Information processing device

Abstract

To provide technique capable of later viewing a moving image which cannot be viewed from a subsequent part of the moving image because an automatic operation is changed to a manual operation.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10 mounted on a vehicle includes a detection part 11, an acquisition part 12, and a transmission part 13. The detection part 11 detects a first signal regarding switching from an automatic operation mode to a manual operation mode. The acquisition part 12 acquires at least any one of time stamp information based on timing when the first signal is detected and moving image specification information for specifying a moving image in a case where the first signal is detected when the moving image is displayed in a display device mounted on the vehicle. The transmission part 13 transmits the information acquired by the acquisition part as transmission information to a moving image reproduction device or a video recording device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Entertainment devices are available that enable viewing of videos such as television programs and movie content in a vehicle.

[0003] Furthermore, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that allows a user to continue watching a video on an in-vehicle content playback device when the user is suddenly forced to leave the house while watching the video at home. Specifically, the technology in Patent Document 1 stores information indicating the timing at which the video playback was stopped on a home content playback device (e.g., a home AV server) on a viewing status information relay device (e.g., a mobile phone), and reads out the information on an in-vehicle content playback device (e.g., a car navigation device), thereby enabling the user to continue watching the video in the vehicle.

[0004] Here, in the autonomous driving technology that has been developed in recent years, especially in the autonomous driving technology of level 3 or higher, the autonomous driving system installed in the vehicle controls the vehicle (acceleration control, steering control, and braking control) instead of the driver. With the autonomous driving technology of level 3 or higher, the driver is freed from driving the vehicle, and can even watch videos in the car. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-203012 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, with Level 3 autonomous driving technology, there are times when the driver must take direct control of the vehicle, for example in an emergency or in response to a request from the autonomous driving system. In these cases, the driver must give up watching videos because they need to pay attention to the vehicle's surroundings and concentrate on driving.

[0007] One example of the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a technology that enables a user to continue watching a video that was unable to be watched due to switching from automatic driving to manual driving at a later time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first invention in this disclosure is, A detection unit that detects a first signal related to switching from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode; an acquisition unit that acquires, when the first signal is detected while a moving image is being displayed on a display device mounted on a vehicle, at least one of time stamp information based on a timing at which the first signal was detected and moving image identification information that identifies the moving image; a transmission unit that transmits the information acquired by the acquisition unit to a video playback device or a video recording device as transmission information; The information processing device includes:

[0009] This disclosure includes: The computer Detecting a first signal relating to a switch from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode; When the first signal is detected while a moving image is being displayed on a display device mounted on a vehicle, acquiring at least one of timestamp information based on a timing at which the first signal was detected and moving image identification information that identifies the moving image; transmitting the acquired information as transmission information to a video playback device or a video recording device; The present invention includes an information processing method comprising the steps of:

[0010] This disclosure includes: Computer, means for detecting a first signal relating to a switch from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode; a means for acquiring, when the first signal is detected while a video is being displayed on a display device mounted on a vehicle, at least one of time stamp information based on a timing at which the first signal was detected and video identification information for identifying the video; and A means for transmitting the acquired information as transmission information to a video playback device or a video recording device; The program to function as a [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing a functional configuration of an information processing device in a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a specific example of an overall configuration including an information processing device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration in a specific example of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the overall configuration including the information processing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram conceptually showing a functional configuration of an information processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a display device in a third embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device in the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a table for storing detection results of a person in each seat of a vehicle. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each block in the block diagram represents a functional configuration, not a hardware configuration.

[0013] [First embodiment] [Functional configuration] The information processing device according to the present invention is a device that is incorporated in or connected to an in-vehicle device (e.g., a car navigation device, a car audio device, etc.). Fig. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing the functional configuration of the information processing device in the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing device 10 includes a detection unit 11, an acquisition unit 12, and a transmission unit 13.

