TRANSIT INFORMATION PROVISION DEVICE, METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20090281721A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A transit information provision device is provided which provides transit information with an optimal method according to a situation of a user; the transit information provision device including a transit event information acquiring unit (101) which acquires transit event information which expresses a transit-related event; a transit information provision unit (103) which provides the transit information to a user, the transit information relating to transit event information; an information provision format storage unit (104) which stores the transit information provided by the transit information provision unit; a position information extraction unit (110) which successively extracts position information which indicates a present position of the user; a movement history storage unit (111) which stores a sequence of the extracted position information as a movement history; an information recognition judgment unit (1131) which judges recognition by the user of the transit information stored by the information provision storage unit; a route acceptance unit (106) which accepts an anticipated movement route for the user; a detour traveling judgment unit (107) which judges whether or not the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route, based on the provided transit information stored by the information provision format storage unit and the movement history stored by the movement history storage unit; a transit information provision rule calculation unit (108) operable to calculate a rule for providing the transit information using transit event information when it is judged, by the detour traveling judgment unit that the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route, and transit event information when the user is judged to have detoured by the detour traveling judgment unit; and an information provision control unit (102) operable to, when new transit event information is acquired, control the provision of transit information related to the new transit event information by the transit information provision unit, based on the rule.

Claims

1. A transit information provision device which provides transit information, said transit information provision device comprising:

a transit event information acquiring unit operable to acquire transit event information which expresses a transit-related event;

a transit information provision unit operable to provide the transit information to a user, the transit information relating to transit event information;

an information provision format storage unit operable to store the transit information provided by said transit information provision unit;

a position information extraction unit operable to successively extract position information which indicates a present position of the user;

a movement history storage unit operable to store a sequence of the extracted position information as a movement history;

a route acceptance unit operable to accept an anticipated movement route for the user;

a detour traveling judgment unit operable to judge whether the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route or has detoured, based on the provided transit information stored by said information provision format storage unit and the movement history stored by said movement history storage unit;

a transit information provision rule calculation unit operable to calculate a rule for providing the transit information using transit event information about the case in which it is judged by said detour traveling judgment unit that the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route, and transit event information about the case in which the user is judged to have detoured by said detour traveling judgment unit; and

an information provision control unit operable to, when new transit event information is acquired, control the provision of transit information related to the new transit event information by said transit information provision unit, based on the rule.

2. The transit information provision device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information recognition judgment unit operable to judge a likelihood of recognition by the user of the transit information stored by said information provision storage unit; and

an information recognition history storage unit operable to store the likelihood of recognition judged by said information recognition judgment unit,

wherein said detour traveling judgment unit is operable to judge whether or not the user has intentionally followed the anticipated route or intentionally detoured, using the likelihood of recognition stored in said information recognition history storage unit, and

said transit information provision rule calculation unit is operable to calculate a rule for providing the transit information using transit event information about the case in which it is judged that the user has intentionally traveled along the anticipated movement route by said detour traveling judgment unit, and provides transit event information about the case in which it is judged by said detour traveling judgment unit that the user has intentionally detoured.

3. The transit information provision device according to claim 2,

wherein transit event information indicates at least one of a degree, a length, a time and a speed related to traffic, which express a density of the traffic,

the transit information is traffic information which relates to the traffic,

said traffic information rule calculation unit is operable to calculate a threshold value as the rule which determines whether or not to provide information, and

said information provision control unit is operable to stop the provision of traffic information related to the new transit event information by said transit information provision unit when new transit event information is acquired and the degree, length, time or speed, which are expressed by the new transit event information and which express the density of the traffic, are less than the threshold value.

4. The transit information provision device according to claim 3,

wherein said transit event information further expresses a location where there is traffic, and

said traffic information rule calculation unit is operable to calculate an independent rule for each piece of transit information respectively expressing different positions.

5. The transit information provision device according to claim 2,

wherein said information provision format storage unit is further operable to store mode information which expresses a mode in which the transit information is provided by said transit information provision unit, and a likelihood of recognition value which expresses a likelihood of recognition according to the mode, and

said transit information provision rule calculation unit is operable to calculate the rule by assigning weights to when it is judged that the user has traveled intentionally on the anticipated movement route and when it is judged that the user has intentionally detoured using the likelihood of recognition value and the weighted transit event information.

6. The transit information provision device according to claim 5,

wherein said information provision unit is made up of a display unit operable to display the transit information on the screen, and

the mode information is information which includes at least one of a display position, a display time, a display timing and whether or not the user has scrolled the screen, which are displayed by said display unit.

7. The transit information provision device according to claim 5,

wherein said information provision unit is made up of an audio provision unit which is operable to provide the transit information in audio, and the mode information is information which includes at least one of a provided location, a provided time and a provided timing, which are provided by said audio provision unit.

8. The transit information provision device according to claim 2,

wherein said information provision format storage unit is operable to store a provided location which expresses a traveling point at which the transit information is provided by said transit information provision unit,

the transit information provision unit further includes

a detourable point calculation unit operable to calculate a detourable point where the traffic can be avoided based on said position information extraction unit and said route acceptance unit;

and

said detour traveling judgment unit is operable to, when the provided position is before the avoidable point, judge that the user has detoured.

9. The transit information provision device according to claim 2, further comprising

a movement destination prediction unit operable to predict a future movement route based on the present position information extracted from the movement history and said position information extraction unit,

wherein said route acceptance unit is operable to designate the future movement route predicted by said movement destination prediction unit as the accepted route.

10. A method for providing transit information to a user, comprising:

a transit event information acquiring step for acquiring transit event information which expresses a transit-related event;

a transit information provision step for providing the transit information to a user, the transit information relating to transit event information;

an information provision format storage step for storing the transit information provided by said transit information provision step;

a position information extraction step for successively extracting position information which indicates a present position of the user;

a movement history storage step for storing a sequence of the extracted position information as a movement history;

a route acceptance step for accepting an anticipated movement route for the user;

a detour traveling judgment step for judging whether the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route or has detoured, based on the provided transit information stored by said information provision format storage unit and the movement history stored by said movement history storage step;

a transit information provision rule calculation step for calculating a rule for providing the transit information using transit event information about the case in which it is judged by said detour traveling judgment unit that the user has traveled along the anticipated movement route, and transit event information about the case in which the user is judged to have detoured by said detour traveling judgment step; and

an information provision control step for, when new transit event information is acquired, control the provision of transit information related to the new transit event information by said transit information provision step, based on the rule.

11. A computer program product, which, when loaded into a computer, allows a computer to execute the steps included in the transit information provision method according to claim 10.