Information processing method, information processing device, and information processing program

Abstract

An information processing method acquires input data including a current location of an electric moving body, a background map indicating an area around the current location, a location list in which names of a plurality of locations are registered, and possibilities of arrival from the current location to each location included in the location list; changing the display mode of characters representing the name of each place according to the arrival possibility; and outputting, on the basis of the display mode, a superimposed map obtained by superimposing characters indicating the name of each location on the background map.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for presenting a drivable range of an electric vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for calculating a drivable distance of a vehicle by evaluating a plurality of links extending outward from a position of a vehicle, and displaying the drivable range of the vehicle on a map image based on the calculation result.

[0003] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the drivable range is displayed by the outline of a polygonal figure expressed by drawing lines on a map image. However, when the drivable range is displayed in this manner, there is a concern that the user may be confused.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6384876 Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for displaying the drivable range of an electric vehicle in a manner that can be intuitively understood by a user.

[0008] An information processing method in one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method in an information processing device for displaying the arrival possibility of an electric mobile body on a display device, obtaining input data, the input data including the current location of the electric mobile body, a background map representing the area around the current location, a location list in which the names of multiple locations are registered, and the arrival possibility from the current location to each location included in the location list; changing the display method of text representing the name of each location according to the arrival possibility; and outputting a superimposed map based on the display method by superimposing the text representing the name of each location on the background map.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to make the user intuitively understand the drivable range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the information processing device in Embodiment 1.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a spot list in the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a superimposed map in the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system in Embodiment 2.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a spot list in the second embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the information processing device in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] (Knowledge that forms the basis of this disclosure)

[0018] Electric vehicles such as electric cars have shorter cruising ranges than gasoline vehicles, and therefore require that the drivable range from the current location be displayed on a map.

[0019] Patent document 1 discloses a method of showing the drivable range by using the outline of a polygonal figure displayed by drawing lines on a map. However, sometimes various lines are drawn on a map to indicate roads, county boundaries, etc. Therefore, when the drivable range is displayed by drawing lines as in Patent document 1, it may confuse the user as to which line indicates the drivable range and which line indicates the road, county boundary, etc.

[0020] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems.

[0021] (1) An information processing method in one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method in an information processing device for displaying the arrival possibility of an electric mobile body on a display device, obtaining input data, the input data including the current location of the electric mobile body, a background map representing an area around the current location, a location list in which the names of a plurality of locations are registered, and the arrival possibility from the current location to each location included in the location list; changing the display method of text representing the names of each location according to the arrival possibility; and outputting a superimposed map in which the text representing the names of each location is superimposed on the background map based on the display method.

[0022] According to this structure, a superimposed map showing the names of various places in a display mode corresponding to the possibility of arrival can be displayed on the display device. Therefore, the user can clearly distinguish the drivable range from the lines representing roads, county boundaries, etc. As a result, the user can intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0023] (2) In the information processing method described in (1), in the change of the display mode, the size of the characters indicating the name of each point may be changed.

[0024] According to this structure, the size of the characters changes according to the possibility of reaching. Therefore, the user can intuitively distinguish between a place with a high possibility of reaching and a place with a low possibility of reaching. As a result, the user can more intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0025] Furthermore, according to this configuration, it is also possible to make a user with color vision deficiency intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0026] (3) In the information processing method described in (1) or (2), the initial positions of the characters representing the names of the locations on the background map may be further determined, the initial positions being determined in order from the location where the characters are largest.

[0027] According to this configuration, the initial positions are determined in order from the location where the characters are large, so that the layout of the characters in the superimposed map can be easily adjusted compared to the case where the superimposed map is generated by determining the initial positions in order from the location where the characters are small.

[0028] (4) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (3), the locations whose arrival probability exceeds a threshold value may be further extracted from the location list, and the overlay map may include text representing the names of the extracted locations.

[0029] According to this structure, it is possible to suppress the inclusion of text indicating the name of a place whose arrival possibility is below a threshold value in the superimposed map. Therefore, a visually well-organized superimposed map can be displayed on the display device. As a result, the user can more intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0030] (5) In the information processing method described in (4), it may also be that, in the generation of the overlay map, it is determined whether the number of locations whose arrival possibility exceeds the threshold value exceeds the benchmark number. If the number exceeds the benchmark number, the priority of each location is determined in descending order of the arrival possibility, and the overlay map is generated based on the priority.

[0031] According to this configuration, a superimposed map that preferentially displays characters indicating the names of places with a high probability of arrival can be displayed on the display device. Therefore, it is possible to meet the need to preferentially confirm places with a high probability of arrival.

[0032] (6) In the information processing method described in (4), it may also be that, in the generation of the overlay map, it is determined whether the number of locations whose arrival possibility exceeds the threshold value exceeds the benchmark number. If the number exceeds the benchmark number, the priority of each location is determined in order from low to high according to the arrival possibility, and the overlay map is generated based on the priority.

