Information processing device and operating method thereof

Abstract

To more effectively collect responses of users who have test-driven a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises an acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the number of times a user has operated equipment of a test-drive vehicle, and a control unit configured to select first equipment for which the number of operations has a predetermined difference from a reference value, and to output first question information regarding the first equipment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an operating method of an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the development and sales of vehicles, the reactions of users who test drive the vehicle, such as their impressions, are utilized to improve the product. Various technologies have been proposed to support the collection of such reactions from users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for sending a questionnaire to vehicle users. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-277583 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for more effective collection of feedback from users who test drive vehicles.

[0005] The following describes an information processing device and the like that makes it possible to more effectively collect responses from users who test drive a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of times a user operates equipment of a test drive vehicle, and a control unit that selects a first piece of equipment where the number of operations has a predetermined difference between the number of operations and a reference value, and outputs first question information about the first piece of equipment.

[0007] The operating method of the information processing device in the present disclosure includes acquiring information on the number of user operations on equipment of a test drive vehicle, selecting a first piece of equipment where the number of operations has a predetermined difference between the reference value and the first piece of equipment, and outputting first question information about the first piece of equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the information processing device and the like of the present disclosure, it is possible to more effectively collect responses from users who test drive a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the information communication system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes the embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes one or more server devices 10, one or more terminal devices 12, and one or more in-vehicle devices 14 mounted on a vehicle 13, all of which are communicatively connected via a network 11. The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functions as a server implementing various functions. The terminal device 12 is an information processing terminal used by a salesperson at a car dealership offering the vehicle 13 for a test drive, and exchanges various information with the server device 10. The terminal device 12 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or the like. The vehicle 13 is, for example, a passenger car, a commercial vehicle, or the like, and is offered for a test drive for sales or monitoring purposes. The in-vehicle device 14 is, for example, a navigation system or the like, having communication and information processing functions. The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, but may also include an ad hoc network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0012] In this embodiment, the server device 10, which serves as an "information processing device," acquires information on the number of user operations performed on equipment of the test drive vehicle 13, selects equipment (hereinafter referred to as "target equipment") whose number of operations is significantly different from a reference value, and outputs question information about the target equipment. The equipment of the vehicle 13 includes equipment related to driving assistance for the vehicle 13, such as a navigation system, and equipment related to the interior environment and entertainment of the vehicle 13, such as multimedia, air conditioning, sound, and lighting. The equipment may also include equipment related to driving the vehicle 13, such as the accelerator, brake, and steering. Information on the number of user operations performed on such equipment is acquired by, for example, the in-vehicle device 14 and sent to the server device 10. Among the equipment of the vehicle 13, target equipment whose number of user operations significantly exceeds or falls below the reference value is likely to be more or less user-friendly than expected. By focusing questions on the target equipment, it is expected that user responses that can be used to improve the equipment of the vehicle 13 can be obtained. For example, the question information is sent from the server device 10 to the terminal device 12, and the question is presented and responses are collected at the terminal device 12. According to this embodiment, it is possible to more effectively collect responses from users who test drive the vehicle 13.

[0013] <Configuration of Server Device 10> The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103. The server device 10 is, for example, a single computer. Alternatively, the server device 10 may be configured with two or more computers that are communicably connected and operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is appropriately arranged in the two or more computers.

[0014] The communication unit 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 101 receives information used in the operation of the server device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the server device 10. The server device 10 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 101 and communicates information with the terminal device 12 and the vehicle 13 via the network 11. In the server device 10, the communication unit 101 acquires information on the number of user operations on equipment of the vehicle 13 from the in-vehicle device 14 as the "communication unit."

[0015] The storage unit 102 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 102 stores information used in the operation of the server device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0016] The control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each unit of the server device 10.

[0017] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by executing a control program on a processor included in the control unit 103. The control program is a program that causes a computer to execute processing of steps included in the operation of the server device 10, thereby causing the computer to realize functions corresponding to the processing of those steps. In other words, the control program is a program that causes a computer to function as the server device 10. Also, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 103. Also, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium that is readable by the server device 10, and read by the server device 10 from the medium.

