JP2013109625A - Traffic information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To update traffic information with high reliability when traffic information delivered from a traffic information center is different from an actual road state, in a system for collecting probe information to generate traffic information.SOLUTION: A traffic information providing system 1 comprises an on-vehicle device 3 mounted on a vehicle 2 and having a probe function, and a traffic information center 4 for collecting probe information transmitted from each vehicle 2 to generate traffic information and deliver the traffic information to each vehicle 2. In the on-vehicle device 3, it is determined whether a difference exists or not between travel record information of the own vehicle 2 and the traffic information delivered from the traffic information center 4, and when it is determined that there is the difference, difference information is transmitted to the traffic information center 4. On the traffic information center 4 side, traffic information on a road link is updated on condition that pieces of difference information on the same road link are received from a plurality of vehicles 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic information providing system that includes an on-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and has a navigation function and a probe function, and a traffic information center that can be connected to the on-vehicle device via communication means.

  An example of this type of traffic information providing system is described in Patent Document 1. In this system, the traffic information center collects traffic information from an external traffic information collection source and receives travel history information based on position and time from a vehicle having a probe function (probe car) to edit the traffic information. In response to a request from the vehicle, new traffic information is transmitted to the vehicle. Then, the vehicle navigation device calculates the estimated arrival time at the destination based on the traffic information (congestion information) acquired from the traffic information center, or searches and guides a route that avoids the traffic jam. It has become.

  Moreover, in the system of this patent document 1, in order to minimize the frequency of communication between the vehicle and the traffic information center, the predicted arrival predicted based on the traffic information acquired and stored in the past on the vehicle side. Only when the distance information and the actual travel history information are compared and it is determined that the difference in information is large, the communication with the traffic information center is performed to obtain new traffic information.

JP 2004-280320 A (paragraphs [0030] to [0036], FIG. 5)

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the vehicle side determines that the difference between the distributed traffic information and the actual situation is large, the probe information is transmitted together with the traffic information request to the traffic information center. I have to. Therefore, the traffic information center can create new traffic information based on the probe information. However, in that configuration, for example, when shopping without turning off the vehicle engine, the traffic information center determines that there is a traffic jam and the information is not reliable and provides incorrect traffic information. There was a risk of doing so. In addition, it takes a relatively long time (for example, 15 minutes) to determine whether the traffic information and the actual situation on the vehicle side are different from each other (and, therefore, transmission of probe information). There was also a situation that could not cope even if the road conditions changed suddenly from smooth to smooth running.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is a system that collects probe information and generates traffic information, where the traffic information distributed by the traffic information center is different from the actual road condition. In addition, a traffic information providing system capable of updating traffic information with high reliability in a traffic information center is provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, a traffic information providing system according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, detects a position of the host vehicle, and provides a navigation function for guiding a route to the destination, and a probe including the position information of the host vehicle. Connected to the vehicle-mounted device having a probe function for transmitting information, and the vehicle-mounted device through communication means, collects probe information transmitted from each vehicle, generates traffic information, and distributes the traffic information to each vehicle The vehicle-mounted device includes, for each road link on which the vehicle is traveling, travel information of the vehicle and traffic information distributed from the traffic information center. Determining means for determining whether or not there is a divergence, and when the determining means determines that there is a divergence, the divergence information is transmitted to the traffic information center. The discrepancy information regarding the road link when received from a plurality of vehicles, having characterized in that updating the traffic information in the road link in accordance with the deviation information (first aspect of the present invention).

  According to the above configuration, in the vehicle-mounted device, the determination unit determines whether or not there is a divergence between the traveling result information of the own vehicle and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center, and when it is determined that there is a divergence, Deviation information is transmitted to the traffic information center. The traffic information center updates the traffic information according to the divergence information to match the current situation. At this time, the divergence information regarding the same road link is received from a plurality of vehicles. The traffic information on the road link is updated. Therefore, updating to incorrect traffic information can be prevented as much as possible, and highly reliable traffic information can be updated.

