Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of improving a satisfaction level of a passenger in a service for distributing a content for passengers of a vehicle.SOLUTION: In an information processing device, a control section acquires a schedule time of distribution end of a content to be distributed for passengers of a vehicle. The control section determines a first route along which it is predicted that the vehicle arrives at a destination within a predetermined period including the schedule time of distribution end. The control section acquires a passage time that is a time in which the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point in the middle of the first route. In accordance with the passage time, the control section determines whether or not a route change in the middle of the first route is required. In accordance with the determination that the route change in the middle of the first route is required, the control section determines a second route along which it is predicted that the time of arrival at the destination is earlier or later than the first route. The control section outputs information calling a route change to the second route in the middle of the first route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In a system for distributing content to vehicle passengers, there is known a technique for terminating distribution of content midway or thinning out part of the content if the vehicle arrives near the drop-off location before the content has finished (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-354489 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can increase passenger satisfaction in a service that delivers content to vehicle passengers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device that executes information processing regarding a route that a vehicle will travel from a departure point to a destination. acquiring a scheduled end time of distribution of content to be distributed to passengers while the vehicle is traveling; determining a first route that is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period that includes the scheduled end time of distribution; acquiring a passing time that is a time when the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point along the first route; determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route according to the passing time; determining a second route that is predicted to arrive at the destination earlier or later than the first route in response to determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route; The control unit may further include a control unit that outputs information prompting the user to change to the second route midway along the first route.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method relating to a route that a vehicle will travel from a departure point to a destination. In this case, the information processing method includes, for example, The computer acquiring a scheduled end time of distribution of content to be distributed to passengers while the vehicle is traveling; determining a first route that is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period that includes the scheduled end time of distribution; acquiring a passing time that is a time when the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point along the first route; determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route according to the passing time; In response to determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route, a second route is selected that is predicted to arrive at the destination earlier or later than the first route. To decide and and outputting information prompting the driver to change to the second route midway along the first route.

[0007] The present disclosure can also be understood as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method, or a non-transitory storage medium for storing the information processing program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that can increase passenger satisfaction in a service that delivers content to vehicle passengers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle terminal included in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of route change proposal information in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a viewing terminal included in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a distribution terminal included in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a fleet management terminal included in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a fleet management server included in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation data according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a fleet management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route candidate that passes through an exclusion area in the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first route in the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second route in the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the second route in the embodiment. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a first processing routine executed by the fleet management server in the embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a second processing routine executed by the fleet management server in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A service is being considered that delivers content related to an event held at an event venue to the inside of a vehicle that shuttles visitors between a public transportation station or the like and an event venue. In such a service, if the vehicle arrives at the destination earlier or later than scheduled, the vehicle may arrive at the destination before the content ends, or the time between the content ending and the vehicle's arrival at the destination may be longer. As a result, passenger satisfaction with the service may decrease. Therefore, a measure is needed to reduce the discrepancy between the end time of the content delivery and the arrival time at the destination.

[0011] Therefore, an information processing device according to the present disclosure is capable of flexibly changing a route according to the progress of a vehicle traveling from a departure point to a destination. The information processing device according to the present disclosure is a computer for managing the route of a vehicle traveling from a departure point to a destination. Such an information processing device may be a terminal used by a vehicle operations manager, a terminal used by a vehicle driver, a terminal used by a content distributor, a server, or the like.

[0012] In the information processing device according to the present disclosure, a control unit acquires a scheduled end time of content to be distributed to passengers while the vehicle is traveling. The content may be any of video, still images, audio, etc. The content may be pre-recorded or pre-recorded, or may be live-streamed. Such content may be distributed to a viewing device installed in the vehicle or to a passenger's terminal.

[0013] A control unit of an information processing device according to the present disclosure determines a first route that is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time that includes the acquired scheduled end time of distribution. Determining the first route may, for example, include extracting a plurality of route candidates that are routes that a vehicle can travel from a departure point to the destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within the predetermined period of time, and determining, as the first route, a route candidate that, among the plurality of route candidates, allows for a change to a time-saving route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be earlier, and that allows for a change to a time-extending route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be later.

[0014] For example, extracting route candidates may further include excluding routes that pass through areas with communication quality below a predetermined quality from multiple routes that are possible for a vehicle to travel from a departure point to a destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time. For example, the predetermined quality may be a communication quality required for content delivery. That is, the predetermined quality may be a communication quality that, if the communication quality falls below the predetermined quality, would cause problems in delivering the content.

[0015] A control unit of an information processing device according to the present disclosure acquires a passing time, which is the time when the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point along the first route while the vehicle is traveling along the first route. In one example, the passing time may be acquired by the control unit comparing the vehicle's position information with the position information of the predetermined point. In another example, the passing time may be acquired by the vehicle transmitting the passing time to the information processing device when the vehicle passes the predetermined point. The predetermined point is a point included in the first route that is closer to the starting point than the branch point to a time-saving route and the branch point to a time-extending route. Such a predetermined point may be set by the control unit when the first route is determined.

[0016] The control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure determines whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route, based on the time at which the vehicle passes a predetermined point. In one example, determining whether a route change is necessary may include determining that a route change is necessary if the time difference between the scheduled time of passage at the predetermined point and the actual time of passage is greater than a predetermined time, and determining that a route change is not necessary if the time difference between the scheduled time of passage at the predetermined point and the actual time of passage is equal to or less than a predetermined time. The scheduled time of passage here may be the time at which the vehicle is predicted to pass the predetermined point, assuming that the vehicle will arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time including the scheduled end time of distribution. For example, such a scheduled time of passage may be determined based on the distance of the first route, the legal speed limit on the first route, the number of traffic lights on the first route, etc.

[0017] Here, if the time difference between the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point and the actual passing time is greater than a predetermined time length, and the passing time is later than the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point, the control unit may determine that a route change to a time-shortening route is necessary.Also, if the time difference between the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point and the actual passing time is greater than a predetermined time length, and the passing time is earlier than the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point, the control unit may determine that a route change to a time-extending route is necessary.

[0018] The control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure determines whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route, and then determines whether the arrival time at the destination is earlier or later than that of the first route. In this case, if the passing time at the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, the control unit may determine as the second route a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-shortening route to the destination. Also, if the passing time at the predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, the control unit may determine as the second route a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-extending route to the destination.

[0019] In response to the determination of the second route, a control unit of an information processing device according to the present disclosure outputs information prompting a route change to the second route midway along the first route. Here, when the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a terminal used by a vehicle operations manager, outputting the information prompting a route change may involve transmitting the information to a terminal used by the vehicle driver. Furthermore, when the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a terminal used by the vehicle driver, outputting the information prompting a route change may involve outputting the information to an output device of the terminal used by the driver. Furthermore, when the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a terminal used by a content distributor, outputting the information prompting a route change may involve transmitting the information to a terminal used by the vehicle driver. Furthermore, when the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a server, outputting the information prompting a route change may involve transmitting the information to a terminal used by the vehicle driver.

[0020] According to the information processing device disclosed herein, even when traffic volume on the first route is higher or lower than expected, the vehicle's driving route can be changed from the first route to the second route, thereby minimizing the discrepancy between the content distribution end time and the vehicle's arrival time at the destination. This makes it possible to increase passenger satisfaction in a service that distributes content to vehicle passengers.

[0021] Note that if the content is live-streamed, the scheduled end time of the content distribution may be changed while the content is being distributed. Therefore, when the scheduled end time of the content distribution is changed, the control unit of the information processing device according to the present disclosure may change the scheduled time of passage at a predetermined point. Here, if the scheduled end time of the content distribution is earlier than the original time, the control unit may change the scheduled passage time to an earlier time than the original time. Furthermore, if the scheduled end time of the content distribution is later than the original time, the control unit may change the scheduled passage time to a later time than the original time. This makes it possible to prevent a discrepancy between the content distribution end time and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination, even if the scheduled end time of the content distribution is changed.

[0022] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are illustrative, but the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present disclosure in all respects. Various improvements or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. When implementing the present disclosure, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted. Note that while data appearing in the present embodiments are described in natural language, more specifically, they may be specified using computer-recognizable pseudo-language, commands, parameters, machine language, etc.

[0023] (System Overview) In this embodiment, an example will be described in which an information processing device according to the present disclosure is applied to a system for providing a service of delivering content to passengers of vehicles transporting visitors to an event venue. The event venue may be, for example, a facility where a sporting event or the like is held, a facility where a musical concert is held, or a facility where an exhibition is held. In this embodiment, a stadium where a sporting event is held is taken as an example of the event venue.