[0014] The detection unit 11 detects a signal related to switching from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode (hereinafter, also referred to as a "first signal"). The first signal is, for example, a signal indicating that switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode has been performed, or a signal indicating a request to switch the driving mode of the vehicle, which is notified from the automatic driving system before switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. The detection unit 11 is configured to be able to communicate with, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) incorporated in the vehicle via a Control Area Network (CAN). In this case, the detection unit 11 can detect the above-mentioned first signal by monitoring a vehicle control signal that can be acquired from the ECU via the CAN. When the detection unit 11 detects the first signal, it outputs a notification indicating that the first signal has been detected to the acquisition unit 12.

[0015] When the acquisition unit 12 receives a notification from the detection unit 11 that the first signal has been detected, the acquisition unit 12 determines whether or not a video (video data) is being displayed on a display device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. The video data is real-time data such as a television program, or recorded data recorded on various recording media. The acquisition unit 12 can determine whether or not a video is being displayed on the display device by, for example, checking the input state of a video signal to the display device mounted on the vehicle.

[0016] When the detector 11 obtains a first signal while a video is being displayed on a display device mounted on a vehicle, the acquirer 12 obtains at least one of time stamp information based on the detection timing of the first signal and information identifying the video being displayed on the display device (hereinafter, referred to as "video identification information"). Specific examples of the time stamp information include information indicating the elapsed time from the beginning of the video at the time the first signal is detected, and information indicating the time when the first signal is detected. Specific examples of the video identification information include information indicating the storage location of the recorded data being displayed (e.g., URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the video, etc.) and information identifying the television program being displayed (e.g., program identification code, etc.). The acquirer 12 outputs the obtained time stamp information or video identification information to the transmitter 13.

[0017] The information processing device 10 is communicatively connected to at least one of a video playback device or a recording device (neither shown), and the transmission unit 13 transmits transmission information including timestamp information or video identification information generated by the acquisition unit 12 to the video playback device or the recording device.

[0018] The video playback device and the recording device are devices that are incorporated in the in-vehicle device or connected via an external input interface of the in-vehicle device. The recording device may be located outside the vehicle (e.g., at home) and can communicate via the Internet.

[0019] The video playback device has a function of reading out video data recorded on various recording media such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a BD (Blu-ray Disk (registered trademark)), a flash memory (USB memory, SD card, etc.), or a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and displaying the data on a display. The video playback device may also be a video distribution server located outside the vehicle and capable of communicating via the Internet, etc.

[0020] The recording device has a function of acquiring broadcast data (video data) of a television program via a television tuner, and storing the data in a storage area (such as a HDD or flash memory) built into or connected to the recording device.

[0021] As described above, in this embodiment, when switching to manual driving becomes necessary while a video is being displayed on the in-vehicle display device during automatic driving, in other words, when it becomes difficult to continue watching the video being displayed, time stamp information or video identification information is acquired and transmitted to the video playback device or the recording device. As a result, according to this embodiment, the video playback device or the recording device can detect the timing when it becomes difficult to continue watching the video based on the transmission information transmitted from the information processing device 10, and take measures to continue watching the video.

[0022] The first embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to a specific example.

[0023] [Specific examples] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific example of an overall configuration including the information processing device of the first embodiment. In Fig. 2, the in-vehicle device 1 includes an information processing device 10, a video playback device 20, a TV tuner 40, and a display 50. The in-vehicle device 1 is also communicatively connected to a portable device 70 (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a portable HDD, etc.). The in-vehicle device 1 is also communicatively connected via a network 80 to a recording device 30 and a content server 60 that distributes various video contents.

[0024] The video playback device 20 includes an optical drive for reading video data recorded on optical media such as DVDs and BDs. The video playback device 20 may further include a function for communicating with a portable device 70 connected by wire or wirelessly and reading video data stored in the portable device 70. The video playback device 20 may further include a function for communicating with a recording device 30 installed at home or a content server 60 installed on the Web via a network 80 and reading video data stored in the recording device 30 or the content server 60. The video data thus read by the video playback device 20 is displayed on the display 50 of the in-vehicle device 1.

[0025] The television tuner 40 acquires broadcast data of a desired television program from radio waves received via an antenna. The television program acquired by the television tuner 40 is displayed on the display 50 of the in-car device 1.

