Information processing apparatus and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and a program that suggest a suitable parking lot to a user while taking into consideration parking difficulty.SOLUTION: In a search server 300, a control unit 301 is configured to: acquire the location of a parking lot and the parking difficulty in the parking lot from a parking lot information database 304; output location difficulty information indicating the location and difficulty of the parking lot to a user terminal 100 of a user using a target vehicle via a communication unit 302; and output, if a planned incentive is set for the parking lot, the location difficulty information further including the planned incentive to the user terminal 100. The planned incentive is an incentive that is planned to be granted when the vehicle is actually parked in the parking lot where the parking difficulty is equal to or greater than a predetermined level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device. The information processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 estimates the parking difficulty level for one or more parking spaces in a parking lot from parking-related information about parking in the parking lot. The information processing device then presents the parking difficulty level to a driver of a vehicle traveling in the parking lot or within a predetermined distance from the parking lot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-71541 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to suggest suitable parking lots to users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: Obtaining a location of a parking lot and a parking difficulty level at the parking lot; outputting location difficulty information indicating the location of the parking lot and the difficulty level at a terminal of a user who uses the target vehicle; The controller is configured to:

[0006] The program according to the second aspect of the present disclosure comprises: A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method, The information processing method includes: acquiring location difficulty information indicating a location of a parking lot, a difficulty level of parking in the parking lot, and an incentive to be provided when the difficulty level exceeds a predetermined difficulty level; outputting information indicating the location of the parking lot, the difficulty level, and the incentive to a terminal of a user who uses the target vehicle; Accepting a selection of a parking lot that the user plans to use; Includes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure makes it possible to suggest suitable parking lots to users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a search system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the search server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of the travel information stored in the travel information database. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of parking lot information held in the parking lot information database. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the first process executed by the control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second process executed by the control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Depending on the user's driving skills, there may be parking lots where parking is difficult. Also, the user may not understand the difficulty of parking in the parking lot. As a result, the user may end up parking in a parking lot where parking is difficult with their driving skills. The information processing device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure solves such problems.

[0010] A control unit of an information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure acquires a location of a parking lot and a parking difficulty level in the parking lot. Then, the control unit of the information processing device outputs location difficulty information indicating the location of the parking lot and the parking difficulty level to a terminal of a user who uses a target vehicle.

[0011] As described above, the information processing device outputs location difficulty information indicating the location and difficulty of parking in a parking lot. This allows the user to understand the location of the parking lot and the difficulty of parking in that parking lot. Therefore, the user can avoid parking in a parking lot that is too difficult for their driving skill. In this way, it is possible to suggest suitable parking lots to the user.

[0012] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, etc. described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations.

[0013] <Embodiment> (System Overview) A search system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the search system 1. The search system 1 includes a user terminal 100, a plurality of in-vehicle devices 200, and a search server 300. In the search system 1, the user terminal 100, the in-vehicle devices 200, and the search server 300 are interconnected by a network N1. The network N1 may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone.

[0014] (user terminal) The user terminal 100 is a terminal used by the user 10. In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 is a mobile information terminal used by the user 10. The user 10 uses the user terminal 100 to search for a parking lot in order to park a vehicle (vehicle 20A). Specifically, the user terminal 100 accesses the search server 300 via the network N1 and receives the search results for parking lots from the search server 300. The user terminal 100 outputs (displays) the search results for parking lots received from the search server 300 to the user 10.

[0015] (In-vehicle device) The in-vehicle device 200 is an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 20. The in-vehicle device 200 acquires driving information of the vehicle 20 in real time. Then, the in-vehicle device 200 transmits the driving information of the vehicle 20 to the search server 300 in real time via the network N1.

