Information processing device

Abstract

To provide a technique that can improve user convenience when presenting information about facilities located around a travel route of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processing device acquires first information related to one or more first facilities located around a planned travel route of a vehicle. The control unit specifies, among the first facilities, a second facility being a facility located in the travel direction of the vehicle on the basis of the first information. The control unit specifies, among the second facilities, a third facility being a facility that includes equipment for vehicles on the basis of the first information. The control unit specifies, among the third facilities, a fourth facility being a facility that does not correspond to a predetermined exclusion object. The control unit outputs second information related to the fourth facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for causing a car navigation system mounted on a vehicle to display the latest information on points around a route from the current position to a destination (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of improving the convenience of a user when presenting information on facilities located around a traveling route of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus. In that case, the information processing apparatus, for example, acquires first information on one or more first facilities located around a planned traveling route of a vehicle; identifies, according to the first information, a second facility among the first facilities, which is a facility located in the traveling direction of the vehicle; identifies, according to the information corresponding to the second facility included in the first information, a third facility among the second facilities, which is a facility equipped with vehicle facilities; identifies, according to the information corresponding to the third facility included in the first information, a fourth facility among the third facilities, which is a facility not corresponding to a predetermined exclusion target; outputs second information on the fourth facility. It may include a control unit that executes

[0006] Note that the present disclosure can also be regarded as an information processing method in which a computer executes the processing of the information processing apparatus, an information processing program for causing the computer to execute the information processing method, or a non-temporary storage medium that stores the information processing program.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that can improve the convenience of the user when presenting information on facilities located around the driving route of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] When a user moves by vehicle, a technology is known that presents information on facilities such as stores located around the planned driving route of the vehicle to the user through the user's mobile terminal or in-vehicle terminal, etc. By the way, if information on the same facility or information on similar facilities is frequently presented, the user of the vehicle may feel annoyed, and the convenience of the user may be impaired. Therefore, a means for improving the convenience of the user when presenting facilities around the vehicle is required.

[0010] Therefore, the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure presents information to the user only for facilities that meet predetermined conditions among one or more facilities located around the planned driving route of the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure may be a user terminal (for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.) in which a navigation application program is installed, or may be a navigation system installed in the vehicle.

[0011] In the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure, the control unit acquires first information regarding one or more first facilities located around the planned driving route of the vehicle. The planned driving route may be a route set according to the destination in a navigation system installed in the vehicle, or may be a route predicted based on the driving route up to the current time and the past route history. In addition, the area around the planned driving route of the vehicle may include not only along the planned driving route of the vehicle but also along the roads located around the planned driving route.

[0012] In one example, the acquisition of the first information may be performed by providing the first information from an external server to the information processing apparatus. In another example, the acquisition of the first information may be performed by the information processing apparatus generating the first information.

[0013] When the first information is acquired by the method described above, the control unit identifies a second facility according to the acquired first information. The second facility according to the present disclosure is a facility located in the traveling direction of the vehicle among the first facilities. In one example, the "facility located in the traveling direction of the vehicle" in the present disclosure is a facility located on the traveling direction side of the current position of the vehicle among the facilities located along the planned driving route and located along the lane in the traveling direction of the vehicle. That is, the "facility located in the traveling direction of the vehicle" in the present disclosure does not necessarily include a facility located on the reverse direction side (the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle) of the current position of the vehicle and a facility located along the lane in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle (the opposite lane).

[0014] In response to the identification of the second facility, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure identifies a third facility. The third facility according to the present disclosure is a facility among the second facilities that is equipped with vehicle facilities. The vehicle facilities in the present disclosure are facilities installed within the site of the facility and are facilities that vehicles can enter. Examples of such vehicle facilities include parking lots and drive-throughs. The identification of such a third facility may be performed based on the information corresponding to the second facility included in the first information.

[0015] In response to the identification of the third facility, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure identifies a fourth facility. The fourth facility according to the present disclosure is a facility among the third facilities that does not fall under a predetermined exclusion target. The predetermined exclusion target may include, as an example, facilities presented to the user during a past predetermined period (facilities that are the targets of the second information described later) and facilities similar to such facilities, where no events different from the predetermined period are being held. The past predetermined period may be one week or one month. Facilities similar to the facilities presented to the user during the past predetermined period may be facilities of the same type in terms of the services or products provided. As an example, multiple hamburger shops belonging to different chains may be treated as similar facilities. Also, events different from the predetermined period may include the sale of new products not sold during the predetermined period, the sale of limited products not sold during the predetermined period, the issuance of coupons different from those during the predetermined period, gift campaigns not implemented during the predetermined period, and campaigns not held during the predetermined period, etc.

