Information service device, information service system and information service method

Abstract

To reduce the stress felt by a purchaser who is waiting for vehicle delivery.SOLUTION: An information service device comprises a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores information about a vehicle prior to delivery to a purchaser, stored at an automobile dealer, in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle. The control unit, upon receiving an information request containing identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled to be performed before the vehicle assigned to the identification information is delivered to the purchaser, then generates information for display to the purchaser and transmits the same to the purchaser terminal. The information for display includes information on the progress status of the one or more processes and information describing the one or more processes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A system has been proposed that provides a user with the progress status of a vehicle up until delivery (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The system in Patent Document 1 acquires information about the progress status of a specific vehicle corresponding to its identification information from information about the progress status of multiple vehicles before delivery that is stored in a progress management DB, and provides the acquired information to the user terminal from which the identification information was sent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-297954 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional technology provides a buyer of a vehicle with information about the progress of the vehicle at multiple stages leading up to delivery. These stages include captured images and location information of the vehicle during assembly and transportation. However, this system was unable to provide the buyer with information about the progress of the process from when the vehicle arrived at the dealership for delivery to when it was handed over to the buyer. As a result, buyers sometimes felt frustrated and / or stressed when the vehicle took a long time to be handed over even though it had arrived at the dealership.

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in light of such circumstances, is to reduce the stress felt by buyers waiting for delivery of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information providing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a memory unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle, and a control unit that, upon receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the vehicle to which the identification information is assigned is delivered to the purchaser, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal, wherein the display information includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes.

[0007] An information provision system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a memory unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser, in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; and a control unit that, when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the vehicle to which the identification information is assigned is delivered to the purchaser, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits it to the purchaser terminal; an information provision device that includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes; a vehicle identification device that is placed in a workshop where the process is performed and is capable of identifying the vehicle; and a camera that is placed in the workshop and captures images of the vehicle when the process is being performed; and the control unit, when the vehicle identification device identifies the vehicle, stores an image acquired from the camera in the memory unit in association with the identification information of the vehicle.

[0008] An information providing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method executed by a control unit of an information providing device, which includes storing information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in a memory unit in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle, and when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generating or acquiring schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the vehicle assigned the identification information is delivered to the purchaser, and generating display information to be displayed to the purchaser and transmitting it to the purchaser terminal, wherein the display information includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the stress felt by buyers waiting for delivery of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information providing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of vehicles and devices in a car dealership. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating vehicle identification by a vehicle identification device. [Figure 5] 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a dealer terminal and a purchaser terminal of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating schedule information for a vehicle before delivery. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of transition between images displayed on a purchaser terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a progress image displayed on a purchaser terminal. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart of a process in which the information providing device provides display information to a purchaser terminal. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by the information providing device when a process is executed for a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensions and ratios in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual dimensions and ratios.

[0012] (Overall composition) The information provision system 1 disclosed herein is a system for providing a purchaser of a vehicle at a car dealership 20 with progress information before the vehicle is delivered. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, the information provision system 1 includes an information provision device 10, a dealership terminal 21, a camera 22, a vehicle identification device 23, and a purchaser terminal 30, all of which are located at the car dealership 20. Although FIG. 1 shows one of each component, there may be multiple components of each type. There may also be multiple car dealerships 20.

[0013] The components may be configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network 40. The network 40 is, for example, a wide-area communication network including the Internet. The dealer terminal 21, the camera 22, and the vehicle identification device 23 in the car dealership 20 may be connected to the network 40 via a local area network (LAN) installed in the car dealership 20.

[0014] (Configuration of information providing device) The information providing device 10 is a computer such as a server PC (Personal Computer). The information providing device 10 stores and manages processes to be executed before the delivery of a vehicle. In response to information requests from the dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30, the information providing device 10 generates information to be displayed on the dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30. The information providing device 10 may be located in a cloud system or on the site of an automobile manufacturer related to the automobile dealership 20. The information providing device 10 may be configured so that functions are shared between a central server located in one place and local servers located at each dealership. Alternatively, the information providing device 10 may be located in each automobile dealership 20. If multiple information providing devices 10 exist in the information providing system 1, the information providing devices 10 may be able to view and operate information from each other.

