Information processing device and method for operating information processing device

Abstract

The invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an operation method of the information processing apparatus. The purpose of the present invention is to more efficiently perform reaction recovery by a user of a trial vehicle. The information processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a number of operations performed by a user on equipment of a trial vehicle; and a control unit that selects a first device having a predetermined difference between the number of operations and a reference value, and outputs first question information to the first device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and a method of operation of an information processing apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] In development / sales of a vehicle, the reaction such as an impression of a user who has tried the vehicle is effectively utilized for improvement of a product. Various techniques of assisting collection of the reaction from the user are proposed. For example, a technique of distributing a questionnaire to a user of a vehicle is disclosed in Patent Literature 1.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-277583

[0006] There is room for more effectively collecting the reaction of the user who has tried the vehicle.

[0007] Hereinafter, an information processing apparatus and the like capable of more effectively collecting the reaction of the user who has tried the vehicle are disclosed. SUMMARY

[0008] The information processing apparatus of the present disclosure has an acquisition section that acquires information of a number of operations of a user on equipment of a vehicle for trial riding, and a control section that selects first equipment having a prescribed difference from a reference value in the number of operations, and outputs first question information with respect to the first equipment.

[0009] The method of operation of the information processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes acquiring information of a number of operations of a user on equipment of a vehicle for trial riding, and selecting first equipment having a prescribed difference from a reference value in the number of operations, and outputting first question information with respect to the first equipment.

[0010] EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0011] According to the information processing apparatus and the like of the present disclosure, the reaction of the user who has tried the vehicle can be more effectively collected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information communication system.

[0013] Figure 2 is a time chart showing an operation procedure example of the information communication system.

[0014] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure example of the information processing apparatus.

[0015] EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0016] 1: information communication system

[0017] 10: server device;

[0018] 11: network;

[0019] 12: terminal device;

[0020] 13: vehicle;

[0021] 14: in-vehicle device;

[0022] 101, 121, 141: communication section;

[0023] 102, 122, 142: storage section;

[0024] 103, 123, 143: control section;

[0025] 125, 145: input section;

[0026] 126, 146: output section;

[0027] 144: position measurement section;

[0028] 147: sensing section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described.

[0030] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system 1 of one embodiment. The information processing system 1 has each one or more of a server device 10, a terminal device 12, and an in-vehicle device 14 mounted on a vehicle 13 connected in a manner capable of mutually performing information communication via a network 11. The server device 10, for example, belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system, and is a server computer functioning as a server realizing various functions. The terminal device 12 is an information processing terminal used by a salesperson of an automobile dealer who tests the vehicle 13, and transmits and receives various information with the server device 10. The terminal device 12 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal device, or the like. The vehicle 13 is, for example, a passenger car, a commercial vehicle, or the like, and is used for test driving for sales or monitoring purposes. The in-vehicle device 14 is, for example, a navigation system or the like having a communication function and an information processing function. The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, and includes an ad hoc network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), or other networks or any combination thereof.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the server apparatus 10 as the "information processing apparatus" acquires information of the number of operations of the equipment of the test drive vehicle 13 by the user, selects equipment having a prescribed difference from a reference value in the number of operations (hereinafter referred to as target equipment), and outputs question information for the target equipment. The equipment of the vehicle 13 includes equipment related to the driving assistance of the vehicle 13 such as a navigation system, and equipment related to the indoor environment and entertainment of the vehicle 13 such as a multimedia, an air conditioner, a sound, and lighting. The equipment can also include equipment related to the driving of the vehicle 13 such as an accelerator, a brake, and a steering wheel. The information of the number of operations of such equipment by the user is acquired by, for example, the on-vehicle apparatus 14 and transmitted to the server apparatus 10. For the target equipment in which the number of operations by the user greatly exceeds or is lower than the reference value among the equipment of the vehicle 13, it is considered that the probability that the user's convenience is worse or better than expected is large. It is expected that the user's reaction that can be effectively utilized for the improvement of the equipment of the vehicle 13 is obtained by mainly asking the user questions related to the target equipment. The question information is transmitted from the server apparatus 10 to the terminal apparatus 12, for example, and the presentation of the questions and the collection of the reactions are performed by the terminal apparatus 12. According to such an embodiment, the collection of the reactions of the user of the test drive vehicle 13 can be more effectively performed.

[0032] <Configuration of the server apparatus 10>

[0033] The server apparatus 10 has a communication section 101, a storage section 102, and a control section 103. The server apparatus 10 is, for example, one computer. Alternatively, the server apparatus 10 can be configured of two or more computers connected in a manner capable of performing information communication and performing cooperative actions. In this case, Figure 1 The configuration shown is appropriately configured in the two or more computers.

