Information processing apparatus

Abstract

An information processing device is provided with a control unit which is configured to execute the following steps: acquiring a usage purpose of a model and authentication information from a terminal of a user; extracting one or more pieces of first sensing data available to a user on the basis of the authentication information from a storage unit in which a plurality of pieces of sensing data acquired from a plurality of vehicles are stored; generating a model corresponding to the use purpose of the user using the extracted first sensing data; and providing the generated model to a terminal of the user.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] An event optimization system that uses a digital twin to perform simulation on a street is known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-154775). Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a simulation model that matches the purpose of use of a user.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device, which includes a control unit configured to execute: Obtaining the purpose of use and authentication information of the model from the user's terminal; extracting one or more first sensing data available to the user based on the authentication information from a storage unit storing a plurality of sensing data acquired from a plurality of vehicles; generating a model corresponding to the purpose of use of the user using the extracted first sensing data; and The generated model is provided to a terminal of the user.

[0005] In addition, other aspects of the present disclosure are an information processing method for causing a computer to execute the processing in the above-mentioned information processing apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, and a storage medium storing the program non-transitorily.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a simulation model that matches the purpose of use of the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Hereinafter, features, advantages, and 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 denote like components, wherein: Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of each of a vehicle, a user terminal, and a server constituting the system according to the present embodiment; Figure 3 is a diagram showing the table structure of the vehicle information DB and the user information DB; Figure 4 is an example of a diagram used to illustrate the generated model; and Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing the process of generating a model in the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] In the prior art, it is envisioned that the same user will collect and use data for simulation models. It is not envisioned or studied that a third party or other organization will use the data collected by a certain user to perform digital twins / simulations.

[0009] Thus, the control unit obtains the purpose of use of the model and authentication information. The user can be a pre-registered user. The purpose of use of the model can be selected by the user from pre-set items. The purpose of use of the model is, for example, to test applications developed by the company in simulation. In addition, there are also simulations of the benefits and operating conditions in car sharing, and virtually setting up communication base stations in simulations to verify the improvement effect of radio wave strength. Authentication information is information used to confirm that the user is a legitimate user, and can include, for example, a user ID and password.

[0010] The control unit extracts one or more first sensing data available to the user from a storage unit storing a plurality of sensing data acquired from a plurality of vehicles based on the authentication information. The sensing data of the vehicle includes data detected by a sensor provided by the vehicle. The sensing data of the vehicle includes, for example, information related to a location, a communication line, and a communication quality. The sensing data of the vehicle is transmitted from the vehicle to the information processing device. There are a plurality of vehicles transmitting the sensing data. The sensing data is used when generating the model. The first sensing data is selected corresponding to the authentication information. In addition, the relationship between the authentication information and the first sensing data may be stored in the storage unit in advance.

[0011] For example, when a user of car sharing is a user and a model is generated to simulate the operating status of the vehicle, the user can use the sensing data of the managed vehicle. At this time, since information related to communication is not required, the information cannot be used. In addition, for example, when a mobile communication user is a user and a model is generated to simulate the effect when a base station is configured, the user can use the sensing data related to the managed base station. On the other hand, information related to the base stations of other users cannot be used. In addition, for example, when a user who develops an in-vehicle application is a user and a model is generated to simulate the communication status when the vehicle is driving, sensing data that can determine whether the communication is continuous can be used. That is, the type of communication line, the strength of the radio wave, and the information of the base station cannot be used.

[0012] The control unit generates a model corresponding to the purpose of use of the user using the extracted first sensing data. As a model, the control unit can select from pre-set models according to the purpose of use of the model. Then, the control unit provides the generated model to the terminal of the user. In this way, the collected sensing data can be formed into a model that is easy for a third party to use and provided. At this time, the available data can be properly managed. In addition, the privacy, personal information, and secrets of the provider of the sensing data can be properly protected.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. In addition, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible. First embodiment

[0014] Figure 1 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 In the example, the system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a user terminal 20 used by a user, and a server 30. There may be multiple vehicles 10 and user terminals 20. In addition, the server 30 may be composed of multiple servers. The vehicle 10, the user terminal 20 and the server 30 are connected to each other via a network N1. In addition, the network N1 may also adopt a world-scale public communication network such as the Internet, i.e., a WAN (Wide Area Network), or other communication networks. In addition, the network N1 may also include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc.