[0015] 2, the information providing device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The information providing device 10 may further include an input unit that inputs information from the outside, and an output unit that outputs information to the outside.

[0016] The communication unit 11 includes at least one external communication interface connected to the network 40. The external communication interface may be either a wired or wireless communication interface. In the case of wired communication, the communication interface is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus). In the case of wireless communication, the external communication interface is, for example, an interface compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th generation), or 5G (5th generation). The communication unit 11 receives data used in the operation of the information providing device 10 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the information providing device 10 to an external device (for example, a dealer terminal 21 or a purchaser terminal 30).

[0017] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores programs and data used in the operation of the information providing device 10 and data obtained by the operation of the information providing device 10. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updatable, for example, with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 11. The storage unit 12 may store information about a vehicle stored at the car dealership 20 before delivery to a purchaser, in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle.

[0018] The control unit 13 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 13 executes processes related to the operation of the information providing device 10 while controlling each part of the information providing device 10.

[0019] The control unit 13 further includes the following functional blocks: a schedule management unit 14, a process recording unit 15, a push notification unit 16, and a display information generation unit 17. Each functional block may be a hardware module or a software module. The processing performed by each functional block can be rephrased as the processing performed by the control unit 13.

[0020] The schedule management unit 14 manages the execution schedule and progress of processes that should be executed before the delivery of each vehicle to the purchaser. The processes managed by the schedule management unit 14 include the registration of the vehicle with an official institution, the installation of each optional part, inspection and maintenance, etc.

[0021] The process recording unit 15 acquires and manages record information that records the execution of each process before vehicle delivery. The record information includes, for example, moving images and still images captured when the process is executed.

[0022] If the purchaser so desires, the push notification unit 16 sends a notification to the purchaser terminal 30 owned by the purchaser when a process is executed on the vehicle. The push notification unit 16 may cooperate with the vehicle identification device 23 to automatically determine that a process is being executed. If the purchaser so desires, the push notification unit 16 may send an image of the process being executed to the purchaser terminal 30 in real time.

[0023] When the display information generation unit 17 receives an information request including the vehicle's identification information from the purchaser terminal 30, it generates information to be displayed to the purchaser of the vehicle to which the identification information has been assigned, and transmits it to the purchaser terminal 30. The display information includes one or more processes scheduled until delivery and their progress information. This allows the purchaser to check the processes up to delivery and their progress on the purchaser terminal 30.

[0024] In the following, the processes executed by the functional blocks of the schedule management unit 14, the process recording unit 15, the push notification unit 16, and the display information generation unit 17 will be described as processes executed by the control unit 13.

[0025] (Car dealership) In this application, the car dealership 20 provides information about new cars to buyers, negotiates sales, concludes sales contracts, places orders with car manufacturers, receives the completed vehicles, and delivers them to the buyers. Typically, the car dealership 20 has a store building 25, a parking lot 26, and a workshop 27 on a site facing a road, as shown in FIG. 3. The store building 25 is where the car dealership 20 negotiates sales with visitors and also serves as office space for the car dealership 20. The parking lot 26 is a space for parking vehicles 50, including visitors' vehicles and vehicles yet to be delivered to buyers. The workshop 27 is a place where processes such as installing optional parts, inspecting, and maintaining the vehicles 50 before delivery are carried out. The workshop 27 is also called a "pit."

[0026] A dealer terminal 21 may be installed in the store building 25 and the workshop 27. The dealer terminal 21 may be a PC, a tablet terminal, or the like. Furthermore, one or more cameras 22 and a vehicle identification device 23 may be installed in the workshop 27. The camera 22 is installed at an appropriate position in the workshop 27 so that it can capture an image of a vehicle 50 undergoing a process in the workshop 27.

[0027] The vehicle identification device 23 is a device that identifies the vehicle 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle identification device 23 can read identification information from an identification information carrier 24 attached to the vehicle 50. For example, the identification information carrier 24 can be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, and the vehicle identification device 23 can use an RFID reader. Alternatively, for example, the identification information carrier 24 can be a two-dimensional code, and the vehicle identification device 23 can use a camera. When the vehicle 50 before delivery is fitted with the identification information carrier 24 and enters the work area 27, it may be automatically determined that the vehicle has entered the work area 27.

