receives a touch operation from the user using a finger or pen. The speaker 25 outputs voice for route guidance and the like. The display unit 26 is a device that displays various images such as map images.

The storage unit 28 stores type information 29 regarding the type of the target vehicle 15 . The type information 29 is information such as the weight of the target vehicle 15 (for example, gross vehicle weight or vehicle weight) and size (height, width, length). The type information 29 is transmitted to the map server 50 when requesting a route search, which will be described later.

The main control unit 30 has a CPU and memory, and controls the entire operation of the information providing device 20 . The main control unit 30 functions as a search setting unit 32 and a route guidance unit 34 by executing a predetermined program recorded in the memory by the CPU.

The search setting unit 32 receives input of search conditions including a departure point and a destination from the user (for example, the driver of the target vehicle 15) via the touch panel 24. FIG. The search setting unit 32 also uses the wireless communication unit 23 to request the map server 50 to search for a route that meets the received search conditions. This request is hereinafter referred to as a "route search request".

The route guidance unit 34 receives route data representing the route searched by the map server 50 from the map server 50 using the wireless communication unit 23, and combines the received route data with the current position acquired from the GNSS receiver 21. is used to provide route guidance to a user such as a driver using the display unit 26 . The route guidance is executed by displaying the current position and route data on the display unit 26 and outputting the route guidance by voice from the speaker 25 .

In the present embodiment, the information providing apparatus 20 receives operations from the user via the touch panel 24, and includes various operation buttons such as a cross key and numeric keypad, and receives operations from the user via these operation buttons. You can do it. In other words, the information providing device 20 may be operated in parallel with the touch panel 24 and the cross key or numeric keypad, or may be operated by the cross key or numeric keypad instead of the touch panel 24 . .

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining route search and route guidance executed by the information providing system 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of route search and route guidance performed by the information providing system 10 . FIG. 6 is a flow chart of step S30. FIG. 7 is an example of route guidance displayed on the display unit 26. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows roads 100, resting places R1 to R12, and delivery destination 80, which is destination D, in a certain area. Also, the time shown in parentheses in FIG. 4 is the predicted travel time from the starting point S.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the target vehicle 15 delivers a package from a departure point S to a destination D, which is a delivery destination 80 . As shown in FIG. 5, when the route search unit 51 of the map server 50 receives a route search request from the search setting unit 32, it searches for an initial route from the departure point S to the destination D that does not pass through possible rest points. (step S10). After step S10, the prediction unit 53 predicts the travel time required for moving the initial route as the predicted travel time using the average transit time of each link forming the initial route (step S15).

As shown in FIG. 5, after step S15, the route searching unit 51 determines whether or not the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time (step S20). The predetermined reference time is preferably set to a time that does not cause the driver to feel excessive fatigue. The predetermined time may be, for example, 4 hours, which is the upper limit of the continuous driving time, which is the rule that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines the working hours of truck drivers, or may be shorter than 4 hours. In this embodiment, the predetermined reference time is set to two hours.

In step S20, when the route search unit 51 determines that the predicted travel time does not exceed the reference time, the initial route is transmitted to the information providing device 20, and the route guidance unit 34 uses the initial route and the current position. route guidance is performed (step S60).

On the other hand, when the route search unit 51 determines in step S20 that the predicted travel time exceeds the reference time, it executes rest point determination processing (step S30). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the estimated travel time from the departure point S to the destination D in the initial route is 2 hours and 40 minutes, and in this case step S30 is executed. By step S30, a rest point is determined at which the predicted continuous travel time, which is the travel time of the target vehicle 15, is less than or equal to the reference time. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the resting place R4 is determined as the resting place. Details of step S30 will be described later.

After step S30, the route search unit 51 searches for a route from the departure point S to the destination D via the rest point determined in step S30 as a reroute (step S40). After step S40, the prediction unit 53 predicts the predicted travel time after the break, which is the predicted travel time required to travel from the rest point determined in step S30 to the destination D (step S45). After step S45, the route search unit 51 determines whether or not the post-break predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time (in this embodiment, the same two hours as in step S20) (step S47). In step S47, when the route search unit 51 determines that the post-break predicted travel time does not exceed the reference time, the searched reroute is sent to the information providing device 20, and the route guide unit 34 returns to the initial route. Route guidance is performed using the re-route instead of (step S50). As shown in FIG. 4, when the resting place R4 is determined as the resting place, route guidance is performed using a re-route via the resting place R4. In step S50, the route guide unit 34 causes the display unit 26 to display a message prompting the driver to take a rest for a predetermined rest period at the rest location. The break time is set to 30 minutes, for example. By displaying a message about the break time on the display unit 26, it is possible to make the driver of the target vehicle 15 take the necessary break time at the break point.

