JP7209366B2 - Information display program, information retrieval device and information retrieval program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information display program, an information search device, and an information search program.

Conventionally, various techniques have been proposed for displaying or searching for traffic information related to public transportation including railroads.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an apparatus that generates route map data showing in real time a portion of a route currently in service using route data and timetable data, and displays a route map indicated by the route map data. In addition, the same document describes that a section in which operating mobile bodies are congested, a section in which service is suspended, or an operation failure is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other sections.

JP 2008-207666 A

However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if the user can grasp the current operation status by visually recognizing the route map displayed in real time, congestion, suspension, or operation failure in a specific section is resolved. It is difficult to predict how long it will take. This makes it difficult for the user to formulate an action plan using public transportation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide an information display program, an information search device and To provide an information retrieval program.

The information display program according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises an acquisition means for acquiring situation information indicating traffic conditions relating to the operation or use of public transportation means in association with time, and the situation information acquired by the acquisition means. and display control means for controlling the display means to display the time change of the traffic condition based on the above.

In the information display program according to the second aspect of the present invention, the situation information includes first situation information indicating a traffic situation measurement result at a reference time and second situation information indicating a traffic situation prediction result at a time after the reference time. Contains status information.

In the information display program according to the third aspect of the present invention, the display control means combines the measurement result with the reliability of the measurement or source of the data, or the prediction result with the reliability of the prediction or operation It controls to display on the display means.

In the information display program according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the display control means performs control to arrange the traffic conditions in chronological order along one direction and display them on the display means.

In the information display program according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the display control means performs control to display the traffic conditions on the display means while switching the traffic conditions for each hour.

In the information display program according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the display control means controls the display means to display the traffic conditions together with the route map of the public transportation means.

An information retrieval device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention comprises: storage means configured to be capable of building a route database relating to travel routes and operation times of public transportation means; prediction means for predicting traffic conditions of the public transportation means based on the measurement data acquired by the acquisition means; and searching means for searching for the moving route of the public transportation means after correcting the operation time of the public transportation means according to the traffic conditions.

An information search program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention comprises a computer, storage means configured to be capable of constructing a route database relating to movement routes and operation times of public transportation means, and acquisition of measurement data relating to the operation or use of the public transportation means. obtaining means for predicting traffic conditions of the means of public transportation based on the measurement data obtained by the obtaining means; referring to the route database constructed by the storing means; Also, after correcting the operation time of the public transportation means in accordance with the traffic conditions, it functions as a search means for searching for the moving route of the public transportation means.

The information display program according to the ninth aspect of the present invention comprises an information retrieval device, storage means configured to be capable of building a route database relating to movement routes and operation times of public transportation means, measurement data relating to the operation or use of the public transportation means. and a prediction means for predicting traffic conditions of the public transportation means based on the measurement data acquired by the first acquisition means, and a terminal device capable of communicating with the information retrieval device. a second acquiring means for acquiring situation information indicating the traffic situation estimated from the measured data or the traffic situation predicted by the predicting means in association with time; the situation information acquired by the second acquiring means and display control means for controlling the display means to display the time change of the traffic condition based on the above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to present the user with useful information for formulating an action plan including the use of public transportation means.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information retrieval system incorporating a traffic retrieval server as an information retrieval device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the user terminal in FIG. 1, and a traffic search server. 3 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a user terminal in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a traffic search server in FIG. 2; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st operation|movement of an information retrieval system. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the measurement data of FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of status information in FIG. 4; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd operation|movement of an information retrieval system. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first example of a confirmation screen displayed on the user terminal; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of a confirmation screen displayed on the user terminal; It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd operation|movement of an information retrieval system. It is a figure which shows an example of the search input screen displayed on a user terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the search output screen displayed on a user terminal.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible in each drawing, and redundant description may be omitted.

[Configuration of information retrieval system 10]
<Overall composition>
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information retrieval system 10 incorporating a traffic retrieval server 14 as an information retrieval device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information search system 10 provides an information search service that presents search results relating to travel routes of public transportation in response to search requests from users. Here, "public transportation means" means means of transportation that can be shared by the general public and has a boarding place. Examples of public transportation means include railroads, buses, aircraft, ships, and the like.

