Map information creation device, information presentation device, map information creation method and information provision method

• US 9,528,846 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Amano, Hiroshi, Akita, Takashi, Tanaka, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US14/771,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 701/516
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass

Abstract

A map information creation device for presenting information at an appropriate time includes: an operation obtaining unit which obtains operation information indicating (i) each of positions passed through by a movable body that is moved by a user and (ii) a frequency of an operation performed on a device by a user of the movable body when the movable body is at the position; a determining unit which determines, for each of positions on a map, whether or not information presentation is allowed, based on the frequency at the position indicated by the operation information; and a creating unit which creates the map information indicating a result of the determination by the determining unit for each position on the map.

Claims

1. A map information creation device which creates map information and is provided in a server, the server performing wireless communication with a movable body via a communication network, the server and the movable body being included in a system, the map information creation device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to perform;

obtaining, from the movable body via the communication network, operation information indicating (i) frequency of an operation performed by a user of the movable body on a device related to predetermined information and (ii) a position of the movable body at a time of the operation performed on the device, the operation being performed in response to provision of the predetermined information to the user of the movable body, the predetermined information being information on an inquiry to the user of the movable body;

comparing, for each of positions on a map, a magnitude relationship between the frequency indicated by the operation information and a predetermined threshold value, based on the obtained operation information, determining that a current position is a position at which information can be presented to the user of the movable body when the frequency is higher than the threshold value, and determining that a current position is a position at which information cannot be presented to the user of the movable body when the frequency is not higher than the threshold value;

creating the map information indicating a result of the determination for each position on the map; and

outputting the created map information to the movable body, the movable body presenting information to the user of the movable body using the created map information.

2. The map information creation device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation information indicates the frequency of the operation performed on the device by the user in each of combinations of one of the positions passed through by the movable body and one of moving directions of the movable body after passing through the position, and

the executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to further perform:

determining, for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the directions, whether or not information can be presented, based on the frequency corresponding to the combination, the combination being indicated by the operation information; and

creating the map information indicating the result of the determination for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the directions.

3. The map information creation device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation information indicates the frequency of the operation performed on the device by the user in each of combinations of one of the positions passed through by the movable body and one of time zones each including a time when the movable body passed through the position, and

the executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to further perform:

determining, for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the time zones, whether or not information can be presented, based on the frequency corresponding to the combination, the combination being indicated by the operation information; and

creating the map information indicating the result of the determination for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the time zones.

4. The map information creation device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation information indicates the frequency of the operation performed on the device by the user in each of situations indicated by combinations of one of the positions passed through by the movable body, one of moving directions of the movable body after passing through the position, and one of time zones each including a time when the movable body passed through the position, and

the executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to further perform:

determining, for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the directions, whether or not information can be presented, based on the frequency corresponding to the combination, the combination being indicated by the operation information; and

creating the map information indicating the result of the determination for each of the combinations of the positions on the map and the directions.

5. The map information creation device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation information indicates, for each position passed through by the movable body, the position, the operation performed on the device by the user when the movable body was at the position, and a frequency of the operation, and

the executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to further perform determining, for each position on the map, whether or not information can be presented, based on the operation at the position and the frequency of the operation both indicated by the operation information.

6. The map information creation device according to claim 5,

wherein the information presentation is determined to be prohibited at the position indicated by the operation information among the positions when the frequency at the position indicated by the operation information is higher than the threshold value and the operation at the position is an operation that prohibits the information presentation.

7. An information presentation device which presents information in a movable body, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to perform;

obtaining, from a map information creating device via a communication network, map information indicating, in an associated manner, (i) a frequency of an operation performed by a user of the movable body on a device related to predetermined information and (ii) a location on a map of the movable body at a time of the operation performed on the device, the operation being performed in response to provision of the predetermined information to the user of the movable body, the predetermined information being information on an inquiry to the user of the movable body;

obtaining position information indicating a position of the movable body;

identifying, based on the map information, the frequency at the location on the map indicated by the position information of the movable body, and determining whether or not the identified frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

presenting information to the user of the movable body by causing output of the information when the identified frequency is determined to be higher than the threshold value.

8. The information presentation device according to claim 7, wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to further perform:

obtaining direction information indicating a direction in which the movable body moves;

obtaining time information indicating a current time,

obtaining the map information for identifying, for each of combinations of one of positions on a route, one of directions on the route, and one of time zones, whether or not information can be presented;

identifying with reference to the map information, the identification information which is associated with a combination of the position indicated by the position information obtained, the direction indicated by the direction information obtained, and the time zone including the time indicated by the time information obtained; and

when the identification information identifies that the information can be presented, presenting the information to the user of the movable body.

9. A map information creation method for creating map information in a system including a movable body and a server, the server performing wireless communication with the movable body via a communication network, the map information creation method comprising:

obtaining, from the movable body via the communication network, operation information indicating (i) a frequency of an operation performed by a user of the movable body on a device related to predetermined information and (ii) a position of the movable body at a time of the operation performed on the device, the operation being performed in response to provision of the predetermined information to the user of the movable body, the predetermined information being information on an inquiry to the user of the movable body;

comparing, for each of positions on a map, a magnitude relationship between the frequency indicated by the operation information and a predetermined threshold value, based on the obtained operation information, determining that a current position is a position at which information can be presented to the user of the movable body when the frequency is higher than the threshold value, and determining that a current position is a position at which information cannot be presented to the user of the movable body when the frequency is not higher than the threshold value;

creating the map information indicating a result of the determination for each position on the map; and

outputting the created map information to the movable body, the movable body presenting information to the user of the movable body using the created map information.

10. An information provision method for providing, to a movable body, information to be presented to a user of the movable body, in a system including the movable body and a server which performs wireless communication with the movable body via a communication network, the information provision method comprising:

obtaining, from the movable body via the communication network, operation information indicating (i) a frequency of an operation performed by a user of the movable body on a device related to predetermined information and (ii) position information indicating a position of the movable body at a time of the operation performed on the device, the operation being performed in response to provision of the predetermined information to the user of the movable body, the predetermined information being information on an inquiry to the user of the movable body;

updating, based on the operation information, a map database storing, in an associated manner, (i) a location on a map of the movable body at the position of the movable body at a time of the operation performed on the device and (ii) the frequency of the operation performed on the device by the user of the movable body in response to the provision of the predetermined information;

identifying, based on the updated map database, the frequency at the location on the map indicated by the position information of the movable body, and determining whether or not the identified frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold value; and

providing the information to the movable body via the communication network when the identified frequency is determined to be higher than the threshold value, the movable body presenting the information to the user of the movable body.

11. The information provision method according to claim 10,

wherein the information is generated by a server processing unit included in the server.