JP2003288680A - Traffic information reporting / display network system, navigation device, traffic information reporting / display method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] A traffic information reporting / display network system, a navigation device, and a traffic information reporting / display system capable of displaying warning information based on a report from a traveling vehicle witnessing an accident or the like on a map.
Provision of display method and program. SOLUTION: When a driver points a sighting button or the like on a navigation screen while a member vehicle 2 equipped with a navigation device 1 passes through an accident site or the like, sighting information is transmitted from the member vehicle 2 via a base station 3 and a network 4. Is reported (transmitted) to the reporting center 5. The reporting center 5 registers the received sighting information, and when there is a transmission request from the member vehicle 2-1, transmits the registered data to the network 4 and the base station 3-3.
1 to the member vehicle 2-1. Member vehicle 2-1
Then, a mark (attention mark or warning mark) corresponding to the number of reports is displayed at the sighting position on the navigation screen.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic information notification capable of displaying warning information on a map based on a notification from a traveling vehicle that has witnessed a cause of traffic congestion such as an accident, a fallen object, construction, an event, a traffic crackdown and the like. / Display network system, navigation device, traffic information notification / display method and program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art (1) Conventionally, (1) traffic control information and accident information on the road have been notified by a passing signal from an oncoming vehicle and an electronic bulletin board or radio installed on the road.

(2) In recent years, as a traffic information reporting system using a car navigation device, a communication device is provided which can receive the position information of the control device, and a warning is displayed when the position information of the control device is received. What to do (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-20891, 2001-597
No. 28) etc.

(3) In addition, when an accident occurs, the accident vehicle sends information on the position of the accident to a report destination such as a report center,
An accident notification system that enables the notification destination side to grasp the accident position, time, etc. in real time (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-30885, 2001-141466, 9-198592)
No.), and an accident notification system configured to confirm to the occupant of the vehicle a notification of position information when an accident occurs (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-15
No. 5281).

[0005]

However, in the above method (1), the oncoming vehicle cannot be seen well due to the shielding plate or the implantation of the median strip, and the frequency and promptness of the traffic information notification by the electronic bulletin board and the radio are unsatisfactory. was there. Further, in the above technique (2), the vehicle driver can know the traffic control situation, but a receiving device for detecting the position of the control device is required, and in the technique (3) above, the notification from the accident vehicle is made in real time. Although it is possible to notify the information center of the accident occurrence state, there is a problem that it is necessary to equip the vehicle with an accident detection device and an accident notification device.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and warning information based on a notification from a traveling vehicle that has witnessed the cause of traffic congestion such as accidents, falling objects, construction, events, traffic control, etc. It is intended to provide a traffic information reporting / displaying network system, a navigation device, a traffic information reporting / displaying method and a program capable of displaying a map.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the traffic information reporting / display network system of the first invention provides a communication network and traffic information reported from a plurality of vehicles via the communication network. Traffic information receiving means for receiving, warning information registering means for registering the received traffic information as warning information in a memory, and warning information transmitting means for sending the warning information registered in the memory to a vehicle via a communication network. And a reporting device for reporting traffic information including the sighting information acquired by the sighting information acquisition means to the reporting device via a communication network, From an information terminal equipped with warning display means for displaying a warning based on the warning information transmitted from the communication network via the communication network. The features.

A second invention is the traffic information reporting / display network system of the first invention, wherein the reporting device is included in the sighting information included in the received traffic information and the registered warning information. By the sighting information discrimination means for discriminating the identity with the sighting information, the duplication determination means for determining whether or not the sighting information determined to be the sighting information having the sameness by the sighting information discrimination means is duplication information, and the duplication determination means. And a notification number updating means for updating the number of notifications included in the warning information having the sameness when it is determined that the information is not duplicate information.

A third aspect of the present invention is the traffic information reporting / display network system of the first aspect, wherein the information terminal acquires location information of the vehicle at the time of reporting the sighting information, and sighting information. Time information acquisition means for acquiring time information at the time of reporting, wherein the reporting means has means for reporting traffic information including the acquired sighting information, the acquired position information and the time information.

A fourth invention is the traffic information reporting / display network system according to the first invention, wherein the warning display means of the information terminal has the number of witness information reports included in the warning information on the map or at the time of reporting. It is characterized in that a warning is displayed according to the passage of time from.

The navigation device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention comprises a position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the own vehicle, and displays the navigation map in which the acquired own vehicle position is superimposed on the map. Witness information input means for inputting the type of sighting information witnessed by, time information acquisition means for obtaining time information at the time of the input, traffic information including the sighting information input, position information at the time of the input and time information Is included in the alert information based on the location information included in the alert means based on the traffic information transmitted from the alert center via the communication network, and the alerting means for alerting the external alert center via the communications network. The mark display means for displaying on the navigation map a mark according to the number of reports or a mark according to the passage of time from the time of the report. And it said that there were pictures.

