Information processing device, information processing method and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device or the like capable of making information notification appropriate.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10, being an information processing device 10 mounted on a vehicle 1 having an information presentation part 13, includes an occupant identification part 23 for respectively identifying a plurality of occupants riding in the vehicle 1 by occupant information about each of the plurality of occupants detected by an on-vehicle sensor 12, an occupant type determination part 24 for determining respective types of the plurality of occupants identified by the occupant identification part 23, an information notification determination part 27 for determining whether to notify each of the plurality of occupants of vehicle related information on the basis of the vehicle related information related to the vehicle 1 acquired from an on-vehicle system 11 and the respective types of the plurality of occupants determined by the occupant type determination part 24, and an information notification part 28 for making the information presentation part 13 present the vehicle related information to occupants (notification target occupants) determined to be notified by the information notification determination part 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] When information is notified to passengers while the vehicle is in motion, passengers other than the driver may be distracted by watching a video or operating a smartphone, or may not hear the driver's voice because they are concentrating on watching a video or operating a smartphone. In these cases, a conversation between the driver and passengers may not be possible. To address this issue, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device that presents advertisements according to at least one of the passenger behavior determined by an occupant behavior determination unit and conditions related to the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6346326 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, it is not determined which passengers the information should be presented to, and information that should only be given to an authorized driver, such as a request to switch from automatic driving to manual driving, is notified to passengers other than the driver. There is a risk that information that is bothersome to passengers other than the driver will be notified to passengers other than the driver. On the other hand, there is a problem in that information about vehicle malfunctions, etc., is not notified to not only passengers other than the driver, but also to relevant parties outside the vehicle, such as an emergency call center.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device or the like that can appropriately notify information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle having an information presentation unit, and includes an occupant identification unit that identifies each of multiple occupants aboard the vehicle based on occupant information for each of the multiple occupants detected by an on-board sensor, an occupant type determination unit that determines the type of each of the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit, an information notification determination unit that determines whether to notify each of the multiple occupants of the vehicle-related information based on vehicle-related information related to the vehicle obtained from an on-board system and the type of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit, and an information notification unit that causes the information presentation unit to present the vehicle-related information to the occupants to be notified and for whom the information notification determination unit has determined that the information notification should be notified. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the information processing device of the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately notify information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the identification table. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a type table. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing occupant IDs, occupant types, and seat positions. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing occupants, their states, and importance levels A to C. In FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing information IDs, types of vehicle-related information, occupants to be notified, and importance levels. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a third operation example of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth operation example of the information processing device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, step order, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0010] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales and the like do not necessarily match in each figure. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same configurations are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0011] (Embodiment) <Configuration and Function> First, an information processing device 10, an information processing method, and a program according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an identification table. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a type table. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing occupant IDs, occupant types, and seat positions. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing conditions for information notification and whether or not information is presented. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing information IDs, types of vehicle-related information, occupants to be notified, and importance levels.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, an information processing device 10 can cause a plurality of information presentation units 13 mounted on a vehicle 1 to present information. Fig. 1 illustrates a case in which the information processing device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 can travel by being manually driven by a driver, or can travel automatically by switching from a manual driving state to an automatic driving state. The vehicle 1 can also switch from an automatic driving state to a manual driving state.

[0014] The vehicle 1 is equipped with an in-vehicle system 11, an in-vehicle sensor 12, an information processing device 10, and an information presentation unit 13.

[0015] The in-vehicle system 11 is an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that serves as the center of a computer that controls vehicle equipment such as an engine and brakes mounted on the vehicle 1. When vehicle-related information, which is information related to the vehicle 1, is generated, the in-vehicle system 11 outputs the vehicle-related information to the information processing device 10.

[0016] The vehicle-related information is presentation information that the information processing device 10 causes the information presentation unit 13 to present to inform the occupants, and includes, for example, information about the state of the vehicle 1, information about the traveling of the vehicle 1, etc. The information about the state of the vehicle 1 includes, for example, switching between automatic driving and manual driving, failure of on-board equipment installed in the passenger compartment, failure of the vehicle body such as wheels and lamps, remaining fuel, etc. The information about the traveling of the vehicle 1 includes traffic congestion information, destination guidance, service area guidance, etc.

[0017] The on-vehicle sensor 12 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and can detect each of the multiple occupants riding in the vehicle 1 and the seat positions where each of the multiple occupants is seated. The on-vehicle sensor 12 is, for example, a human presence sensor, a face recognition sensor, a camera, etc. The on-vehicle sensor 12 outputs occupant information, which is information related to the occupants, to the information processing device 10. The occupant information includes each of the detected multiple occupants and the seat positions where each of the multiple occupants is seated.

