Information processor

Abstract

To provide a technology that is effective in correcting unfairness among a plurality of users of lease service that includes maintenance.SOLUTION: An information processor includes a control unit. The control unit of the information processor acquires the number of times of maintenance performed at a predetermined base during a predetermined period for a leased vehicle that includes maintenance. The control unit of the information processor determines that the smaller the number of times of maintenance performed at the predetermined base during the predetermined period, the larger the amount of reward to be provided to the user of the leased vehicle. The control unit of the information processor outputs information about the determined reward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In a method of selling fuel to leased vehicles, a method is known in which the fuel fee discount rate is larger for leased vehicles whose maintenance items in the lease contract include oil changes than for leased vehicles whose maintenance items in the lease contract do not include oil changes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-38708 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that is effective in correcting unfairness among multiple users who use a leasing service that includes maintenance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device. In this case, the information processing device includes, for example, The device includes a control unit configured to acquire the number of maintenance operations performed at a specified base during a specified period for a leased vehicle including maintenance, and output information on rewards that are provided to a user of the leased vehicle in a larger amount the fewer the number of maintenance operations.

[0006] Other aspects of the present disclosure may be an information processing method in which a computer executes the above-mentioned processing, a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, or a non-transitory storage medium for storing the program. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that is effective in correcting unfairness among multiple users who use a leasing service that includes maintenance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle management system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of maintenance information. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a maintenance DB. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of incentive information. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a process flow periodically executed by the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] There is a known leasing service that grants the right to use a vehicle to a user who pays a fixed usage fee (monthly usage fee) periodically (for example, monthly). One type of leasing service is also known as a leasing service that includes maintenance. A leasing service that includes maintenance is a service in which vehicle maintenance (vehicle inspection, check-up, maintenance, etc.) is provided during the lease period at no additional charge, and the maintenance costs are included in the lease fee (application fee and / or monthly usage fee, etc.) in advance.

[0010] Here, in the lease service including maintenance, the maintenance timing is determined in advance for each item. For example, the maintenance timing for engine oil is determined to be changed every certain mileage or at certain intervals. However, depending on the manner in which the user drives the vehicle, the predetermined maintenance timing may not be suitable. For example, in a vehicle of a user who drives in a manner that does not deteriorate the engine oil easily, the engine oil may not deteriorate to the extent that it needs to be changed within the predetermined certain mileage or period. In such a case, if the oil is changed according to the predetermined certain mileage or period, it may lead to excessive consumption of engine oil resources.

[0011] Therefore, in a leasing service that includes maintenance, a method of flexibly determining the maintenance timing according to the vehicle condition can be considered. However, if such a method is adopted, a situation may occur in which the number of maintenances performed during the lease period differs for each user. In other words, the number of maintenances may differ among multiple users who are charged the same lease fee. As a result, users who have relatively few maintenances may feel a sense of unfairness.

[0012] In contrast, in the information processing device according to the present disclosure, the control unit acquires the number of maintenances performed at a specified base during a specified period for a lease vehicle with maintenance included. A lease vehicle with maintenance included is a vehicle that is subject to the above-mentioned lease service with maintenance included. The specified base is a maintenance workshop operated by the lease service provider, or a maintenance workshop operated by a company commissioned by the lease service provider. The specified period may be the lease period, or a portion of the lease period (e.g., several months to one year).

[0013] The control unit outputs information on a reward that is provided to a user of the leased vehicle in a larger amount as the number of maintenance times acquired is smaller. The reward may be any reward that can suppress a sense of unfairness felt by users who have performed maintenance relatively less frequently. In one example, the reward may be a discount on the lease fee. As another example, the reward may be a coupon, points, or a gift certificate. The control unit may be further configured to determine the amount of the reward according to the number of maintenance times for each item. As one example, the amount of the reward may be determined to be larger as the number of maintenance times for an item that requires more labor hours for maintenance and / or an item for which the cost of parts replaced during maintenance is higher is smaller.

[0014] Outputting reward information in an information processing device according to the present disclosure may include presenting the reward information to an operator through a display equipped on the information processing device, and / or transmitting the reward information to a user's terminal.

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent users who perform maintenance relatively less frequently from feeling a sense of unfairness.

[0016] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0017] (Vehicle management system overview) A system to which an information processing device according to the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the system. The system in this embodiment includes a base terminal 1, a user terminal 2, and a server 3. The server 3 is connected to the base terminal 1 and the user terminal 2 via a network N1, which will be described later. In the example shown in Fig. 1, only one base terminal 1 and one user terminal 2 are shown, but multiple base terminals 1 and user terminals 2 may be included in the system.

