# US 11,122,390 B2 · Guidance assistance apparatus, guidance assistance method, and storage medium for storing program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,390 B2 - Document ID: US11122390B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/546,550 - Filed: 2019-08-21 - Published: 2020-03-12 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-16 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: NEC Corporation - Inventors: Yoshiharu Maeno - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122390B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/024: Guidance services - G01C 21/3415: {Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents} - G01C 21/3641: {Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes} - G08G 1/005: including pedestrian guidance indicator - G08G 1/096816: {where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once} - G08G 1/096838: {where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality} - G08G 1/096844: {where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data} - G08G 1/096866: {where the complete route is shown to the driver} - H04W 4/90: Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A guidance assistance apparatus includes: a memory that stores a set of instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the set of instructions to: acquire a guidance route through which a guided person is to be guided from routes from a start-point position to an endpoint position; calculate, based on information relating to the routes, an influence level on the guided person in a case in which the guided person deviates from the acquired guidance route, with respect to each of branch places at which the guidance route branches into a route different from the guidance route; and output the calculated influence level. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A guidance assistance method, comprising: acquiring a guidance route through which a guided person is to be guided from routes from a start-point position to an end-point position; calculating, based on information relating to the routes, an influence level of deviation from the guidance route in each of a plurality of branch places of the guidance route, the influence level of the each of the plurality of branch places being a value based on a tendency for deviation from the guidance route to occur at a branch place and an influence of the deviation; detecting a terminal device existing within a predetermined range from the branch place for which a maximum influence level is calculated; and outputting information based on the calculated influence level to the detected terminal device, wherein the tendency is based on a first traffic volume of the guidance route and a second traffic volume of a route other than the guidance route, the first traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the guidance route, and the second traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the route other than the guidance route. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting the guidance route and the information relating to the routes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting guidance information based on the influence level, the guidance route and the information relating to the routes, the guidance information being information for guiding the guided person to the guidance route. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, based on the influence level for each of the branch places, a guidance position from the branch places, the guidance position being a position at which the guided person is to be guided, wherein the outputting includes outputting the guidance position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the outputting includes outputting guidance assistance information based on the guidance route, the information relating to the routes, and the guidance position, the guidance assistance information being information for guiding the guided person to the guidance route at the guidance position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal outputs at least one of a sound and vibration in addition to the information based on the influence level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The guidance assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating includes calculating, as the influence level, a value based on a tendency for deviation from the guidance route to occur at a branch place and an influence of the deviation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A guidance assistance method according to claim 7, wherein the influence level is further based on an influence of taking a route other than the guidance route. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The guidance assistance method according to claim 7, wherein the tendency is based on a traffic volume of the guidance route and a traffic volume of a route other than the guidance route. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The guidance assistance method according to claim 7, wherein the tendency is based on a probability of the deviation at the branch place, the probability depending on complexity of a structure of the branch place. ### Claim 11 A guidance assistance system, comprising: at least one memory that stores instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to: acquire a guidance route through which a guided person is to be guided from routes from a start-point position to an end-point position; calculate, based on information relating to the routes, an influence level of deviation from the guidance route in each of a plurality of branch places of the guidance route, the influence level of the each of the plurality of branch places being a value based on a tendency for deviation from the guidance route to occur at a branch place and an influence of the deviation; detect a terminal device existing within a predetermined range from the branch place for which a maximum influence level is calculated; and output information based on the calculated influence level to the detected terminal device, wherein the tendency is based on a first traffic volume of the guidance route and a second traffic volume of a route other than the guidance route, the first traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the guidance route, and the second traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the route other than the guidance route. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to output the guidance route and the information relating to the routes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to output guidance information based on the influence level, the guidance route and the information relating to the routes, the guidance information being information for guiding the guided person to the guidance route. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, further comprising the at least one processor is further configured to determine, based on the influence level for each of the branch places, a guidance position from the branch places, the guidance position being a position at which the guided person is to be guided; and output the guidance position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to output guidance assistance information based on the guidance route, the information relating to the routes, and the guidance position, the guidance assistance information being information for guiding the guided person to the guidance route at the guidance position. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the terminal outputs at least one of a sound and vibration in addition to the information based on the influence level. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The guidance assistance system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate, as the influence level, a value based on a tendency for deviation from the guidance route to occur at a branch place and an influence of the deviation. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The guidance assistance system according to claim 17, wherein the tendency is based on a traffic volume of the guidance route and a traffic volume of a route other than the guidance route. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The guidance assistance system according to claim 17, wherein the tendency is based on a probability of the deviation at the branch place, the probability depending on complexity of a structure of the branch place. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute: processing of acquiring a guidance route through which a guided person is to be guided from routes from a start-point position to an end-point position; processing of calculating, based on information relating to the routes, an influence level of deviation from the guidance route in each of a plurality of branch places of the guidance route, the influence level of the each of the plurality of branch places being a value based on a tendency for deviation from the guidance route to occur at a branch place and an influence of the deviation; processing of detecting a terminal device existing within a predetermined range from the branch place for which a maximum influence level is calculated; and processing of outputting information based on the calculated influence level to the detected terminal device, wherein the tendency is based on a first traffic volume of the guidance route and a second traffic volume of a route other than the guidance route, the first traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the guidance route, and the second traffic volume being a counted number of persons passing along the route other than the guidance route.