Vehicle Management System

Abstract

A vehicle control system includes: an exterior display unit, which is arranged on the exterior of the vehicle and displays contents outside the vehicle; a vehicle environment acquisition unit, which acquires the environment of the vehicle; and a display control unit, which controls the display of the contents on the exterior display unit based on the environment of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle environment acquisition unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, a program, and a vehicle management system.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-118719 filed in Japan on June 16, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Conventionally, there is known a technology for displaying traffic information on an off-vehicle display device installed in a vehicle and transmitting the traffic information to the surroundings of the vehicle (for example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 shows a signal light information transmission system composed of the following components: an on-road device that transmits signal information of a signal light installed on the road; a receiving device that is mounted on the vehicle and receives the signal information transmitted by the on-road device; a conversion device that converts the received signal information into a visually presentable information format; and a display device that is installed on the rear side of the vehicle and displays the information converted by the conversion device.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-362064 Summary of the invention

[0007] -Problems to be solved by the invention-

[0008] However, in the prior art, the content that the passenger wishes to display may not be displayed outside the vehicle depending on the environment of the vehicle.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, a program, and a vehicle management system that can realize display of contents outside a vehicle in a state suitable for the environment of the vehicle.

[0010] -Methods for solving the problem-

[0011] (1): One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle control system comprising: an exterior display unit (272) which is disposed on an exterior portion of a vehicle (200) and displays contents outside the vehicle; a vehicle environment acquisition unit (210, 245) which acquires the environment of the vehicle; and a display control unit (270) which controls the display of the contents on the exterior display unit based on the environment of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle environment acquisition unit.

[0012] (2): In the aspect of (1), the vehicle environment acquisition unit derives a degree of attention to the vehicle, and the display control unit displays a second content when the degree of attention exceeds a predetermined value after causing the exterior display unit to display a first content.

[0013] (3): In the aspect of (2), the second content includes advertising information.

[0014] (4): In any one of the methods (1) to (3), there is also an automatic driving control unit (250) for executing automatic driving of the vehicle, and the automatic driving control unit is linked to the display control unit to display the content and control the speed of the vehicle.

[0015] (5): In any one of the aspects (1) to (4), the display control unit controls the display of the content according to a running state of the vehicle.

[0016] (6): In any one of the aspects (1) to (5), the display control unit controls the display of the content according to the state of the passenger of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle environment acquisition unit.

[0017] (7): In any one of the methods (1) to (6), the vehicle environment acquisition unit monitors the line of sight of people around the vehicle, and the display control unit switches the position of the object included in the content based on the line of sight direction of the people around the vehicle acquired by the vehicle environment acquisition unit.

[0018] (8): In any one of the methods (1) to (7), it also includes: a communication unit (220) for communicating with a content providing server; and a request unit (274) for sending a content request to the content providing server via the communication unit to request the content, and the display control unit displays the content obtained from the content providing server on the external display unit based on the request of the request unit.

[0019] (9): Another embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle control method, in which a computer displays contents outside a vehicle via an exterior display unit provided on an exterior portion of the vehicle, obtains the environment of the vehicle, and controls the display of the contents on the exterior display unit based on the obtained environment of the vehicle.

[0020] (10): Another embodiment of the present invention is a program that enables a computer to display contents outside a vehicle through an exterior display unit provided on an exterior portion of the vehicle, enables the computer to obtain an environment of the vehicle, and enables the computer to control the display of the contents on the exterior display unit based on the obtained environment of the vehicle.

[0021] (11): Another embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle management system comprising: a content control unit for controlling content that can be displayed on an external display unit, the external display unit being provided on an exterior portion of the vehicle and displaying the content outside the vehicle; an acquisition unit for acquiring environmental information of the vehicle from the vehicle; and a reference unit for referring to a correspondence between a user of the vehicle or a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is driving and the content, the content control unit permitting the use of the content based on a reference result of the reference unit.

[0022] (12): The method of (11), wherein the acquisition unit acquires the display content displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit and the degree of attention to the vehicle, and comprises: an updating unit that updates the correspondence between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content.

[0023] (13): The method of (11), wherein the content includes advertising information.

[0024] (14) The method of (11), wherein the acquisition unit acquires information indicating whether the automatic driving control unit of the vehicle is executing automatic driving control, and information about the contents displayed on an external display unit of the vehicle, and comprises: an indication unit for requesting a change in the driving state or route of the automatic driving control unit based on the contents acquired by the acquisition unit when the vehicle is executing automatic driving control.

[0025] (15): According to the method of (14), the instructing unit further requests a change in the driving state or route based on the environmental information of the vehicle acquired by the acquiring unit.

[0026] (16) The method of (11), wherein the reference unit refers to the correspondence between the content and the user of the vehicle, or between the driver of the vehicle and the content, based on the state of the passenger of the vehicle acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0027] (17): The method of (11), wherein the acquisition unit acquires the contents displayed on the exterior display unit and the sight lines of people around the vehicle associated with the position where the contents are displayed on the exterior display unit as environmental information of the vehicle, and comprises an updating unit for updating the correspondence between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the contents based on the acquired environmental information.

[0028] (18) The method of (11) is also provided with: a communication unit for communicating with a content providing server; and a request unit for causing the communication unit to send a content request to the content providing server for the content, and an update unit for updating the correspondence between the content obtained from the content providing server and the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling, based on a request based on the request unit.

[0029] -Effects of the Invention-

[0030] Through (1) to (18), it is possible to realize the display of contents outside the vehicle in a state suitable for the environment of the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a vehicle 200 according to the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining the processing procedure of autonomous driving.

[0034] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the content acquisition request screen IM1.

[0035] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the vehicle-specific content data 342 .

[0036] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the vehicle model-specific advertising information 344 .

[0037] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the user information 346.

[0038] Figure 8 1 is a diagram showing an example of the content acquisition result screen IM2.

[0039] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the display condition data 278A.

[0040] Fig.10 This is a diagram for explaining how the contents are displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 .

[0041] Fig.11 This is a diagram for explaining speed control of the vehicle 200 .

[0042] Fig.12 This is a diagram for explaining display control of advertisement information.

[0043] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by vehicle 200 .

[0044] Fig.14 It is a configuration diagram of a service providing system 2 including a vehicle 200 according to the second embodiment.

[0045] Fig.15 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle management device 210 mounted on a vehicle 200 .

[0046] Fig.16 It is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the service provider device 600.

[0047] Fig.17 It is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the service management device 700.

[0048] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the corresponding information 838.

[0049] Fig.19 This is a diagram for explaining the processing of the updating unit 744.

[0050] Fig. 20 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed in the service providing system 2.

[0051] Fig.21 This is a diagram showing an example of a perspective view of a vehicle providing a service.

[0052] Fig. 22 This is a diagram showing an example of a view of a vehicle providing service as viewed from the side.

[0053] Fig.23 This is an example of a perspective view of the vehicle 200 .

[0054] Fig.24 This is a diagram of the vehicle 200 as viewed from the lateral direction.

[0055] Fig.25 This is an example of a perspective view of the vehicle 200 .

[0056] Fig.26 This is a diagram of the vehicle 200 as viewed from the lateral direction.

[0057] Fig. 27 This is an example of a perspective view of the vehicle 200 .

[0058] Fig.28 This is a diagram of the vehicle 200 as viewed from the lateral direction.

[0059] Fig.29 This is a diagram of the vehicle as viewed from the rear.

[0060] Fig.30 It is a perspective view of the vehicle 200 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the vehicle control system, vehicle control method, program, and vehicle management system of the present invention will be described. The vehicle controlled by the vehicle control system is, for example, an autonomous driving vehicle that requires little driving operation. Hereinafter, the description uses an autonomous driving vehicle, but a manually driven vehicle may also be used.

[0062] <First Embodiment>

[0063] [Overall structure]

[0064] Figure 1 1 is a structural diagram of a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment. The vehicle control system 1 includes one or more vehicles 200 and a content providing server 300. These components can communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW includes the Internet, WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), public lines, provider devices, dedicated lines, wireless base stations, etc.