On the other hand, if the route searching unit 51 determines in step S47 that the predicted travel time after the break exceeds the reference time, then in step S45 there is a rest place between the departure place and the destination D. is executed again (step S30).

In the example shown in FIG. 4, since the predicted travel time after the break from the break point R4 to the destination D is one hour, the route search from the break point R4 to the destination D does not pass through the break point. is executed to perform route guidance. On the other hand, for example, if the predicted travel time after the break from the rest point R4 to the destination D exceeds two hours, the rest-allowed points R6 and R12 can serve as rest points.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the rest point determination process is started in step S30, the route search unit 51 first selects the initial route from among the rest-allowed points indicated by the rest-allowed point information 58 (FIG. 2) of the map database 56. (step S302).

In step S302, the route searching unit 51 selects a rest area along the initial route or in the vicinity of the initial route (for example, within a radius of 1 km from an arbitrary position on the initial route) from a plurality of rest areas. Extract as a candidate location. In the example shown in FIG. 4, single-hatched rest-allowable locations R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are extracted as temporary rest candidate locations.

Next, the prediction unit 53 searches for a route from the departure point S to each temporary rest candidate location, and predicts a predicted continuous travel time, which is the travel time to each temporary rest candidate location (step S304). By predicting the predicted continuous travel time to each candidate temporary break point, the prediction unit 53 predicts the arrival time at each candidate temporary break point in step S304. The travel time to each temporary rest candidate point is the travel time of the target vehicle 15 that does not pass through the rest point until each temporary rest candidate point.

After step S304, the route searching unit 51 excludes, from the candidates for the rest point, the candidate points for the temporary break that exceed the reference time in the predicted continuous traveling time from the departure point S to each candidate point for the temporary break. (Step S305). In the example shown in FIG. 4, of the temporary rest candidate locations R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6, the temporary rest candidate location R6 has a predicted continuous travel time of 2 hours and 30 minutes from the starting point S, which is the reference time. Over two hours. For this reason, the route search unit 51 excludes the temporary rest candidate location R6 as a candidate for the rest location.

After step S305, the route search unit 51 uses information on the usage conditions (use condition information) from among the temporary rest candidate locations remaining as candidates for the rest location in step S304 to determine locations where the target vehicle 15 can park. is determined as a candidate break point (step S306). As a result, the possible rest area where the target vehicle 15 can park is determined as a candidate rest area, so that the possibility that the target vehicle 15 cannot be parked at the rest area can be reduced. In the example shown in FIG. 4, of the temporary rest candidate locations R2, R3, R4, and R5, the location R3 is full. It is determined as a candidate location.

After step S306, the route searching unit 51 determines a resting place from among the candidate resting places according to a predetermined condition (step S308). Specifically, if there is a class 1 rest candidate location located along the initial route among the plurality of candidate rest locations, the route searching unit 51 selects a rest location from among the class 1 candidate rest locations. If it is determined and there is no class 1 place, a rest place is decided from class 2 places, which are candidate rest places located around the initial route. If there are a plurality of candidate rest locations, the route search unit 51 determines the candidate rest location for which the predicted continuous travel time predicted in step S304 by the prediction unit 53 is closest to the reference time as the rest candidate location. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a rest candidate location whose predicted continuous travel time is significantly shorter than the reference time is determined as a rest location. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the route searching unit 51 determines, as a resting place, the resting place R4, which is the closest predicted continuous travel time to the reference time of two hours, among the resting place candidates R2 and R4 along the initial route. .

As shown in FIG. 7, in the case where route guidance is performed using a re-route that passes through a rest point R4 on the route from the departure point S to the destination D, the route guidance unit If it reaches near point R4, do the following. In other words, the route guidance unit 34 displays on the display unit 26 an image of the resting place R4 and the road 102 in front on which the target vehicle 15 is currently traveling, and guides the user to the resting place R4. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the display unit 26 displays an arrow urging the driver to proceed from the road 102 to the resting place R4 and a message urging the driver to take a rest, ``please rest for 30 minutes at □□ parking''. In addition, the display unit 26 displays the actual continuous movement time at the present time. The route guide unit 34 resets the continuous traveling time measured by the timer 22 to 0 minutes when the target vehicle 15 arrives at the resting place R4. As a result, when the driver of the target vehicle 15 takes a rest at the resting place R4 and then departs for the destination D, the counting of the continuous travel time is restarted from 0 minutes.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart executed by the information providing system 10 after route guidance is started. After route guidance is started in steps S50 and S60 shown in FIG. 5, the information providing system 10 executes post-route guidance start processing at predetermined time intervals until the destination D is reached. FIG. 8 is a flow chart after route guidance using the re-route in step S50 shown in FIG. 5 is started.

