Vehicle assessment device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle assessment device capable of promoting motivation for replacement of a vehicle for an owner of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle assessment device 20 includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit which acquires vehicle information on vehicles 52A to 52D owned by an owner 50; a vehicle price acquisition unit which successively acquires current assessment prices of the vehicles 52A to 52D with a prescribed interval on the basis of the vehicle information; and a notification unit which successively notifies the owner 50 of the acquired assessment prices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle appraisal device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle information management method that, upon request from an owner, obtains information about the owner's vehicle and obtains the current market price from a market price database and notifies the owner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-149998 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the vehicle information management method of Patent Document 1, the market price is only notified upon request from the owner, so the owner can only know the market price if he or she intends to sell the vehicle. Therefore, there is room for improvement in encouraging owners to trade in their vehicles.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle appraisal device that can encourage vehicle owners to replace their vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle appraisal device of the present invention as described in claim 1 comprises a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information of a vehicle owned by an owner, an appraisal price acquisition unit that sequentially acquires the current appraisal price of the vehicle at predetermined intervals based on the vehicle information, and a notification unit that sequentially notifies the owner of the acquired appraisal price.

[0007] In the vehicle appraisal device according to the present invention described in claim 1, the current appraisal price of the vehicle owned by the owner is notified to the owner one by one. Therefore, even if the owner does not intend to sell the vehicle, the owner can know the appraisal price of the vehicle one by one, and can know the trend of the appraisal price. This allows the owner to know the current value of the vehicle even if he or she has no plans to sell it, so that the owner can be encouraged to replace the vehicle if, for example, the appraisal price of the vehicle owned is higher than the owner's prediction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] As described above, the vehicle appraisal device according to the present invention has the excellent effect of encouraging vehicle owners to trade-in their vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle appraisal system including a center server according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a center server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a CPU in a center server according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a predicted change in appraisal price, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a list of vehicles that can be replaced. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an assessment process according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A vehicle appraisal system 10 including a center server 20 as a vehicle appraisal device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle appraisal system 10 of this embodiment includes, as an example, the center server 20 and a car navigation system 54 installed in a plurality of vehicles 52A-52D owned by a plurality of owners 50. In this embodiment, the center server 20 is an example of a vehicle appraisal device. Note that the number of vehicles 52A-52D, the number of owners 50, and the number of car navigation systems 54 included in the vehicle appraisal system 10 are not limited to the numbers shown in FIG. 1. The center server 20 and the car navigation systems 54 are connected to each other via a network 30.

[0011] (Center server) 2, the center server 20 includes a CPU 20A, a ROM 20B, a RAM 20C, and a communication I / F 20G. The CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, and the communication I / F 20G are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 20H.

[0012] The CPU 20A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20A reads out the programs from the ROM 20B and executes the programs using the RAM 20C as a working area.

[0013] The ROM 20B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 20C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area.

[0014] The ROM 20B in this embodiment stores a vehicle appraisal program. The vehicle appraisal program is a program for implementing each function of the center server 20.

[0015] The communication I / F 20G is an interface for connecting to the network 30.

[0016] 3, the CPU 20A has a vehicle information acquisition unit 200, an appraisal price acquisition unit 210, a prediction unit 220, an evaluation value setting unit 230, a replacement vehicle information acquisition unit 240, and a notification unit 250. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 20A reading out a vehicle appraisal program stored in the ROM 20B and executing the program.

[0017] The vehicle information acquisition unit 200 acquires vehicle information of a plurality of vehicles 52A-52D owned by a plurality of owners 50, and stores the information in a database (not shown) on a cloud, for example. The vehicle information is information on the state and running of the vehicle, and includes all information related to the value and evaluation of the vehicle, such as the usage status of the vehicle after it is sold, and the records of repairs and inspections of the vehicle, in addition to basic information described later. The information on the state and running of the vehicle may be processed as necessary. Specifically, the vehicle information includes one or more of information acquired via a communication device (not shown) such as a DCM (Data Communication Module) mounted on the vehicle, information acquired from a company that performs maintenance and inspection of the vehicle, and information including an evaluation of the vehicle state by a company that manufactures the vehicle.

[0018] Examples of vehicle information include information classified into "basic information," "important information," "usage status information," and "connected data performance diagnostic information." "Basic information" includes, for example, vehicle name, grade, body color, chassis number, model, year, first registration date, and manufacturing date. "Important information" includes, for example, the presence or absence of items such as odometer replacement / rewinding possibility, warning light illumination, diagnostic code (DTC) detection, impact detection above the standard, and recall not yet addressed. "Usage status information" includes items such as fuel efficiency value based on past driving records, average number of driving days, average mileage, and number of coastal and heavy snow driving trips. "Connected data performance diagnostic information" includes the presence or absence of data indicating abnormalities for items such as the engine, transmission, motor system, suspension, brake pressure, and battery. In addition, the vehicle information may include records of regular inspections at dealerships, engine oil change history, and the like.