[0016] In response to the identification of the fourth facility, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure outputs second information, which is information regarding the fourth facility. The second information may include the name of the fourth facility, the location of the fourth facility, and the services provided at the fourth facility (or products sold at the fourth facility), etc. Also, outputting the second information may include presenting the second information to the user through an output device (e.g., a display and / or a speaker, etc.) provided in the information processing apparatus.

[0017] According to the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure, information is presented to the user only for facilities that belong to the first facility, belong to the second facility, belong to the third facility, and belong to the fourth facility. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the user from feeling bothered. As a result, the convenience of the user when presenting information on facilities located around the driving route of the vehicle can be improved.

[0018] Note that, in the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure, outputting the second information may include detecting that the vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light, acquiring the remaining time length of the red traffic light, and outputting the second information on the condition that the remaining time length is equal to or longer than a predetermined time length. Thereby, when the length of the time stopped by the red traffic light is equal to or longer than the predetermined time length, the second information can be presented to the user. As a result, it is possible to suppress the second information from being output at an undesirable timing for presenting information to the user.

[0019] Note that, in the mode of outputting the second information on the condition that the remaining time length of the red traffic light is equal to or longer than a predetermined time length, the amount of information of the output second information may be changed according to the remaining time length of the red traffic light. As an example, when the remaining time length of the red traffic light is less than a threshold value (a time length longer than the predetermined time length), simple information of the fourth facility may be output as the second information, and when the remaining time length of the red traffic light is equal to or longer than the threshold value, detailed information of the fourth facility may be output as the second information. Thereby, it becomes possible to more surely make the user recognize the information regarding the fourth facility.

[0020] In addition, the control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure may be further configured to receive an operation for making a telephone reservation for the fourth facility after outputting the second information, and to make a call to the fourth facility in response to receiving the operation. Thereby, when the user stops by at the fourth facility by vehicle, it becomes easy to make a reservation for the fourth facility in advance. Note that the reservation for the fourth facility may be a reservation for a seat or a reservation for a product.

[0021] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure only to these without specific description.

[0022] <Embodiment> In this embodiment, an example of applying the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure to a system for providing information about a facility to a user who drives a vehicle will be described.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of system 1 in this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 1, system 1 includes a terminal 10, a server 20, and a user terminal 30. In the example shown in FIG. 1, only one terminal 10 and one user terminal 30 are illustrated, but a plurality of terminals 10 and user terminals 30 may be included in system 1. The terminal 10 and the server 20 are interconnected via a network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a global public communication network, and also may include a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Also, the terminal 10 and the user terminal 30 are interconnected via wireless communication conforming to the BLE standard or short-range wireless communication such as NFC. Further, the user terminal 30 is connected to a mobile phone communication network.

[0024] The terminal 10 is a computer mounted on a vehicle and has the function of a car navigation system. Note that the terminal 10 may be a portable terminal (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal) on which a navigation application program is installed.

[0025] The terminal 10 in the present embodiment has a function of transmitting vehicle information including the planned driving route of the vehicle to the server 20. Further, the terminal 10 in the present embodiment also has a function of selecting stores to be presented to the user based on the store information (described later) provided by the server 20, and a function of presenting information regarding the selected stores to the user of the vehicle. Furthermore, the terminal 10 in the present embodiment also has a calling function of making a reservation call to the stores presented to the user through the user terminal 30.

[0026] The server 20 is one or more computers for providing information regarding facilities to the terminal 10. The server 20 in the present embodiment has a function of generating information regarding one or more facilities located around the planned driving route of the vehicle in response to receiving the vehicle information transmitted from the terminal 10, and transmitting the generated information to the terminal 10. Here, the "around the planned driving route" includes not only along the planned driving route but also along the roads located around the planned driving route. In the present embodiment, the server 20 provides the terminal 10 with information regarding at least one or more restaurants located around the planned driving route of the vehicle (hereinafter, may also be referred to as "store information"). At that time, the server 20 may hold map data including the locations of each of a plurality of restaurants located in the area including the planned driving route, and store data regarding the attributes of each of those plurality of restaurants. Then, the server 20 may identify stores located around the planned driving route of the vehicle based on the planned driving route of the vehicle and the map data. Further, the server 20 may generate store information by extracting information of the identified stores from the store data. Note that in the present embodiment, the store information corresponds to the "first information" according to the present disclosure.

