Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Storage Medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The information processing apparatus is configured to perform an operation of a delivery service or support the operation, in the delivery service, an interior of a vehicle, a building, or a facility used by a user is designated as a delivery destination of a package, the information processing apparatus includes an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on an accommodation state of an object accommodated in the vehicle, the building, or the facility; and an accommodation state notification unit configured to notify the user of the accommodation state based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application number 2018115255355, the application date of December 13, 2018, and the invention title of "Information Processing Device, Information Processing Method, Image Acquisition Method, and Non-transitory Computer-readable Storage Medium". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, an image acquisition method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] For example, a mechanism for using the compartment (e.g., trunk) of a vehicle as a delivery destination for a package is disclosed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-206225 (JP2006-206225A), etc.).

[0004] Specifically, authentication information (key information) for unlocking the vehicle is distributed to a delivery company (e.g., a mobile terminal carried by a delivery person). When a predetermined transmission signal including the key information is sent from the mobile terminal carried by the delivery person to the vehicle, and then the key information included in the transmission signal is sent from the delivery person to the vehicle and the key information included in the transmission signal is successfully authenticated on the vehicle side, the door (e.g., trunk lid or rear door) of the vehicle's trunk allowing entry is unlocked. Thus, the delivery person can accommodate the package in the trunk. Accordingly, the delivery company can provide a delivery service (hereinafter referred to as "compartment delivery service") that allows a customer to specify a compartment such as the trunk of a vehicle as a delivery destination. Similarly, a delivery service that allows the interior of a building or facility such as a residence or a second residence (privately owned or leased second residence) that can be locked or unlocked by a user to be specified as a delivery destination can also be provided. Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, without visual inspection, it is generally impossible for a user to check the accommodation status of objects accommodated inside a vehicle, building, or facility designated as a delivery destination for a package (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as "vehicle, etc."). For this reason, without being noticed, the accommodation capacity limit may be reached by multiple delivered packages, objects that users usually leave inside the vehicle, etc., such that, for example, additional packages cannot be delivered. Further, for example, when unlocking the door of a vehicle, etc., using a mobile terminal carried by a delivery person and delivering a package to the inside of the vehicle, etc., since the user does not actually receive the package, the user may not be able to grasp whether the package has actually been delivered. Therefore, it is desirable for the user to grasp the accommodation status of objects accommodated inside a vehicle, etc., designated as a delivery destination for a package.

[0006] The present invention provides an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an image acquisition method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, enabling a user to grasp the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside a vehicle or the like that is designated as a delivery destination of a package in a delivery service used by the user.

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus configured to execute the operation of a delivery service or execute support for the operation, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as a delivery destination of a package. The information processing apparatus includes: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information about the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside the vehicle, the building, or the facility; and an accommodation situation notification unit configured to notify the user of the accommodation situation based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus can notify the user of the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside a vehicle or the like based on the information about the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside the vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of the acquired package. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside a vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of a package.

[0009] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition unit can be configured to acquire a captured image of the interior taken by a mobile terminal carried by the delivery person of the package and equipped with an imaging function when delivering the package; and the accommodation situation notification unit can be configured to provide a notification of the captured image to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined social network service account.

[0010] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus provides a notification (transmission) of the acquired captured image taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal when delivering a package to the user's terminal or the like, and thus can enable the user to specifically grasp the accommodation situation of an object accommodated inside a vehicle or the like. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can enable the user to grasp, for example, whether the package to be delivered is in a deliverable situation or whether the package has actually been delivered, etc., through the captured image at the time of delivery.

[0011] The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention may further include: a delivery completion notification unit configured to, when the captured image is acquired, provide a delivery completion notification of the package to the predetermined terminal, the email address, or the predetermined social network service account.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus can identify the completion of the delivery of a package by acquiring a captured image of the interior of a vehicle or the like taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal at the time of delivery. Therefore, for example, in addition to the work of capturing an image of the interior of a vehicle or the like at the time of delivery completion, the delivery person does not need to perform an additional work of only providing a delivery completion notice or the like from the mobile terminal to the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can notify the user of the delivery completion while reducing the work burden of the delivery person at the time of delivery.

[0013] The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention may further include: a storage capacity determination unit configured to determine whether the storage capacity of the object stored inside exceeds a predetermined standard based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. The storage condition notification unit may be configured to: when the storage capacity determination unit determines that the storage capacity exceeds the predetermined standard, provide a notification of the determination result to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined social network service account.

[0014] According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, when the storage capacity of the object stored inside a vehicle or the like, which is the delivery destination of a package, exceeds a predetermined standard and it is difficult to store an additional package, the information processing apparatus can notify the user of the determination result. Therefore, for example, depending on the presence or absence of the notification, the information processing apparatus can enable the user to grasp whether the package to be delivered is in a deliverable condition or the like.

[0015] The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention may further include: a delivery operation procedure change unit configured to, when the storage capacity determination unit determines that the storage capacity exceeds a predetermined standard, provide a notification to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined social network service account, so as to request at least the delivery service company to change the procedure of the delivery operation for the package, and the change includes a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package that has not been delivered, a redelivery of the package that has not been delivered at a date and time different from the currently set date and time, and a change of the delivery destination of the package that has not been delivered.

[0016] According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, when the storage capacity of the object stored inside a vehicle or the like, which is the delivery destination of a package, exceeds a predetermined standard and it is difficult to store an additional package, the information processing apparatus can enable the user to request the delivery company to change the procedure of the delivery operation for the package, such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package. Therefore, in the case where the package cannot be stored inside a vehicle or the like, the information processing apparatus makes it less likely for the delivery person to go to the vehicle or the like. Therefore, even in the case where an additional package cannot be delivered inside a vehicle or the like designated as the delivery destination of the package, the information processing apparatus can improve the efficiency of the delivery operation.

[0017] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the delivery operation program change unit may be configured to: cause a display device of the predetermined terminal to display a website for the program change or a window of an application program that links to the website and is installed in the predetermined terminal by providing the notice to the predetermined terminal.

[0018] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus may cause a user's terminal (e.g., a smart phone, etc.) to display, on a predetermined browser, a website for a change in a program for a delivery operation of a package (such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package). Further, the information processing apparatus may activate an application program capable of manipulating the change program, and cause the user's terminal to display a window for a specific change manipulation (including a screen specifically displayed on a display of the smart phone). Accordingly, the information processing apparatus may enable the user to specifically request a change in the program for the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company.

[0019] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the delivery operation program change unit may be configured to: provide a notice including link information to the email address or the predetermined social networking service account, the link information being for causing a display device of an in-use terminal used by the user to display a website for the program change or a window of an application program that links to the website and is installed in the in-use terminal.

[0020] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus may cause a change in a program for a delivery operation of a package (such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package) to be displayed on a predetermined browser on an in-use user's terminal (such as a computer terminal of a tablet terminal type or a laptop type). Further, the information processing apparatus may activate an application program capable of changing the program, and cause the in-use user's terminal to display a window for a specific change manipulation. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus may enable the user to specifically request a change in the program for the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company.

[0021] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the delivery operation program change unit may be configured to: provide a notice including information indicating all packages that have not been delivered and whose delivery destinations are the interiors of the specified vehicle, building, or facility to the predetermined terminal, the email address, or the predetermined social networking service account.

[0022] According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a case not limited to the specified packages, the information processing apparatus may enable the user to request a change in the program for the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company for all packages whose delivery destinations are the interiors of the specified vehicles, etc. that are scheduled to be delivered.

[0023] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition unit may be configured to: acquire a captured image of the inside of the vehicle, the building, or the facility taken when delivering the package from a mobile terminal carried by the delivery person of the package and equipped with an imaging function, or detection information regarding the accommodation amount output from a sensor provided inside the vehicle, the building, or the facility.

[0024] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus can specifically grasp the accommodation amount of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle or the like from a captured image of the inside of the vehicle or the like taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal when delivering the package, or from detection information output from a sensor (e.g., a camera) provided inside the vehicle or the like.

[0025] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition unit may be configured to: acquire information regarding a request history of the package requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle, the building, or the facility.

[0026] According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, the information processing apparatus can estimate the accommodation amount of the objects currently accommodated inside the vehicle or the like from the request frequency in a recent predetermined time period. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can specifically grasp the accommodation amount of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle or the like based on the request history of the packages requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle or the like.

[0027] In the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition unit may be configured to: acquire information regarding an opening history of a door for allowing entry into the inside of the vehicle, the building, or the facility by a user.

[0028] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus can estimate the accommodation amount of the objects currently accommodated inside the vehicle or the like by, for example, grasping the number of packages delivered after the user finally opens the door for allowing entry into the inside of the vehicle or the like based on the request history of the packages in a recent predetermined time period and the opening history of the door for allowing entry into the inside of the vehicle or the like by the user. In addition, the information processing apparatus can consider the packages that are assumed to have been taken out by the user from the inside of the vehicle or the like. Therefore, in addition to the request history of the packages requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle or the like, the information processing apparatus can also grasp the accommodation amount of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle or the like in a specific and more accurate manner based on the unlocking history of the door for allowing entry into the inside of the vehicle or the like by the user.

[0029] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method executed by an information processing device configured to perform the operation of a delivery service or support the operation, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as the delivery destination of a package. The information processing method includes: obtaining information on the accommodation status of an object accommodated in the vehicle, the building, or the facility; and notifying the user of the accommodation status based on the obtained information.

[0030] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an information processing program that causes an information processing device to perform processing, the information processing device being configured to perform the operation of a delivery service or support the operation, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as the delivery destination of a package. The processing includes: an information acquisition step of obtaining information on the accommodation status of an object accommodated in the vehicle, the building, or the facility; and an accommodation status notification step of notifying the user of the accommodation status based on the information obtained in the information acquisition step.

[0031] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to an image acquisition method executed by a mobile terminal equipped with an imaging function and carried by a delivery person of a company operating a delivery service, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as the delivery destination of a package. The image acquisition method includes: imaging the interior of the vehicle, the building, or the facility by the delivery person using the imaging function when delivering the package; and sending the captured image of the interior of the vehicle, the building, or the facility taken by the imaging to a predetermined external device.

[0032] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the image acquisition method can cause the mobile terminal to capture an image of the interior of a vehicle or the like and, for example, send the image to a server of a delivery company that distributes key information for unlocking a vehicle or the like, or a server of a support company that supports the operation of the delivery service. Therefore, the delivery company, the support company, etc. can provide the user with an image of the interior of a vehicle or the like at the time of delivery. Therefore, the image acquisition method can enable the user to grasp the accommodation status of an object accommodated in the interior of a vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of a package via the server of the delivery company or the support company or the like.

[0033] In the image acquisition method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the captured image can be sent to the external device that manages information on the vehicle, the building, or the facility by the sending.

[0034] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the image acquisition method may cause a mobile terminal to send, for example, a captured image inside a vehicle to an external device that manages information about the vehicle and the like (such as key information inside the vehicle that is unlocked by a delivery company during delivery), that is, an external device supported by a company. Therefore, the image acquisition method can avoid providing an image inside the vehicle or the like, which is the user's private space, to the delivery company. Thus, the image acquisition method can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of the package while paying attention to the user's privacy.

[0035] The image acquisition method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention may further include: when the captured image has been sent to the external device through the sending, deleting the captured image in the mobile terminal.

[0036] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the image acquisition method may cause the mobile terminal to delete an image inside the vehicle or the like that has been sent to an external device. Therefore, the image acquisition method can avoid a situation where an image inside the vehicle or the like, which is the user's private space, remains in the mobile terminal of the delivery person. Thus, the image acquisition method can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of the package while paying attention to the user's privacy.

[0037] A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an image acquisition program, the image acquisition program causing a mobile terminal to perform processing, the mobile terminal being equipped with an imaging function and carried by a delivery person of a company operating a delivery service, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as a delivery destination of a package. The processing includes: an imaging step: imaging the interior of the vehicle, the building, or the facility by the delivery person using the imaging function when delivering the package; and a sending step: sending a captured image inside the vehicle, the building, or the facility taken through the imaging step to a predetermined external device.

[0038] According to the aspects of the present invention, an information processing device, an information processing method, an image acquisition method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program can be provided, which enable a user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside a vehicle or the like that is the delivery destination of a package in a delivery service in which the interior of a vehicle or the like used by the user is designated as the delivery destination of the package. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:

[0040] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an authentication key management system;

[0041] Figure 2 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration regarding locking and unlocking of a vehicle in an authentication key management system;

[0042] Figure 3 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration regarding a key sharing service in an authentication key management system;

[0043] Figure 4 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of a compartment delivery service in an authentication key management system;

[0044] Figure 5 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of a consumer - to - consumer (C2C) car sharing service in an authentication key management system;

[0045] Figure 6 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration regarding a business - to - consumer (B2C) car sharing service in an authentication key management system;

[0046] Figure 7 is a flowchart schematically showing a first example of a trunk image acquisition process performed by a mobile terminal carried by a delivery person;

[0047] Figure 8 is a flowchart schematically showing a second example of a trunk image acquisition process performed by a mobile terminal carried by a delivery person;

[0048] Figure 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a first example of a trunk accommodation situation notification process performed by a central server;

[0049] Figure 10 is a flowchart schematically showing a second example of a trunk accommodation situation notification process performed by a central server; and

[0050] Figure 11 is a flowchart schematically showing a third example of a trunk accommodation situation notification process performed by a central server. Detailed implementation manners

[0051] Hereinafter, the manner for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0052] Overall configuration of the authentication key management system

[0053] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an authentication key management system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0054] The authentication key management system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a mobile terminal 20, a central server 30, and a service management server 40.

[0055] The vehicle 10 can perform wireless communication (hereinafter referred to as "near - field communication") with the mobile terminal 20 at a relatively short distance (a distance that allows communication between the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment) according to a predetermined communication standard. The vehicle 10 is the target for locking and unlocking the vehicle doors and starting (ignition - on) the vehicle 10 based on transmission signals (authentication requests, lock requests, and unlock requests described below) from the mobile device 20. The doors of the vehicle 10 may include not only the doors for getting on and off the vehicle but also the doors for allowing packages to enter and exit the trunk (package compartment) (e.g., the trunk lid or the rear door). In addition to starting the engine in the vehicle 10 that uses the engine as the main power source, the ignition - on (IG - ON) of the vehicle 10 may include turning on the power supply of the electric motor in the vehicle 10 that uses the electric motor as the main power source. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a description will be given on the premise that the vehicle 10 includes an engine 117 as the main power source described below. The start (IG - ON) of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the start of the engine 117, and the stop (IG - OFF) of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the stop of the engine 117.

[0056] The vehicle 10 is communicatively connected to the central server 30 through a predetermined communication network (e.g., a mobile phone network or an Internet network where multiple base stations are terminals). As described below, the vehicle 10 sends vehicle information such as location information to the central server 30.

[0057] The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle 10A owned by an individual and a vehicle 10B owned by a company that provides a business - to - consumer (hereinafter referred to as B2C) car - sharing service.

[0058] The mobile terminal 20 can be communicatively connected to the central server 30 via a predetermined communication network (e.g., a mobile phone network or an Internet network where multiple base stations are terminals). The mobile terminal 20 can unlock or lock the vehicle 10 by obtaining authentication key information (an example of key information, hereinafter referred to as "authentication key") distributed from the central server 30 and sending the obtained authentication key to the vehicle 10 via relatively short-range wireless communication according to a predetermined operation of the user. The mobile terminal 20 can be, for example, a general mobile phone, a smart phone, or a tablet terminal. As described below, a predetermined application (hereinafter referred to as "key application") installed in the built-in processing device 23 is activated, whereby the above functions can be achieved. The mobile terminal 20 can be a dedicated mobile terminal dedicated to unlocking the vehicle door of the vehicle 10 and starting the vehicle 10 by obtaining an authentication key from the central server 30 and using the obtained authentication key. The mobile terminal 20 includes mobile terminals 20Aa to 20Ad corresponding to the vehicle 10A and a mobile terminal 20B corresponding to the vehicle 10B.

[0059] The mobile terminal 20Aa is a mobile terminal carried by the owner (hereinafter referred to as "owner user") among the regular users (hereinafter referred to as "regular users") of the vehicle 10A. The mobile terminal 20Aa can perform two-way communication with the mobile terminal 20Ab via relatively short-range wireless communication.

[0060] The mobile terminal 20Ab is a mobile terminal carried by a regular user other than the owner user of the vehicle 10A (e.g., including family members of the owner user and close friends of the owner user. Regular users are hereinafter referred to as "sub-users").

[0061] Sub-users can include users who do not drive the vehicle 10A or cannot drive (e.g., children under 18 years old of the owner user). This is because, for example, when only using the in-car delivery service described below, regular users do not need to drive the vehicle 10A.

[0062] The mobile terminal 20Ac is carried by a delivery person of a company (hereinafter simply referred to as "delivery company") that provides the in-car delivery service described below. The mobile terminal 20Ac can be communicatively connected to the central server 30 and a delivery management server 50 described below via a predetermined communication network (e.g., a mobile phone network or an Internet network where multiple base stations are terminals).

[0063] The mobile terminal 20Ad is a mobile terminal carried by a borrower of the vehicle 10A in a consumer-to-consumer (hereinafter referred to as C2C) car-sharing service to be described below. The mobile terminal 20Ad is communicatively connected to the central server 30 and a C2C car-sharing management server 70 to be described below through a predetermined communication network (for example, a mobile phone network or an Internet network where multiple base stations are terminals).

[0064] The mobile terminal 20B is a mobile terminal carried by a borrower of the vehicle 10B in a B2C car-sharing service to be described below. The mobile terminal 20B is communicatively connected to the central server 30 and a B2C car-sharing management server 80 to be described below through a predetermined communication network (for example, a mobile phone network or an Internet network where multiple base stations are terminals).

[0065] The central server 30 is communicatively connected to the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the service management server 40.

[0066] The central server 30 manages the issuance of the authentication key of the vehicle 10. For example, the central server 30 issues the authentication key according to predetermined conditions and distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20.

[0067] The central server 30 obtains the location information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10. Therefore, the central server 30 can grasp the location of the vehicle 10.