[0016] Here, the driving information is information including the current position, operating status, and steering angle (the angle of the steering wheel or tires) of the vehicle 20. The in-vehicle device 200 acquires the current position, operating status, and steering angle of the vehicle 20 from an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle 20 via an in-vehicle network. The operating status is the ON / OFF status of the power of the vehicle 20. If the vehicle 20 is a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine, the in-vehicle device 200 acquires the ON / OFF status of the ignition switch from the ECU via the in-vehicle network, thereby acquiring the current position, operating status, and steering angle of the vehicle 20. Furthermore, if the vehicle 20 is an electric vehicle, the in-vehicle device 200 acquires the power ON / OFF status of the vehicle 20 by acquiring the power switch ON / OFF status from the ECU via the in-vehicle network.

[0017] While the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is ON, the in-vehicle device 200 transmits driving information indicating that the power of the vehicle 20 has been turned ON. In addition, when the ignition switch or power switch of the vehicle 20 is turned OFF, the in-vehicle device 200 transmits driving information indicating that the power of the vehicle 20 has been turned OFF.

[0018] When distinguishing the vehicle 20 of the user 10 from other vehicles 20, the vehicle 20 of the user 10 may be referred to as the vehicle 20A. When distinguishing the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on the vehicle 20 of the user 10 from other in-vehicle devices 200, the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on the vehicle 20A may be referred to as the in-vehicle device 200A.

[0019] (search server) The search server 300 is a server device that provides search results for parking lots. In response to a request from the user terminal 100 to search for parking lots, the search server 300 provides information about parking lots.

[0020] Here, there may be a parking lot where parking is difficult due to the low driving skill of user 10. In this case, if user 10 does not understand the difficulty of parking in the parking lot, user 10 may end up parking vehicle 20A in a parking lot that is difficult to park in for the driving skill of user 10. In this case, user 10 may take a long time to park in the parking lot or may not be able to park in the parking lot.

[0021] Therefore, the search server 300 transmits information about the location of the parking lot and the difficulty of parking in the parking lot (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "location difficulty information") to the user terminal 100 via the network N1 as a result of the parking lot search from the user terminal 100. This makes it possible to prevent the user 10 from parking in a parking lot where parking is difficult due to the user's poor driving skills.

[0022] On the other hand, if user 10 has high driving skills, he or she may be able to park without problems even in parking lots where parking is difficult. However, if user 10 with high driving skills only parks in parking lots where parking is easy, the utilization rate of parking lots where parking is difficult may decrease. Also, there may be parking lots where parking is possible even though parking is challenging for user 10's driving skills. In such cases, by user 10 attempting parking, it is possible to increase the utilization rate of parking lots where parking is difficult.

[0023] Therefore, the search server 300 transmits location difficulty information to the user terminal 100 via the network N1, including the location of the parking lot, the parking difficulty level, and an incentive to be awarded if the user actually parks in a parking lot where the parking difficulty level is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. The predetermined level is a level of difficulty that is assumed to be high for parking. Details of the process performed by the search server 300 when transmitting the location difficulty information to the user terminal 100 will be described later.

[0024] The search server 300 is configured to include a computer having a processor 310, a main memory 320, an auxiliary memory 330, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 340. The processor 310 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory 320 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage unit 330 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory). Alternatively, the auxiliary storage unit 330 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a disc recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a Blu-ray disc. Alternatively, the auxiliary storage unit 330 may be a removable medium (portable storage medium). Examples of removable media include a USB memory or an SD card. The communication I / F 340 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0025] In the search server 300, the auxiliary storage unit 330 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, and the like. In addition, in the search server 300, the processor 310 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 330 into the main storage unit 320 and executes them, thereby realizing various functions as described below. However, some or all of the functions of the search server 300 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC or FPGA. Note that the search server 300 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, and may be composed of multiple computers that work together. Furthermore, like the user terminal 100, the user terminal 100 and the in-vehicle device 200 are also configured to include a computer.

[0026] (Functional configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the search server 300 that constitutes the search system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a block diagram that schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the search server 300. The search server 300 is configured to include a control unit 301, a communication unit 302, a travel information database 303 (travel information DB303), and a parking lot information database 304 (parking lot information DB304).