[0024] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a vehicle 10, an in-vehicle terminal 100, a viewing terminal 110, a distribution terminal 20, a driver's The vehicle management system includes a fleet management terminal 30, and a fleet management server 40. In the example shown in FIG. 1, only one vehicle 10, one on-board terminal 100, one viewing terminal 110, and one distribution terminal 20 are shown, but there may be multiple vehicles 10, multiple on-board terminals 100, multiple viewing terminals 110, and multiple distribution terminals 20. The vehicle-mounted terminals 100, the viewing terminals 110, the distribution terminals 20, the fleet management server 40, and the fleet management terminal 30 are connected to one another via a network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet. ), and / or wireless communication networks such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0025] Vehicle 10 is a vehicle that transports visitors between a predetermined boarding and disembarking location and the stadium. The predetermined boarding and disembarking location may be, for example, a public transportation station. In-vehicle terminal 100 is a computer used by the driver (or crew) of vehicle 10. Viewing terminal 110 is a computer installed in the passenger compartment of vehicle 10. Distribution terminal 20 is a computer used by a content distributor. Operation management terminal 30 is a computer used by the operation manager of vehicle 10. Operation management server 40 is a computer that processes information related to the operation of vehicle 10.

[0026] In the system of this embodiment, content is distributed from distribution terminal 20 to viewing terminal 110 via network N1 while vehicle 10 is traveling between a public transportation station and a stadium. The content in this embodiment is content related to a sport held at the stadium. Here, when vehicle 10 is traveling with visitors (visitors who are about to watch a sport held at the stadium) heading from the station to the stadium, the content may be, for example, a video introducing the sport held at the stadium, or a video interview before a match with an athlete participating in the sport held at the stadium. Furthermore, when vehicle 10 is traveling with visitors (visitors who have finished watching a sport held at the stadium) heading from the stadium to the station, the content may be, for example, a video highlighting the sport held at the stadium, or a video interview after a match with an athlete participating in the sport held at the stadium.

[0027] In addition, when distributing such content, the distribution terminal 20 and the viewing terminal 110 may be connected via a web conferencing system, so that dialogue such as questions and answers can be held between the distributor (for example, an MC (Master of Ceremony) and / or athletes) and visitors riding in the vehicle 10.

[0028] In the system of this embodiment, before the vehicle 10 starts traveling, the distribution terminal 20 transmits distribution information to the fleet management terminal 30 via the network N1. The distribution information in this embodiment includes identification information (vehicle ID) of the vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, the departure point (a public transportation station or a stadium) of the vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, the destination (a stadium or a public transportation station) of the vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, the scheduled start time of the distribution of the content to be distributed, and the scheduled end time of the distribution of the content to be distributed. In response to receiving such distribution information, the fleet management terminal 30 transmits the distribution information to the fleet management server 40. Note that the distribution information may be orally communicated by the distributor to an operator of the fleet management terminal 30, and the operator may input the information into the fleet management terminal 30. In this case, the fleet management terminal 30 may transmit the distribution information to the fleet management server 40 in response to the input of the distribution information.

[0029] In response to receiving the distribution information transmitted from the fleet management terminal 30, the fleet management server 40 determines a first route for the vehicle 10 to be the distribution destination. The first route in this embodiment is a route that the vehicle 10 will travel from the departure point included in the distribution information to the destination. In this embodiment, the first route is a route that is predicted to allow the vehicle 10, which departs from the departure point at approximately the same time as the scheduled distribution start time, to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period (for example, within 10 minutes before or after the scheduled distribution end time), and the route may be changed to a time-shortening route or a time-extending route along the route. A time-saving route is a route that is predicted to result in an earlier arrival time at the destination if the vehicle 10 changes to the time-saving route midway through the first route compared to when the vehicle 10 continues traveling on the first route. A time-extending route is a route that is predicted to result in a later arrival time at the destination if the vehicle 10 changes to the time-extending route midway through the first route compared to when the vehicle 10 continues traveling on the first route. The method for determining the first route will be described later.

[0030] The fleet management server 40 transmits information about the determined first route (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "first route information") to the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30. The first route information includes information indicating the departure point of the vehicle 10, the destination of the vehicle 10, the scheduled start time of content distribution, the scheduled end time of content distribution, and the first route. Upon receiving the first route information, the in-vehicle terminal 100 starts route guidance along the first route when the scheduled start time of content distribution arrives. Furthermore, while the vehicle 10 is traveling from the departure point to the destination, the in-vehicle terminal 100 transmits the current location of the vehicle 10 to the fleet management server 40 and the fleet management terminal 30 at a predetermined interval (for example, every tens to hundreds of milliseconds). Furthermore, upon receiving the first route information, the fleet management terminal 30 outputs a map screen displaying the first route. Furthermore, the fleet management terminal 30 displays the current location of the vehicle 10 transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100 on the map screen.

[0031] The fleet management server 40 acquires a passing time, which is the time when the vehicle 10 actually passes a predetermined point, based on the current location transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100. The predetermined point is a point along the first route, and is located before (closer to the destination) than the branch point to a time-saving route and the branch point to a time-extending route. Such a predetermined point is determined by the fleet management server 40 when the first route is determined. The fleet management server 40 compares the acquired passing time with the scheduled passing time to determine whether a route change for the vehicle 10 is necessary. The scheduled passing time is the time at which the vehicle 10 is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time, if the time difference between the passing time at the predetermined point and the scheduled passing time is less than a predetermined time length (for example, several minutes).

[0032] If the time difference between the passing time and the scheduled passing time at a predetermined point is greater than a predetermined time length, the fleet management server 40 determines that the vehicle 10 needs to change its route. In this case, the fleet management server 40 determines a second route that is predicted to arrive at the destination earlier or later than the first route. Here, if the passing time at the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, the fleet management server 40 determines the second route to be a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-shortening route to the destination. Also, if the passing time at the predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, the fleet management server 40 determines the second route to be a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-extending route to the destination.

[0033] The fleet management server 40 transmits second route information to the on-board terminal 100 in response to the determination of the second route. The second route information is information that prompts the driver to change from the first route to the second route, and may include, for example, information indicating the second route, an estimated arrival time at the destination if the vehicle continues traveling along the first route, and an estimated arrival time at the destination if the vehicle changes to the second route. The on-board terminal 100 that receives such second route information presents information that prompts the driver of the vehicle 10 to change to the second route. At this time, the on-board terminal 100 may present information that prompts the driver of the vehicle 10 to select whether or not to change to the second route. Then, when the driver of the vehicle 10 selects to change to the second route, the on-board terminal 100 may perform route guidance according to the second route. When a route change from the first route to the second route is performed in this manner, information indicating that the route has been changed from the first route to the second route (hereinafter, this may be referred to as "route change information") may be transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100 to the fleet management terminal 30. 0 outputs a map screen showing the second route and the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0034] According to the system of this embodiment, it is possible to minimize the difference between the content distribution end time and the time when the vehicle 10 arrives at the destination. As a result, it is possible to increase passenger satisfaction in a service that distributes content to passengers of the vehicle 10.

[0035] (System hardware configuration) Here, an example of the hardware configuration of each of the in-vehicle terminal 100, the viewing terminal 110, the distribution terminal 20, the fleet management terminal 30, and the fleet management server 40 included in the system of this embodiment will be described.

[0036] (In-vehicle terminal) 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 100 in this embodiment. The in-vehicle terminal 100 is a computer used by the driver of the vehicle 10, and includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, an input / output device 103, a position acquisition unit 104, and a communication I / F 105. For example, such an in-vehicle terminal 100 may be realized by combining a car navigation system and a DCM (Data Communication Module) mounted on the vehicle 10. The in-vehicle terminal 100 may be realized by a portable computer (for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal) used by the driver.

[0037] The in-vehicle terminal 100 includes a processor (such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)), a main memory device (such as a RAM and a ROM), an auxiliary memory device (such as an E The auxiliary storage device can be configured as a computer having a PROM, a hard disk drive, and removable media. The auxiliary storage device stores various programs such as an OS (Operating System) and application programs, and by executing these programs, various functions (software modules) that meet specific purposes can be realized. However, some or all of the functions of the in-vehicle terminal 100 can be implemented by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, the control circuit may be realized by a hardware circuit such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or a Programmable Integrated Circuit (PIC).

[0038] The control unit 101 is a computing unit that realizes each function of the in-vehicle terminal 100 by executing a first program stored in the storage unit 102. The control unit 101 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 101 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, etc.