[0065] [vehicle]

[0066] The vehicle 200 is, for example, a vehicle having four or more wheels on which a user can ride, and may be a motorcycle or other vehicle. Figure 22 is a block diagram of a vehicle 200 according to an embodiment. The vehicle 200 includes, for example, an outside monitoring unit 210, a communication device (communication unit) 220, a navigation device 230, a recommended lane determination device 240, an in-cab monitoring unit 245, an automatic driving control unit 250, a driving force output device 260, a brake device 262, a steering device 264, a display control unit 270, an external display unit 272, a request unit 274, an acquisition unit 276, and a storage unit 278. The automatic driving control unit 250, the display control unit 270, the request unit 274, and the acquisition unit 276 include, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program (software) stored in the storage unit 278 in the vehicle 200. Some or all of these functional units can be implemented by hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., or can be implemented by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or can be stored in a removable storage medium such as DVD or CD-ROM, or can be installed in a storage device by installing the storage medium in a drive device. Part or all of the external monitoring unit 210 and the in-cab monitoring unit 245 are an example of a "vehicle environment acquisition unit". The automatic driving control unit 250 is an example of an "automatic driving control unit".

[0067] The external monitoring unit 210 includes, for example, a camera, a radar, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), an object recognition device that performs sensor fusion processing based on the outputs of these, etc. The external monitoring unit 210 infers the types of objects (especially, vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles) present in the vicinity of the vehicle 200, and outputs the information together with their positions and speeds to the automatic driving control unit 250.

[0068] When the object existing around the vehicle 200 is a person, the outside monitoring unit 210 monitors the line of sight of the person based on the image from the camera, and derives the degree of attention to the vehicle 200 based on the direction of the line of sight of the monitored person. For example, when the outside monitoring unit 210 determines that there is no person whose line of sight is directed toward the vehicle 200, the degree of attention is set to "0". When the number of people whose line of sight is directed toward the vehicle 200 is less than a specified number (for example, 3 people), the outside monitoring unit 210 sets the degree of attention to "1", and when the number of people directed toward the vehicle 200 is more than a specified number, the degree of attention is set to "2". The outside monitoring unit 210 outputs information related to the line of sight direction of the person and the degree of attention to the vehicle 200 to the display control unit 270.

[0069] The communication device 220 is, for example, a wireless communication module for connecting to the network NW and communicating with the content providing server 300, or directly communicating with other vehicles or pedestrians' terminal devices. The communication device 220 performs wireless communication based on Wi-Fi, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other communication standards. As the communication device 220, a plurality of devices corresponding to the purpose may also be prepared.

[0070] The navigation device 230 includes, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 232 , a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 234 , and a navigation control device 236 .

[0071] HMI232 includes, for example, a touch panel display device (display unit), a speaker, a microphone, various operation switches, etc. HMI232 outputs images or sounds, or accepts operation contents from passengers. For example, HMI232 displays or outputs information used to urge passengers to operate the vehicle 200. HMI232 displays a request screen for obtaining content, an acquisition result screen, etc., or accepts passenger operations on the displayed screen. The so-called content is, for example, an image. The content includes one or more objects. The so-called object is, for example, an image of an actor or mascot, an image of a character appearing in a cartoon, an image of an animal, etc. These images are images in a state of copyright without copyright, etc. The so-called object can also be an object that expresses drawings, text, symbols, appearances, patterns, etc. through images. The content can also be an image that makes the object move through multiple images. HMI232 sends the acquisition request for the content operated by the passenger to the content providing server 300.

[0072] The GNSS receiver 234 measures the position of the vehicle (the position of the vehicle 200) based on radio waves received from a GNSS satellite (e.g., a GPS satellite). The navigation control device 236 includes, for example, a CPU and various storage devices, and controls the entire navigation device 230. The storage device stores map information (navigation map). The navigation map is a map that represents roads through nodes and connecting lines.

[0073] The navigation control device 236 may refer to the navigation map to determine the route from the position of the vehicle 200 measured by the GNSS receiver 234 to the destination specified using the HMI 232. The navigation control device 236 outputs information on the route determined by any of the above methods to the recommended lane determination device 240.

[0074] The recommended lane determination device 240 includes, for example, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) and various storage devices. The storage device stores high-precision map information that is more detailed than the navigation map. The high-precision map information includes, for example, information such as the road width, angle, curvature, and signal position of each lane. The recommended lane determination device 240 determines the preferred recommended lane for driving along the path input from the navigation device 230, and outputs it to the automatic driving control unit 250.

[0075] The in-cab monitoring unit 245 includes, for example, a camera, a load sensor installed at a seat where a passenger sits, a passenger identification device that performs sensor fusion processing based on the output of these, etc. The in-cab monitoring unit 245 obtains information on the number of passengers in the cab, the seat positions, and the status of the passengers, and outputs the obtained information to the display control unit 270. The so-called status of the passenger refers to, for example, whether the passenger is sleeping or awake.

[0076] The automatic driving control unit 250 includes one or more processors such as a CPU and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and various storage devices. The automatic driving control unit 250 drives the vehicle 200 automatically in principle in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination device 240 so as to avoid contact with an object whose position and speed are input from the external monitoring unit 210. The automatic driving control unit 250 performs various activities in sequence, for example. The activities include a constant speed driving activity of driving in the same driving lane at a certain speed, a following driving activity of following the vehicle in front, a lane change activity, a merging activity, a branching activity, an emergency stop activity, a toll booth activity for passing through a toll booth, and a handover activity for ending the automatic driving and switching to manual driving. In the execution of these activities, it is also possible to plan an action for avoidance based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 200 (the presence of surrounding vehicles or pedestrians, the narrowness of the lane due to road construction, etc.).

[0077] The automatic driving control unit 250 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle 200 to travel in the future. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is represented as a trajectory that arranges the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at in sequence. The track point is the location that the vehicle M should arrive at for each specified driving distance, and independently of this, a target speed and a target acceleration for each specified sampling time (for example, about 0 decimal points [sec]) are generated as part of the target trajectory. The track point can also be the position that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling moment of each specified sampling time. In this case, the information of the target speed and target acceleration is represented at intervals of track points.

[0078] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining the processing of automatic driving. First, as shown in the upper figure, a path is determined by the navigation device 230. This path is, for example, a rough path without lane distinction. Next, as shown in the middle figure, the recommended lane determination device 240 determines a recommended lane that is easy to drive along the path. Then, as shown in the figure below, the automatic driving control unit 250 generates a track point for avoiding obstacles and driving along the recommended lane as much as possible, and controls part or all of the driving force output device 260, the brake device 262, and the steering device 264 so as to drive along the track point (and the accompanying speed curve). Such task sharing is just an example, and for example, the automatic driving control unit 250 can also perform processing centrally.

[0079] The driving force output device 260 outputs the driving force (torque) for driving the vehicle to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 260 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, and a power ECU that controls them. The power ECU controls the above structure according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 250 or information input from a driving operation component not shown.

[0080] The brake device 262 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits oil pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates oil pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 250 or information input from the driving operating component, and the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. As a backup, the brake device 262 may also include a mechanism that transmits the oil pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operating component to the cylinder via the master cylinder. The brake device 262 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 250 to transmit the oil pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0081] The steering device 264 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies force to a rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steering wheel according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 250 or information input from the driving operation component.

[0082] The display control unit 270 controls so that the content contained in the content DB 278B stored in the storage unit 278 and the advertising information contained in the advertising information DB 278C are displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 based on the display condition data 278A stored in the storage unit 278. The so-called advertising information refers to the information about the goods, services, etc. obtained by the content providing server 300 from the client to the surrounding. The content contained in the content DB 278B is an example of "the first content". The advertising information is an example of "the second content". The function of the display control unit 270 will be described in detail later.

[0083] The exterior display unit 272 is, for example, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display attached to the surface of the body part on the outside of the vehicle 200. The exterior display unit 272 can be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) embedded in the body part, or it can be a display panel that also serves as part or all of the body part. The exterior display unit 272 can also be a movable display device with a drive unit. In this case, the exterior display unit 272 is stored in a position where the display surface cannot be seen from outside the vehicle when the contents are not displayed, and is moved to a position where the display surface can be seen from outside the vehicle by the drive unit when the contents are displayed. The exterior display unit 272 can also be a light-transmitting liquid crystal panel formed on at least a portion of the front windshield, side windshield, and rear windshield of the vehicle 200. The above-mentioned body part and various windshields are an example of an "exterior part".

[0084] When receiving an operation of requesting content from a passenger of the vehicle 200, the request unit 274 makes a request to obtain the content from the content providing server 300 through the communication device 220. The request unit 274 may also make a request to obtain the content from the content providing server 300 at a predetermined time interval. The request unit 274 may also make a request to obtain advertising information from the content providing server 300. The function of the request unit 274 will be described in detail later.

