JP4707993B2 - Method and apparatus for providing a plurality of traffic flows - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a plurality of traffic information related to the same road.

  A road traffic information communication system that displays traffic congestion on a road provides road traffic information to a car navigation device or the like. Currently, in the information provided by this system, only one piece of traffic information (congestion information, congestion information, etc.) is displayed on one link (road section such as between intersections) (see FIG. 10).

  By the way, in an actual traffic flow, a plurality of traffic flows may exist (mixed) in one road section, such as depending on the direction of a left or right turn or a parking lot queue. For example, when the lane is full or when there is congestion in all lanes, the “plural traffic flow” is not very noticeable, and the traffic situation of the target road can be almost grasped only by the “representative traffic state” along the “mainstream”. However, when the traffic flow fluctuates only in a specific direction on the road, a plurality of traffic flows appear. That is, a plurality of traffic conditions exist on one road. In particular, there may be a special traffic flow that passes through the left lane dotted with parked and stopped vehicles on a multi-lane road in the city center.

  In addition, there is a general situation where “a specific direction is crowded compared to a representative traffic flow” such as a traffic jam waiting for a right or left turn or a POI (Point of Interest) queue traffic congestion, but the reverse is also true. For example, on roads where traffic congestion is likely to occur, the main line with the highest traffic volume is often crowded, but the left lane that connects directly to a high-speed connection path is often used. Such information is very useful, which allows the user to actively select a route.

  A problem that may occur due to the absence of such information will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the digital map of FIG. 11, a driver turns left at the intersection C, and usually uses the left lane L where traffic congestion does not occur on a daily basis. One day, there was a traffic jam in the lane L, but unlike usual, the driver believed that there was a traffic jam along the lane L in the direction of the left turn at the intersection C. Therefore, the driver drove toward the intersection C in the lane A with patience.

  However, this traffic jam was not a traffic jam in the direction of the left turn at the intersection C, but a traffic jam caused by waiting for a parking lot in the newly-constructed amusement facility S. The driver finally noticed this fact when he arrived around the point P, but he was already late and lost about 25 minutes because he was driving in a traffic jam.

  If the driver knows in advance that there is a traffic jam waiting in the parking lot, it is considered that the driver has traveled in the right lane R and quickly reached the intersection C.

  When the facts described above are arranged, the following events can be grasped.

  (1) Usually, most traffic information can be expressed in “representative style” in units of road sections, like the current traffic information communication system. When it is quiet, all lanes (lanes) are usually quiet, and all lanes are expressed by a single piece of traffic information. This representative flow is usually expressed by “mainstream of traffic” such as straight ahead.

  (2) And when there is a queue for waiting for a right or left turn, waiting for a facility, waiting for an IC (interchange) entry / exit, a traffic jam, etc., a “branch (a secondary flow) off the representative flow” will occur, "Multiple flows" occur inside.

  (3) In this tributary, there is a start point (starting position of the traffic flow) such as a facility, an IC gate, and an outflow destination link. That is, this tributary has a temporary destination where the traffic flow is directed other than the direction where the mainstream is directed. In other words, the tributary has a different outflow direction from the mainstream.

The traffic information generation method of the present invention based on the above consideration is as follows.
It is determined whether or not there are a plurality of traffic flows on one road, and when it is determined that there are a plurality of traffic flows, a plurality of sub-traffic information respectively associated with one road and each traffic flow is included. Generate traffic information.

  Further, in the traffic information generation method described above, it is determined whether or not a plurality of traffic flows have different outflow portions. Temporary destination information can be given to each sub-traffic information.

  Further, in the traffic information generation method described above, the flow velocity difference between a plurality of traffic flows is detected, and when the flow velocity difference is a predetermined value or more, a plurality of sub-traffic information is generated, and the flow velocity difference is smaller than the predetermined value. Can also generate single traffic information associated with one traffic flow that is defined as a single road and a plurality of traffic flows.

  Further, in the above traffic information generation method, branch positions of a plurality of traffic flows can be determined, and branch position information corresponding to the branch positions can be added to the traffic information.

