Information processing apparatus

Abstract

An information processing device is provided with a control unit that is configured so as to execute: accepting designation of a desired work, which is a work desired by a user with respect to a vehicle; determining whether or not a first facility associated with the user can cope with the desired work; outputting, to a terminal related to the user, information for recommending the first facility as a facility for performing the desired work in accordance with a determination that the desired work can be handled in the first facility; and outputting, to a terminal related to the user, information for recommending a second facility other than the first facility as a facility for performing the desired work in response to determining that the desired work cannot be handled in the first facility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. Background Art

[0002] The following system is known: manufacturers and dealers set up homepages on the Internet. When ordinary consumers visit the manufacturer's homepage, all registered dealers are introduced. When ordinary consumers visit the manufacturer's homepage via the dealer's homepage, only the dealers on the homepage they visited are introduced (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-099753). Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a facility suitable for a desired work to a user of a vehicle.

[0004] One of the methods disclosed herein is an information processing device comprising a control unit, which is configured to perform the following processing: accepting a user's designation of an operation desired for a vehicle, i.e., a desired operation; determining whether a first facility associated with the user is capable of handling the desired operation; outputting information for recommending the first facility as a facility for performing the desired operation to a terminal associated with the user based on a determination that the first facility is capable of handling the desired operation; and outputting information for recommending a second facility other than the first facility as a facility for performing the desired operation to a terminal associated with the user based on a determination that the first facility is unable to handle the desired operation.

[0005] The present disclosure can also understand the processing of the above-mentioned information processing device as an information processing method executed by a computer. In addition, the present disclosure can also be understood as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute the above-mentioned information processing method or a non-transitory storage medium storing the information processing program.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a facility suitable for a desired work to a user of a vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Hereinafter, features, advantages, technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like components, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1 This is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a system in an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of transition of a proposal Web page in the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3This is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the user information DB and the facility information DB.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by the server when a user accesses the URL of an input page through a web browser of a user terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] When a user of a vehicle, for example, wishes to have the vehicle maintained, the user may consider entrusting the store where the vehicle was purchased to perform maintenance. However, some stores that sell vehicles may not have equipment for performing vehicle maintenance. In such a case, the user may consider looking for a facility that can perform vehicle maintenance and entrusting the facility with maintenance. However, such a facility may not be found immediately. In addition, it takes time for the user to confirm whether the operation desired by the user can be handled.

[0013] In contrast, in the information processing device involved in the present disclosure, the control unit accepts the designation of the operation desired by the user for the vehicle, that is, the desired operation. In one example, the control unit can output a user interface screen including an input field for the operation desired by the user (desired operation) through a web browser of a terminal associated with the user, so that the user can input the desired operation into the input field. The terminal associated with the user can be a computer carried by the user such as a smart phone, or can be a computer mounted on the user's vehicle. The desired operation can be, for example, a statutory inspection, repair, tire replacement, battery replacement, brake pad replacement, installation of an item, or software upgrade.

[0014] In addition, the control unit determines whether the first facility associated with the user can handle the desired operation. The first facility is, for example, a facility associated with the user and stored in the storage unit. The first facility is, for example, a store that sold the vehicle to the user, a facility to which the user has previously entrusted vehicle maintenance, a facility where the user picks up a vehicle purchased on the Web, a facility where the user picks up a vehicle for which a lease contract has been signed on the Web, or a facility where a vehicle purchase contract or lease contract has been signed. Whether the first facility can handle the desired operation may be stored in the storage unit.

[0015] In addition, when it is determined that the first facility can handle the desired operation, the control unit outputs information for recommending the first facility as a facility for performing the desired operation to a terminal associated with the user. In one example, the control unit may output a user interface screen including information for recommending the first facility through a web browser of a terminal associated with the user. The user interface screen may be configured to display the name of the first facility, the location of the first facility, and contact information of the first facility.

[0016] On the other hand, the control unit outputs information for recommending a second facility other than the first facility as a facility for performing the desired operation to a terminal associated with the user, based on the determination that the desired operation cannot be performed at the first facility. In one example, the control unit may output a user interface screen including information for recommending the second facility through a web browser of the terminal associated with the user. The user interface screen may be configured to display the name of the second facility, the location of the second facility, and contact information of the second facility.

