Method

Abstract

To improve a technique for achieving a smooth visit to a destination by a user after delivery of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A method implemented by an information processing device 10 includes processes of: acquiring information indicating one or more places to which a user purchasing a vehicle 20 desires to visit; associating an identifier of the user with the one or more places, so as to store them in a storage section 12; and transmitting destination information indicating the one or more places as destinations to the vehicle 20 via a communication section 13 when the vehicle 20 is delivered to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] It has been known that information about a destination set by a user is used to set a destination in a vehicle the user is in. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a vehicle device sets a destination for car navigation using destination information for multimodal navigation input by a user to a user terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-028589 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology that would enable users to smoothly reach their destination after delivery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The method disclosed herein is a method executed by an information processing device having a control unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit, and includes the control unit acquiring information indicating one or more locations that a user purchasing a vehicle wishes to visit, correlating an identifier of the user with the one or more locations and storing the associated information in the memory unit, and transmitting destination information indicating the one or more locations as destinations to the vehicle via the communication unit at the time of delivery to the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present disclosure makes it possible to improve the technology that enables users to smoothly visit their destination after delivery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the description of the present embodiments, the description of identical or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0009] The configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes an information processing device 10 and a vehicle 20. The devices are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 30 including, for example, the Internet.

[0010] The information processing device 10 is a computer installed in a facility such as a data center. The information processing device 10 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system. In this embodiment, the information processing device 10 can provide a website for purchasing a vehicle 20.

[0011] The vehicle 20 may be any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The vehicle 20 may be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. The autonomous driving may include, for example, levels 1 to 5 defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), but is not limited to these, and may be defined arbitrarily. The vehicle 20 is equipped with a detachable or integrated navigation device that displays a route to a set destination.

[0012] Network 30 may include the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or any combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 30 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or any combination thereof. A wireless network may be, for example, an ad hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0013] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be provided later. The information processing device 10 acquires information indicating one or more locations that a user who purchases a vehicle wishes to visit. The information processing device 10 stores the user's identifier and the one or more locations in association with each other. When delivering the vehicle to the user, the information processing device 10 transmits destination information indicating the one or more locations as destinations to the vehicle 20.

[0014] According to this embodiment, a place that the user wants to visit after delivery is automatically set as a destination in the vehicle 20 after delivery. This increases the likelihood that the user will be able to reliably visit a place that the user wanted to visit with the vehicle even if there is time between the time the user purchases the vehicle and the time the vehicle is delivered and the user forgets the place. This makes it possible to improve the technology that enables the user to smoothly visit the destination after delivery.

[0015] The configuration of an information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0016] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. An example of the programmable circuit is an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. An example of the dedicated circuit is an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 controls each unit of the information processing device 10 and executes processing related to the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0017] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, or a flash memory. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. Flash memory is, for example, an SSD. "SSD" is an abbreviation for solid-state drive. Magnetic memory is, for example, an HDD. "HDD" is an abbreviation for hard disk drive. The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0018] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication module. The communication module is, for example, a module that complies with a wired LAN communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN communication standard such as IEEE802.11. "IEEE" is an abbreviation for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The communication unit 13 communicates with devices other than the information processing device 10. The communication unit 13 receives information used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0019] The configuration of the vehicle 20 according to this embodiment will be described. The vehicle 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, and an output unit 25.

[0020] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, at least one ECU, or any combination thereof. "ECU" is an abbreviation for electronic control unit. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. The control unit 21 controls each part of the vehicle 20 and executes processes related to the operation of the vehicle 20.

[0021] The storage unit 22 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage unit 22 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores data used in the operation of the vehicle 20 and data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 20.

[0022] The communication unit 23 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G standard, or 5G standard, an interface compatible with short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a LAN interface. The communication unit 23 receives data used in the operation of the vehicle 20 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 20.

[0023] The input unit 24 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, a camera, or a microphone. The input unit 34 accepts an operation to input data used for operating the vehicle 20. The input unit 34 may be connected to the vehicle 20 as an external input device instead of being provided in the vehicle 20. Any connection method may be used, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0024] The output unit 25 includes at least one output interface. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The output unit 35 outputs data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 20. The output unit 35 may be connected to the vehicle 20 as an external output device instead of being provided in the vehicle 20. Any connection method may be used, for example, USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0025] The functions of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 are realized by executing a program according to this embodiment on a processor serving as the control unit 11 or the control unit 21. That is, the functions of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20, thereby causing the computer to function as the control unit 21 of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20. That is, the computer functions as the control unit 21 of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 by executing the operations of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 in accordance with the program.