Specifically, this information retrieval system 10 includes one or more user terminals 12 (corresponding to "terminal devices"), a traffic retrieval server 14 (corresponding to "information retrieval devices"), and one or more traffic management and a server 16 . Each user terminal 12 can mutually communicate with the traffic search server 14 through the network NT. Similarly, each traffic management server 16 can mutually communicate with the traffic search server 14 through the network NT.

The user terminal 12 is a stationary or portable computer owned by a user. The user terminal 12 is composed of, for example, a personal computer, tablet, smart phone, wearable device, or the like.

The traffic search server 14 is a server computer that performs various controls related to the information search service described above. Although the example of FIG. 1 shows the traffic search server 14 as a single computer, the traffic search server 14 may alternatively be a group of computers constructing a distributed system. The traffic search server 14 may be a cloud server (so-called cloud server) or an on-premise server.

The traffic management server 16 is a server computer that performs overall control related to management of public transportation means. The traffic management server 16 is configured to be able to collect various data for analyzing traffic conditions regarding operation or use of public transportation means from various external devices using communication means (not shown). As an example of the external device, [1] a moving body 18 of public transportation means, [2] transportation equipment provided at a stop, [3] transportation equipment provided around a moving route, [4] a user of public transportation means A portable terminal, etc., can be used.

<Hardware configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 12 and traffic search server 14 in FIG. The user terminal 12 shown on the lower side of the drawing includes a communication I/F 21 , an input device 22 , an output device 23 , a processor 24 , a memory 25 and a storage device 26 . On the other hand, the traffic search server 14 shown on the upper side of the drawing includes a communication I/F 41 , a processor 44 , a memory 45 and a storage device 46 .

The communication I/Fs 21 and 41 are interfaces that transmit and receive electrical signals to and from external devices. This allows the user terminal 12 to exchange various data with the traffic search server 14 .

The input device 22 is a device including a mouse, keyboard, touch sensor, and microphone. The output device 23 consists of devices including a display and a speaker. The user terminal 12 constructs a graphical user interface (GUI) by combining the input function of the input device 22 and the display function of the output device 23 .

The processors 24 and 44 may be general-purpose processors including CPUs (Central Processing Units), or may be dedicated processors including GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays). The memories 25, 45 are non-transitory storage media, and store programs and data necessary for the processors 24, 44 to control each component. The storage devices 26 and 46 are non-transitory storage media including, for example, hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs).

<Functional block>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the user terminal 12 in FIG. The user terminal 12 reads out and executes an information display program stored in the memory 25 or the like to obtain the request means 30, the acquisition means 32 (corresponding to "second acquisition means"), the display control means 34, and the display means 36. function as The request means 30 is means realized by the communication I/F 21, the input device 22 and the processor 24 in FIG. Acquisition means 32 is means realized by communication I/F 21 and processor 24 in FIG. The display control means 34 is means implemented by the processor 24 in FIG. The display means 36 is means realized by the output device 23 of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 8, the request means 30 requests the traffic search server 14 to provide situation information 70, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Specifically, the request means 30 provides the situation information 70 corresponding to the confirmation conditions by transmitting the conditions (hereinafter referred to as confirmation conditions) necessary for specifying the movement route to be confirmed by the user to the traffic search server 14. request. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 11, request means 30 requests traffic search server 14 to provide result information 72, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Specifically, the requesting means 30 requests provision of the result information 72 corresponding to the search conditions by transmitting the conditions necessary for searching for a travel route (hereinafter referred to as search conditions) to the traffic search server 14 .

In the example of FIG. 8, the acquiring means 32 acquires the situation information 70 (FIG. 4) corresponding to the confirmation condition transmitted by the requesting means 30 from the traffic search server 14. FIG. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 11, the obtaining means 32 obtains the result information 72 (FIG. 4) corresponding to the search conditions transmitted by the requesting means 30 from the traffic search server 14 .

The display control means 34 controls the display means 36 to display the time change of traffic conditions based on the situation information 70 acquired by the acquisition means 32 . For example, the display control means 34 may [1] arrange the traffic conditions in chronological order along one direction, or [2] display the traffic conditions on the display means 36 while switching each hour. The displayed traffic conditions may be the situation information 70 itself, or may be information obtained by processing the situation information 70 (for example, characters, figures, marks, etc.).

