Information management system, information management method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information management system, and the like, capable of managing information more appropriately.SOLUTION: An information management system configured to manage information stored in a mobile body (vehicle 100) includes: an acquisition unit 13 that acquires identification information of a driver operating the mobile body; an application programming interface (API) library 12 that stores identification information of one or more drivers in association with lists of APIs that can be called; and an API control unit 11. The API control unit 11 acquires API information related to an API for accessing information stored in the mobile body, the API being scheduled to be called by software executed on the mobile body, determines whether the API related to the API information can be called, with reference to the API library 12 using the identification information of the driver operating the mobile body and the API information acquired, and calls the API based on a determination result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, information terminals such as smartphones have become widespread, and we are entering a stage where greater convenience is sought when using information terminals. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an invention that makes it easier to browse websites using a smartphone's web browser and to install the associated applications (hereinafter also referred to as apps).

[0003] On the other hand, just like with information terminals such as smartphones, there is an increasing number of services being provided for mobile devices such as automobiles, which allow apps to be installed and run to make the interior of the vehicle more comfortable.In addition, cars called software-defined vehicles (SDVs) have appeared, which allow software to be updated wirelessly (for example, over the air (OTA)), and opportunities to use software in automobiles and other vehicles are also increasing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-125033 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, mobile objects such as automobiles have different usage patterns from smartphones, which poses challenges in information management. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an information management system and the like that can more appropriately manage information in terms of the above challenges in mobile objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information management system that manages information stored in a mobile body, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires identification information of a driver operating the mobile body, an API library that stores identification information of each of one or more drivers in association with a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and an API control unit. The API control unit acquires API information from software running on the mobile body regarding an API that is planned to be called and is used to access information stored in the mobile body, and by referring to the API library using the acquired identification information of the driver operating the mobile body and the acquired API information, determines whether or not the API related to the API information can be called, and calls the API based on the determination result.

[0007] An information management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information management method executed by a computer and managing information stored in a mobile body, and includes the steps of: acquiring identification information of a driver operating the mobile body; acquiring, from software running on the mobile body, API information regarding an API that is planned to be called and that is used to access information stored in the mobile body; using the acquired identification information of the driver operating the mobile body and the acquired API information, by referencing an API library that stores and links the identification information of each of one or more drivers to a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), thereby determining whether an API related to the API information can be called; and calling the API based on the determination result.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the information management method described above.

[0009] These general or specific aspects may be realized by a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or by any combination of a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a non-transitory recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the information management system and the like of the present disclosure, more appropriate information management becomes possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating information stored in an API library according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining information stored in the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information management system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Summary of the Disclosure) As explained in the Background Art section, similar to information terminals such as smartphones, mobile devices such as automobiles are increasingly being offered with apps installed and running to make the interior of the vehicle more comfortable. It is expected that opportunities to browse websites using web browsers will increase in automobiles and other devices in the future. However, when the technology described in Patent Document 1 is applied to automobiles, unlike smartphones, mobile devices such as automobiles may be shared by multiple users, such as family and friends. In particular, there are situations, such as car sharing, where an unspecified number of users use the same automobile. Therefore, it may be insufficient to manage information in the same way as information terminals such as smartphones that belong to individuals, such as website sensitivity settings and security settings for app installation. Furthermore, unlike smartphones, which are assumed to be constantly connected to networks such as the Internet, mobile devices may not be connected to the Internet depending on their location. Therefore, there is likely room for improvement not only in the management of information on web servers but also in the management of information within the vehicle.

[0013] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and provides an information management system and the like that is capable of more appropriate information management in a mobile object.

[0014] The outline of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0015] An information management system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an information management system for managing information stored in a mobile body, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires identification information of a driver operating the mobile body, an API library that stores identification information of each of one or more drivers in association with a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and an API control unit. The API control unit acquires API information from software running on the mobile body regarding an API that is planned to be called and is used to access information stored in the mobile body, and by referring to the API library using the acquired identification information of the driver operating the mobile body and the acquired API information, determines whether or not the API related to the API information can be called, and calls the API based on the determination result.

