Terminal device

Abstract

To improve a technology for evaluating driving of a vehicle by a driver.SOLUTION: A terminal device 10 comprises a control unit 15. The control unit 15 acquires driving performance data and performs an evaluation for a user's driving of a vehicle 20 for each evaluation period. Next, the control unit 15 determines a message to be presented to the user based on a comparison of a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period with one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period. Then, the control unit 15 presents the message to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for outputting driving report information related to a driver in a manner that restricts viewing according to the degree of necessity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-078561 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology used to assess vehicle driver behavior.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A control unit is provided, The control unit Collecting and evaluating driving records of users' vehicle driving for each evaluation period; A message determined based on a comparison of a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period with one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that are earlier than the first evaluation period is presented to the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a technique for evaluating vehicle driver behavior is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a terminal device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 10, a plurality of vehicles 20, and an information processing device 30. Each of the terminal devices 10, each of the vehicles 20, and the information processing device 30 are communicably connected to a network 40 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] The terminal device 10 is a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is used by a user who drives the vehicle 20. The terminal device 10 may be a computer installed in the vehicle 20.

[0012] The vehicle 20 may be, for example, a gasoline-powered vehicle, an electric vehicle (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), a hybrid vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these and may be any vehicle that can accommodate a human being.

[0013] The information processing device 30 is, for example, one or more computers such as a server device that can communicate with each other. The information processing device 30 can communicate with each of the terminal devices 10 and each of the vehicles 20 via a network 40. In this embodiment, communication between the terminal devices 10 and the vehicles 20 may be performed via the information processing device 30.

[0014] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0015] (Terminal Device Configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an output unit 12, an input unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0016] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces are compatible with mobile communication standards such as, but not limited to, 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 communicates with the vehicle 20 and the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 11 and the network 40.

[0017] The output unit 12 includes one or more output devices that output information. Examples of the output devices include, but are not limited to, a display that outputs information as a video or a speaker that outputs information as a sound. Alternatively, the output unit 12 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0018] The input unit 13 includes one or more input devices that detect an input operation by a user. Examples of the input devices include, but are not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 12, or a microphone. Alternatively, the input unit 13 may include an interface for connecting an external input device.

[0019] The storage unit 14 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, optical memories, etc., but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 14 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 14 stores any information used in the operation of the terminal device 10. The storage unit 14 may store driving performance information acquired from the vehicle 20. Furthermore, for example, the storage unit 14 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc. For example, the information stored in the storage unit 14 may be updateable with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0020] The control unit 15 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited to this. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited to this. The control unit 15 controls the operation of the terminal device 10. If the control unit 15 is a computer installed in the vehicle 20, it may control the operation of the vehicle 20.

[0021] (Vehicle configuration) As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 20 includes a communication unit 21, a sensor unit 22, a storage unit 23, and a control unit 24.

[0022] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces are compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) and 5G (5th Generation), but are not limited to these and may be compatible with any communication standard. In this embodiment, the vehicle 20 communicates with the terminal device 10 and the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 21 and the network 40.

[0023] The sensor unit 22 includes a plurality of sensors, such as a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor, that detect information necessary for evaluating the driving of the driver of the vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 22 detects the fuel flow rate. The steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor are acquired by the control unit 24 as sensor information.

[0024] The storage unit 23 includes one or more memories. In this embodiment, the "memory" may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 23 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 23 stores any information used in the operation of the vehicle 20. For example, the storage unit 23 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 23 also stores driving performance information, which will be described later. The information stored in the storage unit 23 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0025] The control unit 24 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 24 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the control unit 24 controls the operation of the turn signal switch.

[0026] For example, in this embodiment, the control unit 24 calculates the engine speed and engine torque of the vehicle 20 to control the engine. The control unit 24 also calculates fuel efficiency based on the fuel flow rate detected by the sensor unit 22. Additionally, the control unit 24 acquires sensor information and accelerator operation of the vehicle 20 from the sensor unit 22. Furthermore, the control unit 24 acquires the operation of the turn signal switch as a turn signal operation. Various pieces of information calculated or acquired by the control unit 24, such as the engine speed, engine torque, fuel efficiency, sensor information, accelerator operation, and turn signal operation, are stored in the memory unit 23 and transmitted by the control unit 24 to the terminal device 10 or the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 21 as driving performance information. The transmission of the driving performance information may be performed, for example, periodically or whenever a predetermined event occurs. Furthermore, if the terminal device 10 is a computer installed in the vehicle 20, the control unit 15 and the control unit 24 may be the same.