The traffic information reporting / displaying method according to the sixth aspect of the present invention includes a step of receiving traffic information reported from a vehicle on the reporting center side and a step of generating warning information from the received traffic information. A step of registering warning information,
A step of taking out the registered warning information and a step of passing the taken out warning information to the vehicle, a step of inputting the sighting information witnessed by the driver on the vehicle side, the position information of the vehicle at the time and Steps of obtaining time information, steps of generating traffic information including input sighting information, acquired position information and time information, steps of notifying the generated traffic information to a notification center, and passing from the notification center It is characterized by including a step of receiving the warning information and a step of displaying a warning mark on the map based on the position information included in the received warning information.

The traffic information registration / provision program of the seventh invention is a notification of a network system comprising a notification center, a communication network connected to the notification center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with a traffic information notification / display device. A program executed by a server included in the center, the step of receiving sighting information reporting data transmitted from a traffic information reporting / display device of a plurality of vehicles via a communication network, and registering the received sighting information reporting data. The step of determining the sameness as the warning data that is being performed, and the step of determining whether or not the sighting information notification data that is determined to have the sameness as the warning data is duplicate data,
If it is determined that the sighting information report data is not duplicate data, the step of counting up and updating the number of reports included in the warning data determined to have the sameness, and determining that the data does not have the sameness Generating the warning information from the witness information reporting data, the step of registering the generated warning information in the memory, the step of reading the warning data registered in the memory, and the step of reading the read warning data via the communication network. And a step of transmitting to the vehicle.

The traffic information reporting program according to the eighth aspect of the invention is a traffic information reporting system for a network system comprising a reporting center, a communication network connected to the reporting center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with a traffic information reporting / display device. /
A program executed by a display device, the step of inputting the type of sighting information witnessed by a driver, the step of acquiring position information and time information of the vehicle at the time of the input, the sighting information input, acquisition And generating the sighting information report data including the position information and the time information, and transmitting the generated sighting information report data to the report center via the communication network.

The traffic information display program of the ninth invention is a traffic information report for a network system comprising a report center, a communication network connected to the report center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with a traffic information report / display device. /
A program executed by a display device, the step of receiving warning data transmitted from a notification center through a communication network, and the step of receiving the warning data based on the position information included in the received warning data. A step of displaying on the map a mark according to the number of reports made or a mark according to the passage of time from the time of the report.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 1. Traffic Information Report / Display Network System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic information report / display network system of the present invention. In Figure 1, traffic information report /
A display network system (hereinafter, network system) 100 is a traffic information reporting / display device 1 based on the present invention.
A plurality of member vehicles 2-1, 2-2, 2 equipped with (Fig. 2)
-3, ... (hereinafter represented by reference numeral 2) and wireless base stations 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4 ,.
4) and a high-speed network 4
When the sighting information transmitted from the member vehicle is registered via the base station 3 and the network 4 and the display information is updated on the member vehicle 2 side, the sighting information is registered in the member vehicle 2 via the network 4 and the base station 3. Provide (send) registered sighting information
And a reporting center 5 for working.

2. Traffic Information Notification / Display Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the traffic information notification / display device shown in FIG. 1, and is an example using a navigation device as the traffic information notification / display device. The navigation device 1 includes a control unit 11, a GPS unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, a sensor input unit 15, a communication unit 16,
The disk drive unit 17, the storage unit 18, and the antenna 19 are provided.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (or MPU), R
It has a microcomputer configuration including an AM, a program storage memory, a timing mechanism and the like (not shown), controls the entire navigation device according to a control program, and performs navigation operation according to the navigation program when navigation is selected. The optimum route from the set starting point to the destination and the own vehicle position are determined, and the route, the own vehicle position and the course are displayed on the map displayed on the display unit 13.

Further, when the driver inputs sighting information when the driver witnesses an accident or a fallen object while traveling according to the warning information reporting program of the present invention, the control section 11 inputs sighting information reporting data (sighting information, position information, time). (Including information, scale, transmission / reception address, etc.) is wirelessly transmitted to the base station 3 that manages the communication area in which the vehicle is located. Further, when the display information displayed on the navigation screen is updated (including change of scale), the warning data transmitted from the information center 5 is received, and the display unit 1 is displayed according to the warning information display program.
A warning mark is displayed on the map displayed in the navigation in 3. The navigation operation and the traffic information notification / display operation can be performed independently.

Further, in this embodiment, the control program, the navigation program and the traffic information notification / display program are stored in the program storage memory of the control unit 11, and the control program is read from the program storage memory when the navigation device 1 is started. Then, the navigation program and the traffic information notification / display program are read out from the program storage memory by the control program at a suitable time and executed and controlled by the CPU.
The navigation program and the traffic information notification / display program may be stored in an external storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

The GPS unit 12 receives position data from GPS satellites to acquire the vehicle's own position (= own vehicle position information) and transfers it to the control unit 11 at a predetermined timing.