[0033] According to this configuration, a superimposed map that preferentially displays the names of places with low arrival probability can be displayed on the display device. Therefore, by preferentially confirming places with low arrival probability, it is possible to meet the need to estimate the distance that the electric vehicle can travel.

[0034] (7) In the information processing method described in any one of items (1) to (6), it may be that the location list is associated with a landmark attribute for a landmark location among the multiple locations, and the input data also includes a movement history of the electric mobile body. Further, based on the movement history, it is determined whether the number of visits to the current location by the electric mobile body exceeds a benchmark number. In generating the overlay map, if it is determined that the number of visits is less than the benchmark number, the overlay map is generated so that the text representing the name of the location associated with the landmark attribute is displayed preferentially over the text representing the name of the location not associated with the landmark attribute.

[0035] According to this configuration, a superimposed map that preferentially displays characters indicating the names of landmarks can be displayed on the display device. As a result, users traveling in areas where they are less familiar with place names, such as travel destinations, can intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0036] (8) In the information processing method described in (7), in generating the overlay map, the overlay map may be generated so as to include more characters representing names of places associated with the landmark attribute than characters representing names of places not associated with the landmark attribute.

[0037] According to this structure, a superimposed map including more characters representing the names of places associated with landmark attributes than characters representing the names of places not associated with landmark attributes can be displayed on a display device. As a result, users traveling in areas where they are less familiar with place names, such as travel destinations, can intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0038] (9) In the information processing method described in (3), the initial position may be determined based on the latitude and longitude of each point.

[0039] According to this configuration, a superimposed map reflecting the latitude and longitude of each point in the initial position can be displayed on the display device, so that the user can understand the drivable range more intuitively.

[0040] (10) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (9), the positions of the characters representing the names of the respective locations may be adjusted so that the characters representing the names of the respective locations are not arranged in an overlapping state on the background map.

[0041] According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid displaying a superimposed map in which characters indicating the names of various points overlap each other on the display device, thereby enabling the user to more intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0042] (11) In the information processing method described in any one of items (1) to (10), the input data may also include the remaining power of the electric mobile body and the predicted power consumption when the electric mobile body moves from the current location to various locations, and further, the possibility of arrival is calculated based on the remaining power and the predicted power consumption.

[0043] According to this configuration, the arrival possibility is calculated based on the remaining power amount and the predicted power consumption amount of the electric vehicle. Therefore, the arrival possibility can be calculated more accurately.

[0044] (12) In another embodiment of the present invention, an information processing device displays the possibility of arrival of an electric mobile body on a display device, and the information processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires input data, the input data including the current location of the electric mobile body, a background map representing an area around the current location, a location list in which the names of multiple locations are registered, and the possibility of arrival from the current location to each location included in the location list; a change unit that changes the display method of text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of arrival; and an output unit that outputs a superimposed map obtained by superimposing the text representing the name of each location on the background map based on the display method.

[0045] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an information processing device that can obtain the same operational effects as the above-described information processing method.

[0046] (13) In another embodiment of the present invention, an information processing program causes a computer to execute an information processing method for displaying the possibility of arrival of an electric mobile body on a display device, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to execute the following processing: obtaining input data, the input data including the current location of the electric mobile body, a background map representing an area surrounding the current location, a location list in which the names of multiple locations are registered, and the possibility of arrival from the current location to each location included in the location list; changing the display method of text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of arrival; and outputting a superimposed map obtained by superimposing the text representing the name of each location on the background map based on the display method.

[0047] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an information processing device that can obtain the same operational effects as the above-described information processing method.

[0048] The present disclosure can also be realized as a processing system that operates according to such an information processing program. In addition, it is needless to say that such a computer program can be circulated via a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a communication network such as the Internet.

[0049] In addition, the embodiments described below all represent a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, constituent elements, steps, the order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are an example, and their purpose is not to limit the present disclosure. In addition, for the constituent elements in the following embodiments that are not recorded in the independent claims representing the highest concept, they are described as arbitrary constituent elements. In addition, it is also possible to combine the various contents in all embodiments.

[0050] (Implementation method 1)

[0051] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of an information processing system 100 to which the information processing device 1 in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is applied. The information processing system 100 includes the information processing device 1, the user terminal 2, the electric mobile body 3, and the network NT. The information processing device 1 is connected to the user terminal 2 (an example of a display device) and the electric mobile body 3 via the network NT so as to be able to communicate. The network NT is, for example, a wide area communication network including the Internet and a mobile phone communication network. Figure 1 In the figure, one user terminal 2 and one electric vehicle 3 are shown, but these may be plural. The user terminal 2 and the electric vehicle 3 are each uniquely identified by a communication address.