[0039] The memory unit 102 stores various types of information. The memory unit 102 is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and / or a flash memory. The memory unit 102 stores a first program executed by the control unit 101, data used by the first program, and the like. In this embodiment, the first program is an application program for realizing functions related to route guidance between a public transportation station and a stadium.

[0040] The input / output device 103 is a device that receives input operations performed by the driver of the vehicle 10 and presents information to the driver. In one example, the input / output device 103 is a touch panel display including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electroluminescence) panel. The input / output device 103 may be configured to include a microphone for inputting voice, a speaker for outputting voice, and the like, in addition to the touch panel display.

[0041] The position acquisition unit 104 is a device that acquires the current position of the vehicle 10. In one example, the position acquisition unit 104 may be configured to include a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. In one example, the location acquisition unit 104 may be configured to include a wireless communication circuit that uses a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) location information service.

[0042] The communication I / F 105 is a communication interface for connecting the in-vehicle terminal 100 to the network N1. In one example, the communication I / F 105 may be configured to include a wireless communication interface for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 100 performs data communication with the fleet management terminal 30 and the fleet management server 40 through the communication I / F 105.

[0043] In the in-vehicle terminal 100 configured as described above, the control unit 101 executes the first program in the storage unit 102 to achieve the following functions. That is, in the in-vehicle terminal 100, in response to the communication I / F 105 receiving the first route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the control unit 101 performs settings to use the departure point, destination, and first route included in the first route information as information for route guidance. Subsequently, in response to the arrival of the scheduled distribution start time included in the first route information, the control unit 101 executes route guidance along the first route.

[0044] Furthermore, in the in-vehicle terminal 100, when the vehicle 10 is traveling from the departure point to the destination (when route guidance according to the first route is being executed), the control unit 101 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 through the position acquisition unit 104 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every tens to hundreds of milliseconds). Every time the control unit 101 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10, it transmits the position information to the fleet management terminal 30 and the fleet management server 40 through the communication I / F 105. The position information in this embodiment includes information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ID of the vehicle 10.

[0045] Furthermore, in response to the communication I / F 105 receiving the second route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the in-vehicle terminal 100 displays information (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "route change proposal information") encouraging a route change from the first route to the second route on the touch panel display of the input / output device 103. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for the route change proposal information. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the display screen for the route change proposal information includes text information indicating the estimated arrival time at the destination if the first route is continued, text information indicating the estimated arrival time at the destination if the route is changed to the second route, map information displaying the first route, map information displaying the second route, text information encouraging a route change to the second route, and GUI components for selecting whether to change the route to the second route (a "YES" button and a "NO" button in FIG. 3), etc.

[0046] 3 is displayed on the touch panel display of the input / output device 103, when an operation to select a route change to the second route (for example, an operation to tap the "YES" button in FIG. 3) is input to the touch panel display of the input / output device 103, the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100 ends the route guidance according to the first route and starts route guidance according to the second route. Also, when an operation to select not to change the route to the second route (for example, an operation to tap the "NO" button in FIG. 3) is input to the touch panel display of the input / output device 103 while the display screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the touch panel display of the input / output device 103, the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100 continues route guidance according to the first route.

[0047] In response to the communication I / F 105 receiving the second route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100 may automatically terminate route guidance according to the first route and automatically start route guidance according to the second route. That is, the process of displaying the above-described route change proposal information on the touch panel display of the input / output device 103 may be omitted.

[0048] The specific hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 100 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0049] (Viewing device) 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the viewing terminal 110 in this embodiment. The viewing terminal 110 is a computer installed in the vehicle 10, and includes a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a display 113, a speaker 114, a camera 115, a microphone 116, and a communication I / F 117.

[0050] The viewing terminal 110 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, DSP, etc.), a main memory device (RAM and ROM, etc.), an auxiliary memory device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.), and image and audio input / output devices. The auxiliary memory device stores various programs such as an OS and application programs, and various functions (software modules) that meet specific purposes can be realized through the execution of these programs. However, some or all of the functions of the viewing terminal 110 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0051] The control unit 111 is a calculation unit that realizes each function of the viewing terminal 110 by executing a second program stored in the storage unit 112. The control unit 111 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, similar to the control unit 101 of the in-car terminal 100. The control unit 111 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and the like.

[0052] The memory unit 112 stores various information. Like the memory unit 102 of the in-vehicle terminal 100, the memory unit 112 is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and / or a flash memory. The memory unit 112 of the viewing terminal 110 stores a second program executed by the control unit 111, data used by the second program, and the like. The second program in this embodiment is an application program for realizing a function of playing content distributed from the distribution terminal 20 for passengers in the vehicle 10 and a function of transmitting audio and / or images of the passengers to the distribution terminal 20. In one example, the second program may be an application program for using a cloud-based Web conferencing system.

[0053] The display 113 is installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 and outputs images (video and still images) included in the content transmitted from the distribution terminal 20. The speaker 114 outputs audio included in the content transmitted from the distribution terminal 20. The camera 115 is installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 and captures images of the passenger compartment (passengers in the passenger compartment). The microphone 116 is installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 and inputs (collects) audio from the passenger compartment (passengers in the passenger compartment). The communication I / F 117 is a communication interface for connecting the viewing terminal 110 to the network N1. In one example, the communication I / F 117 may be configured to include a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, similar to the communication I / F 105 of the in-vehicle terminal 100. In this embodiment, the viewing terminal 110 performs data communication with the distribution terminal 20 via the communication I / F 117.

[0054] In the viewing terminal 110 configured as described above, the control unit 111 executes the second program in the storage unit 112 to achieve the following functions. That is, in the viewing terminal 110, in response to the communication I / F 117 receiving content distributed from the distribution terminal 20, the control unit 111 displays image data included in the content on the display 113 and outputs audio data included in the content to the speaker 114. In addition, the viewing terminal 110 transmits an image of the guest room captured by the camera 115 and audio of the guest room picked up by the microphone 116 to the distribution terminal 20 via the communication I / F 117.

[0055] The specific hardware configuration of the audiovisual terminal 110 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. (Distribution terminal) 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of streaming terminal 20 in this embodiment. Streaming terminal 20 is a computer used by a content distributor, and includes a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, a display 203, a speaker 204, a camera 205, a microphone 206, an input device 207, and a communication I / F 208. Streaming terminal 20 may be configured to include multiple computers, such as a computer used by an MC and a computer used by a player.

[0056] Like the viewing terminal 110, the distribution terminal 20 can be configured as a computer having a processor (e.g., CPU or DSP), a main memory (e.g., RAM and ROM), an auxiliary memory (e.g., EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media), and image and audio input / output devices. The auxiliary memory stores various programs such as an OS and application programs, and various functions (software modules) that meet specific purposes can be realized through the execution of these programs. However, some or all of the functions of the distribution terminal 20 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0057] The control unit 201 is a computing unit that executes a third program stored in the storage unit 202 to realize each function of the distribution terminal 20. The control unit 201 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, similar to the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100. The control unit 201 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and the like.

[0058] The memory unit 202 stores various information. Like the memory unit 102 of the in-vehicle terminal 100, the memory unit 202 is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and / or a flash memory. The memory unit 202 of the distribution terminal 20 stores a third program executed by the control unit 201, data used by the third program, and the like. The third program in this embodiment is an application program for realizing a function of transmitting content distributed by a distributor to the viewing terminal 110 and a function of playing back images and audio transmitted from the viewing terminal 110 for the distributor. In one example, the third program may be an application program for using a cloud-based Web conferencing system, similar to the second program.

[0059] The display 203 outputs an image transmitted from the viewing terminal 110 (an image captured by the camera 115 of the viewing terminal 110). The speaker 114 outputs audio transmitted from the viewing terminal 110 (audio collected by the microphone 116 of the viewing terminal 110). The camera 115 captures an image of the broadcaster (MC and / or players, etc.). The microphone 206 inputs (collects) the audio of the broadcaster. The input device 207 accepts input operations performed by the broadcaster. For example, the input device 207 may be configured to include a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The communication I / F 208 is a communication interface for connecting the broadcasting terminal 20 to the network N1. For example, the communication I / F 208 may be configured to include a network interface board and / or a wireless communication interface for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the broadcasting terminal 20 performs data communication between the viewing terminal 110 and the fleet management terminal 30 via the communication I / F 208.

[0060] In the distribution terminal 20 configured as described above, the control unit 201 executes the third program in the storage unit 202 to achieve the following functions. That is, in the distribution terminal 20, the vehicle ID of the vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, the origin of the vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, In response to input of the departure point (public transportation station or stadium), the destination point (stadium or public transportation station) of vehicle 10 to which the content is to be distributed, the scheduled start time of the content distribution, and the scheduled end time of the content distribution through input device 207, control unit 201 transmits distribution information to operation management terminal 30 through communication I / F 208. The distribution information is information including the vehicle ID, departure point, destination, scheduled start time of distribution, scheduled end time of distribution, etc. input through input device 207.