  Further, in the above-described traffic information generation method, it is determined whether or not a merge position of a plurality of traffic flows exists. If it is determined that a merge position exists, the merge position information corresponding to the merge position is determined as the traffic information. Can also be granted.

  Furthermore, in the traffic information generation method described above, traffic information corresponding to the mainstream among a plurality of traffic flows is determined as mainstream traffic information, and traffic information corresponding to a substream other than the mainstream is determined as sidestream traffic information. You can also. Here, among the plurality of traffic flows, the traffic flow with the largest traffic volume can be determined as the main flow.

  Furthermore, in the traffic information generation method described above, the relative positional relationship between the mainstream and the substream can be determined, and the mainstream traffic information and the substream traffic information can be combined so as to correspond to the positional relationship.

  Furthermore, the traffic information display method according to the present invention determines a geographical branch position where a road branches into a plurality of roads on one road, and one traffic flow is a plurality of traffic flows at a predetermined position on the road. A traffic flow branching position that branches to the traffic flow is determined. If the geographical branching position does not match the traffic flow branching position, the traffic flow branching position is displayed. It is also possible to display the traffic flow branch position that exists immediately downstream of the geographical branch position.

  Furthermore, the information traffic information generation device of the present invention receives the traffic trajectory information of a plurality of probe cars, restores the probe information totaling unit, a digital map database including map data, traffic information based on the travel trajectory information and the map data. A traffic information generation unit that determines whether the traffic flow included in the travel locus information includes a mainstream and a substream on one road, and the mainstream and the substream exist If it is determined, traffic information including mainstream traffic information and sidestream traffic information is generated.

  Furthermore, the program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to generate traffic information. The program includes a procedure for determining whether or not a plurality of traffic flows exist on one road, and a plurality of procedures. When it is determined that there is a traffic flow, a procedure for generating traffic information including one road and a plurality of sub-traffic information respectively associated with each traffic flow is executed on a computer.

  Furthermore, the traffic information receiving device of the present invention determines whether the traffic flow included in the information received from the outside includes a mainstream and a substream on one road, and determines that the mainstream and the substream exist Traffic information including mainstream traffic information and sidestream traffic information is displayed.

  According to the traffic information generating method of the present invention, it is possible to provide the driver with an appropriate route suitable for the target direction, and to reduce the possibility that the driver will be involved in a traffic jam.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a modified five-way road in which five roads A to E are gathered. On the digital map, two nodes of node 1 and node 2 are assigned to the intersection, but the distance between the nodes is about 25 m. Yes, there is actually only one intersection. And when the signal of E is blue, it can advance to the arbitrary directions of the roads A-E. This is similar to the crank shape intersection.

  Until now, as shown in FIG. 1, the information for each link (each road) was only a representative traffic flow. That is, only a single traffic information is displayed for each road on the digital map.

  And in this invention, in addition to the mainstream traffic information, as shown in FIG. 2, the traffic flow which should also be called a substream is superimposed. The mainstream means the traffic flow with the largest number of passing vehicles in the focused road section. By measuring the number of passing vehicles per unit time according to each flow, it is possible to determine which flow is the mainstream.

  The sidestream is a traffic flow that has a different direction (provisional destination, outflow direction) from the mainstream. That is, the traffic flows other than the mainstream are all substreams, and there may be only a single substream or a plurality of substreams. In addition, the distinction between the main stream and the substream is not distinguished for each lane as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-227316, but is distinguished according to the direction and destination of each flow. Of course, the distinction between mainstream and substream may coincide with the lane distinction.

  By expressing the secondary flow, it is also possible to express in the outflow direction that cannot be expressed with a simple right / left turn cost. In this expression, the following event is determined, and information corresponding to the event is given to a vehicle traveling on the road. However, the display of road B is omitted.