[0068] The central server 30 operates a car-sharing service for sharing the vehicle 10A among multiple regular users including the owner user of the vehicle 10A. Specifically, the central server 30 operates a service for sharing the authentication key of the vehicle 10A (key sharing service), and each of multiple pre-registered regular users including the owner user can obtain the authentication key in the mobile terminal 20 (mobile terminals 20Aa, 20Ab) of the regular users.

[0069] The central server 30 performs a registration process (usage registration process) for allowing regular users of the vehicle 10A to use services (key sharing service, cabin delivery service, C2C car-sharing service, etc.) for using the vehicle 10A. Specifically, in order for regular users of the vehicle 10A to use the service for using the vehicle 10A, the central server 30 registers the permission to distribute the authentication key to a predetermined mobile terminal 20 (hereinafter referred to as "authentication key arrangement permission") by sending an authentication key arrangement request to be described below by the key sharing management unit 3207 or the service management server 40 to be described below.

[0070] The central server 30 manages the usage situation of the vehicle 10A through multiple services (i.e., multiple companies) such as the cabin delivery service and the C2C car-sharing service to be described below.

[0071] The service management server 40 operates and manages various services provided using the vehicle 10. The service management server 40 includes a delivery management server 50 corresponding to the in-vehicle delivery service, an e-commerce (EC) server 60, a C2C car-sharing management server 70 corresponding to the C2C car-sharing service, and a B2C car-sharing management server 80 corresponding to the B2C car-sharing service.

[0072] The in-vehicle delivery service may include a delivery service in which products ordered at an EC site described below are delivery targets, and a delivery service in which products other than products ordered at the EC site are delivery targets. For example, the in-vehicle delivery service in which products other than products ordered at the EC site are delivery targets is such a service that when there is a notification that a package arranged for delivery to a residence with a destination indicated from the delivery management server 50 to a regular user of the vehicle 10A is sent via email, an account of a social networking service (SNS), or a specific application activated on the mobile terminals 20Aa, 20Ab, the regular user of the vehicle 10A can change the delivery destination to the trunk of the vehicle 10A. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a description will be given while focusing on the in-vehicle delivery service in which products ordered at the EC site are delivery targets. Operations of each configuration related to the in-vehicle delivery service described below can be appropriately applied to operations of each configuration in the in-vehicle delivery service in which products other than products ordered at the EC site are delivery targets.

[0073] The delivery management server 50 is communicably connected to the mobile terminal 20Ac and the central server 30 via a predetermined communication network, and executes the operation and management of a distribution system related to the in-vehicle delivery service from the acceptance of a package to the delivery of the package to the trunk of the vehicle 10A.

[0074] A delivery company operating the delivery management server 50 can provide a delivery service to regular users of the vehicle 10A, in which the passenger compartment other than the trunk of the vehicle 10A can replace the trunk of the vehicle 10A or be designated as a delivery destination in addition to the trunk of the vehicle 10A. Hereinafter, a delivery service in which the passenger compartment including the trunk of the vehicle 10A (i.e., the interior of the vehicle 10A) can be designated as a delivery destination is referred to as a "passenger compartment delivery service". Similar to the passenger compartment delivery service, a delivery company operating the delivery management server 50 can provide a collection service to regular users of the vehicle 10A, in which the passenger compartment including the trunk can be designated as a package collection point (hereinafter referred to as "passenger compartment collection service"). That is, the delivery management server 50 can operate and manage the passenger compartment collection service in place of or in addition to the passenger compartment delivery service. In this case, the package to be collected can be a product of an operating company returned to the EC site (or a store opened at the EC site) corresponding to the EC server 60 (i.e., a product purchased at the EC site), or can be a package for delivery unrelated to the EC site. The passenger compartment collection service can be implemented as a collection service when a company providing a service in the form of temporarily holding products from consumers (e.g., a laundry cleaning company) holds a package from a regular user of the vehicle 10A. In the above case, a collection management server that can operate and manage the passenger compartment collection service, such as the delivery management server 50, can be provided by a cleaning company or the like and can be included in the service management server 40. That is, a collection management server can be provided in place of the delivery management server 50 or in addition to the delivery management server 50. A recycling service (hereinafter referred to as "passenger compartment recycling service") in which the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10A can be designated as a recycling point for an object to be recycled can be provided by a company to regular users of the vehicle 10A, the company providing a service in the form of recycling a predetermined object from customers (such as waste products or second-hand books to be purchased). In this case, a recycling management server that can operate and manage the trunk recycling service and can be included in the service management server 40 can be provided by a waste recycling company or the like, similar to the delivery management server 50. That is, a recycling management server can be provided in place of the delivery management server 50 or in addition to the delivery management server 50.

[0075] The EC server 60 is communicably connected to the central server 30 and the delivery management server 50 via a predetermined communication network, and operates a predetermined site (EC site) for selling products or services. More specifically, for regular users of the pre-registered vehicle 10A and delivery companies (delivery companies corresponding to the delivery management server 50), the EC server 60 displays the trunk of the vehicle 10A as an option for the delivery destination on the order screen of the EC site. Thus, even when the regular user is not at home, the regular user of the vehicle 10A can deliver the purchased products to the trunk of the vehicle 10A.

[0076] The C2C car-sharing management server 70 is communicably connected to the mobile terminal 20Ad and the central server 30, and executes the operation and management of a C2C car-sharing service that supports lending and borrowing of the vehicle 10A between individuals. For example, the C2C car-sharing management server 70 executes the operation and management of the C2C car-sharing service, such as accepting registration of the date and time when the vehicle 10A can be lent by the owner user, accepting a usage reservation from a person who wants to borrow the vehicle 10A, and arranging the authentication key of the vehicle 10A. The C2C car-sharing management server 70 can operate and manage a C2C trunk-sharing service in the following form: the interior of the vehicle 10A of an individual or its trunk is lent out as a temporary parcel storage location, a parcel delivery destination, etc.

[0077] The B2C car-sharing management server 80 is communicably connected to the mobile terminal 20B and the central server 30, and executes the operation and management of a B2C car-sharing service, in which the vehicle 10B owned by a predetermined company (for example, a company that provides a B2C car-sharing service) is lent out in a scheme where the vehicle 10B can be shared among multiple ordinary consumers. For example, the B2C car-sharing management server 80 executes the operation and management of the B2C car-sharing service, such as accepting a usage reservation of the vehicle 10B, and arranging the parking position of the vehicle 10B and the authentication key of the vehicle 10B. The B2C car-sharing management server 80 can operate and manage a B2C trunk-sharing service in the following form: the interior of the vehicle 10B or the trunk is lent out as a temporary parcel storage space or a parcel delivery destination.

[0078] The company car usage management server operates a car-sharing service (company car usage management service), where the company's employees are borrowers, and vehicle 10, which is a company car of the company, is the reservation usage target. This company car usage management server can be included in service management server 40 instead of B2C car-sharing management server 80, or can be included in service management server 40 outside of B2C car-sharing management server 80. In this case, when there is an idle time period for vehicle 10 (i.e., the company car), C2C car-sharing management server 70 can operate a C2C car-sharing service, where vehicle 10, which is a company car, is the borrowing target. Delivery management server 50 and EC server 60 can operate a cargo delivery service, where the delivery destination of a package to be delivered to the company can be designated as the trunk of vehicle 10, which is a company car of the company.

[0079] Details of the configuration regarding vehicle locking, unlocking, and starting

[0080] Will refer to Figure 2 Describe the configuration regarding the locking, unlocking, and starting of vehicle 10 in the authentication key management system 1.

[0081] Figure 2 Is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration regarding the locking, unlocking, and starting of vehicle 10 in the authentication key management system 1. Vehicle 10 includes a locking, unlocking, and starting device 11, a key unit 12, a global positioning system (GPS) module 13, and a data communication module (DCM) 14.

[0082] The locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 is connected to vehicle 10 and performs unlocking and locking of the doors of vehicle 10 according to a locking signal and an unlocking signal sent from the key unit 12 as radio waves in the radio frequency (RF) band (e.g., 300 MHz to 3 GHz) (hereinafter referred to as "RF radio waves"). Triggered by a pressing operation on a start switch (not shown) provided in the compartment of vehicle 10, the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 starts vehicle 10 according to an exchange with the key unit using low-frequency (LF) band radio waves (e.g., 30 Hz to 300 kHz) (hereinafter referred to as "LF radio waves") and RF radio waves. The locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 includes an LF radio wave transmitter 111, an RF radio wave receiver 112, a verification electronic control unit (ECU) 113, a body ECU 114, a door lock motor 115, an engine ECU 116, and an engine 117 as the driving power source of vehicle 10.

[0083] The locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 operates using electric power supplied from an auxiliary battery (not shown) installed on vehicle 10.

[0084] The LF radio wave transmitter 111 is embedded in, for example, the center console or door handle in the vehicle compartment, and transmits LF radio waves under the control of the verification ECU 113.

[0085] The RF radio wave receiver 112 is provided, for example, in the trim of the parcel room of the vehicle 10, and receives RF radio waves under the control of the verification ECU 113.

[0086] The verification ECU 113 is an electronic control unit that controls the locking and unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10 and the starting of the vehicle 10 based on signal exchange with the key unit 12. The verification ECU 113 is implemented by any hardware, any software, or any combination of any hardware and any software. For example, the verification ECU 113 mainly consists of a microcomputer, including a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an auxiliary storage device, a real-time clock (RTC), and a communication interface. The verification ECU 113 implements various control processes by executing various programs stored in the ROM or auxiliary storage device on the CPU. Hereinafter, the same applies to the key ECU 124 described below.

[0087] The verification ECU 113 uses the RF radio wave receiver 112 to receive the unlock signal and lock signal transmitted as RF radio waves from the key unit 12.

[0088] When the verification ECU 113 receives an unlock signal or a lock signal, the verification ECU 113 performs authentication of the source (key unit 12) of the unlock signal or lock signal based on the key information (hereinafter referred to as "internal key information") included in the unlock signal or lock signal. For example, when the internal key information pre-registered in an internal memory such as an auxiliary storage device matches the internal key information included in the unlock signal or lock signal, the verification ECU 113 determines that the authentication is successful, and when the internal key information pre-registered in an internal memory such as an auxiliary storage device does not match the internal key information included in the unlock signal or lock signal, the verification ECU 113 determines that the authentication fails.

[0089] For example, the verification ECU 113 can use the internal key information in the internal memory to transmit LF radio waves including a "challenge" created by a predetermined method from the LF radio wave transmitter 111 to the key unit 12, and perform challenge-response authentication based on the "response" received from the key unit 12 and received by the RF radio wave receiver 112.

[0090] When the authentication is successful, the verification ECU 113 sends an unlock command (when an unlock signal is received) or a lock command (when a lock signal is received) to the body ECU 114 via the in-vehicle network (e.g., Controller Area Network (CAN)).

[0091] After sending an unlock command or a lock command to the vehicle body ECU 114, when a reply indicating that the door is normally unlocked or locked (unlock reply or lock reply) is received from the vehicle body ECU 114 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN, the verification ECU 113 sends a notification indicating that the door is unlocked or locked (unlock notification or lock notification) to the key unit 12 via the LF radio wave transmitter 111.

[0092] As described below, in the unlock signal, only some of the doors of the vehicle 10 can be designated as unlock targets. In this case, the verification ECU 113 designates the doors that are the unlock targets in the unlock command. Accordingly, the vehicle body ECU 114 can operate only the door lock motors 115 corresponding to some of the designated doors and unlock only some of the doors.

[0093] When the above-described start switch is operated and pressed, the verification ECU 113 performs authentication of the key unit 12 by exchanging signals with the key unit 12 using the LF radio wave transmitter 111 and the RF radio wave receiver 112.

[0094] For example, the verification ECU 113 sends a request signal in the LF band from the LF radio wave transmitter 111 to the key unit 12 to request a reply of the internal key information. When the RF radio wave receiver 112 receives a response signal including the internal key information from the key unit 12, the verification ECU 113 determines whether the authentication is successful or failed based on the match between the internal key information pre-registered in the internal memory and the internal key information included in the response signal, as in the case of locking and unlocking of the door.

[0095] For example, the verification ECU 113 can perform challenge-response authentication, as in the case of locking and unlocking of the door.

[0096] When the authentication is successful, the verification ECU 113 sends a start command for the engine 117 to the engine ECU 116 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN.

[0097] The vehicle body ECU 114 is an electronic control unit that performs operation control of the door lock motor 115, and the door lock motor 115 is communicably connected via a one-to-one communication line or the like. The vehicle body ECU 114 outputs a control command to cause the door lock motor 115 to perform an unlock operation according to an unlock command from the verification ECU 113. The vehicle body ECU 114 outputs a control command to cause the door lock motor 115 to perform a lock operation according to a lock command from the verification ECU 113. Further, when the door is normally unlocked or locked by outputting a control command to the door lock motor 115, the vehicle body ECU 114 sends an unlock reply or a lock reply to the verification ECU 113 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN.

[0098] The door lock motor 115 is a known electric actuator that unlocks and locks the doors of the vehicle 10 according to a control command from the vehicle body ECU 114.

[0099] The engine ECU 116 is an electronic control unit that drives and controls the engine 117. Specifically, the engine ECU 116 drives and controls various actuators mounted on the engine 117, such as a starter or an injector. When a start command is input from the verification ECU 113, the engine ECU 116 outputs control commands to various actuators such as the starter or injector of the engine 117 to start the engine 117.

[0100] The key unit 12 is provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 and transmits an unlock signal and a lock signal, which are RF radio waves, to the lock, unlock, and start device 11 according to an unlock request and a lock request transmitted from the mobile terminal 20. When the start switch provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 is operated and pressed, the key unit 12 exchanges signals with the lock, unlock, and start device 11 according to a signal in the LF band transmitted from the lock, unlock, and start device 11. The key unit 12 includes an LF radio wave receiver 121, an RF radio wave transmitter 122, a communication device 123, and a key ECU 124.

[0101] The key unit 12 may be provided at a position where it is difficult for users sitting on the respective seats of the vehicle 10 to visually recognize the position of the key unit 12 (for example, inside a storage box or a center console box). The key unit 12 may or may not be fixed to the vehicle 10. The key unit 12 may be operated by a built-in button battery or the like, or may be powered by an auxiliary battery mounted on the vehicle 10 for operation.

[0102] The LF radio wave receiver 121 receives LF radio waves under the control of the key ECU 124.

[0103] The RF radio wave transmitter 122 transmits RF radio waves under the control of the key ECU 124.

[0104] The communication device 123 is any device that performs near-field communication with the mobile terminal 20 under the control of the key ECU 124. The communication device 123 may be, for example, a BLE communication module that performs communication with the mobile terminal 20 in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) low energy (BLE) communication standard. Hereinafter, a description will be given on the premise that the communication standard adopted in the communication device 123 conforms to BLE communication.

[0105] The communication device 123 can be a communication device compliant with a short-range communication standard having a very short communication distance (e.g., the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard). In this case, the communication device 123 can be built in, for example, a position close to the body surface of the vehicle 10 outside the vehicle compartment (e.g., inside the door handle). Thus, even when the communication distance of the communication device 123 is very short, the key unit 12 (the key ECU 124) can communicate with the mobile terminal 20 outside the vehicle compartment.

[0106] The key ECU 124 is an electronic control unit that performs control processing of sending a lock signal and an unlock signal to the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 based on an unlock request and a lock request received from the mobile terminal 20.

[0107] The key ECU 124 controls the communication device 123 and establishes a state in which communication with the mobile terminal 20 can be performed according to a predetermined communication standard such as the BLE communication standard.

[0108] Specifically, the key ECU 124 periodically (e.g., every few seconds) sends an advertisement packet including advertisement information that can reach within a predetermined communication range (e.g., several meters to several tens of meters) from the communication device 123. The advertisement information includes a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) corresponding to the key unit 12, a device identifier (ID), etc. Thus, the mobile terminal 20 can identify the key unit 12 installed on the target vehicle 10 by receiving the advertisement packet and confirming the advertisement information.

[0109] When a connection request for requesting a connection based on BLE communication is received from the mobile terminal 20 existing within the communication range of the vehicle 10 (the key unit 12) that has received the advertisement packet, the key ECU 124 establishes a state in which BLE communication can be performed between the mobile terminal 20 and the vehicle 10 (the key unit 12). In this case, the key ECU 124 sends a connection response indicating that the state in which BLE communication can be performed has been established to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication device 123.

[0110] In the state where the above BLE communication has been established, the key ECU 124 receives an authentication request including an authentication key associated with the key unit 12 from the mobile terminal 20 via the communication device 123.

[0111] When an authentication request including an authentication key associated with the key unit 12 is received from the mobile terminal 20, the key ECU 124 performs authentication of the mobile terminal 20 based on the authentication key. When the authentication is successful, the key ECU 124 restores the internal key information stored in an internal memory such as an auxiliary storage device to an available state. The internal key information is stored in a state where the internal key information cannot be used for authentication in the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11. For example, the internal key information is in an inaccessible state or the internal key information is in an encrypted state. Therefore, when the authentication of the mobile terminal 20 is successful, the key ECU 124, for example, changes the permission to access the internal memory to change the key information to an accessible state, or decodes the encrypted internal key information based on the authentication key. Therefore, the key ECU 124 can access the internal key information that is normally inaccessible to send an unlock signal or a lock signal including the internal key information to the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11, or send an unlock signal or a lock signal including the decoded internal key information to the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11. Therefore, the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 can perform appropriate authentication based on the internal key information included in the unlock signal and the lock signal. Even when a malicious third party illegally obtains the key unit 12, for example, the internal key information in the key unit 12 is inaccessible or encrypted, the occurrence of theft of the vehicle 10 can be suppressed.

[0112] In a state where the above BLE communication is established, the key ECU 124 receives an unlock request and a lock request from the mobile terminal 20 via the communication device 123. When the authentication of the mobile terminal 20 is successful (specifically, the state where the BLE communication has been established is maintained after the authentication of the mobile terminal 20) and the key ECU 124 has received an unlock request or a lock request from the mobile terminal 20, the key ECU 124 sends an unlock signal or a lock signal including locking and unlocking key information to the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 via the RF radio wave transmitter 122.

[0113] Therefore, unlocking or locking of the door of the vehicle 10 is achieved after the authentication process in the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11.