[0027] The control unit 301 has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the search server 300. The control unit 301 can be realized by a processor 310 in the search server 300. The communication unit 302 has a function of connecting the search server 300 to the network N1. The communication unit 302 can be realized by a communication I / F 340 in the search server 300.

[0028] The control unit 301 receives the travel information of each vehicle 20 from each in-vehicle device 200 in real time via the communication unit 302. The control unit 301 stores the received travel information in the travel information DB 303. The travel information DB 303 has a function of retaining the travel information. The travel information DB 303 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 330 in the search server 300.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of the driving information stored in the driving information DB 303. As shown in Fig. 3, the driving information has a vehicle ID field, a date and time field, a position field, an operating status field, and a steering angle field.

[0030] The vehicle ID field stores an identifier (vehicle ID) for identifying the vehicle 20 equipped with the on-vehicle device 200 that transmitted the travel information. The date and time field stores information indicating the date and time when the on-vehicle device 200 equipped in the vehicle 20 with the corresponding vehicle ID transmitted the travel information. The position field stores information indicating the position of the vehicle 20 at the corresponding date and time.

[0031] The operation status field stores information indicating the ON / OFF status of the power of the vehicle 20 at the corresponding date and time. If the power of the vehicle 20 is ON at the corresponding date and time, the operation status field stores information "ON". If the power of the vehicle 20 is OFF at the corresponding date and time, the operation status field stores information "OFF". The steering angle field stores the steering angle of the vehicle 20 at the corresponding date and time. The control unit 301 can grasp the situation of the vehicle 20 by acquiring the travel information stored in the travel information DB 303.

[0032] The parking lot information DB304 has a function of storing parking lot information. The parking lot information DB304 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 330. The parking lot information is information including the difficulty level of parking at each parking lot. The parking lot information is also information including information indicating an incentive that will be given when parking in the parking lot. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of parking lot information stored in the parking lot information DB304.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the parking lot information has a parking lot ID field, a site range field, a vehicle ID field, a parking completion time field, a number of turns field, a difficulty field, and a planned incentive field. The parking lot ID field stores an identifier (parking lot ID) for identifying the parking lot. The site range field stores information indicating the site range of the parking lot with the corresponding parking lot ID. Here, the parking lot ID stored in the parking lot ID field and the information indicating the site range stored in the site range field are included in the parking lot information in advance as fixed values.

[0034] The vehicle ID field stores an identifier (vehicle ID) for identifying the vehicle 20 that has parked in the parking lot of the corresponding parking lot ID field. Here, the control unit 301 refers to the driving information held in the driving information DB 303 and identifies the vehicle 20 that has parked in the parking lot of the corresponding parking lot ID field (hereinafter, may be referred to as "parked vehicle 20"). Specifically, the control unit 301 determines whether the position of the vehicle 20 stored in the position field of the driving information is included within the site range of the parking lot. If the position of the vehicle 20 stored in the position field of the driving information is included within the site range of the parking lot, the control unit 301 identifies the vehicle 20 as having entered the site range of the parking lot.

[0035] Here, if the vehicle 20 enters the premises of a parking lot and then has its power turned off within the premises, it can be assumed that the vehicle 20 has parked in the parking lot. Therefore, the control unit 301 further refers to the driving information and identifies the vehicle 20 that entered the premises of the parking lot and then had its power turned off within the premises as a parked vehicle 20.

[0036] The control unit 301 also calculates the time it takes for the parked vehicle 20 to complete parking in the parking lot (parking completion time). Specifically, the control unit 301 refers to the date and time field in the travel information to identify the date and time when the parked vehicle 20 entered the premises of the parking lot. The control unit 301 also refers to the date and time field in the travel information to identify the date and time when the power of the vehicle 20 was turned off within the premises of the parking lot after the parked vehicle 20 entered the premises of the parking lot. The control unit 301 then calculates the difference between the date and time when the power of the vehicle 20 was turned off and the date and time when the vehicle 20 entered the premises of the parking lot, thereby identifying the parking completion time. The control unit 301 stores the calculated parking completion time in the parking completion time field.