[0018] The base terminal 1 is a terminal located at a predetermined base. The predetermined base is a maintenance factory operated by the lease service provider or a maintenance factory commissioned by the lease service provider, and performs maintenance of the vehicle 200. The user terminal 2 is a terminal used by the user of the vehicle 200. The vehicle 200 is a lease vehicle for which the right to use is granted to the user by paying a fixed usage fee periodically (for example, monthly). In this embodiment, the lease contract for the vehicle 200 includes a contract in which maintenance (vehicle inspection, check-up, maintenance, etc.) during the lease period can be received without additional charge. The server 3 is an example of an information processing device according to the present disclosure, and is operated by the lease service provider. The server 3 has a function of periodically collecting the driving history and diagnosis information of the vehicle 200 from the vehicle 200, and determining the maintenance timing of the vehicle 200 based on the collected information. Furthermore, the server 3 has a function of notifying the user of the determined maintenance timing through the user terminal 2. As a result, the number of maintenance times can be reduced for the vehicle 200 of a user who drives in a manner that does not easily deteriorate the vehicle parts. Furthermore, the server 3 of this embodiment has a function of determining an incentive (reward) to be provided to a user according to the number of maintenances (maintenance count) that the vehicle 200 has undergone at a predetermined base during a predetermined period. This makes it possible to prevent a user who has had the vehicle 200 maintained less frequently (a user who drives in a manner that does not easily cause deterioration of vehicle parts) from feeling a sense of unfairness.

[0019] In the system of this embodiment, every time maintenance of the vehicle 200 is performed at a predetermined base, an employee or the like at the predetermined base transmits maintenance information to the server 3 via the base terminal 1. In one example, as shown in Fig. 2, the maintenance information includes an identifier of the vehicle 200 (vehicle ID), an identifier of the item of maintenance performed at the predetermined base (item ID), and the date on which the maintenance of the vehicle 200 was performed at the predetermined base (implementation date). The item ID included in the maintenance information may be the name of the maintenance item.

[0020] Based on such maintenance information, the server 3 obtains the number of maintenance items that the vehicle 200 has undergone during a specified period, and determines an incentive according to the number of maintenance items. The incentive may be anything that can prevent users who have undergone relatively few maintenance items from feeling a sense of unfairness. As an example, the incentive may be a discount on the lease fee. As another example, the incentive may be a coupon, points, or a gift certificate. The server 3 outputs information on the incentive determined as described above.

[0021] (Server configuration) Here, the configuration of the server 3 in this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the server 3 in this embodiment includes a processor 301, a main memory unit 302, an auxiliary memory unit 303, and a communication unit 304. Note that the configuration of the server 3 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 1, and may include an input / output device in addition to the processor 301, the main memory unit 302, the auxiliary memory unit 303, and the communication unit 304.

[0022] The processor 301 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP). A function that meets a predetermined purpose is realized by loading the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 into a working area of ​​the main storage unit 302 and executing the program. In this embodiment, the processor 301 that executes the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 corresponds to a control unit according to the present disclosure.

[0023] The main memory unit 302 is a computer-readable recording medium. In this embodiment, the main memory unit 302 is used as a work area for loading the programs stored in the auxiliary memory unit 303, and is also used to temporarily store the results of calculations by the processor 301, etc. The main memory unit 302 includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM).

[0024] The auxiliary storage unit 303 is a computer-readable recording medium. In this embodiment, the auxiliary storage unit 303 stores various programs to be executed by the processor 301, and various data used when the processor 301 executes the various programs. The auxiliary storage unit 303 includes, for example, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) or a hard disk drive (HDD). The auxiliary storage unit 303 may include a removable medium, that is, a portable recording medium. The programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 include an operating system (OS) and a program for determining an incentive to be provided to the user of the vehicle 200. Some or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 may be stored in the main storage unit 302.

[0025] In this embodiment, the auxiliary storage unit 303 stores a maintenance DB 310 and incentive data 320. The maintenance DB 310 is constructed by the processor 301 executing a DBMS (Database Management System) program.

[0026] The maintenance DB 310 is a database that stores information regarding the number of maintenance operations performed at a specified base during a predetermined period on the vehicle 200. The predetermined period may be, for example, the lease period of the vehicle 200, or a portion of the lease period (for example, several months to one year).

