Information processing device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of providing a user with accurate information about costs associated with a vehicle.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processing device accepts an input of information including a type of a vehicle desired by a user, options desired by the user, and payment conditions for expenses for acquiring usage rights of the vehicle. The control unit also outputs information for comparing a payment amount including a maintenance cost about a plurality of payment methods according to the acceptance of the input of information including the type of the vehicle desired by the user, options desired by the user, and payment conditions for expenses for acquiring the usage rights of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There is known a technique for displaying the total payment amount and the monthly payment amount in the case of installment payments and leasing when purchasing a vehicle, in a manner that allows comparison (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-25164 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can provide a user with more accurate information about the costs involved with a vehicle. [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, Accepting input of information including a vehicle type desired by a user, options desired by the user, and payment terms for obtaining the right to use the vehicle; In response to receiving the input, outputting information comparing payment amounts, including maintenance fees, for a plurality of payment methods; The control unit is configured to:

[0006] The present disclosure can also be regarded as an information processing method in which a computer executes the processing of the information processing device. Also, the present disclosure can be regarded as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, or a non-transitory storage medium for storing the information processing program. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technique that can provide a user with more accurate information regarding vehicle costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of a support web page. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of a support web page. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow executed by a server in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] There are several ways for a user to pay for the right to use a vehicle, including paying the purchase price of the vehicle in installments (installment payments), paying the purchase price minus the residual value at the end of the payment period in installments (residual value loan), and paying a monthly usage fee including maintenance costs (leasing). It is possible to output the payment amounts for these multiple payment methods in a comparable format on a terminal of a business operator. A business operator here refers to, for example, a company that provides sales or leasing services for vehicles. (e.g., employees of a car dealership, etc.).

[0010] However, the maintenance costs borne by the user during the payment period may differ among the above-mentioned multiple payment methods. For example, in a leasing service, the user can use a vehicle by paying a monthly usage fee that includes the maintenance costs. Also, in installment and residual value loans, the user may need to pay maintenance costs in addition to the installment and residual value loan payments. Note that "maintenance costs" in this disclosure includes maintenance costs (e.g., statutory inspection costs, vehicle inspection costs, replacement costs for consumable parts, and repairs), automobile insurance premiums, and taxes, but does not include rental fees for vehicle storage space.

[0011] Therefore, it is desirable to have a way to make it possible to compare the amounts paid by multiple payment methods, taking into account maintenance fees that the user may need to pay separately during the payment period.

[0012] In the information processing device according to the present disclosure, the control unit is configured to receive input of information including the type of vehicle desired by the user, options desired by the user, and payment terms for the cost to acquire the right to use the vehicle. The information processing device according to the present disclosure may be a terminal used by a business providing a vehicle sales service and / or lease service, or a Web server connected to the business's terminal via a network.

[0013] An option is equipment that can be added to a vehicle by paying an additional fee. Payment terms include the payment period (e.g., number of years) and bonus amount. The option options may vary depending on the payment method. For example, with installment payments, there is no need to consider the residual value of the vehicle at the end of the payment period, so there is likely to be a large number of option options. In contrast, with residual value loans and leases, the vehicle returned by the user at the end of the payment period must be sold or leased as a used car, so the residual value of the vehicle at the end of the payment period must be considered. Therefore, with residual value loans and leases, the option options tend to be limited to only those that are in high demand in the used car market.

[0014] Therefore, the control unit may be configured to allow the user to select a desired option from among the option options corresponding to the payment method with the fewest option options among the multiple payment methods. As an example, the control unit may be configured to output a user interface screen including an input field for the vehicle type, a selection field for allowing the user to select a desired option from among the option options corresponding to the payment method with the most limited option options among the multiple payment methods, and an input field for payment terms.

[0015] In response to receiving the input of the above information, the control unit outputs information comparing the payment amounts including the maintenance fee for the multiple payment methods. As an example, the multiple payment methods may be installments, residual value loans, and leases. Also, as an example, the maintenance fee may be the insurance fee for the vehicle desired by the user, the maintenance fee for the vehicle desired by the user, and the tax imposed on the vehicle desired by the user. Note that outputting the information comparing the payment amounts including the maintenance fee for the multiple payment methods may include outputting a user interface screen including the monthly payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods, the maintenance fee payment amount, and the total payment amount for the payment period. Note that, when the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a Web server connected to the terminal of the business operator through a network, outputting the information comparing the payment amounts including the maintenance fee for the multiple payment methods may include outputting a user interface screen (Web page) including the monthly payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods, the maintenance fee payment amount, and the total payment amount for the payment period, to a Web browser of the terminal.