[0052] The user terminal 2 is a portable information processing device such as a tablet computer or a smart phone. The user terminal 2 is carried by a user riding the electric vehicle 3. The superimposed map SM is displayed on the user terminal 2. The superimposed map SM is a map image in which text indicating the names of various locations is superimposed on a background map in order to show the user the drivable range of the electric vehicle 3 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 ).

[0053] The electric vehicle 3 is a vehicle that uses electricity as a power source to travel. The electric vehicle 3 includes a motor, a battery that supplies power to the motor, an inverter that controls the motor, and a display that displays a map image. The electric vehicle 3 is, for example, an electric car, an electric two-wheeled vehicle, an electric bicycle, an electric scooter, etc. In the following description, it is assumed that the electric vehicle 3 is an electric car. The battery is, for example, a secondary battery that can be charged and discharged, such as a lithium-ion battery and a nickel-hydrogen battery.

[0054] The user terminal 2 sends input data for inquiring the information processing device 1 about the drivable range from the current location to the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 that receives the input data generates drivable range information indicating the drivable range from the current location and sends it to the user terminal 2.

[0055] Next, the details of the structure of the information processing device 1 are described. The information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a processor 12, and a memory 13. The communication unit 11 is a communication circuit that connects the information processing device 1 to the network NT. The communication unit 11 receives input data from the user terminal 2 and transmits the drivable range information to the user terminal 2.

[0056] The processor 12 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes an acquisition unit 121, a calculation unit 122, an extraction unit 123, a determination unit 124, a priority determination unit 125, a change unit 126, a position determination unit 127, a generation unit 128, and an output unit 129. The acquisition unit 121 to the output unit 129 are implemented by the central processing unit executing a given information processing program. However, this is an example, and the acquisition unit 121 to the output unit 129 can also be implemented by a dedicated electronic circuit such as an ASIC. In addition, Figure 1 The functional units of the processor 12 shown are examples, and some functional units may be omitted or integrated into other functional units. In addition, part of the processing performed by the processor 12 may also be performed by an external device not shown that is connected to the information processing device 1 so as to be communicable. For example, although the details will be described later, the processing performed by the calculation unit 122 may also be performed by the above-mentioned external device.

[0057] The acquisition unit 121 acquires input data including the current location of the electric vehicle 3, a background map showing an area around the current location, a location list 132 in which the names of a plurality of locations are registered, and the possibility of reaching each location included in the location list 132 from the current location. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 121 according to the present embodiment acquires, as input data, the remaining power amount of the electric vehicle 3 and the predicted power consumption amount when the electric vehicle 3 moves from the current location to each location.

[0058] The current location of the electric vehicle 3 can be acquired by communicating with the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The current location is position information including latitude and longitude. In addition, the current location may also include the altitude of the electric vehicle 3.

[0059] The background map showing the area around the current location can be acquired from the map information database 131. The background map is, for example, a map that describes only the main roads and geographical boundaries of the area within a certain range from the current location.

[0060] The map information database 131 is a database stored in the memory 13, and registers map information described later and location information related to locations in the world. The location information is information including the name of the location, the latitude and longitude of the location. In addition, the map information database 131 can also be stored in the above-mentioned external device, etc.

[0061] A location list 132 in which a plurality of location names are registered (see Figure 3 ) can be obtained from the map information database 131. Here, a place list 132 in which the names of a plurality of places existing in an area within a certain range from the current location are registered is obtained. Such a place list 132 is prepared, for example, by extracting the place information of the places existing in an area within a certain range from the current location from the map information database 131.

[0062] The calculation unit 122 can be used to perform calculations to obtain the possibility of reaching each point included in the point list 132 from the current point. The calculation method of the possibility of reaching by the calculation unit 122 will be described later.

[0063] The remaining power of the electric vehicle 3 is the current remaining power of the electric vehicle 3, and can be acquired by communicating with the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The acquisition unit 121 according to this embodiment acquires the remaining power of the electric vehicle 3 at the timing of acquiring the current location of the electric vehicle 3, for example.

[0064] The predicted power consumption amount when the electric vehicle 3 moves from the current location to each location can be acquired by causing the calculation unit 122 to perform calculations. The calculation method of the predicted power consumption amount by the calculation unit 122 will be described later.