[0017] The second facility is a facility that can perform the desired operation in addition to the first facility. In addition, the second facility can be, for example, a facility related to the first facility. The second facility can be, for example, a facility with the same capital as the first facility, a group company of the company that operates the first facility, or a facility of an affiliated company. In addition, for example, a facility that is also beneficial to the company that operates the first facility can be used as the second facility. In addition, a facility registered for the purpose of proposal can be used as the second facility instead of the first facility. In this way, the second facility is a facility that has some relationship with the first facility, or a facility that is associated with the first facility.

[0018] In this way, the user of the vehicle can know the facility (first facility or second facility) that can handle the desired work by specifying the work the user desires. Thus, the user can save the effort of searching for the facility to entrust the work.

[0019] The following describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure based on the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in the following embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the disclosure to these.

[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the drawings. In this embodiment, an example in which the information processing device according to the present disclosure is applied to a system for providing a vehicle service will be described.

[0022] System Configuration

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the system 1 of the present embodiment. The system 1 of the present embodiment is used to provide services related to the vehicle 10, and is configured to include a user terminal 100 and a server 200. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, only one user terminal 100 is illustrated, but the system 1 can include a plurality of user terminals 100 .

[0024] The user terminal 100 is a terminal used by a user of the vehicle 10, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer), etc. In the user terminal 100 of the present embodiment, a browser application is installed.

[0025] The server 200 is a computer operated by a service provider of the inspection or maintenance of the vehicle 10. As an example, the service provider may be a company that sells or leases the vehicle 10 to the user. As another example, the service provider may be a repairer of the vehicle 10, a sales company of goods installed on the vehicle 10, or a company that performs installation work on the vehicle 10 as its business. The server 200 can be configured as a computer having a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), a main storage device such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a hard disk drive or a removable medium, etc. An operating system (OS), various programs, and various tables are stored in the auxiliary storage device of the server 200. The processor of the server 200 loads the program stored in the auxiliary storage device into the virtual work area of ​​the main storage device and executes it to realize various functions that meet the prescribed purpose as described later. However, part or all of the functions of the server 200 may also be realized by hardware circuits such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0026] The server 200 of the present embodiment is configured as a web server capable of implementing interaction with the user terminal 100. The server 200 interacts with the user terminal 100 by executing the web server, thereby accepting the designation of the operation (desired operation) desired by the user of the vehicle 10 and providing the user with information recommending facilities suitable for the desired operation. In addition, the server 200 may also provide the above-mentioned services by means other than the web server. For example, a service that communicates with a dedicated application software installed in the user terminal 100 according to a prescribed protocol may be executed in the server 200.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 2 , the server 200 that realizes the above-mentioned functions includes a communication unit 210 , a control unit 220 , and a storage unit 230 .

[0028] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for connecting the server 200 to the network N1. The communication unit 210 is connected to the network N1 via, for example, a LAN or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the user terminal 100 via the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a WAN or other communication network that is a global public communication network such as the Internet.

[0029] The control unit 220 is a software module implemented by executing a program stored in an auxiliary storage device by the processor of the server 200. The control unit 220 interacts with the user terminal 100 by executing a Web server. In this embodiment, the control unit 220 causes the browser of the user terminal 100 to display an input page. In one example, the input page includes input fields for a user ID and a vehicle ID, and an input field for a desired operation.

[0030] In the input page, if the user ID, vehicle ID and desired operation are input, the control unit 220 generates recommendation information. The recommendation information is information related to the facility recommended as the commission target of the desired operation. When generating such recommendation information, first, the control unit 220 determines the first facility associated with the user based on the user ID and vehicle ID input on the input page. The first facility is a store where the user purchases the vehicle 10, etc. In addition, the control unit 220 determines whether the first facility can handle the desired operation. For example, the control unit 220 can determine whether the first facility can handle the desired operation by determining whether the first facility has the technical level required for the desired operation. The technical level required for the desired operation includes: having the equipment required for performing the desired operation, and the operator having the skills required for performing the desired operation. In the case where the first facility is not suitable for the desired operation, the control unit 220 determines the second facility that can handle the desired operation. The second facility is, for example, a facility that has established a connection with the first facility. The control unit 220 can determine whether the second facility can handle the desired operation by determining whether the second facility has the technical level required for the desired operation.

[0031] The identification of the first facility and the second facility described above is performed based on information stored in the storage unit 230 (information registered in the user information DB 231 and information registered in the facility information DB 232 ) which will be described later.