(1) Road A: The mainstream is congested, but the left turn direction (direction to road C) is relatively flowing.
(2) Road C: The direction entering road B (left turn direction) is congested, but the direction entering road E (left diagonal direction) is a so-called congestion state where the flow is somewhat slow.
(3) Road D: Although the mainstream is vacant, traffic jams occur in the right turn direction (first substream), and further parking waiting traffic jams occur (second substream).
(4) Road E: Although the mainstream is vacant, there is a traffic jam in the right turn direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, first, it is determined whether or not there is a traffic flow that should be called a secondary flow on each of the roads A to E. In other words, it is determined whether or not there are multiple traffic flows on each road. When it is determined that there are a plurality of traffic flows on one road, traffic information including a plurality of sub-traffic information associated with the one road and each traffic flow is generated. Further, depending on the number of vehicles in each traffic flow, it is determined whether the sub-traffic information is main-stream traffic information corresponding to the mainstream or sub-stream traffic information corresponding to a substream other than the mainstream.

  In the above, “traffic information” corresponds to any one of the above (1) to (4) and is information associated with the target road. The “sub-traffic information” is information corresponding to each flow (traffic flow) in each of (1) to (4) and is subordinate to “traffic information”. Accordingly, the sub traffic information is information associated with the target road and its traffic flow. The “traffic information” usually does not include information on the opposite lane.

  In the above-described example, the driver traveling on each road can receive a plurality of traffic information (sub-traffic information) as options, so that an appropriate course can be determined.

  Further, information corresponding to the temporary destination and outflow part of the traffic flow can be given to each sub-traffic information. In the present embodiment, the arrow at the tip of each traffic flow display corresponds to such information. When the destination is the specific facility itself, the facility itself is assigned to each sub-traffic information as a (temporary) destination and displayed (eg, parking lot display on the road D).

  It is also possible to adopt a configuration that detects the flow velocity difference of each traffic flow and generates sub-traffic information corresponding to each traffic flow only when the flow velocity difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. When the flow velocity difference is smaller than the predetermined value, single traffic information associated with one traffic flow (representative traffic flow) that collectively defines the target road and a plurality of traffic flows is generated. In this case, the mainstream can be a representative traffic flow.

  Further, it is possible to determine the relative positional relationship between the mainstream and the substream on the target road, and to display the synthesized mainstream traffic information and the substream traffic information so as to correspond to this positional relationship. Such a display method is useful for the driver to intuitively grasp the nature of each traffic flow. For example, on the road E of the present embodiment, information on the main stream (straight direction) is displayed on the left side, and information on the substream (right turn direction) is displayed on the right side.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 3 shows the occurrence of branching of a plurality of streams in addition to the expression “plural streams on a single road” as shown in FIG.

  For example, if you are entering a large-scale facility at the IC branch on an expressway, the IC exit, turning right or left on a multi-lane road, I often get lost. For example, you might turn left at a large intersection about 200m away or enter the expressway, but for the time being I was queued, but the queue was actually the queue of the facility in front of it. It is. The example of FIG. 11 is also close to this example.

  In the case of the expression as shown in FIG. 3, “whether or not to enter the queue” can also be determined in advance. In order to make the display clearer, it is also possible to use destination setting and guidance using voice.

  That is, when the branch position (or POI entrance position, etc.) in the map data does not match the branch position of the traffic flow, it is conceivable to display a plurality of traffic flows on one road. If the road condition is vacant, the map branch position and the traffic flow branch position are almost the same. In the example of FIG. 3, occurrence of the following events can be grasped from the map display.

  (1) At the branch point T1 (traffic flow branch position) of the first traffic flow, two traffic flows are branched and the flow toward the road R1 where a heavy traffic jam occurs and other flows that are relatively flowing There is a flow to the roads R2 and R3. The actual branch point of the road R1 and the roads R2 and R3 exists at the first branch point M1 (geographic branch position), and the traffic flow branch point T1 and the first branch point M1 on the map. Does not match.

  (2) Further, at the branch point T2 of the second traffic flow, two traffic flows are branched, and a flow toward the road R2 and a flow toward the road R2 are generated. A branch point on the actual map of the road R2 and the road R3 exists at the second branch point M2, and the branch point T2 of the traffic flow does not coincide with the second branch point M2 on the map.

  In the above (1), even when the driver is driving in front of the branch point T1, the driver should line up with a heavy traffic toward the road R1 based on his / her destination, or avoid this heavy traffic. It can be judged.