[0026] <Hardware configuration> Each functional component of the information processing device 10 may be realized by hardware that realizes each functional component (e.g., a hardwired electronic circuit, etc.), or may be realized by a combination of hardware and software (e.g., a combination of an electronic circuit and a program that controls it, etc.). Hereinafter, a case where the information processing device 10 is realized by a combination of hardware and software will be further described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration in a specific example of the first embodiment.

[0027] The information processing device 10 has a bus 102, a processor 104, a memory 106, a storage device 108, an input / output interface 110, and a network interface 112. The bus 102 is a data transmission path for the processor 104, the memory 106, the storage device 108, the input / output interface 110, and the network interface 112 to transmit and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 104 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection. The processor 104 is an arithmetic processing device realized by using a microprocessor or the like. The memory 106 is a memory realized by using a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like. The storage device 108 is a storage device realized by using a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or the like.

[0028] The input / output interface 110 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 10 to an external device. The video playback device 20, the TV tuner 40, the display 50, and the like are connected to the input / output interface 110. The information processing device 10 outputs video data acquired via the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 to the display 50. An input device that accepts an input operation by a vehicle occupant may be further connected to the input / output interface 110. A touch panel in which the display 50 and the input device are integrated may be connected to the input / output interface 110. A recording device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle may be further connected to the input / output interface 110. The input / output interface 110 may further include an interface for communication with a portable device 70 (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a portable HDD, and the like), such as a Universal Serial Bass (USB) port.

[0029] The network interface 112 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 10 to a communication network. The information processing device 10 may have a plurality of network interfaces 112. For example, the information processing device 10 has a network interface 112 for connecting to a CAN, a network interface 112 for connecting to a WAN (Wide Area Network), and a network interface 112 supporting a short-range wireless communication standard (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) and the like). For example, the information processing device 10 can communicate with a portable device 70 (for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a portable HDD, and the like) via the network interface 112 supporting the short-range wireless communication standard. In addition, the information processing device 10 can detect a vehicle control signal including a first signal via the network interface 112 for connecting to the CAN. In addition, the information processing device 10 can connect to a network 80 via the network interface 112 for connecting to the WAN, and communicate with a home recording device 30 and a content server 60 on the Web.

[0030] The storage device 108 stores program modules for implementing each functional component of the information processing device 10. The processor 104 implements the functions of each functional component of the information processing device 10 by reading the program modules into the memory 106 and executing them.

[0031] <Example of operation> A specific example of the operation of the information processing device 10 in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0032] 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the information processing device 10 in the first embodiment.

[0033] First, when the detection unit 11 detects a first signal related to switching from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode as a vehicle control signal acquired via a CAN or the like, a detection notification of the first signal is sent to the acquisition unit 12 (S102).

[0034] The acquisition unit 12 determines whether or not video data is being displayed on the display 50 of the in-car device 1 in response to the detection notification of the first signal (S104). The acquisition unit 12 can determine whether or not video data output from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 is being displayed on the display 50, for example, based on a signal transmission state in a signal line connecting the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 to the display 50. Note that if video data is not being displayed on the display 50 of the in-car device 1 (S104: NO), the subsequent processes are not executed.

[0035] When video data is displayed on the display 50 of the in-car device 1 (S104: YES), the acquisition unit 12 determines whether the displayed video data is output from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 (S106). Below, each operation example will be described with reference to Fig. 5 showing an operation example when video data is output from the video playback device 20 (S106: video playback device) and Fig. 6 showing an operation example when video data is output from the TV tuner 40 (S106: TV tuner).

[0036] First, an operation example in the case where video data is output from the video playback device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. First, the acquisition unit 12 acquires time stamp information based on the detection timing of the first signal (S202). For example, the acquisition unit 12 can check the playback state of the video data in response to the detection notification of the first signal and acquire information indicating the elapsed time from the beginning of the video data and the remaining time of the video data as time stamp information. This time stamp information is used to identify the point at which the video cannot be viewed. Note that, when video data is read from the portable device 70 or the content server 60 on the Web, video identification information is required to identify the video data corresponding to the time stamp information acquired in S202. Therefore, in such a case, the acquisition unit 12 further acquires video identification information (S204).