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the maintenance DB 310. As shown in FIG. 3, the maintenance DB 310 has a plurality of tables (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "maintenance information tables") corresponding to the plurality of vehicles 200 managed by the server 3. Each maintenance information table has a field in which the vehicle ID of the corresponding vehicle 200 is registered and a field in which the end date of a predetermined period is registered, as well as a plurality of records for each item of maintenance suitable for the corresponding vehicle 200. In the example shown in FIG. 3, each record has an item ID field in which an identifier (item ID) of an item to be maintained is registered, and a number field in which a cumulative value (maintenance number) of the number of times that maintenance of each item has been performed at a predetermined base during a predetermined period is registered. In the example shown in FIG. 3, item names such as "engine oil", "battery", and "wiper" are used as information registered in the item ID field, but identifiers other than item names may be used.

[0028] The information registered in the frequency field in each maintenance information table of the maintenance DB 310 is updated every time maintenance of each item for the corresponding vehicle 200 is performed at a specified base. For example, when the engine oil of the vehicle 200 is changed at a specified base, maintenance information including the vehicle ID of the vehicle 200, the item ID corresponding to the engine oil, and the date of the engine oil change is transmitted from the base terminal 1 to the server 3. The server 3, which receives such maintenance information, identifies the maintenance information table of the vehicle 200 based on the vehicle ID. Next, the server 3 identifies a record in which "engine oil" is registered in the item ID field among the records of the identified maintenance information table, and increments the number of maintenance times registered in the frequency field of the identified record by one.

[0029] If the predetermined period is a part of the lease period, the information registered in the number of times field in each maintenance information table of the maintenance DB 310 is reset to "0 times" each time the end date of the predetermined period arrives.

[0030] The incentive data 320 defines the amount of incentive for each maintenance item. The data is stored in the database. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the incentive data 320. As shown in FIG. 4, the incentive data 320 includes a plurality of tables (hereinafter, may be referred to as "incentive data tables") for each maintenance item. In each incentive data table, an amount of incentive is set for each maintenance frequency of each item. In this embodiment, the amount of incentive is set to be larger as the maintenance frequency of each item is smaller. For "engine oil" shown in FIG. 4, the amount of incentive is larger as the maintenance frequency (number of engine oil changes) is smaller. In this embodiment, the amount of incentive is set to be different for each item. As an example, an item requiring a large number of man-hours for maintenance may be set to have a larger amount of incentive when the maintenance frequency is low, compared to an item requiring a small number of man-hours. As another example, an item requiring a high price (parts cost) for parts replaced during maintenance may be set to have a larger amount of incentive when the maintenance frequency is low, compared to an item requiring a low price.

[0031] Next, the communication unit 304 of the server 3 is an interface for connecting the server 3 to the network N1. In one example, the communication unit 304 includes a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the communication unit 304 communicates with the base terminal 1 and the user terminal 2 through the network N1.

[0032] In the server 3 configured as described above, when the communication unit 304 receives the maintenance information transmitted from the base terminal 1, the processor 301 executes the following process through the execution of a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303. First, the processor 301 identifies a maintenance information table corresponding to the vehicle 200 by accessing the maintenance DB 310 using the vehicle ID included in the maintenance information as an argument. The processor 301 identifies a record in which information matching the item ID is registered in the item ID field by accessing the identified maintenance information table using the item ID included in the maintenance information as an argument. As an example, if the item ID included in the maintenance information is "engine oil", the processor 301 identifies a record in which "engine oil" is registered in the item ID field. The processor 301 increments the number of maintenance times registered in the number of times field of the identified record by one.

[0033] Furthermore, in the server 3 configured as described above, the processor 301 executes the following process periodically (for example, daily) through execution of a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303. First, the processor 301 accesses the maintenance DB 310 to determine whether there is a vehicle 200 for which a predetermined period has ended. As an example, if there is a maintenance information table in which a date one day before is registered in the end date field among the maintenance information tables registered in the maintenance DB 310, the processor 301 may determine that the predetermined period has ended for the vehicle 200 corresponding to that maintenance information table.

[0034] If it is determined that there is a vehicle 200 for which the specified period has expired, the processor 301 determines the incentive amount for each maintenance item based on the information registered in the maintenance information table of the vehicle 200 and the incentive data 320. Taking the item "engine oil" as an example, the processor 301 identifies a record in which "engine oil" is registered in the item ID field of the maintenance information table, and reads out the number of maintenance times registered in the number of times field of the identified record. The processor 301 then accesses the incentive data 320 and identifies the incentive data table corresponding to engine oil. The processor 301 reads out the incentive amount corresponding to the number of maintenance times read out from the maintenance information table, from among the incentive amounts registered in the identified incentive data table. The processor 301 sets the incentive amount read from the incentive data table to the incentive amount corresponding to the item "engine oil." Similar processing is performed for other items registered in the item ID field of the maintenance information table.

