Server device and program

Abstract

To suppress dissatisfaction of a user who desires information for arranging a desired vehicle.SOLUTION: The server device includes a communication unit configured to communicate with an external terminal device, and a control unit. The control unit acquires, from a memory within the server device or from outside the server device, sales-related information of a vehicle based on an image or video of the vehicle, and sales-related information of an accessory of the vehicle based on an image, video, or audio of the vehicle, and transmits the information to the terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been disclosed that identifies the model of a vehicle from a captured image and displays the manufacturer, model, price, catalog information, stores that sell the vehicle, and so on (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-031200 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] With only information from dealers of genuine vehicles, users may not be able to obtain the information they need to customize their vehicle to their needs, which can leave them dissatisfied.

[0005] The following describes a server device and the like that improves convenience for users who desire information for arranging vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The server device in the present disclosure has a communication unit that communicates with an external terminal device, and a control unit, and the control unit acquires sales-related information for the vehicle based on images or videos of the vehicle and sales-related information for accessories to the vehicle based on images, videos, or audio of the vehicle from memory within the server device or outside the server device, and sends the information to the terminal device.

[0007] The program in the present disclosure is a program executed by a terminal device, which causes the terminal device to display sales-related information for the vehicle obtained based on images or videos of the vehicle received from a server device, and sales-related information for accessories to the vehicle obtained based on images, videos, or audio of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the server device and the like of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve convenience for users who desire information for arranging vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the information processing system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output image of a terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes the embodiments.

[0011] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes one or more server devices 10 and one or more terminal devices 12, which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information with each other. The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functions as a server that implements various functions. The terminal device 12 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal device, a personal computer, or the like. The network 11 may be, for example, the Internet, an ad-hoc network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0012] In this embodiment, the server device 10 has a communication unit 101 that communicates with an external terminal device 12, and a control unit 103. The control unit 103 acquires sales-related information about a target vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the target vehicle) based on images or videos of the vehicle, and sales-related information about accessories for the target vehicle based on images, videos, or audio of the target vehicle, from a memory within the server device, i.e., from the storage unit 102 or from outside the server device 10, and sends the information to the terminal device 12. According to this aspect, a user of the terminal device 12 can acquire not only sales-related information about the target vehicle but also sales-related information about accessories for the target vehicle based on images of a target vehicle of their choice, etc. In other words, it is possible to improve convenience for users who desire information for customizing their vehicle to look like the target vehicle.

[0013] <Configuration example of server device 10> The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103. The server device 10 is, for example, a single computer. Alternatively, the server device 10 may be configured with two or more computers that are communicably connected and operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is appropriately arranged in the two or more computers.

[0014] The communication unit 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 101 receives information used in the operation of the server device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the server device 10. The server device 10 is connected to a network 11 by the communication unit 101 and communicates information with terminal devices 12 and the like via the network 11.

[0015] The storage unit 102 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 102 stores information used in the operation of the server device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0016] The control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each unit of the server device 10.

[0017] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by executing a control program on a processor included in the control unit 103. The control program is a program that causes a computer to execute processing of steps included in the operation of the server device 10, thereby causing the computer to realize functions corresponding to the processing of those steps. In other words, the control program is a program that causes a computer to function as the server device 10. Also, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 103. Also, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium that is readable by the server device 10, and read by the server device 10 from the medium.

[0018] <Configuration example of terminal device 12> The terminal device 12 includes a communication unit 121 , a storage unit 122 , a control unit 123 , a positioning unit 124 , an input unit 125 , an output unit 126 , and an imaging unit 127 .

[0019] The communication unit 121 includes a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), etc. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 121 via a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and performs information communication with the server device 10, etc. via the network 11.

[0020] The storage unit 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM or ROM. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. The storage unit 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 122 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 123 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0021] The control unit 123 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may have one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 123 performs overall control of the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or operating according to an operating procedure implemented as a circuit.

[0022] The functions of control unit 123 are realized by a processor included in control unit 123 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as control unit 123. In addition, some or all of the functions of control unit 123 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in control unit 123.

[0023] The positioning unit 124 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes, for example, at least one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. Based on the information acquired by the positioning unit 124, location information of the terminal device 12 is obtained.