The display unit 13 is provided with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, displays a road map including the position of the own vehicle and the destination, and displays the determined route, the position of the own vehicle, and the course in a superimposed manner. In addition, when receiving warning data (including sighting information, position information, time information, the number of reports, etc.) from the notification center 5, the warning data may be superimposed on the position on the navigation map as described later (FIGS. 8 and 9). A mark such as a caution mark, a warning mark, or a history mark associated with the mark is displayed. That is, the warning map based on the warning information is displayed.
When displaying the initial screen or the navigation screen, the menu selection button 4 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed at the bottom of the display screen.
1, selection buttons such as operation selection buttons 41 to 45 and buttons 451 to 455 such as the route selection button 42 and the “sighting” button 45 are displayed.

The operation unit 14 includes various buttons such as a start button of the navigation device 1, a menu selection button 41 and a route selection button 42 displayed when the navigation device 1 is started, and a "sighting" button 45 pointed at the time of reporting sighting information. A selection designation key or the like for pointing to is provided, and when these keys are operated, a signal indicating the operation content is sent to the control unit 11.

The sensor input section 15 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle and a direction sensor for detecting the direction,
The control unit 1 detects a predetermined speed and direction when the vehicle is traveling.
Send to 1.

The communication unit 16 is composed of a transmission unit and a reception unit (not shown), and the transmission unit converts the sighting information report data and the warning map transmission request (data) which are sighted and operated by the driver into a radio signal. And transmits to the base station 3 (or the neighboring base station 3 in the best communication state) that manages the communication area of the current position of the vehicle via the antenna 19. In addition, the receiving unit receives warning data from the information center 5 on the network 4
And a base station 3 that manages the communication area of the current position of the vehicle
When it is received via (or the neighboring base station 3 having the best communication state), it is decoded and passed to the control unit 11.

The disk drive unit 17 is a device in which an external storage medium such as a CD-ROM can be attached and detached, and reads out data of a portion designated by the navigation program from the map database and road information database stored in the external storage medium. And sends it to the control unit 11.

The storage unit 18 comprises a storage memory such as a disk drive, and stores the warning data (including sighting information, position information, time information, the number of notifications, etc.) received from the notification center 5.

3. Radio Base Station In FIG. 1, the radio base station 3 has a communication area with a predetermined radius,
Adjacent communication areas are arranged along the road network so as to partially overlap with each other, and wireless information can be transmitted and received to and from vehicles traveling on the road. Receiving a data or warning data transmission request and transmitting it to the notification center 5 via the network 4, and transmitting the warning data from the notification center 5 to the member vehicle 2 of the transmission request source via the network 4.

4. Notification Center FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the notification center 5. The notification center 5 includes a server 51, a communication unit 52, and a storage unit 53 having a large-capacity memory. In addition to the warning data in 53, the identification information of the member vehicle 2 equipped with the navigation device 1, such as the vehicle registration number, the machine number of the navigation device mounted on the vehicle, the address of the vehicle owner, the name and the sending / receiving address, etc. Stores member data files including. The member data is registered based on a subscription application sent from a car dealer or a vehicle user when the vehicle is sold. The operator of the reporting center (= the operator of the traffic information reporting / display system) can charge the member based on this member data or give a score to the member who reported the sighting information. It should be noted that the operation may be performed based on the advertisement income and the member may not be charged.

The server 51 is composed of a computer, and classifies the sighting information report data fetched from the network 4 through the communication section 52 according to the sighting information and the location information according to the resident control program and the traffic information registration / provision program to determine the number of reports. It is attached and registered in the storage unit 53 as warning data.

When there is a warning data transmission request from a member vehicle, the warning data registered in the storage unit 53 is transferred to the communication unit 52.
And the communication unit 52 sends the warning data to the network 4
And to the member vehicle of the transmission request source via the base station 3.

The server 51 deletes the warning data from the storage unit 53 after a predetermined time has passed from the notification. Similarly, if the cause of the sighting information is removed, for example, accident recovery,
The storage unit 53 also stores the corresponding warning data when the fallen objects are removed, the construction or the event such as a festival is finished, or the traffic control is finished.
Remove from.

The storage unit 53 comprises a storage memory such as a large-capacity optical disk, and stores the warning data (FIG. 6) passed from the server 51.

4. Eyewitness Information Notification Operation FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the transition from the navigation screen at the time of eyewitness information notification operation to the eyewitness information selection screen, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the navigation device at the time of eyewitness information notification. is there. In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the control unit 11 controls the operation of each step according to the traffic information reporting program.

In FIG. 4, (a) and (c) are examples of the navigation screen displayed on the navigation device 1 while the vehicle is running, and (b) is an example of the sighting information selection screen displayed at the time of the sighting information reporting operation. Indicates.

Navigation screen 4 of FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (c)
0, reference numeral 41 is a menu selection button, 42 is a route selection button, reference numeral 45 is a "sighting" button, which is selected when reporting the sighting information when the driver witnesses traffic crackdowns, accidents, falling objects, etc. Reference numeral 46 indicates a route determined by the navigation operation, reference numeral 47 indicates a mark indicating the vehicle position, and reference numeral 49 indicates a reduced scale (1/50 in this example).