First, the prediction unit 53 predicts the travel time from the current position of the target vehicle 15 to the next resting place, and sums the elapsed time from the departure point S to the present time and the predicted travel time. is predicted as the predicted continuous travel time during which the target vehicle 15 will travel continuously to the next resting place (step S70). The route search unit 51 determines whether or not the predicted continuous travel time predicted in step S70 exceeds a predetermined reference time (two hours in this embodiment). If the predicted continuous movement time does not exceed the reference time, this routine ends. On the other hand, when the predicted continuous movement time exceeds the reference time, steps S30 to S50 are executed again. As a result, the second re-route is searched as a route from the current location S to the destination D via the newly determined rest point, and the first re-route determined during the initial route search guidance processing is selected. Route guidance using the second re-route instead of the re-route is performed. By executing the route guidance post-start processing in this way, after the route guidance is started using the reroute (first reroute), depending on road traffic conditions such as traffic congestion, prediction to the next break point is performed. Even when the continuous movement time changes to exceed the reference time, it is possible to provide route guidance on the second reroute via the newly determined resting point. As a result, the driver of the target vehicle 15 can be made to take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.

After the route guidance is started using the initial route shown in step S60 of FIG. 5, the route guidance post-start processing shown in FIG. 8 is executed as follows. That is, in step S70, the prediction unit 53 predicts the travel time from the current position of the target vehicle 15 to the destination D, and calculates the elapsed time from the departure point S to the present time and the predicted travel time. is predicted as the predicted continuous travel time during which the target vehicle 15 continuously travels to the destination D. The processing after step S72 is the same as in FIG. As a result, a re-route is searched as a route from the current location to the destination via the newly determined rest point, and the re-route is used instead of the initial route determined during the initial route search guidance processing. Route guidance is provided. By executing the route guidance post-start processing in this way, after the route guidance is started using the initial route, the estimated continuous travel time to the destination D is set to the reference time due to road traffic conditions such as congestion. Even when a change such as crossing occurs, it is possible to provide route guidance on a reroute via a newly determined resting point. As a result, the driver of the target vehicle 15 can be made to take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time.

According to the first embodiment described above, when the estimated travel time from the departure point S to the destination D without passing through the rest point exceeds the reference time, the rest point is determined, and the rest point is selected instead of the initial route. Route guidance is performed using the rerouted route. This eliminates the need for the driver of the target vehicle 15 to intentionally search for a resting place. Also, it is possible to make the driver of the target vehicle 15 take a break more reliably before the continuous movement time exceeds the reference time. Further, according to the information providing system 10 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the information regarding usage conditions includes availability information, type information, and information representing available time slots. As a result, it is possible to more accurately determine rest candidate locations using the information on the usage conditions.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the information providing system 10a of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an internal block diagram of the information providing device 20a. FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. The difference between the information providing system 10a of the second embodiment and the information providing system 10 of the first embodiment is that there are a plurality of delivery destinations 80a and 80b, and that the information providing device 20a has a delivery destination list 27. , are the processing contents of the route search guidance processing. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the second embodiment, route search guidance processing will be described when there are a plurality of delivery destinations 80a and 80b to which the target vehicle 15 delivers packages. The delivery destination 80a is the same as the delivery destination 80 shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, a delivery destination list 27 is stored in the storage unit 28 of the information providing device 20a. The delivery destination list 27 is information relating to the delivery destinations 80a and 80b, and includes the names of the delivery destinations 80a and 80b, position information (latitude and longitude), specified arrival times of packages, parking position information, and the like. Note that the information providing device 20 of the first embodiment may also have the delivery destination list 27 . The specified arrival time of the package is the arrival time of the package desired by the delivery destinations 80a and 80b. In this embodiment, the packages are delivered to the delivery destinations 80a and 80b in order of earliest specified arrival time of the packages. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the package is delivered to the second delivery destination 80b via the first delivery destination 80a.