[0028] (Configuration of retailer terminal / purchaser terminal) The dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30 are computers such as PCs, smartphones, or tablet terminals. General-purpose devices can be used as the dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30 may each include a communication unit 211, 31, a memory unit 212, 32, a control unit 213, 33, an input unit 214, 34, an output unit 215, 35, and a camera 216, 36.

[0029] The communication units 211 and 31 include at least one external communication interface connected to the network 40, similar to the communication unit 11 of the information providing device .

[0030] Like the memory unit 12 of the information providing device 10, the memory units 212 and 32 include at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The memory units 212 and 32 may store an application for acquiring and displaying information from the information providing device 10. The dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30 may be equipped with the same application or different applications. The application of the purchaser terminal 30 may be limited in the operations that the application of the dealer terminal 21 can perform and some of the information that it can display.

[0031] The control units 213, 33 include at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof, similar to the control unit 13 of the information providing device 10. The control units 213, 33 can activate applications stored in the storage units 212, 32 to operate the purchaser terminal 30 and the dealer terminal 21 as terminals of the information providing system 1.

[0032] The input units 214, 34 accept input to the store terminal 21 or the purchaser terminal 30. The input units 214, 34 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a microphone that accepts voice input.

[0033] The output units 215, 35 output to the user information processed by the store terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30. The output units 215, 35 include display units 217, 37. The output units 215, 35 may further include a speaker.

[0034] The display units 217, 37 are devices that display images obtained as a result of processing by the control units 213, 33. The display units 217, 37 may be selected from various displays, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, an inorganic EL display, and a plasma display panel (PDP). The display units 217, 37 can display progress information and related still images and moving images provided from the information providing device 10.

[0035] The cameras 216, 36 capture images including still images and moving images. The cameras 216, 36 are not essential components of the dealer terminal 21 and the purchaser terminal 30. However, by providing the camera 216, the dealer terminal 21 can be used to capture images of the vehicle 50 after a worker at the car dealership has performed work on it. For example, when the worker attaches a new license plate to the vehicle 50, the worker may use the camera 216 to take a photo of the plate.

[0036] (Schedule information) The control unit 13 of the information providing device 10 can acquire or generate schedule information 60 for the vehicle 50 identified by the identification information before delivery to the purchaser. The schedule information 60 includes, for example, the names of processes to be executed at the car dealership 20 before delivery to the purchaser, as shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the process names include "new car registration procedure," "license plate installation," "drive recorder installation," and "fog lamp order."

[0037] When generating the schedule information 60, the control unit 13 extracts processes that are normally required before the delivery of the vehicle, such as vehicle registration procedures and license plate attachment. Furthermore, the schedule management unit 14 extracts processes that are required before the delivery of the vehicle 50 from vehicle order information 61 stored inside the information providing device 10 or in another device. The vehicle order information 61 includes information on optional parts to be installed on the vehicle 50 and services to be added in accordance with a contract with the purchaser.

[0038] The schedule information 60 may further include information on the scheduled date and time of each process, the completion date and time of the completed work, the worker in charge, and the required items. The required items may include, for example, information on whether the optional item can be procured in the case of installing an optional item. The control unit 13 may determine the scheduled date and time of the work so as to ensure the allocation of workers and the securing of the required items. For this reason, the control unit 13 is configured to be able to view and operate the work schedule information 62 that manages the schedules of the workers and the item procurement information 63 that manages the procurement status of items, both of which are stored inside the information providing device 10 or in another device.

[0039] The schedule information 60 may also store link information to function description information 64 associated with each process. The function description information may be stored in the storage unit 12 of the information providing device 10. The function description information 64 may include, for example, a function description image provided as a video. For example, a process name "Installing a drive recorder" may be associated with a video summarizing the functions and convenience of a drive recorder. The link information may be, for example, a pointer to a file in the storage unit 12 in which the function description information is stored. The control unit 13 is configured to transmit function description information, for example, a function description image, to the purchaser terminal 30 when receiving a request for information on the function description of each process from the purchaser terminal 30.