[0061] Furthermore, in distribution terminal 20, when the scheduled start time for content distribution arrives, control unit 201 starts distribution of content to viewing terminal 110 via communication I / F 208. At this time, control unit 201 of distribution terminal 20 may distribute pre-generated content, such as an introductory video of a sport to be held at a stadium or a highlight video of the sport to viewing terminal 110. Alternatively, control unit 201 of distribution terminal 20 may connect to viewing terminal 110 using a web conferencing system to distribute (live-stream) content including images captured by camera 205 and audio collected by microphone 206 to viewing terminal 110 in real time, and output images captured by camera 115 of viewing terminal 110 and audio collected by microphone 116 of viewing terminal 110 to display 203 and speaker 204 of distribution terminal 20 in real time. Examples of content that is live-streamed include videos of interviews with athletes and videos of athletes answering questions from passengers in vehicle 10. When the scheduled end time of the content distribution arrives, control unit 201 of distribution terminal 20 ends the distribution of the content to viewing terminal 110.

[0062] The specific hardware configuration of the distribution terminal 20 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0063] (Operation control terminal) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the fleet management terminal 30 in this embodiment. The fleet management terminal 30 is a computer used by the fleet manager of the vehicle 10, and includes a control unit 301, a storage unit 302, an input / output device 303, and a communication I / F 304. Such a fleet management terminal 30 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet. The present invention may be implemented by a remote terminal.

[0064] Like the in-vehicle terminal 100, the fleet management terminal 30 can be configured as a computer having a processor (e.g., CPU or DSP), a main memory device (e.g., RAM and ROM), and an auxiliary memory device (e.g., EPROM, hard disk drive, and removable media). The auxiliary memory device stores various programs such as an OS and application programs, and the execution of these programs can realize various functions (software modules) that meet specific purposes. However, some or all of the functions of the fleet management terminal 30 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0065] The control unit 301 is a calculation unit that executes a fourth program stored in the storage unit 302 to realize each function of the fleet management terminal 30. The control unit 301 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, similar to the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100. The control unit 301 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and the like.

[0066] The storage unit 302 stores various information. Similar to the storage unit 102 of the in-vehicle terminal 100, the storage unit 302 is configured by a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and / or a flash memory. The storage unit 302 stores a fourth program executed by the control unit 301, data used by the fourth program, and the like. In this embodiment, the fourth program is This is an application program that realizes functions related to the operation management of both 10 trains.

[0067] The input / output device 303 is a device that accepts input operations performed by the operations manager and presents information to the operations manager. In one example, the input / output device 303 may be configured to include a touch panel display including an LCD or EL panel. Note that the input / output device 303 may be configured to further include a microphone for inputting voice and a speaker for outputting voice in addition to the touch panel display.

[0068] The communication I / F 304 is a communication interface for connecting the fleet management terminal 30 to the network N1. In one example, the communication I / F 304 may be configured to include a network interface board and / or a wireless communication interface for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the fleet management terminal 30 performs data communication with the distribution terminal 20 and the fleet management server 40 via the communication I / F 304.

[0069] In the fleet management terminal 30 configured as described above, the control unit 301 executes the fourth program in the storage unit 302 to achieve the following function. That is, in the fleet management terminal 30, in response to the communication I / F 304 receiving the distribution information transmitted from the distribution terminal 20, the control unit 301 transmits the received distribution information to the fleet management server 40 via the communication I / F 304. Note that the control unit 301 may display the distribution information received from the distribution terminal 20 on the touch panel display of the input / output device 303, in addition to transmitting the distribution information received from the distribution terminal 20 to the fleet management server 40. This allows the fleet manager to understand the distribution information.

[0070] In addition, in the fleet management terminal 30, in response to the communication I / F 304 receiving the first route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the control unit 301 displays a map screen showing the first route on the touch panel display of the input / output device 303. The map screen at that time may include the positions of predetermined points and the scheduled times of passing through the predetermined points. Furthermore, each time the fleet management terminal 30 receives position information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100, it displays the current position of the vehicle 10 on the map screen.

[0071] In addition, in the fleet management terminal 30, in response to the communication I / F 304 receiving the route change information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100, the control unit 301 displays a map screen showing the second route and the current position of the vehicle 10 on the touch panel display of the input / output device 303. The map screen at this time may include the passing time of a predetermined point, the scheduled passing time of the predetermined point, the time difference between the passing time and the scheduled passing time of the predetermined point, the scheduled arrival time at the destination when traveling along the second route, etc.

[0072] The specific hardware configuration of the fleet management terminal 30 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0073] (Traffic management server) 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the fleet management server 40 in this embodiment. The fleet management server 40 in this embodiment is a computer that executes information processing related to the operation of the vehicle 10, and corresponds to the information processing device according to the present disclosure. The fleet management server 40 in this embodiment includes a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, and a communication I / F 403. Such a fleet management server 40 may be realized by a single computer or a combination of multiple computers.

[0074] The fleet management server 40 includes a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), a main memory device (RAM and ROM, etc.), an auxiliary memory device (EPROM, hard disk drive, and removable memory, The auxiliary storage device can be configured as a computer having an OS, application programs, and other programs stored therein, and various functions (software modules) that meet specific purposes can be realized through the execution of these programs. However, some or all of the functions of the fleet management server 40 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0075] The control unit 401 is a calculation unit that executes a fifth program stored in the storage unit 402 to realize each function of the fleet management server 40. The control unit 401 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU, similar to the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle terminal 100. The control unit 401 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and the like.

[0076] The storage unit 402 stores various types of information. The storage unit 402 is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, and / or a flash memory. The storage unit 402 stores a fifth program executed by the control unit 401, data used by the fifth program (for example, operation data D401 described below), and the like. The fifth program in this embodiment is an application program for realizing a function of determining a driving route (first route and second route) of the vehicle 10.

[0077] The operation data D401 stored in the storage unit 402 is information related to the operation of one or more vehicles 10 under the management of the fleet management server 40. An example of the operation data D401 stored in the storage unit 402 will now be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is information that schematically illustrates an example of the operation data D401 in this embodiment. The operation data D401 includes one or more records (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "vehicle-specific records") corresponding to one or more vehicles 10 under the management of the fleet management server 40. Each vehicle-specific record has various fields, such as a vehicle ID, a departure point, a destination, a scheduled distribution start time, a scheduled distribution end time, a first route, a specified point, a scheduled passage time, a time-saving route, and a time-extending route. Such vehicle-specific records are generated when the communication I / F 403 receives distribution information transmitted from the fleet management terminal 30. Furthermore, such vehicle-specific records are deleted when the target vehicle 10 arrives at the destination.

[0078] The vehicle ID field stores information (vehicle ID) for identifying each of one or more vehicles 10 under the management of the fleet management server 40. The information stored in the vehicle ID field may be identification information of the in-vehicle terminal 100 corresponding to each vehicle 10.

[0079] The departure point field is registered with information indicating the departure point of each vehicle 10. For vehicles 10 transporting passengers from a public transportation station to a stadium, information indicating the public transportation station is registered in the departure point field. For vehicles 10 transporting passengers from a stadium to a public transportation station, information indicating the stadium is registered in the departure point field.

[0080] The destination field is registered with information indicating the destination of each vehicle 10. Here, for a vehicle 10 transporting passengers from a public transportation station to a stadium, information indicating the stadium is registered in the destination field. Also, for a vehicle 10 transporting passengers from a stadium to a public transportation station, information indicating the public transportation station is registered in the destination field.

[0081] The scheduled distribution start time field is registered with information indicating the scheduled start time of content distribution to the viewing terminal 110 of each vehicle 10. The scheduled distribution end time field is registered with information indicating the scheduled end time of content distribution to the viewing terminal 110 of each vehicle 10.

[0082] In the first route field, information indicating the first route of each vehicle 10 is registered. For example, the information registered in the route field may be a combination of road links and / or nodes included in the first route. Note that the information is registered in the first route field when the first route of each vehicle 10 is determined.

[0083] The predetermined point field is registered with information indicating a predetermined point set along the first route of each vehicle 10. The information registered in the predetermined point field may be information indicating the position of the predetermined point. Note that information is registered in the predetermined point field when the first route of each vehicle 10 is determined.

[0084] The scheduled passage time field is registered with information indicating the scheduled passage time of a predetermined point set along the first route of each vehicle 10. Note that information is registered in the scheduled passage time field when the first route of each vehicle 10 is determined.