[0016] According to the information processing device of the present disclosure, a business can input the vehicle type and payment terms of a vehicle desired by a user into the information processing device, and can display the payment amount including maintenance fees for a plurality of payment methods. This allows the business operator to present to the user information comparing the payment amounts, including maintenance fees, for multiple payment methods.

[0017] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, and the like described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to only those.

[0018] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which an information processing device according to the present disclosure is applied to a system that provides vehicle sales and leasing services. A leasing service is a service (also called a subscription service) in which a user pays a monthly usage fee each month during a payment period specified in a contract to obtain the right to use a vehicle during the payment period. Note that the leasing service contract also includes maintenance fees during the payment period.

[0019] (System Configuration) Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a system 1 according to the present embodiment. The system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a terminal 100 and a server 200. In the example shown in Fig. 1, only one terminal 100 is shown, but multiple terminals 100 may be included in the system 1.

[0020] The terminal 100 is a terminal used by a business providing vehicle sales and leasing services (e.g., an employee of a car dealer). The terminal 100 is a computer on which a web browser application program is installed, such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a wearable device, or a personal computer. In this embodiment, the business obtains support information by accessing the server 200 through the terminal 100. The support information includes a proposal regarding the cost for the user to obtain the right to use the vehicle. The proposal in this embodiment includes information comparing multiple payment methods.

[0021] In addition, the multiple payment methods in this embodiment include paying the purchase price of the vehicle in installments (installment), paying the purchase price minus the residual value at the end of the payment period in installments (residual value loan), and paying a monthly usage fee that includes maintenance costs (leasing).

[0022] Next, the server 200 is an information processing device operated by a company (for example, a vehicle manufacturer or a company related to the manufacturer) that outsources vehicle sales and leasing to a business operator. The server 200 can be configured as a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main storage device such as a RAM and a ROM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable medium. The auxiliary storage device of the server 200 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, and various tables. The processor of the server 200 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage device into the working area of ​​the main storage device and executes them to realize various functions that match a predetermined purpose, as described below. However, some or all of the functions of the server 200 may be realized by hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0023] The server 200 in this embodiment is configured to be capable of realizing a Web server for interacting with the terminal 100. The server 200 provides support information to the business operator by interacting with the terminal 100 through the Web server. Note that the server 200 may provide the above-mentioned services by means of a means other than a Web server. For example, For example, a service that interacts with dedicated application software installed on the terminal 100 using a predetermined protocol may be executed in the server 200 .

[0024] The server 200 that realizes the above-mentioned functions includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 220, and a storage unit 230, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for connecting the server 200 to the network N1. The communication unit 210 connects to the network N1 via, for example, a LAN or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the terminal 100 via the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a WAN, which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or another communication network.

[0026] The control unit 220 is a software module realized by the processor of the server 200 executing a program stored in an auxiliary storage device. The control unit 220 interacts with the terminal 100 through the execution of a Web server. In this embodiment, the control unit 220 causes a support Web page to be displayed on the Web browser of the terminal 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of the support Web page. As shown in FIG. 2, the support Web page includes an input field A and an output field B.

[0027] The input field A is a field for the user to input information about the vehicle desired, and includes the following input items. (Input item 1) The type of vehicle the user desires (GUI component G1 in Figure 2) (Input item 2) The grade of the vehicle desired by the user (GUI component G2 in Figure 2) (Input item 3) The vehicle color desired by the user (GUI component G3 in Figure 2) (Input item 4) Option desired by the user (GUI component G4 in Figure 2) (Input item 5) Payment period desired by the user (GUI component G5 in Figure 2) (Input item 6) Bonus amount desired by the user (GUI component G6 in Figure 2)

[0028] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the input item 4 is configured to be selected from among the option choices displayed in a pull-down menu. The option choices may differ depending on the payment method. As an example, in installments, the residual value of the vehicle at the end of the payment period does not need to be considered, so the option choices are highly flexible. In contrast, in residual value loans and leases, the vehicle returned by the user at the end of the payment period needs to be sold or leased as a used car, so the residual value of the vehicle at the end of the payment period needs to be considered. Therefore, in residual value loans and leases, the option choices may be limited to only those that are in high demand in the used car market. If the option choices differ depending on the payment method due to such circumstances, the option choices displayed in the pull-down menu of the input item 4 are set to the same as the option corresponding to the payment method with the most limited options among the multiple payment methods. In one example, it may be set to the same as the option corresponding to the residual value loan or lease. This makes it possible to make the conditions related to the option the same even if the option choices differ among the multiple payment methods.