[0040] Furthermore, the schedule information 60 may store link information to record information 65, such as recorded images captured by the camera 22 when each process is executed. The control unit 13 acquires and manages the record information 65. The link information may be, for example, a pointer to a video file in the storage unit 12 in which the record information 65 is stored. The control unit 13 is configured to transmit the record information 65 to the purchaser terminal 30 when receiving a request for record information, such as recorded images, for a completed process from the purchaser terminal 30. For example, when a purchaser requests the record information 65 for "installation of a drive recorder" from the purchaser terminal 30, the control unit 13 can transmit to the purchaser terminal 30 video images captured when "installation of a drive recorder" is performed on the purchaser's vehicle 50.

[0041] When the control unit 13 of the information providing device 10 receives a request from the purchaser terminal 30 to display progress information on processes for the vehicle 50 purchased by the purchaser, the control unit 13 generates display information from some of the information included in the schedule information 60 and transmits the information to the purchaser terminal 30. For example, the control unit 13 can, based on a specification from the dealer terminal 21, designate some of the processes managed by the car dealership 20 as inaccessible processes that are not to be included in the display information transmitted to the purchaser terminal 30. For example, the processes managed by the car dealership 20 may include processes awaiting the arrival of parts and processes awaiting the allocation of man-hours. As inaccessible processes, these processes do not need to be displayed to the purchaser.

[0042] In Figure 6, for example, if the car dealership 20 does not have fog lights that the purchaser has contracted for as an optional item, a process called "order fog lights" may be included as a process executed by the car dealership 20. However, the car dealership 20 may not want to notify the purchaser that the fog lights have been ordered and are waiting for delivery. Therefore, such processes related to ordering goods or allocating personnel at the car dealership 20 may be made non-viewable processes.

[0043] Meanwhile, the control unit 13 may allow information about processes that cannot be viewed to be viewed from a dealer terminal 21 provided at the car dealership 20. Information about the processes that cannot be viewed may be shared between different car dealerships 20. This makes it possible to share man-hours and / or shortages of materials among multiple car dealerships 20. This expedites the execution of the process and shortens the time required to deliver the vehicle to the purchaser.

[0044] (Example of display on the buyer's device) With reference to Figure 7, the content displayed on the purchaser terminal 30 when using the information provision system 1 will be described. Note that a similar display can also be provided on the dealer terminal 21. First, when the purchaser of the vehicle 50 starts the application of the information provision system 1 on the purchaser terminal 30, a login screen 70 prompting the purchaser to enter a purchaser ID and password is displayed on the display unit 37. After the purchaser ID and password are entered, a progress image 71 showing the process up to delivery of the vehicle 50 is displayed on the display unit 37.

[0045] For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the progress image 71 displays the name of each process up to the delivery (handover) of the vehicle 50 within a box (image element) that indicates the chronological direction. In the example of FIG. 8 , seven processes are displayed: "New Car Registration Procedure," "License Plate Installation," "Dash Cam Installation," "Fog Lamp Installation," "Body Coating," "Inspection and Check," and "Delivery." In addition, incomplete processes to be executed and completed processes are displayed in a manner that makes them easily understandable, for example, by changing the color of the boxes. In the example of FIG. 8 , the process up to "Dash Cam Installation" is completed, and the processes from "Fog Lamp Installation" onward are incomplete. An image of the vehicle 50 purchased by the purchaser may be displayed above the boundary between the boxes representing completed processes and the boxes representing incomplete processes. This allows the purchaser to intuitively grasp the current stage of the process toward the delivery of the vehicle 50.

[0046] Furthermore, when the box displaying the name of each completed process is pressed, a recorded image 73 of moving or still images captured when the process was executed is displayed on the display unit 37, as shown in FIG. 7. This allows the purchaser to confirm from the image that the process leading up to delivery is progressing. This also increases the purchaser's sense of anticipation for the vehicle delivery.

[0047] Below each process, the date or time when the process is scheduled to be executed is displayed for incomplete processes, and the date or time when the process was completed is displayed for completed processes. Further below each process, the type of person in charge of the process may be displayed. The type of person in charge may be, for example, sales staff or technical staff.

[0048] Furthermore, a button for launching a functional explanation of each process may be placed below the box representing each process. Pressing this button displays a functional explanation image 72, which is a moving or still image related to each process, as shown in Fig. 7. By displaying the functional explanation image 72, the information provision system 1 can give the purchaser a sense of understanding regarding the waiting time associated with the execution of the process.