[0019] The assessed price acquisition unit 210 sequentially acquires the current assessed price of each of the vehicles 52A-52D at a predetermined interval based on vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 52A-52D owned by the multiple owners 50, which is stored in a database or the like. Specifically, the assessed price acquisition unit 210 acquires at least the vehicle name, grade, year, color, mileage, etc. of the vehicle as vehicle information from the database. The assessed price acquisition unit 210 acquires the current assessed price of the vehicle by collating the acquired vehicle information with market information (not shown) accumulated in an external database. Note that the market information can be obtained from a publicly known database as the external database.

[0020] The prediction unit 220 predicts the transition of the assessment price of each vehicle. The prediction unit 220 uses a trained model as an example, inputting information indicating the current assessment price of the vehicle into the trained model as input data, and acquiring information indicating a predicted price, which is the future price, as output data of the trained model. In this embodiment, the trained model is formed, for example, using a DNN (Deep Neural Network) as machine learning. Note that the type of machine learning is not particularly limited, and known machine learning can be used. For machine learning, data combining information indicating the assessment price and information indicating the predicted price can be used as teacher data, etc. Note that information based on the user's usage tendency may be used for machine learning. For example, the above-mentioned "important information", "usage status information", and "connected data performance diagnosis information" can be used as the user's usage tendency.

[0021] The evaluation value setting unit 230 evaluates the vehicle state based on at least one of the pieces of information included in the above-mentioned "usage information" and "connected data performance diagnostic information." As an example, the evaluation value setting unit 230 has a mechanism for adding and subtracting points according to the user's vehicle usage. Specifically, for example, the higher the average fuel consumption value within a predetermined period, the more points are added. Also, the more times the car is washed within a predetermined period, the more points are added, and points are added when a set vehicle inspection is performed. That is, points are added by treating the vehicle with care. On the other hand, points are subtracted when a preset vehicle inspection is not performed. Also, the more times the vehicle is driven on snowy roads, dirty roads, etc., the more points are subtracted. That is, points are subtracted when an action that may deteriorate the vehicle is performed.

[0022] The replacement vehicle information acquisition unit 240 acquires information on vehicles that can be replaced based on the appraisal price acquired by the appraisal price acquisition unit 210. Specifically, the replacement vehicle information acquisition unit 240 acquires information on vehicles that can be purchased within the range of appraisal prices acquired by the appraisal price acquisition unit 210, for example, by using an external database in which price information on used cars is accumulated.

[0023] The notification unit 250 notifies the vehicle owner of the assessed price of the vehicle acquired by the assessed price acquisition unit 210. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, as an example, the notification unit 250 displays the assessed price 54A of the vehicle on the display screen of the car navigation system 54 mounted on the vehicle via the communication I / F 20G. The notification unit 250 displays the assessed price of the vehicle acquired by the assessed price acquisition unit 210 at predetermined intervals as the assessed price 54A on the display screen of the car navigation system 54. The notification unit 250 may display the assessed price by thinning it out a predetermined number of times.

[0024] Furthermore, the notification unit 250 may display a line graph showing the transition of the vehicle's appraisal price together with the appraisal price 54A on the display screen of the car navigation system 54, as shown in Fig. 4(A). As an example of the line graph, in Fig. 4(A), a colored area 54B shows the past appraisal price, a position 54C shown by an inverted triangle shows the current appraisal price, and an uncolored area 54D shows the predicted future appraisal price. Note that the graph showing the transition is not limited to a line graph and may be another type of graph.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the notification unit 250 may display vehicles 54E that can be replaced within the range of the evaluation price of the current vehicle, based on the information of the replaceable vehicles acquired by the replacement vehicle information acquisition unit 240, together with the evaluation price 54A, on the display screen of the car navigation system 54. Although six replaceable vehicles 54E are shown in FIG. 4B, for example, if there are two replaceable vehicles, two vehicles are displayed. If there are more replaceable vehicles, a list of vehicle models and models may be displayed. In this case, for example, when a vehicle model name displayed in the list is selected, detailed information of the selected vehicle may be displayed.

[0026] The notification unit 250 may also sequentially display the current number of points set by the evaluation value setting unit 230 together with the assessed price 54A.

[0027] Next, a flow of an appraisal process for vehicle appraisal by the center server 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The appraisal process is performed by the CPU 20A reading out an appraisal process program from the ROM 20B, loading it into the RAM 20C and executing it.