In addition, the display control means 34 causes the display means 36 to display the measurement results of the traffic conditions included in the situation information 70 together with the reliability of the measurement or source of the data. ``Reliability of measurement'' is, for example, [1] sensor detection accuracy, detection method, number of sensors installed, operating time, [2] amount and frequency of data acquisition, [3] external environment and time zone during measurement , and [4] Correlation with prediction results. "Reliability of the source" is comprehensively based on various factors including, for example, [1] attributes of the organization that provides the data, [2] various performances of the external device, [3] communication environment, etc. Desired.

Alternatively, the display control means 34 causes the display means 36 to display the prediction result of the traffic situation included in the situation information 70 together with the reliability of the prediction or operation. "Reliability of prediction" is, for example, [1] reliability of the above measurement or source, [2] number of past predictions / prediction accuracy, [3] amount / number of types of data used for prediction. Comprehensively required based on various factors including "Reliability of operation" is based on various factors including, for example, [1] type of public transportation, [2] regions such as national/urban/regional areas, [3] routes/traffic operators, etc. Comprehensively required.

The display means 36 displays various images or videos within a predetermined display area according to display control by the display control means 34 . This image includes, for example, confirmation screen 80 (FIG. 9), confirmation screen 90 (FIG. 10), search input screen 100 (FIG. 12), search output screen 110 (FIG. 13), and the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the traffic search server 14 in FIG. The traffic search server 14 reads and executes an information search program stored in the memory 45 or the like to obtain an acquisition means 50 (corresponding to a "first acquisition means"), an estimation means 52, a prediction means 54, a search means 56, It functions as providing means 58 and storage means 62 . Acquisition means 50 is means realized by communication I/F 41 and processor 44 in FIG. The estimating means 52, the predicting means 54 and the searching means 56 are each means implemented by the processor 44 of FIG. The providing means 58 is means implemented by the communication I/F 41 and the processor 44 in FIG. The storage means 62 is means realized by the storage device 46 of FIG.

Acquisition means 50 acquires measurement data 66 through communication with traffic management server 16 . Also, the acquisition means 50 acquires the above-described confirmation conditions or search conditions through communication with the user terminal 12 .

The estimating means 52 estimates the operating state at a plurality of sample times using a collection of data (that is, measured data 66) with different measurement times. Hereinafter, the data indicating this estimation result will be referred to as "estimated data 68". Various information (route information, operation information, trend information, analysis information, etc., which will be described later) stored in the route DB 64 may be used in addition to the measurement data 66 for estimating the operation state.

The prediction means 54 uses the estimated data 68 obtained by the estimation by the estimation means 52 to predict traffic conditions in public transportation means for each hour. Data indicating this prediction result is hereinafter referred to as "status information 70". Various information stored in the route DB 64 (route information, operation information, trend information, analysis information, etc., which will be described later) may be used for predicting traffic conditions in addition to the estimated data 68 . Also, the prediction means 54 may quantitatively or qualitatively determine the reliability of the prediction of traffic conditions based on the reliability of the measurement or source of the measurement data 66 .

The search means 56 refers to the route DB 64 constructed by the storage means 62 and performs search processing for a travel route based on given search conditions. This search processing is performed by switching on/off of the traffic prediction function. Specifically, the search means 56 searches for a route according to a standard timetable registered in the route DB 64 when the traffic prediction function is "off". On the other hand, when the traffic prediction function is "on", the search means 56 corrects the operation time of the standard timetable according to the traffic conditions predicted by the prediction means 54, and searches for routes according to the corrected timetable. I do.

A method for correcting the operation time will be described below. First, after reading out the situation information 70 from the storage means 62, the search means 42 uses the traffic volume or the degree of congestion included in the situation information 70 to calculate the predicted fluctuation amount of the operation time on the travel route to be searched. Calculated for each section. Then, the search means 42 adds or subtracts the predicted fluctuation amount to or from the required time for each section included in the standard timetable, thereby appropriately correcting the operation time of the timetable for each hour and for each section. In other words, it is possible to obtain a timetable that reflects the prediction result of traffic conditions.

The providing means 58 provides the user terminal 12 with the situation information 70 obtained by the prediction processing by the prediction means 54 in the example of FIG. Specifically, the providing means 58 transmits the status information 70 corresponding to the confirmation condition to the user terminal 12 that is the transmission source of the confirmation condition. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 11 , the providing means 58 provides the user terminal 12 with the result information 72 obtained by the search processing by the searching means 56 . Specifically, the providing unit 58 transmits the result information 72 corresponding to the relevant search condition to the user terminal 12 that is the transmission source of the relevant search condition.