The sighting information selection screen 4 shown in FIG.
0 ', reference numeral 48 is a caution mark for prompting selection of the sighting information selection buttons 451 to 455 when the sighting information reporting operation (selection of the "sighting" button 45) in FIG. 4A is performed, and reference numerals 451 to 455. Represents a sighting information selection button (however, reference numeral 455 represents a cancellation button for sighting information selection) for selecting the type of sighting information. The caution mark 48 is displayed near the vehicle position mark 47. In this example, the scale 49 of the sighting information selection screen 40 'displayed when the sighting information reporting operation is performed is reduced to 1/500.

In FIG. 5, when the driver witnesses an accident while driving the member vehicle 2 using the car navigation, the "witness" button 45 displayed on the navigation screen 40 (FIG. 4 (a)). Since I will point with the select key,
The control unit 11 checks the signal from the operation unit 14, and when the "witness" button 45 is operated, transitions to step S2 (step S1).

The control unit 11 acquires the vehicle position information based on the position data from the GPS unit 12 and the speed data and azimuth data from the sensor input unit 15. Also, the current time information is acquired from the clock mechanism (step S2).

Next, the control unit 11 displays the sighting information selection screen 40 'as shown in FIG. 4B to prompt the selection of sighting information. At this time, a caution mark 48 is provided at a position on the screen corresponding to the vehicle position at the time of "sighting" acquired in step S2. If the scale 49 is large as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the caution mark 48 will be off the screen, so the scale 49 of the sighting information selection screen 40 'is changed to an appropriate scale (step S3).

The control unit 11 checks the signal from the operation unit 14, and if any of the sighting information selection buttons 451 to 455 is selected, the process proceeds to step S6, and none of the sighting information selection buttons 451 to 455 is selected. In this case, the process proceeds to step S5 (step S4).

The control unit 11 checks the time interval of the signal received from the operation unit 14 and proceeds to step S8 if a predetermined time has elapsed without selecting any of the sighting information selection buttons 451 to 455, and if it is within the predetermined time, proceeds to step S8. The process returns to S4 (step S5).

At step S4, the sighting information selection button 4
If 55 (Cancel button) is selected, step S
If the button other than the cancel button 455 is selected, the process proceeds to step S7 (step S6).

The control unit 11 reports the sighting information from the code indicating the type of sighting information corresponding to the sighting information selection button selected in step S4, the position information and time information acquired in step S2, and the transmission / reception address. Data is generated and passed to the communication unit 16, and the communication unit 16 converts the sighting information notification data received from the control unit 11 into a wireless signal and transmits the wireless signal to the notification center 5, and returns to step S1 (step S7).

The control unit 11 cancels the position information and time information acquired in step S2, and returns to step S1 (step S8).

According to the operation shown in the flow chart of FIG. 5, the sighting information reporting data including the sighting information code, the position information and the time information is transmitted through the base station 3 and the network 4 by only performing a simple button selection operation. 5
Can be sent (reported) to. Further, in step S2, since a predetermined operation delay time is provided after the sighting information reporting operation and before the sighting information is selected, the driver can obtain the sighting information without affecting the driving operation. You can choose.

5. Operation on Notification Center Side FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of warning data registered in the notification center 5 when the sighting information report data is received, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the server 51 of the notification center 5. In the flowchart of FIG. 7, the server 51 controls the operation of each step according to the traffic information registration / provision program stored in the program storage memory.

In FIG. 6, the warning data 60 indicates the sighting information code 61 included in the sighting information reporting data transmitted from the member vehicle 2 via the base station 3, the position information 62 indicating the reporting position, and the reporting time. The time information 63 and the number 64 of notifications of the same sighting information are stored in the storage unit 53 by the server 51. The number of reports 64 is the same as the sighting information code 61 and the reporting position indicated by the position information 64 is the sighting information reporting data within a predetermined distance, excluding the duplicate sighting information reporting data of the same vehicle.

Therefore, each of the warning data 60 in which either the sighting information code or the position information included in the sighting information report data received by the server 51 is currently stored in the storage unit 53.
If it is different from the sighting information code 61 or the position information 62, the warning data of the number of notification = 1 is newly generated and stored. Also, the stored warning data is deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In FIG. 7, the server 51 indicates the current time and the time information 63 of each warning data 60 stored in the storage unit 53.
And the current time is compared, and if there is data that has passed the specified time after registering or updating the warning data, that is,
If the value of the time information 63 of the current time-warning data 60 ≧ the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step T2, and if not, the process proceeds to step T3 (step T1).

The server 51 deletes the warning data, which has been stored for a predetermined time from the sighting time, from the storage unit 53, and proceeds to step T1.
Transition to 0 (step T2).

When the server 51 receives a notification from the member vehicle 2, that is, when the communication unit 52 receives the sighting information notification data from the navigation device 1 mounted on the member vehicle 2 via the network 4 and the base station 3. Shifts to step T4, and if not received, shifts to step T10 (step T3).