[0037] The transmitting unit 13 transmits to the video playback device 20 transmission information including only the timestamp information acquired by the acquiring unit 12, or transmission information including both the timestamp information acquired by the acquiring unit 12 and the video identification information (S206).

[0038] The video playback device 20 stores the time stamp information included in the transmitted information, or the time stamp information and the video identification information, in a predetermined storage area (e.g., a non-volatile memory, etc.). When the video playback device 20 redisplays on the display 50 the video data stored on an optical disc inserted in an optical drive, or the video data corresponding to the video identification information stored in the storage area, the video playback device 20 can identify the read start point of the video data based on the time stamp information stored in the storage area.

[0039] Turning to FIG. 6, an operation example in the case where video data is output from the TV tuner 40 will be described. First, the acquisition unit 12 acquires video identification information for identifying video data (TV program) displayed on the display 50 (S302). The video identification information is, for example, a program identification code assigned to each program. This video identification information is used to identify a TV program to be recorded by the recording device 30. If the recording device 30 has an all-program recording function, it may have started recording the target program. In this case, if there is time stamp information indicating the point at which the TV program became unviewable, the recording device 30 can embed information indicating the point at which the TV program became unviewable in the recording data of the program using the time stamp information and the video identification information. Therefore, in such a case, the acquisition unit 12 further acquires time stamp information based on the detection timing of the first signal (S304).

[0040] The transmitting unit 13 transmits to the recording device 30 transmission information including only the video identifying information acquired by the acquiring unit 12, or transmission information including both the video identifying information and the time stamp information acquired by the acquiring unit 12 (S306). In this specific example, the transmitting unit 13 transmits the transmission information to the recording device 30 located outside the vehicle (at home) via the network 80. The destination (e.g., IP (Internet Protocol) address, etc.) of the recording device 30 existing across the network 80 is input, for example, in a pre-registration process of an externally connected device in the in-vehicle device 1, and is set in advance in the memory 106, the storage device 108, etc.

[0041] If the recording device 30 does not have the all-program recording function, then in response to receiving the transmission information, the recording device 30 starts recording the program identified by the video identification information. This generates recorded data that records the missed portion of the program. If the recording device 30 has the all-program recording function, the recording device 30 can create chapter points based on time stamp information for the recorded data of the program identified by the video identification information, for example. This generates recorded data that allows the user to resume viewing from the point at which the program became unviewable. The passengers of the vehicle can watch the rest of the program recorded by the recording device 30 as described above at home, etc.

[0042] When transmitting transmission information via the network 80, the recording device 30 may not be able to receive the transmission information normally due to factors such as the communication environment. Specifically, if the transmitting unit 13 does not receive a reception confirmation signal from the recording device 30 within a predetermined time, a reception error of the transmission information may occur in the recording device 30. In such a case, the transmitting unit 13 may be configured to resend the transmission information. This makes it possible to avoid problems such as recording data not being created due to a reception error.

[0043] [Modifications] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the recording device 30 may be arranged inside the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the overall configuration including the information processing device of the first embodiment. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, unlike the configuration in FIG. 2, the recording device 30 with a built-in TV tuner 40 is incorporated in the vehicle-mounted device 1. In this case, the transmitting unit 13 transmits transmission information to the recording device 30 mounted on the vehicle in the process of S306. Even with such a configuration, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained. In addition, by arranging the recording device 30 inside the vehicle, the effect of reducing the possibility of a reception error occurring or reducing the time lag until recording starts can be expected.

[0044] As described above, according to this embodiment, by using timestamp information and video identification information, a video that became unwatchable due to switching from automatic driving to manual driving can be later viewed from where it left off.

[0045] [Second embodiment] This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except for the following points.