[0026] The program can be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include flash memory, magnetic recording devices, optical disks, magneto-optical recording media, and ROMs. The program can be distributed by selling, transferring, or lending portable media such as SD cards, DVDs, or CD-ROMs that store the program. "SD" is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program can also be distributed by storing it in the storage of a server and transferring it from the server to another computer. The program can also be provided as a program product.

[0027] A computer temporarily stores a program stored on a portable medium or transferred from a server in its main storage device. The computer then reads the program stored in the main storage device using a processor and executes processing in accordance with the read program. The computer may also read the program directly from a portable medium and execute processing in accordance with the program. The computer may also execute processing in accordance with the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. Processing may also be executed through a so-called ASP-type service that achieves its functions by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results without transferring the program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program is information used for processing by a computer and includes something equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to a computer but has properties that specify computer processing falls under the category of "something equivalent to a program."

[0028] Some or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11 or the control unit 21. In other words, some or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 or the vehicle 20 may be realized by hardware.

[0029] The operation of the system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Among the operations shown in FIG. 2, the operation of the information processing device 10 corresponds to the method according to this embodiment. In the following, it is assumed that communication between the information processing device 10 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 13 and the network 30. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 starts the following operation from S1 when, for example, a user logs in to a website for selling a vehicle 20. In this case, the control unit 11 may specify a user identifier based on the ID of the account used by the user to log in, and identify the user.

[0030] In S1 of FIG. 2, when the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 acquires information indicating one or more places that the user wishes to visit, the control unit 11 associates the places with the user's identifier and stores the information in the storage unit 12. Any method may be used to acquire the information indicating the places that the user wishes to visit. For example, the control unit 11 may receive, from the terminal device, information indicating the user's response to an inquiry about tourist destinations of interest, and acquire the information as information indicating the places that the user wishes to visit. For example, the control unit 11 may acquire, from the terminal device, information indicating a text message of a messaging application used by the user on the terminal device. The control unit 11 may analyze the text message using any natural language processing technology, extract words indicating places included in the text message, and generate information indicating the places that the user wishes to visit based on the extracted words. In this example, the control unit 11 associates the user's identifier with tourist destination A and stores the information in the storage unit 12.

[0031] The control unit 11 may further associate the date and time when the information indicating the place the user wishes to visit was acquired with the user's identifier and store the date and time in the storage unit 12. As a result, as will be described in S6 below, the control unit 11 can generate destination information in which the destinations are ordered in ascending or descending order of the date and time when the user wished to visit a predetermined place. As a result, it becomes possible to set destinations in the vehicle 20 so that the destinations can be visited in the order in which the user wished to visit or the order in which the user most recently wished to visit.

[0032] In S2, the control unit 11 determines whether the user has purchased the vehicle 20. Any method may be used for this determination. For example, the control unit 21 may determine that the user has purchased the vehicle 20 when the user logs in to a sales website for the vehicle 20 and purchases the vehicle 20. For example, the control unit 11 may receive information indicating the vehicle sales history from a terminal device of a vehicle dealership and determine that the user has purchased the vehicle 20 based on that information. If it is determined that the user has purchased the vehicle, the processing of the control unit 11 proceeds to S3. If it is determined that the user has not purchased the vehicle, the processing of the control unit 11 returns to S1.

[0033] In S3, the control unit 11 acquires information indicating the scheduled delivery date and time of the vehicle 20 purchased by the user. The control unit 11 may acquire the information by reading it from the storage unit 12, or by receiving it from a terminal device of the vehicle dealer. In this example, the control unit 11 acquires information indicating 10:00 AM on April 1, 2025 as the scheduled delivery date and time.

[0034] In S4, similarly to S1, when the control unit 11 acquires information indicating a place the user wishes to visit, the control unit 11 associates the place with the user's identifier and stores the information in the storage unit 12. This allows the control unit 11 to accumulate, in the storage unit 12, any information acquired indicating a place the user wishes to visit up until a predetermined time before the scheduled delivery date and time, i.e., immediately before the actual delivery of the vehicle to the user, as will be described in S5 below. In this example, in addition to tourist destination A stored in the storage unit 12 in S1, the control unit 11 also stores tourist destination B in the storage unit 12 in association with the user's identifier.

