JP2007285979A - Traffic information providing device and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently accumulate and delete traffic information, without requiring labor and time to a user. <P>SOLUTION: A road side DSRC transceiver distributes the traffic information, in this traffic information providing device of the present invention. A control part 13 of an on-vehicle machine 10 controls an on-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 to acquire the traffic information distributed from the road side DSRC transceiver and an expiration date of the traffic information. The control part 13 outputs the acquired traffic information to an output device 18. The control part 13 stores the traffic information in a storage part 16 when a time indicated by the acquired traffic information is before the set expiration date, and cancels it without storing it when passing the expiration date. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic information providing apparatus, a traffic information providing method, and a program.

  Currently, traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic regulations is sent to the traveling vehicle in real time using the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS), and is used for alerting drivers and searching for detours. ing.

  In addition, research on technology using dedicated short range communication (DSRC) dedicated short-range communication has been actively conducted. DSRC is a system in which a relatively narrow range with a diameter of about 30 m is used as a communication area, and a large amount of data is communicated to vehicles existing within this range. Furthermore, it has the characteristic that the geographical range where traffic information is provided can be simultaneously limited, and traffic information according to the location can be provided to the driver.

  A large amount of traffic information is exchanged between the transmitting terminal and the traveling vehicle. In addition, the traffic situation of the road is changing every moment, and the traffic situation indicated by the traffic information becomes far from the current traffic situation as time passes.

Therefore, it is necessary to efficiently determine a large amount of traffic information exchanged in the system as valid and invalid, and to delete invalid information. Patent Document 1 discloses a car navigation system in which a driver sets an expiration date of information, and stores and deletes information based on the expiration date.
JP 2003-102051 A

  However, according to Patent Document 1, since it is necessary for the user to set an expiration date for all information, it is very troublesome to use the car navigation system, which is a burden on the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a traffic information providing apparatus, a traffic information providing method, and a program suitable for efficiently storing and deleting traffic information without requiring a driver to spend time and effort. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a traffic information providing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit, a first determination unit, a storage unit, and an output unit.
The acquisition means acquires the traffic information and the expiration date of the traffic information from the management device that provides the traffic information.
The first determination unit determines whether the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit is valid based on the expiration date acquired by the acquisition unit.
The storage means, when it is determined that the first determination means is valid, the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means, and the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means The acquired time is associated and stored.
The output means outputs the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means.
As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus determines the expiration date of the traffic information when the traffic information is distributed and acquired from the distribution source, and stores it only when it is valid. As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus can efficiently accumulate the traffic information without requiring the user to take time.

The storage means may not store the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means when it is determined that the first determination means is not valid.
As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus determines the expiration date of the traffic information when the traffic information is distributed and acquired from the distribution source, and does not store the traffic information if it is not valid. As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus can efficiently accumulate the traffic information without requiring the user to take time.

The traffic information providing apparatus may include a time measuring unit, a second determining unit, and a deleting unit.
The time measuring means measures time.
The second determining means determines whether or not the traffic information stored in the storage means is valid based on the time counted by the time measuring means.
The deletion unit deletes the traffic information when the determination unit determines that the traffic information is not valid.
As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus can delete old traffic information whose expiration date has passed from the traffic information already stored. Thereby, the traffic information provision apparatus can delete traffic information efficiently, without making a user troublesome.

A traffic information providing method according to another aspect of the present invention is a traffic information providing method executed by a traffic information providing apparatus having an acquisition unit, a determination unit, a storage unit, and an output unit, and includes an acquisition step, a determination step, A storage step and an output step are provided.
In the acquisition step, the acquisition unit acquires the traffic information and the expiration date of the traffic information from the distribution device that distributes the traffic information.
In the determination step, the determination unit determines whether the traffic information acquired in the acquisition step is valid based on the expiration date acquired in the acquisition step.
When it is determined that the storage step is effective by the determination step, the storage unit acquires the traffic information acquired by the acquisition step, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the traffic information Is stored in association with the time acquired by.
In the output step, the output unit outputs the traffic information acquired in the acquisition step.
As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus using this traffic information providing method determines the expiration date of the traffic information when the traffic information is distributed and acquired from the distribution source, and stores it only when it is valid. As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus can efficiently accumulate the traffic information without requiring the user to take time.