[0015] The vehicle 10 is, for example, a networked car that periodically sends information such as location, communication line, and communication quality to the server 30. In addition, the above information sent from the vehicle 10 to the server 30 is also referred to as vehicle information below. The user terminal 20 is a terminal used by the user. The user includes developers of application programs (hereinafter referred to as applications) related to the vehicle 10, and communication operators that provide communication services to the vehicle 10. The user pre-registers with the server 30 via the user terminal 20. Through this registration, authentication information corresponding to the user is generated. The authentication information includes, for example, a user ID and a password. In addition, the registered information may also include information related to the purpose of use of the model.

[0016] The server 30 generates a model according to the purpose of use in response to a request from a user (which may be the user terminal 20 ), and provides the model to the user (which may be the user terminal 20 ). The model is generated based on vehicle information transmitted from a plurality of vehicles 10 .

[0017] Figure 21 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of each of the vehicle 10 , the user terminal 20 , and the server 30 constituting the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The server 30 includes a control unit 31 , a storage unit 32 , a communication module 33 , and an input / output device 34 .

[0018] The server 30 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary storage device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable storage medium, etc.). The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored in the auxiliary storage device, various functions (software modules) described later that meet the specified purpose can be realized. However, some or all of the modules can also be implemented as hardware modules, for example, through hardware circuits such as ASIC and FPGA.

[0019] The control unit 31 is a computing unit that realizes various functions of the server 30 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 31 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. In addition, the control unit 31 can also be configured to include a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory), a flash memory, etc. The details of the control unit 31 will be described later.

[0020] The storage unit 32 is a unit for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and a flash memory. The storage unit 32 stores programs executed by the control unit 31, data used by the programs, and the like. In addition, a database (a vehicle information DB 321 and a user information DB 322) is constructed in the storage unit 32, and information collected from each vehicle 10 and information collected from users are stored in the database.

[0021] Figure 3321 and the user information DB 322. In the vehicle information DB 321, date and time information, location information of the vehicle 10, communication line information, and communication quality information are stored in association with the vehicle ID. This information is collectively referred to as vehicle information. The vehicle ID is identification information inherent to the vehicle 10. The date and time information is information related to the date and time when the vehicle information is sent from the vehicle 10 to the server 30. The location information is information related to the location of the vehicle 10 when the vehicle information is sent from the vehicle 10, for example, information expressed in latitude and longitude. The communication line information is information related to the communication line used in the vehicle 10. The communication line information may be, for example, information related to communication methods such as 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication quality information is, for example, information related to radio wave strength. The communication quality information may be information related to RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) and RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality). The communication quality information may also be information related to SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio). In addition, the communication quality information may also include information related to the continuity (on or off) of the communication. The vehicle information is sent from the vehicle 10 at a predetermined timing. The control unit 31 stores the vehicle information received from the vehicle 10 in the vehicle information DB 321.

[0022] In addition, in the user information DB 322, authentication information, purpose information and available data information are stored in association with the user ID. The user ID is identification information inherent to the user or the user terminal 20. Authentication information is information used to authenticate the user, such as information related to a password, a numeric password or a PIN code. The user ID may also be included in the authentication information. In addition, identification information different from the user ID may also be included in the authentication information. The purpose information is information related to the purpose of using the vehicle information in the target enterprise. The purpose information is information used to determine the generated model, and the control unit 31 generates the model according to the purpose of use. Available data information is information related to data available to the user. For example, the available data can be determined in accordance with the content of the contract. For example, the data available to the user can be determined in accordance with whether a confidentiality contract for vehicle information has been signed or the content of the confidentiality contract. The authentication information, purpose information and available data information associated with the user ID are also called user information.

[0023] The communication module 33 is a communication interface for connecting the server 30 to the network N1. The communication module 33 may include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server 30 can perform data communication with the vehicle 10 and the user terminal 20 via the communication module 33.