In the storage means 62, a database (hereinafter referred to as a route DB 64) relating to travel routes using public transportation means is constructed. For example, the route DB 64 stores [1] route information such as station (node), section (link), route name, number of lanes for each section, [2] timetable and train type (local, rapid, limited express), etc. [3] trend information indicating trends in traffic conditions according to time of day, day of the week, season, etc.; and [4] analysis information indicating knowledge obtained through big data analysis.

In addition, the storage unit 48 accumulates data (that is, measurement data 66) obtained by measurement by various external devices in association with the measurement time point. The measurement data 66 may be raw data obtained by measurement, or may be processed data. As an example of the measurement data 66, [1] detection signals of the position, speed, acceleration, steering angle, yaw rate, and vehicle body load of the moving body 18, [2] operation signals indicating the operation state of accelerator, brake, etc., and [3] camera Examples include an image, an audio signal, presence/absence of the moving object 18, presence/absence of passing through a point, a detection signal indicating the distance to the moving object 18, and [4] positioning information of the portable terminal possessed by the user.

The storage means 48 also temporarily or permanently stores the estimated data 68, the situation information 70, and the result information 72. FIG. The estimated data 68 corresponds to data obtained by subjecting the measurement data 66 measured at different points in time to estimation processing and converting them to the same time. The situation information 70 is information indicating the traffic situation regarding the operation or use of public transportation means, and includes, for example, the traffic volume of the mobile unit 18, the ratio of the traffic volume to the standard traffic volume, and the boarding rate. The status information 70 is associated with multiple times. The situation information 70 includes, for example, first situation information indicating the measurement result of the traffic situation at a reference point in time (for example, the point of time when confirmation or search is requested) and second situation information indicating the prediction result of the traffic situation at a point in time after the reference point in time. Contains information. The result information 72 is information indicating search results by the search means 56, and includes, for example, travel routes, departure/arrival times, route names, fees, and the like.

[Operation of information retrieval system 10]
The information retrieval system 10 in this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, operations of the information retrieval system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13. FIG.

<First action>
First, the first operation of the information retrieval system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 in addition to the flowchart of FIG. This “first operation” relates to the generation and updating of the status information 70 . Step SP10 in FIG. 5 is executed by the traffic management server 16, while the remaining steps are executed by the traffic search server 14. FIG.

At step SP10, the traffic management server 16 periodically or irregularly transmits the measurement data 66 acquired from the external devices including the mobile body 18 to the traffic search server 14. FIG.

At step SP12, the acquisition means 50 of the traffic search server 14 acquires and collects the measurement data 66 transmitted at step SP10. The collected measurement data 66 are sequentially accumulated in the storage means 62 in a state of being associated with the time of measurement.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the measurement data 66 of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. This measurement data 66 consists of [1] "date and time" indicating the time point of data measurement, [2] "train ID" indicating the identification information of the moving body 18, and [3] "operation status" indicating the current status of the moving body 18. ” is data in a table format showing the correspondence between . Here, the operation state includes the position, traveling method (for example, route ID, up/down), speed, etc. of the moving body 18 .

At step SP14 in FIG. 5, the traffic search server 14 confirms whether or not the timing to start estimating the traffic conditions (hereinafter referred to as estimation timing) has arrived. If the estimated timing has not yet arrived (step SP14: NO), returning to step SP12, the traffic search server 14 continues collecting the measurement data 66 until the timing arrives. On the other hand, if the estimation timing has arrived (step SP12: YES), the process proceeds to the next step SP16.

At step SP16, the estimation means 52 performs estimation processing on the latest measurement data 66 collected at step SP12 to obtain one or more pieces of estimated data 68. FIG. For example, if the reference time is set to 10:00 and the time interval is set to every 20 minutes, [1] 10:00, [2] 10:20, [3] 10:40, [4] 11:00, Two estimated data 68 are obtained.