[0032] If the first facility or the second facility that can handle the desired operation is determined, the control unit 220 generates recommendation information. The recommendation information is information for recommending that the desired operation be entrusted to the first facility or the second facility. In one example, the recommendation information may include information related to the name, location, and contact information of the first facility or the second facility. If the recommendation information is generated, the control unit 220 outputs an output page including the generated recommendation information through the web browser of the user terminal 100.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the transition of a suggestion web page in this embodiment. Figure 2 In the example shown, the output page is output based on the content input by the user into the input page. The input page includes a column for inputting the user ID and the vehicle ID ( Figure 2 G1 in), a drop-down menu for selecting the desired job ( Figure 2 ), and a GUI component ( Figure 2 G3 in the figure). The user ID is an identification mark of the user, for example, assigned by the control unit 220 of the server 200 when the user registers. The vehicle ID is an identification mark of the vehicle 10, for example, the number of the car registration plate (number plate) corresponding to the vehicle 10. The desired operation is configured to be selectable by the user from a drop-down menu. In addition, as another example, a column for the user to input the desired operation can be provided for the user to input the desired operation. By the user clicking Figure 2 The control unit 220 specifies the first facility or the second facility by clicking a button displayed as "Search for a facility" on the input page shown in the figure, and then outputs the specified result to the output page.

[0034] The output page includes a display column for recommended information ( Figure 2 G4 in ) and a GUI component ( Figure 2 In G5). Figure 2 In the example shown, the display bar for recommended information ( Figure 2 G4 in the figure includes user ID, vehicle ID, job name (name of desired job), name of job shop (name of facility where job is performed), location of job shop (location of facility where job is performed), and contact information of job shop (contact information of facility where job is performed). In addition, as another example, for example, it can be configured to display the first facility or the second facility in real time (that is, even if the user does not click the button displayed as "Find Facility") based on the user's input. In this case, it can be configured to display the location of the first facility or the second facility in real time by displaying an icon of the first facility or the second facility on the map. Furthermore, it can be configured to display the name of the first facility or the second facility by the user clicking the icon displayed on the map.

[0035] If in Figure 2 When the user clicks the button "Make Reservation" displayed by the user terminal 100 in the output page shown, the control unit 220 sends information related to the reservation to the terminal of the corresponding facility through the communication unit 210. In one example, the information related to the reservation includes information such as the user ID, vehicle ID, and desired operation.

[0036] In addition, the configuration of the suggestion web page is not limited to Figure 2 In the examples shown, the displayed contents can be flexibly changed according to the implementation mode.

[0037] Next, the storage unit 230 is a storage area constructed in the auxiliary storage device of the server 200. In the storage unit 230 of this embodiment, a user information DB 231 and a facility information DB 232 are constructed. The user information DB 231 and the facility information DB 232 are relational databases constructed by the processor of the server 200 executing a database management system (DBMS) program.

[0038] Figure 3 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the user information DB 231 and the facility information DB 232. Figure 3 In the example shown, the user information DB231 has fields for user ID, vehicle ID, location, and first facility ID. The user ID field stores identification information for specifying the user, namely the user ID. The vehicle ID field stores identification information for specifying the vehicle 10, namely the vehicle ID. The location field stores the location of the user. As an example, the location of the user is the user's residence or the storage place of the vehicle 10. Information related to the user's location includes information related to the residence or coordinates. The first facility ID field stores identification information of the facility that establishes a connection with the user and the vehicle 10, namely the facility ID. Here, the facility ID corresponding to the facility where the user purchased the vehicle 10, or the facility where the user last commissioned work on the vehicle 10, etc. is stored. In the user information DB231, for example, information collected when the user purchased the vehicle 10 or when the user signed a lease contract for the vehicle 10 is stored. As another example, when the first facility ID contains a facility ID corresponding to a facility to which the user last requested work on vehicle 10, the first facility ID field can be updated by sending the facility ID from a terminal at the facility where the work was performed to server 200 each time the work is performed.

[0039] In addition, Figure 3In the example shown, the facility information DB232 has fields for facility ID, name, location, contact information, applicable operations, and group. The facility ID field stores the identification information of the facility, i.e., the facility ID. The name field stores information related to the name of the facility. The location field contains information related to the location of the facility. The information related to the location of the facility includes information related to the residence or coordinates. The contact information field includes information related to the contact information of the facility. The contact information includes a telephone number, an E-mail address, an SNS account, or a homepage address, etc. The applicable operation field includes information related to the operations that the facility can handle. In the applicable operation field, for example, information related to the operations that can be handled can be input from the terminal of each facility, or information related to the operations corresponding to the facilities owned by each facility can be input. Multiple applicable operations can be input in the applicable operation field. Information related to the group to which the facility belongs is stored in the group field. Each facility is grouped, for example, corresponding to capital, a group company, a cooperative company, etc.