[0027] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0028] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interfaces may be compatible with, for example, a wired LAN standard or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may be compatible with any communication standard. In this embodiment, the information processing device 30 communicates with the terminal device 10 and the vehicle 20 via the communication unit 31 and the network 40.

[0029] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, map information, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 32 stores driving performance information of each vehicle 20.

[0030] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 33 controls the operation of the information processing device 30 as a whole.

[0031] Next, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be provided later. The terminal device 10 includes a control unit 15. The control unit 15 collects and evaluates driving performance of the user's driving of the vehicle 20 for each evaluation period. Next, the control unit 15 determines a message to be presented to the user based on a comparison between a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period and one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period. Then, the control unit 15 presents the message to the user.

[0032] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to present to the user a message regarding the user's driving of the vehicle 20 that is determined based not only on an evaluation of the first evaluation period but also on a comparison with evaluations of one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period. This allows the user to obtain a continuous evaluation of how their current driving has improved compared to their past driving. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver is improved in that the user can obtain a continuous evaluation of their driving.

[0033] (Operation flow of terminal device 10) The operation of the terminal device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0034] S100: The control unit 15 of the terminal device 10 collects and evaluates driving records of the user driving the vehicle 20 for each evaluation period.

[0035] Specifically, the control unit 15 performs the evaluation by calculating an evaluation value for the user's driving of the vehicle 20 based on the driving performance information received from the vehicle 20 during the evaluation period. The evaluation may include multiple evaluation items. Each evaluation item may be associated with one or more types of information included in the driving performance information. The evaluation value may be calculated based on one or more types of information associated with each evaluation item. Alternatively, the evaluation value may be calculated for each type of information included in the driving performance information.

[0036] Specifically, for example, the control unit 15 compares the various types of information in the driving performance information with thresholds set for each of the information, and if it detects information whose value is improved from the threshold, it increases the evaluation value of the evaluation item associated with the information. The determination of whether or not the information has improved from the threshold differs depending on the evaluation item. For example, if the evaluation item is the accelerator, the control unit 15 may increase the evaluation value of the accelerator in the user's driving of the vehicle 20 if the number of times during the evaluation period when the acceleration is less than the first threshold is less than the second threshold. In this way, there may be multiple thresholds depending on the evaluation item.

[0037] The evaluation may include an overall evaluation. When the evaluation includes multiple evaluation items, the control unit 15 performs the overall evaluation based on the evaluation values calculated for each of the multiple evaluation items. For example, the control unit 15 may perform the overall evaluation by calculating the average value of the evaluation values for the multiple evaluation items.

[0038] S100 may be performed by the information processing device 30. In this case, the control unit 33 may perform the process instead of the control unit 15.

[0039] The multiple evaluation items may include the accelerator, brake, steering wheel, blinker, and reverse, as described above, but may also include any evaluation item that can be evaluated using driving performance information, without being limited to these. Note that when the multiple evaluation items are output by the output unit 12, such as the display of the terminal device 10, they may be output under a different name. For example, if the evaluation item is the accelerator, it may be displayed on the display as "sudden acceleration."

[0040] The evaluation item "backing" may include evaluation sub-items such as backing speed and safety check before backing.

[0041] The "evaluation value" is a value representing the user's evaluation of the driving of the vehicle 20. For example, the evaluation value may be expressed in a numerical format using integers in any range, such as 1 to 5. Furthermore, for example, the evaluation value may be expressed in an alphabetical ranking format such as S, A, B, C, D, etc., instead of a number.

[0042] The "evaluation period" is a fixed period such as each month or each week. The evaluation period is set repeatedly. In this embodiment, each month is adopted as the evaluation period. The evaluation period may be changeable by the user or may be changeable by the terminal device 10 or the information processing device 30.

[0043] The threshold may be changeable. For example, the threshold may be changed in accordance with a change in the evaluation value. Also, for example, the threshold may be changeable by the user.