[0046] [Functional configuration] Fig. 8 is a block diagram conceptually showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the information processing device 10 of the present embodiment further includes a control unit 14 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0047] The detection unit 11 of this embodiment detects a second signal related to switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode in addition to the first signal described above. The second signal is, for example, a signal indicating that switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode has been performed, or a signal indicating a request to switch the driving mode of the vehicle, which is notified from the automatic driving system before switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. The detection unit 11 can detect the first signal and the second signal as described above by monitoring a control signal of the vehicle that can be acquired from the ECU via the CAN. When the detection unit 11 of this embodiment detects the first signal, it outputs a notification indicating that the first signal has been detected to the control unit 14. Furthermore, when the detection unit 11 detects the second signal, it outputs a notification indicating that the second signal has been detected to the control unit 14.

[0048] The control unit 14 controls the display operation of the video on the display 50. Specifically, when the detection unit 11 detects the first signal, the control unit 14 executes a predetermined process on the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40, for example, and stops the display of the video on the display 50. In addition, when the detection unit 11 detects a second signal after detecting the first signal, the control unit 14 communicates with the video playback device 20 or the recording device 30 to resume the display of the stopped video.

[0049] [Hardware configuration] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has a hardware configuration, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, similar to the first embodiment. The storage device 108 of this embodiment further stores a program module that realizes the function of the control unit 14. The processor 104 executes this program module, thereby realizing the function of the control unit 14.

[0050] [Example of operation] An operation example of the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 are flowcharts showing an operation example of the information processing device 10 in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, if a moving image is being displayed on the display 50 when the first signal is detected, the control unit 14 performs processing to stop the display of the moving image. Furthermore, if the second signal is detected after the display of the moving image is stopped by the detection of the first signal, the control unit 14 performs processing to resume the display of the moving image.

[0051] First, a specific example of the process of stopping the display of a video will be described with reference to Fig. 9. When a video is being output from the video reproducing device 20 to the display 50 (S106: Video Reproducing Device), the control unit 14 stops the display of the video on the display 50 (S108) by, for example, transmitting to the video reproducing device 20 an instruction to stop the output of video data to the display 50. At this time, the control unit 14 holds information indicating that an instruction to stop the display of the video has been transmitted to the video reproducing device 20 in a predetermined storage area (for example, memory 106) (S110).

[0052] Furthermore, when video is being output from TV tuner 40 to display 50 (S106: TV tuner), control unit 14 stops the display of video on the display (S112), for example, by sending to TV tuner 40 an instruction to stop the output of broadcast data to display 50. At this time, control unit 14 holds information indicating that an instruction to stop the display of video has been sent to TV tuner 40 in a predetermined storage area (for example, memory 106) (S114).

[0053] Next, a specific example of the process of resuming the display of a moving image will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] First, when the detection unit 11 detects a second signal related to switching from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode as a vehicle control signal acquired via a CAN or the like, a detection notification of the second signal is sent to the control unit 14 (S402).

[0055] In response to the detection notification of the second signal, the control unit 14 reads out the information stored in a predetermined storage area in the process of S110 or S114 (S404). Then, the control unit 14 specifies a destination to which an instruction to resume displaying the video is to be sent in accordance with the information stored in the predetermined storage area (S406). Then, the control unit 14 sends the instruction to resume displaying the video to the destination specified in S408.

[0056] Specifically, when the information held in a predetermined storage area indicates the video playback device 20, the control unit 14 transmits an instruction to the video playback device 20 to resume display of the video. In response to this instruction, the video playback device 20 reads out the information (timestamp information, or timestamp information and video identification information) acquired from the information processing device 10 in response to the detection of the first signal and held therein. Then, the video playback device 20 resumes display of the video on the display 50 based on the read out information. Specifically, when only the timestamp information is read out, the video playback device 20 plays back the video data stored in the optical disc inserted in the optical drive from the point indicated by the timestamp information. Also, when the timestamp information and the video identification information are read out, the video playback device 20 identifies the video data to be read out using the video identification information (e.g., URL, etc.), and plays back the identified video data from the point indicated by the timestamp information.