[0040] Processing process

[0041] based on Figure 4 The flow of processing executed by the server 200 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 4 1 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed on the server 200 when a user accesses the URL of an input page through a web browser of the user terminal 100. Figure 4 The execution subject of the processing routine is the processor of the server 200, but here the software module of the server 200 is explained as the execution subject.

[0042] If the user accesses the URL of the input page through the web browser of the user terminal 100, the control unit 220 of the server 200 outputs the input page to the user terminal 100. Thus, the control unit 220 causes the web browser of the user terminal 100 to display the input page (S101). As described above, the input page includes input fields for the user ID and the vehicle ID and a drop-down menu for the desired operation. The control unit 220 accepts the designation of the desired operation based on the user's input to the input page. After the control unit 220 completes the processing of S101, it executes the processing of S102.

[0043] In S102, the control unit 220 determines whether the user has clicked the button displayed as "Search for facilities" on the input page. If the button has not been clicked (negative determination in S102), the control unit 220 waits until the button is clicked. On the other hand, if the user has clicked the button displayed as "Search for facilities" (positive determination in S102), the control unit 220 executes the process of S103.

[0044] In S103, the control unit 220 identifies the first facility associated with the user based on the information input to the input page and the information stored in the user information DB 231. Specifically, the control unit 220 first accesses the user information DB 231 based on the user ID and vehicle ID input on the input page, and identifies the record corresponding to the input user ID and vehicle ID. The control unit 220 identifies the first facility by extracting the first facility ID of the identified record.

[0045] After the control unit 220 completes the process of S103, it executes the process of S104. In S104, the control unit 220 determines whether the first facility identified in S103 can handle the desired operation. Specifically, the control unit 220 accesses the facility information DB 232 based on the first facility identified in S103, and identifies the record corresponding to the first facility ID. The control unit 220 determines whether the desired operation can be handled based on the information stored in the applicable operation field of the identified record.

[0046] If the first facility can handle the desired work (affirmative determination in S104), the control unit 220 determines the facility for performing the desired work (hereinafter also referred to as work facility) as the first facility in S105. After completing the process of S105, the control unit 220 executes the process of S108.

[0047] On the other hand, when the first facility cannot handle the desired operation (negative determination in S104), the control unit 220 determines the second facility in S106. Specifically, the control unit 220 accesses the facility information DB 232 based on the first facility determined in S103, and extracts a record corresponding to a facility that stores the same information as the first facility in the group field and that handles the desired operation. Thus, a facility that belongs to the same group as the first facility and that handles the desired operation is determined.

[0048] In addition, the second facility extracted from the facility information DB 232 may be limited to facilities existing within a specified range including the location of the user. The specified range is considered to be a range within which the user can move for the operation on the vehicle 10. The specified range may be, for example, a range specified by time such as a range that can be moved within 1 hour, or a range specified by distance such as 30 km. In addition, the specified range may be a range pre-registered by the user, or a range pre-determined by the server 200.

[0049] When there are multiple facilities that store the same information as the first facility in the group field and the facilities that are required to perform the desired operation exist, the control unit 220 determines one facility from among them. In this case, the control unit 220 may, for example, determine the facility closest to the user's location as the second facility. In this case, based on the information stored in the location field of the user information DB 231 and the information stored in the location field of the facility information DB 232, the facility with the shortest distance between the user's location and the facility's location is determined as the second facility. In addition, when there is no corresponding facility within the prescribed range, the second facility may be extracted including facilities outside the prescribed range. When there are multiple facilities outside the prescribed range, the facility closest to the user's location may be determined as the second facility.

[0050] After executing the process of S106, the control unit 220 executes the process of S107. In S107, the control unit 220 determines the work facility to be the second facility specified in S106. After executing the process of S107, the control unit 220 executes the process of S108.

[0051] In S108, the control unit 220 generates recommendation information. The recommendation information is information that recommends entrusting the desired operation to the first facility or the second facility. In one example, the recommendation information may include information related to the name, location, and contact information of the operation facility. The control unit 220 extracts information related to the first facility determined in S105 or the second facility determined in S107 from the facility information DB 232 to generate the recommendation information. After the control unit 220 completes the processing of S108, it executes the processing of S109.