[0029] The bonus amount in input item 6 is the payment amount added to the monthly amount in the bonus months (e.g., January and August) specified in the contract. Note that 0 yen (no bonus amount) may be entered in input item 6.

[0030] Output column B is a column for outputting support information according to the input contents of input items 1-6 above, and includes the following output items. (Output item 1) Support information (GUI component G7 in Figure 2)

[0031] When a business providing vehicle sales and leasing services inputs information into each of input items 1-6 on the support web page, the control unit 220 calculates the payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods based on the information input into input items 1-6 and the data stored in the storage unit 230 described below. In one example, the control unit 220 calculates the monthly payment amount, the maintenance fee for the payment period, and the total payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods. The "total payment amount" here is the total amount including the total monthly amount for the payment period, the total bonus amount for the payment period, and the maintenance fee for the payment period.

[0032] The maintenance costs in this embodiment include automobile insurance premiums incurred during the payment period, maintenance costs incurred during the payment period (legal inspection costs, vehicle inspection costs, replacement costs for consumable parts, and repairs, etc.), taxes incurred during the payment period, etc. However, the maintenance costs in this embodiment do not include rental fees for vehicle storage space and fuel costs.

[0033] Note that until input of input items 1-6 in input column A is completed, output item 1 in output column B will be blank as shown in FIG.

[0034] When the payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods is calculated, the control unit 220 generates support information to be displayed in output field B, and displays the generated support information in output field B of the support web page. The support information is information that compares payment amounts, including maintenance fees, for multiple payment methods. In one example, the support information may be a comparison table of monthly amounts, bonus addition amounts, maintenance fees, and total payment amounts for multiple payment methods, as shown in FIG. 3. In the comparison table illustrated in FIG. 3, the maintenance fee for leasing is set to "none" (0 yen). This is because the leasing service contract in this embodiment includes maintenance fees during the payment period (contract period).

[0035] When a support web page such as that shown in Fig. 3 is displayed through the web browser of the terminal 100, the business operator can grasp information (support information) that compares payment amounts, including maintenance fees, for multiple payment methods by looking at the display contents of output item 1 (GUI component G7 in Fig. 3) in output field B. This allows the business operator to present the grasped support information to the user. As a result, the user can more accurately grasp the costs required during the payment period for multiple payment methods.

[0036] The configuration of the support web page is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 2 and 3, and the input items and output items can be flexibly changed according to the embodiment. Also, the input field A and the output field B do not need to be displayed on the same web page, and may be displayed on separate web pages.

[0037] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 1, the storage unit 230 of the server 200 will now be described. The storage unit 230 in this embodiment is a logical storage area constructed in an auxiliary storage device of the server 200. As shown in Fig. 1, the storage unit 230 in this embodiment stores various data used to calculate payment amounts for a plurality of payment methods. In one example, the storage unit 230 stores price data, insurance data, tax data, interest rate data, residual value data, maintenance cost data, and the like.

[0038] The price data includes the vehicle's base price, lease price, option price, etc. These prices are stored by the grade of each vehicle model. The lease prices included in the price data are stored by the length of the payment period (lease period) (e.g., 3 years or 5 years, etc.). The insurance data includes monthly insurance premiums by grade of each vehicle model. The tax data includes tax amounts by grade of each vehicle model. The tax amount included in the tax data is the total amount of tax levied during the payment period, and is categorized according to the length of the payment period (e.g., 3 years or 5 years, etc.). The interest rate data is stored by the interest rate for each vehicle model. The interest rate data includes interest rates for each vehicle grade. The interest rates included in the interest rate data may be divided into interest rates for installment payments and interest rates for residual value loans. The residual value data includes the future residual value (at the end of the payment period) of each vehicle model. The residual values ​​included in the residual value data are divided according to the length of the payment period (e.g., 3 years or 5 years). The residual values ​​of each vehicle model may be divided according to the grade, body color, and options. The maintenance cost data includes maintenance costs for each vehicle grade. The maintenance costs included in the maintenance cost data are divided according to the length of the payment period (e.g., 3 years or 5 years). The maintenance costs included in the maintenance cost data may be divided according to options.