[0024] The input-output device 34 is a unit that receives input operations performed by the operator and presents information to the operator. Specifically, the input-output device 34 includes devices for input such as a mouse and a keyboard, and devices for output such as a display and a speaker. The input-output device 34 may also be integrally formed by, for example, a touch panel display or the like.

[0025] In addition, as a specific hardware configuration of the server 30 , constituent elements may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate according to the embodiment.

[0026] Next, the vehicle 10 is described. The vehicle 10 is configured to include a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication module 13, and a position information sensor 14. These configurations can be realized by a combination of a DCM (Data Communication Module), a head-up display unit, or a vehicle navigation system or other vehicle-mounted devices. The control unit 11 is a computing unit that realizes various functions of the vehicle 10 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 11 can be realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. In addition, the control unit 11 can also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc.

[0027] The storage unit 12 is a means for storing information and is composed of a storage medium such as RAM, a magnetic disk, and a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 11, data used by the programs, etc. The storage unit 12 also stores an initial value of the SOH.

[0028] The communication module 13 is a communication unit for connecting the vehicle 10 to the network N1. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 10 can communicate with other devices (for example, the server 30) via the network N1 using mobile communication services such as 3G, LTE, 5G, and 6G.

[0029] The position information sensor 14 acquires position information (for example, latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 10 at a predetermined period. The position information sensor 14 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit, a wireless communication unit, or the like.

[0030] The control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 collects vehicle information at predetermined time intervals and transmits the collected vehicle information to the server 30 .

[0031] Next, the user terminal 20 is described. The user terminal 20 is configured to include a control unit 21, a communication module 22, and an input-output device 23. The configurations of the communication module 22 and the input-output device 23 are the same as those of the communication module 33 and the input-output device 34 of the server 30, and thus description thereof is omitted. The control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 acquires the purpose of use of the model and authentication information from the user via the input-output device 34. The purpose of use of the model can be selected by the user from a plurality of pre-set items. The user terminal 20 sends the acquired purpose of use of the model and authentication information to the server 30.

[0032] Next, the control unit 31 of the server 30 is described in detail. The control unit 31 of the server 30 generates a model based on the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle 10 and the user information obtained from the user terminal 20 in response to the user's request for using the model. The request for using the model includes the user information. As examples of the model, a model having whether there is connectivity to the Internet (hereinafter referred to as the first model), a model having the time of power on / off of a specific vehicle group, the type of vehicle, and the location information (hereinafter referred to as the second model), a model having detailed information of a specific mobile communication network (hereinafter referred to as the third model), etc. can be exemplified.

[0033] Figure 4 is an example of a graph used to illustrate the generated model. Figure 4 , which respectively correspond to the first model, the second model, and the third model. The sensing data used in the first model is whether there is a communication connection, and the first model is a model that reproduces whether there is a communication connection at each location and at each time. The first model is, for example, a model that is expected to be used by developers of in-vehicle applications. Figure 4 In the figure showing the first model, the dotted line represents the path of the vehicle 10 when it is traveling in the direction of the arrow, and the cross symbol (×) represents the position where the communication is disconnected. In this case, the user uses the first model to test the application developed by the company in simulation. For example, the communication status is reflected when the vehicle is simulated traveling on the map. In the case of this utilization method, the test is established as long as only the connectivity of the communication (connected, disconnected) is known. On the other hand, in the case of this utilization method, information related to the type of communication line, radio wave strength, base station, etc. is not required. In this way, in the first model, since only the existence of a communication connection is used, all data related to the existence of a communication connection can be used regardless of the authentication information.