[0044] S101: The control unit 15 determines a message to be presented to the user based on a comparison between a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period and one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that are earlier than the first evaluation period.

[0045] Details will be explained. For example, the evaluation value is a number from 1 to 5, with the larger the number, the higher the evaluation. The first evaluation period is the most recent evaluation period for which collection of driving performance information has been completed, and the one or more second evaluation periods are one or more evaluation periods immediately preceding the first evaluation period. Here, the description will be given assuming that there is one second evaluation period. In this case, if the first evaluation value corresponding to the first evaluation period is 4 and the second evaluation value corresponding to the second evaluation period is 3, the control unit 15 determines that the user's driving skill of the vehicle 20 has improved. Therefore, the control unit 15 determines that the message to be presented to the user will enable the user to understand that their driving skill has improved, such as, for example, "Last month, your rating was 3, so your rating has improved."

[0046] Also, for example, if the first evaluation value is 4 and the second evaluation value is 2, the control unit 15 may determine a different message to present to the user than when the second evaluation value is 3.

[0047] Furthermore, for example, if there are multiple second evaluation periods, the control unit 15 may determine a message to be presented to the user that takes into consideration the number of second evaluation values.

[0048] Also, for example, if the evaluation includes multiple evaluation items, the control unit 15 may compare the first evaluation value with the second evaluation value for each evaluation item and determine a message based on the comparison of each evaluation item as the message to be presented to the user.

[0049] Specifically, for example, when the difference in the blinker is the largest as a result of comparing the first evaluation value with one or more second evaluation values for each evaluation item, the control unit 15 may add the content "The point is 'blinker'" to the message to be presented to the user. The content to be added to the message to be presented to the user may not only be for one evaluation item, but also for multiple evaluation items.

[0050] The message to be presented to the user may take into consideration the overall evaluation. For example, if the overall evaluation value is high, the control unit 15 may determine, as the message to be presented to the user, a message indicating that the user's driving skills are high in all evaluation items.

[0051] The message to be presented to the user may also take the first evaluation value into consideration. For example, control unit 15 may determine a different message to be presented to the user when the first evaluation value is 4 and the second evaluation value is 3 than when the first evaluation value is 5 and the second evaluation value is 4.

[0052] The message to be presented to the user may be expressed in a positive way. For example, if the first evaluation value is smaller than the second evaluation value, the control unit 15 may determine that the message to be presented to the user is a message that suggests or suggests something like "Look back at your driving situation and be more careful!", a question like "Has your driving situation changed since last month?", or an encouraging message like "You still have a long way to go!"

[0053] Also, for example, if the evaluation includes multiple evaluation items, the control unit 15 may set a priority for each of the multiple evaluation items, and each of the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value may be an evaluation value based on one evaluation item selected from the multiple evaluation items based on the priority.

[0054] Specifically, for example, if the turn signal is set to have a high priority among multiple evaluation items, the control unit 15 may determine that a message specialized in the evaluation of the turn signal is to be presented to the user.

[0055] The priority may be a numerical value such as an integer, and may be changeable.

[0056] S101 may be performed by the information processing device 30. In this case, the control unit 33 may perform the process instead of the control unit 15.

[0057] S102: The control unit 15 presents the message to the user.

[0058] Specifically, the control unit 15 presents the message determined in S101 to the user by outputting the message on the output unit 12 such as a display. For example, the control unit 15 displays the message on the display of the terminal device 10.

[0059] In addition to the message, the control unit 15 may present a graph or a radar chart regarding the user's evaluation of the driving of the vehicle 20 to the user.

[0060] Specifically, the control unit 15 displays the result of comparing the first evaluation value with one or more second evaluation values on the display of the terminal device 10 as a graph or radar chart.

[0061] When the control unit 33 of the information processing device 30 performs S101 and S102, the control unit 33 transmits the message information and the graph or radar chart information to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 31. Then, the control unit 15 uses the received message information and the graph or radar chart information to output the message and the rough sketch or radar chart on the output unit 12.

[0062] As described above, the terminal device 10 includes the control unit 15. The control unit 15 collects and evaluates driving records of the user's driving of the vehicle 20 for each evaluation period. Next, the control unit 15 determines a message to be presented to the user based on a comparison between a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period and one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period. The control unit 15 then presents the message to the user.