[0085] In the time-shortened route field, information indicating a time-shortened route for each vehicle 10 is registered. The information registered in the time-shortened route field may include, for example, information indicating the position or node of a branch point to a time-shortened route along the first route, and a combination of road links and / or nodes included in the time-shortened route. Information is registered in the time-shortened route field when the first route for each vehicle 10 is determined.

[0086] The time extension route field is registered with information indicating the time extension route of each vehicle 10. The information registered in the time extension route field may include, for example, information indicating the position or node of the branch point to the time extension route along the first route, and a combination of road links and / or nodes included in the time extension route. Information is registered in the time extension route field when the first route of each vehicle 10 is determined.

[0087] 7, the communication I / F 403 is a communication interface for connecting the fleet management server 40 to the network N1. In one example, the communication I / F 403 may be configured to include a network interface board and / or a wireless communication interface for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the fleet management server 40 performs data communication with the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30 via the communication I / F 403.

[0088] In the fleet management server 40 configured as described above, the control unit 401 executes the fifth program in the storage unit 402 to achieve functions such as determining a first route, determining whether a route change is necessary, and determining a second route. Details of these functions will be described later.

[0089] The specific hardware configuration of the fleet management server 40 may be such that components are omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0090] (Software configuration of the traffic control server) Next, the software configuration of the fleet management server 40 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the software configuration of the fleet management server 40 in this embodiment. The fleet management server 40 in this embodiment operates as a computer having a first acquisition unit F401, a first determination unit F402, a second acquisition unit F403, a judgment unit F404, a second determination unit F405, and a generation unit F406 as software modules when the control unit 401 executes the fifth program in the storage unit 402.

[0091] In addition, some or all of the first acquisition unit F401, the first determination unit F402, the second acquisition unit F403, the judgment unit F404, the second determination unit F405, and the generation unit F406 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0092] The first acquisition unit F401 is configured to store the received distribution information in the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402 in response to the communication I / F 403 receiving distribution information transmitted from the fleet management terminal 30. Specifically, the first acquisition unit F401 adds a new vehicle-specific record to the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402. At this time, the vehicle ID, departure point, destination, scheduled distribution start time, and scheduled distribution end time included in the received distribution information are registered in the vehicle ID field, departure point field, destination field, scheduled distribution start time field, and scheduled distribution end time field of the new vehicle-specific record, respectively. Note that the first route field, predetermined point field, scheduled passage time field, time-shortened route field, and extension field of the new vehicle-specific record are left blank.

[0093] The first determination unit F402 is configured to determine a first route in response to the first acquisition unit F401 adding a new vehicle-specific record to the operation data D401 in the storage unit 402. The first route in this embodiment is a route that is predicted to allow the vehicle 10, which departs from the departure point at the scheduled distribution start time, to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period including the scheduled distribution end time (for example, within 10 minutes before or after the scheduled distribution end time), and that allows for route changes to a time-shortening route or a time-extending route along the route. The time-shortening route is a route that is predicted to allow the vehicle 10 to arrive at the destination earlier if the vehicle 10 changes to the time-shortening route along the first route than if the vehicle 10 continues traveling on the first route. The time-extending route is a route that is predicted to allow the vehicle 10 to arrive at the destination later if the vehicle 10 changes to the time-extending route along the first route than if the vehicle 10 continues traveling on the first route.

[0094] When determining the first route satisfying the above-described conditions, the first determination unit F402 first extracts multiple route candidates that are routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point to the destination and that are predicted to allow the vehicle 10, departing from the departure point at the scheduled distribution start time, to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time. As an example, the travel times of all routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point to the destination may be stored in advance in the storage unit 402, and multiple routes whose travel times fall within a predetermined range (e.g., a range of plus or minus 10 minutes from the scheduled content distribution start time to the scheduled content distribution end time) may be extracted as route candidates. The travel times of all routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point to the destination may be stored in the storage unit 402 by day of the week and / or by time period. In this case, the first determination unit F402 may extract, as route candidates, one or more routes whose travel times fall within a predetermined range depending on the day of the week and / or time period on which the target vehicle 10 is scheduled to travel. Furthermore, the required time for each of all routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point to the destination may be, for example, the average value of the times required when multiple probe vehicles have actually traveled each route in the past. As another example, the required time for each of all routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point to the destination may be predicted (calculated) based on the distance of each route, the legal speed limit of each route, the number of traffic lights installed on each route, the traffic volume of each route, etc.

[0095] Next, the first determination unit F402 excludes route candidates that pass through areas where the communication quality is below a predetermined quality (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "exclusion areas") from among the extracted multiple route candidates. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of route candidates that pass through exclusion areas. In FIG. 10, areas surrounded by thin dashed lines (hatched areas) are areas where the communication quality is above a predetermined quality. In other words, areas that are not hatched in FIG. 10 correspond to exclusion areas. Also, in FIG. 10, P1 indicates the departure point, and P2 indicates the destination. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the route candidate (the route indicated by the thick solid line in FIG. 10) passes through the exclusion area in the section from point P3 to point P4 along the route candidate. Therefore, the route candidate is excluded from the candidates for the first route.

[0096] Note that map information (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "quality map") that divides areas where communication quality is equal to or higher than a predetermined quality and excluded areas for an area including the departure point and destination of the vehicle 10 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 402. In this case, the first determination unit F402 may use the quality map to determine whether each of the extracted multiple route candidates passes through the excluded area.

[0097] The predetermined quality of communication quality may be set so that at least one of the reference signal received power RSRP, the reference signal received quality RSRQ, and the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio SINR is equal to or greater than a value required for content distribution. Alternatively, the predetermined quality of communication quality may be set so that the time during which the data transfer rate of at least one of the uplink and downlink remains below a predetermined rate is less than a threshold.

[0098] When route candidates that pass through the exclusion area are excluded from the extracted multiple route candidates, the first determination unit F402 determines a first route from the remaining route candidates (route candidates that do not pass through the exclusion area). Specifically, the first determination unit F402 determines, as the first route, a route candidate that can be changed to a time-shortening route midway through the route candidate that does not pass through the exclusion area and can be changed to a time-extending route midway through the route candidate. In this case, route candidates that cannot be changed to a time-shortening route that does not pass through the exclusion area and route candidates that cannot be changed to a time-extending route that does not pass through the exclusion area are excluded from being considered for the first route.

[0099] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the first route. In Fig. 11, points P1, P2, J1, J2, route R1 (thick solid line), route SR1 (thick dashed line), and route ER1 (thick broken line) indicate the departure point, destination, branch point to the time-shortening route, branch point to the time-extending route, first route, time-shortening route, and time-extending route, respectively.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 11 , the first route R1, the time-shortening route SR1, and the time-extending route ER1 are each determined so as not to pass through any excluded areas. The time-shortening route SR1 is determined to be a route that is shorter in distance than the section of the first route R1 from the branch point J1 to the destination P2. The time-shortening route SR1 may be determined to be a route with fewer traffic lights, a faster legal speed limit, or less traffic volume than the section of the first route R1 from the branch point J1 to the destination P2. The time-extending route ER1 is set to be a route that is longer in distance than the section of the first route R1 from the branch point J2 to the destination P2. The time-extending route ER1 may be determined to be a route with more traffic lights, a slower legal speed limit, or more traffic volume than the section of the first route R1 from the branch point J2 to the destination P2. The time-shortening route and the time-extending route corresponding to the first route are not limited to one combination as illustrated in FIG. 11 , and multiple combinations may be set.

[0101] The first determination unit F402 determines a predetermined point in response to the determination of the first route. The predetermined point is a point included in the first route that is closer (closer to the starting point) than the branch point to the time-shortening route and the branch point to the time-extending route. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the first determination unit F402 sets, as the predetermined point, a point FP1 included in the first route R1 that is closer to the branch point J1 to the time-shortening route SR1 and the branch point J2 to the time-extending route ER1. In this case, for example, the predetermined point FP1 may be set so that the distance between the branch point earlier than the branch point J1 or the branch point J2 (branch point J1 in the example shown in FIG. 11) and the predetermined point FP1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance may be a distance that makes the time required for the vehicle 10 to travel the predetermined distance longer than the time required for changing the route to the second route, which will be described later. Note that, in the case where multiple combinations of the time-shortening route and the time-extending route are possible, the first determination unit F402 sets, as the predetermined point, a point FP1 that is closer to the branch point J1 to the time-shortening route SR1 and the branch point J2 to the time-extending route ER1. For the first route R1, which is set multiple times, multiple predetermined points FP1 may be set.

