Map provision server and map provision method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9489843-B2
Application number	US-201414779665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

In order to enable information about dangers from the perspective of users using various means of transportation to be collected, a map provision server ( 1 ) is equipped with: a data acquisition unit ( 11 ) that acquires from multiple vehicles ( 20 ) driving information (FCD) containing instances of sudden braking and the locations where the sudden braking occurred; a dangerous location identification unit ( 121 ) which, on the basis of the acquired driving information, identifies dangerous locations ( 41 ) where many instances of sudden braking have occurred; and a posting column generation unit ( 122 ) that places the dangerous locations ( 41 ) on a map and generates a posting column ( 60 ) capable of receiving postings from users and associated with the dangerous locations ( 41 ) placed on the map. The map on which the dangerous locations ( 41 ) have been placed is provided to a user terminal ( 4 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A map provision server that provides a map enabling posting of risk information relating to road traffic, the server comprising:
a processor;
memory that stores a program code executable by the processor; and
a storage device,
wherein the processor, by executing the program code, is configured to comprise:
a data acquisition unit that acquires driving information including occurrences of sudden braking and occurrence sites of the sudden braking from a plurality of vehicles;
a risk information storage unit that stores, to be associated, sudden braking information for determining a sudden braking repeated occurrence situation that is calculated based on a number of sudden braking occurrences having occurred for each of the occurrence sites of the sudden braking, based on the driving information acquired by the data acquisition unit; and
a map generation unit that generates a map showing a dangerous location, and provides via a user terminal to a user,
wherein the map generation unit includes:
a dangerous location specification unit that specifies as the dangerous location an occurrence site of sudden braking based on the sudden braking information; and
a posting column generation unit that arranges the dangerous location on a map, and generates a posting column capable of accepting a posting from a user to be associated with the dangerous location thus arranged, in conjunction with a transportation means of the user.

2. The map provision server according to claim 1 , wherein, based on a number of sampled vehicles within a fixed time period, the sudden braking information uses sudden braking frequency calculated by dividing the number of sudden braking occurrences by a number of sampled vehicles in a case of the number of sampled vehicles being large, and uses a number of sudden braking occurrences in a case of the number of sampled vehicles being small.

3. The map provision server according to claim 1 , wherein the processor, by executing the program code, is further configured to comprise:
an information update unit that accepts a posting related to the dangerous location from the user terminal via the posting column in conjunction with the transportation means of the user, and stores posting contents thus accepted and the transportation means in the risk information storage unit to be associated with the dangerous location.

4. The map provision server according to claim 3 , wherein the map generation unit further includes:
a posting contents addition unit that adds the posting contents and the transportation means associated with the dangerous location to be displayable.

5. The map provision server according to claim 4 ,
wherein the posting contents addition unit, according to a request designating the transportation means from the user terminal requesting a map, adds only posting contents corresponding to the transportation means identified at the dangerous location to be displayable.

6. The map provision server according to claim 4 ,
wherein the posting column at least includes a posting item of selectable format, and
wherein the posting contents addition unit displays posting contents having a large number of selections on the map.

7. The map provision server according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data acquisition unit acquires driving information including time,
wherein the risk information storage unit stores in conjunction with the time to be associated with the occurrence site of the sudden braking, and
wherein the dangerous location specification unit, according to a request designating a time slot from the user terminal, specifies an occurrence site of sudden braking as a dangerous location based on the sudden braking information corresponding to a time slot requested.

8. The map provision server according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data acquisition unit acquires driving information including a weather condition during driving,
wherein the risk information storage unit stores in conjunction with the weather condition to be associated with the occurrence site of the sudden braking, and
wherein the dangerous location specification unit, according to a request designating weather from the user terminal, specifies an occurrence site of sudden braking as a dangerous location based on the sudden braking information corresponding to a weather condition requested.

9. The map provision server according to claim 1 , wherein the dangerous location specification unit specifies the dangerous location using a different judgment threshold according to a magnification of a map requested from the user terminal.

10. A map provision method of providing a map that enables posting of risk information relating to road traffic to a user terminal, the method being executed by a computer and comprising the steps of:
acquiring driving information including occurrences of sudden braking and occurrence sites of the sudden braking from a plurality of vehicles;
storing, to be associated, sudden braking information for determining a sudden braking repeated occurrence situation that is calculated based on a number of sudden braking occurrences having occurred for each of the occurrence sites of the sudden braking, based on the driving information acquired in the step of acquiring;
specifying an occurrence site of sudden braking as a dangerous location based on the sudden braking information;
arranging, according to a request via the user terminal from a user, the dangerous location on a map according to a request, and generating a posting column capable of accepting a posting from the user terminal to be associated with the dangerous location thus arranged, in conjunction with a transportation means of the user; and
providing a map including the posting column to the user terminal.

11. The map provision method according to claim 10 , wherein the step of specifying specifies, based on a number of sampled vehicles within a fixed time period, by using sudden braking frequency calculated by dividing the number of sudden braking occurrences by a number of sampled vehicles as the sudden braking information in a case of the number of sampled vehicles being large, and by using a number of sudden braking occurrences as the sudden braking information in a case of the number of sampled vehicles being small.

12. The map provision method according to claim 10 , further comprising a step of accepting a posting in relation to the dangerous location from the user terminal via the posting column in conjunction with a transportation means of the user, and storing posting contents thus accepted and the transportation means to be associated with the dangerous location.

13. The map provision method according to claim 12 , further comprising a step of adding the posting contents and the transportation means associated with the dangerous location to be displayable.

14. The map provision method according to claim 13 ,
wherein the step of adding adds, according to a request designating the transportation means from the user terminal requesting a map, only posting contents corresponding to the transportation means identified at the dangerous location to be displayable.

15. The map provision method according to claim 13 ,
wherein the posting column at least includes a posting item of selectable format, and
wherein the step of adding displays posting contents having a large number of selections for the posting item on the map.

16. The map provision method according to claim 10 ,
wherein the step of acquiring acquires driving information including time,
wherein the step of storing stor

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sato Aya
• Tezuka Hanae
• Hirai Yoshiaki
• Iida Tsuyoshi
• Ogi Takashi

Classifications

• G08G1/0112 Primary

  from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD] · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · CPC title

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title

• G08G1/09626

  where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map · CPC title

• G08G1/137

  the indicator being in the form of a map · CPC title