[0085] The acquisition unit 276 acquires the content requested by the request unit 274 from the content providing server 300. The acquisition unit 276 may select one or more content from the acquired content when multiple content is acquired. The acquisition unit 276 stores the acquired content in the content DB 278B stored in the storage unit 278. The acquisition unit 276 acquires the advertising information provided by the content providing server 300, and stores the acquired advertising information in the advertising information DB 278C stored in the storage unit 278.

[0086] The storage unit 278 is implemented by a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage unit 278 stores, for example, display condition data 278A, content DB 278B, advertisement information DB 278C, and other information. The content DB 278B is, for example, information in which a content identification ID for identifying content and a content are associated. The advertisement information DB 278C is, for example, information in which an advertisement identification ID for identifying advertisement information and an advertisement information are associated.

[0087] [Content provision server]

[0088] Return to Figure 1 The content providing server 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, a request receiving unit 320, a providing unit 330, and a storage unit 340. The request receiving unit 320 and the providing unit 330 are implemented by, for example, a processor such as a CPU executing a program (software) stored in the storage unit 340. Some or all of these functional units may be implemented by hardware such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or the like, or by the combination of software and hardware.

[0089] Communication unit 310 is, for example, a network card for connecting to network NW. Communication unit 310 communicates with vehicle 200 and other external devices via network NW.

[0090] The request receiving unit 320 receives a request for obtaining content from the vehicle 200. The request receiving unit 320 may receive a request for obtaining advertisement information from the vehicle 200.

[0091] Based on the content request received by the request receiving unit 320, the providing unit 330 refers to the vehicle-specific content data 342 stored in the storage unit 340, and extracts the content data corresponding to the vehicle 200 for which the content acquisition request is made and which satisfies the request. The providing unit 330 transmits the extracted content data to the vehicle 200 for which the content acquisition request is made.

[0092] The providing unit 330 refers to the vehicle type-specific advertising information 344 stored in the storage unit 340, obtains the advertising information corresponding to the vehicle type (e.g., van (onebox), small truck, truck) of the vehicle 200 for which the content request is made, and sends the obtained advertising information to the vehicle 200 for which the content request is made. The advertising information may be obtained at the timing when the request receiving unit 320 receives the request for obtaining the content, may be obtained at the timing when the request for obtaining the advertising information is received, or may be obtained at other predetermined timings (e.g., predetermined cycles).

[0093] The providing unit 330 stores the content provision history in the storage unit 340 as user information 346. The providing unit 330 may also refer to the user information 346 and send special content to the vehicle 200 based on the number of times the user uses (number of times the content is provided) and other information. The so-called special content refers to, for example, so-called "rare content" such as content that cannot be obtained in a normal content request or content whose provision number is limited. The function of the providing unit 330 will be described in detail later.

[0094] The storage unit 340 is implemented by a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM, a ROM, etc. The storage unit 340 stores, for example, vehicle-specific content data 342, vehicle-type-specific advertising information 344, user information 346, and other information. The data stored in the vehicle-specific content data 342 and the vehicle-type-specific advertising information 344 are data that are updated at any time, for example, by instructions from a server administrator or other external devices.

[0095] [Specific Processing Contents in Vehicle Control System 1 of Embodiment]

[0096] Hereinafter, specific processing contents in the vehicle control system 1 according to the embodiment will be described.

[0097] [Acquisition of content and advertising information]

[0098] First, an example of obtaining content and advertising information in the embodiment is described. A passenger of the vehicle 200 obtains content and advertising information displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 from a content providing server. In this case, the request unit 274 displays a content obtaining request screen IM1 on the display unit of the HMI 232, and causes the passenger to perform an operation for obtaining content.

[0099] Figure 41 is a diagram showing an example of a content acquisition request screen IM1. The content acquisition request screen IM1 includes a keyword input area 400 for inputting keywords related to the content to be acquired, and a confirmation operation area 402 for determining whether to execute or cancel the acquisition request for the content based on the input contents. The display items of the layout of the content acquisition request screen IM1 are not limited to Figure 4 For example. For other screens IMx (x: a natural number greater than 2) described below, the layout or items can also be changed arbitrarily. The various screens displayed on the display unit of the vehicle 200 can also be displayed on the display unit of a terminal device used by a passenger. The so-called terminal device refers to, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.

[0100] The passenger inputs a keyword in the keyword input area 400 of the content acquisition request screen IM1. The so-called keyword refers to, for example, information related to the name of a person or the style of the content. After the passenger inputs the keyword, he selects the execution button of the determination operation area 402. As a result, the request unit 274 sends a content acquisition request including the input keyword and the vehicle identification ID identifying the vehicle 200 to the content providing server 300. The vehicle identification ID may also include information identifying the type of vehicle. For example, when the vehicle identification ID is "Va001", "Va" may also be set as the vehicle type identification information.

[0101] When the request receiving unit 320 of the content providing server 300 receives the content acquisition request sent from the vehicle 200, it outputs the keyword and the vehicle identification information included in the content acquisition request to the providing unit 330. The providing unit 330 obtains the vehicle-specific content data 342 and the content corresponding to the keyword and the vehicle identification information based on the keyword and the vehicle identification information.

[0102] Figure 5 342 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the vehicle-specific content data 342. The vehicle-specific content data 342 establishes a correspondence between a keyword and a vehicle ID and the content data. The content data stores one or more contents. Each content includes information related to an object corresponding to the shape of the vehicle type 200, a display position of each object, a display size, a color, etc. The providing unit 330 sends the content obtained from the vehicle-specific content data 342 to the vehicle 200 that has a content acquisition request.

[0103] The providing unit 330 refers to the vehicle type-specific advertisement information 344 based on the vehicle type information included in the vehicle identification ID of the content acquisition request, and acquires the advertisement information corresponding to the vehicle type. Figure 6344. The vehicle-type-specific advertising information 344 establishes a correspondence between vehicle-type identification information and one or more pieces of advertising information. The advertising information includes information related to the desired product or service to be advertised, and information related to the display position, display size, color, etc. of the advertising information corresponding to the vehicle type. The providing unit 330 sends the acquired advertising information to the vehicle 200 for which there is a content acquisition request. The providing unit 330 may also receive a content acquisition request from the vehicle 200 in advance, refer to the vehicle-type-specific content data 342 and the vehicle-type-specific advertising information 344 at a predetermined period, and send it to the vehicle 200 when there is new content or advertising information.

[0104] The providing unit 330 stores the providing history of the content and the advertisement information in the storage unit 340 as the user information 346 . Figure 7 346 is a diagram showing an example of the content of user information 346. User information 346 associates the vehicle ID with the time when one or both of the content data or the advertising information is provided to the vehicle 200, and the provided content data and the advertising information. In user information 346, when charging for the provision of the content or awarding points for the use of the advertising information, the information related to the above charges or points may be associated with the vehicle ID.

[0105] For example, when providing content to the vehicle 200, the providing unit 330 may refer to the user information 346 to obtain the number of times the content or advertisement information is used (the number of times the content is provided), and when the obtained number of times of use is greater than a threshold, the providing unit 330 may provide the rare content to the vehicle 200. The providing unit 330 may also provide the rare content to the vehicle 200 when the fee or points are greater than a threshold, or when there is a request to obtain the content during a predetermined event.

[0106] The acquisition unit 276 of the vehicle 200 displays the acquisition result of the content acquired based on the content acquisition request of the request unit 274 on the display unit of the HMI 232 . Figure 8 1 is a diagram showing an example of the content acquisition result screen IM2. The content acquisition result screen IM2 includes a content list area 410 for displaying a list of acquired contents and a confirmation operation area 412 for confirming or canceling the content acquisition result.

[0107] In the content list area 410, a content display button for displaying the content of the acquired content is shown. When the passenger presses the content display button, the content of the content is displayed on the display unit of the HMI 232. The passenger selects the OK button in the confirmation operation area 412. As a result, the acquisition unit 276 stores the acquired content in the content DB 278B. The passenger can also select one or more content from the content results shown in the content list area 410 of the content acquisition result IM2. In this case, the acquisition unit 276 stores the content selected by the passenger in the content DB 278B.

[0108] When acquiring advertising information from content providing server 300, acquisition unit 276 stores the acquired advertising information in advertising information DB 278C. In this case, acquisition unit 276 may display an advertising information acquisition result screen on the display unit of HMI 232 similarly to content acquisition result screen IM2, so that passengers can select advertising information.