[0034] In addition, the sensing data used in the second model is the operating status of the shared car, and the second model is a model that reproduces the position of the vehicle 10 at each time. The second model is, for example, a model that is expected to be used by a car sharing service provider. Figure 4In the figure representing the second model, the colored vehicles represent vehicles in a power-off state at a specific location (hereinafter also referred to as non-operating vehicles). The highlighted vehicles represent vehicles in a power-on state at a non-specific location (hereinafter also referred to as operating vehicles). The power-on state refers to the state in which the power switch is on, and may also be the IG-ON (ignition switch is on) state. The power-on state is when the vehicle 10 is in a startup state. In addition, the power-off state refers to the state in which the power switch is off, and may also be the IG-OFF (ignition switch is off) state. The power-off state is a state in which the functions of the vehicle 10 are stopped. In addition, the specific location is a location determined by the user as a parking lot for the vehicle 10. The non-operating vehicles and the operating vehicles are vehicles 10 managed by the user. In this case, the user uses the second model to simulate the waiting position, waiting number, profit or operating status of the vehicle 10 when the vehicle model is changed. The user collects the operating status of the vehicle 10 used in car sharing, and then uses the information obtained through the reservation application for simulation. In the case of this method of use, only the specific information of the specific vehicle group corresponding to the user is required, and no information related to communication is required. Thus, in the second model, it is determined based on the authentication information which data of the vehicle 10 can be utilized, and only the determined data of the vehicle 10 is utilized.

[0035] In addition, the sensing data used in the third model is the base station and its communication status of the connection target of the vehicle 10, and the third model is a model that reproduces the radio wave environment of each base station. The third model is, for example, a model that is expected to be used by a mobile communication operator. Figure 4 In the diagram representing the third model, the communicable areas and their radio wave strengths corresponding to the first base station, the second base station, the third base station, and the fourth base station are represented by dotted lines. The dotted lines are lines connecting positions with the same radio wave strength. As for radio wave strength, the closer the area is to the center side, the stronger it is. In this case, the user uses the third model when searching for holes in the company's mobile coverage (i.e., places where communication is not possible) in the simulation. For example, a simulation in which a base station is virtually set up at a certain location can be performed to verify the improvement effect of the mobile coverage. In addition, for example, the availability of services using the company's infrastructure can also be verified. In the case of this type of utilization, information related to the radio wave strength and connection status in the user's communication is required, and information related to communications with other companies and information related to Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is not required. In this way, in the third model, it is determined based on the authentication information which base stations' data can be used, and only the data of the determined base stations is used.

[0036] The control unit 31 of the server 30 generates a model based on the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle 10 and the user information obtained from the user terminal 20 in response to the user generating a request for using the model. If a request for using the model is received from the user terminal 20, the user terminal 20 is authenticated. The control unit 31 compares the authentication information received from the user terminal 20 with the authentication information stored in the user information DB 322 and performs authentication processing. If the authentication is successful, the control unit 31 extracts the purpose of use corresponding to the user ID from the user information DB 322. In addition, the information related to the purpose of use can be stored in the user information DB 322 in advance, or can be included in the request for using the model. Then, the control unit 31 generates a model in accordance with the purpose of use. Based on the authentication information, the control unit 31 generates a model after anonymizing or excluding the vehicle information used in generating the model. At this time, for example, one of the first model, the second model, and the third model can be generated. And, after generating the model, the control unit 31 stores it in the storage unit 32 in a manner that can be used by the user. In addition, the control unit 31 may transmit the generated model to the user terminal 20. In addition, the model may be generated using a known technique.

[0037] Figure 5 1 is a flowchart showing the process of generating a model in the server 30 . Figure 5 The flowchart shown is executed at predetermined time intervals in the server 30. In addition, the description will be given on the premise that necessary information is already stored in the vehicle information DB 321 and the user information DB 322.

[0038] In S101, the control unit 31 determines whether a request to generate a model is received from the user terminal 20. If the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination in S101, the process proceeds to S102, and if the control unit 31 makes a negative determination, this routine ends.

[0039] In S102, the control unit 31 obtains authentication information. The control unit 31 obtains the user ID and authentication information included in the request to generate the model. In S103, the control unit 31 extracts the authentication information corresponding to the user ID from the user information DB 322, and compares it with the authentication information obtained in S102, thereby performing authentication processing.