[0114] In addition, after the unlock signal is sent to the lock, unlock, and start device 11, when an unlock notification is received from the lock, unlock, and start device 11 via the LF radio wave receiver 121, the key ECU 124 sends an unlock completion notification to the mobile terminal 20 that has established BLE communication (i.e., the mobile terminal 20 that is the source of the unlock request) via the communication device 123. Similarly, after the lock signal is sent to the lock, unlock, and start device 11, when a lock notification is received from the lock, unlock, and start device 11 via the LF radio wave receiver 121, the key ECU 124 sends a lock completion notification to the mobile terminal 20 that has established BLE communication via the communication device 123. Thus, the mobile terminal 20 that is the source of the lock request or unlock request based on the user's predetermined operation can grasp that the locking and unlocking of the vehicle 10A have been normally completed.

[0115] As described above, when the start switch provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 is pressed by operation, the key ECU 124 performs signal exchange with the lock, unlock, and start device 11 based on the signal in the LF band sent from the lock, unlock, and start device 11.

[0116] For example, when the LF radio wave receiver 121 receives a request signal from the lock, unlock, and start device 11, the key ECU 124 sends a response signal including the internal key information stored in the internal memory or the like to the lock, unlock, and start device 11 via the RF radio wave transmitter 122.

[0117] For example, when the LF radio wave receiver 121 receives LF radio waves including "challenge" from the lock, unlock, and start device 11, the key ECU 124 generates a "response" based on the internal key information and sends the response to the lock, unlock, and start device 11 via the RF radio wave transmitter 122.

[0118] Therefore, after the authentication process in the lock, unlock, and start device 11, the engine 117 is started.

[0119] Permissions regarding the functions of locking, unlocking, or starting the vehicle 10 imposed by the central server 30 can be defined in the authentication key.

[0120] For example, when the authentication key only has the permission to unlock some doors of the vehicle 10, the key ECU 124 sends an unlock signal including information for specifying the doors to be unlocked to the key unit 12 via the RF radio transmitter 122. Thus, as described above, only some doors of the vehicle 10 can be unlocked.

[0121] For example, when the authentication key does not have the authority to start the engine 117, even when an LF-band signal from the lock, unlock, and start device 11 based on the pressing operation of the start switch is received through the LF radio wave receiver 121, the key ECU 124 may not communicate with the lock, unlock, and start device 11. Therefore, starting of the engine 117 can be prohibited according to the authority of the authentication key.

[0122] The GPS module 13 receives three or more satellites over the vehicle 10, and desirably four or more satellites, that send GPS signals, and measures the position of the vehicle 10. The GPS module 13 is communicatively connected to the DCM 14 etc. via a one-to-one communication line or a vehicle-mounted network such as CAN, and inputs the measured position information of the vehicle 10 into the DCM 14 etc.

[0123] The DCM 14 is a communication device that performs two-way communication with the central server 30 via a predetermined communication network. The DCM 14 transmits the current position information of the vehicle 10 input from the GPS module 13 to the central server 30 at a predetermined timing or according to a request from the central server 30 etc. The DCM 14 transmits various types of vehicle information (for example, information indicating that the door of the vehicle 10 has been unlocked or the vehicle 10 has been started based on the authentication key obtained from the key unit 12) that can be obtained via a vehicle-mounted network such as CAN to the central server 30 at a predetermined timing or according to a request from the central server 30 etc.

[0124] The mobile terminal 20 includes a communication device 21, a communication device 22, a processing device 23, a touch panel display (hereinafter simply referred to as "display") 24, and a camera 25.

[0125] The communication device 21 is any device that performs short-range communication with the mobile terminal 20 according to the same communication standard as the communication standard of the communication device 123. As described above, in the case of this embodiment, the communication device 21 is, for example, a BLE communication module.

[0126] The communication device 22 is any device that communicates with the central server 30, the service management server 40, etc. via a predetermined communication network. The communication device 22 is a mobile communication module corresponding to a communication standard such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4th Generation (4G), or 5th Generation (5G).

[0127] The processing device 23 performs various control processes in the mobile terminal 20. The functions of the processing device 23 can be implemented by any hardware, any software, or any combination of any hardware and any software, and include, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storage device, an RTC, and various communication interfaces. The processing device 23 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 2301, a communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key acquisition unit 2303, an authentication request unit 2304, and a lock and unlock request unit 2305 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device on the CPU. The processing device 23 includes, for example, a storage unit 2300 implemented as a storage area in the auxiliary storage device, and implements the process of storing various data in the storage unit 2300 by a predetermined program stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device.

[0128] The communication processing unit 2301 uses the communication device 21 to perform two-way near-field communication with the key unit 12, and performs transmission and reception of various signals.

[0129] The communication processing unit 2302 uses the communication device 22 to connect to a predetermined communication network, and transmits various signals such as data signals or control signals to and receives various signals such as data signals or control signals from the central server 30, the service management server 40, etc.

[0130] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 acquires an authentication key from the central server 30, for example, according to a predetermined manipulation of a predetermined graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the display 24 by the user, and stores the authentication key in the storage unit 2300. Hereinafter, the description will be given on the premise that various manipulations of the mobile terminal 20 are performed by the manipulation of the GUI displayed on the display 24 in combination with the operation of the key application.

[0131] For example, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Aa sends an authentication key acquisition request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. Accordingly, the central server 30 receives the authentication key acquisition request, and when the central server 30 determines that the authentication key acquisition request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request, issues an authentication key. The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 acquires the authentication key distributed from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302.

[0132] For example, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Ab acquires the authentication key distributed from the central server 30 to the mobile terminal 20Ab via the communication processing unit 2302 according to a key sharing request (to be described below) sent from the mobile terminal 20Aa to the central server 30.

[0133] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Ab itself can send an authentication key acquisition request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. In this case, when the central server 30 receives the authentication key acquisition request from the mobile terminal 20Ab, the central server 30 can ask the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user whether to allow the distribution of the authentication key.

[0134] For example, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of each of the mobile terminals 20Ac, 20Ad, and 20B sends an authentication key acquisition request to the delivery management server 50, the C2C car sharing management server 70, and the B2C car sharing management server 80 to request the acquisition of the authentication key. Therefore, the delivery management server 50, the C2C car sharing management server 70, and the B2C car sharing management server 80 send an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 according to the reception of the authentication key acquisition request, and the central server 30 issues the authentication key according to the reception of the authentication key arrangement request. The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 acquires the authentication key distributed from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302.

[0135] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminals 20Ac, 20Ad, and 20B can send an authentication key acquisition request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. In this case, the central server 30 can execute an inquiry of the delivery management server 50, the C2C car sharing management server 70, and the B2C car sharing management server 80 to determine whether the authentication key acquisition request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request.

[0136] The authentication request unit 2304 sends an authentication request to the key unit 12 of the vehicle 10 via the communication processing unit 2301 to request authentication of the mobile terminal 20 that is used to remotely control the unit for locking and unlocking the doors of the vehicle 10. For example, when the authentication request unit 2304 finds the key unit corresponding to the authentication key, specifically, when the communication processing unit 2301 receives the advertisement packet corresponding to the key unit 12, the authentication request unit 2304 can send an authentication request to the key unit 12. For example, the authentication request unit 2304 can send an authentication request to the key unit 12 according to a predetermined operation of the user.

[0137] The lock and unlock request unit 2305 sends an unlock request including an authentication key or a lock request including an authentication key to the key unit 12 via the communication processing unit 2301 according to a predetermined operation of the user. Thus, even if an unlock request or a lock request has been sent to the key unit 12 before the authentication request unit 2304 sends an authentication request, it is possible to lock and unlock the doors of the vehicle 10 based on the authentication process in the key unit 12. For example, an unlock button for requesting to unlock the vehicle 10 and a lock button for requesting to lock the vehicle 10 can be drawn in the GUI of the operation screen used as the display 24. A lock request can be sent when the lock button is touched by operation, and an unlock request can be sent when the unlock button is touched by operation. The lock request and the unlock request can be sent by operating a predetermined operation unit implemented by hardware provided in the mobile terminal 20.

[0138] For example, the functions of the authentication key acquisition unit 2303, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305 can be made available to the user by activating a predetermined application program installed in the ROM, auxiliary storage device, etc. of the processing device 23. Hereinafter, a description will be given on the premise that the functions of the authentication key acquisition unit 2303, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305 of the processing device 23 are made available to the user by activating the key application program already installed in the processing device 23 (auxiliary storage device or ROM).

[0139] The display 24 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, and is a display device provided on the front surface of the mobile terminal 20 and also serving as a known touchpad-type operation unit.

[0140] According to a predetermined operation of the user, the camera 25 captures an image around the mobile terminal 20 at a predetermined viewing angle observed from a lens provided on the front surface or the rear surface of the mobile terminal 20. The image captured by the camera 25 is input to the processing device 23.

[0141] The central server 30 includes a communication device 31 and a processing device 32.

[0142] The functions of the central server 30 can be implemented by being shared among multiple servers. Hereinafter, the same applies to the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60, the C2C car sharing management server 70, and the B2C car sharing management server 80.

[0143] The communication device 31 is any device that performs two-way communication with each of the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the service management server 40 via a predetermined communication network.

[0144] The processing device 32 executes various control processes in the central server 30. The functions of the processing device 32 can be implemented by any hardware, any software, or any combination of any hardware and any software, and the processing device 32 mainly consists of one or more server computers, and the server computer includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storage device, an RTC, and a predetermined communication interface. Hereinafter, the same applies to the processing devices 52, 62, 72, and 82 of the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60, the C2C car sharing management server 70, and the B2C car sharing management server 80 described below. The processing device 32 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 3201, a condition determination unit 3202, and an authentication key issuance unit 3203 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device on the CPU. The processing device 32 includes, for example, a storage unit 3200, which is implemented as a storage area defined in the auxiliary storage device of the server computer or an external storage device connected to the server computer, and the processing of storing various data in the storage unit 3200 is implemented by a program stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device. Hereinafter, the same applies to the storage units 520, 620, 720, and 820 described below.

[0145] The communication processing unit 3201 controls the communication device 31 to execute the exchange of various signals such as control signals and information signals with the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the service management server 40.

[0146] The condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key acquisition request or the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request or a legitimate authentication key arrangement request based on the authentication key acquisition request received from the mobile terminal 20 or the authentication key arrangement request received from the service management server 40 received by the communication processing unit 3201.

[0147] When the condition determination unit 3202 determines that the authentication key acquisition request or the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate request, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the specification of the authentication key to be issued and issues the authentication key corresponding to the specified specification. For example, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the vehicle 10 that is the target of locking and unlocking using the authentication key or specifies the key unit 12 corresponding to the vehicle 10. For example, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the authority regarding the valid (usable) time period of the authentication key and the number of available times of the authentication key. For example, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the authority of the authentication key regarding unlocking or starting of the vehicle 10, such as the doors that can be locked and unlocked and whether the vehicle 10 can be started. For example, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the authority of the authentication key regarding temporary key sharing, such as whether the authentication key can be shared with another mobile terminal 20 through the temporary key sharing described below, the time period during which the authentication key can be shared with another mobile terminal 20, and the number of times the authentication key can be shared with another mobile terminal 20. Hereinafter, the authority of the authentication key regarding the time period during which the authentication key is available, the number of available times of the authentication key, etc., the authority of the authentication key regarding unlocking or starting of the vehicle 10, and the authority of the authentication key regarding temporary key sharing are uniformly abbreviated as "various authorities of the authentication key". The authentication key issuance unit 3203 distributes and issues the authentication key to the target mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0148] Configuration details of the key sharing service

[0149] will be referred to Figure 3 to describe the configuration of the key sharing service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0150] Figure 3 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of the key sharing service in the authentication key management system 1. Hereinafter, will be mainly referred to Figure 3 to describe the configuration of the key sharing service in the authentication key management system 1, and the repeated description of the configuration that duplicates the above-described configuration regarding locking, unlocking, and starting of the vehicle 10 will be omitted as much as possible. Hereinafter, the same applies to Figures 4 to 6 description.

[0151] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Aa carried by the owner user of the vehicle 10A includes the communication processing units 2301 and 2302, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305 as described above. The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Aa further includes a user registration request unit 2306, a service use registration request unit 2307, a service use status request unit 2308, and a key sharing request unit 2309 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or auxiliary storage device on the CPU.

[0152] In the present embodiment, the description will be given on the premise that the functions of the user registration request unit 2306, the service use registration request unit 2307, the service use status request unit 2308, and the key sharing request unit 2309 of the mobile terminal 20Aa are available to the owner user by starting the key application program and based on the success of user authentication with two-way communication with the central server 30. The description will be given on the premise that the central server 30 performs user authentication based on the ID (hereinafter referred to as "owner user ID") defined in advance for the owner user and the password corresponding to the owner user ID.

[0153] The user registration request unit 2306 requests the central server 30 to register a regular user for using various services (key sharing service, compartment delivery service, C2C car sharing service, etc.) of the vehicle 10A according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. For example, the user registration request unit 2306 sends a user registration request including the owner user ID and password and the attribute information (e.g., name, age, and relationship with the owner user) for specifying the sub-user as the registration target to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302.

[0154] When the communication processing unit 2302 receives a notification (user registration completion notification) from the central server 30 indicating that the registration of the sub-user has been completed, the user registration request unit 2306 stores the ID (hereinafter referred to as "sub-user ID") and password of the sub-user included in the user registration completion notification in the storage unit 2300. In this case, according to a predetermined operation of the owner user, the user registration request unit 2306 may send the sub-user ID and password to the mobile terminal 20Ab carried by the registered sub-user via the communication processing unit 2301.

[0155] The service usage registration request unit 2307 requests the central server 30 to perform usage registration for a regular user of the vehicle 10A to use various services of the vehicle 10A according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. That is, the service usage registration request unit 2307 requests registration of the authentication key arrangement authority corresponding to the above various services of the key sharing management unit 3207 or the service management server 40 to allow the regular user of the vehicle 10A to use various services as described above. For example, the service usage registration request unit 2307 sends a service usage registration request to the central server 30 through the communication processing unit 2302. The service usage registration request includes the owner user ID and password, information for specifying the vehicle 10A to be used for various services, information for specifying the service as the target, and the ID (owner user ID or sub-user ID) of the regular user using the target service. Hereinafter, the owner user ID and the sub-user ID may be collectively referred to as the "regular user ID". Therefore, the service usage registration request unit 2307 can register a sub-user using the key sharing service in the central server 30.

[0156] The service usage registration request unit 2307 receives, through the communication processing unit 2302, a notification from at least one of the central server 30 and the service management server 40 that the usage registration of the service based on the service usage registration request has been completed. The service usage registration request unit 2307 causes the display 24 to display an indication that the usage registration of a specific service by the regular user of the vehicle 10A has been completed based on the predetermined operation of the owner user. Therefore, the owner user can grasp that the usage registration of the specific service by the regular user has been completed.

[0157] The service usage status request unit 2308 requests the central server 30 to provide information on the usage status of various services (service usage status information), including the key sharing service used by the regular user of the vehicle 10A who has completed usage registration in the form corresponding to the owner user ID, according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. For example, the service usage status request unit 2308 sends a service usage status request including the owner user ID and password to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. When receiving the service usage status information received by the communication processing unit 2302 from the central server 30, the service usage status request unit 2308 displays the service usage status information on the display 24. Therefore, the owner user can comprehensively grasp information on the usage status of each service registered for use in the central server 30 by each regular user in a form where the information is linked to the owner user ID.

[0158] The key sharing request unit 2309 requests the central server 30 to distribute an authentication key for locking, unlocking, or starting the vehicle 10A to a sub-user registered to use the key sharing service according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. For example, the key sharing request unit 2309 sends a key sharing request to the central server 30 through the communication processing unit 2302. The key sharing request includes the owner user ID and password, information of the vehicle 10A indicating the locking and unlocking target as the authentication key, and information of the sub-user indicating the distribution (sharing) target as the authentication key (e.g., sub-user ID). When the key sharing request unit 2309 sends the key sharing request, usage period information about the available period of the authentication key set and distributed by the owner user through a predetermined operation (e.g., the start date and time of use and the end date and time of use) may be included in the key sharing request. The key sharing request may include permission information about various permissions of the authentication key, such as permissions regarding the available period of the authentication key or the available number of times of the authentication key, permissions regarding unlocking or starting the vehicle for the authentication key, and permissions regarding temporary key sharing described below, which can be specified according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. Therefore, as described below, when sharing authentication keys with the same available time among the mobile terminals 20, the owner user can appropriately set the permission information so that the use of the vehicle 10A by users other than the owner user can be restricted. Therefore, the security of the vehicle 10A can be improved.

[0159] The key sharing request unit 2309 may set the mobile terminals 20 of multiple regular users of the vehicle 10A (i.e., at least one of the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab) as the distribution target and request the central server 30 to distribute authentication keys with overlapping available periods of the authentication key according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. That is, in the key sharing request, the regular users to be the distribution target of the authentication key may be specified, or the owner user may be included in the regular users. In the key sharing request, the available periods of the authentication key for each specified regular user may overlap. Therefore, the authentication keys of the vehicle 10A with the same available time can be shared by the regular users. Therefore, for example, when multiple people ride in the vehicle 10A together and go on a trip, camping, etc., each passenger can lock and unlock the vehicle 10A without lending and borrowing the mobile terminal 20 storing the authentication key. Therefore, the convenience of the users can be improved.

[0160] Even when the key sharing request unit 2309 can share the distributed authentication key with another mobile terminal 20 (i.e., the mobile terminal 20 installed with the key application) according to a predetermined operation of the owner user. Hereinafter, the sharing form of the authentication key will be referred to as "temporary key sharing". In the above case, the other mobile terminal 20 can be the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user, or can be the mobile terminal 20 of a user other than the sub-user (i.e., the user who temporarily uses the vehicle 10A).

[0161] For example, the key sharing request unit 2309 sends the authentication key (more specifically, a copy of the authentication key) to another mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 2301. Therefore, even when multiple people suddenly ride in the vehicle 10A together and go on a trip, etc., the owner user of the vehicle 10A can share the authentication key with another user. The authentication key with the same available time can be directly shared from the mobile terminal 20Aa to another mobile terminal 20. Therefore, for example, even when the mobile terminal 20Aa is in a location with poor communication conditions in the wireless mobile communication network or outside the communication range, the owner user of the vehicle 10A can share the authentication key with another user.

