Area map provision system, terminal device, and server device

• US 9,513,137 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hisano, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOOFI, YAZAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/424,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20150300837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 701/454
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

An area map provision system includes a terminal device and a server device communicating with each other. The server device includes an information collection unit collecting travel information related to travel of each vehicle, and a concentration degree determination unit determining a concentration degree of people at each point on a map based on the travel information. The terminal device or the server device includes a hotspot determination unit determining hotspots, each of which has the concentration degree equal to or higher than a threshold value, a recommendation facility search unit searching for recommendation facilities determined based on preferences of a target user, and an area map generation unit, when at least one of search regions defined with respective hotspots as reference points includes at least two recommendation facilities, generating an area map by including text or image to distinguishably represent the at least two recommendation facilities.

Claims

1. An area map provision system comprising:

a terminal device; and

a server device communicating with the terminal device, wherein

the server device is configured to;

collect a travel information related to a travel of each of a plurality of vehicles; and

determine, based on the travel information, a concentration degree indicating a degree of a concentration of people at each of a plurality of points on a map,

one of the terminal device or the server device includes;

determine a part of the points, each of which has the concentration degree equal to or higher than a threshold value, as a plurality of hotspots, a plurality of search regions being defined on the map with respective hotspots as reference points;

search the map for a plurality of recommendation facilities determined based on preferences of a target user of the terminal device; and

when at least one of the search regions includes at least two of the recommendation facilities, generate a map of the at least one of the search regions as an area map by including at least one of a text or an image to distinguishably represent each of the at least two of the recommendation facilities from the recommendation facilities other than the at least two of the recommendation facilities, and

the terminal device is configured to control a display device to display the area map of the at least one of the search regions.

2. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the server device is further configured to calculate a representative value of the concentration degrees determined at respective points on the map by statistically processing the concentration degrees, the concentration degrees at respective points on the map are successively determined, and

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to determine the point at which the concentration degree is equal to or higher than the threshold value and is also equal to or higher than a value that is greater than the representative value by a predetermined value, as one of the hotspots.

4. The area map provision system according to claim 2, wherein

the server device is further configured to calculate a plurality of the representative values corresponding to a plurality of time segments, respectively, and

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to determine the point at which the concentration degree is equal to or higher than the threshold value and is also equal to or higher than the value that is greater than one of the representative values by the predetermined value, as one of the hotspots, and the time segment during which the one of the representative values is calculated is identical to a time segment during which the concentration degree is determined.

5. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

a subject device, which is one of the terminal device or the server device, is further configured to store a plurality of famous facilities existing on the map,

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to search a plurality of facilities, which exist on the map and are classified as a plurality of predetermined types, other than the famous facilities for the recommendation facilities,

the search regions, which are defined on the map with respective hotspots as the reference points, include a first search region and a second search region, and a quantity of the recommendation facilities included in the first search region is greater than a quantity of the recommendation facilities included in the second search region, and

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to select the first search region and generate the area map based on the first search region.

6. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to:

acquire an activity history of the target user; and

estimate, based on the activity history of the target user, one or more facilities that suit the preferences of the target user from a plurality of facilities existing on the map,

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to;

search the facilities, which exist on the map and are classified as a plurality of predetermined types, other than the one or more facilities that are estimated for the recommendation facilities,

the search regions, which are defined on the map with respective hotspots as the reference points, include a third search region and a fourth search region, and a quantity of the recommendation facilities included in the third search region is greater than a quantity of the recommendation facilities included in the fourth search region, and

select the third search region and generate the area map based on the third search region.

7. The area map provision system according to claim 6, wherein

the one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to generate the area map by including at least one of the text or the image to distinguishably represent each of the recommendation facilities and the one or more facilities estimated from the facilities other than the recommendation facilities and the one or more facilities estimated.

8. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein the server device is further configured to

collect an activity range information of the target user and an activity range information of a different user, the different user is a user of a different terminal device that is different from the terminal device, and an activity range of the target user is partially overlapped with an activity range of the different user in an overlap range,

specify, based on the activity range information of the target user and the activity range information of the different user, a non-overlap range which is a remaining range of the overlap range in the activity range of the different user, and

determine hotspots from the points included in the non-overlap range.

9. The area map provision system according to claim 8, wherein the server device is further configured to

collect a category specifying information used for specifying the target user and collect a category specifying information used for specifying the different user, and

specify, based on the category specifying information of the target user and the different user and the activity range information of the target user and the different user, the non-overlap range which is the remaining range of the overlap range in the activity range of the different user when a category of the target user is identical to a category of the different user.

10. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to specify an activity range of the target user as a target user activity range, and

determine the hotspots from the points included in the target user activity range.

11. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

one of the terminal device or the server device is further configured to specify a plurality of facilities corresponding to the hotspots, and

generate the area map by including at least one of the text or the image to distinguishably represent each of the recommendation facilities and the facilities specified from the facilities other than the recommendation facilities and the facilities specified.

12. The area map provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal device is adapted to be used in one of the vehicles.

13. A terminal device being used as the terminal device of the area map provision system according to claim 1.

14. A server device being used as the server device of the area map provision system according to claim 1.

3. An area map provision system comprising:

a terminal device; and

a server device communicating with the terminal device, wherein

the server device is configured to;

collect a travel information related to a travel of each of a plurality of vehicles;

determine, based on the travel information, a concentration degree indicating a degree of a concentration of people at each of a plurality of points on a map; and

calculate a representative value of the concentration degrees at respective points on the map by statistically processing the concentration degrees, the concentration degrees at respective points being successively determined,

one of the terminal device or the server device is configured to;

determine a part of the points, each of which has the concentration degree equal to or higher than a threshold value and is also equal to or higher than a value that is greater than the representative value by a predetermined value, as a plurality of hotspots, a plurality of search regions being defined on the map with respective hotspots as reference points;

search the map for a plurality of recommendation facilities determined based on preferences of a target user of the terminal device; and

when one of the search regions includes at least two of the recommendation facilities, generate a map of the one of the search regions by including at least one of a text or an image to distinguishably represent each of the at least two of the recommendation facilities from the recommendation facilities other than the at least two of the recommendation facilities, and

the terminal device is configured to control a display device to display the area map of the one of the search regions.