[0027] Note that the facilities targeted by the information provided from the server 20 to the terminal 10 are not limited to restaurants, and may also be stores other than food and beverage stores, amusement facilities, shopping malls, home centers, hobby shops, department stores, or the like.

[0028] The store information provided from the server 20 to the terminal 10 may include, as an example, information such as a store identifier (store ID), attribute information, event information, vehicle facility information, location information, telephone reservation information, and telephone number, as shown in FIG. 2. The store ID is information for identifying an individual store, and may be, for example, the name of the store. The attribute information is information indicating the attributes of an individual store, and may be, for example, information indicating the types of food and beverages sold. Note that the attribute information of a store belonging to a chain store may include information for identifying the chain. The event information is information indicating the content of an event being held at an individual store. The events in the present embodiment may include the sale of new menus, the sale of limited menus, the issuance of coupons, present planning, and campaigns, etc. Note that the event information of a store where no event is being held may be information indicating that no event is being held. The vehicle facility information may be information indicating whether an individual store is equipped with vehicle facilities. The vehicle facilities in the present embodiment are facilities installed within the premises of the store and into which vehicles can enter. Such vehicle facilities may be, for example, parking lots and drive-throughs, etc. The location information is information (e.g., geographical coordinates, etc.) indicating the location (address) of an individual store. The telephone reservation information is information indicating whether an individual store can accept telephone reservations.

[0029] The user terminal 30 is a portable communication terminal used by the user of the vehicle. The user terminal 30 is, for example, a smartphone carried by the user of the vehicle, or a mobile phone carried by the user of the vehicle. The user terminal 30 in the present embodiment has a function of making a phone call to a store desired by the user in response to a request from the terminal 10.

[0030] (Configuration of the Terminal) Here, the configuration of the terminal 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The terminal 10 in the present embodiment is a computer mounted on a vehicle, and is 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, and a removable medium). In the present embodiment, the terminal 10 corresponds to the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure.

[0031] The terminal 10 in the present embodiment may be configured only by a car navigation system mounted on a vehicle, or may be configured by combining a plurality of in-vehicle devices such as a DCM (Data Communication Module), a head unit , and a car navigation system. As shown in FIG. 1, such a terminal 10 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a communication I / F 130, an input / output device 140, and a position sensor 150.

[0032] The control unit 110 realizes various functions as described later by executing a dedicated program stored in the storage unit 120. As an example, the control unit 110 includes a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) . Further, the control unit 110 can be realized by. Further, the control unit 11 may further include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and the like. The details of the functions realized by the control unit 110 will be described later.

[0033] The storage unit 12 includes an auxiliary storage device and stores various types of information. Note that the storage unit 120 may be a storage area constructed in the auxiliary storage device. The information stored in the storage unit 120 includes, in addition to the OS, a dedicated program for presenting information about the store to the user, and data used by the program. The data stored in the storage unit 120 in the present embodiment includes history data D121. The history data D121 is data about stores presented to the user in the past.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the history data D121 stored in the storage unit 120. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the history data D121 includes the store ID, attribute information, event information, presentation date and time, etc. of the stores presented to the user in the past. The store ID and attribute information included in the history data are the same as the store ID and attribute information included in the store information described with reference to FIG. 2. The event information included in the history data D121 is information indicating the content of the event held at the store at the time when it was presented to the user in the past. The presentation date and time is information indicating the date and time when the information of the store was presented to the user in the past. Note that only the history data D121 presented within a predetermined past period may be stored in the storage unit 120. The predetermined period may be, for example, one month. However, the predetermined period may be appropriately changed according to the embodiment.

[0035] The communication I / F 130 includes a communication interface for connecting the terminal 10 to the network N1, a wireless communication interface for connecting the terminal 10 to the user terminal 30, and the like. In one example, the communication I / F 130 may include a communication interface for mobile communication (e.g., 3G, LTE, 5G, 6G, etc.) and a wireless communication interface for short-range wireless communication. The communication I / F 130 of the present embodiment communicates with the server 20 through the network N1. Further, the communication I / F 130 of the present embodiment communicates with the user terminal 30 using short-range wireless communication and performs mobile phone communication with the store desired by the user through the user terminal 30.