[0102] The first determination unit F402 determines an estimated time of passage at the predetermined point in response to the determination of the predetermined point. The estimated time of passage is the time at which the vehicle 10 is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time if the time difference between the time when the vehicle 10 actually passes the predetermined point (the passage time) and the estimated time of passage is within a predetermined time period (e.g., several minutes). For example, such an estimated time of passage may be determined based on the distance from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights installed in the section from the predetermined point to the destination, the traffic volume in the section from the predetermined point to the destination, and the like. For another example, the estimated time of passage may be determined based on the average time taken by multiple probe vehicles to travel the section from the predetermined point to the destination in the past. In other words, the estimated time of passage may be the time obtained by subtracting the average value from the estimated end time of content distribution.

[0103] Note that if the content to be distributed includes live-streamed content such as a video interview with an athlete or a video of an athlete answering questions from passengers on the vehicle 10, the scheduled distribution time of the content may be changed while the vehicle 10 is traveling from the departure point to a predetermined point (while the content is being distributed). In such a case, the first determination unit F402 may change the scheduled passage time of the predetermined point according to the changed scheduled distribution end time. As an example, if the changed scheduled distribution end time is later than the previous scheduled distribution end time, the first determination unit F402 may add the time difference between the scheduled distribution end times before and after the change to the previous scheduled passage time, and set the changed scheduled passage time to the time obtained by adding the time difference between the scheduled distribution end times before and after the change to the previous scheduled passage time. Furthermore, if the changed scheduled distribution end time is earlier than the previous scheduled distribution end time, the first determination unit F402 may subtract the time difference between the scheduled distribution end times before and after the change from the previous scheduled passage time, and set the changed scheduled passage time to the time obtained by subtracting the time difference between the scheduled distribution end times before and after the change from the previous scheduled passage time.

[0104] In response to determining the scheduled time of passage at the specified point, the first determination unit F402 registers information indicating the first route, information indicating the specified point, information indicating the scheduled time of passage, information indicating the time-shortening route, and information indicating the time-extended route in a new vehicle-specific record added to the operation data D401 by the first acquisition unit F401. At this time, the information indicating the first route is registered in the first route field of the new vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the specified point is registered in the scheduled point field of the new vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the scheduled time of passage is registered in the scheduled time of passage field of the new vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the time-shortening route is registered in the time-shortening route field of the new vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the time-extended route is registered in the time-extended route field of the new vehicle-specific record.

[0105] Furthermore, in response to determining the scheduled time of passing through the predetermined point, the first determination unit F402 transmits the first route information to the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30. The first route information includes the departure point, the destination, the scheduled distribution start time, the scheduled distribution end time, and information indicating the first route.

[0106] Next, the second acquisition unit F403 is configured to acquire the time when the vehicle 10 actually passed the predetermined point. Specifically, the second acquisition unit F403 first acquires the current position included in the received position information each time the communication I / F 403 receives position information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100. Next, the second acquisition unit F403 accesses the operation data D401 in the storage unit 402 using the vehicle ID included in the received position information as an argument, and identifies a vehicle-specific record in which information matching the vehicle ID is registered in the vehicle ID field. The second acquisition unit F403 extracts information registered in the predetermined point field of the identified vehicle-specific record. Then, the second acquisition unit F403 compares the current position of the vehicle 10 included in the position information with the predetermined point extracted from the vehicle-specific record. At this time, if the current position of the vehicle 10 is before the predetermined point (closer to the departure point), the second acquisition unit F403 determines that the vehicle 10 has not yet passed the predetermined point. On the other hand, if the current position of the vehicle 10 coincides with the predetermined point, it is determined that the vehicle 10 has passed the predetermined point. If it is determined that the vehicle 10 has passed the predetermined point, the second acquisition unit F403 acquires the current time as the time of passing the predetermined point.

[0107] The determination unit F404 is configured to determine whether a route change of the vehicle 10 is necessary in response to the second acquisition unit F403 acquiring the passage time of a predetermined point. Specifically, the determination unit F404 first accesses the operation data D401 in the storage unit 402 and extracts the estimated passage time registered in the estimated passage time field of the vehicle-specific record corresponding to the vehicle 10. Next, the determination unit F404 calculates the time difference between the passage time acquired by the second acquisition unit F403 and the estimated passage time extracted from the operation data D401. The determination unit F404 determines whether the calculated time difference is greater than a predetermined time length. If the calculated time difference is greater than the predetermined time length, the determination unit F404 determines that a route change of the vehicle 10 is necessary. In this case, if the passage time acquired by the second acquisition unit F403 is later than the estimated passage time extracted from the operation data D401, the determination unit F404 determines that a route change to a time-saving route is necessary midway along the first route. On the other hand, if the passage time acquired by the second acquisition unit F403 is earlier than the scheduled passage time extracted from the operation data D401, the determination unit F404 determines that a route change to a time-extended route is necessary midway along the first route. Also, if the calculated time difference is equal to or less than a predetermined time length, the determination unit F404 determines that a route change of the vehicle 10 is not necessary.

[0108] The second determination unit F405 determines a second route in response to the determination by the determination unit F404 that a route change is necessary for the vehicle 10. The second route is a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-shortening route to the destination, or a route that starts partway along the first route and takes a time-extending route to the destination.

[0109] Here, if the actual passing time at the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that passes through a time-saving route from partway along the first route to the destination. In one example, as shown in Fig. 12, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that passes from the departure point P1 to the branch point J1 along the same route (indicated by the thick solid line in Fig. 12) as the first route illustrated in Fig. 11 above, and that passes from the branch point J1 to the destination P2 along the same route (indicated by the thick dashed dotted line in Fig. 12) as the time-saving route illustrated in Fig. 11 above.

[0110] Furthermore, if the actual passing time at a predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that passes through a time-extended route from partway along the first route to the destination. In one example, as shown in Fig. 13, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that passes from the departure point P1 to the branch point J2 along the same route (indicated by the thick solid line in Fig. 13) as the first route exemplified in Fig. 11 above, and that passes from the branch point J2 to the destination P2 along the same route (indicated by the thick dashed line in Fig. 13) as the time-extended route exemplified in Fig. 11 above.

[0111] The generation unit F406 is configured to generate second route information in response to the second route being determined by the second determination unit F405. The second route information is information that prompts a route change from the first route to the second route, and includes information indicating the second route, an estimated arrival time at the destination if the first route is continued, and an estimated arrival time at the destination if the route is changed to the second route. The information indicating the second route may be a combination of road links and nodes (for example, nodes indicating branch point J1 or branch point J2 in FIG. 11) included in the second route. The estimated arrival time at the destination if the first route is continued may be calculated, for example, based on the actual passing time of a predetermined point, the distance of the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights set in the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, and the traffic volume of the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination. In addition, the estimated arrival time at the destination if the route is changed to the second route may be calculated, for example, based on the actual passing time of a predetermined point, the distance of the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights set in the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, and the traffic volume of the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination. The second route information may be calculated based on the distance from the predetermined point on the route to the destination, the number of traffic lights installed in the section from the predetermined point on the second route to the destination, the traffic volume in the section from the predetermined point on the second route to the destination, etc. The second route information generated by the generation unit F406 is transmitted to the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30 via the communication I / F 403.

[0112] (Processing flow) Here, the flow of processing executed by the fleet management server 40 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 14 and 15. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a first processing routine executed by the fleet management server 40 when triggered by the receipt of distribution information transmitted from the fleet management terminal 30. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a second processing routine executed by the fleet management server 40 when triggered by the arrival of the scheduled start time for content distribution. Note that the first processing routine in Fig. 14 and the second processing routine in Fig. 15 are executed by the control unit 401 of the fleet management server 40, but the following description will be given assuming that the software modules of the fleet management server 40 are the executing entities.

[0113] First, in the first processing routine of FIG. 14 , in response to the communication I / F 403 receiving distribution information transmitted from the fleet management terminal 30, the control unit 401 executes the fifth program of the storage unit 402, thereby operating as a first acquisition unit F401. The first acquisition unit F401 registers the received distribution information in the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402 (step S101). Specifically, the first acquisition unit F401 first adds a new vehicle-specific record to the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402. Next, the first acquisition unit F401 registers the vehicle ID, departure point, destination, scheduled distribution start time, and scheduled distribution end time included in the distribution information in the vehicle ID field, departure point field, destination field, scheduled distribution start time field, and scheduled distribution end time field of the new vehicle-specific record, respectively. After the first acquisition unit F401 completes the processing of step S101, the control unit 401 operates as a first determination unit F402 and executes the processing of step S102.