[0016] According to this information management system, drivers and a list of callable APIs are stored in association with each other in the API library. Therefore, after identifying a driver, it is possible to determine whether an API is callable for that driver by referring to the list of API libraries corresponding to that driver. For example, even for newly installed software, by determining the callable APIs for each driver, it is possible to determine whether or not to call an API called by that software without any additional settings, and it is possible to control access to information stored in a mobile object by processing executed by calling an API. In this way, more appropriate information management is possible.

[0017] In addition, an information management system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the information management system described in the first aspect, in which identification information of the driver operating the mobile object is obtained as a result of personal identification using an image of the driver.

[0018] According to this, by using the identification information of the driver operating the vehicle obtained as a result of personal identification using an image of the driver, it is possible to determine whether or not an API related to the API information can be called by referring to the API library.

[0019] In addition, an information management system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the information management system described in the first aspect, in which identification information of a driver operating a mobile object is obtained as a result of personal identification using communication with an identification terminal owned by the driver.

[0020] According to this, by using the identification information of the driver operating the vehicle obtained as a result of personal identification using communication with an identification terminal owned by the driver, it is possible to determine whether or not an API related to the API information can be called by referring to the API library.

[0021] Furthermore, an information management system according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an information management system described in any one of the first to third aspects, in which API information is acquired for each scheduled API call in software executed on a mobile body, and an API control unit determines whether or not the API related to the API information can be called each time the API information is acquired, and calls the API based on the determination result.

[0022] This allows the API information acquired for each scheduled API call in software executed on a mobile device to be used to refer to the API library, thereby determining whether or not an API related to the API information can be called.

[0023] In addition, an information management system according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an information management system described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which identification information of a driver operating a mobile object is obtained for each scheduled API call in software executed on the mobile object, and the API control unit references the API library using the newly obtained identification information of the driver operating the mobile object.

[0024] According to this, by using the identification information of the driver operating the mobile object obtained for each scheduled API call in the software executed on the mobile object, it is possible to determine whether or not an API related to the API information can be called by referring to the API library.

[0025] In addition, an information management system according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an information management system described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which identification information of a driver operating a mobile object is acquired after the mobile object starts, and the API control unit repeatedly uses the acquired identification information until the driver operating the mobile object leaves his / her seat.

[0026] According to this, the identification information of the driver operating the vehicle, obtained after the vehicle starts, is repeatedly used until the driver leaves the vehicle, and by referring to the API library, it is possible to determine whether or not an API related to the API information can be called.

[0027] In addition, an information management method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an information management method executed by a computer and managing information stored in a mobile body, and includes the steps of: acquiring identification information of a driver operating the mobile body; acquiring, from software executed on the mobile body, API information regarding an API that is planned to be called and is for accessing information stored in the mobile body; using the acquired identification information of the driver operating the mobile body and the acquired API information, by referencing an API library that stores and links the identification information of each of one or more drivers with a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), thereby determining whether an API related to the API information can be called; and calling the API based on the determination result.

[0028] This can provide the same effects as the information management system described above.

[0029] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the information management method according to the seventh aspect.

[0030] According to this, by having a computer execute the method, it is possible to achieve the same effect as the information management method described above.

[0031] These general or specific aspects may be realized by a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or by any combination of a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a non-transitory recording medium.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following explanation and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0033] The present inventors have provided the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0034] (Embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information management system according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, a vehicle is used as an example of a moving body, but the moving body is not limited to a vehicle. If the technical content disclosed in the present application can be applied, things other than vehicles, such as ships and aircraft, can also be considered as moving bodies.

[0035] 1, vehicle 100 includes a platform 99 realized as software executed using a processor and a memory, a plurality of apps 31 executed on the platform 99, and an identification system 98 for identifying a driver that is provided separately from the platform 99. The information management system is configured within the platform 99 and includes an API control unit 11, an API library 12, an acquisition unit 13, and an information storage unit 14. Platform 99 is integrated with, for example, a car navigation system (not shown), and receives operations on apps 31 by the driver from the UI of the car navigation system.