[0018] <Configuration of terminal device 12> The terminal device 12 includes a communication unit 121 , a storage unit 122 , a control unit 123 , an input unit 125 , and an output unit 126 .

[0019] The communication unit 121 includes a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), etc. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 121 via a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11.

[0020] The storage unit 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM or ROM. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. The storage unit 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 122 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 123 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0021] The control unit 123 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may have one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA, an ASIC, or the like. The control unit 123 performs overall control of the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or operating according to an operating procedure implemented as a circuit. The control unit 123 then transmits and receives various information to and from the server device 10, etc. via the communication unit 121, and performs the operation according to this embodiment.

[0022] The input unit 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces include, for example, physical keys, capacitive keys, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, a camera that captures images or image codes, or an IC card reader. The input interface may also include a microphone that accepts voice input. The input unit 125 accepts input of information used for the operation of the control unit 123 and sends the input information to the control unit 123.

[0023] The output unit 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 126 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0024] The functions of control unit 123 are realized by a processor included in control unit 123 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as control unit 123. In addition, some or all of the functions of control unit 123 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in control unit 123.

[0025] <Configuration example of in-vehicle device 14> The in-vehicle device 14 has a communication unit 141, a storage unit 142, a control unit 143, a positioning unit 144, an input unit 145, an output unit 146, and a detection unit 147. These may be configured as a single control unit, or may be configured by two or more control units, or by a control unit and other devices such as a communication device. The control unit includes, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The communication device includes, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module). Each unit is connected to each other or to equipment in the vehicle 13 so as to be able to communicate information with each other or with equipment in the vehicle 13 via an in-vehicle network that complies with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0026] The storage unit 142, the control unit 143, the input unit 145, and the output unit 146 have the same configurations as the storage unit 122, the control unit 123, the input unit 125, and the output unit 126 of the terminal device 12, respectively.

[0027] The communication unit 141 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interfaces are interfaces compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. The communication unit 141 receives information used in the operation of the control unit 143 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the control unit 143. The control unit 143 is connected to the network 11 via a mobile communication base station by the communication unit 141, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11.

[0028] The positioning unit 144 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes, for example, at least one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. Based on the information acquired by the positioning unit 144, the position information of the vehicle 13 is obtained.

[0029] The detection unit 147 has one or more sensors or an interface with one or more sensors that detect the state of each part of the vehicle 13. The sensors include, for example, sensors that detect user operations on various pieces of equipment of the vehicle 13. The detection unit 147 sends information indicating the results of detection by the sensors to the control unit 143.

[0030] The control unit 143 controls the communication unit 141, the memory unit 142, the positioning unit 144, the input unit 145, the output unit 146, and the detection unit 147 while exchanging various types of information with these units, and also controls the operation of the vehicle 13. When the vehicle 13 is traveling, the control unit 143 controls the operation of the vehicle 13 by presenting various types of information necessary for driving to the driver via the output unit 146 and controlling the automatic driving of the vehicle 13.

[0031] Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the information processing system 1 in this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows the procedure for the cooperative operation of the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the in-vehicle device 14. Steps related to various information processing by the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the in-vehicle device 14 in Fig. 2 are executed by the respective control units 103, 123, and 143. Steps related to the transmission and reception of various information by the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the in-vehicle device 14 are executed by the respective control units 103, 123, and 143 transmitting and receiving information to each other via the communication units 101, 121, and 141, respectively. In the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the in-vehicle device 14, the control units 103, 123, and 143 appropriately store the information to be transmitted and received in the storage units 102, 122, and 142, respectively. Furthermore, the control units 123 and 143 of the terminal device 12 and the in-vehicle device 14 accept various information input from the user through the input units 125 and 145, respectively, and output various information to the user through the output units 126 and 146, respectively.