At step SP18, the prediction means 54 uses the estimated data 68 obtained in the estimation at step SP16 to predict traffic conditions relating to the operation or use of public transportation means for each hour. This gives situation information 70 about the public transport means.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the status information 70 shown in FIG. This status information 70 includes [1] a “link ID” that is identification information for the section, [2] a “direction of travel” that indicates the up/down direction of the section, and [3] the number of trains passing through the section per unit time. It is data in a table format showing the correspondence relationship between "traffic volume" indicating the number of trains and [4] "congestion degree" indicating the degree of congestion (for example, boarding rate) in the vehicle or in the station premises.

After that, returning to step SP12, the traffic search server 14 sequentially repeats the operations of steps SP12 to SP18. In this way, the status information 70 regarding public transportation means is generated or updated sequentially.

<Second action>
Next, the second operation of the information retrieval system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 in addition to the flowchart of FIG. This "second operation" relates to the display of traffic conditions in public transportation. Steps SP36, SP38, and SP40 of the flow chart of FIG. 8 are executed by the traffic search server 14, while the remaining steps are executed by the user terminal 12. FIG.

At step SP30, the display control means 34 of the user terminal 12 causes the display means 36 to display a search screen (not shown) while the information search application is running. This search screen is configured so that confirmation conditions can be specified by user's input operation.

At step SP32, the request means 30 of the user terminal 12 checks whether or not the user has requested status check. If there is no request for status confirmation (step SP32: NO), the process returns to step SP30, and steps SP30 and SP32 are sequentially repeated until a predetermined request operation is received. On the other hand, if there is a request for status confirmation (step SP32: YES), the process proceeds to the next step SP34.

At step SP34, the request means 30 requests provision of the status information 70 corresponding to the confirmation condition. Specifically, after obtaining the confirmation conditions specified at the time of request in step SP32, the request means 30 associates the confirmation conditions with the identification information (that is, the terminal ID) of the user terminal 12, and sends them to the traffic search server. 14.

At step SP36, the acquisition means 50 of the traffic search server 14 acquires the confirmation conditions presented by the user through reception from the user terminal 12. FIG.

At step SP38, the provision means 60 of the traffic search server 14 reads from the storage means 62 the situation information 70 corresponding to the confirmation condition acquired at step SP34.

At step SP40, the providing means 60 provides the user terminal 12 with the situation information 70 read at step SP38. Specifically, the providing means 60 transmits the status information 70 to the user terminal 12 having the corresponding terminal ID.

At step SP42, the acquisition means 32 of the user terminal 12 acquires the situation information 70 corresponding to the confirmation condition through reception from the traffic search server 14. FIG.

At step SP44, the display control means 34 of the user terminal 12 creates display data showing the confirmation screens 80 and 90 based on the situation information 70 acquired at step SP42.

At step SP46, the display control means 34 causes the display means 36 to display the confirmation screens 80 and 90 created at step SP44. As a result, confirmation screens 80 and 90 are displayed on the user terminal 12 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a first example of a confirmation screen 80 displayed on the user terminal 12. As shown in FIG. On the confirmation screen 80, five information columns 82, 84, 85, 86, 88 regarding traffic conditions are provided. The information column 82 indicates confirmation conditions including route names and reference points of time (year/month/day/hour). The information column 84 shows a route map including stations and sections (section from A station to D station in the example of this figure).

The information column 85 shows a bar graph in which the traffic volume of the train is arranged in chronological order along one direction (left and right direction here). This bar graph is a graph that visualizes the traffic flow for each section every 15 minutes from the reference point in time (here, 10:00). Each bar is color-coded for each section. For example, a section with a higher traffic volume is expressed in a darker color, and a section with a lower traffic volume is expressed in a lighter color. In other words, [1] at 10:00, the traffic volume is high in all sections from A station to D station, and [2] at 10:40, the traffic volume is medium in the section from A station to C station. , and the traffic volume in the section from station C to station D is normal.

The information column 86 shows a comparison table in which the required times from station A to station D are arranged in chronological order along the horizontal direction. The upper part of the table shows the expected value of the required time every 15 minutes from the reference time. The lower part of the table shows the standard traffic volume for the required time based on the timetable.

As can be seen from the information columns 85 and 86, there is a delay in the section from Station A to Station D at 10:00, but normal operation is expected to return to normal at 11:00. The user can grasp the flow of public transportation means at a glance by moving the line of sight along the information columns 85 and 86 in the left-right direction. This will help the user to formulate an action plan, such as changing the originally scheduled boarding at 10:00 to 11:00.