[0065] In addition, the acquisition unit 121 may also acquire various information as input data. For example, the acquisition unit 121 may also acquire user identification information, vehicle information related to the electric mobile body 3, battery information related to the battery carried by the electric mobile body 3, date and time information, and display range information. User identification information is information indicating the characteristics of the user, such as the user's identification (user ID), weight, gender, age, and height. Vehicle information is information indicating the characteristics of the vehicle, such as the vehicle model, the identification (mobile body ID) of the electric mobile body 3, and the weight of the electric mobile body 3. Battery information is information indicating the characteristics of the battery, such as the identification (battery ID), the type of battery, and the capacity of the battery. Date and time information is information indicating the date and time of use of the electric mobile body 3, that is, the date and time when the input data is acquired. Date and time information includes, for example, year, month, day, day of the week, and time period. The time period may be either the time when the input data is sent, or information indicating a time period including the time when the input data is sent, such as morning and afternoon. The information indicating the time period may also be information indicating the time period when 24 hours are divided into given time intervals, such as the 1:00~1:59 time period and the 2:00~2:59 time period. The display range information is information indicating the range of the superimposed map SM displayed by the user terminal 2. The display range information includes the position information of the upper left (or upper right) vertex and the position information of the lower right (or lower left) vertex of the background map displayed by the user terminal 2. The position information includes latitude and longitude. The display range information changes based on the amount of operation such as the pinch out operation or the pinch in operation of the superimposed map SM displayed by the user terminal 2. When acquiring the display range information, the acquisition unit 121 may also acquire a place list 132 in which the names of multiple places existing within the display range are registered.

[0066] The calculation unit 122 calculates the predicted power consumption and the possibility of arrival based on the input data acquired by the acquisition unit 121 .

[0067] The calculation method of the predicted power consumption by the calculation unit 122 is described. When calculating the predicted power consumption, the calculation unit 122 calculates the geographical feature quantity between the current location and multiple locations based on the map information stored in the map information database 131, and inputs the calculated feature quantity into the learning model (not shown). Map information is information that represents a map using multiple nodes and links connecting each node. A node is location information that represents a characteristic location on a road. Characteristic locations are, for example, intersections of roads and end points of roads. Links correspond to roads.

[0068] The multiple locations correspond to the main nodes among the nodes included in the map information. The so-called geographic feature between the current location and the multiple locations, when there are multiple locations such as locations P1, P2, and P3, if the current location is set to P0, it means three geographic feature between P0-P1, between P0-P2, and between P0-P3. In this case, the three geographic feature are input to the learning model.

[0069] The calculation unit 122 may calculate the distance of the shortest path between the current location and multiple locations as the geographic feature value by using a known path search algorithm, for example. A known path search algorithm is, for example, the Dijkstra algorithm. The shortest path is, for example, a path with the lowest cost. However, this is just an example, and the calculation unit 122 may calculate the geographic feature value between the current location and multiple locations by using an external map API (Application Programming Interface) or the like.

[0070] The geographical feature may also include at least one of an altitude difference and the number of intersections. The altitude difference may be an obtained altitude on a path connecting the current location and each location, or may be a cumulative altitude. The obtained altitude indicates the altitude difference from the highest point on the path to the current location. The cumulative altitude indicates the total value of the altitude difference of climbing or descending on the path.

[0071] The calculation unit 122 calculates the predicted power consumption of the electric vehicle 3 from the current location to each location by inputting the geographical feature value to the learned model (not shown). The learned model is a model obtained by machine learning the relationship between the geographical feature value between two value points and the power consumption required for traveling between the two locations. The two locations are, for example, the departure location and the arrival location where the electric vehicle 3 has traveled in the past.

[0072] For example, when three geographic feature values ​​of P0-P1, P0-P2, and P0-P3 are input, the calculation unit 122 sequentially inputs the geographic feature values ​​of P0-P1, P0-P2, and P0-P3 to the learned model, thereby sequentially acquiring the predicted power consumption of each of the locations P1, P2, and P3 from the learned model. In this way, the predicted power consumption is calculated.

[0073] The calculation method of the possibility of arrival for the calculation unit 122 is described. For example, the possibility of arrival can be calculated based on the remaining power amount of the electric vehicle 3 and the predicted power consumption amount calculated through the above steps. For example, if the predicted power consumption amount is set to W1 and the remaining power amount is set to W0, the possibility of arrival can be calculated by the ratio (W0 / W1) of the remaining power amount W0 under the predicted power consumption amount W1. Specifically, the calculation unit 122 can calculate the ratio (W0 / W1), standardize the calculated ratio so that it is in the range of a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 1, and calculate the standardized value as the possibility of arrival. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the arrival possibilities calculated through the above steps are registered in the location list 132 in a state associated with the names of the locations. Figure 3 In the illustrated point list 132 , the numerical values ​​inputted into the items of the reachability are fictitious numerical values ​​shown to facilitate understanding of the description, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0074] Furthermore, the calculation unit 122 according to the present embodiment calculates the difference between the arrival possibility of each location registered in the location list 132 and a threshold value. The threshold value is a threshold value related to the arrival possibility (for example, 80%), and is pre-stored in the memory 13 or the like. The calculation unit 122 calculates the difference between the arrival possibility of each location and the threshold value, thereby determining a location whose arrival possibility exceeds the threshold value among the locations included in the location list 132. In addition, the numerical value set as the threshold value can be appropriately changed as needed.

[0075] The extraction unit 123 refers to the calculation result obtained by the calculation unit 122 and extracts a point whose arrival possibility exceeds a threshold value from among the points included in the point list 132 .