[0032] In S200, the terminal device 12 sends an instruction to collect test drive results to the server device 10. For example, when a user starts a test drive of the vehicle 13, the user or a car dealer's staff member inputs an instruction to collect test drive results into the terminal device 12, and the terminal device 12 sends an instruction to collect test drive results to the server device 10.

[0033] In S201, in response to the instruction to collect test drive results, the server device 10 sends an instruction to transmit operation count information to the in-vehicle device 14. The operation count information is information indicating the number of operations performed by the user on each piece of equipment of the vehicle 13.

[0034] In S202, in response to the instruction to transmit the operation count information, the in-vehicle device 14 transmits the operation count information to the server device 10. In the in-vehicle device 14, the detection unit 147 detects operations on various devices and transmits the detected operations to the control unit 143. The control unit 143 counts the number of operations and generates operation count information, which is then transmitted to the server device 10. The operation count information includes identification information for identifying various devices and the number of operations linked to the identification information. The operation count includes, for example, the number of operations performed to indicate an arbitrary control amount for the accelerator, brake, steering, air conditioning, sound, lighting, etc., and the number of operations such as input and selection performed on the multimedia system, navigation system, etc.

[0035] In S203, the server device 10 stores the operation count information.

[0036] In S204, the terminal device 12 sends an instruction to end the collection of test drive results to the server device 10. For example, when the user finishes the test drive of the vehicle 13, the user or a car dealer's staff member inputs an instruction to end the collection of test drive results to the terminal device 12, and the terminal device 12 sends an instruction to end the collection of test drive results to the server device 10.

[0037] In S205, in response to the instruction to end the test drive result collection, the server device 10 sends an instruction to end the transmission of the operation count information to the in-vehicle device 14. In response to this, the in-vehicle device 14 ends the transmission of the operation count information. S202 and S203 are repeatedly executed until S204 and S205 are executed and the instruction to end the test drive result collection is sent to the in-vehicle device 14.

[0038] In S206, the server device 10 selects the target equipment. The detailed procedure of S206 is shown in FIG.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the control unit 103 of the server device 10.

[0040] In S30, the control unit 103 derives the difference (hereinafter referred to as the number of times difference) between the number of operations and a reference value (hereinafter referred to as the number of times reference value) for each piece of equipment. The control unit 103 reads out the acquired number of operations for each piece of equipment and the number of times reference value set in advance for each piece of equipment, which are stored in the storage unit 102, and derives the number of times difference. Here, the number of times difference is the absolute value of the difference between the number of operations and the number of times reference value.

[0041] In S31, the control unit 103 determines whether the difference in the number of times exceeds an arbitrary reference value (hereinafter referred to as the difference reference value). If the difference in the number of times exceeds the difference reference value (Yes), the control unit 103 proceeds to S32, and if the difference in the number of times is equal to or less than the difference reference value (No), the control unit 103 proceeds to S34.

[0042] In S32, the control unit 103 selects, as the target equipment, the equipment whose difference in the number of times exceeds the difference reference value. The selection result is stored in the storage unit 102.

[0043] In S33, the control unit 103 determines whether S30 to S32 have been executed for all the equipment. If S30 to S32 have been executed for all the equipment (Yes), the control unit 103 ends the procedure in Fig. 3, and if S30 to S32 have not been executed for all the equipment (No), the control unit 103 returns to S30 and executes S30 to S32 for the other equipment.

[0044] Returning to FIG. 2, in S208, the server device 10 generates question information. The server device 10 generates question information for the selected target equipment. For example, the storage unit 102 stores in advance, for each piece of equipment, questions to be asked when the equipment is selected as target equipment (hereinafter referred to as "focused questions") and questions to be asked when the equipment is selected as equipment other than target equipment (hereinafter referred to as "non-target equipment") (hereinafter referred to as "normal questions"). The focused questions include more questions than the normal questions, or more detailed questions (specifically, questions with a larger number of characters). The control unit 103 generates question information including the focused questions for the target equipment. Note that the control unit 103 may generate question information including normal questions for non-target equipment in addition to question information for the target equipment.