[0109] [Display control of content and advertising information]

[0110] Next, an example of display control of content and advertising information in the embodiment will be described. Display control unit 270 refers to display condition data 278A stored in storage unit 278 to control display of exterior display unit 272 based on content and advertising information.

[0111] Fig. 9 278A is a diagram showing an example of the content of display condition data 278A. Display condition data 278A establishes a correspondence between a vehicle environment ID for identifying a vehicle environment, vehicle environment content indicating specific content of the vehicle environment, a content display flag indicating whether to display content, a content identification ID, an advertisement display flag indicating whether to display advertisements, and an advertisement identification ID. Fig. 9 In the example, the content display flag is set to "1" when the content is displayed, and to "0" when the content is not displayed. The advertisement display flag is set to "1" when the advertisement information is displayed, and to "0" when the advertisement information is not displayed. The information set as the flag is not limited to "0, 1", and may be information that can identify whether to display, such as "YES, NO", "a, b", etc. The display condition data 278A may be provided by the content providing server 300, or may be set by the passenger.

[0112] The display control unit 270 acquires environmental information of the vehicle 200 based on the environment around the vehicle 200 or the environment in the cab of the vehicle 200 from the external monitoring unit 210 and the in-cab monitoring unit 245, and the conditions of the vehicle 200 such as steering, acceleration and deceleration, driving position, and driving road from the automatic driving control unit 250. The display control unit 270 refers to the display condition data 278A based on the acquired environmental information, and acquires a content display mark and an advertisement display mark corresponding to the environmental information content consistent with the acquired environmental information.

[0113] When the content display flag is “1”, the display control unit 270 acquires the content corresponding to the content identification ID from the content DB 278B, and displays the acquired content on the exterior display unit 272 .

[0114] Fig.10 FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining how the contents are displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. The vehicle 200 includes the vehicle exterior display unit 272 at the front, rear, left, right, and top (ceiling) of the vehicle. Fig.10 In the example of FIG. 1 , a vehicle 200 is shown in which exterior display units 272a to 272c are provided on the vehicle body portion and exterior display units 272d to 272f are provided on the windshield portion.

[0115] Next, the display control of the content and advertising information based on the display condition data 278A is specifically described. For example, the display control unit 270 obtains the position information of the vehicle 200 from the automatic driving control unit 250, and determines whether the position of the vehicle 200 is near the passenger's home that is preset. The so-called near home is, for example, within a range of tens to hundreds of [m] in radius based on the pre-registered home position. The same applies to "near ○ ○" in the following description.

[0116] When the location of vehicle 200 is near home, display control unit 270 controls so that content and advertising information are not displayed on exterior display unit 272. Fig.10 In the example of FIG. 1 , the location A of the vehicle 200 traveling in the lane L1 is set to be near the home. In this case, the display control unit 270 does not display the content and the advertisement information on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 .

[0117] The display control unit 270 obtains the position information of the vehicle 200 from the automatic driving control unit 250, and determines whether the position of the vehicle 200 is near station A. The position information of station A is obtained from the map information of the navigation control device 236, for example. When the position of the vehicle 200 is near station A, the display control unit 270 refers to the display condition data 278A, obtains the content with the content identification ID "C001" from the content DB 278B, and displays it on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. Fig.10In the example of FIG. 2 , the driving location A2 of the vehicle 200 is set to be near the station A. In this case, the display control unit 270 displays the contents 500a to 500c and 500f corresponding to the vehicle exterior display units 272a to 272c and 272f, respectively. These contents are obtained based on the vehicle identification ID, so the display control unit 270 can display the object in combination with the size and shape of the vehicle 200.

[0118] Here, the automatic driving control unit 250 may control the speed of the vehicle 200 in conjunction with the display of the content 500 by the display control unit 270 . Fig.11 This is a diagram for explaining speed control of the vehicle 200 . Fig.11 The vertical axis represents the driving location A based on the specified path, and the vertical axis represents the speed V [km / h] of the vehicle. When the vehicle 200 is driving at a location A1 where the content 500 is not displayed on the exterior display unit 272, the automatic driving control unit 250 causes the vehicle 200 to drive at a speed V1 [km / h]. If the vehicle 200 approaches a location A2 where the content 500 is displayed on the exterior display unit 272, the automatic driving control unit 250 performs a deceleration control. If the vehicle 200 passes the location A2, the vehicle 200 is driven at a speed V2 (V2 < V1) [km / h]. The speed V2 is set based on the legal speed of the road being driven and the conditions of surrounding vehicles. As a result, people around the vehicle 200 can easily see the content and can concentrate their attention more efficiently.

[0119] The display control unit 270 obtains the position information of the vehicle 200 from the automatic driving control unit 250, and determines whether the position of the vehicle 200 is near Station B. The position information of Station B is obtained from the map information of the navigation control device 236, for example. When the position of the vehicle 200 is near Station B, the display control unit 270 refers to the display condition data 278A, causes the vehicle exterior display unit 272 to display the content with the content identification ID "C001", and obtains the advertisement information with the advertisement identification ID "A001" from the advertisement information DB 278C, and displays it on the vehicle exterior display unit 272.

[0120] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining display control of advertising information. Fig.12 In the example, it means that Fig.10 Vehicle 200 behind the driving location A2 shown. Fig.12 In the example of FIG. 1 , the travel location A3 of the vehicle 200 is set to be near station B. In this case, the display control unit 270 displays the contents 500a to 500c and 500f corresponding to the vehicle exterior display units 272a to 272c and 272f, respectively, and causes the vehicle exterior display units 272a and 272b to display the advertising information objects 510a and 510b, respectively.

[0121] When displaying advertisement information 510, display control unit 270 switches a part of the object of content 500 to the object of advertisement information. Display control unit 270 may also display the object of advertisement information 510 overlapping the object of content 500. Display control unit 270 may also switch the display of content 500 to the display of advertisement information 510 only.

[0122] The display control unit 270 may also adjust and display the position, size, orientation, etc. of the object so that the object of the content 500, that is, the person, holds a product (e.g., "canned coffee Z") which is an example of the object of the advertising information 510, or the person uses the product. The display control unit 270 may also generate an image in which the content 500 and the advertising information 510 are combined, and display the generated image on the vehicle exterior display unit 272.

[0123] exist Fig.12 In the example of , near the driving location A3 of the vehicle 200, the sight lines of the characters P1 to P3 are directed toward the vehicle 200. In this case, the external monitoring unit 210 senses the sight lines of the characters P1 to P3, and sets the degree of attention to the vehicle 200 to "2", and outputs it to the display control unit 270. Since the degree of attention exceeds the specified value (for example, "1"), the display control unit 270 displays the content 500 and the advertising information 510 on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. As a result, the vehicle 200 can improve the publicity effect of the advertising information by displaying the content 500 to attract the attention of the surrounding characters, and then displaying the advertising information 510.

[0124] The display control unit 270 may also switch the display position of the content 500 and the object included in the advertisement information 510 displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 according to the line of sight of the person P obtained by the outside monitoring unit 210. Fig.12 In the case of the position of the person P2 shown, the display control unit 270 switches the display so that the object of the person included in the content 500 or the object of the advertising information 510 is consistent with the line of sight of the person P2 in combination with the line of sight of the person P2. In this way, the vehicle 200 can allow the surrounding people to see the person or the object of the advertising information 510 displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 for a long time.

[0125] The display control unit 270 may also control the display of the content 500 and the advertising information 510 according to the driving state of the vehicle 200 obtained by the automatic driving control unit 250. For example, when the vehicle 200 is traveling on a highway by the automatic driving control unit 250, the display control unit 270 controls so that the content 500 and the advertising information are not displayed. Thus, the vehicle 200 does not display the content 500 and the advertising information 510 when the person is not around the highway, etc., thereby suppressing the power cost in the display. When the vehicle 200 is traveling at a speed higher than a specified speed (for example, 60 [km / h]), the display control unit 270 may switch the display to an image of a person walking included in the content 500, or may switch the display to an image of a person stopping when the vehicle 200 is decelerating. Thus, the vehicle 200 can display the content corresponding to the behavior of the vehicle.