The information column 88 quantitatively indicates the reliability of the prediction result described above in the range of 0 to 100%. The closer this value is to 100%, the higher the prediction reliability, while the closer this value is to 0%, the lower the prediction reliability. By visually checking the information column 88 (the quantitative value of 80% in the example of this figure), the user can determine for himself or herself whether to trust the prediction result and formulate an action plan.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of the confirmation screen 90 displayed on the user terminal 12. As shown in FIG. In addition to the three information columns 82, 84 and 88 described above, the confirmation screen 90 is provided with two information columns 92 and 94 relating to traffic conditions, a time selection section 96, and a start instruction section 98. there is Note that the information columns 82, 84, and 88 are the same as those in FIG. 9, so description thereof will be omitted.

The information column 92 shows a bar graph in which the traffic volume of the train is color-coded for each section. The information column 94 shows a comparison table of required times from A station to D station. The time selection section 96 is composed of a user control (here, a slider bar) that can alternatively specify the time. The start instructing unit 98 is composed of a user control (here, a button) capable of instructing the start of time-series display.

The information columns 92 and 94 follow the operation of the slider bar and switch to the display contents of the designated time. Alternatively, the information columns 92 and 94 are sequentially switched to display contents from the reference time point to 60 minutes later in accordance with the operation of the button. The user can grasp the flow of public transportation means at a glance by visually recognizing the display contents of the information columns 92 and 94, which are switched manually or automatically.

As described above, the second operation of the information retrieval system 10 ends. Thereby, the traffic conditions in public transportation are presented to the user through the display.

<Third action>
Next, the third operation of the information retrieval system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 in addition to the flowchart of FIG. This "third operation" relates to searching for a travel route in public transportation. Steps SP56, SP58, SP60 and SP62 of the flow chart of FIG. 11 are executed by the traffic search server 14, while the remaining steps are executed by the user terminal 12. FIG.

In step SP50 of FIG. 11, the display control means 34 of the user terminal 12 causes the display means 36 to display a screen for inputting search conditions (hereinafter referred to as search input screen 100) while the information search application is running.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a search input screen 100 displayed on the display means 36 of the user terminal 12. As shown in FIG. The search input screen 100 is provided with a route input field 102, a date and time input field 104, a selection field 106, and a button 108 labeled "Search".

The route input field 102 includes user controls for inputting departure point information (for example, station name) regarding the departure point, and user controls for inputting destination information (for example, station name) regarding the destination. The date and time input field 104 includes a first user control into which time information (e.g., date and time) can be entered, and a second user control into which a time definition (e.g., departure time or arrival time) can be entered. Prepare. A selection field 106 provides user controls that enable the traffic prediction feature to be turned on or off.

At step SP52 in FIG. 11, the requesting means 30 of the user terminal 12 confirms whether or not there is a search request from the user. In the example of FIG. 12, the user terminal 12 confirms whether or not an operation of clicking or touching the [Search] button 108 on the search input screen 100 has been accepted. If there is no search request (step SP52: NO), the process returns to step SP50, and steps SP50 and SP52 are sequentially repeated until a predetermined request operation is received. On the other hand, if there is a search request (step SP52: YES), the process proceeds to the next step SP44.

At step SP54, the request means 30 requests provision of the result information 72 corresponding to the search condition. Specifically, the requesting means 30 acquires the search conditions specified via the search input screen 100 at the time of the request in step SP52, associates the search conditions with the terminal ID of the user terminal 12, and sends them to the traffic search server. 14.

At step SP56, the acquisition means 50 of the traffic search server 14 acquires the search conditions presented by the user through reception from the user terminal 12. FIG.

At step SP58, the search means 56 of the traffic search server 14, among the search conditions acquired at step SP56, if the traffic prediction function is "on", the operation time of the timetable included in the route DB 64 is calculated for each section. fix it. On the other hand, when the traffic prediction function is "OFF", the search means 42 uses the operation time of the timetable as it is without correcting it.

At step SP60, the search means 56 searches for a travel route that matches the search conditions according to the timetable modified as necessary at step SP58. As a result, result information 72 indicating search results is generated.

At step SP62, the providing means 58 of the traffic search server 14 provides the user terminal 12 with the result information 72 obtained at step SP60. Specifically, the providing means 58 transmits the result information 72 to the user terminal 12 having the corresponding terminal ID.