Upon receiving the sighting information report data, the server 51 classifies the sighting information report data according to the sighting information codes included in the received sighting information report data (step T4), and the position of the sighting information report data is stored in the storage unit 53. The value of the position information 62 in the warning data 60 is checked to see if it is within the fixed distance range. If it is within the fixed distance range, the process proceeds to step T7. If not, step T6 is set as new sighting information report data. (Step T5).

The server 51 uses the sighting information code, position information and time information contained in the received sighting information report data as the sighting information code 61, the position information 62 and the time information 63.
And the warning data 60 with the number of reports 64 = “1” is generated,
The new warning data is additionally registered in the storage unit 53, and the process proceeds to step T9 (step T6).

The server 51 performs a duplicate check based on the transmission / reception address included in the received sighting information report data, and the same transmission / reception address included in the received sighting information report data is registered in the storage unit 53. If it is the same type of sighting information and the location information is substantially the same as the sender / receiver address of the alert data of the alert data, the sighting information report data is ignored as duplicate data, and the process proceeds to step T10 without counting the number of reports. However, if they do not overlap, a transition is made to step T8 as a notification regarding the same sighting information from different reporters (step T7).

In the case where the server 51 receives the same notification from the person who received different sighting information report data, the server 51 receives the time information 63 of the registered warning data 60 which is the final comparison target in step T5, and the time of the warning data. At the same time as updating with information, the number of messages 64 is incremented by 1 to update the number of messages, and the process proceeds to step T9 (step T8).

Next, the server 51 searches the member data file registered in the storage unit 53 by using the transmission / reception address of the received sighting information report data as a key to search for the reporter, and the score in the member data of the reporter. A predetermined number of points is added to (for example, the number of points at which the prize can be exchanged) (step T9).

The server 51 checks whether or not the communication unit 52 has received the warning data transmission request for displaying the warning map from the member vehicle 2. If it has received, the process proceeds to step T11, and if it has not received it. The process returns to step T1 (step T10).

The server 51, among the warning data stored in the storage unit 53, the warning data witnessed in an area of a predetermined size based on the position information and the screen scale included in the warning data transmission request, For example, when the vehicle that is the source of the warning data transmission request is running in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, the warning data in Gunma Prefecture and in neighboring prefectures is taken out and passed to the communication unit 52, which communicates via the Internet 4 and base station 3. The warning data is transmitted to (the navigation device 1 of) the vehicle 2 which is the source of the warning data transmission request (step T11).

Further, the server 51 searches the member data file registered in the storage unit 53 by the transmission / reception address,
The charge amount is added to the charge column in the member data of the warning data transmission request source, and the process returns to step T1 (step T12).

The server 5 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 above.
By the operation of 1, the information center 5 temporarily stores the sighting information, the position and the time transmitted from the member vehicle 2 via the base station 3, and transmits the information to the member vehicle 2 via the base station 3 at a constant time interval. it can. That is, to obtain warning information about an accident, a fallen object, construction, an event, a crackdown, etc., even if the vehicle does not have a receiving device for detecting the position of the crackdown device, an accident detection device, and an accident reporting device as in the prior art. You can Further, since the information can be ranked based on the number of reports, the navigation device 1 which is the source of the warning data transmission request can display the warning map according to the rank.

Further, since the duplicate notification due to the mischief checking the duplicate notification or the operation error is ignored and is not counted in the number of reports, the reliability of the sighting information is high. Further, since the points are added to the person who has reported the correct sighting information, the frequency of notification can be expected to increase, so that the accuracy of the sighting information can be improved. In step T8, the notification time (time information) is updated, and steps T1 and T
Since the warning data after the lapse of a predetermined time in 2 is deleted, it is possible to prevent storing the warning data for which a lapse of time has passed since the notification, and the memory can be used efficiently.

It should be noted that the transmission / reception address is included in the sighting information notification data as the identification information of the reporter or the transmission source of the transmission request used for the duplicate notification check in step T7, the point addition in step T9 and the billing in step T12 in the flowchart of FIG. However, the vehicle number or the machine number of the navigation device 1 may be used as the identification information.
Further, the method of checking the duplicate notification in step T7 is not limited to the method of using the identification information.

6. Example of warning map display FIG. 8 is a diagram showing some examples of the warning map display screen when the warning data is received from the information center 5, and FIG. 9 is an example of the warning map display operation of the navigation device 1 when the warning data is received. It is a flowchart showing. In the flowchart of FIG. 9, the control unit 11 controls the operation of each step according to the traffic information display program.

In FIG. 8, reference numerals 80, 80 ', and 80 "are warning maps in which warning marks are displayed on a map, reference numeral 81 is a road or route, reference numeral 82 is a caution mark, reference numeral 83 is a warning mark, and reference numeral 84 is a history. Here, the history mark 84 is a mark that is displayed instead of the warning mark 83 at the warning mark display position where the cause has been removed or recovered, and the warning mark 83 was displayed at that position. In other words, it is a mark that means that there was an accident or the like, but there was removal or recovery of the cause.