[0114] In step S102, the first determination unit F402 determines a first route according to the distribution information registered in the operation data D401 by the first acquisition unit F401. Specifically, the first determination unit F402 first extracts multiple route candidates that are routes that the vehicle 10 can travel from the departure point registered in the operation data D401 to the destination, and that are predicted to allow the vehicle 10, which departs from the departure point at the scheduled distribution start time registered in the operation data D401, to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time. Next, the first determination unit F402 identifies route candidates that do not pass through the exclusion area from the extracted multiple route candidates. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 11 , the first determination unit F402 determines, as the first route, a route candidate that does not pass through the exclusion area, which route candidate allows a change to a time-saving route that does not pass through the exclusion area midway along the route candidate, and which also allows a change to a time-extending route that does not pass through the exclusion area midway along the route candidate. After the first determination unit F402 has determined the first route, it executes the process of step S103.

[0115] In step S103, the first determination unit F402 determines a predetermined point corresponding to the first route determined in step S102. The predetermined point is a point included in the first route that is closer (closer to the starting point) than the branch point to the time-saving route and the branch point to the time-extending route. As described with reference to FIG. 11, such a predetermined point is set so that the distance between the predetermined point and the branch point closer to the starting point, among the branch points to the time-saving route and the time-extending route, is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. After setting the predetermined points on the first route, the first determination unit F402 executes the process of step S104.

[0116] In step S104, the first determination unit F402 determines whether the predetermined location determined in step S103 is The estimated passage time of the point is determined. The estimated passage time is the time at which the vehicle 10 is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period of time if the time difference between the time when the vehicle 10 actually passes the predetermined point (passing time) and the estimated passage time is equal to or less than a predetermined time length. Such an estimated passage time may be determined based on, for example, the distance from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights installed in the section from the predetermined point to the destination, the traffic volume in the section from the predetermined point to the destination, etc. In another example, the estimated passage time may be determined based on the average time taken when multiple probe vehicles have previously traveled the section from the predetermined point to the destination. After determining the estimated passage time of the predetermined point, the first determination unit F402 executes the process of step S105.

[0117] In step S105, the first determination unit F402 registers information related to the first route in the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402. The information related to the first route includes information indicating the first route determined in step S102, information indicating the predetermined points determined in step S103, the estimated passage time determined in step S105, information indicating a time-shortening route corresponding to the first route determined in step S102, and information indicating a time-extended route corresponding to the first route determined in step S102. These pieces of information are registered in the vehicle-specific record added to the operation data D401 by the first acquisition unit F401 in step S101. Specifically, the information indicating the first route is registered in the first route field of the vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the predetermined points is registered in the predetermined point field of the vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the estimated passage time is registered in the estimated passage time field of the vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the time-shortening route is registered in the time-shortening route field of the vehicle-specific record. The information indicating the time-extended route is registered in the time-extended route field of the vehicle-specific record. After registering the information related to the first route in the operation data D401 of the storage unit 402, the first determination unit F402 executes the process of step S106.

[0118] In step S106, the first determination unit F402 transmits the first route information to the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30 via the communication I / F 403. As described above, the first route information includes information indicating the departure point, destination, scheduled distribution start time, scheduled distribution end time, and the first route. When the first determination unit F402 finishes transmitting the first route information, execution of the first processing routine is terminated.

[0119] In the in-vehicle terminal 100 that receives the first route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the control unit 101 performs settings to use the departure point, destination, and first route included in the first route information as information for route guidance. In addition, in the fleet management terminal 30 that receives the first route information transmitted from the fleet management server 40, the control unit 301 displays a map screen on the touch panel display of the input / output device 303, showing the first route, predetermined points, and the scheduled times to pass through the predetermined points.

[0120] After the execution of the first processing routine described above is completed, when the scheduled start time of content distribution arrives, the in-vehicle terminal 100 starts route guidance along the first route and also starts processing to transmit location information at predetermined intervals to the fleet management terminal 30 and the fleet management server 40. When the in-vehicle terminal 100 starts processing to transmit location information at predetermined intervals to the fleet management terminal 30 and the fleet management server 40, the location information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100 is received by the communication I / F 403 of the fleet management server 40, and the control unit 401 of the fleet management server 40 executes the second processing routine of FIG.

[0121] 15, in response to the communication I / F 403 receiving the location information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100, the control unit 401 executes the fifth program in the storage unit 402, thereby operating as a second acquisition unit F403. The second acquisition unit F403 acquires the current location of the vehicle 10 by extracting the current location included in the received location information (step After acquiring the current position of the vehicle, the second acquisition unit F403 executes the process of step S202.

[0122] In step S202, the second acquisition unit F403 determines whether the current location acquired in step S201 matches a predetermined location. Specifically, the second acquisition unit F403 first accesses the operation data D401 in the storage unit 402 using the vehicle ID included in the received location information as an argument, and identifies a vehicle-specific record in which information matching the vehicle ID is registered in the vehicle ID field. The second acquisition unit F403 extracts information (information indicating the predetermined location) registered in the predetermined location field of the identified vehicle-specific record. Then, the second acquisition unit F403 determines whether the current location of the vehicle 10 matches the predetermined location. At this time, if the current location of the vehicle 10 does not match the predetermined location (negative determination in step S202), the second acquisition unit F403 waits until the next location information is transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 100, and executes the processes of steps S201 and S202 again. On the other hand, if the current position of the vehicle 10 coincides with the predetermined point (positive determination in step S202), the second acquisition unit F403 determines that the vehicle 10 has actually passed through the predetermined point. In this case, the second acquisition unit F403 executes the process of step S203.

[0123] In step S203, the second acquisition unit F403 acquires the current time as the time (passing time) when the vehicle 10 actually passes through the predetermined point. After the second acquisition unit F403 has acquired the passing time, the control unit 401 operates as a determination unit F404 and executes the process of step S204.

[0124] In step S204, the determination unit F404 calculates the time difference between the passing time and the scheduled passing time at the specified point. In detail, the determination unit F404 first extracts information (scheduled passing time at the specified point) registered in the scheduled passing time field of the vehicle-specific record identified in step S202. Next, the determination unit F404 calculates the time difference between the passing time and the scheduled passing time at the specified point. After calculating the time difference between the passing time and the scheduled passing time at the specified point, the determination unit F404 executes the processing of step S205.

[0125] In step S205, the determination unit F404 determines whether the time difference calculated in step S204 is greater than a predetermined time length. At that time, if the time difference calculated in step S204 is equal to or less than the predetermined time length (negative determination in step S205), the determination unit F404 determines that there is no need to change the route of the vehicle 10. In that case, execution of the second processing routine is terminated. On the other hand, if the time difference calculated in step S204 is greater than the predetermined time length (positive determination in step S205), the determination unit F404 determines that there is a need to change the route of the vehicle 10. In particular, if the passing time at the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, the determination unit F404 determines that there is a need to change the route to a time-shortening route midway along the first route. Furthermore, if the passing time at the predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, the determination unit F404 determines that there is a need to change the route to a time-extending route midway along the first route. If it is determined that the route of the vehicle 10 needs to be changed, the control unit 401 operates as a second decision unit F405 and executes the process of step S206.

[0126] In step S206, the second determination unit F405 determines a second route. At that time, if the passing time at the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that starts halfway along the first route and takes a time-shortening route to the destination, as described with reference to FIG. 12. On the other hand, if the passing time at the predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, the second determination unit F405 determines, as the second route, a route that starts halfway along the first route and takes a time-extending route to the destination, as described with reference to FIG. 13. After the second determination unit F405 has finished determining the second route, the control unit 401 operates as a generation unit F406 and executes the processing of step S207.

[0127] In step S207, the generation unit F406 generates second route information corresponding to the second route determined in step S206. The second route information is information that prompts a route change from the first route to the second route, and includes information indicating the second route, an estimated arrival time at the destination if the first route is continued, and an estimated arrival time at the destination if the route is changed to the second route. As described above, the estimated arrival time at the destination if the first route is continued may be calculated based on the time of passing a predetermined point, the distance of the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights installed in the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination, and the traffic volume on the section on the first route from the predetermined point to the destination. Furthermore, the estimated arrival time at the destination if the route is changed to the second route may be calculated based on the time of passing a predetermined point, the distance of the section on the second route from the predetermined point to the destination, the number of traffic lights installed in the section on the second route from the predetermined point to the destination, and the traffic volume on the section on the second route from the predetermined point to the destination, as described above. After completing the generation of the second route information, the generation unit F406 executes the process of step S208.