[0126] The display control unit 270 may also control the display of the content 500 and the advertising information 510 according to the state of the passenger based on the in-cab monitoring unit 245. For example, when it is determined by the in-cab monitoring unit 245 that the passenger is sleeping, the display control unit 270 controls so that the content 500 and the advertising information 510 are not displayed. Thus, the vehicle 200 can suppress the electricity cost in the display, etc. When the vehicle 200 is a shared vehicle and the number of passengers sensed by the in-cab monitoring unit 245 is less than a specified amount (for example, two people), the display control unit 270 may also control so that the content 500 and the advertising information are displayed in order to focus the attention of the surrounding people. A so-called shared vehicle refers to a vehicle in which more than one vehicle is used by multiple users.

[0127] The display control unit 270 can also communicate with the surrounding vehicles 200 to display content related to the content displayed on other surrounding vehicles. The so-called content related to the content refers to, for example, content that has a sense of unity in the type, color, and appearance of the content object, content related to each member appearing in an idol group or cartoon, and content that is conceptually related in narrative and the like. When a plurality of vehicles are traveling in a queue, the display control unit 270 can also switch the order of displaying the content displayed in each vehicle according to the queue order. Thus, for example, even when the order of the plurality of vehicles traveling in a queue is changed, the display order of the content is switched according to the queue order, so that the display content of the entire queue can be kept constant.

[0128] [Processing Flow]

[0129] Fig.132 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow performed by the vehicle 200. First, the request unit 274 sends a request to obtain the content to the content providing server 300 (step S100). Next, the acquisition unit 276 obtains the content and the advertising information from the content providing server 300 (step S102). Next, the display control unit 270 refers to the display condition data 278A to determine whether the display condition of the content is met (step S104). When the display condition of the content is met, the display control unit 270 causes the vehicle exterior display unit 272 to display the corresponding content (step S106).

[0130] Next, display control unit 270 refers to display condition data 278A to determine whether the display condition of the advertisement information is satisfied (step S108). If the display condition of the advertisement information is satisfied, display control unit 270 causes exterior display unit 272 to display the corresponding advertisement information (step S110).

[0131] Next, the display control unit 270 refers to the display condition data 278A to determine whether the non-display condition of one or both of the content or the advertising information is satisfied (step S112). If the non-display condition of the content or the advertising information is satisfied, the display control unit 270 sets the corresponding one or both of the content or the advertising information to non-display (step S114). Thus, the processing of this flowchart ends. The processing of steps S100 and S102 can also be performed asynchronously with the processing of steps S104 to S114.

[0132] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to realize the display of contents outside the vehicle in a state suitable for the environment of the vehicle.

[0133] <Second Embodiment>

[0134] Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described. Fig.14 1 is a structural diagram of a service providing system 2 including a vehicle 200 according to a second embodiment. The service providing system 2 includes: one or more terminal devices 100 used by one or more service applicants A, one or more vehicles 200, one or more terminal devices 150 used by one or more service providers S, a service provider device 600, and a service management device 700. These structural elements can communicate with each other via a network NW. A service based on the service provider S is provided to a service user U. In the accompanying drawings, the service applicant A and the service user U are shown as different persons, but they may be the same person. The so-called "used by the service applicant A" may include a situation where a terminal device such as a terminal device of an Internet cafe that can be used by an unspecified majority is temporarily used by the service applicant A.

[0135] [Terminal device]

[0136] The terminal device 100 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The application or browser of the terminal device 100 for utilizing the service providing system 2 is started, and the services described below are supported. In the following description, the terminal device 100 is a smart phone, and the application (service applicant application) is started as a premise. The service user application communicates with the service management device 700 according to the operation of the service applicant A, sends the request from the service applicant A to the service management device 700, or performs push notification based on the information received from the service management device 700.

[0137] The terminal device 100, for example, sends service utilization entrustment information including the following content to the service management device 700. The location information is measured by, for example, a GPS receiver built into the terminal device 100. Other information is based on information input by the service applicant A or the service user U in principle. The so-called attribute information of the service provider desired to be utilized refers to information related to the attributes of the service provider S desired by the service user U. In addition to the types of services provided, the attributes may also include age, gender, personality (type), etc. Regarding the attributes, the service management device 700 does not fixedly assign a completely consistent service provider S, but may prompt the service user U and allow him to select or confirm.

[0138] [Service usage entrustment information]

[0139] User ID

[0140] Location information (latitude, longitude, altitude)

[0141] ·Want to use spatial information (for example, by number of people, number of seats, etc.)

[0142] ·Want to use service provider attribute information

[0143] · ID of the service you wish to use

[0144] · Information of the section you wish to use (information of the first section)

[0145] ・Information about the time period when the service user wishes to use the service

[0146] Settlement authentication information

[0147] [vehicle]

[0148] The configuration related to the travel control of the vehicle 200 (for example, the configuration related to the automatic driving) is the same as the configuration provided to the vehicle 200 in the first embodiment. That is, the vehicle 200 is an automatic driving vehicle and is a vehicle having a wireless communication function as described below. Fig.152 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle management device 210A mounted on a vehicle 200. The vehicle management device 210A includes, for example, a communication unit 220A, an authentication unit 230A, an HMI 240A, and a vehicle / compartment management unit 250A.

[0149] The communication unit 220A is a wireless communication device. The communication unit 220A communicates with the service management device 700 via the network NW. The authentication unit 230A performs authentication processing for starting the service according to the instruction of the service management device 700. The HMI 240A is, for example, a touch panel display device (display unit), a speaker, a microphone, various operation switches, etc. provided independently from the HMI 232.

[0150] The vehicle / compartment management unit 250A includes, for example, a utilization status sensing unit 252, a utilization permission unit 254, and an authentication unit 256. The vehicle 200 is provided with one or more spaces (compartments) that can be used by the service user U or the service provider S. The so-called compartment refers to, for example, a seat, a loading area for loading cargo, etc. For example, a compartment may also be an area divided by specified partitions. For example, a compartment control unit (not shown) controls a mechanism that drives the seat and the loading area to change the seat to the loading area, or to change the loading area to the seat. Furthermore, the compartment control unit, for example, uses a storage unit to store a storage seat, or takes a seat stored in the storage unit out of the storage unit. The utilization status sensing unit 252 senses the utilization status of each compartment. For example, the utilization status sensing unit 252 senses whether each compartment is in use. In Fig.14 In the embodiment, a general passenger car is disclosed as the vehicle 200, but the vehicle 200 may be a trailer, a bus, a small shared vehicle, or a vehicle of a size that allows one or more passengers to ride in each compartment that divides the cabin. The use permission unit 254, for example, permits the use of a pre-specified compartment, such as unlocking a door, when the authentication by the authentication unit 256 succeeds. The authentication unit 256 performs authentication such as confirming the identity of the service user U or the service provider S who rides the vehicle.

[0151] The vehicle management device 210A transmits vehicle information including the following contents to the service management device 700, for example.

[0152] [Vehicle Information]

[0153] Vehicle ID

[0154] Location information (latitude, altitude, longitude)

[0155] ・Cubicle usage status (about the cubicles being used, the user ID of the service user being used, information on available cubicles, etc.)

[0156] Driving status (speed, acceleration, angular velocity, status of on-board equipment, etc.)

[0157] Information about the service provider S (ID of the service provider, information about the service being implemented, elapsed time of service implementation, etc.)

[0158] Display content ID (content ID displayed on the exterior display unit 272 ), display object ID (ID indicating the position of the content displayed on the exterior display unit 272 )

[0159] Fig.16 6 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the service provider device 600. The service provider device 600 is, for example, a device that grasps the status of a plurality of service providers and can automatically respond to an order sent from the service management device 700. The service provider device 600 includes, for example, a communication unit 610, an order reception processing unit 620, a status management unit 630, and a storage unit 650. The service provider device 600 may also include the functional structure of the content providing server 300.

[0160] The communication unit 610 communicates with the service management device 700 and the like via the network NW. The order reception processing unit 620 performs order reception processing on the service order sent from the service management device 700. The order reception processing unit 620 determines whether the content of the service order sent is within the range of the service provision information that has been sent to the service management device 700, and performs order reception processing if it is determined to be within the range. The status management unit 630 manages the status (booking status, driving status, etc.) of the service provider S registered with the service provider device 600, and provides the service provision information to the service management device 700.

[0161] The service provider device 600 transmits service provision information including the following contents to the service management device 700. The service provision information is information related to the service that the service provider S can order and receive.