[0034] The communication section 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication section 101 receives information for the actions of the server apparatus 10, and in addition, transmits information obtained by the actions of the server apparatus 10. The server apparatus 10 is connected to the network 11 by the communication section 101, and performs information communication with the terminal apparatus 12 and the vehicle 13 via the network 11. In the server apparatus 10, the communication section 101 acquires the information of the number of operations of the equipment of the vehicle 13 by the user from the on-vehicle apparatus 14 as the "communication section".

[0035] The storage section 102 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, a SRAM (Static RAM) or a DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage section 102 stores information used for the operation of the server device 10 and information obtained through the operation of the server device 10.

[0036] The control section 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of them. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) dedicated to a specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like. The control section 103 controls each section of the server device 10 while performing information processing related to the operation of the server device 10.

[0037] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by executing a control program by the processor included in the control section 103. The control program is a program for causing a computer to realize a function corresponding to a processing of a step included in the operation of the server device 10 by causing the computer to perform the processing of the step. That is, the control program is a program for causing a computer to function as the server device 10. In addition, a part or all of the functions of the server device 10 can also be realized by the dedicated circuit included in the control section 103. In addition, the control program can also be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium that can be read by the server device 10 and read from the medium by the server device 10.

[0038] <Configuration of the terminal device 12>

[0039] The terminal device 12 has a communication section 121, a storage section 122, a control section 123, an input section 125, and an output section 126.

[0040] The communication section 121 has a communication module corresponding to a wired or wireless LAN standard, a module corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), and the like. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 via a nearby router device or a base station for mobile communication through the communication section 121, and performs information communication with other devices via the network 11.

[0041] The storage section 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage section 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage section 122 stores information for controlling the operation of the control section 123 and information obtained through the operation of the control section 123.

[0042] The control section 123 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or one or more special-purpose processors dedicated to a specific process. Alternatively, the control section 123 can have one or more special-purpose circuits such as an FPGA or an ASIC. The control section 123 comprehensively controls the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating in accordance with a control / process program or an operation procedure realized as a circuit. Also, the control section 123 transmits and receives various information with the server device 10 or the like via the communication section 121, and performs the operation related to the present embodiment.

[0043] The input section 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface includes, for example, a physical button, an electrostatic capacitance button, a pointing device, a touch screen provided integrally with a display, a camera that takes in a photographed image or an image code, or an IC card reader. The input interface can also include a microphone that accepts voice input. The input section 125 accepts the input of information for controlling the operation of the control section 123, and transmits the input information to the control section 123.

[0044] The output section 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output section 126 outputs information obtained through the operation of the control section 123.

[0045] The functions of the control section 123 are realized by executing a control program by a processor included in the control section 123. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as the control section 123. Also, part or all of the functions of the control section 123 can be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control section 123.

[0046] <Configuration Example of On-vehicle Device 14>

[0047] The on-vehicle device 14 has a communication section 141, a storage section 142, a control section 143, a position measurement section 144, an input section 145, an output section 146, and a sensing section 147. They can be configured as one control device, or can be configured by two or more control devices or by a control device and other devices such as a communicator. The control device includes, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or the like. The communicator includes, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module) or the like. Each section is connected so as to be able to mutually perform information communication or information communication with the equipment of the vehicle 13, through an in-vehicle network in accordance with a standard such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0048] The storage section 142, the control section 143, the input section 145, and the output section 146 have configurations equivalent to those of the storage section 122, the control section 123, the input section 125, and the output section 126 of the terminal device 12, respectively.

[0049] The communication section 141 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, an interface corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. The communication section 141 receives information for controlling the operation of the control section 143, and, in addition, transmits information obtained by the operation of the control section 143. The control section 143 is connected to the network 11 via a base station of mobile communication through the communication section 141, and performs information communication with other devices via the network 11.

[0050] The position measurement section 144 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. The GNSS includes, for example, at least any one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The position information of the vehicle 13 is obtained based on information acquired by the position measurement section 144.

[0051] The sensing section 147 has an interface with one or more sensors that sense the state of each section of the vehicle 13 or one or more sensors. The sensors include, for example, sensors that sense the operation of various equipment of the vehicle 13 by the user and the like. The sensing section 147 transmits information indicating the result of sensing by the sensors to the control section 143.

[0052] The control section 143 controls each section while receiving and transmitting various information with the communication section 141, the storage section 142, the position measurement section 144, the input section 145, the output section 146, and the sensing section 147, and controls the operation of the vehicle 13. During the travel of the vehicle 13, the control section 143 presents various information required for driving to the driver via the output section 146 or controls the automatic driving of the vehicle 13, thereby controlling the operation of the vehicle 13.