  In the present invention, the determination means is configured to perform the required travel time to a predetermined distance or a predetermined point assumed based on the traffic information and the predetermined distance or the predetermined point based on the travel performance information for the same road link. It can be configured to determine whether or not the required traveling time is more than a predetermined time (invention of claim 2). In addition, the determination unit is configured such that, for the same road link, a travel distance or arrival point after a predetermined time assumed based on the traffic information and a travel distance or arrival point after the predetermined time based on the travel performance information It can also be configured to determine whether or not is deviated by a predetermined value or more (invention of claim 3). In any case, for each link, it is possible to reliably determine whether or not there is a divergence between the traveling result information of the own vehicle and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center.

  More specifically, the determination means represents the relationship of the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the passage of time when it is assumed that the road link travels from the start point to the end point at a speed assumed based on the traffic information. An upper limit function and a lower limit function that are threshold values for determining the deviation of the travel distance or arrival point with respect to the passage of time are set with respect to the reference function, and the travel performance when an arbitrary time from the start point has elapsed within the road link. When the travel distance or the arrival point based on the information exceeds the travel distance or the arrival point by the upper limit function, or when the travel distance or the arrival point by the lower limit function is not reached, it is determined that there is a deviation from a predetermined value or more. (Invention of claim 4).

  According to this, on the road link, when the actual travel distance or arrival point of the vehicle with respect to the passage of time from the start point exceeds the travel distance or arrival point by the upper limit function that is the deviation determination threshold, the traffic congestion is However, it is considered that the traffic jam was resolved in a short time, and when the mileage or the arrival point by the lower limit function that is the deviation judgment threshold is not reached, the traffic that was running smoothly suddenly It is thought that occurred. Therefore, a sudden change in actual road conditions can be easily determined by the determining means.

  Further, at this time, the upper limit function and the lower limit function are set such that the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the passage of time is always separated from the travel distance or the arrival point by the reference function by a constant travel distance with respect to each passage of time. The upper limit function and the lower limit function are set (the invention of claim 5), or the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to time is multiplied by a predetermined value with respect to the travel distance or the arrival point according to the reference function, respectively. It can be set to be a value (invention of claim 6). In either case, the upper limit function and the lower limit function can be set appropriately.

  As described above, when the upper limit function and the lower limit function are used to determine whether or not there is a divergence, the upper limit function and the lower limit function can be freely set on the vehicle side, or set on the traffic information center side. It is possible to configure so that what is done is distributed to the vehicle-mounted device (invention of claim 7). According to this, it becomes possible to freely adjust the determination criterion for determining the presence or absence of deviation on the vehicle side or the traffic information center side, and it becomes possible to determine the presence or absence of deviation based on the determination criterion according to the actual situation. .

  When it is determined by the determination means that there is a divergence, the relationship between the elapsed time based on the travel performance information in the road link and the travel distance or the arrival point is the time elapsed by the reference function and the travel distance or the arrival point. In the case where it intersects with an assumed movement line representing the relationship between the position and the time, the data of the position and time of the intersection can be transmitted together (invention of claim 8). When the relationship between the elapsed time and travel distance in the road link intersects with the assumed movement line, the vehicle speed fluctuates greatly before and after that, that is, the vehicle flow changes greatly at the intersection. Therefore, by transmitting the data together, it is possible to notify the traffic information center of the location and time (time) when the flow of the vehicle changes in the road link.

  In the present invention, when the traffic information center receives similar deviation information from a predetermined number of vehicles or more with respect to the same road link, the traffic information on the road link is updated according to the deviation information. Thus, the reliability can be further improved.

  In this invention, the said onboard equipment can be comprised so that the said deviation information may be added and transmitted to the said probe information (invention of Claim 10). Further, the vehicle-mounted device transmits the probe information at every elapse of a predetermined time or when the host vehicle reaches a predetermined position, and at the timing when the determination unit determines that there is a difference, The probe information can be configured to be transmitted (invention of claim 11). According to this, it becomes possible to frequently transmit probe information to the traffic information center, and it is possible to promptly transmit deviation information. In other words, the traffic information center can collect information with high freshness and generate traffic information based on the probe information and the deviation information. Therefore, the latest traffic information can always be generated and distributed to the vehicle-mounted device.