[0036] The input / output device 140 receives input operations from the vehicle user and presents information to the user. Specifically, the input / output device 104 includes, for example, a touch panel or push buttons capable of inputting symbols such as characters, and input devices such as a microphone capable of inputting sound. Further, the input / output device 140 includes output devices such as a display or a speaker. In one example, the input / output device 104 may be configured to include a touch panel display capable of inputting and outputting and a speaker. In the present embodiment, the input / output device 140 displays and / or outputs the voice of the information of the store selected by the control unit 110.

[0037] The position sensor 150 acquires the position information (for example, latitude and longitude) of the vehicle. In one example, the position sensor 150 may be configured to include a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. In another example, the position sensor 150 may be configured to include a wireless communication circuit that uses the position information service of Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0038] Next, the details of the control unit 110 of the terminal 10 will be described. The control unit 110 of the terminal 10 transmits vehicle information including the planned travel route of the vehicle to the server 20 through the communication I / F 130. The planned travel route may be, for example, a planned travel route set in response to the input of a destination in a car navigation system. In that case, the vehicle information may be transmitted to the server 20 triggered by the setting of the planned travel route.

[0039] If the vehicle is traveling without the destination being input to the car navigation system, the route predicted by the car navigation system according to the current position and past travel history of the vehicle may be used as the planned travel route. In that case, the vehicle information may be transmitted to the server 20 triggered by the prediction of the planned travel route. Also, it is assumed that the planned travel route may be changed (updated) while the vehicle is traveling. In such a case, each time the planned travel route is updated, the vehicle information including the updated planned travel route may be transmitted from the terminal 10 to the server 20.

[0040] When the store information transmitted from the server 20 in response to the vehicle information described above is received by the communication I / F 130 of the terminal 10, the control unit 110 of the terminal 10 selects a store to be presented to the user based on the store information. First, the control unit 110 identifies a second store from among the stores included in the store information (hereinafter, may also be referred to as the "first store"). The second store is a store among the first stores that is located on the traveling direction side from the current position of the vehicle and is located along the lane in the traveling direction of the vehicle. In one example, such identification of the second store may be performed based on the position information included in the store information, the current position of the vehicle, and the planned travel route of the vehicle. As a result, among the first stores, stores located on the reverse direction (the direction in which the vehicle retreats) side from the current position of the vehicle and stores located along the lane in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle (the opposite lane) are excluded.

[0041] When the second store is selected from among the first stores as described above, the control unit 110 identifies a third store from among the second stores. The third store is a store equipped with vehicle facilities. In one example, such identification of the third store may be performed based on the vehicle facility information included in the store information corresponding to the second store. As a result, among the second stores, stores not equipped with vehicle facilities are excluded.

[0042] When the third store is selected from among the second stores as described above, the control unit 110 identifies a fourth store from among the third stores. The fourth store is a store that does not fall under a predetermined exclusion target. The predetermined exclusion target in the present embodiment is a store presented to the user during a past predetermined period and a store similar to the store, and a store in which an event different from the predetermined period is not held. Therefore, the control unit 110 compares the store information corresponding to the third store with the storage unit 120 By collating with the history data D121, the third store corresponding to a predetermined exclusion target is identified. Specifically, the control unit 110 first identifies, among the stores included in the history data D121, the stores whose presentation date and time belong to a predetermined period (hereinafter, may also be referred to as "presented stores"). Subsequently, the control unit 110 extracts, among the third stores, the third stores whose store IDs match the presented stores and the third stores whose attribute information matches the presented stores. Then, the control unit 110 identifies, among the extracted third stores, the third stores in which events different from those during the predetermined period are not currently being held as predetermined exclusion targets. When the predetermined exclusion targets are identified in this way, the control unit 110 identifies, among the third stores, the third stores excluding the predetermined exclusion targets as the fourth stores.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first store, the second store, the third store, and the fourth store respectively correspond to the "first facility", "second facility", "third facility", and "fourth facility" according to the present disclosure.

[0044] When the fourth store is identified from among the third stores as described above, the control unit 110 sets the identified fourth store as a candidate for the store to be presented to the user (hereinafter, may also be referred to as "presentation candidate"). If there is no store corresponding to the fourth store among the first stores included in the store information, the control unit 110 may determine the presentation candidate from among the first stores included in the store information that are located along the peripheral roads of the planned travel route (hereinafter, may also be referred to as "peripheral stores"). The peripheral roads may be, for example, roads located within a predetermined distance (for example, from several hundred meters to about several kilometers) from each point of the planned travel route. In that case, the control unit 110 may determine, as the presentation candidate, a store among the peripheral stores that is equipped with vehicle facilities and does not correspond to a predetermined exclusion target.