[0128] In step S208, the generation unit F406 transmits the second route information generated in step S207 to the in-vehicle terminal 100 and the fleet management terminal 30 via the communication I / F 403. When the generation unit F406 has finished transmitting the second route information, the execution of the second processing routine is terminated.

[0129] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) In the embodiment described above, among multiple route candidates that are predicted to allow vehicle 10, which departs from the departure point at the scheduled start time of content distribution, to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period including the scheduled end time of content distribution, a route candidate that does not pass through any excluded area and that allows for route changes to a time-saving route that does not pass through the excluded area or a time-extending route that does not pass through the excluded area is determined as the first route. By having vehicle 10 travel along such a first route, it is possible to prevent a deterioration in communication quality between distribution terminal 20 and viewing terminal 110 during content distribution.

[0130] In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined point is set to a point included in the first route that is closer (closer to the departure point) than the branch point to the time-shortening route and the branch point to the time-extending route. If the time difference between the passing time of the predetermined point (the time when the vehicle 10 actually passes the predetermined point) and the scheduled passing time of the predetermined point is greater than a predetermined time length, information (route change proposal information) urging the driver of the vehicle 10 to change the route from the first route to the second route is proposed. If the passing time of the predetermined point is later than the scheduled passing time, a route that starts halfway along the first route and passes through the time-shortening route to the destination is proposed as the second route. On the other hand, if the passing time of the predetermined point is earlier than the scheduled passing time, a route that starts halfway along the first route and passes through the time-extending route to the destination is proposed as the second route. This allows the driver of the vehicle 10 to easily change the route from the first route to the second route. As a result, even if the traffic volume on the first route is higher or lower than expected, the difference between the time when the vehicle 10 arrives at the destination and the distribution end time of the content can be minimized.

[0131] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, if the scheduled content distribution time is changed while the vehicle 10 is traveling from the departure point to a predetermined point, the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point is changed according to the changed scheduled end time of the distribution. As a result, if the distributed content includes live-streamed content such as a video of an interview with an athlete or a video of an athlete answering questions from passengers in the vehicle 10, even if the scheduled end time of the distribution is changed, the discrepancy between the time the vehicle 10 arrives at the destination and the end time of the content distribution can be more reliably kept small.

[0132] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to increase the satisfaction of passengers in the vehicle 10 with the service of delivering content to passengers.

[0133] <Other> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified and implemented as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, among the functions of the fleet management server 40, the function of determining a first route, the function of determining predetermined points, the function of determining the scheduled time of passage at a predetermined point, the function of determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route, and the function of determining a second route may be configured to be implemented by the in-vehicle terminal 100. In this case, the in-vehicle terminal 100 corresponds to the information processing device according to the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the functions of the fleet management server 40, the function of determining a first route, the function of determining predetermined points, the function of determining the scheduled time of passage at a predetermined point, the function of determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route, and the function of determining a second route may be configured to be implemented by the fleet management terminal 30. In this case, the fleet management terminal 30 corresponds to the information processing device according to the present disclosure.

[0134] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. For example, among the functions of the fleet management server 40, the function of determining the first route, the function of determining predetermined points, the function of determining the estimated time of passing through predetermined points, the function of determining whether or not a route change is necessary midway along the first route, and the function of determining the second route may be realized by a combination of at least two of the fleet management server 40, the in-vehicle terminal 100, and the fleet management terminal 30. In a computer system, the hardware configuration by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0135] 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 having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus, or via a network. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs through electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer or the like. Examples of such a recording medium include any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (such as a floppy disk or HDD) or an optical disk (such as a CD-ROM, DVD disk, or Blu-ray disk). Furthermore, the recording medium may be a ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, optical card, or solid-state drive (SSD). The medium may be other media. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 10 vehicles 100 In-vehicle terminal 110 Viewing Devices 20 Distribution terminal 30 Operation control terminal 40 Traffic control server 401 Control Unit D401 Operation Data F401 First Acquisition Section F402 First Decision Section F403 2nd acquisition part F404 Judgment section F405 Second Decision Section F406 Generation part 402 Storage section 403 Communication I / F

Claims

1. An information processing device that processes information about a route a vehicle travels from a departure point to a destination, acquiring a scheduled end time of distribution of content to be distributed to passengers while the vehicle is traveling; determining a first route that is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period including the scheduled distribution end time; acquiring a passing time, which is a time when the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point along the first route; determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route according to the passing time; determining a second route that is predicted to arrive at the destination earlier or later than the first route in response to the determination that a route change is necessary midway along the first route; and outputting information prompting the user to change to the second route midway through the first route. Information processing device.

2. Determining the first route comprises: extracting a plurality of route candidates that are routes that the vehicle can travel from the departure point to the destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within the predetermined period of time; determining, as the first route, a route candidate among the plurality of route candidates that allows a route change to a time-shortening route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be advanced midway along the route candidate and that allows a route change to a time-extending route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be delayed midway along the route candidate; Includes: The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The extraction of the route candidates includes: and excluding, from among a plurality of routes that the vehicle can travel from the departure point to the destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within the predetermined period, routes that pass through an area where communication quality is below a predetermined quality. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. In response to the first route being determined, the control unit and further executing setting a point along the first route, the point being before the branch point to the time-shortening route and the branch point to the time-extending route, as the predetermined point. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. Determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route includes: determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route when a time difference between the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point and the passing time is greater than a predetermined time length; determining that a route change is not necessary midway along the first route when a time difference between the scheduled passage time and the passage time at the predetermined point is equal to or less than the predetermined time length; Including, The information processing device according to claim 4 .

6. Determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route includes: determining that a route change to the time-saving route is necessary midway through the first route when the passing time is later than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; determining that a route change to the time-extended route is necessary midway through the first route when the passing time is earlier than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; Including, The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. Determining the second route comprises: determining, as the second route, a route that starts midway along the first route and passes through the time-shortening route to the destination when the passing time is later than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; When the passing time is earlier than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point, determining a route from a midpoint of the first route through the time extension route to the destination as the second route; Including, The information processing device according to claim 6 .

8. when the scheduled end time of distribution of the content is changed, the control unit changes the scheduled time of passage at the predetermined point. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

9. An information processing method for a route a vehicle travels from a departure point to a destination, comprising: The computer acquiring a scheduled end time of distribution of content to be distributed to passengers while the vehicle is traveling; determining a first route that is predicted to arrive at the destination within a predetermined period including the scheduled distribution end time; acquiring a passing time, which is a time when the vehicle actually passes a predetermined point along the first route; determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route according to the passing time; determining a second route that is predicted to arrive at the destination earlier or later than the first route in response to the determination that a route change is necessary midway along the first route; outputting information prompting the driver to change to the second route midway through the first route; Information processing methods.

10. Determining the first route comprises: extracting a plurality of route candidates that are routes that the vehicle can travel from the departure point to the destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within the predetermined period of time; determining, as the first route, a route candidate among the plurality of route candidates that allows a route change to a time-shortening route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be advanced midway along the route candidate and that allows a route change to a time-extending route that is predicted to enable the arrival time at the destination to be delayed midway along the route candidate; Includes: The information processing method according to claim 9.

11. The extraction of the route candidates includes: and excluding, from among a plurality of routes that the vehicle can travel from the departure point to the destination and that are predicted to arrive at the destination within the predetermined period, routes that pass through an area where communication quality is below a predetermined quality. The information processing method according to claim 10.

12. In response to the first route being determined, the computer and further executing setting a point along the first route, the point being before the branch point to the time-shortening route and the branch point to the time-extending route, as the predetermined point. The information processing method according to claim 10.

13. Determining whether a route change is necessary midway along the first route includes: determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route when a time difference between the scheduled time of passing the predetermined point and the passing time is greater than a predetermined time length; determining that a route change is not necessary midway along the first route when a time difference between the scheduled passage time and the passage time at the predetermined point is equal to or less than the predetermined time length; Including, The information processing method according to claim 12.

14. Determining that a route change is necessary midway along the first route includes: determining that a route change to the time-saving route is necessary midway through the first route when the passing time is later than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; determining that a route change to the time-extended route is necessary midway through the first route when the passing time is earlier than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; Including, The information processing method according to claim 13.

15. Determining the second route comprises: determining, as the second route, a route that starts midway along the first route and passes through the time-shortening route to the destination when the passing time is later than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point; When the passing time is earlier than the scheduled passing time at the predetermined point, determining a route from a midpoint of the first route through the time extension route to the destination as the second route; Including, The information processing method according to claim 14.

16. when the scheduled end time of distribution of the content is changed, the computer changes the scheduled time of passage at the predetermined point. The information processing method according to claim 13.

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