  Unlike the branch points M1 and M2, the branch points T1 and T2 are dynamic information, and the present invention displays such dynamic traffic information that changes every moment. The dynamic branch positions T1 and T2 are traffic flow branch position information. In this embodiment, in addition to the traffic information of the first embodiment, such traffic flow branch position information is added to the traffic information. It is done.

  Further, the points T1 and T2 that are traffic flow branch position information exist immediately downstream of the points M1 and M2 that are geographical branch position information.

(Third embodiment)
Next, although the route of FIG. 4 has 2-3 lanes, parked vehicles frequently exist on the left side. In this route, the number of lanes in which traffic flow is substantially flowing is -1 (1 to 2 lanes). However, traffic congestion has occurred in these lanes. A taxi or a driver who does not have good driving manners often runs through the left side while avoiding parked vehicles. Such a driver will eventually join the flow because all lanes are crowded near the last intersection.

  In such a case, the situation is “although there are a plurality of traffic flows on the same route in the same direction”. As a case opposite to this case (the traffic flow on the center side flows smoothly), there is a traffic jam at a sightseeing spot or the like. This display gives the driver the material to determine whether to proceed in the main lane or the left lane.

  In order to express the above-mentioned situation, in this embodiment, in addition to the traffic information of the first and second embodiments, it is determined whether or not there is a merge position of a plurality of traffic flows, and it is determined that a merge position exists. When it is done, the merge position information corresponding to the merge position is given to the traffic information.

  Next, a specific system configuration, a processing method, and a structure of data to be transmitted and received that implement the above-described traffic information generation method will be described. In the following explanation, unless there is a special notice or explanation (“mainstream traffic information”, “secondary traffic information”, etc.), “traffic information” and “subtraffic information” are not distinguished, and “traffic information” This is explained using the terminology. This is because the term “traffic information” is common. Accordingly, in the description, what is meant by all traffic flows on one road is the above-mentioned “traffic information”, while each means a plurality of traffic flows generated on one road (for example, “mainstream” "And" substream ") are the above-mentioned" sub-traffic information ".

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a traffic information providing system 400 that implements the present invention. The traffic information providing system 400 includes a probe car in-vehicle device 100 that transmits a travel locus reflecting probe information, a traffic information generation device 200 that functions as a probe information collection center, and a traffic information reception device 300 that constitutes a car navigation device. Is done. The “traffic information providing system” is sometimes called a “traffic information communication system”. It may also be called “VICS” system name.

  The probe car on-vehicle device 100 includes a host vehicle position determination unit 101, a travel locus measurement information accumulation unit 103, a sensor information collection unit 105, and a travel locus transmission unit 107.

  The own vehicle position determination unit 101 determines the vehicle position from the data of the speed pulse 1, the GPS antenna 3, and the gyro 5, and the sensor information collection unit 105 is based on the data of the parking brake 7, the in-vehicle sensor A9, and the in-vehicle sensor Z11. The traveling state of the vehicle is determined. Position data and traveling state data from the vehicle position determination unit 101 and the sensor information collection unit 105 are collected in the traveling locus measurement information storage unit 103, and traveling locus information of the vehicle is generated. The traveling locus transmitting unit 107 performs predetermined processing for transmission such as encoding on the traveling locus information, and then transmits the traveling locus information to the traffic information generating device 200.

  The traffic information generating apparatus 200 includes a probe information totaling unit 201, a traffic information generating unit 203, a digital map database 205, and a traffic information transmitting unit 207, and functions as a so-called encoder that generates transmitted traffic information. .

  The probe information totaling unit 201 receives and restores the traveling locus information from the traveling locus transmission unit 107 of the probe car on-vehicle device 100, and includes a congestion state determination unit 201a and a traveling road identification unit 201b. The travel locus information is restored with reference to the database 205. The traffic information generation unit 203 generates traffic information with reference to the digital map database based on the data from the sudden event input device 13, the road sensor A15,... The traffic information transmitting unit 207 transmits the generated traffic information to the traffic information receiving device 300 after performing a predetermined process such as encoding. The traffic information generation device 200 functions as a so-called encoder.