[0045] After a posting candidate is set and the vehicle stops at a red traffic light, the control unit 110 acquires the remaining time length of the red traffic light. As an example, the control unit 110 may acquire the remaining time length of the red traffic light by communicating with a roadside unit installed beside the traffic signal through the communication I / F 130. As another example, when the vehicle is equipped with a receiver for VICS (registered trademark), the control unit 110 may receive signal information (including the remaining time length of the red traffic light) transmitted from a transmitter for VICS (registered trademark) installed beside the traffic signal through the in-vehicle receiver, thereby acquiring the remaining time length of the red traffic light. Note that whether the vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light may be determined based on information transmitted from the above-described roadside unit or transmitter, or may be determined based on an image captured by an in-vehicle camera.

[0046] In response to acquiring the remaining time length of the red traffic light, the control unit 110 determines whether the remaining time length is equal to or greater than a first time length. In one example, the first time length may be a time length of 15 seconds or more and less than 30 seconds. In the present embodiment, the first time length corresponds to the "predetermined time length" according to the present disclosure. When it is determined that the remaining time length of the red traffic light is equal to or greater than the first time length, the control unit 110 identifies the fourth store located at the position closest to the current position of the vehicle among the fourth stores set in the presentation candidates. This identification is performed by collating the current position of the vehicle detected by the position sensor 150 with the position information of the fourth stores set in the presentation candidates. At this time, among the fourth stores set in the presentation candidates, the fourth stores located on the reverse side of the current position of the vehicle may be excluded from the target of the identification. Then, the control unit 110 outputs, through the input / output device 140, a proposal screen corresponding to the identified fourth store. The proposal screen in the present embodiment includes, in addition to information regarding the fourth store (hereinafter, may also be referred to as "proposal store information"), a GUI component (for example, a button for selecting whether to stop by the fourth store, etc.) for allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether to stop by the fourth store. When such a selection screen is output, the control unit 110 may output, through the input / output device 140, an audio message corresponding to the proposal store information.

[0047] Note that the amount of information on the proposed store included in the proposal screen may be changed according to the remaining time of the red signal. For example, when the remaining time of the red signal is equal to or longer than the first time length and less than the second time length, the proposed store information may include only the simple information about the fourth store. When the remaining time of the red signal is equal to or longer than the second time length, the proposed store information may include the detailed information about the fourth store. The second time length is longer than the first time length. For example, it may be a time length of 30 seconds or more and less than 60 seconds. The simple information may include, for example, the store name of the fourth store and an outline of the products sold at the fourth store (e.g., only the product name, photo, and price). The detailed information may include, for example, the store name of the fourth store and the details of the products sold at the fourth store (e.g., including the product description in addition to the product name, photo, and price). Note that when an event is being held at the fourth store, information about the event may be included in the proposed store information.

[0048] In response to the output of the proposal screen as described above to the input / output device 140, when the user of the vehicle inputs an operation to select to visit the fourth store to the input / output device 140, the control unit 110 determines whether the fourth store is a store where telephone reservation is possible. This determination is made based on the telephone reservation information included in the store information corresponding to the fourth store. When it is determined that the fourth store is a store where telephone reservation is possible, the control unit 110 first calculates the estimated arrival time at which it is predicted to arrive at the fourth store. This calculation may be performed by a known method using the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the fourth store and traffic jam information. Next, the control unit 110 causes the input / output device 140 to output a selection screen including the calculated estimated arrival time. The selection screen is a screen that prompts the user to select whether to make a telephone reservation at the fourth store. Such a selection screen may include, for example, in addition to the estimated arrival time, GUI components (e.g., buttons for selecting whether to make a telephone reservation) for allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether to make a telephone reservation. Note that the control unit 110 may output, through the input / output device 140, an audio message notifying the estimated arrival time and an audio message prompting the selection of whether to make a telephone reservation in addition to the above-described selection screen.

[0049] When, in response to the selection screen as described above being output to the input / output device 140, the user of the vehicle inputs an operation of selecting to make a telephone reservation to the input / output device 140, the control unit 110 connects to the user terminal 30 through the communication I / F 130 and makes a call (places a telephone call) to the fourth store through the user terminal 30. Note that the control unit 110 may make a call in a method of attempting to establish a communication connection by the hands-free profile through a head unit or the like.

[0050] Also, when, in response to the proposal screen as described above being output to the input / output device 140, the user of the vehicle inputs an operation of selecting to stop by at the fourth store to the input / output device 140, the control unit 110 sets the fourth store as a waypoint and starts route guidance to the fourth store. Note that when the vehicle is traveling without a destination being input to the car navigation system, the control unit 110 may set the fourth store as the destination and start route guidance to the fourth store.