[0018] The information processing device 10 processes vehicle-related information acquired from the in-vehicle system 11, occupant information acquired from the in-vehicle sensor 12, etc., and outputs the vehicle-related information to the information presentation unit 13. The information processing device 10 may also process the vehicle-related information acquired from the in-vehicle system 11 and output it to an emergency support center 31, a vehicle management server 32, and a message notification unit 33, which are external to the vehicle 1.

[0019] Specifically, the information processing device 10 includes an occupant identification unit 23, an occupant type determination unit 24, a memory unit 25, an occupant status determination unit 26, an information acquisition unit 21, an information type determination unit 22, an information notification determination unit 27, an information notification unit 28, and an external communication unit 29.

[0020] As described above, the on-board sensor 12 outputs the occupant information to the information processing device 10, and therefore the occupant identification unit 23 acquires the occupant information from the on-board sensor 12. The occupant identification unit 23 identifies each of the multiple occupants using the occupant information acquired from the on-board sensor 12. That is, the occupant identification unit 23 identifies each of the multiple occupants using the authentication data and occupant information of the multiple occupants stored in the memory unit 25.

[0021] Specifically, if the on-board sensor 12 is a camera, the occupant information includes a facial image of the occupant captured by the on-board sensor 12. At this time, the occupant identification unit 23 compares the feature amounts indicated by the facial image of the occupant with the feature amounts indicated by the authentication data of multiple occupants stored in the storage unit 25. If the comparison shows that the feature amounts indicated by the facial image of the occupant match the feature amounts indicated by the authentication data of the occupant, the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant information as the occupant with "Occupant ID: XX." On the other hand, if the comparison shows that the feature amounts indicated by the facial image of the occupant do not match the feature amounts indicated by the authentication data of the occupant, the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant as an unregistered occupant not stored in the storage unit 25.

[0022] The storage unit 25 stores authentication data for each registered occupant. The authentication data is information that can identify the registered occupant and is not limited to a facial image of the occupant. The authentication data may also include the occupant's voice, appearance other than the face, etc.

[0023] The authentication data of occupants riding in the vehicle 1 may be linked to the occupant IDs and may be pre-registered and stored in the storage unit 25. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an identification table that compiles the authentication data of occupants linked to "occupant ID: 1," the authentication data of occupants linked to "occupant ID: 2," the authentication data of occupants linked to "occupant ID: 3," etc. may be stored in the storage unit 25. In this case, the occupant IDs and occupant types may be stored in a linked state in the storage unit 25. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a type table that compiles the occupant types "owner" and "person authorized to drive" linked to "occupant ID: 1," "person authorized to drive" linked to "occupant ID: 2," and "passenger other than person authorized to drive" linked to "occupant ID: 3" may be stored. Here, the occupants include the owner, the person authorized to drive, and passengers other than person authorized to drive.

[0024] The above-described identification table and type table are merely examples and are not limited to the contents of the present disclosure.

[0025] The occupant identification unit 23 outputs occupant information including the identified multiple occupants to the occupant type determination unit 24 and the occupant state determination unit 26.

[0026] The occupant type determination unit 24 acquires occupant information including the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23. The occupant type determination unit 24 determines the type of each of the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23 based on this occupant information.

[0027] Specifically, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines whether the identified occupant is an "owner," a "person authorized to drive," or a "passenger other than a person authorized to drive." For example, as shown in FIG. 3, if the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant as "occupant ID: 1," the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that the occupant's type is "owner" and "person authorized to drive." If the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant as "occupant ID: 2," the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that the occupant's type is "person authorized to drive." If the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant as "occupant ID: 3," the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that the occupant's type is "passenger other than a person authorized to drive." Note that a person authorized to drive is a occupant who has the right to drive, and is synonymous with a driver.

[0028] In this embodiment, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines the type of each of the multiple occupants seated in the multiple seats arranged in the vehicle 1 for each seat based on the occupant information.

[0029] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that "occupant ID: 1" is the "owner" and the "person authorized to drive" and is seated in the driver's seat.

[0030] Further, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that "occupant ID: 2" is a "person authorized to drive" and is seated in the passenger seat.

[0031] Further, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines that "occupant ID: 3" is a "passenger other than a person authorized to drive" and is seated in the rear seat.

[0032] The above-mentioned occupant ID, occupant type, and seat position are merely examples and are not limited to the contents of the present disclosure.

[0033] The occupant type determination unit 24 outputs the result of linking the occupant ID, the occupant type, and the seat position shown in FIG.

[0034] As described above, the on-vehicle sensor 12 outputs occupant information to the information processing device 10, and therefore the occupant state determination unit 26 acquires the occupant information from the on-vehicle sensor 12 and the results of identification of multiple occupants (occupant IDs) by the occupant identification unit 23. The occupant state determination unit 26 determines the state of each of the multiple occupants based on the occupant information acquired from the on-vehicle sensor 12. The occupant state determination unit 26 links the determined states of each of the multiple occupants with the multiple occupants (occupant IDs) identified by the occupant identification unit 23.

