Traffic information processing system, statistical processing device, traffic information processing method, and traffic information processing program

• US 8,478,518 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US12/733,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 701/118, 701/117, 701/414, 701/423
• US Class Current: 701/414
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence

Abstract

A navigation device mounted in a vehicle determines a traffic condition when the vehicle travels in a road zone along a facility, and determines whether a payment terminal mounted in the vehicle has made a payment through communication with a facility terminal installed in the facility. If it is determined that a payment has been made through communication, then probe data is generated that associates the traffic condition in the road zone with a payment service of the facility.

Claims

1. A traffic information processing system, comprising:

a traffic condition determination unit determining a traffic condition when a vehicle travels in a road zone along a facility;

a vehicle behavior determination unit determining whether a payment terminal mounted in the vehicle traveling in the road zone along the facility has made a payment through communication with a facility terminal installed in the facility or whether an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off;

a congestion factor setting unit setting a congestion factor to a drive-through wait when it is determined that a payment has been made through communication and setting the congestion factor to a parking lot wait when it is determined that the ignition switch of the vehicle has been turned off; and

a traffic information generation unit generating traffic information that associates the traffic condition in the road zone with a name of the facility and the set congestion factor.

2. The traffic information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the traffic condition determination unit obtains a congestion detection time when congestion was detected and a payment time when payment was made through communication; and

a guidance information generation unit is further provided for calculating a congestion wait time based on the congestion detection time and the payment time and for generating a guidance information specifying the congestion wait time.

3. A statistical processing device, comprising:

a probe information acquisition unit obtaining probe information from an onboard device;

a traffic condition determination unit determining a traffic condition in a road zone along a facility based on the probe information;

a vehicle behavior determination unit determining whether a payment terminal mounted in a vehicle traveling in the road zone along the facility has made a payment through communication with a facility terminal installed in the facility or whether an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off;

a congestion factor setting unit setting a congestion factor to a drive-through wait when it is determined that a payment has been made through communication and setting the congestion factor to a parking lot wait when it is determined that the ignition switch of the vehicle has been turned off; and

a traffic information generation unit generating traffic information that associates the traffic condition in the road zone with a name of the facility and the set congestion factor.

4. A traffic information processing method for generating traffic information using a control unit that determines a traffic condition in a road zone along a facility, the traffic information processing method, comprising:

determining, with the control unit, whether a payment terminal mounted in a vehicle traveling in the road zone along the facility has made a payment through communication with a facility terminal installed in the facility or whether an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off

setting, with the control unit, a congestion factor to a drive-through wait when it is determined that a payment has been made through communication and setting the congestion factor to a parking lot wait when it is determined that the ignition switch of the vehicle has been turned off; and

generating, with the control unit, the traffic information that associates the traffic condition in the road zone with a name of the facility and the set congestion factor.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable traffic information processing program for generating traffic information by determining a traffic condition in a road zone along a facility, the traffic information processing program comprising:

instructions for determining whether a payment terminal mounted in a vehicle traveling in the road zone along the facility has made a payment through communication with a facility terminal installed in the facility or whether an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off;

instructions for setting a congestion factor to a drive-through wait when it is determined that a payment has been made through communication and setting the congestion factor to a parking lot wait when it is determined that the ignition switch of the vehicle has been turned off; and

instructions for generating the traffic information that associates the traffic condition in the road zone with a name of the facility and the set congestion factor.