[0051] (Flow of processing) Here, the flow of processing executed by the terminal 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a first processing routine executed by the terminal 10 triggered by the setting of the planned travel route of the vehicle. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a second processing routine executed by the terminal 10 triggered by the vehicle stopping at a red signal.

[0052] First, in the first processing routine of FIG. 4, triggered by the setting of the planned travel route of the vehicle, the control unit 110 of the terminal 10 transmits vehicle information including the set planned travel route to the server 20 through the communication I / F 130 (step S101). After finishing the execution of the process in step S101, the control unit 110 executes the process in step S102.

[0053] In step S102, the control unit 110 receives the store information transmitted from the server 20 in response to the vehicle information via the communication I / F 130. After finishing the execution of the process in step S102, the control unit 110 executes the processes in steps S103 - S106. The processes in steps S103 - S106 are executed for each of the first stores included in the store information.

[0054] In step S103, the control unit 110 determines whether the target first store corresponds to a second store. The second store is a store located on the traveling direction side from the current position of the vehicle and is located along the lane in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The determination as to whether the target first store corresponds to the second store is made based on the position information included in the store information corresponding to the target first store, the current position of the vehicle, and the planned travel route of the vehicle, as described above. If it is determined that the target first store does not correspond to the second store (negative determination in step S103), the control unit 110 skips the processes in steps S104 - S106 and executes the process in step S103 for another first store (a first store that has not yet been targeted) included in the store information. Also, if it is determined that the target first store corresponds to the second store (positive determination in step S103), the control unit 110 executes the process in step S104.

[0055] In step S104, the control unit 110 determines whether the target first store corresponds to a third store. The third store is a store equipped with vehicle facilities. The determination as to whether the target first store corresponds to the third store is made based on the vehicle facility information included in the store information corresponding to the target first store, as described above. If it is determined that the target first store does not correspond to the third store (negative determination in step S104), the control unit 110 skips the processes in steps S105 - S106 and executes the process in step S103 for another first store (a first store that has not yet been targeted) included in the store information. Also, if it is determined that the target first store corresponds to the third store (positive determination in step S104), the control unit 110 executes the process in step S105.

[0056] In step S105, the control unit 110 determines whether the target first store corresponds to the fourth store. The fourth store is a store that does not correspond to a predetermined exclusion target (a store presented to the user during a predetermined past period and a store similar to the store, and a store where an event different from the predetermined period is not held). The determination as to whether the target first store corresponds to the fourth store is executed, as described above, by collating the store information corresponding to the target first store with the history data D121 in the storage unit 120. If it is determined that the target first store does not correspond to the fourth store (negative determination in step S105), the control unit 110 skips the process of step S106 and executes the process of step S103 for another first store (a first store that has not yet been targeted) included in the store information. Also, if it is determined that the target first store corresponds to the fourth store (positive determination in step S105), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S106.

[0057] In step S106, the control unit 110 sets the target first store (corresponding to the fourth store) as a presentation candidate. After the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S106, it executes the process of step S103 for another first store (a first store that has not yet been targeted) included in the store information. Also, when the processes of steps S103 - S106 have been executed for all the first stores included in the store information, the control unit 110 executes the process of step S107.

[0058] In step S107, the control unit 110 determines whether there is a first store (a first store corresponding to all of the second store, the third store, and the fourth store) that has been set as a presentation candidate among the first stores included in the store information. Among the first stores included in the store information, the first store that has been set as a presentation candidate If there is (positive determination in step S107), the control unit 110 ends the execution of the first processing routine. Also, if there is no first store that has been set as a presentation candidate among the first stores included in the store information (negative determination in step S107), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S108.

[0059] In step S108, the control unit 110 determines a presentation candidate from among the first stores included in the store information and corresponding to the surrounding stores. As described above, the surrounding stores are the first stores included in the store information and located along the surrounding roads of the planned travel route. In other words, the surrounding stores are the first stores included in the store information that do not correspond to the second stores. When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S108, it ends the execution of the first processing routine.

[0060] Next, the second processing routine in FIG. 5 will be described. Here, the description will be made on the premise that the first processing routine shown in FIG. 4 has been executed (the presentation candidate has been set).