[0052] In S109, the control unit 220 outputs an output page including the recommendation information generated in S108 through the web browser of the user terminal 100. Figure 2 As shown in the example, the output page includes a display column for recommended information ( Figure 2 4) and a GUI component (G4 in FIG. 1 ) showing a button for requesting a reservation for a desired operation to be made to the operation facility (a button displayed as “Make reservation”) Figure 2 After the control unit 220 completes the process of S109, it executes the process of S110.

[0053] In S110, the control unit 220 determines whether the user has clicked on a button displayed as "Make a Reservation" on the user terminal 100 in the output page. When the button displayed as "Make a Reservation" has been clicked (affirmative determination in S110), the control unit 220 executes the process of S111. On the other hand, when the button displayed as "Make a Reservation" has not been clicked (negative determination in S110), the control unit 220 waits until the button is clicked. In addition, when the button is not clicked and browsing of the output page is terminated (when the execution of the Web browser is terminated in the user terminal 100, or when the display object of the Web browser of the user terminal 100 is moved from the output page to another Web page, etc.), the control unit 220 may terminate. Figure 4 Execution of the processing routine.

[0054] In S111, the control unit 220 sends a reservation entrustment to the terminal of the operation facility through the communication unit 210. The reservation entrustment is a entrustment for the vehicle 10 to make a reservation for the desired operation. The reservation entrustment includes the information required for the reservation. For example, the user ID, vehicle ID, and information related to the desired operation can be sent to the terminal of the operation facility. In addition, the control unit 220 can obtain the date and time when the operation can be performed from the terminal of the operation facility and prompt it to the user terminal 100. In addition, the control unit 220 can obtain information related to the date and time of the desired operation from the user terminal 100 and request the terminal of the operation facility to make a reservation for the date and time. If the control unit 220 completes the processing of S111, the execution of this processing routine ends.

[0055] Functions and effects of implementation methods

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, when the user of the vehicle 10 specifies a desired operation in the input page, the server 200 causes the web browser of the user terminal 100 to display the output page. Thus, the user of the vehicle 10 can know the operation facilities that can handle the desired operation. In other words, the user of the vehicle 10 can know the facilities suitable for the desired operation.

[0057] In this embodiment, the server 200 is equivalent to the "information processing device" involved in the present disclosure. In addition, the control unit 220 of the server 200 is equivalent to the "control unit" involved in the present disclosure. And the storage unit 230 of the server 200 is equivalent to the "storage unit" involved in the present disclosure.

[0058] Other Implementations

[0059] The above-mentioned implementation is only an example, and the present disclosure can be implemented by appropriately changing it within the scope of its main purpose. For example, the processing performed by the server 200 can also be performed in the user terminal 100. That is, the user terminal 100 can output the same user interface screen as the input page, determine the first facility, determine the operation facility, generate recommended information, and output the same user interface screen as the output page by executing a dedicated application. In this case, the user terminal 100 is equivalent to the "information processing device" involved in the present disclosure. In addition, the "control unit" involved in the present disclosure can be implemented by executing a dedicated application by the processor of the user terminal 100.

[0060] In addition, the processing and configuration described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. Furthermore, the processing described as being performed by one device can also be shared and executed by multiple devices. In addition, the processing described as being performed by different devices can also be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware used to implement each function can be flexibly changed.

Claims

1. An information processing device, wherein: A control unit is provided, and the control unit is configured to execute the following processing: Accepting the user's desired operation on the vehicle, that is, designation of the desired operation; determining whether a first facility associated with the user can handle the desired operation; outputting information for recommending the first facility as a facility for performing the desired work to a terminal associated with the user based on a determination that the desired work can be performed at the first facility; as well as Information for recommending a second facility other than the first facility as a facility for performing the desired work is output to a terminal associated with the user based on a determination that the desired work cannot be performed at the first facility.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The process of outputting information for recommending the second facility includes: identifying the second facility existing within a predetermined range including a location of the user; and When the second facility exists within the predetermined range, information for recommending the second facility identified within the predetermined range is output.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The process of outputting information for recommending the second facility further includes: When the second facility does not exist within the prescribed range, determining that the second facility exists outside the prescribed range; and Information for recommending the second facility identified outside the predetermined range is output.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The second facility is a facility related to the first facility.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: further comprising a storage unit storing information related to locations related to a plurality of facilities, information related to the desired operation that can be handled by each of the plurality of facilities, information related to the first facility associated with the user, and information related to the location of the user, The process of outputting information for recommending the second facility further includes: determining the second facilities that are closest to the user's location among the second facilities that handle the desired operation; and Information for recommending the identified second facility is output.

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