The block diagram which shows one Example of this invention and shows the whole structure of a traffic information provision system roughly Block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the OBE Functional block diagram showing the probe function of the OBE Figure for explaining a method for determining the presence or absence of divergence (part 1) Diagram for explaining the method for determining the presence or absence of deviation (part 2) Flow chart showing processing procedures for transmitting / receiving probe information and transmitting / receiving traffic information between the vehicle-mounted device and the traffic information center

  Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a traffic information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment. This traffic information providing system 1 includes an on-vehicle device (navigation device) 3 provided in a vehicle 2, a traffic information center. 4 and a traffic information provider 5. The vehicle-mounted device 3 and the traffic information center 4 can be connected via a communication means such as a cellular phone network or a wireless LAN. The traffic information center 4 and the traffic information provider 5 are also connected through the same communication means or a wired communication means such as a dedicated telephone line or an Internet line.

  In the present embodiment, the traffic information center 4 is a member system such as “G-BOOK”, for example, and the user of the vehicle 2 becomes a member so that traffic information from the traffic information center 4 can be obtained. It is a system that can receive various services including Therefore, although not shown, there are a large number of vehicle 2 (on-vehicle device 3) of the user who is a member, and these many on-vehicle devices 3 communicate (connect) to the traffic information center 4, respectively. It is possible.

  As shown in functional blocks in FIG. 1, the traffic information provider 5 includes a traffic information collecting unit 6, a traffic information processing unit 7, and a traffic information providing unit 8. The traffic information collection unit 6 collects road traffic information from cameras 9, vehicle detectors 10, taxi probes 11, and the like provided at various locations on the road. The traffic information processing unit 7 processes the collected traffic information, and the traffic information providing unit 8 transmits the processed traffic information to various places including the traffic information center 4. In this case, the processed and transmitted traffic information is updated at a predetermined time interval, for example, every 5 minutes.

  The traffic information center 4 includes a traffic information receiving unit 12 that receives traffic information from the traffic information provider 5, a database 13 that stores road map data and accumulates the obtained traffic information, and a vehicle-mounted device of each vehicle 2 described later. 3, a probe information receiving unit 14 that receives the probe information transmitted from 3, a traffic information prediction processing unit 15 that comprehensively processes each traffic information and probe information to predict (generate) traffic information, A traffic information distribution unit 16 that distributes to the vehicle 2 (the vehicle-mounted device 3) is provided. As is well known, the data stored and stored in the database 13 that stores the traffic information is past traffic information, and is composed of a set of statistical data divided into the same day of the week, the same time zone, the same weather, and the like. .

  As will be described in detail later, each vehicle-mounted device 3 transmits the deviation information together with the probe information when it is determined that the traveling record information of the vehicle 2 (own vehicle) is different from the distributed traffic information. It is supposed to be. When the probe information received by the probe information receiving unit 14 includes deviation information, the traffic information center 4 (traffic information prediction processing unit 15) sets the deviation information regarding the same road link to a plurality of vehicles 2. The traffic information on the road link is updated based on the deviation information on the condition that the traffic link is received from.

  The vehicle-mounted device 3 detects the position of the host vehicle and also provides a navigation function 3a that provides route guidance to the destination, and a probe function 3b that generates probe information including position information of the host vehicle and transmits the probe information to the traffic information center 4. have. FIG. 2 schematically shows the hardware configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 3. The vehicle-mounted device 3 includes a data processing unit 17 that is configured mainly by a computer (CPU) and controls the vehicle-mounted device 3 as a whole, and is configured by connecting the following devices to the data processing unit 17.

  That is, the data processing unit 17 includes a GPS receiver 18 that receives radio waves from a GPS artificial satellite, a vehicle speed sensor 19. Traffic information that obtains traffic information from a traffic information receiver 22 such as an FM receiver that receives broadcasts such as an angular velocity sensor 20, a map database 21, and VICS (registered trademark) and obtains traffic information, and a communication means such as a telephone and a wireless LAN. A transmitter / receiver 23, a storage unit 24, a display unit 25 in which a display unit made up of a liquid crystal display and an operation unit including a touch panel and a mechanical switch are integrated, and a speaker 26 for outputting synthesized speech and the like are connected. The map database 21 includes a map data recording medium such as a DVD or a hard disk storing the road map data and facility data (destination data) associated therewith, and a drive device for reading the data.

  The data processing unit 17 has a current configuration (absolute position) of the host vehicle 2 based on input of signals from the GPS receiver 18, the vehicle speed sensor 19, and the angular velocity sensor 20 by the software configuration (execution of a program). ), Traveling direction, speed, travel distance, current time, etc. are detected with high accuracy (current position detection unit 27 in FIG. 3). Based on the detected current position of the host vehicle 2 and the map data obtained from the map database 21, the current position and the traveling direction of the host vehicle 2 are displayed on the display screen of the display unit 25 together with the road map. Realize location function.