[0063] With this configuration, it is possible to present the user with a message regarding the user's driving of the vehicle 20 that is determined based not only on an evaluation of the first evaluation period but also on a comparison with evaluations of one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period. This allows the user to obtain a continuous evaluation of how their current driving has improved compared to their past driving. Therefore, this embodiment improves the technology for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver in that it allows the user to obtain a continuous evaluation of their driving.

[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0065] For example, in the above-described embodiments, an embodiment is also possible in which the configuration and operation of the terminal device 10 and / or the information processing device 30 are distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Also, for example, an embodiment is also possible in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 30 are provided in the terminal device 10, and conversely, an embodiment is also possible in which some or all of the components of the terminal device 10 are provided in the information processing device 30. For example, the terminal device 10 may include some or all of the components of the information processing device 30, and the information processing device 30 may include some or all of the components of the terminal device 10.

[0066] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 may determine the characteristics of the user's vehicle driving based on the driving performance corresponding to the first evaluation period, and further determine the message to be presented to the user based on the driving characteristics.

[0067] Specifically, for example, if the driving performance information indicates poor fuel economy and high acceleration, the control unit 15 may determine that the user is driving recklessly and decide to present a message to the user advising them to drive more gently.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 may determine the user's personality based on the driving performance corresponding to the first evaluation period, and may determine the message to be presented to the user based on the personality.

[0069] Specifically, for example, if the driving performance information includes poor fuel economy, high acceleration, and fast vehicle speed, the control unit 15 may determine that the user has a short temper and decide to present a message to the user that is careful not to anger the user.

[0070] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 may present a message each time an evaluation is performed, and the message may be determined based on one or more messages that have been presented to the user in the past.

[0071] Specifically, for example, if the message that the control unit 15 determines to present to the user is the same as the message that was previously presented to the user, the control unit 15 may decide to present to the user not the current message, but a message that takes into consideration that the message was previously presented to the user.

[0072] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 may automatically generate a message using AI and present the message to the user.

[0073] Specifically, the control unit 15 compares the first evaluation value with one or more second evaluation values for each of the multiple evaluation items, and sets the result of the comparison and the evaluation content of each of the multiple evaluation items as input data for the AI. Next, the control unit 15 inputs the input data into the AI and receives a message automatically generated by the AI. Then, the control unit 15 presents the message to the user.

[0074] Furthermore, the control unit 15 may further use the driving performance information as input data to the AI, determine the characteristics of the vehicle driving by the user using the AI, and further use the driving characteristics to automatically generate a message using the AI.

[0075] Furthermore, the control unit 15 may further use the driving performance information as input data to the AI, determine the user's personality using the AI, and further use the personality to automatically generate a message using the AI.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit 15 may further use one or more messages previously presented to the user as input data to the AI, and cause the AI to automatically generate a message.

[0077] Also possible is an embodiment in which, for example, a general-purpose computer functions as the terminal device 10 or the information processing device 30 according to the above-described embodiments. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the terminal device 10 or each function of the information processing device 30 according to the above-described embodiments is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 System 10 Terminal Equipment 11 Communications Department 12 Output section 13 Input section 14 Storage section 15 Control Unit 16 Positioning unit 20 vehicles 21 Communications Department 22 Sensor section 23 Memory section 24 Control Unit 30 Information processing equipment 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 40 Network

Claims

1. A terminal device including a control unit, The control unit Collecting and evaluating driving records of users' vehicle driving for each evaluation period; presenting to the user a message determined based on a comparison of a first evaluation value corresponding to a first evaluation period with one or more second evaluation values corresponding to one or more second evaluation periods that precede the first evaluation period; Terminal device.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, The evaluation includes a plurality of evaluation items, A priority is set for each of the plurality of evaluation items, A terminal device, wherein each of the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value is an evaluation value based on one evaluation item selected from the plurality of evaluation items based on the priority.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, The control unit determines a characteristic of the vehicle driving by the user based on the driving performance corresponding to the first evaluation period, and determines the message to be presented to the user based on the driving characteristic. Terminal device.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, The evaluation period is changeable by the user.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, the control unit presents a message each time an evaluation is performed; the message is determined further based on one or more messages previously presented to the user. Terminal device.

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