[0039] (Processing flow) The process flow executed by the server 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process routine executed by the server 200 when the business operator accesses the URL of a support web page through the web browser of the terminal 100. Note that the processor of the server 200 is the executing entity of the process routine of Fig. 4, but here, the following description will be given assuming that the functional components of the server 200 are the executing entities.

[0040] When the business operator accesses the URL of the support web page through the web browser of the terminal 100, the control unit 220 of the server 200 causes the web browser of the terminal 100 to display the support web page (see FIG. 2) with the output field B blank (step S101). After completing the process of step S101, the control unit 220 executes the process of step S102.

[0041] In step S102, the control unit 220 determines whether input for the input items 1-6 in the input field A of the support Web page has been completed. If input for the input items 1-6 has not been completed (negative determination in step S102), the control unit 220 waits until input for the input items 1-6 has been completed. If input for the input items 1-6 has been completed (positive determination in step S102), the control unit 220 executes the process of step S103.

[0042] In step S103, the control unit 220 calculates the payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods. Regarding the lease payment amount, first, the control unit 220 acquires the lease price corresponding to the vehicle type input in the input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade input in the input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), and the payment period input in the input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2) from the lease price included in the price data of the storage unit 230. In addition, the control unit 220 acquires the option price corresponding to the vehicle type input in the input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade input in the input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), and the option input in the input item 4 (G4 in FIG. 2) from the option price included in the price data of the storage unit 230. The control unit 220 adds the option price to the lease price to calculate the total lease payment amount. The control unit 220 calculates the monthly lease amount by subtracting the total bonus surcharge (the sum of the bonus surcharges during the payment period) from the total lease payment amount and dividing the subtraction result by the number of months in the payment period.

[0043] Regarding the installment payment amount, first, the control unit 220 obtains the base price corresponding to the vehicle type entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2) and the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2) from the base price included in the price data in the memory unit 230. The control unit 220 also obtains the option price corresponding to the vehicle type entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), and the option entered in input item 4 (G4 in FIG. 2) from the option price included in the price data in the memory unit 230. Furthermore, the control unit 220 obtains the interest rate corresponding to the vehicle type entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2) and the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2) from the interest rate included in the interest rate data in the memory unit 230. Note that the interest rates in the case of installments and residual value loans are In the case where the interest rate and the monthly installment are separated, the control unit 220 obtains the interest rate corresponding to the installment among the interest rates corresponding to the vehicle model entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2) and the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2). The control unit 220 adds the option price to the base price. The control unit 220 calculates the total installment payment amount excluding the monthly installment and maintenance fee according to the price obtained by adding the option price to the base price, the interest rate, the number of months of the payment period entered in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2), and the bonus addition amount entered in input item 6 (G6 in FIG. 2). Such calculations may be performed by a well-known method.

[0044] The control unit 220 also obtains the monthly insurance premium corresponding to the vehicle type entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2) and the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2) from the monthly insurance premiums included in the insurance data in the memory unit 230. The control unit 220 calculates the total amount of monthly insurance premiums during the payment period by multiplying the obtained monthly insurance premium by the number of months of the payment period entered in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2). The control unit 220 also obtains the tax amount corresponding to the vehicle type entered in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade entered in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), and the payment period entered in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2) from the tax amount included in the tax data in the memory unit 230. Furthermore, the control unit 220 acquires the maintenance cost corresponding to the vehicle type input in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade input in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), and the payment period input in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2) from the maintenance cost included in the maintenance cost data in the storage unit 230. If the maintenance cost included in the maintenance cost data is classified according to options, the control unit 220 may acquire the maintenance cost corresponding to the vehicle type, grade, payment period, and option selected in input item 4 (G4 in FIG. 2) from the maintenance cost data in the storage unit 230. The control unit 220 calculates the installment maintenance cost by adding the tax amount and the maintenance cost to the total monthly insurance premium. Furthermore, the control unit 220 calculates the total installment payment amount including the maintenance cost by adding the installment maintenance cost to the total installment payment amount excluding the maintenance cost.