[0045] In S209, the server device 10 sends to the terminal device 12 the question information about the target equipment, or in addition, the question information about the non-target equipment.

[0046] In S210, the terminal device 12 accepts answers to the question information. The terminal device 12 outputs the question information and accepts input of the user's answers to each question. The question information includes, for each piece of equipment, a focused question or a normal question depending on whether the equipment is target equipment or non-target equipment. The user can answer each question subjectively after the test drive.

[0047] In S211, the terminal device 12 sends information on the answer to the question information to the server device 10. The server device 10 associates the answer with the question for each piece of equipment and stores it. Note that the question information may be sent to the in-vehicle device 14 in S209, the in-vehicle device 14 may accept the answer in S210, and the answer may be sent to the server device 10 in S211.

[0048] The answers collected in this manner are appropriately obtained from the server device 10 by the terminal device 12 or another device and are used for developing, improving, etc. the equipment of the vehicle 13. In particular, it is possible to collect more detailed answers about the target equipment by asking focused questions.

[0049] In a variation of S208, when the number of operations of the target equipment falls below an arbitrary minimum threshold, the server device 10 may generate question information having a larger number of questions or more detailed questions. The storage unit 102 stores in advance high-priority questions having a larger number of questions or a larger number of characters than the high-priority questions, and the control unit 103 can generate question information using such high-priority questions.

[0050] In a further modification, the server device 10 adjusts the count reference value for each piece of equipment, for example, after S211. For example, the server device 10 executes the procedures of FIGS. 2 and 3 for multiple vehicles 13 to collect operation count information for each piece of equipment in each of the multiple vehicles 13. The server device 10 then derives the average number of operations acquired for each piece of equipment across the multiple vehicles 13, and can use a value derived from the operation reference value obtained by proportionally dividing the average number of operations by an arbitrary coefficient (for example, less than 0.5) as a new count reference value. This makes it possible to adjust the operation reference value for each piece of equipment so that the difference in the number of operations is not too large, i.e., to a value that is more suited to the tendencies of multiple users.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, some or all of the operations of the server device 10 may be executed by the terminal device 12. In that case, the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, or the terminal device 12 alone, may constitute an "information processing device," and the communication unit 121 of the terminal device 12 may function as the "acquisition unit." Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 14 may also function as the terminal device 12. In that case, among the operation procedures in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the procedures performed by the terminal device 12 may be executed by the in-vehicle device 14, and the detection unit 147 of the in-vehicle device 14 may function as the "acquisition unit."

[0052] According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to more effectively collect responses from users who test drive the vehicle 13.

[0053] Although the embodiments have been described above based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Information and Communication Systems 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Terminal Equipment 13 vehicles 14 Onboard equipment 101, 121, 141 Communications Department 102, 122, 142 storage section 103, 123, 143 Control section 125, 145 input section 126, 146 Output section 144 Positioning Unit 147 Detection unit

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of times a user operates equipment of a test drive vehicle; a control unit that selects a first piece of equipment whose number of operations is different from a reference value by a predetermined value, and outputs first question information about the first piece of equipment; An information processing device having the above.

2. In claim 1, The control unit outputs second question information having a smaller number of questions or a smaller number of characters in each question than the first question information for a second equipment in which a difference between the number of operations and a reference value is smaller than the difference in the case of the first equipment. Information processing device.

3. In claim 1, the control unit increases the number of questions in the first question information or the number of characters in each question when the number of operations on the first equipment is smaller than a reference number of operations. Information processing device.

4. In claim 1, The control unit changes the reference value of the first equipment based on information of a response to the first question information. Information processing device.

5. A method for operating an information processing device, comprising: Acquiring information on the number of times a user operates equipment of a test drive vehicle; selecting a first piece of equipment whose number of operations is different from a reference value by a predetermined value, and outputting first question information about the first piece of equipment; An operating method of an information processing device comprising:

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