[0053] Figure 2 is a timing chart for describing the operation procedure of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment. Figure 2 represents the procedure involved in the cooperative operation of the server apparatus 10, the terminal apparatus 12, and the in-vehicle apparatus 14. Figure 2The steps involved in various information processing of the server apparatus 10, the terminal apparatus 12, and the in-vehicle apparatus 14 are executed by the respective control sections 103, 123, and 143. Further, the steps involved in the transmission and reception of various information of the server apparatus 10, the terminal apparatus 12, and the in-vehicle apparatus 14 are executed by the respective control sections 103, 123, and 143 by transmitting and receiving information with each other via the communication sections 101, 121, and 141, respectively. In the server apparatus 10, the terminal apparatus 12, and the in-vehicle apparatus 14, the information transmitted and received by the control sections 103, 123, and 143, respectively, is appropriately stored in the storage sections 102, 122, and 142, respectively. Further, the control sections 123 and 143 of the terminal apparatus 12 and the in-vehicle apparatus 14, respectively, accept the input of various information from a user through the input sections 125 and 145, respectively, and output various information to the user through the output sections 126 and 146, respectively.

[0054] In S200, the terminal apparatus 12 transmits an instruction of test drive result collection to the server apparatus 10. For example, when an instruction of test drive result collection is input to the terminal apparatus 12 by a user or a person in charge of a car dealership at the time when the user starts a test drive of the vehicle 13, the terminal apparatus 12 transmits the instruction of test drive result collection to the server apparatus 10.

[0055] In S201, the server apparatus 10 transmits an instruction of transmission of operation number information to the in-vehicle apparatus 14 in response to the instruction of test drive result collection. The operation number information is information indicating the number of operations of each equipment of the vehicle 13 by a user.

[0056] In S202, the in-vehicle apparatus 14 transmits the operation number information to the server apparatus 10 in response to the instruction of transmission of operation number information. In the in-vehicle apparatus 14, the control section 143 transmits the operation number information generated by counting the number of operations to the server apparatus 10, by sensing the operations of various equipment through the sensing section 147 and transmitting to the control section 143. The operation number information includes identification information identifying each equipment and the number of operations associated with the identification information. The number of operations includes, for example, the number of operations indicating an arbitrary control amount on an accelerator, a brake, a steering wheel, an air conditioner, a sound, lighting, and the like, the number of operations of input, selection, and the like through a multimedia, a navigation system, and the like.

[0057] In S203, the server apparatus 10 stores the operation number information.

[0058] In S204, the terminal device 12 transmits an indication of the end of the collection of the test ride result to the server device 10. For example, when the user ends the test ride of the vehicle 13, the terminal device 12 is inputted with an indication of the end of the collection of the test ride result by the user or the person in charge of the car dealership, and transmits the indication of the end of the collection of the test ride result to the server device 10.

[0059] In S205, the server device 10 transmits an indication of the end of the transmission of the operation number information to the on-vehicle device 14 in response to the indication of the end of the collection of the test ride result. The on-vehicle device 14 ends the transmission of the operation number information in response thereto. S202 and S203 are repeatedly executed until S204 and S205 are executed and the indication of the end of the collection of the test ride result is transmitted to the on-vehicle device 14.

[0060] In S206, the server device 10 selects the target equipment. The detailed procedure of S206 is shown in Figure 3 .

[0061] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the operation of the control section 103 of the server device 10.

[0062] In S30, the control section 103 derives a difference (hereinafter referred to as a number difference) between the operation number and a reference value (hereinafter referred to as a number reference value) for each equipment. The control section 103 reads out the acquired operation number for each equipment stored in the storage section 102 and the number reference value set in advance for each equipment, and derives the number difference. Here, the number difference is an absolute value of the difference between the operation number and the number reference value.

[0063] In S31, the control section 103 determines whether the number difference exceeds an arbitrary reference value (hereinafter referred to as a difference reference value). In the case where the number difference exceeds the difference reference value (Yes), the control section 103 proceeds to S32, and in the case where the number difference is equal to or less than the difference reference value (No), the control section 103 proceeds to S33.

[0064] In S32, the control section 103 selects the equipment whose number difference exceeds the difference reference value as the target equipment. The selection result is stored in the storage section 102.

[0065] In S33, the control section 103 determines whether S30 to S32 have been executed for all the equipment. In the case where S30 to S32 have been executed for all the equipment (Yes), the control section 103 ends the procedure of Figure 3 , and in the case where S30 to S32 have not been executed for all the equipment (No), the control section 103 returns to S30 and executes S30 to S32 for the other equipment.