A program according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to function as an acquisition unit, a determination unit, a storage unit, and an output unit.
The acquisition unit acquires the traffic information and the expiration date of the traffic information from a distribution device that distributes the traffic information.
The determination unit determines whether the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit is valid based on the expiration date acquired by the acquisition unit.
The storage means, when determined to be valid by the determination means, the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means, and the time when the acquisition means acquired the traffic information Are stored in association with each other.
The output means outputs the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means.
As a result, the program causes the computer to function as a traffic information providing apparatus that determines the expiration date of the traffic information when the traffic information is distributed and acquired from the distribution source, and stores it only when it is valid. As a result, the traffic information providing apparatus can efficiently accumulate the traffic information without requiring the user to take time.

  According to the present invention, in a traffic information providing system, it is possible to efficiently accumulate and delete traffic information without requiring a driver to spend time.

(Embodiment 1)
A traffic information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the traffic information providing system performs communication using the DSRC method, but is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic information system includes an in-vehicle device 10, a roadside DSRC transceiver 20, an information management device 30, and a GPS transmission artificial satellite 40.

  The in-vehicle device 10 is mounted on a vehicle traveling on a road, receives traffic information from the roadside DSRC transceiver 20, accumulates the received data, and deletes traffic information that satisfies a predetermined condition. Here, the distribution of traffic information is a so-called “push distribution” in which information is automatically sent from the information management device 30 to the in-vehicle device 10 even if the user does not operate (pull) instead of pulling out the information. Done. Then, the in-vehicle device 10 notifies the user by displaying the distributed traffic information on the display screen of the in-vehicle device 10 or outputting it by voice. As a result, the user can obtain the latest traffic information. For example, the user can obtain traffic congestion information on the road in advance to avoid the traffic congestion area. In the present embodiment, the traffic information is described as being distributed by push distribution, but the in-vehicle device 10 can also receive the traffic information when a request for receiving the traffic information is received from the user.

  The in-vehicle device 10 receives a GPS signal from the GPS transmission artificial satellite 40, and acquires the position information of the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 10 is mounted and the system time of the traffic information providing system. The position information is typically indicated by latitude and longitude.

  The roadside DSRC transceiver 20 transmits the traffic information to the in-vehicle device 10 in the communication area set in the vicinity of the own device. The traffic information transmitted by the roadside DSRC transceiver 20 is information managed and distributed by the information management device 30. Typically, a plurality of roadside DSRC transceivers 20 are arranged beside main roads. The roadside DSRC transceiver 20 push-distributes traffic information and the like distributed from the information processing device 30 into the communication area. When the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device 10 is installed enters the communication area of the roadside DSRC transceiver 20, the vehicle-mounted device 10 receives the traffic information distributed from the information management device 30 from the roadside DSRC transceiver 20.

  The information management device 30 creates traffic information and transmits it to the roadside DSRC transceiver 20. In other words, the information management device 30 generates traffic information such as road traffic congestion generated in the service area by the traffic information providing system or traffic information such as traffic regulations known in advance in a predetermined data format, and transmits and receives roadside DSRC. To the machine 20.

  The GPS transmission artificial satellite 40 transmits a GPS signal to the in-vehicle device 10. The GPS signal includes position information represented by latitude and longitude, the current system time, and the like.

  Next, a detailed description of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 will be given. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 10 includes a GPS receiver 11, a GPS input unit 12, a control unit 13, a communication control unit 14, an in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15, a storage unit 16, and an output control unit. 17 and an output device 18.