[0024] The input unit 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces include, for example, physical keys, capacitive keys, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, an IC card reader, and a microphone for accepting voice input. The input unit 125 accepts input of information used for the operation of the control unit 123 and sends the input information to the control unit 123.

[0025] The output unit 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 126 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0026] The image capturing unit 127 has one or more cameras for capturing visible light images. The image capturing unit 127 captures an image of an arbitrary subject in response to an operation performed by a user on the input unit 125, and sends the captured image to the control unit 123.

[0027] <Example of operation procedure for information processing system> FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation procedure of the information processing system 1 in this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the procedure for the cooperative operation between the server device 10 and the terminal device 12. Steps related to various information processing by the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 in FIG. 2 are executed by the respective control units 103 and 123. Furthermore, steps related to the transmission and reception of various information by the server device 10 and the terminal device 12 are executed by the respective control units 103 and 123 transmitting and receiving information to each other via the respective communication units 101 and 121. In the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, the control units 103 and 123 appropriately store the information to be transmitted, received, and processed in the respective storage units 102 and 122. Furthermore, the control unit 123 of the terminal device 12 accepts input of various information from a user via the input unit 125 and outputs the various information to the user via the output unit 126.

[0028] In S20, the terminal device 12 captures an image of the target vehicle and acquires its audio. For example, if a user carrying the terminal device 12 desires to capture an image of a target vehicle of interest, the terminal device 12 uses the imaging function of the terminal device 12 to capture an image of the target vehicle. When the user performs an operation on the input unit 125 to instruct the input unit 125 to capture an image, the control unit 123 responds by causing the imaging unit 127 to capture the image. The control unit 123 also acquires information about the audio of the target vehicle collected by the microphone of the input unit 125.

[0029] In S21, the terminal device 12 transmits the captured image, audio, inquiry request, and location information of the target vehicle to the server device 10. For example, when the user performs an operation to instruct the terminal device 12 to inquire about information about the target vehicle, the terminal device 12 acquires location information using the positioning unit 124, and transmits the captured image, audio information, inquiry request information, and location information to the server device 10.

[0030] In S22, the server device 10 determines the vehicle type of the target vehicle. For example, the control unit 103 performs image processing on the captured image using an arbitrary algorithm to detect features of the target vehicle, such as parts and the overall shape, from the captured image, and determine the vehicle type that matches the features. For example, the control unit 123 reads information associating vehicle features with vehicle types from the storage unit 102, and determines the vehicle type corresponding to the detected features. The information associating vehicle features with vehicle types may be stored in the storage unit 102 in advance, or may be obtained from another server or the like and stored in the storage unit 102 when S22 is executed. Alternatively, the server device 10 may perform machine learning using training data associating vehicle features with vehicle types to generate and store in advance a model that identifies the vehicle type from the vehicle features, and then use the model to identify the vehicle type.

[0031] In S23, the server device 10 identifies the accessories of the target vehicle. For example, the control unit 103 identifies the accessories using information on the standard state of the target vehicle for each vehicle type determined based on the captured image. The standard state is a state in which optional accessories are not installed for each vehicle type, and includes the vehicle height. The information on the standard state includes an image of the vehicle in its standard state. The control unit 103 compares the captured image with the image of the standard state and identifies parts that do not match the image of the standard state as accessories. Accessories are parts that can affect the vehicle's appearance, such as mufflers, fenders, bumpers, suspension parts, aero parts, wheels, brake calipers, headlights, and rear lights. Images of such accessories, type information, etc. are associated and stored in the storage unit 102, and the control unit 103 reads this information to identify the accessories included in the captured image. Because suspension parts affect the vehicle height, if the information on the standard vehicle height does not match the vehicle height of the target vehicle in the captured image, suspension parts corresponding to the vehicle height are identified. Control unit 123 may also determine the accessories by taking audio information into consideration. For example, it may identify characteristics of the muffler sound, such as the volume and pattern, and determine the muffler corresponding to the identified characteristics. Control unit 103 reads information that associates the characteristics of the muffler sound with the muffler, which is stored in storage unit 102, and determines the muffler corresponding to the identified characteristics. Note that the information on the standard state, information on the accessories, etc. used to determine the accessories may be stored in storage unit 102 in advance, or may be obtained from another server or the like and stored in storage unit 102 when S23 is executed.