[0035] When the incentive amounts for all items registered in the item ID field of the maintenance information table are calculated, the processor 301 calculates the sum of those incentive amounts. The processor 301 determines the calculated sum as the amount of incentive to be provided to the user of the vehicle 200. The processor 301 outputs information on the determined incentive amount (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "incentive information"). Outputting the incentive information may include presenting the incentive information to an operator through an input / output device of the server 3, presenting the incentive information to a user through the user terminal 2, presenting the incentive information to a leasing service provider through a terminal of the leasing service provider, etc.

[0036] The method of determining the amount of incentive provided to the user of the vehicle 200 is not limited to the above example, and can be flexibly changed depending on the embodiment. For example, the processor 301 may determine the amount of incentive provided to the user of the vehicle 200 according to the total number of maintenance operations performed for each item. In this case, the processor 301 may increase the amount of incentive provided to the user of the vehicle 200 as the total number of maintenance operations performed for each item decreases.

[0037] (Processing flow) The flow of processing executed by the server 3 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the server 3 periodically (for example, once a day).

[0038] In FIG. 5, the processor 301 determines whether or not there is a vehicle 200 for which a predetermined period has ended among the vehicles 200 managed by the server 3 (step S101). Specifically, the processor 301 accesses the maintenance DB 310 and determines whether or not there is a maintenance information table in which a date one day before is registered in the end date field. If there is no maintenance information table in which a date one day before is registered in the end date field, the processor 301 determines that there is no vehicle 200 for which a predetermined period has ended (negative determination in step S101). In that case, the processor 301 ends the execution of this processing routine. Also, if there is a maintenance information table in which a date one day before is registered in the end date field, the processor 301 determines that the predetermined period of the vehicle 200 corresponding to the maintenance information table has ended (positive determination in step S101). In that case, the processor 301 executes the processing of step S102.

[0039] In step S102, the processor 301 obtains an incentive amount for each item of the vehicle 200 for which it has been determined in step S101 that the predetermined period has ended. Specifically, the processor 301 obtains the incentive amount for each maintenance item by accessing the incentive data 320 using as an argument the number of maintenance times for each item registered in the maintenance information table of the vehicle 200. When the incentive amount for all items registered in the item ID field of the maintenance information table of the vehicle 200 has been obtained, the processor 301 executes the process of step S103.

[0040] In step S103, the processor 301 calculates the sum of the incentive amounts for each item acquired in step S102. After completing the process of step S103, the processor 301 executes the process of step S104.

[0041] In step S104, the processor 301 outputs incentive information including the sum calculated in step S103. In one example, the processor 301 may present the incentive information to the operator through an input / output device of the server 3. In another example, the processor 301 may transmit the incentive information to the user terminal 2 (present to the user) or to the terminal of the leasing service provider (present to the leasing service provider) through the communication unit 304. After completing the processing of step S104, the processor 301 ends the execution of the processing flow in FIG. 5.

[0042] According to the embodiment described above, among multiple users who use the lease service including maintenance (multiple users who are charged the same amount of lease fee), the more incentives are provided to users who perform maintenance relatively less frequently. This makes it possible to prevent users who perform maintenance relatively less frequently from feeling a sense of unfairness.

[0043] <Modification> In the above embodiment, the server 3 is configured by one computer, but may be configured by multiple computers connected to each other via the network N1. That is, the processing of the server 3 described in the above embodiment may be shared and executed by multiple computers connected to each other via the network N1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] Reference Signs List 1 base terminal, 2 user terminal, 200 vehicle, 3 server, 301 processor, 302 main memory unit, 303 auxiliary memory unit, 310 maintenance DB, 320 incentive data, 304 communication unit

Claims

1. Obtaining the number of maintenance operations performed at a specified location during a specified period for a leased vehicle that includes maintenance; outputting information on a reward that will be provided to a user of the leased vehicle in a larger amount as the number of maintenance operations decreases; A control unit configured to execute Information processing device.

2. The predetermined period is at least a portion of the lease period. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is further configured to determine an amount of the reward to be provided to the user according to the number of maintenance items per item. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

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