Route information providing device, route information providing method, program, and information recording medium

• US 9,057,611 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yanase, Naohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOTT, GENNA M
• Application Number:
  US13/634,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 701/527, 701/532, 701/533, 701/433
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality

Abstract

In order to make a user intuitively recognize labor of traveling on a route, a map information providing server (10) stores map data including an undulation of an actual topography, stores information on first routes each containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user in the map data, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data, in association with identification information on the user, determines a second route from a start point to an endpoint specified based on a request from the user, directly or indirectly compares a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data, and provides the user with information on a comparison result.

Claims

1. A route information providing device, comprising:

means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography;

means for storing information on first routes which are registered by a user and associated with authentication information of the user, each of the first routes containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user in the map data, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data;

determination means for determining a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

comparison means for directly or indirectly comparing a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

information providing means for providing the user with information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes by the comparison means.

2. The route information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison means performs any comparison selected from a comparison between travel difficulties each determined based on a length of a route and an undulation on the route with each other, a comparison between lengths each obtained by correcting the length of the route based on the undulation on the route with each other, and a comparison between travel difficulties each determined based on a length obtained by correcting the length of the route based on the undulation on the route and the undulation on the route with each other.

3. The route information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the respective travel difficulties of the first route and the second route are calculated with the length of each of the first route and the second route, the undulation of each of the first route and the second route, and correction coefficient based on a load corresponding to an object existing on each of the first routes and the second route being considered as parameters.

4. The route information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the travel difficulty of the second route is calculated so as to have a larger value when it is determined that an environment of the second route is not an environment usually experienced by the user than a value calculated when it is determined that the environment of the second route is the environment usually experienced by the user.

5. The route information providing device according to claim 1,

further comprising selection means for selecting, as a reference route, a first route closest to the second route in travel difficulty when the comparison means compares travel difficulties each determined based on a length of a route and an undulation on the route with each other, or travel difficulties each determined based on a length obtained by correcting the length of the route based on the undulation on the route and the undulation on the route with each other, or in length when the comparison means compares lengths each obtained by correcting the length of the route based on the undulation on the route with each other,

wherein the information providing means provides the user with information on the reference route selected by the selection means as the information based on the comparison result by the comparison means.

6. The route information providing device according to claim 5, wherein the selection means selects, as the reference route, a route closest in topography, out of the plurality of first routes, when the comparison means compares the travel difficulties each obtained based on the length of the route and the undulation on the route with each other, or the travel difficulties each obtained based on the length obtained by correcting the length of the route based on the undulation on the route and the undulation on the route with each other.

7. The route information providing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the one or more routes contained in the plurality of first routes respectively contain one or more via points; and

the comparison means is capable of setting a via point contained in each of the first routes as an end point of the first route thereby forming a new first route.

8. The route information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the comparison means determines a correlation between curves respectively representing the first route and the second route when the comparison means directly compares the first route and the second route, and compares characteristic quantities based on topographies of the first route and the second route when the comparison means indirectly compares the first route and the second route.

9. The route information providing device of claim 1, wherein the authentication information includes an identification and a password of the user.

10. A route information providing device, comprising:

means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography;

acquisition means for acquiring information on first routes each containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point associated with authentication information of a user, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the start point associated with the authentication information of the user;

determination means for determining a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

comparison means for directly or indirectly comparing a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

information providing means for providing the user with information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes by the comparison means.

11. The route information providing device according to claim 10, wherein the acquisition means acquires information on the first routes within a predetermined range by using the point corresponding to the information on the user as the start point and the length of the second route as a reference in finding a predetermined point.

12. A route information providing method for a route information providing device which is configured with a computer,

the route information providing device comprising:

means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography; and

means for storing information on first routes which are registered by a user and associated with authentication information of the user, each of the first routes containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user in the map data, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data,

the route information providing method comprising;

a determination step of determining, by the computer, a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

a comparison step of directly or indirectly comparing, by the computer, a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

a displaying step of displaying the information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes of the comparison step at a user terminal.

13. A route information providing method for a route information providing device which is configured with a computer,

the route information providing device comprising means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography,

the route information providing method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring, by the computer, information on first routes which are registered by a user and associated with authentication information of the user, each of the first routes containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user in the map data, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data;

a determination step of determining, by the computer, a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

a comparison step of directly or indirectly comparing, by the computer, a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

a displaying step of displaying the information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes of the comparison step at a user terminal.

14. A non-transitory information recording medium having a program for causing a computer to function as:

means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography; and

means for storing information on first routes which are registered by a user and associated with authentication information of the user, each of the first routes containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user in the map data, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data, and

wherein the program controls the computer to function as;

determination means for determining a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

comparison means for directly or indirectly comparing a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

displaying means for displaying the information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes of the comparison means at a user terminal.

15. A non-transitory information recording medium having a program for causing a computer to function as means for storing map data including an undulation of an actual topography, and

wherein the program controls the computer to function as:

acquisition means for acquiring information on first routes which are registered by a user and associated with authentication information of the user, each of the first routes containing one or more routes from a point, as a start point, corresponding to information on the user, to a plurality of predetermined points in a region containing the point corresponding to the information on the user in the map data;

determination means for determining a second route from a different start point to an end point, the end point being different than each of the plurality of predetermined points, which are specified based on a request from the user;

comparison means for directly or indirectly comparing a length of the second route and an undulation on the second route, and a length of each of the first routes and an undulation on each of the first routes with each other in the map data; and

displaying means for displaying the information on a result of the comparison that indicates labor required for traveling on the second route compared with the first routes of the comparison means at a user terminal.