  The GPS receiver 11 receives a GPS signal from the GPS transmission artificial satellite 40 and inputs the received GPS signal to a GPS input unit 12 described later.

  The GPS input unit 12 acquires a GPS signal from the GPS receiver 11 and demodulates the GPS signal. The GPS data obtained by demodulation is input to the control unit 13 and stored in the storage unit 16 under the control of the control unit 13.

The control unit 13 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), reads and executes an operating system (OS) and a control program stored in the storage unit 16, and performs overall control of the in-vehicle device 10. The control unit 13 includes an internal clock and measures the current time.
Specifically, for example, the control unit 13 acquires the current system time from the GPS data acquired from the GPS input unit 12. Further, the control unit 13 determines whether or not to delete the traffic information based on the current system time and traffic information, and deletes the traffic information when it is determined to delete. Details will be described later.

  The communication control unit 14 acquires a DSRC signal from the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15, demodulates the DSRC signal, converts it into traffic information data, and inputs the traffic information data to the control unit 13. The traffic information data is stored in the storage unit 16 under the control of the control unit 13.

  The in-vehicle DSRC transmitter / receiver 15 receives a DSRC signal from the roadside DSRC transmitter / receiver 20 using an antenna, and inputs the received DSRC signal to the communication control unit 14.

  The storage unit 16 includes a hard disk device, a flash memory device, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk-Read Only Memory) drive device, and the like. Various data such as programs and received traffic information are stored. The memory | storage part 16 memorize | stores the map database of the service area | region of a traffic information provision system. The map database is stored in a DVD-ROM attached to the DVD-ROM drive device and is appropriately read from the control unit 13. Alternatively, the map database may be previously read from the DVD-ROM and stored (installed) in the hard disk device.

  The output control unit 17 converts the traffic information data into a data format that can be output by the output device 18 under the control of the control unit 13, and inputs the data to the output device 18.

  The output device 18 displays the acquired traffic information and the like. For example, the output device 18 includes a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a speaker, a microphone, and the like.

  Here, FIG. 3 is an example of traffic information displayed on the display of the output device 18. For example, in the traffic information indicated by the DSRC signal transmitted from the roadside DSRC transceiver 20, the “traffic information number (No.)” as identification information, the “coordinate” of the point targeted by the traffic information, and the point The “congestion level”, “no traffic”, “other obstacle level”, “effective range” indicating the geographical range in which this traffic information is valid, and “expiration date” of this traffic information include. In addition, traffic information is not restricted to this, You may include other information. Further, the traffic information may include a part of the information instead of the whole. The control unit 13 controls the communication control unit 14 and the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 to acquire the traffic information by receiving the DSRC signal, and controls the output control unit 17 and the output device 18 to control the traffic as shown in the figure. Display information. The layout of the screen can be set arbitrarily. Moreover, the control part 13 may display traffic information on the display of the output device 18, and may output it to a speaker with an audio | voice. In the present embodiment, the control unit 13 displays the details of the received traffic information on the display, but the image and sound of the traffic information may be received and reproduced. In this case, the information management device 30 distributes image data and voice data including traffic information, the roadside DSRC transceiver 20 pushes these image data and voice data, and the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 transmits these image data and voice data. The audio data is received, and the control unit 13 may reproduce and output these image data and audio data with a predetermined reproduction program stored in the storage unit 16.

  The “traffic information number” is information for identifying traffic information distributed from the information management apparatus 30, and for example, a serial number is used. The traffic information number only needs to identify traffic information, and the setting method is arbitrary.

  “Coordinates” are information for specifying a point or area targeted by the traffic information, and are typically expressed by numerical values representing specific latitude and longitude. Further, instead of specific numerical values, text information such as a place name or a building name indicating the point or area may be used. Alternatively, the information may be relatively or roughly indicated information such as “near the 50 meters ahead of the XX intersection”. Instead of displaying the coordinates using numerical values and characters, the map image around the point / region indicated by the coordinates is read from the map database stored in the storage unit 16, and the map image and the latitude / longitude coordinates You may make it display by matching.