[0035] In S5, the control unit 11 determines whether it is a predetermined time before the scheduled delivery date and time indicated by the information acquired in S3. The predetermined time is, for example, one hour. The predetermined time may be set in advance and stored in the memory unit 12. If it is determined that it is the predetermined time before, the processing of the control unit 21 proceeds to S6. If it is determined that it is not the predetermined time before, the processing of the control unit 11 returns to S4. In this example, it is assumed that the current time is 9:00 AM on April 1, 2025, and the predetermined time is one hour. The control unit 11 determines that it is the predetermined time before the scheduled delivery date and time, and the processing of the control unit 11 proceeds to S6.

[0036] In S6, the control unit 11 transmits destination information indicating the places the user wishes to visit as destinations to the vehicle 20. Specifically, the control unit 11 reads out the information indicating the places that was stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the user identifier in S1 and S4, generates destination information based on the information, and transmits it to the vehicle 20. In this example, the control unit 11 transmits destination information indicating tourist destination A and tourist destination B as destinations to the vehicle 20.

[0037] The timing when the control unit 11 transmits the destination information is not limited to the above. For example, the control unit 11 may transmit the destination information to the vehicle 20 when the control unit 11 associates the user identifier with the vehicle identifier and registers them in the database of the storage unit 12.

[0038] The control unit 11 may generate destination information indicating the ordered destinations. For example, the control unit 11 may generate destination information indicating places the user wishes to visit as destinations, ordered in ascending or descending order of the date and time the information was stored in the storage unit 12 in S1 or S4. Without being limited to this, the control unit 11 may refer to information indicating the user's home address and map information pre-stored in the storage unit 12, and order the destinations in descending order of proximity to the user's home address. The control unit 11 may also order the destinations in descending order of the number of right turns or left turns on the route from the user's home address. This allows the user to visit destinations in descending order of the number of easy-to-travel routes in the vehicle 20, as described below in S8.

[0039] The control unit 11 may generate destination information by further adding a suitable time to visit each destination. Suitable times for visiting include, for example, the time when tourist facilities located at the destination are open, or the time when local specialties are produced at the destination. Information indicating the suitable times may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0040] As shown in S1 to S6, the control unit 11 transmits destination information indicating one or more locations as destinations to the vehicle 20 via the communication unit 13 when the vehicle is delivered to the user.

[0041] In S7, the control unit 21 of the vehicle 20 receives the destination information from the information processing device 10. The control unit 21 stores the destination information in the storage unit 22.

[0042] In S8, the control unit 21 sets a destination based on the destination information. In this example, the control unit 21 sets tourist destination A and tourist destination B as the destinations. This allows the user to depart for the destination in the vehicle 20 immediately after delivery.

[0043] The control unit 21 may present the destination indicated by the destination information to the user via the output unit 25 and inquire as to whether to set it as the destination. In this case, the control unit 21 sets the destination based on the answer input by the user via the input unit 24. If the destination information includes a suitable time for visiting, the control unit 21 may set the destination indicated by the destination information as the destination to head to by the vehicle 20 when that time arrives. This increases the likelihood that the user will remember to visit a place they wanted to visit at an appropriate time without having to manually set it as a destination, improving user convenience.

[0044] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Two or more steps shown in the flowcharts may be executed in parallel or in a different order, instead of being executed in chronological order as described, depending on the processing capabilities of the device executing each step, or as needed. Other modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] As a modified example of the present disclosure, when the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 determines that the vehicle 20 has visited the destination set in S8, the control unit 11 may generate information indicating a benefit that can be used at the destination and transmit the information to the vehicle 20. The benefit may include a discount coupon that can be used at a facility at the destination. Any method may be used to determine that the vehicle 20 has visited the destination. For example, the control unit 11 may acquire location information of the vehicle 20 detected by a positioning unit of the vehicle 20, and determine that the vehicle 20 has visited the destination based on the location information. This makes it easier for the user to actually visit the destination set in S8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 System 10. Information processing equipment 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 20 vehicles 21 Control Unit 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input section 25 Output section 30 Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A method executed by an information processing device including a control unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit, The control unit obtaining information indicative of one or more locations that a user wishing to visit to purchase a vehicle; storing the user's identifier and the one or more locations in association with each other in the storage unit; and transmitting destination information indicating the one or more locations as destinations to the vehicle via the communication unit when the vehicle is delivered to the user.

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