[0076] The determination unit 124 determines whether the number of spots extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds a reference number (eg, 300). The reference number is a number that determines the upper limit of the number of spots displayed on the superimposed map SM and is stored in advance in the memory 13 or the like.

[0077] The priority determination unit 125 is a functional unit that functions when the determination unit 124 determines that the number of locations extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds the reference number. The priority determination unit 125 determines the location to be displayed on the superimposed map SM from among the locations extracted by the extraction unit 123. The priority determination unit 125 determines the location to be displayed on the superimposed map SM by determining the priority of each location extracted by the extraction unit 123. Priority is a parameter indicating the necessity of displaying each location. The priority determination unit 125 involved in this embodiment determines the priority of each location in the order of high to low probability of arrival. Thus, it is possible to quickly confirm the location with a high probability of arrival. However, the priority determination unit 125 may also determine the priority of each location in the order of low to high probability of arrival. In this case, it is possible to quickly confirm to what extent the electric mobile body can travel. In addition, when the determination unit 124 determines that the number of locations extracted by the extraction unit 123 is less than the reference number, the processing of the priority determination unit 125 is omitted.

[0078] The change unit 126 changes the display method of the text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of reaching each location. In the present embodiment, the change unit 126 changes the size (dot) of the text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of reaching each location. Specifically, the change unit 126 performs processing related to the setting related to changing the size of the text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of reaching each location. For example, the change unit 126 changes the setting related to the size of the text so that the size of the text representing the name of a location with a high possibility of reaching is displayed larger, and the size of the text representing the name of a location with a low possibility of reaching is displayed smaller. In this case, the change unit 126 may also change the setting related to the size of the text by setting the size of the text representing the location with the highest possibility of reaching to the maximum size, setting the size of the text representing the location with the lowest possibility of reaching to the minimum size, and determining the size of the text representing the location with an intermediate possibility of reaching by proportionally allocating the size according to the possibility of reaching. However, the change unit 126 may also change the setting so that the size of the text representing the name of a location with a low possibility of reaching is displayed larger, and the size of the text representing the name of a location with a high possibility of reaching is displayed smaller. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the setting related to the size of the characters changed in the above manner is registered in the location list 132 in a state associated with the name of each location. Figure 3 In the illustrated spot list 132 , the numerical values ​​inputted into the items of the character size are fictitious numerical values ​​shown to facilitate understanding of the description, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0079] The position determination unit 127 determines the initial position of the text representing the name of each location in the background map. In this embodiment, the initial position is determined based on the latitude and longitude of each location. The latitude and longitude of each location can be grasped by referring to the map information database 131. In the case where the initial position is determined by the above steps, sometimes the text representing the name of a certain location and the text representing the name of another location are overlapped and arranged on the background map. Therefore, the position determination unit 127 involved in this embodiment adjusts the position of the text representing the name of each location so that the text representing the name of each location is not arranged in an overlapping state in the background map. Specifically, after determining the initial position of the text representing each location in the background map, the position determination unit 127 determines whether the text is arranged in an overlapping state in the background map. Moreover, when it is determined that the text overlaps with each other, the position determination unit 127 performs the position adjustment of each text. In addition, whether the text overlaps with each other can be determined by referring to whether the polygons constituting each text are superimposed on each other in the background map. Alternatively, whether the text overlaps with each other can also be set to a circumscribed rectangle for each text, and it can be determined by whether the circumscribed rectangles overlap with each other.

[0080] The generating unit 128 generates the drivable range information for displaying the superimposed map SM on the user terminal 2 based on the display mode of the text changed by the changing unit 126 and the initial position determined by the position determining unit 127. The drivable range information is, for example, a program for displaying the superimposed map SM on the user terminal 2. In addition, the drivable range information may also be image data including the superimposed map SM.

[0081] The output unit 129 transmits the travelable range information generated by the generation unit 128 to the user terminal 2 using the communication unit 11 .

[0082] The memory 13 is composed of a rewritable nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and stores various information including a map information database 131 .

[0083] The above is the configuration of the information processing device 1. Next, the processing of the information processing device 1 will be described. Figure 2 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing device 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 2 The processing shown is started, for example, when the information processing device 1 receives a signal requesting transmission of the drivable range information from the user terminal 2 .

[0084] In step S1, the acquisition unit 121 acquires input data. The predicted power consumption and the arrival probability among the input data are acquired after the processing related to step S2 is performed.

[0085] In step S2, the calculation unit 122 performs a process of calculating the predicted power consumption, a process of calculating the probability of reaching the power consumption, and a process of calculating the difference between the probability of reaching the power consumption and a threshold value. In the present embodiment, the threshold value is set to 80%, for example.

[0086] In step S3, the extraction unit 123 refers to the calculation result obtained by the calculation unit 122 and extracts the points whose arrival probability exceeds the threshold from the points registered in the point list 132. That is, the extraction unit 123 extracts the points whose arrival probability exceeds 80% from the points registered in the point list 132.