  In addition, when the destination is designated by the operation of the operation unit of the display unit 25 by the user, the data processing unit 17 recommends a travel route (from the starting point (current position) of the vehicle 2 to the designated destination ( Route) is automatically calculated using, for example, a well-known Dijkstra method, and a route guidance function for guiding the route to the determined destination is realized. The route guidance is performed by displaying a route to be traveled superimposed on the road map on the display screen of the display unit 25 and outputting a guidance voice such as a right / left turn instruction from the speaker 26.

  At this time, when the data processing unit 17 performs the route search, there is a method of using traffic information distribution data (current traffic information) by FM multiplex broadcasting. However, the traffic information center 4 that predicts future traffic information. The latest traffic information distributed from the (traffic information distribution unit 16) is received by the traffic information transmitter / receiver 23 (traffic information reception unit 33 in FIG. 3). This traffic information includes data such as road traffic information (information on traffic jams, accidents, construction, lane restrictions, traffic regulations, etc.) and weather information (weather, wind direction, road surface conditions). The latest predicted traffic information is used to obtain a route that takes the shortest time to reach the destination. In this route guidance, a predicted arrival time at the destination is calculated and displayed on the screen of the display unit 25.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram relating to the probe function 3b of the vehicle-mounted device 3 described above. The probe function 3 b is realized by the hardware configuration of the on-vehicle device 3 and the software configuration of the data processing unit 17. That is, the current position detector 27 detects the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 2 based on the GPS signal of the GPS receiver 18 and the signal from the timer 28.

  Based on the current position information from the current position detection unit 27, the time information from the timer 28, and the vehicle ID information from the vehicle ID information storage unit 30, the probe information creation unit 29 performs a travel history (position, Probe information consisting of history information such as speed and time is created. As will be described later, when the divergence information is input from the divergence determination unit 37 to the probe information creation unit 29, the divergence information is included in the probe information.

  The probe information transmission condition determination unit 31 determines whether it is time to transmit the probe information (whether the transmission condition is satisfied). In this embodiment, the probe information is transmitted every predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) or every predetermined distance (for example, 5 km), and when the host vehicle 2 is at a predetermined position (for example, 2 km before a highway ramp or junction). ), And at a timing when a divergence determination unit 37 described later determines that there is a divergence. When the probe information transmission condition determination unit 31 determines that the probe information transmission timing is the probe information transmission timing, the probe information transmission unit 32 uses the traffic information transmitter / receiver 23 to transmit the probe information generated by the probe information generation unit 29 to the traffic information. Transmit to the center 4.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail later, in the probe function 3b of the vehicle-mounted device 3, in addition to executing the process of creating and transmitting the probe information as described above, the own vehicle 2 for each road link on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, whether or not there is a divergence between the traveling performance information of the own vehicle 2 and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center 4, Deviation information is transmitted to the traffic information center 4 together with the probe information. Therefore, the data processing unit 17 functions as a determination unit.

  FIG. 3 also shows a functional block configuration for determining deviation and transmitting deviation information in the probe function 3b. The traffic information receiving unit 33 receives traffic information distributed by the traffic information center 4 via the traffic information transmitter / receiver 23. The travel time storage unit 34 obtains and stores the travel time and distance for each road link on which the host vehicle 2 travels based on the obtained traffic information. The assumed movement line calculation unit 35 calculates an assumed movement line L0 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) from the travel time and the travel distance for each road link. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the assumed movement line L0 is a time lapse when it is assumed that the corresponding road link travels from the start point to the end point at a speed (constant speed) assumed according to traffic information. Is a straight line indicating the reference travel distance (reference function).

  On the other hand, in FIG. 3, the vehicle movement line calculation unit 36 is based on the distance signal obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 19 and the angular velocity sensor 20 and the current position information obtained from the current position detection unit 27. The vehicle travel lines M1 to M4 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) representing the relationship between the elapsed time information of the road link being traveled and the travel distance are calculated. The deviation determination unit 37 determines whether or not there is a deviation from the assumed movement line L0 from the assumed movement line calculation unit 35 and the vehicle movement lines M1 to M4 calculated by the vehicle movement line calculation unit 36. A specific method for determining whether or not there is a divergence will be described in the following explanation of operation.