[0032] In S24, the server device 10 acquires sales-related information about the target vehicle and its accessories. The vehicle sales-related information is information about the sale of a standard vehicle of the determined vehicle type, including the name of the dealer selling the vehicle, the dealer's address, the vehicle price, etc. The accessory sales-related information is information about the sale of the determined accessory, including the name of the dealer selling the accessory, the name of the installer capable of installing the accessory, the address of the dealer or installer, and the accessory price, etc. For example, the control unit 103 reads the vehicle sales-related information and accessory sales-related information stored in the memory unit 102 and identifies the vehicle sales-related information and accessory sales-related information corresponding to the determined vehicle type and accessory, respectively. One or both of the vehicle and accessory sales-related information may be stored in the memory unit 102 in advance, or may be acquired from another server or the like and stored in the memory unit 102 when S24 is executed. When there is multiple sales-related information about the vehicle or accessory, the control unit 103 can select sales-related information about the dealer closest to the location of the terminal device 12 using the location information of the terminal device 12.

[0033] In S25, the server device 10 sends the acquired sales-related information to the terminal device 12.

[0034] In S26, the terminal device 12 presents sales-related information about the target vehicle and accessories to the user. For example, the terminal device 12 displays a captured image of the target vehicle with the sales-related information added thereto.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows an example of a display on the terminal device 12. The terminal device 12 captures an image 30 of the target vehicle in S20 and sends the captured image 30 to the server device 10 in S21 to request a query for sales-related information. The terminal device 12 then displays an output image 31 containing the sales-related information acquired in S25 in S26. The output image 31 is an image in which sales-related information 32 of the vehicle and sales practice information 33 of each accessory are superimposed on the captured image 30, respectively, as text information. The sales-related information 32 and 33 each include the name of the vehicle or accessory and the name of the corresponding business. The sales-related information 32 and 33 may further include text information or a map image indicating the location of each business. The sales-related information 32 and 33 may each include information on multiple businesses, or may select only the nearest business. The sales-related information may also be output by voice. By viewing the output image 31, the user can obtain sales information for the target vehicle as well as sales information for the desired accessories, thereby improving convenience for users who want information for customizing their vehicle.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the terminal device 12 may acquire the image of the target vehicle not by capturing an image, but by, for example, downloading an image uploaded to the server device 10 or another server. Alternatively, the terminal device 12 may send information such as a uniform resource locator (URL) indicating the location of the image of the target vehicle on another server or the like to the server device 10, and the server device 10 may acquire the image of the target vehicle based on the information. This makes it possible to reduce the communication load. Furthermore, the image of the target vehicle may be a still image or a moving image including multiple frames.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, some or all of the operations of the server device 10 may be executed by the terminal device 12. In that case, the server device 10 and the terminal device 12, or the terminal device 12, correspond to the "server device" of the present embodiment.

[0038] Although the embodiments have been described above based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Terminal Equipment 101, 121 Communications Department 102, 122 Storage section 103, 123 Control section 124 Positioning Unit 125 Input section 126 Output section

Claims

1. a communication unit that communicates with an external terminal device; a control unit; the control unit acquires sales-related information for the vehicle based on an image or video of the vehicle and sales-related information for accessories for the vehicle based on an image, video, or audio of the vehicle from a memory within the server device or from outside the server device, and sends the information to the terminal device; Server device.

2. In claim 1, The control unit is a server device that acquires images of the vehicle, the video, or a link to access the images or videos of the vehicle from the terminal device, and identifies the type of the vehicle and accessories.

3. In claim 2, The control unit acquires images and videos of the vehicle as well as audio from the terminal device.

4. A program executed by a terminal device, The terminal device, and operating the device to display sales-related information about the vehicle, which is acquired based on an image or video of the vehicle received from the server device, and sales-related information about accessories for the vehicle, which is acquired based on the image, video, or audio of the vehicle. program.

5. In claim 4, The type of the vehicle is identified from the image of the vehicle in the terminal device, and the image or sound of the vehicle is A program that operates to identify the type of the accessory from the voice and send information on the identified vehicle and type of accessory to the server device.

Images