[0037] The control unit 301 also calculates the driving information and identifies the number of times the steering wheel was turned back and forth until the parked vehicle 20 was parked in the parking lot. Specifically, the control unit 301 references the driving information and acquires the steering angle of the vehicle 20 from the date and time the vehicle 20 entered the premises of the parking lot to the date and time the power of the vehicle 20 was turned off. The control unit 301 determines that a turn was made if the steering angle of the parked vehicle 20 has changed by more than a predetermined angle within a predetermined time. The control unit 301 then counts the number of times the vehicle 20 turned back and forth from the date and time the vehicle 20 entered the premises of the parking lot to the date and time the power of the vehicle 20 was turned off. The control unit 301 stores the counted number of times of turning back and forth in the corresponding number of times of turning back field.

[0038] The control unit 301 may determine whether or not a turn has been made by a method other than determining whether or not the steering angle of the parked vehicle 20 has changed by a predetermined angle or more within a predetermined time. For example, the control unit 301 may determine whether or not the parked vehicle 20 has made a turn by analyzing the trajectory of the position of the parked vehicle 20.

[0039] The difficulty level field stores information indicating the difficulty level of parking in the parking lot in the corresponding parking lot ID field. Here, the longer the parking completion time, the more difficult it is assumed that the user of the parked vehicle 20 had to park. Also, the more times the vehicle has to turn, the more difficult it is assumed that the user of the parked vehicle 20 had to park. Therefore, the control unit 301 calculates the difficulty level of parking in the parking lot in accordance with the parking completion time and the number of times the vehicle has to turn of one or more parked vehicles 20 that have parked in the parking lot in the corresponding parking lot ID field.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 301 calculates the average value of the parking completion time for each parking lot. Then, the control unit 301 assigns a score to the parking completion time for each parking lot according to the average value of the parking completion time for each parking lot. Here, the score assigned to the parking completion time for a parking lot is increased as the average value of the parking completion time for each parking lot increases. Furthermore, if the parking lot's site area is large, it is expected that it will take a long time for the vehicle 20 to reach a parking space after entering the site area. Therefore, the control unit 301 may assign a score to the parking completion time according to the size of the parking lot's site area.

[0041] The control unit 301 also calculates the average value of the number of turns for each parking lot. Then, the control unit 301 assigns a score to the number of turns for each parking lot according to the average value of the number of turns for each parking lot. Here, the score for the number of turns is assigned so that the higher the average value of the number of turns, the higher the score.

[0042] The control unit 301 calculates the difficulty of parking in a parking lot by calculating the sum of the score for the average value of the parking completion time and the score for the average value of the number of turns. At this time, the control unit 301 may calculate the difficulty of parking in a parking lot by weighting each of the scores for the average value of the parking completion time and the average value of the number of turns. The control unit 301 then stores the calculated difficulty of parking in the parking lot in the corresponding difficulty field. Note that the method for calculating the difficulty of parking in a parking lot is not limited to the above method. The difficulty of parking in a parking lot may also be calculated by other methods.

[0043] The planned incentive field stores information indicating the incentive (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "planned incentive") that will be given to the user who parks in the parking lot in the corresponding parking lot ID field. Here, planned incentives are set for parking lots with a predetermined level of difficulty or higher. As shown in Figure 4, the planned incentive field corresponding to a parking lot where the parking difficulty is below the predetermined level and therefore no incentive is planned to be given even if the user parks in the parking lot stores the information "-----".

[0044] If the parking difficulty exceeds a predetermined level, a scheduled incentive may be set. If the parking difficulty is below the predetermined level, no scheduled incentive is set. In this case, if the parking difficulty is equal to the predetermined level, the scheduled incentive may or may not be set.