The information providing system 10a departs from the first delivery destination 80a when there is a first delivery destination 80a, which is another delivery destination, immediately before the second delivery destination 80b, which is one delivery destination. With the second delivery destination 80b as the destination, the route search unit 51 searches for an initial route, the prediction unit 53 predicts the estimated travel time, and the route guidance unit 34 performs route guidance. In other words, as shown in FIG. 9, the information providing system 10a performs the route guidance search processing (FIG. 5) from the departure point S to the first delivery destination 80a as the destination D1, and the first delivery destination 80a as the departure location. to the second destination 80b, which is the destination D2 (FIG. 5). More specifically, the prediction unit 53 resets the predicted travel time for each of the delivery destinations 80a and 80b. In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the departure point is the first delivery destination 80a and the destination is the second delivery destination 80b, the predicted travel time is 1 hour and 20 minutes. Therefore, since the target vehicle 15 can move on the route from the first delivery destination 80a to the second delivery destination 80b without exceeding the reference time, route guidance is performed without passing through rest points R8 and R9 on the way.

According to the said 2nd Embodiment, there exists a similar effect in the point which has the structure similar to a said 1st Embodiment. For example, when the predicted travel time exceeds the reference time, a rest point is determined, and instead of the initial route, a re-route via the rest point is used for route guidance. As a result, the driver of the target vehicle 15 can be made to take a break more reliably before the continuous travel time exceeds the reference time. Further, according to the above two embodiments, even when there are a plurality of delivery destinations 80a and 80b, the driver of the target vehicle 15 is notified before the continuous movement time to reach the delivery destinations 80a and 80b exceeds the reference time. You can definitely take a break.

C. Other embodiments:
C-1. Alternative embodiment of the first:
In each of the above-described embodiments, if the route search unit 51 determines that it will not be in time for the specified arrival time of the package after the route guidance is started, and if a break point is set on the way, the following processing may be performed. In other words, the route search unit 51 executes the process of step S30 in FIGS. 4 and 5 again. In this case, it is preferable to determine the resting place within a range where the target vehicle 15 can arrive at the delivery destinations 80, 80a, 80b by the designated arrival time of the package.

C-2. Second Alternative Embodiment:
In each of the above-described embodiments, at least some of the functions of the map server 50 (for example, the route search unit 51 and the prediction unit 53) may be included in the information providing devices 20 and 20a. The map server 50 may have at least some of the functions (for example, the route guide section 34).

C-3. Third Alternative Embodiment:
In each of the above-described embodiments, the target vehicle 15 is used for delivering packages, but the present invention is not limited to this. There may be.

C-4. Fourth Alternative Embodiment:
In each of the above-described embodiments, the route search unit 51 determines a rest point from among candidate rest points according to predetermined conditions (step S308 in FIG. 6). The rest point may be determined by displaying it on the display unit 26 and receiving a selection input from the outside (for example, the driver of the target vehicle 15).

C-5. Fifth Alternative Embodiment:
In the resting place determination process (step S30 in FIG. 5) in each of the above embodiments, if there is no resting place where the target vehicle 15 can be parked, the route guidance unit 34 may perform route guidance using the initial route. Further, for example, in the break point determination process (step S30) executed after the determination of "Yes" is made in step S47 shown in FIG. Route guidance may be performed using the re-route searched for in the process. By doing this, route guidance can be performed reliably even when no resting place is determined in step S30.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the outline of the invention are used to solve some or all of the above problems, or Alternatively, replacements and combinations can be made as appropriate to achieve all. Also, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a... Information provision system, 15... Target vehicle, 20, 20a... Information provision apparatus, 21... GNSS receiver, 22... Timer, 23... Wireless communication part, 24... Touch panel, 25... Speaker, 26... Display part, 27 Delivery destination list 28 Storage unit 30 Main control unit 32 Search setting unit 34 Route guidance unit 40 Speaker 50 Map server 51 Route search unit 52 Communication unit 53 Prediction unit 54 Control unit 56 Map database 58 Resting place information 70 Communication carrier 80 Delivery destination 80a First delivery destination 80b Second delivery destination 100, 102 Road , D, D1, D2...Destination, R1 to R11...Possible rest area, S...Departure point

Claims (10)