[0066] Returning to Figure 2In S208, the server device 10 generates the question information. The server device 10 generates the question information with respect to the selected object equipment. For example, in the storage section 102, with respect to each equipment, a question in a case where the equipment is selected as the object equipment (hereinafter referred to as a focus question) and a question in a case where the equipment is set as an equipment other than the object equipment (hereinafter referred to as a normal question) are stored in advance. The focus question includes a question more than the normal question or a question more detailed (specifically, a question with more characters). The control section 103 generates the question information including the focus question with respect to the object equipment. Note that the control section 103 can generate the question information including the normal question with respect to the equipment other than the object equipment in addition to the question information with respect to the object equipment.

[0067] In S209, the server device 10 transmits the question information with respect to the object equipment to the terminal device 12, or in addition thereto, transmits the question information with respect to the equipment other than the object equipment to the terminal device 12.

[0068] In S210, the terminal device 12 receives the answers to the question information. The terminal device 12 outputs the question information and receives the input of the answers of the user to each question. The question information includes the focus question or the normal question with respect to each equipment depending on whether the equipment is the object equipment or the equipment other than the object equipment. The user can answer each question based on the subjective feeling after the test ride.

[0069] In S211, the terminal device 12 transmits the information of the answers to the question information to the server device 10. The server device 10 stores the answers in association with the questions of each equipment. Note that it can also be that, in S209, the question information is transmitted to the on-vehicle device 14, in S210, the answers are received by the on-vehicle device 14, and in S211, the answers are transmitted to the server device 10.

[0070] The answers collected in such a process are appropriately acquired from the server device 10 by the terminal device 12 or another device and are effectively used for the development, improvement, or the like of the equipment of the vehicle 13. In particular, with respect to the object equipment, more detailed answers can be collected by the focus question.

[0071] In a variation of S208, the server device 10 can generate the question information with more questions or questions more detailed in a case where the number of operations of the object equipment is lower than an arbitrary minimum reference value. The storage section 102 stores a high focus question with more questions than the focus question or more characters than the focus question in advance, and the control section 103 can generate the question information using the high focus question.

[0072] In a further modification, the server device 10 adjusts the number-of-times reference value for each equipment, for example, after S211. For example, the server device 10 collects the number-of-operations information for each equipment by executing the process of S211 to S213 for each of the plurality of vehicles 13. Then, the server device 10 can derive the average value of the number of operations acquired in the plurality of vehicles 13 for each equipment, and set the value of the operation reference value resulting from scaling the average value of the number of operations by an arbitrary coefficient (for example, less than 0.5) as the new number-of-times reference value. In this way, the operation reference value for each equipment can be adjusted to a value in which the difference in the number of times is not too large, that is, a value more suitable to the tendency of a plurality of users. Figure 2 、 Figure 3

[0073] In the above-described embodiments, a part or all of the operation of the server device 10 can be executed by the terminal device 12. In this case, it can be that the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 constitute an "information processing device", or the terminal device 12 alone constitutes an "information processing device", and the communication section 121 of the terminal device 12 functions as an "acquisition section". Figure 2 、 Figure 3 In this case, the process performed by the terminal device 12 in the operation process in S211 to S213 is executed by the on-vehicle device 14, and the sensing section 147 of the on-vehicle device 14 functions as an "acquisition section".

[0074] According to the above-described embodiments, the reaction of the user who tries the vehicle 13 can be more effectively collected.

[0075] In the above-described content, the embodiments are described based on the drawings and examples, but it should be noted by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes are easily made based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each unit, each step, and the like can be rearranged in a logically non-contradictory manner, and a plurality of units, steps, and the like can be combined into one or divided.​

Claims

1.An information processing apparatus, comprising: an acquisition section that acquires information of a number of times of operation of a user on equipment of a test ride vehicle; and a control section that selects first equipment in which the number of times of operation has a prescribed difference from a reference value, and outputs first questioning information for the first equipment. 2.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section outputs second questioning information in which a number of questions or a number of characters of each question is less than the first questioning information, for second equipment in which the difference between the number of times of operation and the reference value is smaller than the difference between the number of times of operation and the reference value in the case of the first equipment. 3.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the number of times of operation on the first equipment is less than a reference number of times of operation, the control section increases the number of questions of the first questioning information or increases the number of characters of each question. 4.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section changes the reference value of the first equipment based on information of an answer to the first questioning information. 5.An action method of an information processing apparatus, comprising: acquiring information of a number of times of operation of a user on equipment of a test ride vehicle; and selecting first equipment in which the number of times of operation has a prescribed difference from a reference value, and outputting first questioning information for the first equipment. ​

Images