  The “congestion level” is information indicating the degree of traffic jam information that is one of the traffic information. For example, the congestion level is classified into levels such as “1” having a relatively small degree of congestion, “2” having a medium level, and “3” having a large level. The user can determine how much the traffic jam is based on the traffic jam level even with the same traffic jam information. Note that the method for classifying the traffic jam level can be arbitrarily changed.

  “Closed” is information relating to traffic regulation, which is one type of traffic information, and is information for determining whether there is a closed road. “Yes” is set when there is a closed road, and “No” is set when there is no closed road. For example, when a traffic stop “Yes” is associated with certain traffic jam information, the user can know that the traffic jam is a traffic jam due to road closure. In addition, the information regarding this traffic regulation may include not only the presence / absence of traffic closure but also information indicating the cause of the traffic closure. For example, it may be information indicating a traffic accident, road construction, heavy rain, heavy snow, and other accidents.

  The “other obstacle level” is information indicating the degree of information that causes obstacles to pass and information that alerts the driver in addition to traffic jam information. For example, the level is classified into “2” for a large speed restriction due to heavy rain or wind, “1” for a small speed restriction, “0” for no speed restriction, and the like. In addition to numerical information, this obstacle level may include information such as the specific speed of speed regulation, the presence / absence of chain regulation due to snow, and traffic information for each vehicle type, such as prohibition of traffic for large vehicles only. Good. In this case, this item of traffic information may be output as “other fault information” instead of “other fault level”.

  “Effective range” is information for designating an area range in which traffic information is valid. There are many traffic information for various points / regions, and information on points / regions far from the vicinity of a certain roadside DSRC transceiver 20 is also included. Therefore, the information management device 30 sets an effective range in the traffic information to be distributed and transmits it to the roadside DSRC transceiver 20.

  The “expiration date” is information that specifies a temporal range in which the traffic information is valid. An expiration date is set in advance in the traffic information, traffic information within the expiration date is valid, and information after the expiration date is invalid. For example, when the in-vehicle device 10 stays in the effective range for a long time (for example, one day) and the time has passed, the control unit 13 invalidates the traffic information.

(Traffic information accumulation process)
Next, a process in which the in-vehicle device 10 accumulates traffic information in the storage unit 16 (hereinafter referred to as “traffic information accumulation process”) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The traffic information accumulation process is a process executed by the control unit 13 when the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 receives a DSRC signal. The control unit 13 executes the traffic information accumulation process, accumulates traffic information, and outputs the traffic information to the output device 18. This will be described in detail below.

  First, the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 determines whether a DSRC signal has been received (step S11). This DSRC signal includes traffic information distributed from the information management device 30. The DSRC signal is distributed from the information management apparatus 30 by push distribution. However, the DSRC signal can also be received when there is a request from the user to receive traffic information. When receiving the DSRC signal, the in-vehicle DSRC transceiver 15 inputs the received DSRC signal to the communication control unit 14. The communication control unit 14 demodulates the DSRC signal to convert it into traffic information data, and inputs the traffic information data to the control unit 13.

  When it is determined that the DSRC signal has been received (step S11; Yes), the control unit 13 acquires the expiration date of the acquired traffic information data (step S12). For example, the traffic information data includes information as shown in FIG. 3, and the expiration date of the traffic information data is acquired from the information. On the other hand, when it is determined that the DSRC signal is not received (step S11; No), the control unit 13 ends the traffic information accumulation process.

  The control unit 13 determines whether the traffic information input from the communication control unit 14 is within the expiration date from the expiration date of the traffic information and the current time of the in-vehicle device 10 (step S13). If the traffic information is within the validity period (step S13; Yes), the control unit 13 stores the traffic information data in the storage unit 16 (step S14). On the other hand, if the traffic information is outside the expiration date (step S13; No), the process proceeds to step S15.