[0040] In S104, the control unit 31 determines whether the authentication is established. In S104, when the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to S105, and when it makes a negative determination, the process proceeds to S106. In S106, the control unit 31 notifies the user terminal 20 that "authentication is not established". On the other hand, in S105, the control unit 31 obtains the purpose of use corresponding to the user ID included in the request for generating the model from the user information DB 322. As another example, in the case where information related to the purpose of use is included in the request for generating the model, the control unit 31 may also extract the information related to the purpose of use from the request for generating the model.

[0041] In S107, the control unit 31 extracts the sensing data corresponding to the purpose of use from the vehicle information DB 321. The control unit 31 extracts the sensing data corresponding to the purpose of use from the sensing data available to the user (i.e., the available data stored in the user information DB 322) extracted based on the authentication information from the vehicle information DB 321. In addition, the relationship between the purpose of use and the extracted sensing data is pre-stored in the storage unit 32. In S108, the control unit 31 generates a model based on the extracted sensing data. In S109, the control unit 31 provides the model to the user terminal 20. The provision of the model may be the provision of an API (Application Programming Interface) or the provision of a code. In addition, the control unit 31 may also provide a simulation service using the model. That is, instead of providing the model, the control unit 31 may perform a simulation using the model and provide the simulation result to the user. In this case, the information required to perform the simulation may be included in the request to generate the model.

[0042] According to the embodiment described above, the collected data can be provided in the form of a model that is easy for the user to use. In this case, since a model containing only the minimum necessary information is generated and provided according to the user's purpose of use, it is possible to provide a model corresponding to the user's purpose of use and appropriately manage the data. In addition, the privacy of the data provider can be appropriately protected. Other Implementations

[0043] The above-mentioned embodiment is only an example, and the present invention can be implemented by appropriate changes within the scope of its main purpose. As long as no technical contradiction occurs, the processing and units described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented. In addition, the processing described as a process performed by one device can also be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, the processing described as a process performed by different devices can also be performed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change which hardware configuration (server configuration) implements each function.

[0044] In the above embodiment, one server 30 is used for explanation, but as another example, there may be multiple servers. For example, it may be configured to include an authority management server that authenticates the user terminal 20 and its simulation instance, a collection server that collects vehicle information from the vehicle 10, and a database that accumulates vehicle information. It may also be configured to include multiple servers such as a model server that generates a simulation model and a simulation server that performs simulation. When simulation is performed with such a configuration, the simulation instance on the simulation server requests the simulation model from the model server. When there is a request for a simulation model, the model server notifies the authority management server of the authentication information of the user terminal. Based on the response of the authority management server, the model server anonymizes or excludes the vehicle information used in the simulation, constructs a model and reflects it in the simulation of the simulation server.

[0045] Each time the model is used, the user can set what kind of statistical processing is to be performed by day, month, weekday, weekend, etc. For example, a request for the above setting can be included in the request for generating the model.

[0046] The present invention can also be implemented in the following manner, that is, a computer program installed with the functions described in the above embodiment is provided to a computer, and one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program to achieve implementation. Such a computer program can be provided to a computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or it can be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, magnetic disks (floppy disks (registered trademark), hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.). Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disks such as optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVD disks, Blu-ray disks, etc.), and read-only memories (ROMs). Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic cards, flash memories, optical cards, and any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit, The control unit is configured to perform: Obtaining the purpose of use and authentication information of the model from the user's terminal; extracting one or more first sensing data available to the user based on the authentication information from a storage unit storing a plurality of sensing data acquired from a plurality of vehicles; generating a model corresponding to the purpose of use of the user using the extracted first sensing data; as well as The generated model is provided to a terminal of the user.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensing data is whether there is a communication connection, The model is a model that reproduces whether a communication connection exists at each location and at each time.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensing data is the operating status of the shared car. The model is a model that reproduces the position of the vehicle at each time.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensing data is a base station to which the vehicle is connected and a communication status between the vehicle and the base station. The model is a model that reproduces the radio wave environment of each of the base stations.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: further comprising a storage unit for storing a relationship between the purpose of use of the model and the first sensing data, The control unit extracts the first sensing data according to a purpose of using the model.

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