[0162] In the above case, the key sharing request unit 2309 can send such an authentication key to another mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 2301: the permission regarding the available time period or the available number of times of the authentication key or the permission regarding the unlocking or starting of the vehicle 10A of the authentication key, which is set based on a predetermined operation of the owner user or predefined, has been restricted. Specifically, for example, an authentication key with the permission to restrict the available time period or the available number of times of the authentication key (e.g., 30 minutes or once) or an authentication key with the permission to, for example, only lock and unlock the door for getting on and off the vehicle 10A or prohibit the starting of the vehicle 10A can be sent to another mobile terminal 20. In addition, the same applies to the case of temporary key sharing performed through the central server 30. Therefore, the security problem of the vehicle 10A caused by temporary key sharing can be improved.

[0163] When performing temporary key sharing, the key sharing request unit 2309 may cause the authentication key to be distributed from the central server 30 to another mobile terminal 20, as in the case of normal key sharing. In the above case, the key sharing request unit 2309 may send a temporary key sharing request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. The temporary key sharing request includes information for specifying the distributed authentication key (e.g., the issued ID embedded in the authentication key) and information for specifying another mobile terminal 20 as the distribution target, so that the authentication key of the vehicle 10A is distributed from the central server 30 to another mobile terminal 20.

[0164] For example, when another mobile terminal 20 is the mobile terminal 20Ab of a sub-user, the key sharing request unit 2309 may send a temporary key sharing request including the sub-user ID to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302.

[0165] For example, the key sharing request unit 2309 obtains predetermined identification information from another mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 2301 (e.g., a quick response (QR) code (registered trademark) corresponding to the user of another mobile terminal 20, and the user of the other mobile terminal 20 is registered in the central server 30 as a user who has installed the key application). The key sharing request unit 2309 may send a temporary key sharing request to the central server 30, and the temporary key sharing request designates another mobile terminal 20 indicated by the identification information as the distribution target.

[0166] The mobile terminal 20Aa may use another method to obtain the identification information. For example, the mobile terminal 20Aa may obtain identification information corresponding to the user of another mobile terminal 20 in a form that uses the installed camera function to recognize the identification information displayed on the display 24 of another mobile terminal 20. For example, the mobile terminal 20Aa may obtain the identification information sent from the user of another mobile terminal 20 to the email address or SNS account of the owner user.

[0167] For example, according to a predetermined manipulation of the owner user, the key sharing request unit 2309 sends a candidate terminal information request for requesting candidate terminal information about a candidate terminal to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. The candidate terminal is a candidate for another mobile terminal 20 existing around the current position of the mobile terminal 20Aa. When the communication processing unit 2302 receives the candidate terminal information from the central server 30, the key sharing request unit 2309 causes the display 24 to display the candidate terminal information. When the candidate terminal information is displayed on the display 24, information for specifying a candidate terminal that has performed a specific manipulation or operation among the candidate terminals may be included in the candidate terminal information replied from the central server 30. Therefore, through a specific manipulation or operation of the other mobile terminal 20 that is the target of key sharing by the user of the other mobile terminal 20, the owner user of the vehicle 10A can specify the other mobile terminal 20 from the candidate terminals displayed on the display 24 of the mobile terminal 20Aa. The key sharing request unit 2309 may send a temporary key sharing request for designating the other mobile terminal 20 specified from the candidate terminals as a distribution target to the central server 30 according to a predetermined manipulation of the owner user.

[0168] The key sharing request unit 2309 may start a key application according to a predetermined manipulation of the owner user to send link information (hereinafter, simply referred to as "link information") based on a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) policy that allows another mobile terminal 20 to obtain an authentication key from the central server 30 to the email address or SNS account of the user of the other mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 2302. In this case, the key sharing request unit 2309 sends a temporary key sharing request for specifying the obtained authentication key to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302 according to a predetermined manipulation of the owner user, and obtains the link information replied from the central server 30 according to the temporary key sharing request. Therefore, the key sharing request unit 2309 can cause the authentication key to be distributed from the central server 30 to another mobile terminal 20.

[0169] Temporary key sharing can be performed from the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user to whom the authentication key has been distributed. That is, the function of temporary key sharing in the key sharing request unit 2309 may be included in the function of the key application installed in the processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user. Therefore, even when multiple people excluding the owner user ride in the vehicle 10A together, it is not necessary to lend and borrow the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user who has obtained the authentication key, and the convenience of the sub-users of the vehicle can be further improved. Hereinafter, a description will be given on the premise that temporary key sharing can be performed from the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user.

[0170] As described above, the processing device 32 of the central server 30 includes a communication processing unit 3201, a condition determination unit 3202, an authentication key issuance unit 3203, and a storage unit 3200. For example, the processing device 32 of the central server 30 includes a location information management unit 3204, a schedule management unit 3205, a registration management unit 3206, and a key sharing management unit 3207 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in an auxiliary storage device of a server computer or the like on a CPU.

[0171] When the communication processing unit 3201 has received an authentication key acquisition request from the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab, the condition determination unit 3202 performs authentication based on the common user ID and password included in the authentication key acquisition request. For example, the condition determination unit 3202 checks the common user ID and password registered in the storage unit 3200 against the common user ID and password included in the authentication key acquisition request, and determines that the authentication is successful, that is, the authentication key acquisition request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request, when the two match.

[0172] The condition determination unit 3202 determines whether an authentication key arrangement request sent from the key sharing management unit 3207, which will be described below, is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request. For example, when the authentication based on the authentication information (e.g., ID and password) included in the authentication key arrangement request from the key sharing management unit 3207 is successful, the condition determination unit 3202 may determine that the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request.

[0173] When the condition determination unit 3202 determines that the authentication key acquisition request or the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request or a legitimate authentication key arrangement request, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 issues an authentication key and distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0174] The location information management unit 3204 manages the location information of the vehicles 10 (10A, 10B). Specifically, the location information management unit 3204 sends a location information request to the vehicle 10 via the communication processing unit 3201. In response to the location information request, the DCM 14 of the vehicle 10 replies to the central server 30 with the location information of the vehicle 10 input from the GPS module 13, and the location information management unit 3204 can acquire the location information of the vehicle 10.

[0175] The location information management unit 3204 obtains location information from the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201, and monitors the location information of the vehicle 10A in real time to grasp the movement of the vehicle 10A. Thus, for example, the location information management unit 3204 can notify the owner user of the location information of the vehicle 10A lent to the sub-user via the communication processing unit 3201. For example, the location information management unit 3204 can notify the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user via the communication processing unit 3201 of information such as whether the vehicle 10A planned to be lent to the sub-user is being directed to a specified location (e.g., a residence) or where it has returned to.

[0176] The schedule management unit 3205 manages the usage of the vehicle 10A for various services. For example, the schedule management unit 3205 periodically obtains the usage schedule of the vehicle 10 for the key sharing service from the key sharing management unit 3207, and specifically, information on the available dates and times of the authentication keys distributed through the key sharing service. The schedule management unit 3205 obtains the usage schedule of the vehicle 10A for each of the cargo delivery service and the C2C car sharing service from the delivery management server 50 and the C2C car sharing management server 70 via the communication processing unit 3201. The schedule management unit 3205 generates information (vehicle usage schedule information) on the usage schedule of the vehicle 10A for multiple services based on the obtained usage schedule of the vehicle 10A for various services, and updates the vehicle usage schedule information stored in the storage unit 3200.

[0177] The registration management unit 3206 performs registration of regular users (sub-users) who use various services according to a user registration request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user via the communication processing unit 3201. For example, the registration management unit 3206 checks the owner user ID and password included in the user registration request from the mobile terminal 20Aa against the owner user ID and password stored in the storage unit 3200, and determines that the user registration request is a legitimate user registration request when the two match. That is, the registration management unit 3206 determines that the authentication is successful. The registration management unit 3206 registers the sub-user ID included in the legitimate user registration request as a regular user who can use various services in the user service registration information database (DB) stored in the storage unit 3200.

[0178] The registration management unit 3206 performs the usage registration of various services by the regular users of the vehicle 10A according to the service usage registration request received by the communication processing unit 3201 from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user. That is, according to the service usage registration request, the registration management unit 3206 performs the registration of the authentication key arrangement authority of the key sharing management unit 3207 or the service management server 40 corresponding to various services to allow the users of the vehicle 10A to use various services. For example, the registration management unit 3206 performs the same authentication process as described above based on the owner user ID and password included in the service usage registration request from the mobile terminal 20Aa to determine whether the service usage registration request is a legitimate service usage registration request. When the service usage registration request is a legitimate service usage registration request, the registration management unit 3206 determines whether the regular user ID included in the service usage registration request has been registered in the user service registration information DB. When the regular user ID included in the service usage registration request has been registered in the user service registration information DB, the registration management unit 3206 registers the target service specified by the service usage registration request as the available service of the regular user corresponding to the regular user ID in the user service registration information database (DB) in the storage unit 3200.

[0179] Specifically, the registration management unit 3206 constructs the user service registration information DB in the following form: linking the service specification information for specifying the target service, the vehicle specification information for specifying the vehicle 10A, the regular user ID for specifying the regular user using the service, and the service link information associating the vehicle specification information and the regular user ID corresponding to the vehicle 10A with the target service to the owner user ID.

[0180] The service specification information is, for example, a service ID defined for each service. Specifically, for example, when there are multiple companies providing C2C car sharing services, a unique service ID is defined for each company. For example, when the same company provides multiple C2C car sharing services, a unique ID is defined for each service provided by the same company. When the carriage delivery service is provided by a combination of multiple delivery companies and multiple EC companies, a unique service ID can be defined for each combination of the delivery company and the EC company, and the target service can be specified by the combination of the unique service ID defined for each delivery company and the unique service ID defined for each EC company.

[0181] The vehicle specified information can be any information as long as the information can specify the vehicle 10A that is the target for locking, unlocking, or starting using the authentication key. For example, the vehicle specified information can be identification information such as a vehicle ID or a vehicle identification number (VIN) defined for each vehicle 10A. For example, the vehicle specified information can be identification information such as a key unit ID, which is defined for each in-vehicle device related to locking, unlocking, or starting of a door based on an authentication key, such as the key unit 12 installed in the vehicle 10A. Hereinafter, a description will be given on the premise that the vehicle specified information is the key unit ID.

[0182] The service link information is the information required for the key sharing management unit 3207, the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60, and the C2C car sharing management server 70, which manage various services, to send an authentication key arrangement request so that the authentication key issuing unit 3203 issues an authentication key and distributes the authentication key of the target vehicle 10A to the target mobile terminal 20. That is, the authentication key issuing unit 3203 can specify the vehicle 10A that is the target for locking, unlocking, or starting using the authentication key, and issue an appropriate authentication key by receiving an authentication key arrangement request including the service link information from the key sharing management unit 3207, the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60, and the C2C car sharing management server 70.

[0183] The service link information can be any information as long as the target service is associated with the vehicle 10A and the user who uses the service in the central server 30. For example, the service link information can be the login ID of a regular user on a website of various services corresponding to the key sharing management unit 3207, the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60, and the C2C car sharing management server 70 (hereinafter referred to as "service login ID" for convenience). In the above case, the service use registration request unit 2307 of the mobile terminal 20Aa sends a service use registration request including the service login ID of the regular user who is the registration target corresponding to various services to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. When the regular user who is the registration target corresponding to various services does not obtain a service login ID, the processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Aa can start a predetermined browser and obtain the service login ID of the websites of various services. Therefore, when the user (the regular user of the vehicle 10A) logs in to the website when requesting the target service, the delivery management server 50 or the C2C car sharing management server 70 can grasp the service login ID corresponding to the service link information and easily arrange the authentication key for the provision of the service. Hereinafter, a description will be given on the premise that the service link information regarding the in-vehicle delivery service and the C2C car sharing service is the service login ID.

[0184] In the case of a regular user who often uses multiple vehicles 10A, the central server 30 can specify the regular user only by using the service login ID, but cannot specify the vehicle 10A. Therefore, in addition to the service login ID, information for indirectly specifying the vehicle 10A (for example, information obtained by encrypting vehicle-specifying information using a predetermined policy) may be included in the service link information.

[0185] When the registration management of various services is completed, the registration management unit 3206 notifies the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab corresponding to the regular user who is the registration target that the registration of the use of various services has been completed through the communication processing unit 3201. When the registration of the use of various services has been completed, the registration management unit 3206 sends a service use registration completion notification including the service link information to the key sharing management unit 3207 or the service management server 40 that performs the operation and management of the service that is the registration target via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0186] A notification that the registration of the use of various services for the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab has been completed can be sent from the service management server 40 that has received the service use registration completion notification.

[0187] When the communication processing unit 3201 receives a service use status request from the mobile terminal 20Aa, the registration management unit 3206 generates service use status information based on, for example, the user service registration information DB of the storage unit 3200 or the vehicle use schedule information managed by the schedule management unit 3205, and distributes the service use status information to the mobile terminal 20Aa via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0188] The key sharing management unit 3207 performs the operation and management of the key sharing service.

[0189] For example, based on the key sharing request received by the communication processing unit 3201 from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user, the key sharing management unit 3207 performs the arrangement of the authentication keys for the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab corresponding to the common user ID specified by the key sharing request. Specifically, the key sharing management unit 3207 checks the owner user ID and password included in the key sharing request against the owner user ID and password stored in the storage unit 3200, and determines that the key sharing request is a legitimate key sharing request when the two match. The key sharing management unit 3207 queries the schedule management unit 3205 and determines whether there is a mismatch, that is, whether there is an overlap in the service usage and the usage date and time of the vehicle 10A of the common user between the usage period information included in the key sharing request and the latest vehicle usage schedule information. When there is no overlap in the usage time, the key sharing management unit 3207 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the authentication key issuing unit 3203. The authentication key arrangement request includes information about the common user corresponding to the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab that are the distribution targets of the authentication key specified by the information included in the key sharing request, and the vehicle 10A that is the target of locking, unlocking, or starting using the authentication key, as well as information about the available time period of the authentication key for each mobile terminal 20Aa and 20Ab, the available number of times of the authentication key for each mobile terminal 20Aa and 20Ab, the doors that can be unlocked, and the permissions such as whether the vehicle can be started. Therefore, the authentication key issuing unit 3203 can specify the common user ID corresponding to the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab that are the distribution targets of the authentication key, and the vehicle 10A that is the target of locking, unlocking, or starting using the authentication key, and issue appropriate authentication keys.

[0190] For example, the key sharing management unit 3207 confirms the attribute information (e.g., age or whether having a driver's license) of the users of the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab, which are the distribution targets of the authentication key specified by the key sharing request and stored in the storage unit 3200. When the users of the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab (regular users of the vehicle 10A), who are the distribution targets of the authentication key, are determined to be users who cannot drive the vehicle 10A, the key sharing management unit 3207 allows the authentication key with the permission of not starting the vehicle 10A to be issued to the mobile terminals 20 of the users. The users who cannot drive the vehicle 10A are, for example, users who have not reached the age at which a user can obtain a driver's license or users who have not obtained a driver's license. Specifically, the key sharing management unit 3207 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the authentication key issuing unit 3203, in which the instruction to prohibit the starting of the vehicle 10A is included in the permission information corresponding to the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab of the users determined to be unable to drive the vehicle 10A. Therefore, since the authentication key issuing unit 3203 can distribute the authentication key with the permission of prohibiting the starting of the vehicle 10A to the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab of the users who cannot drive the vehicle 10A, the security of the vehicle 10A in the key sharing service can be improved.

[0191] For example, the key sharing management unit 3207 distributes the authentication key of the vehicle 10A to another mobile terminal 20 specified by the temporary key sharing request based on the temporary key sharing request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user through the communication processing unit 3201. Specifically, the key sharing management unit 3207 specifies the installation user ID (hereinafter referred to as "installation user ID") of the installation user corresponding to another mobile terminal 20 as the distribution target based on the installation user information DB of the key application stored in the storage unit 3200. The key sharing management unit 3207 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the authentication key issuing unit 3203, and the authentication key arrangement request includes the specified installation user ID and the information corresponding to the authentication key specified by the temporary key sharing request (e.g., the release ID of the authentication key included in the temporary key sharing request). Therefore, the authentication key issuing unit 3203 can specify another mobile terminal 20 as the distribution target based on the installation user ID, the release ID of the authentication key, etc., and distribute the authentication key to another mobile terminal 20 via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0192] The function of the key sharing management unit 3207 can be handed over to a server (key sharing management server) outside the delivery central server 30, which can be included in the service management server 40, similar to other services for using the vehicle 10A.

[0193] The mobile terminal 20Ab carried by the sub-user includes a communication processing unit 2301, a communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key acquisition unit 2303, an authentication request unit 2304, a lock and unlock request unit 2305, and a storage unit 2300, as described above.

[0194] In this embodiment, the description will be made on the following premise: The function of the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Ab is available to the sub-user through the start of the key application and the success of user authentication based on two-way communication with the central server 30. The description will be given on the premise that the central server 30 performs user authentication based on the sub-user ID and password. The description will be made on the following premise: Through the start of the key application, the functions of the authentication request unit 2304 and the lock and unlock request unit 2305 of the mobile terminal 20Ab are available to the sub-user.

[0195] As described above, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 obtains, via the communication processing unit 2302, the authentication key distributed by the central server 30 according to the key sharing request sent from the mobile terminal 20Aa to the central server 30. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20Ab can lock and unlock the door of the vehicle 10A or start the vehicle 10A based on the functions of the communication processing unit 2301, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305. That is, the sub-user carrying the mobile terminal 20Ab can directly use the vehicle 10A through the key sharing service. For example, the sub-user can lock and unlock the vehicle 10A using the mobile terminal 20Ab without exchanging keys with the owner user and drive the vehicle 10A. Similarly, the owner user can lend the vehicle 10A to the sub-user without exchanging keys with the sub-user. Therefore, the convenience of lending and borrowing the vehicle 10A between the owner user and the sub-user of the vehicle 10A can be improved through the key sharing service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0196] As described above, the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 acquires, via the communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key distributed by the central server 30 according to a temporary key sharing request sent from the mobile terminal 20Aa to the central server 30. The same applies to the case where an authentication key is distributed to another mobile terminal 20 other than the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user according to a temporary key sharing request. Therefore, another mobile terminal 20 including the mobile terminal 20Ab can lock and unlock the door of the vehicle 10A or start the vehicle 10A based on the functions of the communication processing unit 2301, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305. That is, for example, when multiple people including other regular users ride in the vehicle 10A and go out, even if the sub-user carrying the mobile terminal 20Ab does not obtain the authentication key in advance, the sub-user does not have to borrow the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab to which the authentication key has been distributed, and can directly use the vehicle 10A with the mobile terminal 20Ab, such as locking and unlocking the vehicle 10A or driving the vehicle 10A. Similarly, even when the owner user does not enable the mobile terminal 20Ab of the sub-user to obtain the authentication key, the owner user does not need to lend the owner user's mobile terminal 20Aa to the sub-user. Therefore, when multiple people including regular users of the vehicle 10A ride in the vehicle 10A and use the vehicle 10A, the convenience of the user can be improved through temporary key sharing in the authentication key management system 1.