[0049] Furthermore, the progress image 71 in FIG. 8 may be provided with a push notification button, which is a button for selecting whether or not to actively notify the information provision system 1 of the execution of a process. If the purchaser turns on the push notification button, when the execution of a process for the purchaser's vehicle 50 begins at the car dealership 20, a process start notification 74 may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 7, informing the purchaser that the process execution is about to begin. The process start notification 74 may be displayed as a pop-up window or the like on the purchaser terminal 30. Furthermore, the process start notification 74 may be set to be displayed even when the purchaser has not opened the progress image 71.

[0050] The start of process execution may be automatically determined by the information providing device 10 when the vehicle identification device 23 detects that the vehicle 50 purchased by the purchaser has entered the workshop 27, by receiving this information and comparing it with the schedule information. Alternatively, the start of process execution may be input by a worker at the car dealership 20 operating the dealership terminal 21.

[0051] The process start notification 74 may include a message such as, for example, "Fog lamp installation will begin. Would you like to view a video?" Furthermore, the process start notification 74 may display a button to select "Yes" or "No." If the purchaser selects to view the video, real-time images 75 captured by the camera 22 in the workshop 27 are transmitted to the purchaser terminal 30 and displayed on the display unit 37.

[0052] 8 may display a button indicating whether the purchaser wishes to be present during the inspection and confirmation process that is carried out before the delivery of the vehicle. If the purchaser wishes to be present during the inspection and confirmation process, a notification informing the purchaser that the purchaser must be present may be sent from the information providing device 10 to the purchaser terminal 30 when the date and time for the inspection and confirmation process is confirmed.

[0053] (Information display processing on the purchaser's terminal) Next, a process of providing display information to the purchaser terminal 30 by the control unit 13 of the information providing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] First, the control unit 13 stores information on a plurality of vehicles 50 in association with identification information of each vehicle 50 (S101). The information on the plurality of vehicles 50 includes vehicle order information 61. The vehicle order information 61 includes information on optional equipment of the vehicle 50. The identification information of each vehicle 50 is associated with a purchaser of the vehicle 50.

[0055] The control unit 13 generates or acquires schedule information up to the delivery of the vehicle 50 (S102). The schedule information may be generated within the information providing device 10, or schedule information generated by another device may be acquired. The schedule information is managed by the control unit 13 up until the delivery of the vehicle 50. The generation or acquisition of the schedule information in S102 may be executed when an information request is received from the purchaser terminal in S103.

[0056] When the control unit 13 receives an information request including the identification information of the purchaser's vehicle 50 from the purchaser terminal 30 (S103), it acquires the schedule information generated in S102, generates display information to be displayed on the display unit 37 of the purchaser terminal 30, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal 30 (S104). However, if the schedule information includes a process that cannot be viewed, the control unit 13 does not transmit information about the process that cannot be viewed to the purchaser terminal 30. For example, the control unit 13 transmits display information for displaying the progress image 71 illustrated in FIG. 8 to the purchaser terminal 30. As a result, the purchaser terminal 30 displays the progress image 71.

[0057] When the purchaser operates to change the progress image 71 from the progress image 71 to a function explanation image 72 or a record image 73 while the progress image 71 is displayed (S105: No), the purchaser terminal 30 transmits a transmission request for the function explanation image 72 or the record image 73 to the information providing device 10. When the control unit 13 receives the transmission request for the function explanation image 72 or the record image 73 (S106: Yes), it transmits the function explanation image 72 or the record image 73 stored in the memory unit 12 to the purchaser terminal 30 (S107). These images may be displayed on the display unit 37 of the purchaser terminal 30 in a streaming manner.

[0058] When the control unit 13 has not received a request to send the function explanation image 72 or the record image 73 (S106: No), it continues to display the progress image 71. The image that the control unit 13 causes the purchaser terminal 30 to display may be updated when there is a change in the execution status of the process or periodically. When the control unit 13 has finished sending the requested image to the purchaser terminal 30 (S107), it generates and sends display information for displaying the progress image 71 (S104), and causes the purchaser terminal 30 to display the progress image 71 again.

[0059] While the progress image 71 is being displayed on the purchaser terminal 30, if the purchaser issues an instruction to end the display by, for example, pressing an end button on the progress image 71, an instruction to end the display is transmitted to the information providing device 10. When the control unit 13 receives the instruction to end the display (S105: Yes), it ends the display on the purchaser terminal 30 (S108). In addition, the control unit 33 of the purchaser terminal 30 ends the processing of the application.