  And the control part 13 controls the output control part 17, and outputs the traffic information acquired by step S11 to the output device 18 (step S15).

  In other words, the control unit 13 stores the acquired traffic information in the storage unit 16 if the traffic information is within the expiration date, and discards it without storing it if it is outside the expiration date. The control unit 13 may not output to the output device 18 when it is outside the expiration date.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 can hold traffic information that is within a predetermined expiration date, and can not hold traffic information that has passed the expiration date. In other words, even if there is a large amount of traffic information to be received, the vehicle-mounted device 10 can determine whether the traffic information is to be retained when the traffic information is acquired, and can efficiently manage the traffic information.

(Traffic information deletion processing)
Next, a process for deleting the traffic information stored in the storage unit 16 by the in-vehicle device 10 (hereinafter referred to as “traffic information deletion process”) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The traffic information deletion process is a process executed by the control unit 13 at regular predetermined timing (for example, interruption every 1 second). However, the timing for performing the traffic information deletion process is not limited to this.

  First, the control unit 13 controls the GPS receiver 11 to activate the GPS receiver 11 and receive a GPS signal (step S21).

  The control unit 13 determines whether a GPS signal has been received (step S22). Here, if it is determined that the GPS signal has been received (step S22; Yes), the control unit 13 adjusts the time measured by the vehicle-mounted device 10 to the time of the traffic information providing system indicated by the GPS signal (step). S23).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS signal is not received (step S22; No), the process proceeds to step S24. In this case, the control unit 13 does not adjust the time of the in-vehicle device 10 and performs the following processing based on the time currently measured by the in-vehicle device 10.

  The control unit 13 controls the GPS receiver 11 to perform a process of receiving a GPS signal and adjusting the time (a process corresponding to steps S21 to S23) at a regular predetermined timing. May be. In this case, steps S21 to S23 of the traffic information deletion process can be omitted.

  Next, the control unit 13 determines whether traffic information is accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S24). If the traffic information is accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S24; Yes), the process proceeds to step S25. If the traffic information is not accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S24; No), the traffic information deletion process is terminated. .

  Furthermore, the control unit 13 determines whether the traffic information stored in the storage unit 16 is within the expiration date from the expiration date added to the traffic information and the current time of the in-vehicle device 10 ( Step S25). If the traffic information is within the expiration date (step S25; Yes), the control unit 13 ends the traffic information deletion process. On the other hand, if the traffic information is outside the expiration date (step S25; No), the process proceeds to step S26.

  And the control part 13 deletes the traffic information discriminate | determined from the expiration date from the memory | storage part 16 (step S26).

  In addition, the process of step S25-step S26 is performed about all the traffic information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 16. FIG. For example, in addition to the traffic information and the time when the traffic information is received, the storage unit 16 determines whether or not the traffic information should be deleted by the traffic information deletion process (whether or not the data is valid data). And a flag indicating this is stored in association with each other. In step S25, the control unit 13 sets a predetermined value (for example, “1” or the like) indicating that the traffic information is not valid in a flag associated with the traffic information determined not to be within the expiration date. A predetermined value (for example, “0”) indicating that the traffic information is valid is set in a flag associated with the traffic information determined to be within the expiration date. Further, in step S26, the control unit 13 deletes the traffic information in which a predetermined value indicating that this flag is not valid is set, and holds the traffic information in which the predetermined value indicating that it is valid is set.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 can hold traffic information within a predetermined expiration date and automatically delete traffic information that has passed the expiration date. That is, even if a large amount of received traffic information exists, it is possible to manage such that old information whose expiration date has passed can be efficiently deleted.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 deletes the traffic information based on the position information of the in-vehicle device 10. In addition, since the other structure of the vehicle equipment 10 of this embodiment is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted about the overlapping structure. Hereinafter, the traffic information deletion process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Traffic information deletion process, 2)
First, the control unit 13 controls the GPS receiver 11 to activate the GPS receiver 11 and receive a GPS signal (step S31).