[0087] In step S4, the determination unit 124 determines whether the number of points extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds the reference number. In the present embodiment, the reference number is set to 300, for example. If the number of points extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds the reference number (if it is YES in step S4), the processing of the information processing device 1 proceeds to step S5. If the number of points extracted by the extraction unit 123 is less than the reference number (if it is NO in step S4), the processing of the information processing device 1 proceeds to step S6.

[0088] In step S5, the priority determination unit 125 determines the priority of each location extracted by the extraction unit 123. Here, it is assumed that there are, for example, 400 locations extracted by the extraction unit 123. That is, it is assumed that there are 400 locations with a probability of reaching exceeding 80%. As described above, the reference number is set to 300, and therefore it is necessary to determine 300 locations from the 400 locations to be displayed on the superimposed map SM with priority. Here, the priority determination unit 125 involved in the present embodiment determines the priority of each location in descending order of the probability of reaching. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the top 300 locations with a high probability of reaching are displayed on the superimposed map SM.

[0089] In step S6, the change unit 126 changes the display mode of the text representing the name of each location according to the possibility of reaching each location. The change unit 126 in this embodiment changes the setting related to the size of the text so that the size of the text representing the name of the location with a high possibility of reaching is displayed larger, and the size of the text representing the name of the location with a low possibility of reaching is displayed smaller. For example, in Figure 3 In the example shown, the arrival possibility of "Moriguchi City Station West Exit" is higher than the arrival possibility of "Doi Park". Therefore, in this embodiment, the change unit 126 changes the setting related to the size of the text so that the text representing "Moriguchi City Station West Exit" is displayed larger than the text representing "Doi Park" in the superimposed map SM.

[0090] In step S7 , the position determination unit 127 determines the initial position of the characters indicating the name of each point on the background map.

[0091] In step S8, the position determination unit 127 determines whether the characters are arranged on the background map in an overlapping state. If the characters overlap (if yes in step S8), the information processing device 1 proceeds to step S9. If the characters do not overlap (if no in step S8), the information processing device 1 proceeds to step S10.

[0092] In step S9 , the position determination unit 127 adjusts the position of each character in the background map so that the characters do not overlap with each other.

[0093] In step S10 , the generating unit 128 generates the drivable range information for displaying the superimposed map SM on the user terminal 2 .

[0094] In step S11 , the output unit 129 transmits the drivable range information to the user terminal 2 using the communication unit 11 . Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of an overlay map SM in Embodiment 1. The overlay map SM includes a background map of an area within a certain range from the current location 401 of the electric vehicle 3. The overlay map SM includes a plurality of characters 402 superimposed on the background map. The characters 402 represent the names of the locations registered in the location list 132. In the present disclosure, the size of each character 402 is displayed larger as the possibility of reaching the current location 401 becomes higher. Therefore, generally, the size of the characters 402 is displayed smaller as the distance from the current location 401 increases.

[0095] Thus, according to the information processing device 1 in this embodiment, the superimposed map SM showing the names of various places in a display mode corresponding to the possibility of arrival can be displayed on the user terminal 2. Therefore, the user can clearly distinguish between the drivable range and the lines indicating the roads, county boundaries, etc. As a result, the user can intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0096] (Implementation method 2)

[0097] The information processing device 1 in the second embodiment refers to the number of visits to the current location, and when it is determined that the number of visits is less than the reference number, the landmark location is preferentially displayed in the superimposed map SM. That is, when it is determined that the current location is an unfamiliar area for the user, the landmark location is preferentially displayed in the superimposed map SM. In addition, in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are attached to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0098] Figure 51 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of an information processing system 100A to which an information processing device 1A in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure is applied. The information processing device 1A includes a communication unit 11, a processor 12A, and a memory 13A. The processor 12A includes an acquisition unit 121A, a determination unit 124A, and a priority determination unit 125A instead of the acquisition unit 121, the determination unit 124, and the priority determination unit 125 described in Embodiment 1. The memory 13A includes a map information database 131A instead of the map information database 131 described in Embodiment 1.

[0099] The acquisition unit 121A further acquires the movement history of the electric vehicle 3 as input data. The movement history can be acquired from the electric vehicle 3 via the communication unit 11. For example, the movement history is acquired at the timing when the electric vehicle 3 ends its travel and the power of the electric vehicle 3 is turned off. The movement history is accumulated in the memory 13, for example. In addition, the movement history can also be sent to the information processing device 1A via the user terminal 2. In this case, the user terminal 2 and the electric vehicle 3 are connected via short-range wireless communication.

[0100] In addition, the acquisition unit 121A acquires a location list 132A (see Figure 6 ). The location list 132A is associated with a landmark attribute for a landmark location among the plurality of locations. As landmark locations, for example, facilities, tourist attractions, mountains, rivers, etc. can be listed. Such a location list 132A can be obtained from a map information database 131A which also includes information indicating whether each location is a landmark as location information.