[0061] In the second processing routine of FIG. 5, triggered by the vehicle stopping at a red signal, the control unit 110 of the terminal 10 acquires the remaining red signal time length (step S201). In one example, the control unit 110 may acquire the remaining red signal time length by communicating with a roadside unit installed beside the traffic signal through the communication I / F 130. In another example, the control unit 110 may acquire the remaining red signal time length by receiving the signal information transmitted from a VICS (registered trademark) transmitter installed beside the traffic signal through an in-vehicle VICS (registered trademark) receiver. When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S201, it executes the process of step S202.

[0062] In step S202, the control unit 110 determines whether the remaining red signal time length acquired in step S201 is equal to or greater than a first time length (for example, a time length of 15 seconds or more and less than 30 seconds). If the remaining red signal time length is less than the first time length (negative determination in step S202), the control unit 110 ends the execution of the second processing routine. On the other hand, if the remaining red signal time length is equal to or greater than the first time length (positive determination in step S203), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S203.

[0063] In step S203, the control unit 110 determines whether the remaining red signal time length acquired in step S201 is equal to or longer than a second time length (a time length longer than the first time length, for example, a time length of 30 seconds or more and less than 60 seconds). If the remaining red signal time length is equal to or longer than the second time length (positive determination in step S203), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S204. On the other hand, if the remaining red signal time length is less than the second time length (negative determination in step S203), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S205.

[0064] In step S204, the control unit 110 outputs, through the input / output device 140, a detailed proposal screen corresponding to the nearest presentation candidate (the presentation candidate located at the position closest to the current position of the vehicle) among the presentation candidates set through the execution of the first processing routine in FIG. 4. Specifically, the control unit 110 first acquires the current position of the vehicle through the position sensor 150. The control unit 110 identifies the nearest presentation candidate by comparing the acquired current position of the vehicle with the position information included in the store information of each presentation candidate. At this time, among the presentation candidates, the presentation candidates located on the reverse side of the current position of the vehicle may be excluded from the specific target. The control unit 110 generates a detailed proposal screen corresponding to the identified presentation candidate based on the store information of the presentation candidate. As described above, the detailed proposal screen may include a GUI component for allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether to stop by the presentation candidate, and detailed proposed store information (including the store name and details of the product (for example, product name, photo, price, and product description, etc.)). Then, the control unit 110 outputs the generated proposal screen through the input / output device 140.

[0065] Also, in step S205, the control unit 110 outputs a simple proposal screen corresponding to the nearest presentation candidate through the input / output device 140. Specifically, first, in the same procedure as step S204, the control unit 110 identifies the presentation candidate located at the position closest to the current position of the vehicle. Subsequently, the control unit 110 generates a simple proposal screen corresponding to the identified presentation candidate based on the store information of the presentation candidate. As described above, the simple proposal screen may include a GUI component for allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether to stop by the presentation candidate, and simple proposed store information (including only the store name and an outline of the product (e.g., only the product name, photo, and price)). Then, the control unit 110 outputs the generated proposal screen through the input / output device 140.

[0066] When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S204 or step S205, it executes the process of step S206. In step S206, the control unit 110 determines whether an operation of selecting to stop by the nearest proposal candidate has been input to the input / output device 140. If an operation of selecting not to stop by the nearest proposal candidate has been input to the input / output device 140 (negative determination in step S206), the control unit 110 ends the execution of the second processing routine. On the other hand, if an operation of selecting to stop by the nearest proposal candidate has been input to the input / output device 140 (positive determination in step S206), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S207.

[0067] In step S207, the control unit 110 determines whether the nearest presentation candidate is a store where telephone reservation is possible. The determination of whether the nearest presentation candidate is a store where telephone reservation is possible is made based on the telephone reservation information included in the store information of the presentation candidate as described above. If the nearest presentation candidate is a store where telephone reservation is possible (positive determination in step S207), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S208. On the other hand, if the nearest presentation candidate is a store where telephone reservation is not possible (negative determination in step S207), the control unit 110 skips the processes of steps S208 - S210 and executes the process of step S211.

[0068] In step S208, the control unit 110 causes the input / output device 140 to output a selection screen. The selection screen is a screen that prompts the user to select whether to make a telephone reservation for the nearest presentation candidate. Such a selection screen may include GUI components for allowing the user of the vehicle to select the scheduled arrival time of the presentation candidate and whether to make a telephone reservation, as described above. The scheduled arrival time may be calculated by a known method using the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the nearest presentation candidate and traffic jam information, etc. When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S208, it executes the process of step S209.