  In this case, when there is a divergence, the traffic information from the traffic information center 4 in the corresponding road link indicates that traffic congestion is occurring (or traffic is always heavy and it takes time to pass). In fact, when the vehicle was able to travel smoothly, on the contrary, the traffic information from the traffic information center 4 had no traffic jam (or the traffic volume was always low) This includes a case where the vehicle 2 suddenly becomes congested, such as when an accident has occurred.

  When the divergence determining unit 37 determines that there is a divergence (the divergence is large), as described above, the divergence information (the type of divergence (the occurrence of congestion is resolved) is included in the probe information created by the probe information creating unit 29. ), And information such as position and time. When it is determined that there is a divergence, the probe information transmission condition determination unit 31 determines the probe information transmission timing, and the lobe information transmission unit 32 promptly transmits the probe information including the divergence information to the traffic information transmitter / receiver. The data is transmitted to the traffic information center 4 via 23.

  When the probe information received from the vehicle-mounted device 3 includes deviation information, the traffic information center 4 (traffic information prediction processing unit 15) transmits deviation information regarding the same road link to the plurality of vehicles 2. The traffic information on the road link is updated according to the deviation information on the condition that it is received from the (onboard device 3).

  Next, the operation of the traffic information providing system 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows a procedure of probe information transmission / reception and traffic information transmission / reception executed between the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the traffic information center 4 (and the traffic information provider 5). First, the process on the vehicle-mounted device 3 (vehicle 2) side from step S601 will be described.

  In step S601, it is determined whether it is the probe information transmission timing. In this case, the transmission timing includes whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has passed since the previous transmission of probe information (or whether or not the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined distance (for example, 5 km)), and the host vehicle 2 has a predetermined position (for example, high speed Judgment is made by whether or not the road ramp or junction is 2 km before. When the probe information transmission timing is reached (Yes in step S601), normal probe information (not including deviation information) is transmitted to the information center 4 in the next step S602. After transmitting the probe information, the process returns to step S601.

  If it is not the probe information transmission timing (No in step S601), it is determined in step S603 whether it is timing to execute a traffic information distribution request. If it is not time to execute the traffic information distribution request (No in step S603), the process returns to step S601. When it is time to execute a traffic information distribution request (Yes in step S603), a traffic information distribution request signal is transmitted to the information center 4 in step S604. In the next step S605, the traffic information transmitted from the information center 4 is received.

  In steps S606 to S609, processing for determining whether or not there is a divergence between the travel record information of the host vehicle 2 and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center 4 for each road link on which the host vehicle 2 is traveling. Is done. In step S606, the travel time and distance for each road link are obtained and stored from the received traffic information and the road map data of the map database 21, and the assumed movement line L0 (reference function) is calculated from the travel time and distance. Desired. In step S607, a vehicle movement line indicating the traveling performance information of the host vehicle 2 for each road link is obtained and stored.

  In step S608, it is determined whether or not there is a divergence (large) between the distributed traffic information and the travel performance information on the road link. If it is determined that there is no divergence (No in step S608), it is determined in next step S609 whether the road links are the same, and if the road links change (Yes), the steps for the next road link are performed. The processing from S606 is repeated.

  Here, the method for determining whether or not there is a divergence in the present embodiment in step S608 will be described with reference to the specific examples of FIGS. Now, it is assumed that the distance from the start point S to the end point E of a road link is 300 m for a road link. When the travel time of the road link is calculated as 60 seconds from the received traffic information, the horizontal axis represents the time elapsed from the start point S (0 seconds), the vertical axis represents the travel distance from the start point S, and the average speed is 5 m. A reference travel distance (reference function) that is assumed to travel from the start point S to the end point E at a time per second is obtained.

  Then, an upper limit function and a lower limit function serving as a deviation determination threshold are set for the reference travel distance. In the present embodiment, the upper limit function and the lower limit function are respectively set as an upper limit line LH and a lower limit line LL that are spaced apart in parallel by a predetermined distance from the assumed movement line L0 (reference function). The Within the road link, when the actual travel distance (vehicle movement line) based on the travel record information of the host vehicle 2 with the passage of time from the start point S exceeds the upper limit line LH, or the lower limit line LL It is determined that there is a divergence when the value is below (not reached).