[0045] The planned incentive field may store information indicating different planned incentives depending on the parking difficulty level in the parking lot. Even if the parking difficulty level in the parking lot is the same, the planned incentive field may store information indicating different planned incentives. If the parking difficulty level at the parking lot is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, information indicating the same planned incentive may be stored.

[0046] The control unit 301 receives search request information from the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 302. The search request information is information requesting a search for a parking lot. The search request information includes information indicating the range within which the parking lot search will be performed (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "search request range"). The search request range is a range specified by the user 10.

[0047] The control unit 301 searches for parking lots in response to the search request information. Specifically, the control unit 301 references the site range field of the parking lot information stored in the parking lot information DB 304, and identifies parking lots whose site range is partly or entirely within the search request range. In this way, the control unit 301 searches for parking lots.

[0048] The control unit 301 refers to the parking lot information stored in the parking lot information DB 304, and acquires the location of the searched parking lot and the difficulty of parking in that parking lot. Furthermore, the control unit 301 refers to the parking lot information, and if a scheduled incentive is set for the searched parking lot, acquires the scheduled incentive for that parking lot. Here, the control unit 301 acquires the site area of ​​the parking lot as the location of the parking lot. Furthermore, the control unit 301 may acquire a predetermined point within the site area of ​​the parking lot as the location of the parking lot. The control unit 301 may acquire, for example, the centroid (center of gravity) of the site area as the location of the parking lot.

[0049] The control unit 301 outputs (transmits) the location difficulty information to the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 302. In this way, the control unit 301 outputs location difficulty information indicating the location of the parking lot and the difficulty of parking to the user terminal 100. Furthermore, if a scheduled incentive is set for the parking lot, the control unit 301 outputs location difficulty information further including the scheduled incentive for the parking lot to the user terminal 100. Furthermore, if there are multiple parking lots within the search request range, the control unit 301 outputs location difficulty information for the multiple parking lots to the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 302.

[0050] When the control unit 301 transmits the location difficulty information to the user terminal 100, it accepts the selection of a parking lot that the user 10 plans to use (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "planned parking lot"). Specifically, the control unit 301 receives selection information from the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 302. The selection information is information indicating the planned parking lot selected by the user 10 from the parking lots whose locations and difficulty levels are indicated in the location difficulty information.

[0051] When the user 10 actually parks in the planned parking lot, the control unit 301 outputs incentive information for actually granting the planned incentive to the user terminal 100. The control unit 301 acquires driving information of the vehicle 20A in real time from the in-vehicle device 200A. Here, the driving information of the vehicle 20A includes location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 20A. The driving information of the vehicle 20A also includes information indicating the operating status of the vehicle 20A. Therefore, the control unit 301 presumes that the vehicle 20A has parked in the planned parking lot when the power of the vehicle 20A is turned off within the site range of the parking lot after the vehicle 20A enters the site range of the parking lot. In other words, the control unit 301 outputs incentive information when it receives driving information indicating that the vehicle 20A has parked in the planned parking lot indicated in the location difficulty information.

[0052] Also, assume that each parking lot is provided with a code such as a barcode or two-dimensional code that can be read by the user terminal 100 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "code"). In this case, the user 10 visits the planned parking lot to park. At that time, the user 10 can use the user terminal 100 to read the code provided at the planned parking lot. Therefore, when the control unit 301 receives, via the communication unit 302, information from the user terminal 100 indicating that the user terminal 100 has read the code, the control unit 301 may output incentive information to the user terminal 100.

[0053] Furthermore, the control unit 301 may output incentive information when it receives information indicating that the vehicle 20A has been parked in the planned parking lot and that the user terminal 100 has read the code provided in the planned parking lot. This allows the control unit 301 to output incentive information to the user 10 who is more certain to have parked in the planned parking lot.