  In the traffic information generation device 200 of the present invention, the traffic information generation unit 203 includes a mainstream traffic information generation unit 203a and a sidestream traffic information generation unit 203b. The mainstream traffic information generation unit 203a generates the above-described mainstream traffic information, while the sidestream traffic information generation unit 203b generates the above-described traffic information about the substream. Therefore, the traffic information generated by the traffic information generation unit 203 includes mainstream traffic information and sidestream traffic information.

  Next, the traffic information receiving apparatus 300 includes a traffic information receiving unit 301, a traffic information editing unit 303, a digital map database 305, and a map display control unit 307.

  The traffic information reception unit 301 receives and restores the traffic information transmitted from the traffic information transmission unit 207 of the traffic information generation device 200. Then, the traffic information editing unit 303 generates map display data with reference to the digital map database 305 based on the traffic information. The map display control unit 307 displays the generated map display data on the display 19. The traffic information receiving apparatus 300 functions as a so-called decoder.

  In the traffic information receiving apparatus 300 of the present invention, the traffic information editing unit 303 includes a mainstream traffic information determination unit 303a and a sidestream traffic information determination unit 303b. The mainstream traffic information determination unit 303a determines mainstream traffic information included in the traffic information transmitted from the traffic information transmission unit 207, and the sidestream traffic information determination unit 303b determines mainstream traffic information. . Therefore, both the mainstream and the substream are displayed on the display 19.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a processing flow on the traffic information generating apparatus 200 side. The traffic information generation device 200 starts receiving vehicle probe information from the probe car on-vehicle device 100 of each vehicle, and identifies the target road from this travel locus (steps S101, S102, and S103). And the congestion condition of each location of an object road is determined (step S104).

  And when the process for all the vehicles N prescribed | regulated previously is not yet completed (step S105; No), the probe information from a probe car is received continuously (step S106). When it is determined that all N vehicles have been processed (step S105; Yes), paying attention to a specific target road of each probe information, the congestion situation is totaled according to the traveling direction (temporary destination), and traffic information is obtained. Is started (steps S107, S108, S109). Thereafter, it is determined whether there is a difference in the congestion status depending on the traveling direction (difference in sub-traffic information) (step S110). As described above, this determination is generally made based on whether or not the flow rate difference between the main flow and the side flow is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  If it is determined that there is a difference in the congestion situation (step S110; Yes), the direction in which the traffic flows most (usually straight at the intersection) is the mainstream, the traffic information in the direction of travel with the difference is the substream, and the branch point ( The traffic flow branch position is extracted (step S111). Then, it is determined whether or not the processing of step S109 to step S111 has been performed for all road sections. When it is determined that the process has not been completed (step S112; No), the process for the next section is further performed (step S113). If completed, the traffic information for all road sections is aggregated (step S115), and traffic information for the target road is generated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no difference in the congestion status (step S110; No), the traffic information in the traveling direction with no difference is integrated into the mainstream (step S114), and the processes after step S112 are performed.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a processing flow on the traffic information receiving apparatus 300 side. The traffic information receiving device 300 receives the traffic information generated according to the processing flow of FIG. 6 from the traffic information generating device 200 (step S201), and pays attention to the mainstream of the traffic information (steps S202 and S203). Then, the mainstream position on the digital map database 305 is specified (step S204).