[0069] In step S209, the control unit 110 determines whether an operation of selecting to make a telephone reservation for the nearest presentation candidate has been input to the input / output device 140. If an operation of selecting to make a telephone reservation for the nearest presentation candidate has been input to the input / output device 140 (positive determination in step S209), the control unit 110 executes the process of step S210. On the other hand, if an operation of selecting not to make a telephone reservation for the nearest presentation candidate has been input to the input / output device 140 (negative determination in step S209), the control unit 110 skips step S210 and executes the process of step S211.

[0070] In step S210, the control unit 110 connects to the user terminal 30 through the communication I / F 130 and makes a call (makes a telephone call) to the nearest presentation candidate through the user terminal 30. When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S210, it executes the process of step S211.

[0071] In step S211, the control unit 110 sets the nearest presentation candidate as the waypoint and provides route guidance to the presentation candidate. When the control unit 110 finishes executing the process of step S211 it ends the execution of the second processing routine.

[0072] (Operations and Effects of the Embodiment) In the above-described embodiment, among the one or more first stores located around the planned driving route of the vehicle, information is presented to the user only for the first store (presentation candidate) that satisfies all of the conditions of the second store, the conditions of the third store, and the conditions of the fourth store. As a result, among the one or more first stores located around the planned driving route of the vehicle, the first store located on the reverse side of the current position of the vehicle, the first store located along the lane in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle (opposite lane), the first store not equipped with vehicle facilities, and the first store that has been presented to the user during a past predetermined period (and a first store similar to the first store) and in which an event different from the predetermined period is not being held, proposal store information is no longer presented to the user. As a result, it is possible to prevent the user of the vehicle from feeling annoyance.

[0073] Also, in the above-described embodiment, proposal store information is presented to the user of the vehicle only when the vehicle stop time due to a red signal (remaining red signal time) is sufficiently long. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of information of the proposal store information is changed according to the vehicle stop time due to a red signal. This makes it possible to make the user of the vehicle recognize the proposal store information while ensuring safety.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the first store targeted by the proposal store information is a store that can be reserved by phone, a screen (selection screen) for allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether phone reservation is necessary is presented to the user of the vehicle. When the user selects to make a phone reservation for the first store, a call processing to the first store is automatically performed. This enables the user of the vehicle to make a reservation for the first store without performing complicated operations.

[0075] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when presenting information on restaurants located around the driving route of the vehicle.

[0076] <Others> The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope not departing from the gist thereof. For example, among the functions of the terminal 10, at least one of the functions of changing the amount of information of the proposed store information according to the remaining time of the red signal, allowing the user of the vehicle to select whether to stop at the proposed candidate, and making a call for reservation for the proposed candidate may be omitted. Further, the generation of the store information may be performed by the terminal 10 instead of the server 20. Furthermore, the setting of the proposed candidate (for example, the processes of steps S103 - S108 in the first processing routine illustrated in FIG. 4) may be executed triggered by the vehicle stopping at a red signal.

[0077] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program (information processing program) that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer and causing one or more processors included in the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is a recording medium that accumulates information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical actions and can be read by a computer or the like. Examples of such recording media include any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy (registered trademark) disk or an HDD), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk), etc. Also, the recording medium may be a medium such as a ROM, a RAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0078] 10... terminal, 110... control unit, 120... memory unit, D121... history data, 130... communication I / F, 140... input / output device, 150... position sensor, 20... server, 30... user terminal

Claims

1. Obtaining first information regarding one or more first facilities located around a planned route of a vehicle; Identifying, according to the first information, a second facility among the first facilities that is located in the traveling direction of the vehicle; Identifying, according to information corresponding to the second facility included in the first information, a third facility among the second facilities that is equipped with vehicle facilities; Identifying, according to information corresponding to the third facility included in the first information, a fourth facility among the third facilities that does not fall within a predetermined exclusion target; Outputting second information regarding the fourth facility; And a control unit that executes the above. An information processing apparatus.

2. The predetermined exclusion target includes facilities that were the target of the second information during a past predetermined period and facilities similar to the facilities, and facilities where events different from the predetermined period are not being held. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. Outputting the second information includes: Detecting that the vehicle is stopped at a red light; Obtaining the remaining time length of the red light; Outputting the second information on the condition that the remaining time length is equal to or longer than a predetermined time length; And includes: The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

4. The control unit further executes changing the amount of information of the second information according to the remaining time length. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 3.

5. After outputting the second information, the control unit: Receives an operation for making a telephone reservation for the fourth facility; And makes a call to the fourth facility in response to receiving the operation. further execute the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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