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 301 may output the incentive information to the user terminal 100 when a device installed in the planned parking lot and capable of reading the identifier of the user terminal 100 receives information indicating that it has read the identifier of the user terminal 100 at the planned parking lot. In this case, the device capable of reading the identifier of the user terminal 100 reads the identifier of the user terminal 100, for example, by performing short-range communication with the user terminal 100. Furthermore, the control unit 301 may output the incentive information to the user terminal 100 when a device installed in the planned parking lot and capable of reading the identifier of the vehicle 20A receives information indicating that it has read the identifier of the vehicle 20A at the planned parking lot. In this case, the device capable of reading the identifier of the vehicle 20A reads the identifier of the vehicle 20A, for example, by reading the license plate of the vehicle 20A.

[0055] (First process) The first process executed by the control unit 301 in the search server 300 in the search system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the first process executed by the control unit 301. The first process is a process for calculating the difficulty of parking in a parking lot and updating the parking lot information. Execution of the first process begins at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is determined, for example, by an administrator of the search server 300.

[0056] In the first process, first, in S101, travel information is acquired from the travel information DB 303. Then, in S102, parking lot information is acquired from the parking lot information DB 304. Next, in S103, the travel information and parking lot information are referenced, and a parked vehicle 20 parked in a parking lot whose parking lot ID is stored in the parking lot ID field in the parking lot information is identified. Specifically, the control unit 301 references the position field and the operating status field in the travel information, and identifies, as the parked vehicle 20, a vehicle 20 that has turned off its power after entering the premises of the parking lot.

[0057] Next, in S104, the number of turns of the parked vehicle 20 in the parking lot where the parked vehicle 20 is parked is identified. Also, in S105, the parking completion time of the parked vehicle 20 in the parking lot where the parked vehicle 20 is parked is identified. Next, in S106, the difficulty level of the parking lot is calculated using the average number of turns and the average parking completion time.

[0058] Next, in S107, the parking lot information held in the parking lot information DB 304 is updated. At this time, the control unit 301 stores the vehicle ID, parking completion time, and number of turns of the identified parked vehicle 20 in the vehicle ID field, parking completion time field, and number of turns field, respectively. The control unit 301 also stores the calculated difficulty of parking in the parking lot in the difficulty field. Furthermore, if the difficulty in the difficulty field is equal to or greater than a predetermined difficulty, the control unit 301 stores the scheduled incentive in the scheduled incentive field. In this way, the control unit 301 updates the parking lot information. Then, the first processing ends.

[0059] (Second process) Next, a second process executed by the control unit 301 in the search server 300 in the search system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the second process executed by the control unit 301. The second process is a process for outputting location difficulty information to the user terminal 100. The second process is also a process for outputting incentive information to the user terminal 100 when the user 10 actually parks the vehicle 20A in the planned parking lot. Execution of the second process begins when the control unit 301 receives search request information from the user terminal 100 via the communication unit 302.

[0060] In the second process, first, in S201, parking lot information is acquired from the parking lot information DB 304. Next, in S202, the parking lot information is referenced to acquire the location of parking lots within the search request range and the parking difficulty level in the parking lots. Next, in S203, the parking lot information is referenced to determine whether a scheduled incentive has been set for the parking lot whose location and parking difficulty level have been acquired. If a negative determination is made in S203, a scheduled incentive has not been set for the parking lot whose location and parking difficulty level have been acquired. Therefore, in S205, location difficulty information including the location of the parking lot and the parking difficulty level is output to the user terminal 100.

[0061] If the determination in S203 is affirmative, a scheduled incentive is set for the parking lot whose location and difficulty level have been acquired. Then, in S204, the scheduled incentive is acquired from the parking lot information. Then, in S205, location difficulty information including the location of the parking lot, the parking difficulty level, and the scheduled incentive is output to the user terminal 100.

[0062] Next, in S206, the process begins with accepting the selection of the planned parking lot by the user 10. Next, in S207, it is determined whether the acceptance of the selection of the planned parking lot has been completed. Specifically, the control unit 301 determines whether the acceptance of the selection of the planned parking lot has been completed, depending on whether selection information has been received from the user terminal 100. If a negative determination is made in S207, the process of S207 is executed again. That is, the process of S207 is repeated until the acceptance of the selection of the planned parking lot is completed. Note that the repeated execution of the process of S207 ends after a predetermined time has elapsed since the process of S207 was first executed. This allows the second process to end if the user 10 has not selected a planned parking lot.