[0060] (What happens when the process is executed) The control unit 13 of the information providing device 10 manages the execution status of processes before delivery of the vehicle 50. Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the processing executed by the control unit 13 when a process is executed for the vehicle 50. The process to be executed is a process such as installation of optional items, which is carried out in the workshop 27.

[0061] First, when the vehicle 50 enters the work site 27, the vehicle identification device 23 identifies the vehicle 50 and notifies the information providing device 10. As a result, the control unit 13 recognizes the vehicle 50 on which a process is about to be carried out (S201).

[0062] Next, the control unit 13 checks the schedule information of the vehicle 50 and determines the process that is about to be executed (S202).

[0063] When the control unit 13 determines that a process is about to be executed, it displays a confirmation screen on the dealer terminal 21 (S103). The confirmation screen includes the name of the process that is about to be executed. The confirmation screen may also allow the purchaser to choose whether or not to notify the purchaser of the execution of the process. In this way, processes that do not need to be shown to the purchaser can be prevented from being displayed to the user at the car dealership 20. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the purchaser is notified of the execution of the process. S203 is not required, and the control unit 13 may always send a notification to the purchaser when a process is executed.

[0064] Note that the above-described steps S201 and S202 are premised on the assumption that the information providing device 10 automatically determines that a process is about to be executed. However, the process execution information may be input by an operator of the automobile dealership 20 operating a dealership terminal 21 that is the same as or different from the dealership terminal 21 used in step S103.

[0065] The control unit 13 notifies the purchaser terminal 30 that the process execution will start (S204). Upon receiving the notification from the control unit 13, the purchaser terminal 30 displays a process start notification 74 and prompts the purchaser to select whether or not to display the execution status of the process in real time.

[0066] When the control unit 13 receives the selection result for real-time display from the purchaser terminal 30 (S205: Yes), it starts real-time transmission of images captured by the camera 22 (S206). As a result, a real-time image 75 is displayed on the display unit 37 of the purchaser terminal 30. In this way, the latest information about the vehicle 50 can be provided as images such as moving images to the purchaser who is eagerly awaiting delivery of the vehicle 50.

[0067] Furthermore, the control unit 13 stores the image of the process taken by the camera 22 as a recorded image 73 in the storage unit 12 (S207), whether or not it has received a selection result for real-time display from the purchaser terminal 30 (S205: Yes). In this way, the purchaser can view the recorded image 73 from the purchaser terminal 30 after the process is completed.

[0068] When the process is completed, the control unit 13 updates the schedule information 60. Specifically, the control unit 13 registers the work completion date and time of the completed process and a link to the recorded image 73.

[0069] As described above, according to this embodiment, the information providing device 10 has, as information to be displayed to the purchaser, process progress information including the recorded image 73, and information explaining the process including the function explanation image 72. This allows the information providing system 1 to give the purchaser a sense of satisfaction about the waiting time before delivery of the vehicle 50, and can reduce the stress felt by the purchaser while waiting for delivery of the vehicle 50.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many variations and modifications are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple means or steps can be combined or divided into one. The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized as a method or program executed by a processor included in the information providing device 10. It should be understood that these are also encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. The program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, RAM, ROM, flash memory, CD-ROM, optical storage device, magnetic storage device, etc.