  Next, paying attention to the substream corresponding to the mainstream (steps S205 and S206), the position of the substream on the digital map database 305 is specified (step S207). Then, mainstream traffic information is displayed (step S208), and the traveling direction of the mainstream traffic information is compared with the traveling information of the substream traffic information (step S209). The substream is displayed on the right side, and if it is in the right direction, the substream is displayed on the right side (step S210). Then, the traveling direction of the side flow is displayed (step S211).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the processing in steps S207 to S211 has been performed for all the main substreams currently focused on (step S212). When it is determined that the processing for all the substreams has not been completed (step S212; No), the processing for the next substream is continued (step S213). If it is determined that the processing for all substreams has been completed (step S212; Yes), it is determined whether or not all mainstream processing in the traffic information has been performed (step S214). If it is determined that all the mainstream processes have not been performed, the next substream process is subsequently performed (step S215). When it is determined that all mainstream processing has been performed, the processing ends and traffic information is displayed on the display 19.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a data structure including traffic information. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B both include mainstream / substream position reference information and traffic information. In the structure of FIG. 8B, in addition to the structure of FIG. 8A, information on the branch position from the main stream and information on the traveling direction of the substream are added (colored portion). FIG. 9 shows an example of the data structure as in FIG. 8, but the position reference information used is ISO-SWG3.3 Profile2 which is a typical standard. The position reference information here includes the total number of nodes of each road, latitude / longitude information of each node, and attributes of each node.

  Further, the traffic information receiving device 300 constitutes a car navigation device mounted on each vehicle and functions as a so-called decoder that restores the received traffic information. However, additional functions and application development as described below are also conceivable. .

  (1) The mainstream and the substream can be specified and displayed. For example, the main stream and the substream can be distinguished and displayed using different lines such as line thickness, line color, and line transmittance.

  (2) The display of the secondary flow can be performed only when the map scale is enlarged by a certain amount or more. If both the mainstream and the substream are displayed when the map displays a wide range, the number of lines may increase so that the display becomes difficult to see.

  (3) Further, the substream can be displayed only when the position of the vehicle approaches the branch portion of the traffic flow. At this time, it is also possible to display it on two screens of a wide range map and an enlarged map around the branching portion.

  (4) The display / non-display of the secondary flow can be determined according to the traveling direction or the positional relationship between the current location and the destination. For example, it is possible to display only the substream existing upstream from the position of the vehicle and not display the substream downstream.

  (5) A function of guidance can be added to determine which flow should be taken immediately upstream of the branch (so-called route guidance). When a route is guided, display / voice guidance can be performed in consideration of branching / merging positions. As an example of voice guidance, “There is a traffic jam in the direction of travel of the destination, so please line up at the end of the traffic jam on the left (right) / Since only the direction of travel of the destination is flowing smoothly, left (Please stop (right) to get out of the traffic). Further, as an example of route display, it is conceivable to draw a route route from the branch portion of the main flow and the sub flow toward the sub flow.

  (6) When calculating the recommended route to the destination, the route can be calculated in consideration of the traffic information of the secondary flow.

  (7) When displaying the route and traffic information along the route, the display method displays the sidestream traffic information according to the branch direction (outflow direction / temporary destination) with priority over the mainstream.

  (8) In the above example, the traffic information receiving device 300 is applied to a car navigation device. However, the traffic information receiving device 300 can be applied to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA.

  (9) The traffic information providing system 400 is configured so that the traffic information receiving apparatus 300 directly receives the travel trajectory information from the probe car onboard device 100 and extracts mainstream and substream traffic information from the travel trajectory information. Can be built. A function and a program for performing such an extraction operation can be provided in the traffic information receiving apparatus 300 or in another part. This program is a program for causing a computer to generate traffic information. The program includes a procedure for determining whether or not a plurality of traffic flows exist on one road, and a plurality of traffic flows. If it is determined that it exists, the computer is caused to execute a procedure for generating traffic information including a plurality of sub-traffic information respectively associated with one road and each traffic flow.

  This program is incorporated into the system in various forms. The program may be recorded on an information recording device such as a hard disk, or an information recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or memory card.

  The present invention includes a traffic information generation device, which is one of the embodiments on the information transmission side, and can transmit information on the center side, such as an information transmission device on a center side, a probe car onboard device, etc. Any form of device or terminal can be employed as the traffic information generating device. Further, although not shown, the generated traffic information can be recorded on a medium and provided to another device.

  Similarly, the present invention includes a traffic information receiving device, which is also an embodiment on the information receiving side, and any device that can utilize information such as a navigation device, a personal computer, and a portable terminal may be used. Of course, the same effect can be obtained also in an information collection center capable of displaying received traffic information and a device on the center side. Further, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained by performing restoration processing using a medium or the like on which traffic information is recorded.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the matters shown in the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make modifications and applications based on the description and well-known techniques. This is also the scope of the present invention, and is included in the scope for which protection is sought.