[0057] Furthermore, when the information stored in the predetermined storage area indicates the TV tuner 40, the control unit 14 transmits an instruction to the recording device 30 to resume displaying the video. In response to this instruction, the recording device 30 reads out from an internal or external storage device the recording data corresponding to the video identification information acquired from the information processing device 10 in response to the detection of the first signal and stored therein. Then, the recording device 30 transmits the read recording data to the in-car device 1. This recording data is data recorded in response to the timing at which the first signal was detected, or data in which a chapter point is set based on the timing at which the first signal was detected. The in-car device 1 causes the display 50 to display the recording data acquired from the recording device 30 using the video playback device 20. When a chapter point is set in the recording data, the video playback device 20 can play back the recording data from the chapter point.

[0058] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode and then returned to the automatic driving mode, it is possible to read and watch the rest of the video.

[0059] [Third embodiment] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first or second embodiment, except for the following points.

[0060] [Functional configuration] Fig. 11 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device 10 according to a third embodiment. Fig. 11 illustrates an information processing device 10 based on the configuration of the first embodiment and further including a determination unit 15.

[0061] The determination unit 15 of this embodiment determines whether or not each process for transmitting the transmission information needs to be executed. Specifically, the determination unit 15 identifies the display device displaying the video in the vehicle, and when the identified display device includes the display device on the driver's seat side, executes each process for transmitting the transmission information as described above. Furthermore, when the identified display devices do not include the display device on the driver's seat side, the determination unit 15 does not execute each process for transmitting the transmission information as described above.

[0062] For example, when the display device on the driver's seat side (driver's seat display 52) and the display device on the rear seat side (rear seat display 54) are connected as shown in FIG. 12, the determination unit 15 can identify the display device displaying a video based on the output state of a signal from the connection port connected to each display device. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the connection state of the display devices in the third embodiment. Specifically, when video data from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 is output from the connection port P1 to the driver's seat display 52, the determination unit 15 can identify that a video is being displayed on the display device on the driver's seat side. Also, when video data from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 is output from the connection port P2 to the rear seat display 54, the determination unit 15 can identify that a video is being displayed on the display device on the rear seat side.

[0063] [Hardware configuration] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has a hardware configuration, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, similar to the first embodiment. The storage device 108 of this embodiment further stores a program module that realizes the function of the determination unit 15. The processor 104 executes this program module, thereby realizing the function of the determination unit 15.

[0064] [Example of operation] An operation example of the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device 10 in the third embodiment.

[0065] The determination unit 15 identifies the display device that is displaying the video data output from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 (S502). As described with reference to Fig. 12, for example, the determination unit 15 can identify the connection port to which the video data received from the video playback device 20 or the TV tuner 40 is output, and identify the display device connected to the connection port as the "display device displaying the video data."

[0066] Next, the determination unit 15 determines whether the identified display devices include the display device on the driver's seat side (S504). For example, if a table is set in advance that associates and stores the identification information of each port with the installation position of the display device corresponding to each port, the determination unit 15 can determine whether the identified display device is the display on the driver's seat side by referring to this table.

[0067] When the identified display devices include the display device on the driver's seat side (S504: YES), the determination unit 15 activates the detection unit 11, the acquisition unit 12, and the transmission unit 13, and sets them to a mode in which each process described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be executed. On the other hand, when the identified display devices do not include the display device on the driver's seat side (S504: NO), the determination unit 15 does not activate the detection unit 11, the acquisition unit 12, and the transmission unit 13, and sets them to a mode in which each process described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments is not executed.

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, when a video is displayed on the driver's seat side, the processing described in the first and second embodiments is executed. Also, when a video is not displayed on the driver's seat side, the processing described in the first and second embodiments is not executed. This makes it possible to suppress the execution of the processing in cases where the processing described in the first and second embodiments is not necessary, such as when a video is being viewed on the back seat side where the video can be viewed both in the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode.

[0069] [Fourth embodiment] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first or second embodiment, except for the following points.

[0070] [Functional configuration] Fig. 14 is a block diagram conceptually showing a functional configuration of an information processing device 10 of the third embodiment. Fig. 14 illustrates an information processing device 10 based on the configuration of the first embodiment and further including a determination unit 15. The determination unit 15 of this embodiment further includes an occupant detection unit 151 that detects occupants of the vehicle. Furthermore, when the occupant of the vehicle detected by the occupant detection unit 151 is only the driver, the determination unit 15 of this embodiment executes each process for transmitting the transmission information.