[0162] [Service provision information]

[0163] Order receipt ID

[0164] Service Name

[0165] ·Information of the person responsible for implementation

[0166] Service provider attribute information

[0167] · Information about the service provider's desired service provision time period

[0168] Necessary vehicle compartment information

[0169] ·Information on the areas where services can be provided

[0170] · Facility location information (service provision location information outside the vehicle)

[0171] Information related to the content ID (e.g., information on available content)

[0172] Service status

[0173] In addition, when there is a request for providing content from the service management device 700, the service provider device 600 sends the content corresponding to the request to the service management device 700. In this case, various contents corresponding to the content ID are stored in the storage device of the service provider device 600. Various contents can also be pre-stored in the storage device of the service management device 700. The terminal device 150 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The terminal device 150 starts an application or a browser for utilizing the service providing system 2, and supports the services described below. The terminal device 150 sends the same information as the service utilization entrustment information to the service management device 700. That is, the terminal device 150 has the same function as the terminal device 100.

[0174] [Service Management Device]

[0175] Fig.17 7 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the service management device 700. The service management device 700 includes, for example, a communication unit 710, a first acquisition unit 720, a second acquisition unit 722, a third acquisition unit 724, a vehicle determination unit 730, a plan determination unit 740, a content control unit 742, an update unit 744, a request unit 746, a path indication unit 750, an authentication unit 760, a determination unit 770, and a storage unit 800. The structural elements other than the communication unit 710 and the storage unit 800 are implemented by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU. Some or all of these structural elements can be implemented by hardware (circuitry) such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, etc., or by the combination of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory, can be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, or can be installed by installing the storage medium in a drive device. The storage unit 800 is implemented by a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM, a ROM, or the like.

[0176] The communication unit 710 is, for example, a network card for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 710 communicates with the terminal device 100, the terminal device 150, the vehicle management device 210A, the service provider device 600, and the like via the network NW.

[0177] The first acquisition unit 720 acquires service utilization request information from the terminal device 100 or the terminal device 150 via the communication unit 710. The second acquisition unit 722 acquires vehicle information or environmental information from the vehicle management device 210A of the pre-registered vehicle 200 via the communication unit 710. The third acquisition unit 724 acquires service provision information from the service provider device 600 via the communication unit 710.

[0178] The vehicle determination unit 730 determines the available vehicle 200 based on the service utilization request information and the vehicle information, and generates the available vehicle information 820. Specifically, the vehicle determination unit 730 compares the desired utilization space information, the desired utilization section information, the information of the service utilization time period contained in the service utilization request information, the position information contained in the vehicle information, and the compartment utilization status, and determines the vehicle whose position information and compartment utilization status meet the conditions contained in the service utilization request information as the available vehicle 200.

[0179] The plan determination unit 740 determines the available services that the service user U can enjoy based on the available vehicle information 820 and the service provision information, and provides the terminal device 100 of the service user U with information on the determined available services.

[0180] More specifically, the plan determination unit 740 sets a second section in which the service provider S occupies at least a part (e.g., a compartment) of the vehicle 200 based on the available vehicle information 820 and the service provision information, and sets a third section in which the service user U and the service provider S occupies at least a part of the vehicle 200 based on the information on the desired section (information on the first section) in the service utilization request information and the overlapping part of the second section. If the service provider S has already boarded the vehicle 200 before setting the first section, the plan determination unit 740 may set the second section with the current position of the vehicle 200 as the starting point simultaneously with the setting of the first section.

[0181] In addition, the plan decision unit 740 sets the third interval within the overlapping range between the information of the service-providable region included in the service provision information and the first interval. Furthermore, the plan decision unit 740 sets the third interval so that the time period during which the service user U occupies at least a portion of the vehicle 200 is consistent with the information of the service utilization time period desired by the service user U, and the time period during which the service provider S occupies the vehicle is consistent with the information of the service provision time period desired by the service provider S. The so-called "time period" includes the length of time and time such as the start time and the end time. For example, when the service utilization time period desired by the service user U does not converge with the service provision time period desired by the service provider S, the plan decision unit 740 may make adjustments so that the time period during which the service user U occupies at least a portion of the vehicle 200 is more restricted than the service utilization time period desired by the service user U and converges with the service provision time period. On the contrary, if the service provision time period desired by the service provider S does not converge with the service utilization time period desired by the service user U, the plan determination unit 740 may make adjustments such that the time period during which the service provider S occupies at least a portion of the vehicle 200 is more restricted than the service provision time period desired by the service provider S and converges with the service utilization time period. Furthermore, the plan determination unit 740 determines the available services based on the set third section.

[0182] Furthermore, when a plurality of service providers S sequentially provide services to a certain service user U, the plan determination unit 740 may set second intervals corresponding to the plurality of service providers S respectively, and set a plurality of third intervals corresponding to the respective second intervals.

[0183] As another function, the plan determination unit 740 may update the first section so that the first section ends at the service providing location outside the vehicle according to an instruction from the service user U using the terminal device 100. In this case, the plan determination unit 740 may send reservation information to the facility at the service providing location outside the vehicle according to an instruction from the service user U using the terminal device 100 (or automatically), receive the reservation result through the communication unit 710, and send the reservation result to the terminal device 100 of the service user U using the communication unit 710.

[0184] In addition, the plan determination unit 740 refers to the correspondence between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content during the driving of the vehicle (the correspondence included in the correspondence information 838 described later). The so-called driver of the vehicle refers to the person who arranges the operation of the vehicle, takes responsibility for the operation, or the owner of the vehicle itself. For example, the so-called driver of the vehicle refers to the service manager, service provider, etc. in the implementation mode.

[0185] The content control unit 742 performs processing to display the content on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. The content control unit 742 permits the use of the content based on the reference result of the plan determination unit 740. The function of the update unit 744 will be described in detail later. The request unit 746 sends a content request to the service provider device 600 for the content to the communication unit 710.

[0186] The route instruction unit 750 instructs the vehicle 200 on the route that the vehicle 200 should travel by causing the communication unit 710 to transmit information on the use start and end positions of the service user U and the use start and end positions of the service provider S to the vehicle 200 .

[0187] The authentication unit 760 performs authentication of the service user U based on communication with the terminal device 100 or the terminal device 150 , or performs authentication when starting provision of a service.

[0188] The determination unit 770 determines whether the vehicle 200 is being used for each of the service user U and the service provider S.

[0189] The plan decision unit 740 uses the determination result of the determination unit 770 to perform various processes. For example, the plan decision unit 740 may accept the change of the first section (update the first section) only when the determination unit 770 determines that both the service user U and the service provider S use the vehicle 200. This situation occurs, for example, when the service provider S asks the service user U to change the destination or changes the final destination during the service based on the information provided to the vehicle 200. In addition, the plan decision unit 740 may also preferentially allocate the vehicle 200 in use to the service user U when the determination unit 770 determines that the service user U has already used the vehicle 200 (that is, when the service is used and the service extension or other services are requested).

[0190] The storage unit 800 stores user information 810 related to the registered service user U, the available vehicle information 820, service management information 830, and corresponding information 838. The service management information 830 includes, for example, service entrustment management information 832, reservation management information 834, and ongoing service management information 836. In the service entrustment management information 832, the service utilization entrustment information acquired by the first acquisition unit 720 is registered as a record. In the reservation management information 834, information such as the reserved utilization interval, the reserved utilization time period, the via point, and the expected arrival time at the via point is stored for each service. In the ongoing service management information 836, information such as the service status, service attributes, and service provider ID is registered. The corresponding information 838 is information sent from the terminal device 100, the terminal device 150, or the vehicle management device 210A, and is information in which the user ID (or the driver ID of the vehicle), the vehicle ID, and the content ID that the user has entrusted to use are associated with each other.

[0191] In the corresponding information 838, the content ID is associated with the content providing company ID, the content use target area ID, the content use time, the content attention index, etc. The content use target area ID is, for example, an ID indicating an area where the content can be used. The content use time is, for example, the time when the content can be used.

[0192] The corresponding information 838 includes display condition data 839. For example, the display condition data 839 is as follows: Fig.18 As shown, for each user (or driver), the vehicle environment ID, vehicle environment content, content identification ID, and information indicating whether or not use is permitted are associated with each other. Display condition data 839 may include information equivalent to display condition data 278A, for example.

[0193] The updating unit 744 updates the corresponding information 838 between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content. For example, the updating unit 744 updates the corresponding relationship between the user or driver of the vehicle and the content in the corresponding information 838. The so-called updating includes recording, saving, and displaying the change of the priority of the content. The processing results and the utilization status of the vehicle management device 210A and the service provider device 600 that provides the content are counted, so that the exposure degree of the content, the utilization degree, the relationship between the environmental information and the content, etc. can be grasped. In addition, based on the processing results of the updating unit 744, the service management device 700 can derive the utilization performance of the content and provide the derived results to the enterprise or the specified manager. The utilization performance is used, for example, to measure the incentives for the user or the content provider.