[0035] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the occupant state determination unit 26 determines the state of the person (occupant) to be notified, such as "gazing ahead," "gazing at a carried tablet," "sleeping," "gazing at the center display," "gazing at the rear seat display," etc., and links the determined state of the person to be notified, the occupant ID of the person to be notified, and the seat position.

[0036] The above-described states of the multiple occupants are merely examples and are not limited to the contents of this embodiment. For example, the states of the occupants include when the occupant is sleeping, listening to music, etc. Furthermore, although the occupant state determination unit 26 acquires the occupant information from the on-board sensor 12, the occupant information detected by the on-board sensor 12 may be acquired from the occupant identification unit 23.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the occupant status determination unit 26 links each occupant ID identified by the occupant identification unit 23 with the status of each of the multiple occupants and the seat position of each of the multiple occupants, and outputs them to the information notification determination unit 27.

[0038] As described above, the in-vehicle system 11 outputs the vehicle-related information to the information processing device 10, and therefore the information acquisition unit 21 of the information processing device 10 acquires the vehicle-related information from the in-vehicle system 11. The information acquisition unit 21 outputs the acquired vehicle-related information to the information type determination unit 22.

[0039] The information type determination unit 22 acquires the vehicle-related information from the information acquisition unit 21. The information type determination unit 22 determines the type of the acquired vehicle-related information in order to present the vehicle-related information to the occupant who is the notification target.

[0040] For example, as shown in Figure 6, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 001" is "switching from automatic driving to manual driving," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of vehicle-related information is "request to switch from automatic driving to manual driving."

[0041] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 002" is "congested road conditions around the vehicle," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of the vehicle-related information is "traffic congestion information."

[0042] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 003" is "room lamp not lit when power is turned on," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of vehicle-related information is "room lamp failure."

[0043] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 004" is "air pressure in left rear wheel 0", the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of vehicle-related information is "flat left rear wheel".

[0044] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 005" is "the vehicle is within a predetermined distance to the destination," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of the vehicle-related information is "the vehicle is near the destination."

[0045] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 006" is "existence of a service area", the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of the vehicle-related information is "guide to a service area".

[0046] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 007" is "remaining fuel is XX% or less," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of vehicle-related information is "low remaining fuel."

[0047] Furthermore, if the content of the vehicle-related information corresponding to "information ID: 008" is "unauthorized access from outside," the information type determination unit 22 determines that the type of the vehicle-related information is "detection of unauthorized access."

[0048] The types of vehicle-related information described above are merely examples and are not limited to the contents of the present disclosure.

[0049] The information type determination unit 22 outputs the vehicle-related information to be presented to the occupant and the type of the vehicle-related information to the information notification determination unit 27.

[0050] The information notification determination unit 27 obtains the results of linking the occupant ID, occupant type, and seat position shown in Figure 4 from the occupant type determination unit 24, obtains the results of linking the multiple occupant IDs identified by the occupant identification unit 23 with the respective states of the multiple occupants from the occupant state determination unit 26, and obtains the vehicle-related information and the type of vehicle-related information to present to the occupant from the information type determination unit 22.

[0051] The information notification determination unit 27 determines whether to notify each of the multiple occupants of the vehicle-related information based on the vehicle-related information and the types of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24. Specifically, the information notification determination unit 27 determines whether to notify each of the multiple occupants of the vehicle-related information based on the type of vehicle-related information determined by the information type determination unit 22 and the type of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24. In other words, the information notification determination unit 27 determines notification target occupants (hereinafter referred to as notification target occupants) to notify the vehicle-related information from among the multiple occupants so that unnecessary vehicle-related information is not notified to some occupants and the occupants are notified appropriately according to the vehicle-related information. This makes it possible to appropriately notify each notification target occupant of necessary vehicle-related information and to prevent unnecessary vehicle-related information from being notified to occupants other than the notification target occupant.

[0052] Furthermore, the information notification determination unit 27 determines whether or not to notify the vehicle-related information taking into account the state and importance of the occupant to be notified, and can determine the occupant to be notified. Specifically, the information notification determination unit 27 sets a notification method for the vehicle-related information taking into account the state and importance of the occupant to be notified. The notification method is set by the information notification determination unit 27 taking into account the state of the occupant to be notified and the importance set according to the type of vehicle-related information. The importance is set in advance, and in this embodiment, three levels, A to C, are shown as an example. The importance is set so that the importance is the highest, followed by the importance B and C in this order. The importance is not limited to three levels, and may be two levels, four levels or more.

[0053] 5, if the notification target is a "person authorized to drive," the seat position is the "driver's seat," the state of the notification target is "looking ahead," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," and "driver's speaker." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "rear seat display," "in-vehicle speaker," "carry-on mobile terminal," or "carry-on tablet terminal."