[0063] If a positive determination is made in S207, the user 10 has selected the planned parking lot. Then, in S208, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 20A has completed parking at the planned parking lot. If a negative determination is made in S208, the vehicle 20A has not been parked at the planned parking lot, and the process of S208 is executed again. That is, the process of S208 is repeatedly executed until parking at the planned parking lot is completed. Note that the repeated execution of the process of S208 ends after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first execution of the process of S208. This makes it possible to terminate the second process if the user 10 has selected a planned parking lot but has not actually parked there.

[0064] If a positive determination is made in S208, the vehicle 20A is actually parked in the planned parking lot. Then, in S209, incentive information is transmitted to the user terminal 100. Then, the second processing ends.

[0065] As explained above, the search system 1 outputs location difficulty information indicating the location and difficulty of parking lots that exist within the search request range. This allows the user 10 to understand the location of the parking lot and the difficulty of parking in that parking lot. Therefore, if the user 10 has low driving skills, the user 10 will refrain from parking in parking lots that are difficult to park in. Furthermore, the user 10 can understand the scheduled incentives for parking lots that are difficult to park in. Therefore, if the user 10 has high driving skills, the user 10 can be encouraged to use parking lots that are difficult to park in. This increases the utilization rate of parking lots that are difficult to park in, and provides benefits to the user 10 who contributes to increasing the utilization rate of parking lots that are difficult to park in. In this way, it is possible to suggest parking in a suitable parking lot to the user 10.

[0066] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 is a mobile information terminal used by the user 10. However, the user terminal 100 does not necessarily have to be a mobile information terminal. The user terminal 100 may be, for example, an in-vehicle terminal (e.g., an in-vehicle device 200A) mounted on the vehicle 20A.

[0067] (Variation 2) In this embodiment, the search server 300 searches for parking lots when it receives search request information from the user terminal 100. However, the search server 300 may search for parking lots that are located within a predetermined range from the current location of the vehicle 20A in real time, for example. In this case, the search server 300 transmits location difficulty information about the searched parking lots to the user terminal 100 or the in-vehicle device 200A via the network N1. The user terminal 100 or the in-vehicle device 200A then outputs (displays) the received location difficulty information to the user 10.

[0068] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0069] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0070] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk or a hard disk drive (HDD)), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or an optical card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1. Search System 10 users 20 Vehicles 100 user terminals 200...In-vehicle equipment 300··Search Server 301 Control Unit 302··Communications Department 303··Driving Information DB 304 Parking Information DB

Claims

1. Obtaining a location of a parking lot and a parking difficulty level at the parking lot; outputting location difficulty information indicating the location of the parking lot and the difficulty level at a terminal of a user who uses the target vehicle; a control unit configured to perform Information processing device.

2. The difficulty level is determined according to at least one of the time taken for a plurality of vehicles to park in the parking lot in the past and the number of times the plurality of vehicles turned when parking in the parking lot in the past. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. outputting the location difficulty information includes outputting information indicating the location and the difficulty of the parking lot, as well as an incentive to be granted to the user when parking in the parking lot whose difficulty exceeds a predetermined difficulty level.

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

4. The control unit outputting incentive information for granting the incentive to the user when parking completion information indicating that the user has actually parked the target vehicle in the parking lot whose difficulty level exceeds the predetermined difficulty level is obtained from at least one of the user's terminal and the target vehicle; and further configured to perform The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method, The information processing method includes: acquiring information indicating a location of a parking lot, a difficulty level of parking in the parking lot, and an incentive to be provided when the difficulty level exceeds a predetermined difficulty level; outputting information indicating the location of the parking lot, the difficulty level, and the incentive to a terminal of a user who uses the target vehicle; Accepting a selection of a parking lot that the user plans to use; Including, program.

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