[0036] The API control unit 11 is a processing unit that calls an API (Application Programming Interface) in response to a request from the application 31 and causes a processor to execute processing in accordance with the called API. In particular, when an API is called from the application 31, the API control unit 11 acquires API information of the API that is scheduled to be called, determines whether or not the API may be called for the driver currently driving the vehicle 100, and then calls only the API that may be called. Specifically, the API control unit 11 determines whether or not an API may be called in cooperation with the API library 12 and acquisition unit 13 described below.

[0037] The API library 12 is a database for associating drivers provided in the vehicle 100 with callable APIs. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining information stored in the API library according to the embodiment. For example, as shown in the diagram, the API library 12 associates a driver ID (an example of identification information) for identifying each driver from multiple other drivers with a list of APIs that are set to be callable for that driver. For example, for a driver with a driver ID of "A," the list of callable APIs includes an API for acquiring a name, an API for acquiring an address, an API for acquiring payment information, an API for registering payment information, and the like.

[0038] The acquisition unit 13 acquires, as identification information, an identification result that identifies the driver operating the vehicle 100 from the identification system 98 of the vehicle 100. The identification information is exchanged, for example, in the form of a driver ID as described above. The identification system 98 acquires, for example, an image from a camera installed in a position that photographs the driver's seat of the vehicle 100, and uses image recognition to identify the driver sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle 100 from other drivers. An external server or the like may be involved in this identification. The acquisition unit 13 acquires the result of the individual identification thus identified.

[0039] Alternatively, the identification system 98 may communicate with an identification terminal within a range capable of communicating with the communication system of the vehicle 100 (i.e., within the cabin of the vehicle 100) to identify the driver in the vehicle 100 from other drivers based on personal information registered on the identification terminal. The results of the personal identification thus performed may be acquired by the acquisition unit 13. The identification terminal may be a general-purpose information terminal such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or PC owned by the driver, or may be a dedicated terminal such as a smart key registered for each individual driver. Other existing personal identification technologies such as fingerprint authentication, voiceprint authentication, and vein authentication may be used as appropriate for personal identification.

[0040] The acquisition unit 13 acquires the driver ID of the driver of the vehicle 100 as identification information. The API control unit 11 refers to the API library 12 using the driver ID and the API information obtained from the application 31, and determines whether or not the callable APIs included in the entry for the corresponding driver ID include an API related to the API information. Based on the result of this determination, the API control unit 11 calls or restricts the calling of the API.

[0041] The API control unit 11 may perform such a determination for all APIs, or may perform such a determination for only those APIs that access information stored in the information storage unit 14 described below.

[0042] The information storage unit 14 stores information related to personal settings stored in the vehicle 100. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining information stored in the vehicle according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the vehicle 100 stores the driver's name, address, payment information, and the like as information that can be acquired from each app 31. Each app 31 can acquire such information from the information storage unit 14 by calling an API for acquiring information.

[0043] An example of the operation of the information management system described above will be described below with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information management system according to the embodiment. Each application 31 calls multiple APIs during execution and causes a processor to execute processing in accordance with the APIs to fulfill its respective functions. At this time, the application 31 transmits API information to the API control unit 11 for each API call request. The API control unit 11 acquires the API information (S12) and causes the acquisition unit 13 to inquire about identification information from the identification system 98. In this way, the identification information is acquired each time an API call is scheduled, triggered by the acquisition of the API information. The acquisition unit 13 acquires new identification information (S13) and outputs the latest identification information to the API control unit 11.

[0044] The API control unit 11 refers to the API library 12 using the acquired API information and the latest identification information (S14). The API control unit 11 determines whether the API that is scheduled to be called can be called based on the acquired API information (S15). If the API control unit 11 determines that the API can be called (Yes in S15), the API control unit 11 calls the API (S16), for example, by causing the processor to execute processing in accordance with the API, accessing the information storage unit 14 to acquire stored information, and outputting the information to the application 31.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is determined that the API cannot be called (No in S15), execution of the API is prohibited (skip S16). Then, the process ends. This series of processes is performed each time API information is acquired. However, as described above, when distinguishing between APIs that perform this process and APIs that do not perform this process, the processes from step S13 onwards are performed only when API information relating to an API that performs this process is acquired. In other words, after step S12, it may be determined whether the API related to the acquired API information is the API to be processed.