In FIG. 9, the controller 11 controls the menu selection button 41 and the route selection button 42 displayed on the navigation screen 40 (FIG. 4A) by the driver of the member vehicle 2.
Or whether the operation button for changing the scale etc. was pointed (selected) with the selection key, or whether the map of the area displayed by the traveling of the car was automatically switched, that is, on the navigation screen It is checked whether or not the display information excluding the own vehicle position mark is updated (including the change of the scale), and if the display information on the navigation screen is updated, the process proceeds to step U2 (step U1).

The control unit 11 acquires the vehicle position information based on the position data from the GPS unit 12 and the speed data and azimuth data from the sensor input unit 15 (step U2),
A warning data transmission request including the own vehicle position information, screen scale and transmission / reception address is generated and passed to the communication unit 16 (step U3), and the communication unit 16 converts the warning data transmission request into wireless data and wirelessly sends it to the server 51. Send (Step U
4).

The control unit 11 checks whether or not the communication unit 16 has received the warning data from the server 51 (step U
5) If received, the received warning data is sequentially stored in the storage unit 18, and when reception is completed, the process proceeds to step U7 (step U6).

The control unit 11 sequentially reads the warning data stored in the storage unit 18, examines the position information contained in the warning data, and if it is the warning data within the area currently being displayed, transitions to step U8. If not, the process proceeds to step U13 (step U7).

The control unit 11 checks the time information contained in the read warning data, and when the difference from the current time exceeds a predetermined time, that is, when there is warning data that has passed after the sighting time. Goes to step U9, and if within a predetermined time, goes to step U10. The notification center 5 side may execute the process of step U8 to transmit the warning data 60 to which the history data is added to the navigation device 1. In the case of such a configuration, there is no need to perform the processing of step U8 (step U8).

The control unit 11 associates the history mark 84 as shown in FIG. 8C with the position on the navigation map so as to superimpose the history mark 84, and returns the control to step U7. As a result, the history mark 84 is displayed on the map (step U9).

The control unit 11 checks the number of notifications included in the warning data, and if the number of notifications is less than the predetermined number of times, step U
If the number of notifications is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step U12. The notification center 5 may execute the process of step U10 and transmit the warning data 60 to which the history data is added to the navigation device 1. When configured in this way, this step U10
It is not necessary to perform the process of (step U10).

When the number of notifications is less than a predetermined number of times, for example, less than 5, the control unit 11 associates the caution mark 82 as shown in FIG. 8A so as to be superimposed on the position on the navigation map. The control is returned to step U7. As a result, the caution mark 82 is displayed on the map. The mark may not be displayed when the number of notifications is less than the predetermined number. Also, at the reporting center 5 side, this step U
When the processing of 11 is performed, the warning data 60 of which the number of reports is less than the predetermined number may not be transmitted to the navigation device 1 (step U11).

When the number of notifications is a predetermined number of times, for example, 5 or more, the control unit 11 superimposes the notification number-containing warning mark 83 as shown in FIG. 8B on the position on the navigation map. And returns the control to step U7. As a result, the warning mark 83 containing the number of reports is displayed on the map (step U12).

The control unit 11 returns the control to step U7 until the reading of the warning data (= the received warning data) stored in the storage unit 18 is completed, and when the reading of all the warning data is completed, the process proceeds to step U14. Yes (step U13).

The control unit 11 counts the time, and when it is within the fixed time, clears the time counter and returns the control to step U7 to read the warning data stored in the storage unit 18 from the beginning. In addition, after a lapse of a certain time, the control is returned to step U1 to check whether the display information on the navigation screen is updated (step U1).
4).

With the configuration of the flow chart shown in FIG. 9,
Since the warning map is automatically updated every time the display information on the navigation screen is updated, the driver does not have to bear the burden of displaying the warning map. Also, when the number of reports of the same sighting information is less than the predetermined number, a warning mark is displayed instead of a warning mark, so that the driver can recognize that something happened on the route and avoid traffic congestion in advance. It is possible to change the route and so on. Further, when passing the vicinity, the driver tries to check the sighting information by performing safe driving, so that if there is a phenomenon according to the sighting information, it can be expected that the notification operation is performed, and the accuracy of the sighting information can be improved.

Further, since the number of reports is displayed on the warning mark, the driver can consider the change of the lane by looking at the warning mark, avoiding traffic congestion and performing safe driving. Further, since the history mark is displayed, it is possible to know that the cause of the sighting information has been removed, and it is possible to avoid traffic congestion that may occur for a certain period of time after the cause is removed.

Incidentally, step U8 to step U1 in FIG.
In step 2, if the number of reports is difficult to see, the display stage (for example, 5 stages) may be changed and displayed. Moreover, you may make it distinguish by color instead of the number of reports. Also, instead of the number of notifications, a mark indicating the type of sighting information (a mark symbolizing an accident, a mark symbolizing a fallen object, a mark symbolizing a crackdown, etc.) should be displayed on the warning mark with a certain number of reports or more. May be. Further, the total display rate of the warning mark and the history mark may be calculated, and the caution mark may be displayed when the total display rate exceeds a predetermined value. Further, the latest notification time may be displayed in the warning mark, the history mark, or in the vicinity of these marks.