[0197] Configuration details of the in-vehicle delivery service

[0198] Reference will be made to Figure 4 Describe the configuration of the in-vehicle delivery service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0199] Figure 4 It is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle delivery service in the authentication key management system 1. Hereinafter, reference will be mainly made to Figure 4 Describe the configuration of the in-vehicle delivery service in the authentication key management system 1, and the repeated description of the configuration that duplicates the above configuration regarding the key sharing service will be omitted as much as possible.

[0200] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Aa carried by the owner user of the vehicle 10A includes a communication processing unit 2302, a user registration request unit 2306, a service use registration request unit 2307, a service use status request unit 2308, and a storage unit 2300, as described above.

[0201] The user registration request unit 2306 requests the central server 30 to register regular users (sub-users) of the vehicle 10A who use various services including the in-vehicle delivery service according to a predetermined operation of the owner user, as described above.

[0202] The service usage registration request unit 2307 performs, as described above, the usage registration of various services including the car delivery service for each registered regular user (owner user or sub-user) of the vehicle 10A based on a predetermined operation request of the owner user to the central server 30.

[0203] For example, the service usage registration request unit 2307 sends a service usage registration request for using the car delivery service to the central server 30 as service link information. The service usage registration request includes the service login ID of the website (hereinafter referred to as the "delivery site") of the user who uses the service of the delivery management server 50 corresponding to the regular user of the vehicle 10A as the registration target and the service login ID of the EC site.

[0204] The service usage status request unit 2308 requests the central server 30 to provide information (service usage status information) on the usage status of various services including the car delivery service for the regular users of the vehicle 10A for which usage registration has been performed in a form corresponding to the owner user ID, based on a predetermined operation of the owner user. The car delivery service is as described above.

[0205] The delivery management server 50 that operates the car delivery service includes a communication device 51 and a processing device 52.

[0206] The communication device 51 is any device that performs two-way communication with each of the mobile terminal 20, the central server 30, and the EC server 60 through a predetermined communication network.

[0207] The processing device 52 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 521, a service cooperation registration unit 522, a delivery acceptance unit 523, and a delivery management unit 524 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device on the CPU. The processing device 52 includes a storage unit 520, which is implemented as a storage area such as the auxiliary storage device of the server computer.

[0208] The communication processing unit 521 controls the communication device 51 to perform the transmission / reception of various signals such as control signals or information signals to / from each of the mobile terminal 20, the central server 30, and the EC server 60.

[0209] The service cooperation registration unit 522 performs the information registration of the cooperation related to the usage of the car delivery service of the regular users of the vehicle 10A between the central server 30 and the delivery management server 50 based on the service usage registration completion notification received from the central server 30 by the communication processing unit 521.

[0210] For example, the service cooperation registration unit 522 adds a tag indicating the usage target of the car delivery service to the service login ID (a part of the service link information) included in the service usage registration completion notice in the user management DB that manages the users of the delivery site constructed in the storage unit 520. In addition, the service cooperation registration unit 522 performs registration in the following form: linking the service login ID of the website (i.e., the EC site) corresponding to the EC server 60 included in the service usage registration completion notice and the information link for specifying the vehicle 10A included in the service link information to the service login ID included in the service usage registration completion notice in the user management DB of the storage unit 520. Therefore, when the user corresponding to the service login ID frequently uses the vehicle 10A, the delivery management server 50 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 for the vehicle 10A designated for the user. When receiving an order acceptance including the service login ID from the EC server 60 through the communication processing unit 521, the delivery management server 50 can specify the corresponding service login ID of the delivery site. The delivery management server 50 sends an authentication key arrangement request including service link information such as the specified service login ID or information for specifying the vehicle 10A corresponding to the vehicle 10A specified by the user to the central server 30, so that the authentication key can be distributed from the central server 30 to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person, as described above.

[0211] The delivery acceptance unit 523 receives information on a package delivery request (delivery request information) from the EC server 60 via the communication processing unit 521, and the package delivery request includes the service login ID of the EC site corresponding to the product orderer at the EC site. In addition to basic information such as name, address, and phone number of the orderer as the delivery destination, the delivery request information received from the EC server 60 also includes information on the specified delivery destination (delivery destination information), information on the specified delivery date and time (delivery date and time information), etc.

[0212] The delivery management unit 524 performs the operation and management of each process from acceptance to delivery of the delivery request received by the delivery acceptance unit 523.

[0213] For example, when the delivery management unit 524 receives, via the communication processing unit 521, a notice that the package has arrived at the business office having jurisdiction over the parking location of the vehicle 10A specified by the delivery destination information of the delivery request from the business office, the delivery management unit 524 determines the departure date and time for delivering the package, the responsible delivery person, etc. according to the specified delivery date and time (delivery date and time slot).

[0214] Subsequently, when starting to prepare for departure to deliver the packages that the delivery person is responsible for and that include the package as the target (e.g., 30 minutes to one hour before departure to deliver the package as the target), the delivery management unit 524 sends a preparation start notification to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 521. In this case, the preparation start notification may include information for specifying the package as the target, and when including packages for each trunk of the vehicle with the delivery destination set to be the delivery person's responsibility, may include information for specifying the packages corresponding to each delivery destination.

[0215] Subsequently, before the delivery management unit 524 departs to deliver the package as the target (e.g., 10 minutes before), it inquires of the central server 30 about the location information of the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 521. The delivery management unit 524 obtains the current location information of the vehicle 10A from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 521, and determines whether the delivery is available based on whether the current location matches the designated parking location of the vehicle 10A, the relationship between the current location and the jurisdiction area, etc.

[0216] The determination of whether the delivery is available can be made by the central server 30.

[0217] Subsequently, when the delivery management unit 524 determines that the delivery of the package as the target can be executed, the delivery management unit 524 sends a notification (delivery available notification) to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person via the communication processing unit 521 that the package can be delivered to the trunk of the vehicle 10A.

[0218] Subsequently, when the delivery management unit 524 receives a certification key acquisition request from the mobile terminal 20Ac that has received a delivery availability notice via the communication processing unit 521, the delivery management unit 524 determines whether the certification key acquisition request is a legitimate certification key acquisition request. Specifically, the delivery management unit 524 can perform the determination by comparing information about the package to be delivered (hereinafter referred to as "delivery package information" for convenience) (for example, the delivery person, the destination (e.g., the name of the recipient or the company name), the package type, the delivery time period, and the delivery destination, which may be included in the certification key acquisition request) with various types of information about the package registered in the storage unit 520. When the delivery management unit 524 determines that the certification key acquisition request is a legitimate certification key acquisition request, the delivery management unit 524 sends a certification key arrangement request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 521. When the delivery management unit 524 sends a certification key arrangement request to the central server 30, information about the mobile terminal 20Ac for specifying the delivery person may be included in the certification key arrangement request. The information for specifying the delivery person may be, for example, a certification ID (hereinafter referred to as "delivery person ID" for convenience), which is used to obtain user authentication from the central server 30 so that the delivery person can use functions of the key application corresponding to the certification key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Ac. Thus, the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person can acquire the certification key from the central server 30. In addition, information indicating the package as the target is included in the certification key arrangement request.

[0219] Subsequently, when the delivery management unit 524 receives an inquiry about the current location of the vehicle 10A from the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person who has left the business office for delivery via the communication processing unit 521, the delivery management unit 524 inquires of the central server 30 about the current location information of the vehicle 10A. The delivery management unit 524 acquires the current location information of the vehicle 10A from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 521 and sends (transmits) the current location information of the vehicle 10A to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person. Thus, the delivery person who has gone out can compare the current location information of the vehicle 10A with the information about the parking location of the vehicle 10A specified by the delivery destination information and determine whether to deliver the package or return to the business office.

[0220] Finally, when the delivery management unit 524 receives, via the communication processing unit 521, a delivery completion notice received from the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person who has completed the package delivery, the delivery management unit 524 sends the delivery completion notice to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 521, and basically ends the operation and management of the carriage delivery service for the relevant package. When the operation and management of the carriage delivery service for the relevant package are basically ended, the delivery management unit 524 may notify, via email or a predetermined application installed in the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab and cooperating with the delivery site, that the delivery to the regular user of the vehicle 10A who is the requester (the purchaser of the product at the EC site) has been completed.

[0221] Instead of the central server 30, the delivery management unit 524 may directly obtain (receive) a delivery completion notice or information corresponding to the delivery completion notice (for example, a captured image of the inside of the trunk of the vehicle 10A at the time of delivery captured by the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person as described later) from the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person. Further, according to an unlock request and a lock request from the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person, when the door (such as a trunk lid) allowing entry into the trunk of the vehicle 10A is locked after being unlocked, the DCM 14 of the vehicle 10A may determine that the delivery by the delivery person is completed, and the delivery person may notify the central server 30 of the delivery completion as described above. Therefore, the central server 30 may send the delivery completion notice to the delivery management server 50 when receiving the notice. That is, the central server 30 may send the delivery completion notice to the delivery management server 50 according to a notice received from the vehicle 10A and indicating that the delivery by the delivery person has been completed.

[0222] The EC server 60 includes a communication device 61 and a processing device 62.

[0223] The communication device 61 is any device that performs two-way communication with each of the mobile terminal 20, the central server 30, and the delivery management server 50 via a predetermined communication network.

[0224] The processing device 62 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 621, a network resource sending unit 622, a service cooperation registration unit 623, and an order acceptance processing unit 624 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in a ROM or an auxiliary storage device on a CPU. The processing device 62 includes a storage unit 620, which is implemented as a storage area such as an auxiliary storage device of a server computer.

[0225] The communication processing unit 621 controls the communication device 61 to perform transmission / reception of various signals (such as control signals or information signals) to / from each of the mobile terminal 20, the central server 30, and the delivery management server 50.

[0226] The network resource sending unit 622 sends resources corresponding to a web page to be displayed on the browser of any terminal (including the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab) of a user who is browsing the EC site to the browser of the terminal based on various types of information stored in the storage unit 620 as resources of the EC site using a predetermined policy. The home page displayed on the EC site, the web page corresponding to a single product processed by the EC site, the order input page for allowing a user to input various types of information when ordering a single product, etc. are included in the web pages on the EC site. For example, the network resource sending unit 622 sends a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document corresponding to the web page and information under the HTML document, such as images and moving images displayed on the web page, in parallel.

[0227] The service cooperation registration unit 623 performs information registration of cooperation related to the use of the in-vehicle delivery service of regular users of the vehicle 10A between the central server 30 and the EC server 60 based on the service use registration completion notification received by the communication processing unit 621 from the central server 30. For example, the service cooperation registration unit 623 adds a mark indicating the use target of the in-vehicle delivery service to the service login ID included in the service use registration completion notification in the user management DB constructed in the storage unit 620 for managing users of the EC site. In addition, the service cooperation registration unit 623 performs registration in such a form that the service login ID of the website corresponding to the delivery management server 50 (i.e., the delivery site) included in the service use registration completion notification is linked to the service login ID included in the service use registration completion notification in the user management DB. Therefore, for example, when the communication processing unit 621 receives an inquiry about an ordered product including the service login ID of the delivery site from the delivery management server 50, the EC server 60 can specify the service login ID of the corresponding EC site.

[0228] The order acceptance processing unit 624 receives a product order from a user based on various manipulation inputs corresponding to the product order of the user at the EC site. When the order acceptance processing unit 624 receives an order and selects the trunk of the vehicle 10A as the delivery destination on the order input page of the EC site, the order acceptance processing unit 624 inquires of the central server 30 about the vehicle use schedule information via the communication processing unit 621. Therefore, the order acceptance processing unit 624 can obtain the latest vehicle use schedule information through the communication processing unit 621. Therefore, for example, when the specified delivery date and time have overlapped with another schedule, the order acceptance processing unit 624 can take countermeasures such as requesting a change in the delivery date and time.

[0229] As described above, it is also possible to assume that a package other than the ordered product at the EC site is the target wagon delivery service. In this case, the delivery management server 50 can similarly obtain the latest vehicle usage schedule information from the central server 30. Therefore, when the date and time for delivering a package to the trunk of the vehicle 10A specified by the regular user of the vehicle 10A has overlapped with another schedule, the delivery management server 50 can take countermeasures such as requesting a change in the delivery date and time.

[0230] The processing device 32 of the central server 30 that supports the operation of the wagon delivery service includes a communication processing unit 3201, a condition determination unit 3202, an authentication key issuance unit 3203, a location information management unit 3204, a schedule management unit 3205, a registration management unit 3206, and a storage unit 3200, as described above. The processing device 32 (an example of an information processing device) of the central server 30 includes, for example, a trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208, an accommodation capacity determination unit 3209, and a trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or auxiliary storage device of the server computer on the CPU.

[0231] When the condition determination unit 3202 receives an authentication key arrangement request from the delivery management server 50 via the communication processing unit 3201, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request. For example, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request based on the service login information (such as the service login ID of the delivery site) included in the authentication key arrangement request or predetermined authentication information corresponding to the delivery management server 50 (for example, ID and password).

[0232] When the condition determination unit 3202 determines that the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 issues an authentication key corresponding to the cognitive key arrangement request and distributes the authentication key to the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac.

[0233] Specifically, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 specifies the vehicle 10A corresponding to the authentication key arrangement request based on the user service registration information DB of the storage unit 3200. The authentication key issuance unit 3203 issues an authentication key whose time is limited (e.g., available within a unit of only a few minutes to several tens of minutes from distribution), the number of uses is limited (e.g., the number of uses is only once), and the permissions are restricted so that only the locking and unlocking of the trunk lid are allowed. Therefore, unauthorized use of the vehicle 10A by the delivery person can be suppressed and security can be improved. The authentication key issuance unit 3203 distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person designated by the authentication key arrangement request via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0234] For example, any method such as a known mathematical method or a method based on two-way communication between the central server 30 and the vehicle 10 can be adopted as a method for restricting the available time period of the authentication key or the number of uses of the authentication key.

[0235] In response to an inquiry about the current location of the vehicle 10A received from the delivery management server 50 via the communication processing unit 3201, the location information management unit 3204 obtains the location information from the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201, for example, and provides (sends) the location information of the vehicle 10A to the delivery management server 50 via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0236] The schedule management unit 3205 replies to the EC server 60 via the communication processing unit 3201 with the latest vehicle usage schedule information stored in the storage unit 3200 according to an inquiry received from the EC server 60 by the communication processing unit 3201.

[0237] The registration management unit 3206 performs the registration of regular users (sub-users) who use various services including the compartment delivery service according to the user registration request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user via the communication processing unit 3201, as described above. As described above, the registration management unit 3206 performs the usage registration of the regular user of the vehicle 10A for the compartment delivery service according to the service usage registration request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user via the communication processing unit 3201. When the usage registration of various services including the compartment delivery service has been completed, the registration management unit 3206 notifies the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab corresponding to the regular user as the registration target via the communication processing unit 3201 that the registration of the usage of various services including the compartment delivery service has been completed. When the usage registration of the compartment delivery service has been completed, the registration management unit 3206 sends a service usage registration completion notification including service link information to the delivery management server 50 and the EC server 60 that operate and manage the service as the registration target via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0238] The trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 (an example of the information acquisition unit) acquires information related to the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A (the delivery destination of the target package) (hereinafter referred to as "trunk accommodation situation information").

[0239] For example, as described below, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires a captured image of the trunk (hereinafter referred to as "trunk image at the time of delivery") captured by the camera 25 of the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac when delivering the last package to the trunk of the vehicle 10A, and uploads it from the storage unit 3200 to the central server 30.

[0240] In addition, for example, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires detection information (hereinafter referred to as "sensor detection information regarding the interior of the trunk") from the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201. The detection information is output from a predetermined sensor equipped in the trunk of the vehicle 10A and is related to the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated in the trunk. In this case, the sensor may include various types of sensors such as a camera (image sensor) and an ultrasonic sensor that can detect the objects inside the trunk.

[0241] In addition, for example, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires information on the request history of packages with the trunk of the vehicle 10A as the delivery destination (hereinafter referred to as "request history information") from the delivery management server 50 via the communication processing unit 3201. Based on the request history of the packages, the accommodation situation of the objects currently accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A can be estimated from the request frequency within a recently predetermined time period or the like. In addition, for example, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 can acquire information on the opening history of the door allowing access to the trunk of the vehicle 10A targeted by the user of the vehicle delivery service from the storage unit 3200 (hereinafter referred to as "door opening history information"). By grasping the number of packages delivered after the user last opened the door to access the trunk of the vehicle 10A based on the request history of the packages and the unlocking history of the user within a recently predetermined time period, the current accommodation situation of the trunk can be estimated. In this case, when the vehicle 10A is unlocked by an unlocking request or the like sent from the mobile terminals 20Aa, 20Ab of regular users and the door allowing access to the trunk is opened, the DCM 14 of the vehicle 10A sends a notification (hereinafter referred to as "trunk door opening notification") to the central server 30, which includes information indicating the regular user targeted and indicates that the door allowing access to the trunk is opened. In addition, the DCM 14 of the vehicle 10A can send the trunk door opening notification to the central server 30 only when the vehicle 10A is within a predetermined range (for example, within 100 meters) near the residence pre-registered by the regular user. Therefore, the central server 30 can store the opening history of the trunk of the vehicle 10A by the regular user in the storage unit 3200.