  Next, the control unit 13 determines whether a GPS signal has been received (step S32). If it is determined that the GPS signal is received (step S32; Yes), the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS signal is not received (step S32; No), the traffic information deletion process is terminated.

  Furthermore, the control unit 13 determines whether or not traffic information is accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S33). If the traffic information is accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S33; Yes), the process proceeds to step S34. If the traffic information is not accumulated in the storage unit 16 (step S33; No), the traffic information deletion process is terminated. .

  And the control part 13 is the area information (for example, latitude / longitude information of traffic information etc.) which the traffic information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 16 shows, and the positional information (for example, the present vehicle equipment 10 of the present vehicle equipment 10). From the latitude / longitude information), it is determined whether or not the traffic information stored in the storage unit 16 is information within a predetermined setting area (step S34). If the traffic information is within the setting area (step S34; Yes), the control unit 13 ends the traffic information deletion process. On the other hand, if the traffic information is outside the setting area (step S35; No), the process proceeds to step S35.

  Here, the predetermined setting area is, for example, an area indicated by a circle with a predetermined radius centered on the current latitude / longitude of the vehicle-mounted device 10. The setting area is stored in advance in a program stored in the storage unit 16 and an initial value is set. However, the setting area may be arbitrarily changed by the user and stored in the storage unit 16. The setting area is not limited to a circle, and may be an arbitrary shape.

  And the control part 13 deletes the traffic information outside a setting area from the memory | storage part 16 (step S35).

  In addition, the process of step S34-step S35 is performed about all the traffic information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 16. FIG. For example, in addition to the traffic information, the storage unit 16 stores a flag indicating whether or not the traffic information is to be deleted by the traffic information deletion process (whether or not it is valid data). To do. In step S34, the control unit 13 sets a predetermined value (for example, “1” or the like) indicating that the traffic information is not valid in a flag associated with the traffic information determined not to be within the expiration date. A predetermined value (for example, “0”) indicating that the traffic information is valid is set in a flag associated with the traffic information determined to be within the expiration date. Further, in step S35, the control unit 13 deletes the traffic information in which a predetermined value indicating that this flag is not valid is set, and holds the traffic information in which the predetermined value indicating that it is valid is set.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 10 can retain traffic information in a predetermined setting area and can automatically delete traffic information that does not correspond to the setting area. That is, even if a large amount of received traffic information exists, it is possible to manage so that old information outside the setting area can be efficiently deleted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be freely combined.

  As a modification, the control unit 13 stores the history information of the GPS data acquisition time and position information received and acquired by the GPS receiver 11 in the storage unit 16, and the in-vehicle device 10 moves based on the history information. It is also possible to calculate the speed and change the setting area based on the calculation result. For example, if the moving speed of the vehicle-mounted device 10 is less than a threshold value (for example, 80 km / h), the first setting area (for example, a circle with a radius of 10 kilometers) is set. Otherwise, the second setting is set. Set to an area (for example, a circle with a radius of 20 kilometers). In this way, the in-vehicle device 10 can maintain appropriate traffic information based on the magnitude of the moving speed, or delete unnecessary traffic information and efficiently manage the traffic information.

  As another modification, the control unit 13 stores history information of the GPS data acquisition time and position information received and acquired by the GPS receiver 11 in the storage unit 16, and the vehicle-mounted device is based on the history information. It is also possible to calculate 10 moving directions and change the setting area based on the calculation result. For example, if the moving direction of the in-vehicle device 10 is a predetermined direction (for example, within 30 degrees centering on true north), the first setting area (for example, a circle with a radius of 10 kilometers) is set. For example, it is set in the second setting area (for example, a circle with a radius of 10 km obtained by shifting the center of the circle from true north). In this way, the in-vehicle device 10 can maintain appropriate traffic information based on the moving direction, or delete unnecessary traffic information and efficiently manage the traffic information.