[0101] The determination unit 124A performs processing to determine whether the number of visits of the electric vehicle 3 to the current location exceeds a reference number (e.g., 10 times). For example, the number of visits of the electric vehicle 3 to the current location can be grasped by confirming the movement history and date and time information of the electric vehicle 3. Specifically, the number of visits can be grasped by confirming whether the movement history of the electric vehicle 3 moving around the current location is stored for a number of days (e.g., 10 days). The reference number is pre-stored in the memory 13 or the like.

[0102] The priority determination unit 125A is a functional unit that functions when the determination unit 124 determines that the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 is less than the reference number of times. The priority determination unit 125A refers to the location list 132A and determines the priority so that the priority of the location associated with the landmark attribute is higher than the priority of the location not associated with the landmark attribute. Specifically, the priority determination unit 125A determines the priority so that the superimposed map SM in which the text representing the name of the location associated with the landmark attribute is displayed with priority over the text representing the name of the location not associated with the landmark attribute is displayed. That is, the priority determination unit 125A determines the priority so that the text representing the name of the landmark location such as a commercial facility, a tourist attraction, etc. is displayed on the superimposed map SM with priority compared to the text representing the place name such as a city, town, or village. The priority determination unit 125A involved in this embodiment determines the priority so that the superimposed map SM including more text representing the name of the location associated with the landmark attribute than the text representing the name of the location not associated with the landmark attribute is output to the user terminal 2. When the determination unit 124 determines that the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 exceeds the reference number, the processing of the priority determination unit 125A is omitted. In this case, the processing executed by the information processing device 1A is the same as the processing executed by the information processing device 1.

[0103] The above is the configuration of the information processing device 1A. Next, the processing of the information processing device 1A will be described. Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing device 1A in the second embodiment. Figure 7 The processing shown is started, for example, when the information processing device 1A receives a signal requesting transmission of the drivable range information from the user terminal 2 .

[0104] In step S21 , the acquisition unit 121A acquires input data including movement history.

[0105] In step S22 , the calculation unit 122 executes a process of calculating the predicted power consumption amount, a process of calculating the possibility of reaching the power, and a process of calculating the difference between the possibility of reaching the power and a threshold value.

[0106] In step S23, the determination unit 124A determines whether the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 exceeds the reference number of times. For example, the determination unit 124A determines whether the electric vehicle 3 has visited the current location more than 10 times. When the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 exceeds the reference number of times (in the case of yes in step S23), the processing of the information processing device 1A proceeds to step S25, and the first drivable range information generation processing is performed. In the first drivable range information generation processing of step S25, the same processing as the processing of steps S3 to S11 in embodiment 1 is performed. When the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 is less than the reference number of times (in the case of no in step S23), the processing of the information processing device 1A proceeds to step S24.

[0107] In step S24, the priority determination unit 125A determines the priority by referring to the location list 132A. Specifically, the priority determination unit 125A determines the priority so that the superimposed map SM including more characters representing the names of locations associated with landmark attributes than the characters representing the names of locations not associated with landmark attributes is output to the user terminal 2.

[0108] After completing the process of step S24 , the information processing device 1A proceeds to step S6 in the first drivable range information generation process of step S25 .

[0109] Thus, according to the information processing device 1A in this embodiment, the superimposed map SM in which the characters indicating the names of landmarks are preferentially displayed can be displayed on the user terminal 2. As a result, it is possible for users traveling in areas where they are not familiar with place names, such as travel destinations, to intuitively understand the drivable range.

[0110] (Variation)

[0111] (1) In Embodiment 1, as an example of changing the display mode of the text representing the name of each place, the case of changing the size of the text is described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the change of the display mode can also be achieved by various methods. For example, instead of changing the size of the text, or in addition to this, the font of the text, the thickness of the text, the color of the text, the brightness of the text, and the depth of the text can be changed according to the possibility of reaching. Alternatively, instead of changing the size of the text, or in addition to this, the text can be underlined, tilted, flashed, or surrounded by a circle or a quadrilateral.

[0112] (2) In Embodiment 1, an example is described in which the priority determination unit 125 determines the priority of each location when the number of locations extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds the reference number, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, when the number of locations extracted by the extraction unit 123 exceeds the reference number, the locations displayed on the superimposed map SM may be randomly selected without considering the possibility of arrival. In this case, the processing performed by the priority determination unit 125 is omitted, thereby reducing the processing load of the calculation processing in the processor 12.

[0113] (3) In Embodiment 2, the priority determination unit 125A may also perform a process of determining the priority of locations that are not associated with landmark attributes (hereinafter referred to as non-landmark locations). For example, the priority determination unit 125A may determine the priority of non-landmark locations so that the priority increases in order from low to high probability of arrival. In this way, it is possible to display a superimposed map SM that prioritizes landmark locations over non-landmark locations and also prioritizes non-landmark locations with a relatively high probability of arrival among non-landmark locations.