At step SP64, the acquisition means 32 of the user terminal 12 acquires the result information 72 corresponding to the search condition through reception from the traffic search server 14. FIG.

At step SP66, the display control means 34 causes the display means 36 to display the search output screen 110 including the result information 72 acquired at step SP64. Thereby, the search output screen 110 is displayed on the user terminal 12 .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the search output screen 110 displayed on the user terminal 12. As shown in FIG. On the search output screen 110, two information columns 112 and 114 regarding search results are provided. The information column 112 shows the travel route from the departure point (A station) to the destination (Z station), the departure/arrival time, the route name, and the fare. The information column 114 shows prediction information of traffic conditions (for example, event type, route name, expected delay time, etc.). Note that a warning mark 116 may be superimposed on the corresponding location in the information column 112 to make it easier for the user to visually recognize the possibility of a delay.

As described above, the third operation of the information retrieval system 10 ends. As a result, search results for public transportation are presented to the user through display.

[Effects of Embodiment]
<1. Display of traffic information>
An information retrieval system 10 as an information display system includes one or more user terminals 12 and a traffic retrieval server 14 that can communicate with the user terminals 12 . The traffic search server 14 includes a storage means 62 configured to be able to construct a route DB 64 relating to travel routes and operation times of public transportation means, an acquisition means 50 for acquiring measurement data 66 relating to the operation or use of public transportation means, and an acquisition prediction means 54 for predicting traffic conditions of the public transport means on the basis of the measurement data 66 obtained by the means 50; The user terminal 12 includes an acquisition means 32 for acquiring situation information 70 indicating the traffic situation estimated from the measurement data 66 or the traffic situation predicted by the prediction means 54 in association with time, and the situation acquired by the acquisition means 32. a display control means 34 for controlling display means 36 to display the temporal change of traffic conditions based on the information 70 .

Further, according to the computer-executed information display method and program, the user terminal 12 acquires the situation information 70 indicating the traffic conditions regarding the operation or use of public transportation means in association with time (step SP42 in FIG. 8). , control is performed to cause the display means 36 to display changes in traffic conditions over time based on the acquired situation information 70 (step SP46 in FIG. 8).

In this manner, by displaying changes in traffic conditions over time, the flow of public transportation means or users can be visualized in a manner that is easy for the viewer of the display means 36 to understand. This makes it possible to present the user with useful information for formulating an action plan including the use of public transportation means.

The situation information 70 may also include first situation information indicating the measurement result of the traffic situation at the reference time and second situation information indicating the prediction result of the traffic situation at a time after the reference time. This makes it easier for the user to formulate an action plan before and after the reference point in time while visually recognizing the forecast of the public transportation means or the flow of users.

In addition, the display control means 34 may control the display means 36 to display the measurement result together with the reliability of the measurement or source of the data, or the prediction result together with the reliability of the prediction or operation. . By visually recognizing the reliability displayed together with the measurement result or the prediction result, the user can determine for himself or herself whether to trust those results and formulate an action plan.

In addition, the display control means 34 may perform control to arrange the traffic conditions in chronological order along one direction and display them on the display means 36 . By moving the line of sight along one direction, the user can grasp the flow of public transportation means or users at a glance.

In addition, the display control means 34 may control the traffic conditions to be displayed on the display means 36 while switching the traffic conditions for each hour. By visually recognizing the switching of the display contents, the user can grasp the flow of public transportation means or users at a glance.

Further, the display control means 34 may perform control to display the traffic conditions on the display means 36 together with the route map of the public transportation means. This makes it easier for the user to grasp the flow of public transportation means or users by visually recognizing the traffic conditions together with the route map.

<2. Search for traffic information＞
The information retrieval system 10 includes one or more user terminals 12 and a traffic retrieval server 14 that can communicate with the user terminals 12 . The traffic search server 14 refers to the route DB 64 constructed by the storage means 62 in addition to the storage means 62, the acquisition means 50, and the prediction means 54, and selects public transportation means according to the traffic conditions predicted by the prediction means 54. A search means 56 for searching for a moving route of public transportation means after correcting the operation time is further provided. The user terminal 12 includes an acquisition unit 32 that acquires result information 72 indicating the search results of the search unit 56 in association with each other, and based on the result information 72 acquired by the acquisition unit 32, the search result of the movement route is displayed on the display unit 36. and display control means 34 for controlling display.