[0071] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below as examples, however, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples. [Appendix 1] a storage unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; a control unit that, when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the delivery of the vehicle to which the identification information is assigned to the purchaser, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal; Equipped with An information providing device, wherein the information to be displayed includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes. [Appendix 2] The information providing device described in Appendix 1, wherein when a process included in the one or more processes is executed, the control unit acquires record information that records the execution of the process, associates it with the process, and stores it in the memory unit, and when an information request for the record information is received from the purchaser terminal, sends the record information to the purchaser terminal. [Appendix 3] 3. The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the recorded information includes at least one of a moving image and a still image captured when the process is executed. [Appendix 4] 4. The information providing device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the moving image and the still image includes an image of a vehicle associated with the identification information. [Appendix 5] The information providing device described in Appendix 4, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to acquire vehicle identification information from a vehicle identification device located in a workshop where the process is executed, and is configured to be able to acquire images from a camera located in the workshop, and stores the images acquired from the camera in the memory unit as at least one of the moving image and the still image of the vehicle identified by the identification information. [Appendix 6] The information providing device described in any of Appendices 1 to 5, wherein the control unit designates some of the processes included in the one or more processes as non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information sent to the purchaser terminal. [Appendix 7] 7. The information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information include at least one of a process waiting for arrival of parts and a process waiting for allocation of man-hours. [Appendix 8] The information providing device described in Appendix 6 or 7, wherein the control unit makes the information on the inaccessible process viewable from a dealership terminal installed at the automobile dealership, and the information on the inaccessible process is configured to be shareable between different automobile dealerships. [Appendix 9] An information providing device described in any of Appendices 1 to 8, wherein the memory unit contains functional description information related to each process of the one or more processes, and the control unit, when receiving a request for functional description information of the one or more processes from the purchaser terminal, transmits the functional description information to the purchaser terminal. [Appendix 10] an information providing device comprising: a storage unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; and a control unit that, when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the delivery of the vehicle to the purchaser to which the identification information has been assigned, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal, wherein the display information includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes; a vehicle identification device located at a work site where the process is performed and capable of identifying the vehicle; a camera disposed in the work area for capturing images of the vehicle when the process is being performed; Equipped with when the vehicle identification device identifies the vehicle, the control unit stores the image acquired from the camera in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the vehicle. Information provision system. [Appendix 11] 11. The information provision system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle identification device is an RFID reader that reads an RFID attached to a vehicle, or a camera that reads a two-dimensional code attached to a vehicle. [Appendix 12] The information provision system described in Appendix 10 or 11, wherein when the control unit identifies the vehicle, it determines which of the one or more processes to execute based on schedule information of the identified vehicle. [Appendix 13] An information provision system described in any of Appendices 10 to 12, wherein the control unit is configured to, when identifying the vehicle, send a notification to the purchaser terminal of the purchaser of the identified vehicle. [Appendix 14] The information provision system described in Appendix 13, wherein the control unit, before sending the notification, sends a signal to a dealership terminal installed at the automobile dealership to display a selection screen for whether or not to send the notification. [Appendix 15] An information provision system according to any one of appendices 10 to 14, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to transmit images acquired from the camera to the purchaser terminal in real time. [Appendix 16] An information provision system described in any of Appendices 10 to 15, wherein the control unit designates some of the processes included in the one or more processes as inaccessible processes that are not included in the display information sent to the purchaser terminal. [Appendix 17] 17. The information providing system according to claim 16, wherein the non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information include at least one of a process waiting for the arrival of parts and a process waiting for the allocation of man-hours. [Appendix 18] The information provision system described in Appendix 16 or 17, wherein the control unit makes the information on the inaccessible processes viewable from a dealership terminal installed at the automobile dealership, and the information on the inaccessible processes is configured to be shareable between different automobile dealerships. [Appendix 19] An information provision system described in any of Appendices 10 to 18, wherein the memory unit contains functional description information related to each process of the one or more processes, and when the control unit receives a request for functional description information of the one or more processes from the purchaser terminal, it transmits the functional description information to the purchaser terminal. [Appendix 20] A method executed by a control unit of an information providing device, storing information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in a storage unit in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; When an information request including the identification information is received from the purchaser terminal, generating or acquiring schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the vehicle assigned with the identification information is delivered to the purchaser; generating display information to be displayed to the purchaser and transmitting the information to the purchaser terminal; Including, An information providing method, wherein the information to be displayed includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Information provision system 10 Information provision device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 14 Schedule Management Department 15 Process Recording Section 16 Push notification section 17 Display information generation section 20. Car dealership 21 Dealer terminal 211 Communications Department 212 Storage section 213 Control Unit 214 Input section 215 Output section 216 Camera 217 Display section 22 Camera 23 Vehicle Identification Device 24 Identification information carrier 25 store buildings 26 Parking 27 Workshop (Pit) 30 Purchaser terminal 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 34 Input section 35 Output section 36 Camera 37 Display section 40 Network 50 vehicles 60 Schedule Information 61 Vehicle Order Information 62 Work Schedule Information 63 Goods Procurement Information 64 Functionality Description Information 65 Record Information 70 Login Screen 71 Progress images 72 infographic 73 Captured images 74 Image switching display 75 real-time images

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; a control unit that, when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the delivery of the vehicle to which the identification information is assigned to the purchaser, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal; Equipped with An information providing device, wherein the information to be displayed includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes.