[0114] (4) In the second embodiment, an example is described in which the movement history of the electric vehicle 3 is acquired in order to determine whether the number of visits to the current location by the electric vehicle 3 exceeds the reference number of times. However, as the movement history, the acquisition unit 121A may acquire not only the movement history of the electric vehicle 3 but also the movement history of the user accumulated in the user terminal 2. In this case, it is possible to refer to whether the user has visited the current location by a method other than the electric vehicle 3 (for example, a train, etc.). In this way, the number of visits can be determined more accurately.

[0115] (5) In embodiments 1 and 2, an example of displaying a superimposed map SM on the user terminal 2 to make the user understand the drivable range of the electric vehicle 3 is described. However, the example of information displayed on the user terminal 2 to make the user understand the drivable range of the electric vehicle 3 is not limited to this. For example, image data in which text whose size is changed according to the possibility of reaching the electric vehicle 3 from the current location is superimposed on a background other than a map (a plain background, etc.) may be displayed on the user terminal 2. That is, the possibility of reaching a certain location from the current location may be prompted on the user terminal 2 in a manner similar to a so-called word cloud. In the case of adopting such a structure, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be obtained.

[0116] Industrial Applicability

[0117] According to the present disclosure, the user can intuitively understand the drivable range, and thus the present disclosure is useful in application to an electric vehicle.

Claims

1. An information processing method, comprising: displaying the possibility of arrival of an electric vehicle on a display device; acquiring input data including a current location of the electric vehicle, a background map showing an area around the current location, a location list in which names of a plurality of locations are registered, and the reachability from the current location to each location included in the location list; Changing the display mode of the text representing the name of each place according to the arrival possibility; Based on the display method, an overlay map is outputted in which characters indicating the names of various places are overlaid on the background map.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein: In the change of the display mode, the size of the characters indicating the names of the respective places is changed.

3. The information processing method according to claim 2, wherein: Further, the initial position of the text representing the name of each location in the background map is determined, The initial position is determined in order from the location where the character size is largest.

4. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Further, extracting the places whose arrival possibility exceeds a threshold from the place list, The overlay map includes text representing the extracted name of the place.

5. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein: In the generation of the overlay map, determining whether the number of locations whose arrival probability exceeds the threshold value exceeds a reference number; When the number exceeds the reference number, the priority of each point is determined in descending order of the arrival probability, and the overlay map is generated based on the priority.

6. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein: In the generation of the overlay map, determining whether the number of locations whose arrival probability exceeds the threshold value exceeds a reference number; When the number exceeds the reference number, the priority of each point is determined in order of the arrival possibility from low to high, and the overlay map is generated based on the priority.

7. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The place list is associated with a landmark attribute for each landmark among the plurality of places, The input data also includes the movement history of the electric vehicle. Further, based on the movement history, it is determined whether the number of visits of the electric moving body to the current location exceeds a reference number of visits, In the generation of the overlay map, when it is determined that the number of visits is less than the benchmark number, the overlay map is generated so that text representing the name of a place associated with the landmark attribute is displayed preferentially over text representing the name of a place not associated with the landmark attribute.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein: In the generation of the overlay map, the overlay map is generated so as to include more characters indicating the names of the places associated with the landmark attribute than characters indicating the names of the places not associated with the landmark attribute.

9. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein: The initial position is determined based on the latitude and longitude of each location.

10. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Position adjustment of characters indicating the names of the respective spots is performed so that the characters indicating the names of the respective spots are not arranged in an overlapping state on the background map.

11. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The input data further includes the remaining power amount of the electric vehicle and the predicted power consumption amount when the electric vehicle moves from the current location to various locations. Furthermore, the arrival possibility is calculated based on the remaining power amount and the predicted power consumption amount.

12. An information processing device for displaying the arrival possibility of an electric mobile body on a display device, the information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires input data including a current location of the electric mobile body, a background map showing an area around the current location, a location list in which names of a plurality of locations are registered, and the reachability from the current location to each location included in the location list; a changing unit that changes the display mode of the characters representing the names of the respective places according to the arrival possibility; and The output unit outputs a superimposed map in which characters indicating names of various locations are superimposed on the background map based on the display format.

13. An information processing program causing a computer to execute an information processing method for displaying the arrival possibility of an electric vehicle on a display device, the information processing program causing the computer to execute the following processing: acquiring input data including a current location of the electric vehicle, a background map showing an area around the current location, a location list in which names of a plurality of locations are registered, and the reachability from the current location to each location included in the location list; Changing the display mode of the text representing the name of each place according to the arrival possibility; Based on the display method, an overlay map is outputted in which characters indicating the names of various places are overlaid on the background map.

Images