[0054] Furthermore, if the person to be notified is a "person authorized to drive," the seat position is the "driver's seat," the state of the person to be notified is "gazing at a brought-in tablet," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," "driver's speaker," and "brought-in tablet terminal." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "rear seat display," "in-vehicle speaker," and "brought-in mobile terminal."

[0055] Furthermore, if the person to be notified is a "person authorized to drive," the seat position is the "driver's seat," the state of the person to be notified is "asleep," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," "rear seat display," "in-vehicle speaker," "carried mobile terminal," and "carried tablet terminal." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "driver's speaker."

[0056] Furthermore, if the person to be notified is a "person authorized to drive," the seat position is the "passenger seat," the state of the person to be notified is "gazing at the center display," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," and "in-vehicle speakers." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "rear seat display," "driver's speaker," "carried-in mobile terminal," or "carried-in tablet terminal."

[0057] Furthermore, if the person to be notified is a "person authorized to drive," the seat location is a "rear seat," the state of the person to be notified is "gazing at the rear seat display," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "rear seat display," and "in-vehicle speakers." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "center display," "driver's speaker," "carried-in mobile terminal," or "carried-in tablet terminal."

[0058] Furthermore, if the person to be notified is the "owner," the seat position is the "passenger seat," the state of the person to be notified is "looking ahead," and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "B," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "center display." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "driver's display," "rear seat display," "driver's speaker," "in-vehicle speaker," "carried-in mobile terminal," or "carried-in tablet terminal."

[0059] Furthermore, when the notification recipients are "all occupants" and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "A," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," "rear seat display," "in-vehicle speakers," "carried mobile terminal," and "carried tablet terminal." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "driver's speaker."

[0060] Furthermore, when the notification recipients are "all occupants" and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "B," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "driver's display," "center display," "rear seat display," and "in-vehicle speakers." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "driver's speaker," "carried-in mobile terminal," or "carried-in tablet terminal."

[0061] Furthermore, if the notification recipients are "all occupants" and the vehicle-related information has an importance level of "C," the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method to notify the "in-vehicle speakers." On the other hand, in this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method not to notify the "driver's display," "center display," "rear seat display," "driver's speaker," "carried-in mobile terminal," or "carried-in tablet terminal."

[0062] In this way, the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method so that if the importance of the vehicle-related information is high, the vehicle-related information is notified to the occupant regardless of the occupant's condition, and if the importance of the vehicle-related information is low, the vehicle-related information is notified to the occupant depending on the occupant's condition.

[0063] When the information notification determination unit 27 sets the notification method, it outputs the vehicle-related information and the notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified to the information notification unit 28.

[0064] The information notification unit 28 acquires the vehicle-related information and the notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified from the information notification determination unit 27. The information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the information presentation unit 13 indicated by the notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified, thereby causing the information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information.

[0065] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, when the state of the person authorized to drive is "viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "a request to switch from automated driving to manual driving" with importance level A, information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the person authorized to drive can recognize the switch request.

[0066] Furthermore, when the state of all occupants is "viewing the driver's display," the type of vehicle-related information is "traffic congestion information" with importance level C, and if there is an occupant gazing at the driver's display, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the occupant gazing at the display can recognize the traffic congestion information.

[0067] Furthermore, when the state of the owner and person with driving authority is "viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "room lamp malfunction" with importance level B, and if there is a passenger gazing at the driver's display, information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the owner and person with driving authority who are gazing at it can recognize the malfunction.

[0068] Furthermore, when the state of all occupants is "visually viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "flat tire on the left rear tire" with importance level A, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, all occupants can recognize the flat tire. Furthermore, the information notification unit 28 causes the vehicle-related information to be transmitted to the emergency support center 31 via the external communication unit 29.

[0069] Furthermore, when the state of all occupants is "viewing the driver's display," the type of vehicle-related information is "vehicle is near the destination" with importance C, and if there is an occupant gazing at the driver's display, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the occupant gazing at it can recognize that the vehicle 1 is near the destination.

[0070] Furthermore, when the state of all occupants is "viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "service area information" with importance C and there is an occupant gazing at the driver's display, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the occupant gazing at it can recognize the location of the service area.

[0071] Furthermore, when the state of all occupants is "viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "low fuel remaining" with importance level B, and if there is an occupant gazing at the driver's display, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the occupant gazing at it can recognize that vehicle 1 is low on fuel.

[0072] Furthermore, if the owner is in the vehicle, if the owner's status is "viewing the driver's display," if the type of vehicle-related information is "detection of unauthorized access" with importance level B, and if there is a passenger gazing at the driver's display, the information notification unit 28 outputs the vehicle-related information to the driver's display. Because the driver's display displays this vehicle-related information, the owner gazing at it can recognize that unauthorized access has been detected. Furthermore, the information notification unit 28 causes the vehicle-related information to be transmitted to the manufacturer via the external communication unit 29. Furthermore, if the owner is a shared car management company or the like, even if the owner is not in the vehicle 1, if unauthorized access is detected, the information notification unit 28 can notify the owner via the external communication unit 29.