2. The information providing device of claim 1, wherein when a process included in one or more of the processes is executed, the control unit acquires record information that records the execution of the process, associates it with the process, and stores it in the memory unit, and when an information request for the record information is received from the purchaser terminal, transmits the record information to the purchaser terminal.

3. 3. The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the recorded information includes at least one of a moving image and a still image captured during execution of the process.

4. The information providing device according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the moving image and the still image includes an image of a vehicle associated with the identification information.

5. 5. The information providing device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to acquire vehicle identification information from a vehicle identification device arranged in a workshop where the process is executed, and is configured to be able to acquire images from a camera arranged in the workshop, and stores the images acquired from the camera in the memory unit as at least one of the moving image and the still image of the vehicle identified by the identification information.

6. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets some processes included in the one or more processes as inaccessible processes that are not included in the display information transmitted to the purchaser terminal.

7. 7. The information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information include at least one of a process waiting for arrival of parts and a process waiting for allocation of man-hours.

8. The information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit makes the information on the inaccessible processes viewable from a dealership terminal installed in the automobile dealership, and the information on the inaccessible processes is configured to be shareable between different automobile dealerships.

9. The information providing device of claim 1, wherein the memory unit includes functional description information related to each process of the one or more processes, and the control unit transmits the functional description information to the purchaser terminal when receiving a request for functional description information of the one or more processes from the purchaser terminal.

10. an information providing device comprising: a storage unit that stores information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; and a control unit that, when receiving an information request including the identification information from a purchaser terminal, generates or acquires schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the delivery of the vehicle to the purchaser to which the identification information has been assigned, generates display information to be displayed to the purchaser, and transmits the display information to the purchaser terminal, wherein the display information includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes; a vehicle identification device located at a work site where the process is performed and capable of identifying the vehicle; a camera disposed in the work area for capturing images of the vehicle when the process is being performed; Equipped with when the vehicle identification device identifies the vehicle, the control unit stores the image acquired from the camera in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the vehicle. Information provision system.

11. 11. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle identification device is an RFID reader that reads an RFID attached to a vehicle, or a camera that reads a two-dimensional code attached to a vehicle.

12. The information providing system according to claim 10 , wherein when the control unit identifies the vehicle, the control unit determines which of the one or more processes is to be executed based on schedule information of the identified vehicle.

13. 11. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to be capable of transmitting a notification to the purchaser terminal of the purchaser of the identified vehicle when the vehicle is identified.

14. 14. The information providing system according to claim 13, wherein the control unit transmits a signal to a dealer terminal provided in the automobile dealer to cause the dealer terminal to display a selection screen for selecting whether or not to transmit the notification, before transmitting the notification.

15. 11. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to transmit images acquired by the camera to the purchaser terminal in real time.

16. 11. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit sets some processes included in the one or more processes as non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information transmitted to the purchaser terminal.

17. 17. The information providing system according to claim 16, wherein the non-viewable processes that are not included in the display information include at least one of a process waiting for arrival of parts and a process waiting for allocation of man-hours.

18. The information providing system of claim 16, wherein the control unit makes the information on the inaccessible processes viewable from a dealership terminal installed at the automobile dealership, and the information on the inaccessible processes is configured to be shareable between different automobile dealerships.

19. The information providing system of claim 10, wherein the memory unit includes functional description information related to each process of the one or more processes, and the control unit transmits the functional description information to the purchaser terminal when receiving a request for functional description information of the one or more processes from the purchaser terminal.

20. A method executed by a control unit of an information providing device, storing information about a vehicle stored at a car dealership before delivery to a purchaser in a storage unit in association with identification information assigned to the vehicle; When an information request including the identification information is received from the purchaser terminal, generating or acquiring schedule information including one or more processes scheduled until the vehicle assigned with the identification information is delivered to the purchaser; generating display information to be displayed to the purchaser and transmitting the information to the purchaser terminal; Including, An information providing method, wherein the information to be displayed includes information on the progress of the one or more processes and information explaining the one or more processes.

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