[0028] 5, first, in step S11, the vehicle information acquisition unit 200 acquires vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 52A-52D owned by the multiple owners 50 as described above. Note that the vehicle information acquisition unit 200 successively acquires new vehicle information and accumulates it in a database or the like.

[0029] Next, in step S12, the assessed price acquisition unit 210 sequentially acquires the current assessed price of each of the vehicles 52A-52D owned by the multiple owners 50 at predetermined intervals based on the vehicle information of the vehicles 52A-52D.

[0030] Next, in step S13, the notification unit 250 notifies the vehicle owner of the assessed price of each vehicle acquired in step S12 one by one as described above, and the series of processes is terminated. At this time, as described above, the notification unit 250 may display at least one of a line graph showing the transition of the assessed price of the vehicle, vehicles 54E that can be replaced within the range of the assessed price of the current vehicle, and the current number of points set by the evaluation value setting unit 230 together with the assessed price of the vehicle.

[0031] Next, the effects of the center server 20 as an information processing device in this embodiment will be described.

[0032] The center server 20 of this embodiment successively notifies the owner 50 of the current assessed price of the vehicle owned by the owner 50. Therefore, even if the owner 50 has a vehicle that he or she does not intend to sell, the owner 50 can successively know the assessed price of the vehicle, and can know the transition of the assessed price. As a result, the owner 50 can know the current value of the vehicle even if he or she has no plans to sell it, and therefore, for example, when the assessed price of the vehicle owned by the owner 50 is higher than the owner 50 predicted, the owner 50 of the vehicle can be encouraged to replace the vehicle.

[0033] In addition, in the center server 20 of this embodiment, the notification unit 250 can notify information showing the trend of the assessed price predicted by the prediction unit 220, so that the owner 50 can know the best time to sell the vehicle he or she owns.

[0034] In addition, in the center server 20 of this embodiment, the notification unit 250 can notify information about replaceable vehicles that can be purchased within the range of the assessed price of the appraised vehicle, thereby encouraging the owner 50 to replace his or her vehicle.

[0035] Furthermore, in the center server 20 of this embodiment, the notification unit 250 can notify the current number of points as an example of the evaluation value for evaluating the vehicle condition by the evaluation value setting unit 230, so that the owner 50 can know the evaluation value based on the condition of the vehicle he owns. This can promote the owner 50's motivation to increase the evaluation value, and thus encourage him to maintain the vehicle in good condition. Furthermore, by maintaining the vehicle in good condition, a longer life of the vehicle can be achieved.

[0036] Furthermore, in the center server 20 of this embodiment, the evaluation value setting unit 230 evaluates the vehicle condition based on at least one piece of information contained in the “usage information” and the “connected data performance diagnosis information”, and therefore, the vehicle condition can be evaluated in more detail.

[0037] [remarks] In the above embodiment, the notification unit 250 displays the information to be notified on the display screen of the car navigation system 54, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information may be displayed on a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, or the like owned by the owner 50. The notification unit 250 may also notify the owner 50 by email or the like. The method of notification is not particularly limited, and any known method may be adopted.

[0038] In addition to the above embodiment, the notification unit 250 may notify the evaluation item of the evaluation value. The notification unit 250 may also issue a warning when the evaluation value drops.

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, the center server 20 is equipped with a prediction unit 220, an evaluation value setting unit 230, and a replacement vehicle information acquisition unit 240, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may not be equipped with these, or may be equipped with one or more of these.

[0040] The present invention can also be employed in cases where one owner 50 owns multiple vehicles.

[0041] The vehicle may be, for example, a gasoline-powered automobile, an electric vehicle (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), or a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus. The vehicle is not particularly limited, and may be a two-wheeled vehicle, etc.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the vehicle information is stored in a database on the cloud, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The vehicle information may be stored in a storage device such as the ROM 20B or storage included in the center server 20.

[0043] In addition, the processing executed by the CPU after reading the software (program) in the above embodiment may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. The above-mentioned process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0044] In the above embodiment, each program is prestored (installed) in the ROM, but the present invention is not limited to this. The programs may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The programs may be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0045] The process flow described in the above embodiment is also one example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the process order may be changed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0046] Furthermore, the configurations of the center server 20 and the car navigation system 54 described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and may be changed according to circumstances without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 20 Center server (vehicle appraisal device) 50 Owner 52A~52D Vehicles 200 Vehicle Information Acquisition Department 210 Valuation Price Acquisition Department 250 Information Department

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information of a vehicle owned by an owner; an appraisal price acquisition unit that sequentially acquires a current appraisal price of the vehicle at a predetermined interval based on the vehicle information; a notification unit that notifies the owner of the acquired assessed price one by one; A vehicle appraisal device comprising:

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