[0073] In the information processing device 10, the occupant can set the notification not to be required. In this case, if the occupant sets the notification not to be required in advance, the information processing device 10 can prevent the occupant from notifying the occupant of the vehicle-related information. However, for information of high importance, the information processing device 10 notifies the occupant of the vehicle-related information even if the notification not to be required is set.

[0074] The information presentation unit 13 is a device that presents vehicle-related information to a notification target occupant who has been determined to be notified by the information notification determination unit 27. The information presentation unit 13 includes, for example, on-board equipment mounted on the vehicle 1, such as a display, an audio device, a terminal device capable of communicating with the information processing device 10, a lighting device, an aroma diffuser, an electric seat, an electric seat belt, and a haptic device.

[0075] The displays mounted on the vehicle 1 include the driver's display, center display, rear seat display, etc. described above. The sound devices include the driver's speaker, in-vehicle speakers, etc. described above. The terminal devices capable of communicating with the information processing device 10 include the portable terminal, the portable tablet terminal, etc. described above. The lighting devices include room lamps, in-vehicle lighting, etc. mounted on the vehicle 1. The aroma diffuser includes an aroma diffuser, etc. mounted on the vehicle 1. The power seat vibrates to give vibrations to the occupant seated in the seat. The power seatbelt vibrates to give vibrations to the occupant seated in the seat. The haptic device is built into the steering wheel and vibrates the steering wheel to give vibrations to the driver holding the steering wheel.

[0076] In addition, when the information notification unit 28 outputs vehicle-related information to the information presentation unit 13 such as a carried-in mobile terminal, a carried-in tablet terminal, etc., the carried-in mobile terminal, the carried-in tablet terminal, etc. can be registered in advance in the information processing device 10 so that the information notification unit 28 can output vehicle-related information to the carried-in mobile terminal, the carried-in tablet terminal, etc.

[0077] The information notification unit 28 can also output vehicle-related information to the external communication unit 29. The external communication unit 29 transmits vehicle-related information to an emergency support center 31, a vehicle management server 32, and a message notification unit 33, which are external to the vehicle 1. The emergency support center 31 is a management center that provides support to the vehicle 1 in the event of an abnormality, breakdown, or accident involving the vehicle 1. The vehicle management server 32 is a server of a rental car company that can rent out the vehicle 1, a car sharing company that can allow the vehicle 1 to be shared, or the like. The message notification unit 33 is an information terminal device installed at home, work, etc.

[0078] Although the configuration and functions of the information processing device 10 have been described above, the configuration and functions of the information processing device 10 are not limited to the above description.

[0079] For example, if the vehicle-related information has already been notified to the occupant using the notification method set by the information notification determination unit 27, the information notification determination unit 27 may set a different notification method for the vehicle-related information depending on the type of the vehicle-related information, that is, change the notification method, when notifying the occupant of the vehicle-related information again. Specifically, if the vehicle-related information has already been notified to the occupant, the information notification determination unit 27 may set a notification method different from the notification method used when notifying the occupant of the vehicle-related information.

[0080] The storage unit 25 may also store the riding times of multiple occupants. In this case, when notifying vehicle-related information to the occupants to be notified, the information notification determination unit 27 may reset the occupants to be notified according to the riding times stored in the storage unit 25. For example, the information notification determination unit 27 may expand the number of occupants to be notified so that the longer the riding time, the more occupants to be notified.

[0081] <Example 1> Next, an example of the operation of the information processing device 10 etc. will be described with reference to FIG.

[0082] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. 7 shows the process from identifying an occupant to determining the type of occupant.

[0083] First, as shown in FIG. 7, the occupant identification unit 23 of the information processing device 10 acquires occupant information for each seat in which each of the multiple occupants is seated from the in-vehicle sensor 12 (S11).

[0084] Next, since an identification table compiling authentication data of multiple occupants is stored in the memory unit 25, the occupant identification unit 23 compares the occupant information with the identification table stored in the memory unit 25, and if the occupant information matches the identification table, identifies the occupant indicated in the occupant information as the occupant with "occupant ID: XX" (S12). The occupant identification unit 23 outputs occupant information including the identified multiple occupants to the occupant type determination unit 24 and the occupant status determination unit 26. If the occupant information cannot match the identification table, the occupant identification unit 23 identifies the occupant as an unregistered occupant and outputs the unregistered occupant information to the occupant type determination unit 24 and the occupant status determination unit 26.

[0085] Next, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines the type of each of the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23 based on the occupant information including the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23 (S13). For example, the occupant type determination unit 24 uses the type table shown in Fig. 3 to determine whether the identified occupant is an "owner," a "person authorized to drive," a "passenger other than a person authorized to drive," or the like.