[0071] Specifically, the occupant detection unit 151 can detect occupants of the vehicle, for example, using sensing data from a pressure sensor installed in each seat or the analysis results of image data of the interior of the vehicle generated using an image sensor.

[0072] The occupant detection unit 151 updates a table storing the detection result of a person on each seat, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, based on the sensing result by the pressure sensor or the image sensor. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a table storing the detection result of a person on each seat of a vehicle. The table exemplified in FIG. 15 is stored, for example, in the memory 106 or the storage device 108. The table exemplified in FIG. 15 stores information indicating the detection result of a person (detected / not detected) in association with the identification information of each seat. For example, the occupant detection unit 151 can receive sensing data by a pressure sensor provided on the backrest or seat surface of each seat together with the identification information of the seat, and store data indicating that a person has been detected in the "person detection result" field of the record of the seat where a weight equal to or greater than a threshold has been detected. Also, for example, the occupant detection unit 151 can recognize whether or not a person is present on each seat by analyzing the captured image data, and store data indicating that a person has been detected in the "person detection result" field of the record corresponding to the seat where the person has been detected. By referring to such a table, the determination unit 15 can determine whether the driver is the only occupant of the vehicle.

[0073] [Hardware configuration] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has a hardware configuration, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, similar to the first embodiment. The storage device 108 of this embodiment further stores a program module that realizes the function of the determination unit 15. The processor 104 executes this program module, thereby realizing the function of the determination unit 15.

[0074] [Example of operation] An operation example of the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the information processing device 10 in the fourth embodiment.

[0075] The occupant detection unit 151 creates information indicating the detection result of the occupants of the vehicle (S602). For example, the occupant detection unit 151 can generate information such as that shown in the table of Fig. 15 based on the sensing result of the pressure sensor and the analysis result of the image data of the inside of the vehicle.

[0076] The determination unit 15 determines whether the vehicle occupant is the driver alone based on the information generated by the occupant detection unit 151 (S604). As shown in the example of FIG. 15, when the vehicle occupant is the driver alone (S604: YES), the determination unit 15 activates the detection unit 11, the acquisition unit 12, and the transmission unit 13, and sets them to a mode in which each process described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be executed (S606). On the other hand, when there is a passenger (S604: NO), the determination unit 15 does not activate the detection unit 11, the acquisition unit 12, and the transmission unit 13, and sets them to a mode in which each process described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments is not executed. Note that, when there is a passenger, the determination unit 15 may further determine whether video data is displayed on the display device on the driver's seat side as shown in the third embodiment, and determine whether to activate each processing unit according to the determination result.

[0077] As described above, in this embodiment, when the driver is the only passenger on board, the processing as described in the first and second embodiments is executed. If a video is being displayed on the display when only the driver is on board the vehicle, it means that the person watching the video is the driver of the vehicle. In other words, in this case, when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the processing as described in the first and second embodiments is required to enable the continuation of the video to be viewed later. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine the cases in which processing is required to enable the continuation of the video to be viewed later.

[0078] Although the embodiment and examples have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than those described above can also be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1 In-vehicle device 10. Information processing device 11 Detection section 12 Acquisition Department 13 Transmitter 14 Control section 15 Judgment section 151 Occupant detection unit 102 Bus 104 processors 106 Memory 108 Storage Devices 110 Input / Output Interface 112 Network Interface 20 Video playback device 30 Recording Device 40 TV Tuner 50 Display 52 Driver's display 54 Rear seat display 60 Content Server 70 Portable Devices 80 Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A detection unit that detects a first signal related to switching from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode; an acquisition unit that acquires, when the first signal is detected while a video is being displayed on a display device mounted on a vehicle, at least one of time stamp information based on a timing at which the first signal was detected and video identification information that identifies the video; a transmission unit that transmits the information acquired by the acquisition unit to a video playback device or a video recording device as transmission information; An information processing device comprising:

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