[0242] Based on the trunk accommodation situation information acquired by the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208, the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 determines whether the accommodation amount of the objects accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A exceeds a predetermined standard, so that it is determined that it is not feasible to deliver (accommodate) additional packages (i.e., the trunk is full). For example, the accommodation amount can be an amount corresponding to the volume of the objects accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A. For example, the accommodation amount can be an amount corresponding to the number of the objects accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A, and in this case, for objects whose size (length, volume, etc.) exceeds a predetermined standard, a method of converting them into multiple objects can be used. In addition, considering the trunk capacity of the vehicle 10A targeted or the type of the vehicle, etc., the predetermined standard can be different.

[0243] Based on the trunk accommodation situation information acquired by the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 (an example of the accommodation situation notification unit) notifies the user of the vehicle delivery service (the regular user of the vehicle 10A) of the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated in the trunk.

[0244] Details of the operations of the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208, the accommodation capacity determination unit 3209, and the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 will be described below (see Figures 9 to 11 ).

[0245] Some or all of the various functions of the central server 30 regarding the in-vehicle delivery service, that is, the condition determination unit 3202, the authentication key issuance unit 3203, the location information management unit 3204, the functions of the schedule management unit 3205, the registration management unit 3206, the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208, the accommodation capacity determination unit 3209, and the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 can be transferred to the delivery management server 50 (an example of an information processing device). For example, the central server 30 can only perform the distribution of the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac, the management of the location information of the vehicle 10A, the management of the usage schedule of the vehicle 10A, the registration of the use of the in-vehicle delivery service, the acquisition of the trunk accommodation information, etc., and at least one of the functions of the accommodation capacity determination unit 3209 and the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 can be transferred to the delivery management server 50. For example, the central server 30 can only perform the distribution of the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac, the management of the location information of the vehicle 10A, the management of the usage schedule of the vehicle 10A, the registration of the use of the in-vehicle delivery service, etc., and the function of the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208 can be further transferred to the delivery management server 50. In addition, for example, the central server 30 can only perform the distribution of the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person, etc., and the functions of the location information management unit 3204, the schedule management unit 3205, and the registration management unit 3206 regarding the in-vehicle delivery service can be further transferred to the delivery management server 50. In addition, for example, all the corresponding functions of the central server 30 regarding the in-vehicle delivery service can be transferred to the delivery management server 50. That is, the delivery management server 50 can be configured to perform the distribution of the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person (i.e., the functions of the condition determination unit 3202 and the authentication key issuance unit 3203), the management of the location information of the vehicle 10A (i.e., the function of the location information management unit 3204), the management of the usage schedule of the vehicle 10A in the in-vehicle delivery service (i.e., the function of the schedule management unit 3205), the registration of the use of the in-vehicle delivery service (i.e., the function of the registration management unit 3206), the acquisition of the trunk accommodation information (i.e., the function of the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208), the determination of the accommodation capacity of the objects accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A (i.e., the function of the accommodation capacity determination unit 3209), the notification to the user of the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated in the trunk (i.e., the function of the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210), etc.

[0246] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person includes a communication processing unit 2301, a communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key acquisition unit 2303, an authentication request unit 2304, a lock and unlock request unit 2305, and a storage unit 2300, as described above. In addition, the processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person includes, for example, an imaging unit 2310, an image transmission unit 2311, and an image deletion unit 2312 as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or auxiliary storage device on the CPU.

[0247] In the present embodiment, the description will be given on the premise that the functions of the authentication key acquisition unit 2303, the authentication request unit 2304, the lock and unlock request unit 2305, the imaging unit 2310, the image transmission unit 2311, and the image deletion unit 2312 of the mobile terminal 20A are activated by the key application and are available to the owner user.

[0248] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 sends an authentication key acquisition request to the delivery management server 50 via the communication processing unit 2302 according to a predetermined operation of the delivery person. In this case, the authentication key acquisition request includes the above-mentioned delivery package information pre-stored in the storage unit 2300. Therefore, the delivery management server 50 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 according to the authentication key acquisition request, the central server 30 distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ac according to the authentication key arrangement request, and the mobile device terminal 20Ac can acquire the authentication key. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20Ac can lock and unlock the trunk lid of the vehicle 10A based on the functions of the communication processing unit 2301, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305, so that the delivery person can deliver the required package to the trunk of the vehicle 10A, lock the trunk of the vehicle 10A, and leave the residence.

[0249] The imaging unit 2310 causes the delivery person to image the trunk of the vehicle 10A using the camera 25 when the package delivery is completed. For example, when receiving a notification of the completion of unlocking the door allowing access to the trunk from the vehicle 10A (key unit 12) (i.e., when the door allowing access to the trunk of the vehicle 10A is unlocked), the imaging unit 2310 causes a display of an imaging instruction screen providing an imaging instruction for the state of the trunk of the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 2301. The imaging unit 2310 images the trunk of the vehicle 10A using the camera 25 according to a predetermined operation of the delivery person on the imaging instruction screen. The trunk image taken by the imaging unit 2310 during delivery is stored in the storage unit 2300.

[0250] The camera 25 of the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person can be set to be unavailable as long as there is no imaging instruction from the imaging unit 2310. Therefore, for example, the situation where an image of the vehicle 10A rather than the trunk is taken can be reduced, and user privacy is considered.

[0251] When the imaging unit 2310 takes an image of the trunk during delivery, the image delivery unit 2311 sends the taken image of the trunk during delivery to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302. Therefore, the central server 30 can obtain the image of the trunk during delivery.

[0252] The image deletion unit 2312 deletes the image of the trunk during delivery stored in the storage unit 2300 according to a predetermined condition.

[0253] Details of the operations of the imaging unit 2310, the image sending unit 2311, and the image deletion unit 2312 will be described below (see Figure 7 and 8 ).

[0254] Configuration details of the C2C car-sharing service

[0255] With reference to Figure 5 the configuration of the C2C car-sharing service in the authentication key management system 1 will be described.

[0256] Figure 5 is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of the C2C car-sharing service in the authentication key management system 1. Hereinafter, the configuration of the C2C car-sharing service in the authentication key management system 1 will be mainly described with respect to Figure 5 and the repeated description of the configuration that duplicates the above configuration regarding the key sharing service, etc. will be omitted as much as possible.

[0257] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Aa carried by the owner user of the vehicle 10A includes the communication processing unit 2302, the user registration request unit 2306, the service usage registration request unit 2307, and the service usage status request unit 2308, as described above.

[0258] The user registration request unit 2306 requests the central server 30 to register regular users (sub-users) of the vehicle 10A that use various services including the C2C car-sharing service according to a predetermined operation of the owner user, as described above.

[0259] The service usage registration request unit 2307 requests the central server 30 to perform usage registration of various services including the C2C car-sharing service for each registered regular user (owner user or sub-user) according to a predetermined operation of the owner user, as described above.

[0260] For example, the service use registration request unit 2307 sends a service use registration request for using the C2C car sharing service to the central server 30 as service link information. The service use registration request includes the service login ID of a user who uses the website (hereinafter referred to as the "C2C car sharing site") of the C2C car sharing service corresponding to the C2C car sharing management server 70, and who corresponds to the regular user of the vehicle 10A that is the registration target.

[0261] As described above, the service use status request unit 2308 requests the central server 30 to provide information on the usage status of various services including the C2C car sharing service (service use status information) for the regular user of the vehicle 10A for which use registration has been performed, in a form corresponding to the owner user ID, according to a predetermined operation of the owner user.

[0262] The C2C car sharing management server 70 includes a communication device 71 and a processing device 72.

[0263] The communication device 71 is any device that performs two-way communication with each of the mobile terminal 20 and the central server 30 through a predetermined communication network.

[0264] The processing device 72 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 721, a service cooperation registration unit 722, a reservation management unit 723, and a vehicle management unit 724, as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device on the CPU. The processing device 72 includes a storage unit 720, which is implemented as a storage area such as the auxiliary storage device of the server computer.

[0265] The following information will be described as a premise: Information for specifying the vehicle 10A as the lending target has been registered (stored) in the storage unit 720 in a form in which the regular user (owner user) of the vehicle 10A links the information to the service login ID through the C2C car sharing site.

[0266] The communication processing unit 721 controls the communication device 71 to perform transmission / reception of various signals such as control signals or information signals to / from each of the mobile terminal 20 and the central server 30.

[0267] The service cooperation registration unit 722 performs information registration of cooperation related to the use of the C2C car sharing service by the regular user of the vehicle 10A between the central server 30 and the C2C car sharing management server 70, based on the service use registration completion notification received from the central server 30 by the communication processing unit 721.

[0268] For example, the service cooperation registration unit 722 adds a mark indicating the lender of the vehicle 10A for the C2C car-sharing service to the service login ID included in the service usage registration completion notice in the user management DB that manages the users of the C2C car-sharing site constructed in the storage unit 720. The C2C car-sharing management server 70 sends a request for arranging an authentication key including the service login ID corresponding to the regular user of the vehicle 10A as the lender to the central server 30, so that the authentication key can be distributed from the central server 30 to the borrower's mobile terminal 20Ad, as described below.

[0269] The reservation management unit 723 manages the use reservation of the vehicle 10A performed through the C2C car-sharing site or the like.

[0270] For example, the reservation management unit 723 receives the registration of the available date and time of the vehicle 10A from the regular user of the vehicle 10A through the C2C car-sharing site, and registers (stores) the received available date and time of the vehicle 10A in the storage unit 720. When the available date and time of the vehicle 10A are stored (registered) in the storage unit 720, the reservation management unit 723 inquires of the central server 30 about the vehicle usage schedule information through the communication processing unit 721. Therefore, the reservation management unit 723 can obtain the latest vehicle usage schedule information through the communication processing unit 721. Therefore, the C2C car-sharing management server 70 can take countermeasures such as requesting a change to the available date and time of the vehicle 10A received from the regular user of the vehicle 10A, or registering, as the available date and time of the vehicle 10A, the part other than the overlapping part when the received available date and time of the vehicle 10A already overlaps with another schedule or registration.

[0271] For example, the reservation management unit 723 receives a use reservation for the vehicle 10A within the range of the available date and time of the vehicle 10A stored in the storage unit 720. When the reservation management unit 723 receives a use reservation for the vehicle 10A from a user as the borrower through the C2C car-sharing site, the reservation management unit 723 updates the information (lending schedule information) about the lending schedule of the vehicle 10A stored in the storage unit 720.

[0272] For example, when the communication processing unit 721 receives an authentication key acquisition request from the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A, the reservation management unit 723 determines whether the authentication key acquisition request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request. Specifically, the reservation management unit 723 may perform the determination based on the service login ID and password of the C2C car-sharing site included in the authentication key acquisition request, or the relationship regarding the date and time of the use reservation (for example, within the range of the date and time of the reserved use or less than a predetermined time before the start of the use date and time). When the authentication key acquisition request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request, the reservation management unit 723 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 721. When the authentication key arrangement request is sent to the central server 30, the information for specifying the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A is included in the authentication key arrangement request. The information for specifying the borrower of the vehicle 10A may be, for example, an authentication ID (hereinafter referred to as "borrower ID"), which is used to obtain user authentication in the central server 30 so that the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A can function. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A can acquire the authentication key from the central server 30.

[0273] The vehicle management unit 724 manages the vehicle 10A as the lending target.

[0274] For example, the vehicle management unit 724 asks the central server 30 for the current location information of the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 721 before the date and time of the reserved use of the vehicle 10A (for example, the time period from several tens of minutes ago to the present). The vehicle management unit 724 acquires the current location information of the vehicle 10A replied according to the inquiry from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 721. Therefore, it can be determined whether the vehicle 10A has returned to the designated location before the lending date and time (the date and time of the reserved use) of the vehicle 10A. Therefore, when the vehicle 10A does not return to the designated location, the C2C car-sharing management server 70 can take countermeasures, such as warning the regular user who is the lender of the vehicle 10A via email or a predetermined application installed in the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab and cooperating with the C2C car-sharing site, so that the vehicle 10A returns to the designated location.

[0275] The processing device 32 of the central server 30 includes a communication processing unit 3201, a condition determination unit 3202, an authentication key issuance unit 3203, a location information management unit 3204, a schedule management unit 3205, a registration management unit 3206, and a storage unit 3200, as described above.

[0276] When the communication processing unit 3201 receives an authentication key arrangement request from the C2C car-sharing management server 70, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request. For example, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request based on the service link information included in the authentication key arrangement request (e.g., the service login ID of the C2C car-sharing site) or the predetermined authentication information corresponding to the C2C car-sharing management server 70 (e.g., ID and password).

[0277] When the condition determination unit 3202 determines that the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 designates the vehicle 10A corresponding to the authentication key arrangement request based on the user service registration information DB of the storage unit 3200. The authentication key issuance unit 3203 issues an authentication key with a time limit (e.g., the vehicle is available only during the reserved use date and time of the vehicle 10A included in the authentication key arrangement request and the buffer period before and after the reserved use date and time of the vehicle 10A). The authentication key issuance unit 3203 distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A designated by the authentication key arrangement request via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0278] The C2C car-sharing service may include, for example, a service in the following form: lending only the trunk of the vehicle 10A (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle trunk lending service" for convenience). In the case of the vehicle trunk lending service, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 may issue an authentication key with restricted permissions: allowing the locking and unlocking of the trunk lid. Therefore, the lending target of the C2C car-sharing can be limited to only the trunk. By limiting the lending target of the C2C car-sharing to only the trunk, for example, the following form of carriage delivery service can be realized: borrowing the trunk of the vehicle 10A lent at the travel destination and delivering the purchased products used at the travel destination to the borrowed trunk carriage delivery service.

[0279] The location information management unit 3204 sends a location information request to the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201 according to an inquiry about the current location of the vehicle 10A received from the C2C car-sharing management server 70 by the communication processing unit 3201. Therefore, the location information management unit 3204 can obtain the current location information from the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201. The location information management unit 3204 replies to the C2C car-sharing management server 70 with the current location information obtained from the vehicle 10A through the communication processing unit 3201.

[0280] The schedule management unit 3205 sends the latest vehicle usage schedule information to the vehicle 10A via the communication processing unit 3201 in response to an inquiry about the current location of the vehicle 10A received from the C2C car-sharing management server 70 through the communication processing unit 3201.

[0281] The registration management unit 3206 performs the registration of regular users (sub-users) who use various services including the C2C car-sharing service, as described above, based on a user registration request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user by the communication processing unit 3201. The registration management unit 3206 performs the usage registration of the regular user of the vehicle 10A for the C2C car-sharing service based on a service usage registration request received from the mobile terminal 20Aa of the owner user by the communication processing unit 3201, as described above. When the usage registration of various services including the C2C car-sharing service has been completed, the registration management unit 3206 notifies the mobile terminals 20Aa and 20Ab corresponding to the regular user as the registration target through the communication processing unit 3201 that the usage registration of various services including the C2C car-sharing service has been completed, as described above. When the usage registration of the C2C car-sharing service has been completed, the registration management unit 3206 sends a service usage registration completion notification including service link information to the C2C car-sharing management server 70 that operates and manages the service as the registration target via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0282] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Ad of the borrower of the vehicle 10A includes a communication processing unit 2301, a communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key acquisition unit 2303, an authentication request unit 2304, a lock and unlock request unit 2305, and a storage unit 2300, as described above.

[0283] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 sends an authentication key acquisition request to the C2C vehicle sharing management server 70 via the communication processing unit 2302 according to a predetermined operation of the borrower of the vehicle 10A. When sending the authentication key acquisition request, the service login ID of the C2C vehicle sharing site corresponding to the borrower of the vehicle 10A is included in the authentication key acquisition request. Therefore, the C2C vehicle sharing management server 70 can send an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 according to the authentication key acquisition request, and the central server 30 can distribute the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20Ad according to the authentication key arrangement request, and the mobile terminal 20Ad can acquire the authentication key. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20Ad can lock and unlock the door of the vehicle 10A based on the functions of the communication processing unit 2301, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305. That is, the borrower of the vehicle 10A carrying the mobile terminal 20Ad can directly use the vehicle 10A, for example, use the mobile terminal 20Ad to lock and unlock the vehicle 10A and drive the vehicle 10A through the C2C vehicle sharing service, without exchanging keys with the regular user of the vehicle 10A. Similarly, the regular user of the vehicle 10A can lend the vehicle 10A to another person other than the regular user without exchanging keys. Therefore, the convenience of lending and borrowing the vehicle 10A between the regular user of the vehicle 10A and another person other than the regular user can be improved through the C2C vehicle sharing service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0284] Configuration details of the B2C vehicle sharing service

[0285] Reference will be made to Figure 6 Describe the B2C vehicle sharing service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0286] Figure 6 Is a diagram mainly showing an example of the configuration of the B2C vehicle sharing service in the authentication key management system 1. Hereinafter, mainly about Figure 6 Describe the configuration of the B2C vehicle sharing service in the authentication key management system 1, and the repeated description of the configuration repeated with the above configuration such as the key sharing service will be omitted as much as possible.

[0287] The B2C vehicle sharing management server 80 includes a communication device 81 and a processing device 82.

[0288] The communication device 81 is any device that performs two-way communication with each of the mobile terminal 20B and the central server 30 through a predetermined communication network.

[0289] The processing device 82 includes, for example, a communication processing unit 821, a reservation management unit 822, and a vehicle management unit 823, as functional units implemented by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM or auxiliary storage device on the CPU. The processing device 82 includes a storage unit 820, which is implemented as a storage area such as an auxiliary storage device of a server computer.

[0290] The communication processing unit 821 controls the communication device 81 to perform transmission / reception of various signals such as control signals or information signals to / from each of the mobile terminal 20B and the central server 30.

[0291] The reservation management unit 822 manages the use reservation of the vehicle 10B executed through a B2C car-sharing site or the like.

[0292] For example, the reservation management unit 822 receives a use reservation of the vehicle 10B from a user (hereinafter referred to as a "borrower user") who wants to borrow the vehicle 10B through a website (hereinafter referred to as a "B2C car-sharing site" for convenience) operated by a company such as the B2C car-sharing management server 80. The reservation management unit 822 stores information about the received use reservation of the vehicle 10B (use reservation information) in the storage unit 820. When information about the use reservation (use reservation information) is stored in the storage unit 820, for example, information for specifying the target vehicle 10A, reservation use date and time information (start use date and time and end use date and time), and the service login ID of the borrower user on the B2C car-sharing site may be included in the use reservation information.

