Traffic-related information dictionary creating device, traffic-related information dictionary creating method, and traffic-related information dictionary creating program

• US 9,318,019 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Ryuya, Yamada, Hideo, Nomoto, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US13/297,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/450, 701/451, 340/995.13, 340/995.14, 340/995.24, 340/988
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation

Abstract

Devices, methods, and programs acquire provided information and position information that corresponds to the provided information from a provided information storage unit. The provided information has been provided to the provided information storage unit by an information provider and stored in the provided information unit with the position information. The position information specifies a position at which the provided information was provided by the information provider. The devices, methods, and programs acquire traffic-related information from a traffic-related information distribution unit. The traffic-related information includes information that specifies an occurring traffic-related event and information that specifies a range of the occurring traffic-related event. Based on the acquired position information and the acquired traffic-related information, the devices, methods, and programs identify the provided information that is provided within the range of the occurring traffic-related event, and associate and store a phrase included in the identified provided information with the occurring traffic-related event.

Claims

1. A traffic-related information learning device that is communicably connectable through a network to a social networking server and a traffic-related information distribution server, the traffic-related information learning device comprising:

a memory storing traffic-related information phrases, each traffic-related information phrase being associated with a traffic related event; and

a processor that;

acquires a social network message and position information that corresponds to the social network message from the social network server, the social network message having been provided to the social network server by a social network service and stored in the social network server with the position information, the position information specifying a position at which the social network message was provided to the social network service a user of the social network service;

acquires traffic-related information from the traffic-related information distribution server, the traffic-related information including;

information that specifies an occurring traffic-related event; and

information that specifies a location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

based on the acquired position information and the acquired traffic-related information, determines whether the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

when the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

extracts a phrase that expresses the traffic related event from the provided social network message; and

associates the extracted phrase with the occurring traffic-related event;

stores the associated phrase and the occurring traffic-related event in the memory; and

when queried with an input traffic related event, refers to the memory and outputs a stored traffic-related information phrase to be used to describe the input traffic related event.

2. The traffic-related information learning device according to claim 1, wherein the processor:

determines whether to store the extracted phrase in the memory based on a cumulative number of times the same phrase is extracted from a social network message provided at a position that is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event.

3. The traffic-related information learning device according to claim 1, wherein:

user identifying information that uniquely identifies the user of the social network service is associated with the social network message in the social network server; and

the processor;

acquires the user identifying information from the social network server;

associates the extracted phrase with the acquired user identifying information; and

stores the associated extracted phrase and the user identifying information in the memory.

4. The traffic-related information learning device according to claim 1, wherein the processor:

based on the acquired position information, associates the extracted phrase with an area that includes the position at which the social network message was provided; and

stores the associated extracted phrase and the area in the memory.

5. A traffic-related information learning method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a social network message and position information that corresponds to the social network message from a social network server, the social network message having been provided to the social network server by a social network service and stored in the social network server with the position information, the position information specifying a position at which the social network message was provided to the social network service by a user of the social network service;

acquiring, with the processor, traffic-related information from the traffic-related information distribution server, the traffic-related information including;

information that specifies an occurring traffic-related event; and

information that specifies a location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

based on the acquired position information and the acquired traffic-related information, determining, with the processor, whether the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

when the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

extracting, with the processor, a phrase that expresses the traffic related event from the provided social network message; and

associating, with the processor, the extracted phrase with the occurring traffic-related event;

storing, with the processor, the associated phrase and the occurring traffic-related event in the memory; and

when queried with an input traffic related event, referring to the memory and outputting, with the processor, a stored traffic-related information phrase to be used to describe the input traffic related event.

6. The traffic-related information learning method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining, with the processor, whether to store the extracted phrase in the memory based on a cumulative number of times the same phrase is extracted from a social network message provided at a position that is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event.

7. The traffic-related information learning method according to claim 5, wherein:

user identifying information that uniquely identifies the user of the social network service is associated with the social network message in the social network server; and

the method further comprises;

acquiring, with the processor, the user identifying information from the social network server;

associating, with the processor, the extracted phrase with the acquired user identifying information; and

storing, with the processor, the associated extracted phrase and the user identifying information in the memory.

8. The traffic-related information learning method according to claim 5, further comprising:

based on the acquired position information, associating, with the processor, the extracted phrase with an area that includes the position at which the social network message was provided; and

storing, with the processor, the associated extracted phrase and the area in the memory.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable traffic-related information learning program, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring a social network message and position information that corresponds to the social network message from a social network server, the social network message having been provided to the social network server by a social network service and stored in the social network server with the position information, the position information specifying a position at which the social network message was provided to the social network service by a user of the social network service;

instructions for acquiring traffic-related information from the traffic-related information distribution server, the traffic-related information including;

information that specifies an occurring traffic-related event; and

information that specifies a location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

instructions for, based on the acquired position information and the acquired traffic-related information, determining whether the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

instructions for, when the position at which the social network message was provided is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event;

extracting a phrase that expresses the traffic related event from the provided social network message; and

associating a phrase included in the identified provided information with the occurring traffic-related event; and

instructions for storing the associated phrase and the occurring traffic-related event in the memory; and

instructions for, when queried with an input traffic related event, referring to the memory and outputting a stored traffic-related information phrase to be used to describe the input traffic related event.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, the program further comprising:

instructions for determining whether to store the extracted phrase in the memory based on a cumulative number of times the same phrase is extracted from a social network message provided at a position that is within the location affected by the occurring traffic-related event.

11. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein:

user identifying information that uniquely identifies the user of the social network service is associated with the social network message in the social network server; and

the program further comprises;

instructions for acquiring the user identifying information from the social network server;

instructions for associating the extracted phrase with the acquired user identifying information; and

instructions for storing the associated extracted phrase and the user identifying information in the memory.

12. The storage medium according to claim 9, the program further comprising:

instructions for, based on the acquired position information, associating the extracted phrase with an area that includes the position at which the social network message was provided; and

instructions for storing the associated extracted phrase and the area in the memory.