In addition, according to the computer-executed information search method and program, the traffic search server 14 acquires measurement data 66 regarding the operation or use of public transportation means (step SP12 in FIG. 5), and the acquired measurement data 66 (step SP18 in FIG. 5), refers to the route DB 64 constructed by the storage means 62, and corrects the operation time of the public transportation means according to the predicted traffic conditions. , search for a moving route of public transportation means (step SP60 in FIG. 11).

In this way, by correcting the operation time of the public transportation means according to the predicted traffic conditions, it is possible to obtain search results that take into account the public transportation means or the flow of users. This makes it possible to present the user with useful information for formulating an action plan including the use of public transportation means.

[Modification]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above specific examples. In other words, the above-described specific examples are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the features of the present invention, as long as they are appropriately modified in design by those skilled in the art. In addition, each element provided in the embodiment described above and the modified example described later can be combined as long as it is technically possible, and the combination thereof is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention. .

In the above-described embodiment, the display contents of the information columns 92 and 94 of the confirmation screen 90 have been described by exemplifying the case where they follow the slide operation by the user. Display control may be performed to automatically switch the display contents of the information columns 92 and 94 in chronological order according to the start operation by the user.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where only the traffic conditions are displayed on the confirmation screens 80 and 90 has been described as an example. For example, by proposing a departure time at which the average waiting time is equal to or less than a threshold, it is convenient for the user who wants to reduce the waiting time before boarding as much as possible. Alternatively, by proposing a departure time at which the boarding rate is equal to or less than the threshold, it is convenient for the user who wants to avoid crowds in the train as much as possible.

In the above-described embodiment, the confirmation screens 80 and 90 and the search screen are displayed separately, but the two screens may be linked together. For example, when the display control means 34 accepts an operation to specify a corresponding portion (for example, a specific bar) of the information column 86 on the confirmation screen 80, the search input screen in which the time selected by the user is automatically entered. 100 may be activated. Alternatively, the display control means 34 may activate the confirmation screens 80 and 90 related to the route selected by the user when receiving an operation of designating a corresponding portion (for example, the mark 116) on the search output screen 110. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Information search system 12... User terminal (terminal device) 14... Traffic search server (information search device) 32... Acquisition means (second acquisition means) 34... Display control means 36... Display means 50... Acquisition means (first acquisition means) 56 Search means 62 Storage means 64 Route DB (database) 70 Situation information 72 Result information

Claims (4)

the computer,
Acquisition means for acquiring situation information indicating traffic conditions regarding the operation or use of public transportation means in association with time;
display control means for performing control to display the time change of the traffic conditions on the display means based on the situation information acquired by the acquisition means;
function as
The display control means arranges a first information column showing a route map including stations and sections in one direction and a bar graph showing traffic volume for each section in chronological order along another direction orthogonal to the one direction. the second information column, the expected value of the required time from one station to another station on the route map, and the required time based on the timetable from one station to the other station on the route map, respectively, in the other direction Control to display on the display means a third information column arranged in chronological order along
Information display program. The situation information includes first situation information indicating a traffic situation measurement result at a reference point in time and second situation information indicating a traffic situation prediction result at a point in time after the reference point in time,
The information display program according to claim 1. The display control means controls the display means to display the measurement result together with the reliability of the measurement or source of the data, or the prediction result together with the reliability of the prediction or operation,
The information display program according to claim 2. information retrieval device,
Storage means configured to be able to build a route database regarding movement routes and operation times of public transportation means;
a first acquisition means for acquiring measurement data relating to the operation or use of the public transportation means;
Prediction means for predicting traffic conditions of the public transportation means based on the measurement data acquired by the first acquisition means;
function as
a terminal device capable of communicating with the information retrieval device,
a second acquiring means for acquiring situation information indicating the traffic situation estimated from the measured data or the traffic situation predicted by the predicting means in association with time;
display control means for performing control to display the time change of the traffic condition on the display means based on the situation information acquired by the second acquisition means;
function as
The display control means arranges a first information column showing a route map including stations and sections in one direction and a bar graph showing traffic volume for each section in chronological order along another direction orthogonal to the one direction. the second information column, the expected value of the required time from one station to another station on the route map, and the required time based on the timetable from one station to the other station on the route map, respectively, in the other direction Control to display on the display means a third information column arranged in chronological order along
Information display program.

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