  The traffic information generation method of the present invention can provide the driver with an appropriate route suitable for the target direction, and can also reduce the possibility of the driver being involved in a traffic jam.

The example of a digital map display at the time of providing one traffic flow information with respect to one road in a modified five-way road. The example of a digital map display at the time of providing several traffic flow information with respect to one road in a deformation | transformation five difference road. Example of digital map display showing multiple traffic flows and traffic flow branch points in the vicinity of an expressway interchange. An example of a digital map display of a road where a parked vehicle exists in the left lane and a traffic flow of passing-through occurs. The block diagram which shows the structure of a traffic information provision system. The figure of the processing flow in the traffic information generation device side. The figure of the processing flow in the traffic information receiver side. An example of a data structure including traffic information. An example of the data structure of latitude / longitude information. The example of the digital map display by the information provided by the conventional road traffic information communication system. An example of a digital map display that displays both a smooth right lane and a left lane where there is a traffic jam waiting.

Explanation of symbols

1 Speed pulse 3 GPS antenna 5 Gyro 7 Parking brake 9 Vehicle-mounted sensor A
11 On-vehicle sensor Z
13 Sudden event input device 15 Road sensor A
17 Road sensor Z
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 Display 100 Probe car vehicle equipment 101 Own vehicle position determination part 103 Traveling track measurement information storage part 105 Sensor information collection part 107 Traveling track transmission part 200 Traffic information generation apparatus 201 Probe information totaling part 201a Congestion condition determination part 201b Traveling road specification part 203 Traffic information generating unit 203a Mainstream traffic information generating unit 203b Substream traffic information generating unit 205 Digital map database 207 Traffic information transmitting unit 300 Traffic information receiving device 301 Traffic information receiving unit 303 Traffic information editing unit 303a Mainstream traffic information determining unit 303b Traffic information determination unit 305 Digital map database 307 Map display control unit 400 Traffic information providing system

Claims (3)

A method for providing traffic information,
Receiving travel locus information including position information and travel speed information from a predetermined number of vehicles;
Identifying a target road on which the predetermined number of vehicles have traveled from the travel locus information;
Calculating the degree of congestion at each location on the target road based on vehicle travel speed information at each location on the target road;
Summing up the degree of congestion at each location for each traveling direction of the vehicle or for each outflow direction indicating the destination of the vehicle ;
When there is a difference greater than or equal to a predetermined degree in the degree of congestion counted for each traveling direction of the vehicle or for each outflow direction indicating the destination of the vehicle , the vehicle traveling direction including the position information of the target road , or Generating traffic information corresponding to each of the outflow directions indicating the destination of the vehicle ;
Providing the generated traffic information; and providing the traffic information. Means for receiving travel locus information including position information and travel speed information from a predetermined number of vehicles;
Means for identifying a target road on which the predetermined number of vehicles have traveled from the travel locus information;
Means for calculating the degree of congestion of each part of the target road based on the traveling speed information of the vehicle at each part of the target road;
Means for counting the degree of congestion at each location for each traveling direction of the vehicle or for each outflow direction indicating the destination of the vehicle ;
When there is a difference greater than or equal to a predetermined degree in the degree of congestion counted for each traveling direction of the vehicle or for each outflow direction indicating the destination of the vehicle , the vehicle traveling direction including the position information of the target road , or Means for generating traffic information corresponding to each of the outflow directions indicating the destination of the vehicle ;
And a means for providing the generated traffic information. With a digital map,
Means for receiving traffic information corresponding to each of a traveling direction of the vehicle provided by the traffic information providing apparatus according to claim 2 or an outflow direction indicating a destination of the vehicle ;
Means for performing position specification on the digital map using position information of the target road included in traffic information, and specifying the target road;
Means for displaying on the digital map traffic information corresponding to the traveling direction of the vehicle at each location on the target road or the outflow direction indicating the destination of the vehicle .