  At this time, the upper limit line L-H is a straight line that passes through a point H that is an elapsed time of 60 seconds, for example, 1.5 times the distance (300 m) of the road link, that is, 450 m, and the lower limit line L-L is In the elapsed time of 60 seconds, the distance is 0.5 times the distance of the road link, that is, a straight line passing through the point L advanced 150 m. When the vehicle movement line exceeds the upper limit line LH upward or falls below the lower limit line L-L, it is determined that there is a deviation (large).

  FIG. 4 shows two types of vehicle movement lines (travel record information) M1 and M2 when there is a difference in the travel record information (travel distance with respect to time) of the vehicle 2 on the road link. The vehicle movement line M1 travels faster overall than the average speed (assumed movement line L0) corresponding to the traffic information, and exceeds the upper limit line LH at point A. In this case, the fact that the vehicle movement line M1 exceeds the upper limit line L-H is considered to have been resolved in a blink of an eye, although it has been congested until now. Therefore, it is determined that there is a divergence at point A.

  Further, the vehicle movement line M2 travels generally slower than the average speed (assumed movement line L0) according to the traffic information, and is below the lower limit line LL at point B. In this case, if the vehicle movement line M2 falls below the lower limit line LL, it is considered that traffic that has flowed relatively smoothly until then has suddenly caused traffic congestion. Therefore, it is determined that there is a divergence at point B. Although not shown, when the vehicle movement line is located between the upper limit line LH and the lower limit line LL, it is determined that there is no deviation in the road link.

  FIG. 5 shows two types of vehicle movement lines (travel result information) M3 and M4 when there is a divergence and the vehicle movement line crosses the assumed movement line L0 on the way. The vehicle movement line M3 was initially running slower than the average speed (assumed movement line L0) according to the traffic information, but gradually increased so as to cross the assumed movement line L0 at point A '. , The upper limit line LH is exceeded at point A, and it is determined that there is a deviation. The vehicle movement line M4 initially traveled slightly faster than the average speed according to the traffic information (assumed movement line L0), but the speed gradually decreased so as to intersect the assumed movement line L0 at the point B '. Going below the lower limit line LL at point B, it is determined that there is a divergence.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when it is determined that there is a divergence in this way (Yes in step S608), the divergence information is added to the probe information and transmitted to the information center 4 in step S610. . At this time, in this embodiment, as exemplified by the vehicle movement lines M3 and M4 in FIG. 5, when the vehicle movement lines M3 and M4 intersect the assumed movement line L0, the intersection (in FIG. The position and time (time) data of the points A ′ and B ′ are also transmitted. After transmitting the probe information and the deviation information, the process returns to step S601.

  On the other hand, steps S611 to S618 of FIG. 6 show processing executed by the traffic information center 4 side (traffic information prediction processing unit 15). The traffic information provider 5 periodically distributes traffic information to the traffic information center 4 in step S619, for example. In the traffic information center 4, the traffic information from the traffic information provider 5 is received in step S611. At the same time, in step S612, probe information transmitted from the vehicle 2 (the vehicle-mounted device 3) is received. The received probe information includes information periodically transmitted in step S602 and information to which the deviation information transmitted in step S610 is added.

  When the probe information is received, it is determined in the next step S613 whether or not deviation information is included. If the received probe information does not include deviation information (No in step S613), the traffic information obtained from the traffic information provider 5 and the probe information received from each vehicle 2 in step S614 Based on the above, traffic information is processed every 5 minutes.

  On the other hand, if deviation information is included in the received probe information (Yes in step S613), it is determined in step S615 whether a plurality of pieces of deviation information having the same contents are received. When the deviation information regarding the same road link is received from a plurality of vehicles 2 (vehicle equipment 3) (Yes in step S615), in step S616, the traffic information of the road link is the deviation information. It is corrected (updated) based on If the divergence information is received but only one vehicle 2 has transmitted the divergence information (No in step S615), it is considered that there is no divergence.

  After processing the traffic information in step S614 or further correcting the traffic information in step S616, if the distribution request signal transmitted from the vehicle 2 (vehicle-mounted device 3) is received in step S604 (step S617). In the next step S618, the latest traffic information is transmitted to the vehicle 2. On the vehicle 2 (vehicle-mounted device 3) side, the traffic information is received in step S605. Although not shown, after the traffic information is transmitted, the process returns to step S611. Although not shown, the distribution of traffic information in S618 can be changed to a system that may be performed every time probe information is received in S612.