If it is determined in step U1 of FIG. 9 that the display information excluding the vehicle position mark on the step navigation screen has been updated, a warning data transmission request is sent to the server 51 of the notification center 5 in steps U2 to U4. However, the method of transmitting the warning data transmission request is not limited to this. For example, if a transmission request instruction is made by a key operation in step U1, steps U2-
The U4 may transmit the warning data transmission request to the server 51, or the transmission request may be performed at regular time intervals. Further, the vehicle side does not make a warning data transmission request, the time interval check is performed on the notification center 5 side in step T10 of FIG. 7, and the warning data is transmitted to the vehicle at regular intervals in step T11. It is good (in this case, the charging in step T12 is not performed). With this configuration, steps U1 to U4 in FIG. 9 are unnecessary.

In each of the above explanations, the in-vehicle navigation device is taken as an example of the traffic information reporting / displaying device, but the traffic information reporting / displaying device is not limited to the navigation device. For example, a notification / display device independent of the navigation device may be used. In addition, the operation buttons such as the "witness" button 45 and the selection buttons such as the sighting information selection buttons 451 to 455 are used as the buttons displayed on the screen.
It may be provided as a key in the operation unit of the notification device.

Further, in the above description, the target vehicle of the present invention has been described as a member vehicle of the traffic information reporting / display network system, but the target vehicle to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the member vehicle. That is, it may be configured to be accessible from any vehicle.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications can be made.

[0084]

As described above, according to the traffic information reporting / display network system of the first invention, the information terminal receives the traffic information witnessed by the driver of the vehicle from the reporting device and displays a warning. The driver of the vehicle can recognize the occurrence of an accident or the like in real time and can change the route so as to avoid traffic congestion or the like, and can perform safe driving according to the content of the warning. Further, it is possible to know the traffic control situation even without a receiving device for detecting the position of the control device. Further, the reporting device can separately provide sighting information to the road administrator or the police for public use.

According to the traffic information reporting / display network system of the second invention, the reporting device updates the number of reports of the same traffic information excluding duplicate reports from the same vehicle. The reliability of the reported traffic information can be estimated.

According to the traffic information reporting / display network system of the third invention, since the information terminal acquires the vehicle position and the time information at the time of reporting the sighting information, the location of the sighting information can be almost specified and the sighting information can be obtained. Since it is possible to know the time transition of the information notification, it is possible to change the route in consideration of the place where the accident or the like has occurred and the passage of time.

According to the traffic information reporting / display network system of the fourth aspect of the invention, the information terminal can display a warning corresponding to the number of reports of the same traffic accident information. It is possible to determine the reliability of traffic information and the time elapsed from the time of occurrence, and to decide whether to change the route.

According to the navigation device of the fifth aspect of the invention, the driver of the vehicle who has witnessed an accident or the like can notify the center of the witness information by a simple input operation. or,
When the navigation map is updated, new warning information based on the notification is received from the notification center and a mark according to the number of reports and elapsed time is displayed on the map, so the driver can see the warning map that changes according to the driving of the car. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the occurrence of an accident or the like in real time with certainty, and change the route so as to avoid traffic congestion.

According to the traffic information reporting / displaying method of the sixth invention, the driver of the vehicle can receive the traffic information witnessed by the drivers of other vehicles from the reporting center and display the warning map to know the traffic information. Therefore, the occurrence of an accident or the like can be recognized in real time and reliably, the route can be changed to avoid traffic congestion, and the safe driving can be performed in response to the warning.

Further, according to the traffic information registration / provision program of the seventh invention, the server of the information center excludes duplicate information from the received traffic information and registers it, and the traffic information of the same content is sent from different callers. When received, the number of notifications in the registration data is counted up and updated, so the reliability of the traffic information notified can be estimated based on the number of notifications.

According to the traffic information reporting program of the eighth invention, the sighting information reporting data is generated and transmitted to the reporting center only by the driver performing a simple input operation. Easy to collect and register.

Further, according to the traffic information display program of the ninth invention, the warning map is automatically updated, so that the driver does not have to bear the operation of displaying the warning map. Also, since the mark corresponding to the number of reports is displayed, the driver can consider the change of the lane by seeing the mark (for example, the caution mark and the warning mark), and can avoid the traffic congestion and perform safe driving. . Also, a mark according to the elapsed time (for example,
By displaying the history mark), it is possible to know that the cause of the sighting information has been removed, and it is possible to avoid traffic congestion or the like that may occur for a certain period of time after the cause is removed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traffic information reporting / display network system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a navigation device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a notification center.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a transition from a navigation screen to a sighting information selection screen during a sighting information reporting operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the navigation device when reporting sighting information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of warning data registered in a notification center when receiving witness information notification data.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of a server of the information center.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing some examples of a warning map display screen when warning data is received from a notification center.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a warning map display operation of the navigation device when receiving warning data.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Navigation device (navigation device, traffic information reporting / display device) 2, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, ... Member vehicle (information terminal) 3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4 Wireless base station 4 Network (communication network) 5 Notification center 11 Control unit (warning display means, time information acquisition means, mark display means) 12 GPS unit (position information acquisition means) 13 Display unit (warning display means, mark) Display unit 15 Sensor input unit (positional information acquisition unit) 16 Communication unit (reporting unit) 40 Navigation screen 45 Witness button (Witness information input) 51 Server (Warning information registration unit, Witness information determination unit,
Duplication determination means, notification number updating means, warning information transmission means 52 Communication unit (traffic information reception means, warning information transmission means) 53 Storage unit (memory) 82 Caution mark (mark, warning display) 83 Warning mark (mark, warning) Display) 84 History mark (mark) 100 Network system 451, 452, 453 Sighting information input button