[0293] For example, whenever the reservation management unit 822 receives a use reservation of the vehicle 10B, the reservation management unit 822 updates the information about the use schedule of the vehicle 10B (vehicle use schedule information) stored in the storage unit 820. Therefore, the B2C car-sharing management server 80 can display the use schedule of the vehicle 10B on the B2C car-sharing site to present the dates and times when reservation use can be made to the borrower user.

[0294] For example, when the communication processing unit 821 receives an authentication key request from the mobile terminal 20B, the reservation management unit 822 determines whether the authentication key request is a legitimate authentication key request. Specifically, the reservation management unit 822 can perform the determination based on the service login ID and password of the B2C car-sharing site corresponding to the borrower user included in the authentication key request, or the relationship regarding the date and time of the usage reservation (for example, within the range of the date and time of the usage reservation or less than a predetermined time before the start date and time of the usage). When the authentication key request is a legitimate authentication key acquisition request, the reservation management unit 822 sends an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 821. When the authentication key arrangement request is sent to the central server 30, the information of the mobile terminal 20B of the borrower user who specifies the borrowed vehicle 10B is included in the authentication key arrangement request. The information for specifying the borrower user of the borrowed vehicle 10B can be, for example, an authentication ID (hereinafter simply referred to as "borrower user ID"), which is used to obtain user authentication from the central server 30 so that the borrower user of the borrowed vehicle 10B can use the functions of the key application corresponding to the authentication key acquisition unit 2303 of the mobile terminal 20B, etc. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20B of the borrower user of the borrowed vehicle 10B can obtain an authentication key from the central server 30.

[0295] The vehicle management unit 823 manages the vehicle 10B that is the lending target.

[0296] For example, the vehicle management unit 823 asks the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 821 about the vehicle 10B parked near the location specified in the usage reservation (for example, within several hundred meters) before the reservation usage date and time of the vehicle 10B of the borrower user (for example, several tens of minutes before). The vehicle management unit 823 obtains the position information of the vehicle 10B parked near the specified location in response to the inquiry from the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 821. Therefore, the vehicle management unit 823 can specify one or more vehicles 10B parked around the specified location before the start date and time of the borrower's use of the vehicle 10B, and determine, for example, the vehicle 10B to be lent out.

[0297] For example, the vehicle management unit 823, based on a search request from a borrower user of the B2C car-sharing site for vehicle 10B in a specified area, asks the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 821 about the location information of vehicle 10B in the specified area. The vehicle management unit 823 obtains, via the communication processing unit 821, the location information of vehicle 10B in the specified area replied by the central server 30 according to this inquiry. Therefore, the vehicle management unit 823 can, for example, present the location information of vehicle 10B as the target to the borrower user who wants to immediately borrow vehicle 10B in the specified area at the B2C car-sharing site.

[0298] As described above, the processing device 32 of the central server 30 includes a communication processing unit 3201, a condition determination unit 3202, an authentication key issuance unit 3203, and a storage unit 3200.

[0299] When the communication processing unit 3201 receives an authentication key arrangement request received from the B2C car-sharing management server 80, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request. For example, the condition determination unit 3202 determines whether the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request based on whether the borrower user ID included in the authentication key arrangement request is an authentication ID already registered in the storage unit 3200, or based on predetermined authentication information (such as ID and password) corresponding to the B2C car-sharing management server 80.

[0300] When the condition determination unit 3202 determines that the authentication key arrangement request is a legitimate authentication key arrangement request, the authentication key issuance unit 3203 issues an authentication key with a time limit (for example, the vehicle is available only during the reserved use date and time of vehicle 10B included in the authentication key arrangement request and a buffer time period before and after the reserved use date and time of vehicle 10B). The authentication key issuance unit 3203 distributes the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20B of the borrower user who borrows vehicle 10B specified by the authentication key arrangement request via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0301] The processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20B of the borrower user who borrows vehicle 10B includes a communication processing unit 2301, a communication processing unit 2302, an authentication key acquisition unit 2303, an authentication request unit 2304, a lock and unlock request unit 2305, and a storage unit 2300, as described above.

[0302] The authentication key acquisition unit 2303 sends an authentication key acquisition request to the B2C vehicle sharing management server 80 via the communication processing unit 2302 according to a predetermined operation of the borrower user of the vehicle 10B. When sending the authentication key acquisition request, the service login ID of the B2C vehicle sharing site corresponding to the borrower user of the borrowed vehicle 10B is included in the authentication key acquisition request. Therefore, the B2C vehicle sharing management server 80 can send an authentication key arrangement request to the central server 30 according to the authentication key acquisition request, and the central server 30 can distribute the authentication key to the mobile terminal 20B according to the authentication key arrangement request, and the mobile terminal 20B can acquire the authentication key. Therefore, the mobile terminal 20B can lock and unlock the door of the vehicle 10B based on the functions of the communication processing unit 2301, the authentication request unit 2304, and the lock and unlock request unit 2305. That is, the borrower user of the borrowed vehicle 10B carrying the mobile terminal 20B can directly use the vehicle 10B through the B2C vehicle sharing service, such as using the mobile terminal 20B to lock and unlock the vehicle 10B and drive the vehicle 10B without exchanging keys with the company of the vehicle 10B. Therefore, the convenience of the borrower user borrowing the vehicle 10B can be improved through the B2C vehicle sharing service in the authentication key management system 1.

[0303] Characteristic operations of the deliveryman's mobile terminal

[0304] Refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the process of the characteristic operation performed by the deliveryman's mobile terminal 20Ac will be described, that is, the process of acquiring an image of the trunk of the vehicle 10A as the delivery destination when delivering a package (trunk image acquisition process).

[0305] Figure 7 is a flowchart schematically showing a first example of the trunk image acquisition process performed by the deliveryman's mobile terminal 20Ac. When an unlock request is sent from the deliveryman's mobile terminal 20Ac to the vehicle 10A, the process according to the flowchart is executed. Hereinafter, the same applies to the process according to the Figure 8 flowchart.

[0306] In step S102, the imaging unit 2310 determines whether an unlock completion notification has been received from the vehicle 10A (key unit 12) via the communication processing unit 2301. When the unlock completion notification is received from the vehicle 10A, the imaging unit 2310 determines that the vehicle 10A is unlocked and proceeds to step S104, otherwise, the process is repeated until the unlock completion notification is received.

[0307] Due to certain reasons such as communication failures, the unlocking completion notification may not be received from the vehicle 10A even after a certain period of time. In this case, in step S104, the imaging unit 2310 may cause the display 24 to manually display a screen for transferring to the imaging instruction screen. For example, the imaging unit 2310 causes a screen for the delivery person to check whether the unlocking of the vehicle 10A has been completed to be displayed, and when an operation corresponding to the response indicating that the unlocking has been completed is performed, the process may proceed to step S104.

[0308] In step S104, the imaging unit 2310 causes the display 24 to display the imaging instruction screen.

[0309] In step S106, the imaging unit 2310 determines whether a predetermined imaging operation has been performed by the delivery person on the imaging instruction screen, and the delivery person checks the captured image. For example, after the imaging operation of the delivery person, the imaging unit 2310 causes the display 24 to display a check screen for checking whether there are any problems with the currently captured image, and determines whether a predetermined operation for the delivery person to check whether there are no problems has been performed on the check screen. When the delivery person has performed a predetermined imaging operation on the imaging instruction screen and the delivery person has checked the captured image, the imaging unit 2310 proceeds to step S108, otherwise it proceeds to step S110.

[0310] The imaging unit 2310 determines whether the currently captured image is an appropriate image indicating the situation in the trunk, and the fact that the currently captured image is an appropriate image can be added to the determination condition in step S106 as an "AND condition". For example, the imaging unit 2310 can apply known image recognition techniques to determine whether the currently captured image is an appropriate image indicating the situation in the trunk based on whether the current captured image corresponds to the trunk, whether the conditions for checking the accommodation situation of the trunk are met (e.g., whether there is no camera shake, etc.). Therefore, when an image not related to the trunk is captured or an image that cannot check the accommodation situation in the trunk is captured due to camera shake, etc., the delivery person can capture the image again.

[0311] In step S108, the image sending unit 2311 sends the currently captured image (i.e., the trunk image at the time of delivery) to the central server 30 via the communication processing unit 2302 to end the current process. In this case, the image sending unit 2311 sends the trunk image at the time of delivery to the central server 30, and gives other information such as information indicating the target package and information indicating the requester of the package to the trunk image.

[0312] In step S110, the imaging unit 2310 determines whether an operation for sending a lock request to the vehicle 10A has been performed by the delivery person. When an operation for sending a lock request to the vehicle 10A has been performed by the delivery person, the imaging unit 2310 proceeds to step S112; otherwise, it returns to step S104.

[0313] In step S112, the lock and unlock request unit 2305 invalidates the operation of the delivery person for sending a lock request to the vehicle 10A, and the imaging unit 2310 causes the display 24 to display a notification screen (imaging forgetting notification screen) notifying that the imaging of the trunk image at the end of delivery has been forgotten, and the process returns to step S104. Therefore, after the package is accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A, even when the delivery person forgets to capture an image of the trunk and is about to lock the vehicle 10A, the imaging unit 2310 can make the delivery person aware that the delivery person has forgotten to image the trunk.

[0314] As described above, in this example, when delivering a package to the trunk of the vehicle 10A (specifically, when the door allowing access to the trunk of the vehicle 10A is unlocked), the processing device 23 of the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac can enable the delivery person to image the state of the trunk of the vehicle 10A using the camera 25. The processing device 23 can send (upload) the captured image (i.e., the trunk image at the time of delivery) to the central server 30.

[0315] As described above, when the functions of the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 and the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 of the central server 30 are set in the delivery management server 50, the processing device 23 of the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac sends the trunk image at the time of delivery to the delivery management server 50.

[0316] Subsequently, Figure 8 is a flowchart schematically showing a second example of the trunk image acquisition process performed by the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac.

[0317] Since the processing of steps S202 to S208 is the same as the Figure 7 processing of steps S102 to S108, its description will be omitted.

[0318] After step S208, in step S209, the image deletion unit 2312 deletes the currently captured image stored in the internal memory of the processing device 23 such as the storage unit 2300, and the current process ends.

[0319] Since the processing of steps S210 and S212 is the same as the Figure 7 processing of steps S110 and S112, its description will be omitted.

[0320] As described above, in this example, when the current captured image (the image of the trunk at the time of delivery) is sent to the central server 30, the processing device 23 of the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac deletes (erases) the current captured image stored in the internal memory or the like. The interior of the trunk of the vehicle 10A is a space that can accommodate personal items of the regular user of the vehicle 10A, and the situation where the trunk image at the time of delivery remains on the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac can be reduced. That is, the processing device 23 can upload the information indicating the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk (the trunk image at the time of delivery) to the central server 30 while paying attention to the user's privacy.

[0321] Characteristic operations of the central server

[0322] Next, with reference to Figures 9 to 11 , the characteristic operations performed by the central server 30, that is, the processing flow of the process of notifying the user of the carriage delivery service (the regular user of the vehicle 10A) of the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A will be described.

[0323] Figure 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a first example of the trunk accommodation situation notification process performed by the central server 30. The process according to this flowchart is repeatedly executed at a predetermined processing interval. Hereinafter, the same applies to the processes according to the flowcharts of Figure 10 and Figure 11 .

[0324] In step S302, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 determines whether the trunk image (the trunk image at the time of delivery) captured at the completion of the delivery of the package has been received from the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac through the communication processing unit 3201. When the trunk image at the time of delivery is received from the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 proceeds to step S304; otherwise, the current process ends.

[0325] In step S304, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 (an example of the delivery completion notification unit) sends a delivery completion notification to the mobile terminal 20 (mobile terminal 20Aa or mobile terminal 20Ab) of the requester (a regular user of the vehicle 10A) of the delivered package, for example, in the form of a push notification using a key application. The requester is specified from other information given in the trunk image at the time of delivery. In addition, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends the trunk image at the time of delivery to the mobile terminal 20 of the requester of the delivered package in the same manner. In this case, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 may send the delivery completion notification and the trunk image at the time of delivery as one piece of information at once, or may send them separately at different times.

[0326] The trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 may send at least one of the delivery completion notification and the trunk image at the time of delivery to the email address or the predetermined SNS account of the requester pre-registered in the storage unit 3200, instead of directly sending it to the mobile terminal 20 of the requester. As described above, when adopting the method of sending a delivery completion notification from the delivery company (delivery management server 50) to the requester, the sending of the delivery completion notification is omitted.

[0327] In step S306, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends a delivery completion notification of the target package to the delivery management server 50 (i.e., the delivery company) via the communication processing unit 3201, and ends the process. Therefore, even if the delivery completion notification is not directly sent from the deliveryman's mobile terminal 20Ac to the delivery management server 50, the delivery management server 50 can check whether the package has been properly delivered.

[0328] As described above, in this example, when the trunk image at the time of delivery is received from the deliveryman's mobile terminal 20Ac, the central server 30 sends the trunk image at the time of delivery indicating the latest accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A to the requester of the delivered package. Therefore, the central server 30 can notify the user of the latest accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A in a manner of providing the trunk image at the time of delivery to the requester (a user of the carriage delivery service). Therefore, the central server 30 can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the carriage delivery service.

[0329] In addition, in this example, when the central server 30 receives the trunk image at the time of delivery from the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac, the central server 30 determines that the package has been delivered and sends a delivery completion notice to the requester of the delivered package. Therefore, for example, in addition to imaging the state of the trunk by the delivery person using the camera 25, the central server 30 does not need to perform operations such as notifying the delivery company, etc., that the delivery has been completed. Therefore, the central server 30 can facilitate the collection of the trunk image at the time of delivery indicating the accommodation of the objects contained in the trunk at the time of delivery, while reducing the labor of the delivery person.

[0330] Figure 10 is a flowchart schematically showing a second example of the trunk accommodation situation notification process performed by the central server 30.

[0331] In step S402, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 determines whether a delivery preparation notice has been received from the delivery management server 50 through the communication processing unit 3201. When a delivery preparation notice is received from the delivery management server 50, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 proceeds to step S404, otherwise the current process ends.

[0332] In step S404, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires the most recent trunk accommodation situation information of the vehicle 10A corresponding to the delivery destination of the package specified by the delivery preparation notice. The acquired trunk accommodation situation information may include the trunk image at the time of delivery, sensor detection information about the interior of the trunk, request history information, door opening history information, etc., as described above.

[0333] In step S406, the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 performs a process of determining the accommodation amount of the objects contained in the vehicle 10A based on the acquired trunk accommodation situation information.

[0334] In this example, the accommodation amount of the vehicle 10A is determined at the start of the package delivery preparation, but it may also be determined at any time.

[0335] In step S408, the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 determines whether the accommodation amount of the objects contained in the vehicle 10A exceeds a predetermined standard by which it can be determined that additional package delivery to the trunk is not available. When the accommodation amount of the trunk of the vehicle 10A exceeds the predetermined standard, the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 proceeds to step S410, otherwise the current process ends.

[0336] In step S410, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends, via the communication processing unit 3201, a notification (additional delivery unavailable notification) related to, for example, a determination result that the accommodation capacity of the trunk of the vehicle 10A exceeds a predetermined standard and the situation is that additional package delivery is not feasible to the mobile terminal 20 (mobile terminal 20Aa or mobile terminal 20Ab) of the requester of the delivered package (regular user of the vehicle 10A) in the push notification mode of using the key application. Therefore, the requester of the package who is a user of the in-vehicle delivery service can recognize that the accommodation capacity of the trunk of the vehicle 10A exceeds the standard and thus additional delivery is not feasible.

[0337] Instead of directly sending it to the requester's mobile terminal 20, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 can send the additional delivery unavailable notification to the email address or the predetermined SNS account of the requester pre-registered in the storage unit 3200. This also applies to the additional delivery unavailable notification and the delivery operation procedure change request in step S510 to be described later. Figure 11

[0338] In step S412, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends, via the communication processing unit 3201, an additional delivery unavailable notification similar to that in step S410 to the delivery management server 50 (i.e., the delivery company). Therefore, the delivery company can recognize that the probability that the package cannot be delivered to the trunk of the vehicle 10A designated as the delivery destination of the target package is high. Therefore, the delivery company can postpone (delay) the delivery order of the package or temporarily suspend the delivery operation, and thus can change the procedure regarding the package delivery operation and suppress the reduction in the work efficiency of the in-vehicle delivery service.

[0339] As described above, when the accommodation capacity of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A designated as the delivery destination of the package exceeds a predetermined standard, the central server 30 notifies the user of the vehicle delivery service that the accommodation capacity of the trunk exceeds the predetermined standard. Therefore, the central server 30 can notify the user of the vehicle delivery service of the latest accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A, specifically, the situation where the accommodation capacity of the trunk exceeds the predetermined standard. Therefore, the central server 30 can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the in-vehicle delivery service, and, for example, perform actions such as taking out the delivered package or unnecessary items from the trunk of the vehicle 10A.

[0340] Figure 11 is a flowchart schematically showing a third example of the trunk accommodation situation notification process of the central server 30.

[0341] Since the processing of steps S502 to S508 is the same as Figure 4The processing of steps S402 to S408 is the same, so its description will be omitted.

[0342] In step S508, when the accommodation capacity of the trunk of vehicle 10A exceeds a predetermined standard, the accommodation capacity determination unit 3209 proceeds to step S510.

[0343] In step S510, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends an additional delivery unavailable notification to the mobile terminal 20 of the requester via the communication processing unit 3201, similar to Figure 10 step S410 in. In addition, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 (an example of a delivery operation procedure change unit) sends a notification for prompting a change in the procedure of the delivery operation (a delivery operation procedure change request) for a package that requests the delivery company to specify the trunk of vehicle 10A as the delivery destination to the mobile terminal 20 of the requester in the same manner via the communication processing unit 3201. In this case, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 may send the additional delivery unavailable notification and the delivery operation procedure change request as one piece of information at one time, or may send them separately at different times. The change in the procedure of the delivery operation for the package includes at least one of the suspension of the delivery operation of the package, the change of the delivery destination of the package, and the change of the delivery date and time (i.e., a request for redelivery after changing the date and time). Therefore, in a case where the probability that the package cannot be delivered to the trunk of vehicle 10A is high, the central server 30 can prompt the user of the cabin delivery service to request a change in the procedure of the delivery operation for the package, such as temporarily suspending the delivery operation of the target package.