  According to the traffic information providing system 1 of this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 3 mounted on the vehicle 2 and the probe information transmitted from each vehicle 2 are collected to generate traffic information and distributed to each vehicle 2. When the on-vehicle device 3 determines that there is a discrepancy between the traveling performance information of the own vehicle 2 and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center 4. The traffic information on the road link is transmitted on the condition that the traffic information center 4 receives the deviation information on the same road link from the plurality of vehicles 2 on the traffic information center 4 side. Configured to update. Therefore, the traffic information center 4 prevents the traffic information from being updated to incorrect traffic information as much as possible. When the traffic information distributed by the traffic information center 4 is different from the actual road condition, the traffic is highly reliable. Information can be updated.

  In this embodiment, in determining whether there is a deviation, an upper limit function based on an assumed movement line (reference function) L0 when the vehicle travels on the entire road link at a speed corresponding to the traffic information received from the traffic information center 4. (Upper limit line LH) and lower limit function (Lower limit line LL) are set, and when the actual vehicle movement line exceeds the upper limit line LH or falls below the lower limit line LL It was configured to determine that there was a divergence. Thereby, a sudden change in actual road conditions can be easily determined, and the upper limit line LH and the lower limit line LL can be appropriately set.

  In addition, when the vehicle movement line (M3, M4) intersects with the assumed movement line L0, the position and time data of the intersections (points A ′ and B ′) are also transmitted. Configured. Before and after the intersection, it can be said that the speed of the vehicle 2 has fluctuated greatly, that is, the flow of the vehicle 2 has greatly changed at the intersection, so by sending the data of the intersection together, The traffic information center 4 can be informed of the location and time (time) at which the flow of the vehicle 2 has changed in the road link and reflected in the traffic information.

  Further, particularly in the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted device 3 transmits the probe information at every predetermined time or at the timing when the host vehicle 2 reaches the predetermined position, and at the timing when it is determined that there is a deviation, Since the deviation information is added and transmitted, the probe information can be frequently transmitted to the traffic information center 4, and the deviation information can be transmitted promptly. Since the traffic information center 4 can collect information with high freshness and generate traffic information based on the probe information and deviation information, the traffic information center 4 always generates the latest traffic information and distributes it to the vehicle-mounted device 3. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, when determining whether or not there is a divergence, the upper limit line LH and the lower limit line are parallel to the assumed movement line L0 representing the relationship between the passage of time on the road link and the movement distance of the vehicle 2. LL is set, and the deviation is determined based on whether the actual vehicle movement line fits between the two lines or not. However, the upper limit threshold (upper limit line LH) and the lower limit threshold are determined. The value (lower limit line LL) is not based on the assumed movement line L0, but is set based on the speed obtained by multiplying the speed by a predetermined value (for example, 1.5 and 0.5) (by changing the slope). You can also do it.

  In the above embodiment, when determining whether or not there is a deviation, the value of the travel distance with respect to the passage of time on the road link is used. However, instead of the travel distance, information on the arrival point may be adopted. Alternatively, for a road link, the required travel time to a predetermined distance or a predetermined point based on traffic information and the required travel time to the predetermined distance or a predetermined point based on travel performance information are different from each other by a predetermined time or more. It can also be configured to determine whether or not.

  In the case where the upper limit function and the lower limit function are used to determine whether or not there is a deviation, the upper limit function and the lower limit function can be configured to be freely setable on the vehicle 2 side or the traffic information center 4 side. When setting on the traffic information center 4 side, the set upper limit function and lower limit function are distributed to the vehicle 2 side. According to this, it is possible to freely adjust a threshold value, that is, a criterion for determining whether or not there is a divergence, and it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a divergence based on a criterion that matches the actual situation. The traffic information center 4 may correct the traffic related information stored in the database as necessary for road links where deviation information frequently occurs.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the on-board device 3 itself is a system that performs route search processing. However, destination data is transmitted from the on-vehicle device 3 to the traffic information center 4 side, and the information center 4 side A so-called center calculation type system may be used in which route search is performed and the route guidance data is returned to the vehicle-mounted device 3. In the above-described embodiment, the traffic information center 4 updates the traffic information when receiving deviation information from a plurality of vehicles 2 regarding the same road link. The traffic information on the road link can be updated according to the deviation information.