[0045] Next, for the payment amount of the residual value set loan, the control unit 220 first obtains the main body price, option price, and interest rate in the same procedure as in the case of installment. The control unit 220 also obtains the residual value corresponding to the vehicle type inputted in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2) and the payment period inputted in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2) from the residual value data in the storage unit 230. If the residual value included in the residual value data is classified according to the grade, body color, and option, the control unit 220 may obtain the residual value corresponding to the vehicle type inputted in input item 1 (G1 in FIG. 2), the grade inputted in input item 2 (G2 in FIG. 2), the body color inputted in input item 3 (G3 in FIG. 2), the option selected in input item 4 (G4 in FIG. 2), and the payment period inputted in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2) from the residual value data in the storage unit 230. The control unit 220 subtracts the residual value from the total amount of the main body price and option price. The control unit 220 calculates the total payment amount of the residual value loan excluding the monthly amount and maintenance fee of the residual value loan, according to the price obtained by subtracting the residual value from the total amount of the main unit price and the option price, the interest rate, the number of months of the payment period entered in input item 5 (G5 in FIG. 2), and the bonus amount entered in input item 6 (G6 in FIG. 2). Such calculations may be performed by a well-known method.

[0046] The control unit 220 also calculates the maintenance fee for the residual value loan in the same manner as in the case of installment payments. Furthermore, the control unit 220 calculates the total payment amount for the residual value loan including the maintenance fee by adding the maintenance fee for the residual value loan to the total payment amount for the residual value loan excluding the maintenance fee.

[0047] When the control unit 220 has finished calculating the payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods in the above-described procedure (when the process of step S103 has been completed), it executes the process of step S104. In step S104, the control unit 220 generates support information to be displayed in output item 1 of output field B. As an example, the control unit 220 calculates the payment amount for each of the multiple payment methods (leasing, installment, and residual value), A comparison table of the monthly payment, bonus amount, maintenance fee, and total payment amount (total payment amount including maintenance fee) for the set loan is generated as support information. After completing the process of step S104, the control unit 220 executes the process of step S105.

[0048] In step S105, the control unit 220 displays a support Web page (see FIG. 3) in which the support information generated in step S104 is displayed in output item 1 of output field B, through the Web browser of the terminal 100. After completing the process of step S105, the control unit 220 ends the execution of this processing routine.

[0049] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) According to the embodiment described above, the business operator can obtain information (support information) that compares payment amounts, including maintenance costs, for multiple payment methods by inputting the vehicle model and payment terms of the vehicle desired by the user on the support web page. This allows the business operator to present the obtained support information to the user. As a result, the user can more accurately obtain the costs required during the payment period for multiple payment methods.

[0050] In this embodiment, the server 200 corresponds to the "information processing device" according to the present disclosure. The control unit 220 of the server 200 corresponds to the "control unit" according to the present disclosure. Furthermore, the support web page according to the present disclosure corresponds to the "interface screen" according to the present disclosure.

[0051] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the processing performed by the server 200 may be performed by the terminal 100. That is, the terminal 100 may output an interface screen including an input field A and an output field B, calculate the payment amount including the maintenance fee for multiple payment methods, and output support information through the execution of a dedicated application program. In this case, the terminal 100 corresponds to the "information processing device" according to the present disclosure. Also, the "control unit" according to the present disclosure is achieved by the processor of the terminal 100 executing a dedicated application program.

[0052] In addition, the processes and configurations described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradictions arise. Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Furthermore, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration for implementing each function can be flexibly changed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100 terminal, 200 server, 210 communication unit, 220 control unit, 230 storage unit

Claims

1. Accepting input of information including a vehicle type desired by a user, options desired by the user, and payment terms for obtaining the right to use the vehicle; In response to receiving the input, outputting information comparing payment amounts, including maintenance fees, for a plurality of payment methods; A control unit configured to execute Information processing device.

2. The payment terms include a payment period and a bonus amount. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The maintenance costs include insurance costs for the vehicle, maintenance costs for the vehicle, and taxes for the vehicle. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. Receiving the input includes outputting a user interface screen including an input field for the vehicle model, a selection field for allowing the user to select a desired option from option options corresponding to a payment method having the most limited option options among the plurality of payment methods, and an input field for the payment terms. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The plurality of payment methods include installment, residual value loan, and lease. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

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