[0344] The delivery operation procedure change request may include information indicating all the packages that have not been delivered and whose delivery destination is specified as the trunk of vehicle 10A. Therefore, the central server 30 can enable the user to grasp all the packages that have not been delivered, and the user can accurately execute the change in the procedure of the delivery operation for all the packages that have not been delivered.

[0345] In addition, a delivery operation procedure change request can be used as a control signal that directly causes a display 24 of a mobile terminal 20 (mobile terminal 20Aa or mobile terminal 20Ab) of a user of the vehicle delivery service to display a website regarding a procedure change of a delivery operation of a package (e.g., a delivery site), or a window or screen of a predetermined application (e.g., a key application) linked to the website. For example, the delivery operation procedure change request can control the key application and cause a web page (change request page) for requesting a procedure change of a delivery operation of a requested delivery site, which is displayed on a browser in the key application, or a screen (change request screen) that is specifically provided as a screen in the key application and linked to the change request page, to be displayed. Therefore, the user does not need to perform an operation to cause the display 24 of the mobile terminal 20 to display a delivery site or the like, or perform an operation to start a key application or the like linked to the delivery site. Therefore, the central server 30 can improve the convenience of the user, and as a result, can prompt the user regarding a procedure change of a delivery operation of a package.

[0346] The transmission destination of the delivery operation procedure change request can be a terminal other than the mobile terminal 20 used by the requester (e.g., a computer terminal such as a desktop or laptop). In this case, instead of the change request screen, a window of a predetermined application (change request window) linked to the change request page can be displayed on the display of the terminal. In addition, as described above, the delivery operation procedure change request can be sent to the e-mail address or a predetermined SNS account of a user of the vehicle delivery service. Further, in a display device such as a display of a terminal used by the user, the delivery operation procedure change request can include link information of a URL scheme for causing a website (e.g., a delivery site) regarding a procedure change of a delivery operation of a package, or a window or screen of a predetermined application linked to the website, to be displayed.

[0347] Since the process of step S512 is the same as the process of step S412 in Figure 10 it will be omitted from the description.

[0348] As described above, in this example, when the accommodation amount of an object accommodated in the trunk of the vehicle 10A designated as the delivery destination of the package exceeds a predetermined standard, the central server 30 notifies the user to request the delivery company to change the procedure of the delivery operation of the package (e.g., re-delivery after changing the delivery date and time). Therefore, in a case where the probability that an additional package cannot be delivered to the trunk of the vehicle 10A is high, the central server 30 can cause the user to request the delivery company to change the procedure of the delivery operation of the package. Therefore, even in a case where the probability that an additional package cannot be delivered to the trunk of the vehicle 10A is high, the central server 30 can reduce inefficient delivery operations such as a delivery person traveling to the vehicle 10A for delivery, and improve the work efficiency of the vehicle delivery service.

[0349] Can be executed Figure 9 processing and Figure 10 or Figure 11 either or both of the processing.

[0350] Operation

[0351] In the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires information on the accommodation situation of an object accommodated in the compartment (trunk) of the vehicle 10A that can be designated as the delivery destination of the package. Based on the trunk accommodation situation information acquired by the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 notifies the user of the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the compartment (trunk) of the vehicle 10A.

[0352] Therefore, based on the information on the accommodation situation of the compartment in the vehicle 10A that is the delivery destination of the acquired package, the central server 30 or the delivery management server 50 (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as "the central server 30 etc.") can notify the user of the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the compartment of the vehicle 10A. Therefore, the central server 30 can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the object inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A that is the delivery destination of the package.

[0353] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires a captured image inside the compartment (trunk) taken by the mobile terminal 20 carried by the package delivery person and equipped with an imaging function when delivering the package. The trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends the acquired captured image of the package inside the compartment (trunk) at the time of delivery to the user's predetermined terminal (for example, the mobile terminals 20Aa, 20Ab), the user's email address, or the user's predetermined SNS account via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0354] Therefore, the central server 30 etc. sends the acquired captured image inside the compartment taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac when delivering the package to the user's terminal etc., so that the user can specifically grasp the accommodation situation of the object accommodated in the compartment of the vehicle 10A. Therefore, the central server 30 etc. can enable the user to grasp whether the package to be delivered is in a deliverable situation, whether the package has actually been delivered, etc. through, for example, the captured image at the time of delivery.

[0355] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the captured image has been acquired from the delivery person's mobile terminal 20Ac, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends a package delivery completion notification to the user's predetermined terminal, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined SNS account via the communication processing unit 3201.

[0356] Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can identify the completion of the delivery of the package by acquiring the captured image taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal 20 during delivery. Therefore, for example, in addition to the work of capturing an image inside the vehicle compartment at the completion of delivery, the delivery person does not need to perform an additional work of only providing a delivery completion notice or the like from the mobile terminal 20Ac to the central server 30. At the completion of delivery. Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can notify the user of the delivery completion while reducing the work burden of the delivery person at the completion of delivery.

[0357] In addition, in the present embodiment, based on the information acquired by the trunk accommodation situation information acquisition unit 3208, the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 determines whether the accommodation amount of the object accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A exceeds a predetermined accommodation amount. Standard. When the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 determines that the accommodation amount exceeds the predetermined standard, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 provides a notification of the determination result to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined SNS account.

[0358] Therefore, for example, when the accommodation amount of the object accommodated inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the package, exceeds a predetermined standard and it is difficult to accommodate an additional package, the central server 30 or the like can notify the user of the determination result. Therefore, for example, depending on the presence or absence of the notification, the central server 30 or the like can enable the user to grasp whether the package to be delivered is in a deliverable situation or the like.

[0359] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the accommodation amount determination unit 3209 determines that the accommodation amount exceeds the predetermined standard, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 provides a notification to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined SNS account via the communication processing unit 3201, so as to request at least a change in the procedure for the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company, and the change includes a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the undelivered package, a redelivery of the undelivered package at a date and time different from the currently set date and time, and a change in the delivery destination of the undelivered package.

[0360] Therefore, for example, when the accommodation amount of the object accommodated inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the package, exceeds a predetermined standard and it is difficult to accommodate an additional package, the central server 30 or the like can enable the user to request a change in the procedure for the delivery operation of the package, such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package, etc. Therefore, in the case where the package cannot be accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, the central server 30 or the like makes it less likely for the delivery person to go to the vehicle 10A or the like. Therefore, even in the case where an additional package cannot be delivered to the inside of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A designated as the delivery destination of the package, the central server 30 or the like can improve the efficiency of the delivery operation.

[0361] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends a notification to a predetermined terminal of the user (e.g., mobile terminals 20Aa, 20Ab) so that a display device (display 24) of the terminal displays a website regarding a program change of the delivery operation of the package, or a window of an application program that is linked to the website and installed in the terminal used by the user (including a screen specifically displayed on the display of a smart phone, etc.).

[0362] Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can cause the user's terminal (e.g., a smart phone) to display, on a predetermined browser, a website regarding a program change (such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package) of the delivery operation of the package. In addition, the central server 30 or the like can activate an application program capable of changing the program, and a window for a specific change operation is displayed. Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can enable the user to specifically request a program change regarding the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company.

[0363] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 provides, via the communication processing unit 3201, a notification including link information to the user's email address or the user's predetermined SNS account, the link information being for causing a display device of the terminal used by the user to display a website regarding a program change of the package delivery operation or a window of an application program that is linked to the website and installed in the terminal in use.

[0364] The central server 30 or the like can cause a terminal of the user in use (e.g., a computer terminal such as a tablet terminal type or a laptop type) to display, on a predetermined browser, a website regarding a program change (such as a temporary suspension of the delivery operation of the package) of the delivery operation of the package. In addition, the central server 30 or the like can activate an application program capable of changing the program, and a window for a specific change operation is displayed. Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can enable the user to specifically request a program change regarding the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company.

[0365] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation situation notification unit 3210 sends a notification including information indicating packages whose compartments (trunks) of all vehicles 10A that have not been delivered are designated as delivery destinations to a predetermined terminal of the user, the user's email address, or the user's predetermined SNS account.

[0366] The central server 30 or the like can enable the user to request a program change regarding the delivery operation of the package from the delivery company for packages whose interiors of the compartments of all vehicles 10A to be delivered are designated as delivery destinations, not limited to the designated packages.

[0367] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires a captured image inside the vehicle compartment (trunk) taken by the mobile terminal 20Ac (camera 25) equipped with an imaging function and carried by the delivery person of the package when delivering the package. In addition, the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires detection information output from a sensor provided in the vehicle compartment (trunk) and related to the accommodation condition of an object accommodated in the vehicle compartment (trunk).

[0368] Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can specifically grasp the accommodation amount and the like of the object accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A from the captured image of the vehicle compartment taken by the delivery person's mobile terminal 20 when delivering the package or from the detection information output from a sensor (for example, a camera) provided inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A.

[0369] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires information on the request history of the package requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A.

[0370] Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can estimate the accommodation amount of the object currently accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A from, for example, the request frequency in a recent predetermined time period. Therefore, the central server 30 or the like specifically grasps the accommodation amount and the like of the object accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A based on the request history of the package requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A.

[0371] In addition, in the present embodiment, the trunk accommodation information acquisition unit 3208 acquires information on the opening history of the door that allows entry into the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A.

[0372] Therefore, the central server 30 or the like can estimate the accommodation amount of the object currently accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A by, for example, grasping the number of packages delivered after the user last opened the door that allows entry into the inside of the vehicle compartment based on the request history of the package in a recent predetermined time period and the opening history of the door that allows entry into the inside of the vehicle compartment. In addition, the central server 30 or the like can consider the packages assumed to have been taken out of the vehicle compartment. Therefore, in addition to the request history of the package requested to be delivered to the inside of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, the central server 30 or the like can also grasp the accommodation amount of the object accommodated in the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A in a specific and more accurate manner based on the unlocking history of the door that allows entry into the inside of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A.

[0373] In addition, in the present embodiment, the processing device 23 of the mobile terminal 20Ac carried by a delivery person of a delivery company and equipped with an imaging function (camera 25) executes a predetermined method for acquiring an image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A (hereinafter referred to as "the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment"). The delivery company operates a delivery service in which the inside of the compartment (trunk) of the vehicle 10A used by a user can be designated as a delivery destination for a package. Specifically, the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment includes an imaging step and a sending step. In the imaging step, the imaging unit 2310 causes the delivery person to image the inside of the compartment (trunk) using the imaging function (camera 25) when delivering a package. In the sending step, the captured image of the inside of the compartment (trunk) is sent to a predetermined external device (such as the central server 30, the delivery management server 50, etc.).

[0374] Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment can cause the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person to capture an image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A and, for example, send the image to the server of the delivery company (delivery management server 50) or the server of a support company (central server 30) that supports the operation of a compartment delivery service such as distributing key information for unlocking the vehicle 10A. Therefore, the delivery company, the support company, etc. can provide the user with an image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A during delivery. Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the package, via the server of the delivery company, etc.

[0375] In addition, in the present embodiment, in the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment, in the sending step, the image sending unit 3211 sends the captured image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A during delivery to an external device (i.e., the central server 30) that manages information about the vehicle 10A.

[0376] Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment can cause the mobile terminal 20Ac of the delivery person to send, for example, the captured image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A to an external device (central server 30) that manages information about the vehicle 10A (such as key information for the delivery company to unlock the vehicle 10A during delivery or the location information of the vehicle 10A), that is, an external device operated by the support company. Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the compartment can avoid the situation of providing the image inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the private space of the user, to the delivery company. Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the vehicle can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside the compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the package, while paying attention to the user's privacy.

[0377] In addition, in the present embodiment, the method for acquiring an image inside the vehicle compartment includes a deletion step performed by the image deletion unit 3212. The deletion step deletes the captured image in the mobile terminal 20Ac of the deliveryman when the captured image has been sent to an external device in the sending step.

[0378] Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the vehicle compartment can cause the mobile terminal 20 to delete the captured image inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A sent to a predetermined external device (such as the central server 30 or the delivery management server 50). Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the vehicle compartment can avoid the situation where the image inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the private space of the user, remains in the mobile terminal 20 of the deliveryman. Therefore, the method for acquiring an image inside the vehicle can enable the user to grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated inside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10A, which is the delivery destination of the package, while paying attention to the user's privacy.

[0379] The embodiments for implementing the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as described above, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0380] For example, in the above embodiment, the mobile terminal 20 sends an authentication request including an authentication key to the key unit 12, and the key unit 12 performs signal exchange with the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 based on the authentication result based on the authentication key. Therefore, the locking and unlocking of the door of the vehicle 10A and the starting of the vehicle 10A are achieved through the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11, but the present invention is not limited to the above solution.

[0381] Specifically, a configuration can be adopted in which the function of the key unit 12 is handed over to the delivery mobile terminal 20, and the mobile terminal 20 performs signal exchange with the vehicle 10 (locking, unlocking, and starting device 11) based on the above key information (internal key information) using LF radio waves and RF radio waves, so that the locking and unlocking of the door of the vehicle 10A and the starting of the vehicle 10A are achieved through the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11. In the above case, the "authentication key" in the above embodiment can be replaced with "key information". In other words, the central server 30 can issue key information instead of the authentication key, and distribute the key information to the mobile terminal 20 in the same method as the authentication key in the above embodiment. Therefore, the same operations and effects as the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0382] The function of the key unit 12 can be integrated with the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11, and the configuration regarding the communication between the locking, unlocking, and starting device 11 and the key unit 12 and the authentication related to the communication (LF radio wave transmitter 111, RF radio wave receiver 112, verification ECU 113, LF radio wave receiver 121, and RF radio wave transmitter 122) can be omitted. In this case, when the authentication of the mobile terminal 20 based on the authentication key is successful, the key ECU 124 can directly output an unlocking command, a locking command, and a starting command to each of the body ECU 114 and the engine ECU 116 instead of the verification ECU 113, and perform the locking and unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10 and the starting of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the same operations and effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0383] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and the modified example, the target of locking and unlocking by the transmission signal (authentication request, etc.) transmitted from the mobile terminal is the vehicle (door), but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The vehicle (door) in the above-described embodiment and the modified example can be replaced by a building or facility (its door) such as a residence, a second residence, a meeting room, etc. used by the user.

[0384] Specifically, the in-vehicle delivery service, the in-vehicle collection service, or the in-vehicle recycling service can be replaced by a delivery service, a collection service, or a recycling service that can be designated as a delivery destination, a collection point, or a recycling point for packages or items inside a building (e.g., a residence or a privately-owned second residence) or a facility (e.g., a rented second residence, a meeting room, etc.) used by the user. In this case, the term "inside the facility" refers to a location where entry from the outside is prevented by locking the above-described facility, and can include not only the inside of the building in the facility but also the inside of the higher outer wall adjacent to the facility without a roof inside.

[0385] More specifically, even when the inside of a building or facility used by the user is designated as a delivery destination, the delivery person's mobile terminal can perform the same processing as Figure 7 and Figure 8 . Furthermore, a server that operates a delivery service or a server that supports a delivery service by distributing an authentication key for locking and unlocking a predetermined door of a building or facility, etc. can perform the same processing as Figures 9 to 11 . Therefore, the user can grasp the accommodation situation of the objects accommodated in the building and the facility, and for example, can obtain the same operations and effects as those of the above-described embodiment and the modified example.

[0386] In addition, the B2C car-sharing service can be replaced by a B2C sharing service that leases facilities (e.g., leased second homes, meeting rooms, gymnasiums, etc.) owned by a company or organization and available to multiple users at different times. Therefore, facilities owned by a company or organization and available to users at different times can be shared among ordinary consumers.

[0387] In addition, the C2C car-sharing service can be replaced by a C2C sharing service that supports the lease of part or all of a privately owned home or second home between individuals. Therefore, part or all of a privately owned home or second home can be shared between individuals.

Claims

1. An information processing method, which is executed by an information processing device configured to perform the operation of a delivery service or support for the operation, in the delivery service, the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user is designated as the delivery destination of a package, and the information processing method is characterized in that comprising: acquiring a captured image of the interior taken by a mobile terminal carried by the delivery person of the package and equipped with an imaging function when delivering the package, the captured image indicating the accommodation situation of objects accommodated in the vehicle, building, or facility; and providing a notification of the captured image to the user.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that further comprising: determining whether the accommodation quantity of the objects accommodated in the interior exceeds a predetermined standard based on the acquired captured image, when it is determined that the accommodation quantity exceeds the predetermined standard, providing a notification of the determination result to the user.

3. The information processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that further comprising: when it is determined that the accommodation quantity exceeds the predetermined standard, providing a notification to the user to request at least a change in the procedure for the delivery operation of the package from the delivery service company, the change including at least one of suspension of the delivery operation of the undelivered package, redelivery of the undelivered package at a date and time different from the currently set date and time, and change of the delivery destination of the undelivered package.

4. The information processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that further comprising: by providing the notification to a predetermined terminal of the user, causing a display device of the predetermined terminal of the user to display a website for the procedure change or a window of an application installed in the predetermined terminal and linked to the website.

5. The information processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that further comprising: providing a notification including link information to the user, the link information being used to cause a display device of the in-use terminal used by the user to display a website for the procedure change or a window of an application installed in the in-use terminal and linked to the website.

6. The information processing method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that comprising: providing a notification to the user including information indicating all undelivered packages designated with the interior of the vehicle, building, or facility as the delivery destination.

7. The information processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that comprising: further acquiring detection information about the accommodation quantity output from a sensor provided in the vehicle, building, or facility.

8. The information processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that comprising: acquiring information about the request history of the package requested with the interior of the vehicle, building, or facility as the delivery destination; and / or Obtain information regarding the opening history of the door for allowing entry into the interior of the vehicle, the building, or the facility by the user.

9. An information processing device configured to perform the operation of a delivery service or support for the operation, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user in the delivery service is designated as the delivery destination of a package, the information processing device characterized by including a processor configured to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an information processing program, the information processing program causing an information processing device to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, the information processing device is configured to perform the operation of a delivery service or support for the operation, in which the interior of a vehicle, building, or facility used by a user in the delivery service is designated as the delivery destination of a package.

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