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A communication network, traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information reported from a plurality of vehicles via the communication network, and warning information registration means for registering the received traffic information as warning information in a memory. And a notification device having a warning information transmitting unit for transmitting the warning information registered in the memory to the vehicle via the communication network, a sighting information obtaining unit for obtaining sighting information, and a sighting information obtaining unit. Warning information based on the warning information transmitted from the reporting device via the communication network to the reporting device via the communication network, the traffic information including the sighting information acquired by the means. A traffic information reporting / displaying network system, comprising: an information terminal having a warning display means for performing. 2. The sighting device includes a sighting information discriminating unit that discriminates between the sighting information contained in the received traffic information and the sighting information contained in the registered warning information. Duplication determination means for determining whether or not the sighting information determined to be identical sighting information by the information determination means is duplication information, and the warning information having the identity when the duplication determination means determines that the sighting information is not duplication information. The traffic information reporting / display network system according to claim 1, further comprising: a reporting number updating unit that updates the number of reporting included in. 3. The information terminal comprises: position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the own vehicle at the time of reporting sighting information; and time information acquisition means for acquiring time information at the time of reporting sighting information,
The traffic information reporting / display network system according to claim 1, wherein the reporting means includes means for reporting traffic information including the acquired sighting information, the acquired position information and time information. 4. The warning display means of the information terminal displays a warning according to the number of witness information notifications included in the warning information or the time elapsed from the time of notification on the map. The traffic information reporting / display network system described in 1. 5. In a navigation device that includes a position acquisition unit that acquires position information of the own vehicle and displays a navigation map in which the acquired position of the own vehicle is superimposed on a map, the type of sighting information that the driver has witnessed is input. Sighting information input means, time information acquisition means for obtaining time information at the time of the input, traffic information including the sighting information input, the position information at the time of the input and time information obtained through the communication network A reporting means included in the alert information based on the location information included in the alert information based on the traffic information transmitted from the reporting center via the communication network, and reporting means for reporting to the external reporting center. Mark display means for displaying a mark according to the number or a mark according to the passage of time from the time of the notification on the navigation map, Navigation device according to claim. 6. A notification center side receives traffic information reported from a vehicle, generates warning information from the received traffic information, registers the generated warning information, and registers the registered warning information. The step of retrieving the warning information that is present and the step of passing the retrieved warning information to the vehicle, the step of inputting the sighting information that the driver has witnessed on the vehicle side, and the vehicle position information and time Acquiring information, generating traffic information including the input sighting information, the acquired position information and time information, reporting the generated traffic information to the notification center, and the notification A step of receiving warning information passed from the center, and a step of displaying a warning mark on a map based on the position information included in the received warning information, Traffic information report / display method according to claim. 7. A program executed by a server included in the notification center of a network system comprising a notification center, a communication network connected to the notification center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with a traffic information notification / display device. The step of receiving the sighting information report data transmitted from the traffic information reporting / display devices of the plurality of vehicles via the communication network, and the received sighting information report data and the registered warning data being the same. A step of determining the sex, a step of determining whether or not the sighting information notification data determined to have the sameness as the warning data is duplicate data, and the case of determining that the sighting information notification data is not duplicate data , The number of notifications included in the warning data determined to have the sameness is counted up and updated. A step of generating warning information from the sighting information report data determined not to have the sameness as the warning data; a step of registering the generated warning information in a memory; and a step of registering the warning information in the memory. A traffic information registration / provision program comprising: a step of reading warning data; and a step of transmitting the read warning data to the vehicle via the communication network. 8. A program executed by the traffic information reporting / display device of a network system comprising a reporting center, a communication network connected to the reporting center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with the traffic information reporting / display device. Then, the step of inputting the type of sighting information that the driver has witnessed, the step of acquiring position information and time information of the vehicle at the time of the input, the input sighting information, the acquired position information and time information A traffic information notification program comprising: a step of generating included sighting information notification data; and a step of transmitting the generated sighting information notification data to the notification center via the communication network. 9. A program executed by the traffic information reporting / display device of a network system comprising a reporting center, a communication network connected to the reporting center, and a plurality of vehicles equipped with the traffic information reporting / display device. A step of receiving warning data transmitted from the notification center via the communication network, and the number of notifications included in the warning data based on the position information included in the received warning data. And a step of displaying a mark according to the above or a mark according to the passage of time from the time of the notification on the map, the traffic information display program.