[0194] For example, Fig.19As shown, the updating unit 744 stores the information that the vehicle environment ID, the attention level, and the time of each user are associated with each other as the corresponding information 838 in the storage unit 800. In addition, the updating unit 744 updates the display condition data 839 based on the above-mentioned corresponding information 838. For example, the updating unit 744 sets the "content C10" with the priority 1 before the update to the priority 2 after the update in the display condition data 839, and sets the "content C15" with the priority 2 before the update to the priority 1 after the update. That is, the updating unit 744 increases the priority of the content with a higher attention level.

[0195] The updating unit 744 may also obtain from the vehicle 200 the information of the sight lines of people around the vehicle 200 (an example of "environmental information") associated with the content displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 and the position of the content displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272, and update the correspondence between the user of the vehicle 200 or the driver of the vehicle 200 and the content based on the obtained information. For example, the updating unit 744 reflects the position of the displayed content, the type of the content, and the association between the content and the position in the display condition data 839 and updates the display condition data 839 so that the frequency of the person's sight lines directed toward the content increases or the time of the direction becomes longer.

[0196] The updating unit 744 may also update the correspondence between the content acquired from the service provider device 600 and the user of the vehicle 200 or the driver of the vehicle 200 during driving according to the request of the requesting unit 746 (see Fig. 20 ). For example, the updating unit 744 establishes a correspondence between the user who requested the content and the acquired content ID.

[0197] Fig. 20 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed in the service providing system 2. Fig. 20 This is an example of a process of switching the display of the vehicle exterior display unit 272 of the vehicle 200 in response to a request from the service provider S (user of the shared vehicle).

[0198] First, the service client A (service provider S) uses the terminal device 150 to perform user authentication on the authentication unit 760 of the service management device 700 (step S200). If the authentication based on the authentication unit 760 is successful, the service client A (service provider S) uses the terminal device 150 to send service utilization entrustment information to the service management device 700 (step S202). The service utilization entrustment information is acquired by the first acquisition unit and stored in the storage unit 800 as service entrustment management information 832. The service utilization entrustment information in this flowchart is, for example, information entrusting the use of content (hereinafter, content utilization entrustment information).

[0199] If the content use entrustment information is obtained, the third acquisition unit 724 of the service management device 700 inquires the service provider device 600 for the content provision information (step S204). Even if there are multiple service provider devices 600 depending on the attributes of the provided content (or service) or the service company, in this case, the third acquisition unit 724 can inquire the multiple service provider devices 600 at the same time. The status management unit 630 of the service provider device 600 returns the information related to the available content (indicating the content of the available content) to the service management device 700 (step S206). The status management unit 630 returns the service provision information that can be received by the order to the service management device 700.

[0200] The second acquisition unit 722 of the service management device 700 inquires about the utilization status (vehicle information) of the vehicle management device 210A (step S208). The vehicle / compartment management unit 250A of the vehicle management device 210A returns the vehicle information and the environmental information sensed by the utilization status sensing unit 252 to the service management device 700 together with the corresponding vehicle ID established by the vehicle management device 210A (step S210). The environmental information includes the location information of the vehicle 200 and the information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle is the degree of attention paid to the vehicle 200. The processing of step S208 and step S210 can be performed asynchronously with the processing shown in the flowchart and at any time at any time.

[0201] Next, the vehicle determination unit 730 determines available vehicles based on the content utilization entrustment information and the information obtained in step S210, and generates available vehicle information (step S212). Even if multiple vehicles are determined in step S212, in this case, the final vehicle can be determined between step S224 described later. In addition, the plan decision unit 740 determines available services (such as available services or content) that can be enjoyed by the service provider S based on the available vehicle information and the available content information obtained in step S206 (step S212), and sends the available service information indicating the content of the determined available service to the terminal device 150 (step S214).

[0202] The service client A (service provider S) browses the available service information, and as a result, uses the terminal device 150 to send a service order (for example, a service order related to content, a service order related to the use of a vehicle) to the service management device 700 (step S216). The plan determination unit 740 of the service management device 700 extracts the part of the service order received in step S216 that the service provider device 600 is responsible for, and sends the service order to the service provider device 600 (step S218).

[0203] The order receiving processing unit 620 of the service provider device 600 transmits the service order reception to the service management device 700 (step S220). At the same time, the order receiving processing unit 620 transmits the order reception content to the terminal device 150 of the service provider S.

[0204] When receiving the order reception from the service providing device 600, the route instruction unit 750 of the service management device 700 sets a route along which the vehicle 200 for providing the service should travel (step S222).

[0205] Next, the authentication unit 760 of the service management device 700 performs authentication processing for the service start on the service provider device 600 and the authentication unit 230A of the vehicle 200, the path indication unit 750 indicates the path set in step S222 to the vehicle 200, the service provider device 600 performs authentication for the start of the service and determines the final vehicle as needed, and in the vehicle management device 210A of the vehicle 200, the authentication unit 230A performs vehicle-side authentication and starts or schedules driving on the indicated path (step S224).

[0206] Next, the content control unit 742 of the service management device 700, for example, when the distance between the vehicle 200 and the service client A reaches a set distance, sends the environmental information of the vehicle 200 including the location information and the required content information to the terminal device 150 (step S226). Further, the content control unit 742 sends the content information and the compartment information to the service provider device 600 (step S228). That is, the service management device 700 as a driver associates and provides the content information related to the service provider S with the environmental information of the vehicle including the location information based on the request from the service provider S as a user. The so-called compartment information refers to, for example, information for controlling functions related to the compartment. For example, it is control information for changing the loading area to a seat, information for controlling various functions of devices set in other compartments, etc.

[0207] Next, the service provider device 600 obtains the compartment information and sends the obtained compartment information to the vehicle management device 210A (step S230). If the vehicle management device 210A obtains the compartment information, the vehicle 200 responds to the information and performs a prescribed control (step S230). In addition, the terminal device 150 can also communicate directly with the vehicle 200 and send content information, compartment information, etc. to the vehicle 200.

[0208] Next, the service provider device 600 acquires the content information and sends the acquired content to the vehicle management device 210A (step S232). That is, the service provider device 600 controls the display of the content information on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 of the vehicle 200 (external display control). If the vehicle management device 210A acquires the content information, the display control unit 270 of the vehicle 200 responds to the information and displays the content on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 (step S234). The display control unit 270 switches the display outside the vehicle.

[0209] Then, the service client A gets on the vehicle 200 (step S236), and the service client A operates HMI 240A, for example, to instruct the switching of the external display (step S238), and the display control unit 270 of the vehicle 200 obtains information related to the content of the operation, and switches the content according to the obtained operation (step S240). Fig. 20 In the example, it is described that the service client A uses the terminal device 150 to send the service utilization entrustment information to the service management device 700 and then gets on the vehicle 200, but the service client A may also operate the terminal device 150 or HMI240 to send the service utilization entrustment information to the service management device 700 after getting on the vehicle 200. In addition, the HMI240A may have the same function as that of the terminal device 150. In this case, for example, after getting on the vehicle 200, the service client A can operate the HMI240A instead of the terminal device 150 to instruct the switching of the external display.

[0210] As described above, when the vehicle 200 switches the content, the vehicle 200 sends the information of the switched content to the service management device 700. If the service management device 700 obtains the information of the switched content, the path indication unit 750 of the service management device 700 decides to correct the path, change the destination, or change the driving state based on the information of the obtained content, and sends the decision result to the vehicle 200 (step S242). For example, when the information of the content obtained is the first information, the path indication unit 750 drives on the path corresponding to the first information, or heads to the destination, or changes the driving state. In addition, the path indication unit 750 may also decide to correct the path, change the destination, or change the driving state based on the environmental information obtained, and send the decision result to the vehicle 200. For example, the path indication unit 750 decides to change to a path that focuses people's attention, or decides to reduce the speed. In these cases, the vehicle 200 performs control based on the decision result. That is, the vehicle 200 travels on the corrected route, travels to the changed destination, or travels in a changed travel state.