[0086] Next, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines the type of each of the multiple occupants seated in the multiple seats based on the occupant information (S14). For example, the occupant type determination unit 24 determines the type of occupant by linking the type of occupant with the seat position where the occupant having the occupant ID is seated. The occupant type determination unit 24 outputs the result of linking the occupant ID, occupant type, and seat position shown in FIG. 4 to the information notification determination unit 27.

[0087] Then, the information processing device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG.

[0088] <Example 2> Next, an example of the operation of the information processing device 10 etc. will be described with reference to FIG.

[0089] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. 8 shows the process from generation of vehicle-related information to presentation of the vehicle-related information.

[0090] First, when vehicle-related information, which is information related to the vehicle 1, is generated, the information acquisition unit 21 of the information processing device 10 acquires the vehicle-related information from the in-vehicle system 11 (S21).

[0091] Next, the information type determination unit 22 acquires vehicle-related information from the information acquisition unit 21 and determines the type of the acquired vehicle-related information (S22), as shown in FIG. 6, in order to present the vehicle-related information to the occupant to be notified.

[0092] Next, the information notification determination unit 27 acquires the vehicle-related information and the type of vehicle-related information from the information type determination unit 22, and acquires from the occupant type determination unit 24 the result of linking the occupant type determined by the occupant type determination unit 24 in step S13 of Fig. 7 with the occupant ID and seat position shown in Fig. 4. The information notification determination unit 27 determines whether or not to notify each of the multiple occupants of the vehicle-related information, i.e., determines the occupants to be notified, based on the vehicle-related information and the types of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24 (S23).

[0093] Next, the occupant status determination unit 26 acquires occupant information from the on-board sensor 12 and the results of the occupant identification unit 23 identifying multiple occupants, and determines the status of each of the multiple occupants based on the occupant information acquired by the on-board sensor 12 (S24).

[0094] Next, the information notification determination unit 27 uses the result of the determination of the state of the occupant by the occupant state determination unit 26 to set the notification method so that vehicle-related information is notified according to the state of the occupant to be notified (S25).

[0095] Next, the information notification unit 28 acquires the vehicle-related information and the notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified from the information notification determination unit 27, and outputs the vehicle-related information to the information presentation unit 13 indicated by the notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified. This allows the information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information according to the state of the occupant to be notified (S25).

[0096] For example, when the person authorized to drive is viewing the driver's display, information notification unit 28 causes the driver's display to present vehicle-related information. In this case, even if notification is not required, if the importance of the vehicle-related information is high, such as importance level A, information notification determination unit 27 determines whether to notify, and information notification unit 28 causes the driver's display to present the vehicle-related information. On the other hand, if notification is not required and the importance of the vehicle-related information is low, such as importance levels B and C, information notification unit 28 causes the driver's display to present the vehicle-related information only when the person authorized to drive is gazing at the driver's display.

[0097] In addition, the information notification unit 28 may output vehicle-related information to the information presentation units 13 corresponding to the respective seats. In this case, for example, if the seat occupied by "occupant ID: 1" is the driver's seat, the seat occupied by "occupant ID: 2" is the passenger seat, and the seat occupied by "occupant ID: 3" is the rear seat, when the occupant with "occupant ID: 1" is viewing the driver's display, the occupant with "occupant ID: 2" is viewing the center display, and the occupant with "occupant ID: 3" is viewing the rear seat display, the information notification unit 28 causes the driver's display, the center display, and the rear seat display to present the vehicle-related information, respectively. In this way, the information processing device 10 selects the information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information in consideration of the state of the occupant, the seat occupied by the occupant, and the importance of the vehicle-related information, and causes the selected information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information.

[0098] Then, the information processing device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG.

[0099] <Example 3> Next, an example of the operation of the information processing device 10 etc. will be described with reference to FIG.

[0100] 9 is a flowchart showing a third operation example of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The flowchart in FIG. 9 may be performed between steps S24 and S25 in FIG.

[0101] First, the information notification determination unit 27 determines whether or not the vehicle-related information has already been notified to the occupant (S31).

[0102] If the information notification determination unit 27 determines that the vehicle-related information has already been notified to the occupant (YES in S31), the information notification determination unit 27 sets a notification method different from the notification method used when the vehicle-related information has already been notified to the occupant. In this case, the information notification determination unit 27 sets a different notification method depending on the type of vehicle-related information (S32).

[0103] Then, the information processing device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG.

[0104] On the other hand, if the information notification determination unit 27 determines that the vehicle-related information has not been notified to the occupant (NO in S31), the information notification determination unit 27 sets a notification method according to the state of the occupant to be notified, as shown in step S25 of Figure 8.

[0105] <Example 4> Next, an example of the operation of the information processing device 10 etc. will be described with reference to FIG.