An information provision system,
a position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the target vehicle;
a route search unit that searches for a route from a starting point to a destination that does not pass through rest points as an initial route;
a prediction unit that predicts a predicted travel time required for the automobile to travel from the departure point to the destination;
a route guidance unit that performs route guidance using the current position and the initial route,
The route search unit is
When the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time, the predicted continuous travel time, which is the predicted travel time of the automobile from at least one candidate rest location to the candidate rest location, is the reference time. Determining the resting points that are:
Searching for a reroute, which is a route from the departure point to the destination via the determined rest point,
The route guidance unit performs route guidance using the re-route instead of the initial route,
The route search unit further, when there are a plurality of candidate rest locations,
determining, if there is a first-class candidate resting point located along the initial route among the plurality of candidate resting points, determining the first-class resting point from among the first-class resting points;
An information providing system for determining said resting place from among said second-class resting candidate places located around said initial route when said first-class place does not exist. The information providing system according to claim 1,
The route search unit is
An information providing system for determining a resting place where a car can be parked as a resting candidate place from among resting places where resting is possible by using information on usage conditions of the resting place. The information providing system according to claim 2,
The information on the conditions of use includes at least one of vacancy information on the resting area, type information indicating the types of vehicles that can be parked at the resting area, and information on available hours of the resting area. information delivery system, including The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
After the route guidance is started using the re-route, the route search unit
When the predicted continuous traveling time to the resting place exceeds the reference time, the predicted continuous traveling time becomes equal to or less than the reference time from among the at least one candidate resting place. Decide on a new resting place
The route searching unit searches for a route from the current location to the destination via the newly determined resting place as a second re-route,
The information providing system, wherein the route guidance section performs the route guidance using the second re-route instead of the first re-route which is the re-route. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
After the route guidance is started using the initial route, the route search unit
When the predicted continuous travel time to the destination exceeds the reference time, the break where the predicted continuous travel time is equal to or less than the reference time is selected from among the at least one candidate break location. Decide on a new location,
searching for a route from the current location to the destination via the newly determined resting place as a reroute;
The information providing system, wherein the route guidance section performs the route guidance using the re-route instead of the initial route. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The vehicle is used to deliver packages to multiple destinations,
When there is another delivery destination to which the package is to be delivered before one of the delivery destinations, the information providing system sets the other delivery destination as the departure point and the one delivery destination as the destination. an information providing system that searches for the initial route in the route search section, predicts the predicted travel time in the prediction section, and performs the route guidance in the route guidance section. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The route search unit is
An information providing system, wherein when there are a plurality of candidate rest locations along the initial route, the candidate rest location where the predicted continuous travel time is closest to the reference time is determined as the rest location. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
In the case where the route guidance using the re-route is performed, when the car reaches the vicinity of the resting place, an image of the road ahead where the car is moving and the rest from the re-route An information providing system comprising a display unit for displaying guide information to the resting point including an arrow prompting the user to proceed to the resting point. A method of providing information,
a position acquisition step of acquiring the current position of the target vehicle;
a route search step of searching for a route from the starting point to the destination that does not pass through rest points as an initial route;
a prediction step of predicting a predicted travel time required for the automobile to travel from the departure point to the destination;
a route guidance step of performing route guidance using the current position and the initial route;
The route search step includes:
When the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time, the predicted continuous travel time, which is the predicted travel time of the automobile from at least one candidate rest location to the candidate rest location, is the reference time. a step of determining the resting point to be:
searching for a reroute, which is a route from the departure point to the destination via the determined rest point;
The route guidance step includes a step of performing route guidance using the re-route instead of the initial route,
In the route guidance step, when there are a plurality of candidate rest locations,
determining, if there is a first-class candidate resting point located along the initial route among the plurality of candidate resting points, determining the first-class resting point from among the first-class resting points;
A method for providing information, comprising the step of determining said resting place from said second-class resting candidate places located around said initial route when said first-class place does not exist. A computer program to be executed by an information providing system,
A position acquisition function for acquiring the current position of the target vehicle;
A route search function that searches for a route from the starting point to the destination that does not pass through rest points as an initial route,
a prediction function that predicts a predicted travel time required for the automobile to travel from the departure point to the destination;
a route guidance function of performing route guidance using the current position and the initial route,
The route search function is
When the predicted travel time exceeds a predetermined reference time, the predicted continuous travel time, which is the predicted travel time of the automobile from at least one candidate rest location to the candidate rest location, is the reference time. a function of determining the resting point to be:
a function of searching for a reroute, which is a route from the departure point to the destination via the determined rest point,
The route guidance function includes a function of performing route guidance using the re-route instead of the initial route,
The route guidance function further includes, when there are a plurality of candidate rest locations,
determining, if there is a first-class candidate resting point located along the initial route among the plurality of candidate resting points, determining the first-class resting point from among the first-class resting points;
A computer program comprising a function of determining said resting place from among said second-class candidate resting places located around said initial route when said first-class place does not exist.

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