[0211] When the additional service can be prompted, the plan decision unit 740 prompts the additional service to the terminal device 150 (step S244). If the service client A browses the content of the additional service and uses the terminal device 150 to send an order for the additional service (step S244), the plan decision unit 740 of the service management device 700 sends a service order for the additional service to the service provider device 600 (step S246). The order reception processing unit 620 of the service provider device 600 sends information indicating that an order for the additional service has been received to the service management device 700 (step S248). If the information indicating that an order for the additional service has been received is received, the path indication unit 750 of the service management device 700 notifies the service client A that the change in the available content has been received (step S250).

[0212] By performing the above-mentioned processing, the content requested by the service client A is displayed while the vehicle is running. Specifically, the plan determination unit 740 refers to the correspondence between the user (or driver) of the vehicle while the vehicle is running and the content, which is identified based on the vehicle environment (environmental information), and the content control unit 742 permits the use of the content based on the reference result, so that the content is displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272.

[0213] The plan decision unit 740 may also obtain the status of the passenger from the vehicle 200, and decide whether to refer to the correspondence between the user of the content vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content based on the obtained status of the passenger. For example, if the plan decision unit 740 determines that the passenger is in a sleeping state, it may decide not to refer to the correspondence and not to display the content on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. In addition, the status of the passenger may also be the attributes of the passenger such as whether the passenger is an adult, whether there is authentication or subscription to a paid service, and the time elapsed since the ride. For example, if the passenger is not an adult or has not subscribed to a paid service, the plan decision unit 740 may decide not to refer to the correspondence and not to display the content on the vehicle exterior display unit 272.

[0214] The route instruction unit 750 may also instruct to change the driving state or route according to the environmental information obtained from the vehicle 200. For example, when the route instruction unit 750 obtains information indicating that the attention level is low from the vehicle 200, it instructs the vehicle 200 to drive on a pre-set or obtained route (a route with a higher attention level), or instructs the vehicle 200 to drive in a driving state with a higher attention level (a driving state with a reduced speed).

[0215] The following describes information displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 of the vehicle 200 based on the control of the service management device 700 or the service provider device 600. Figure 21 to Figure 30The following is a specific example of a case in which the service management device 700 refers to the environmental information and the correspondence between the driver of the vehicle and the content, and utilizes the content based on the reference result. The content related to the service items provided by the service provider as the driver is an example displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. In the following, the XYZ coordinate system is used for illustration and description as needed. The X direction and the Y direction are directions along a substantially horizontal plane. The X direction is the direction in which the vehicle is traveling, and the Y direction is a direction intersecting the X direction (e.g., a substantially orthogonal direction). The Z direction is a direction intersecting the X direction and the Y direction (e.g., a substantially orthogonal direction).

[0216] For example, the vehicle exterior display unit 272 displays a trademark or logo indicating a service, the content of the service (English conversation school), the destination of the vehicle 200 , the provision status of the service (information indicating whether it is being used), and the like. Fig.21 It is a perspective view of a vehicle 200 that provides services related to an English conversation school. Fig. 22 This is a diagram showing a vehicle 200 that provides services related to an English conversation school, as viewed from the side.

[0217] For example, information (for example, name, nickname, reservation number, etc.) indicating the user who has made a reservation to use the vehicle 200 (the user who will approach the vehicle 200 next) is displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 . Fig.23 It is a perspective view of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 for displaying information of a user who has made a reservation. Fig.24 This is a diagram of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 for displaying information of a user who has made a reservation, as viewed from the lateral direction.

[0218] For example, the vehicle exterior display unit 272 displays information indicating attributes of services provided by the vehicle 200 (e.g., goods and food sold, services provided, etc.), or provision conditions (price, provision time) of goods and services, etc. Fig.25 It is a perspective view of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 that displays service attributes. Fig.26 This is a diagram of vehicle 200 as viewed from the lateral direction, with exterior display unit 272 having information indicating attributes of a service.

[0219] For example, the vehicle exterior display unit 272 displays information related to an event (event name, start date), and information for accessing the information (URL, two-dimensional barcode, etc.). Fig. 27 It is a perspective view of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 for displaying information related to an event. Fig.28 This is a diagram of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 for displaying information related to an activity, viewed from the lateral direction. For example, Fig. 27 , Fig.28The vehicle shown is a vehicle going to the event venue, and users going to the event can take the vehicle.

[0220] For example, information related to the event (event name, start date) and information for accessing the information (URL, two-dimensional barcode, etc.) may be displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 provided on the rear side of the vehicle. Fig.29 This is a diagram of a vehicle viewed from the rear side. For example, a vehicle 200 displaying information related to an event is traveling toward an event venue. A user interested in the event can follow the vehicle 200 to the event venue. When following, the user can follow the information related to the event displayed on the rear side of the vehicle 200 as a marker.

[0221] For example, when vehicle 200 is a vehicle that tours a predetermined area and provides local specialties and tourist information (regional tour sampling vehicle), information indicating that it is a regional tour sampling vehicle is displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272 . Fig.30 It is a perspective view of a vehicle 200 having an exterior display unit 272 that displays information indicating that the vehicle is a regional tour sampling vehicle.

[0222] For example, the vehicle 200, the service provider device 600, and the service management device 700 may also provide information related to the service (the content of the service provided, the information of the vehicle providing the service) to a vehicle different from the vehicle 200. The different vehicle may be, for example, an autonomous driving vehicle. The different vehicle may also obtain information related to the service, select any service or vehicle from the obtained information, and follow the selected vehicle 200. For example, the above-mentioned different vehicle may also follow the vehicle 200 heading to the event venue.

[0223] Furthermore, when the prescribed conditions are satisfied, the content displayed by satisfying the conditions is displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272. The so-called prescribed conditions refer to conditions prescribed based on the state of the surrounding environment or the relationship between the user and the service provider. For example, if a prescribed product related to the service provider S is purchased by the service user, the content corresponding to the purchase is displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit 272.

[0224] Through the second embodiment described above, the service management device 700 refers to the correspondence between the user of the driving vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content, and permits the use of the content based on the reference result, thereby enabling the content to be displayed outside the vehicle in a state suitable for the vehicle environment.

[0225] As mentioned above, although the specific embodiment was described using the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be added within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0226] -Explanation of symbols-

[0227] 1…Vehicle control system, 200…Vehicle, 210…External monitoring unit, 220…Communication device, 230…Navigation device, 240…Recommended lane determination device, 245…In-cab monitoring unit, 250…Automatic driving control unit, 260…Drive force output device, 270…Display control unit, 272…Out-of-vehicle display unit, 274…Request unit, 276…Acquisition unit, 278, 340…Storage unit, 300…Content providing server, 310…Communication unit, 320…Request receiving unit, 330…Providing unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle management system comprising: A content control unit controls the content that can be displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit, the vehicle exterior display unit being provided on the exterior of the vehicle and displaying the content outside the vehicle; an acquisition unit, which acquires environmental information of the vehicle from the vehicle; A reference unit that refers to a correspondence between a user of the vehicle or a driver of the vehicle and the content during driving of the vehicle; and Update Department, The content control unit permits the use of the content based on the reference result of the reference unit, and transmits the content or compartment information of the vehicle to an external terminal, The updating unit updates the correspondence between the content and the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle, The acquisition unit acquires information indicating whether the automatic driving control unit of the vehicle is executing automatic driving control and information about content displayed on an exterior display unit of the vehicle. The vehicle management system includes: an instruction unit that requests the automatic driving control unit to change a driving state or a route based on the content acquired by the acquisition unit when the vehicle is executing automatic driving control.

2. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires display contents displayed on the vehicle exterior display unit and a degree of attention to the vehicle, The updating unit updates the correspondence between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content.

3. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The content includes advertising information.

4. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The instructing unit further requests a change in the driving state or the route based on the environmental information of the vehicle acquired by the acquiring unit.

5. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The reference unit refers to a correspondence relationship between the content and a user of the vehicle, or between the driver of the vehicle and the content, based on the state of the passenger of the vehicle acquired by the acquisition unit.

6. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires, as environmental information of the vehicle, a content displayed on the exterior display unit and a line of sight of a person around the vehicle associated with a position where the content is displayed on the exterior display unit. The updating unit updates the correspondence between the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle and the content based on the acquired environmental information.

7. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle management system also has: a communication unit that communicates with a content providing server; and a requesting unit causing the communication unit to send a content request for the content providing server to obtain the content; The updating unit updates the correspondence relationship between the content acquired from the content providing server and the user of the vehicle or the driver of the vehicle during driving of the vehicle, in response to the request by the requesting unit.

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