[0046] Furthermore, since once the engine is started, there is a high possibility that the driver will not change until the engine is stopped, it is possible to acquire the identification information only once after the engine is started, and thereafter repeatedly use the acquired identification information until the engine is stopped, thereby omitting the acquisition of the identification information from the second time onwards (skip S13). However, when considering a change of driver after the engine is started, if a sensor capable of detecting whether the driver has left the seat, such as a seating sensor, is mounted on the seat in which the driver sits, the identification information may be acquired again in cooperation with the sensor only when there is a possibility that the driver has changed (when leaving the seat is detected). Note that it is assumed that the driver will leave the seat after the engine is stopped. Therefore, in this example, the identification information is repeatedly used after it has been acquired once until the driver leaves the seat (or it is determined that the driver has left the seat).

[0047] As described above, the information management system according to the embodiment can manage access to information stored in the vehicle 100 at the API level (i.e., on the platform 99). Therefore, even when a new application 31 is installed and used, no separate setting is required, and the APIs that can be called for each driver are managed, so that the information stored in the vehicle 100 can be accessed from the APIs that the current driver is permitted to call. This enables more appropriate information management.

[0048] (Other embodiments) Although the control device and the like according to the embodiment of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.

[0049] For example, in the above embodiments, each component 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 or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0050] Each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits. Each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0051] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium.

[0052] In the above-described embodiments, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. In addition, the order of multiple processes in the operation of the communication system described in the above-described embodiments may be changed, and multiple processes may be performed in parallel.

[0053] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] The present disclosure is useful in managing information in a moving object such as a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 11 API control section 12 API Libraries 13 Acquisition Department 14 Information storage section 31 Apps 98 Identification System 99 Platform 100 vehicles

Claims

1. An information management system for managing information stored in a mobile body, an acquisition unit that acquires identification information of a driver who operates the moving object; an API library that associates and stores identification information of each of one or more drivers with a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces); an API control unit; The API control unit obtaining, from software running on the mobile device, API information relating to an API to be called, the API being used to access information stored on the mobile device; determining whether or not an API related to the API information can be called by referring to the API library using the acquired identification information of the driver who operates the mobile object and the acquired API information; Call the API based on the result of the judgment Information management system.

2. The identification information of the driver who operates the vehicle is obtained by personal identification using an image of the driver. The information management system according to claim 1 .

3. The identification information of the driver who operates the vehicle is acquired as a result of personal identification using communication with an identification terminal owned by the driver. The information management system according to claim 1 .

4. The API information is obtained for each scheduled API call in software executed on the mobile device; The API control unit determines whether or not an API related to the API information can be called each time the API information is acquired, and calls the API based on the determination result. The information management system according to claim 1 .

5. Identification information of a driver operating the vehicle is acquired for each scheduled call of an API in software executed on the vehicle; The API control unit refers to the API library using newly acquired identification information of a driver who operates the mobile object. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Identification information of a driver operating the vehicle is obtained after the vehicle is started; The API control unit repeatedly uses the acquired identification information until the driver who operates the vehicle leaves the seat. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. An information management method executed by a computer for managing information stored in a mobile object, comprising: acquiring identification information of a driver who operates the vehicle; obtaining, from software executing on the mobile device, API information regarding an API to be called, the API being used to access information stored on the mobile device; a step of determining whether an API related to the API information can be called by referring to an API library that stores identification information of one or more drivers and a list of callable APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) by using the obtained identification information of the driver who operates the mobile object and the obtained API information; and calling an API based on the determination result. Information management method

8. A method for causing the computer to execute the information management method according to claim 7. program.

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