[0106] 10 is a flowchart showing a fourth operation example of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The flowchart in FIG. 9 may be performed between steps S23 and S25 in FIG.

[0107] First, the information notification determination unit 27 acquires the riding time of each of the multiple occupants stored in the storage unit 25 (S41).

[0108] Next, the information notification determination unit 27 resets the occupants to be notified in accordance with the riding time of each of the plurality of occupants (S42).

[0109] For example, if there is a passenger with a long riding time among multiple passengers, the information notification determination unit 27 increases the number of notification recipients as the riding time increases. As a result, if there is a passenger with a riding time of a certain time or more, the information presentation unit 13 notifies the passenger of the nearest service area so as to include the passenger with a riding time of the certain time or more.

[0110] Then, the information processing device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG.

[0111] <Action and effect> Next, the effects of the information processing device 10 in the above embodiment will be described.

[0112] The information processing device 10 of technology 1 in this embodiment is an information processing device 10 mounted on a vehicle 1 having an information presentation unit 13, and is equipped with an occupant identification unit 23 that identifies each of the multiple occupants on board the vehicle 1 based on occupant information regarding each of the multiple occupants detected by the on-board sensor 12, an occupant type determination unit 24 that determines the type of each of the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23, an information notification determination unit 27 that determines whether to notify each of the multiple occupants of vehicle-related information based on vehicle-related information related to the vehicle 1 obtained from the on-board system 11 and the type of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24, and an information notification unit 28 that causes the information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information to the occupants to be notified (notified occupants) who have been determined by the information notification determination unit 27 to be notified.

[0113] According to this, whether or not the vehicle-related information is to be notified to the occupant is determined based on the vehicle-related information and the type of occupant, so that the vehicle-related information is notified appropriately according to the occupant.

[0114] Therefore, in the present disclosure, vehicle-related information tailored to the occupant can be notified to the occupant.

[0115] Furthermore, in the information processing device 10 of Technology 2 in this embodiment, the occupant type determination unit 24 is the information processing device 10 described in Technology 1 that determines the type of each of the multiple occupants seated in the multiple seats arranged in the vehicle 1 for each seat.

[0116] This allows the type of each of the multiple occupants to be determined for each seat, making it possible to know which occupant is sitting in each seat. This makes it possible to set which information presentation unit 13 should present vehicle-related information to the occupants to be notified.

[0117] In addition, the information processing device 10 of Technology 3 in this embodiment is equipped with a memory unit 25 that stores authentication data for each registered occupant, and the occupant identification unit 23 is the information processing device 10 described in Technology 1 or 2 that identifies each of the multiple occupants using the authentication data and occupant information.

[0118] This allows registered occupants to be identified regardless of which seat they are sitting in, so that vehicle-related information according to the type of registered occupant can be appropriately notified to the registered occupant.

[0119] In addition, the information processing device 10 of Technology 4 in this embodiment is equipped with an occupant status determination unit 26 that determines the status of each of multiple occupants using an on-board sensor 12, and the information notification determination unit 27 is an information processing device 10 described in any one of Technologies 1 to 3 that sets the notification method for vehicle-related information depending on the status of the occupant to be notified (notification target occupant).

[0120] According to this, the notification method of the vehicle-related information is set according to the state of the occupant to be notified, so that the occupant to be notified can easily recognize the vehicle-related information. For example, even if the occupant in the vehicle 1 is operating a mobile terminal or listening to the information presentation unit 13 in the vehicle 1, the vehicle-related information is presented on the mobile terminal or the information presentation unit 13, so that the occupant to be notified can recognize the vehicle-related information.

[0121] Furthermore, in the information processing device 10 of Technology 5 in this embodiment, when vehicle-related information is notified to the occupant using the notification method set by the information notification determination unit 27, the information processing device 10 is the information processing device 10 described in Technology 4, which sets the notification method for the vehicle-related information to a different notification method depending on the type of vehicle-related information.

[0122] According to this, if vehicle-related information has been notified to the occupant in the past, the occupant may have forgotten or ignored it, so by notifying the occupant of the vehicle-related information using a different notification method, it is expected that the occupant will be made aware of the vehicle-related information.

[0123] In addition, the information processing device 10 of Technology 6 in this embodiment is an information processing device 10 described in any one of Technologies 1 to 5, which is equipped with an information type determination unit 22 that determines the type of vehicle-related information, and the information notification determination unit 27 determines whether to notify each of the multiple occupants of vehicle-related information based on the type of vehicle-related information determined by the information type determination unit 22 and the type of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24.

[0124] According to this, whether or not the vehicle-related information is to be notified to the occupant is determined based on the type of vehicle-related information and the type of occupant, so that the vehicle-related information is more appropriately notified according to the type of occupant. Therefore, the vehicle-related information is notified according to the occupant.