  As another modification, the control unit 13 can delete the traffic information stored in the storage unit 16 based on the priority of the information. For example, a traffic information number, a traffic congestion level, a failure level, or the like can be used as the priority. Alternatively, the information management device 30 may add information indicating priority in advance to the traffic information and distribute the information, and the control unit 13 may store the priority in the storage unit 16 in association with the acquired traffic information. . In this case, in step S25 or step S34 of the traffic information deletion process described above, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the priority is equal to or higher than a predetermined priority, and if the priority is equal to or higher than the predetermined priority, holds the traffic information. Otherwise, the traffic information may be deleted.

  As another modification, the in-vehicle device 10 includes an input unit that allows a user to arbitrarily input a priority for each traffic information, and the control unit 13 stores the set priority in association with the traffic information. The above-described traffic information deletion process can also be configured based on this priority. In this case, in step S25 or step S34 of the traffic information deletion process described above, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the priority is equal to or higher than a predetermined priority, and if the priority is equal to or higher than the predetermined priority, holds the traffic information. Otherwise, the traffic information may be deleted. For example, if there is traffic information that the user wants to save even after the expiration date, the input means such as the touch panel and operation keys are operated so as not to delete or hold the traffic information. By setting, traffic information can be efficiently managed as intended by the user.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a traffic information providing apparatus, a traffic information providing method, and a program suitable for efficiently storing and deleting traffic information without requiring a driver to spend time and effort. be able to.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the traffic information provision system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a vehicle equipment. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of traffic information. It is a flow chart for explaining traffic information accumulation processing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a traffic information deletion process. 10 is a flowchart for explaining traffic information deletion processing according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 In-vehicle apparatus 11 GPS receiver 12 GPS input part 13 Control part 14 Communication control part 15 In-vehicle DSRC transceiver 16 Storage part 17 Output control part 18 Output device 20 Roadside DSRC transceiver 30 Information management apparatus 40 GPS transmission artificial satellite

Claims (5)

An acquisition means for acquiring the traffic information and an expiration date of the traffic information from a distribution device that distributes the traffic information;
First determination means for determining whether the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means is valid based on the expiration date acquired by the acquisition means;
The traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the traffic information acquired when determined to be valid by the first determination unit Storage means for storing the time acquired by the means in association with each other;
The traffic information providing apparatus comprising: output means for outputting the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means. The traffic information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit does not store the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit when it is determined that the first determination unit is not valid. . A time measuring means for measuring time;
Second determination means for determining whether or not the traffic information stored in the storage means is valid based on the time measured by the time measuring means;
The traffic information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a deleting unit that deletes the traffic information when the traffic information is determined to be invalid by the second determining unit. . A traffic information providing method executed by a traffic information providing apparatus having an acquisition unit, a determination unit, a storage unit, and an output unit,
The acquisition unit acquires traffic information and an expiration date of the traffic information from a distribution device that distributes the traffic information;
A determination step of determining whether the traffic information acquired by the acquisition step is valid based on the expiration date acquired by the acquisition step;
When it is determined that the information is valid by the determination step, the storage unit acquires the traffic information acquired by the acquisition step, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition step, and the traffic information. A storage step for storing the time acquired by the acquisition step in association with each other;
The traffic information providing method, wherein the output unit includes an output step of outputting the traffic information acquired in the acquisition step. Computer
An acquisition means for acquiring traffic information and an expiration date of the traffic information from a distribution device for distributing the traffic information;
Discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the traffic information acquired by the acquisition means is valid based on the expiration date acquired by the acquisition means;
When it is determined that the determination unit is effective, the acquisition unit acquires the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit, the expiration date of the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the traffic information. Storage means for storing time in association with each other;
A program that functions as an output unit that outputs the traffic information acquired by the acquisition unit.

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