  In addition, the time interval at which the vehicle-mounted device 3 transmits the probe information, the time interval at which the traffic information center 4 creates (processes) the traffic information, etc. is only an example, and is shorter (for example, every 1 minute) ), It becomes possible to distribute more detailed traffic information. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, such as various modifications can be made to the hardware configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the like. To get.

  In the drawings, 1 is a traffic information providing system, 2 is a vehicle, 3 is a vehicle-mounted device, 3a is a navigation function, 3b is a probe function, 4 is a traffic information center, 5 is a traffic information provider, 14 is a probe information receiving unit, 15 is A traffic information prediction processing unit, 16 is a traffic information distribution unit (communication means), 17 is a data processing unit (determination means), and 23 is a traffic information transceiver (communication means).

Claims (11)

An on-vehicle device equipped with a vehicle, equipped with a navigation function for detecting the position of the host vehicle and performing route guidance to the destination, and a probe function for transmitting probe information including the position information of the host vehicle;
A traffic that is connected to the vehicle-mounted device via a communication means, and includes a traffic information center that collects probe information transmitted from each vehicle, generates traffic information, and distributes the traffic information to each vehicle. An information providing system,
The vehicle-mounted device includes a determination unit that determines whether or not there is a difference between the travel performance information of the vehicle and the traffic information distributed from the traffic information center for each road link on which the vehicle is traveling. When it is determined that there is a deviation, the deviation information is transmitted to the traffic information center,
When the traffic information center receives divergence information about the same road link from a plurality of vehicles, the traffic information center updates traffic information on the road link according to the divergence information.   The determination means, for the same road link, a travel required time to a predetermined distance or a predetermined point assumed based on the traffic information, and a travel required time to the predetermined distance or a predetermined point based on the travel performance information 2. The traffic information providing system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not is deviated for a predetermined time or more.   The determination means includes, for the same road link, a travel distance or arrival point after a predetermined time assumed based on the traffic information, and a travel distance or arrival point after the predetermined time elapsed based on the travel performance information. 2. The traffic information providing system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not is deviated by a predetermined value or more.   The determination means is based on a reference function that represents the relationship between the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the passage of time when the road link is assumed to travel from the start point to the end point at a speed assumed based on the traffic information. Set an upper limit function and a lower limit function that are thresholds for determining the deviation of the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the progress, and the travel distance based on the travel record information when an arbitrary time has elapsed from the start point within the road link or When the arrival point exceeds the travel distance or the arrival point by the upper limit function, or when the arrival point does not reach the travel distance or the arrival point by the lower limit function, it is determined that the arrival point is deviated by a predetermined value or more. The traffic information providing system according to claim 3.   The upper limit function and the lower limit function are set such that the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the passage of time is always separated from the travel distance or the arrival point by the reference function by a constant travel distance with respect to each passage of time. The traffic information providing system according to claim 4.   The upper limit function and the lower limit function are set such that the travel distance or the arrival point with respect to the passage of time becomes a value obtained by multiplying the travel distance or the arrival point by the reference function by a predetermined value, respectively. The traffic information providing system according to claim 4.   7. The upper limit function and the lower limit function can be freely set on the vehicle side, or those set on the traffic information center side are distributed to the vehicle-mounted device. The traffic information providing system according to any one of the above.   When it is determined by the determination means that there is a divergence, the relationship between the elapsed time based on the travel performance information in the road link and the travel distance or the arrival point is the time elapsed by the reference function and the travel distance or the arrival point. The traffic information provision according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that when the vehicle intersects with an assumed movement line that represents the relationship between the position and time of the intersection, the traffic information is also transmitted. system.   The traffic information center updates traffic information on the road link according to the deviation information when similar deviation information is received from a predetermined number of vehicles or more regarding the same road link. The traffic information providing system according to any one of 1 to 8.   The traffic information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted device transmits the deviation information added to the probe information.   The vehicle-mounted device is configured to transmit the probe information at a predetermined time elapse or at a timing when the host vehicle reaches a predetermined position, and at a timing when the determination unit determines that there is a divergence, The traffic information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein probe information including deviation information is transmitted.

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