[0125] In addition, the information processing device 10 of Technology 7 in this embodiment is an information processing device 10 described in any one of Technologies 1 to 6, which includes a memory unit 25 that stores the riding times of multiple occupants, and the information notification determination unit 27, when notifying vehicle-related information to a occupant to be notified (notified occupant), sets the occupant to be notified (notified occupant) according to the riding time stored in the memory unit 25.

[0126] This allows the notification target occupants to be notified of vehicle-related information to be reset according to the riding time. For example, if there is an occupant who has been riding in the vehicle 1 for a certain period of time or more, the notification can be reset so that the vehicle-related information urging the occupant to take a rest is notified to the occupant as well.

[0127] In addition, the information processing method of technology 8 in this embodiment is an information processing method mounted on a vehicle 1 having an information presentation unit 13, and includes the steps of an occupant identification unit 23 identifying each of the multiple occupants on board the vehicle 1 based on occupant information regarding each of the multiple occupants detected by the on-board sensor 12, an occupant type determination unit 24 determining the type of each of the multiple occupants identified by the occupant identification unit 23, an information notification determination unit 27 determining whether or not to notify each of the multiple occupants of the vehicle-related information based on the vehicle-related information related to the vehicle 1 acquired from the on-board system 11 and the type of each of the multiple occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit 24, and an information notification unit 28 causing the information presentation unit 13 to present the vehicle-related information to the occupants to be notified and for which the information notification determination unit 27 has determined that the information notification should be notified.

[0128] This information processing method also provides the same effects as those described above.

[0129] Furthermore, the program of Technique 9 in this embodiment is a program that enables a computer to execute the information processing method described in Technique 8.

[0130] This program also provides the same effects as those described above.

[0131] (others) While the information processing device according to the present disclosure has been described above based on the above-described embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as the modifications do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art may also be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0132] For example, in the information processing device, all or some of the components such as the control circuit may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or semiconductor memory.

[0133] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0134] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present disclosure, and an order other than the above may be used. Also, some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0135] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by making various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art would think of, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0136] The information processing device according to the present disclosure can be mounted in a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1 vehicle 10. Information processing equipment 11 In-vehicle systems 12 In-vehicle sensors 13 Information presentation section 22 Information type determination unit 23 Occupant Identification Unit 24 Occupant classification determination unit 25 Memory section 26 Occupant status determination unit 27 Information Notification Judgment Department 28 Information Notification Department

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle having an information presentation unit, an occupant identification unit that identifies each of a plurality of occupants riding in the vehicle based on occupant information about each of the plurality of occupants detected by an on-vehicle sensor; an occupant type determination unit that determines the type of each of the plurality of occupants identified by the occupant identification unit; an information notification determination unit that determines whether to notify each of the plurality of occupants of the vehicle-related information based on vehicle-related information related to the vehicle acquired from an in-vehicle system and the types of each of the plurality of occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit; an information notification unit that causes the information presentation unit to present the vehicle-related information to the occupant who is the notification target and for whom the information notification determination unit has determined that the information notification should be presented; Information processing device.

2. The occupant type determination unit determines the type of each of the plurality of occupants seated in a plurality of seats arranged in the vehicle for each of the seats. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. a storage unit that stores authentication data of each registered occupant; The occupant identification unit identifies each of the plurality of occupants using the authentication data and the occupant information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an occupant state determination unit that determines the state of each of the plurality of occupants using the on-vehicle sensors; The information notification determination unit sets a notification method for the vehicle-related information depending on the state of the occupant to be notified.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. When the vehicle-related information has been notified to the occupant using the notification method set by the information notification determination unit, the information notification determination unit sets the notification method for the vehicle-related information to another notification method depending on the type of the vehicle-related information. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

6. an information type determination unit that determines the type of the vehicle-related information; The information notification determination unit determines whether to notify each of the plurality of occupants of the vehicle-related information based on the type of the vehicle-related information determined by the information type determination unit and the type of each of the plurality of occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. a storage unit that stores the riding times of the plurality of occupants; When notifying the vehicle-related information to the occupant to be notified, the information notification determination unit sets the occupant to be notified according to the riding time stored in the storage unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. An information processing method installed in a vehicle having an information presentation unit, an occupant identification unit identifying each of a plurality of occupants riding in the vehicle based on occupant information relating to each of the plurality of occupants detected by an on-vehicle sensor; an occupant type determination unit determines the type of each of the plurality of occupants identified by the occupant identification unit; an information notification determination unit determining whether to notify each of the plurality of occupants of the vehicle-related information based on vehicle-related information related to the vehicle acquired from an in-vehicle system and the types of each of the plurality of occupants determined by the occupant type determination unit; The information notification unit causes the information presentation unit to present the vehicle-related information to the occupant who is the notification target and for whom the information notification determination unit has determined that the information notification should be presented. Information processing methods.

9. A computer-implemented method for processing information according to claim 8. program.

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