Server device

Abstract

To enable enhancement of interest through positive responses.SOLUTION: A server device provided herein is configured to transmit information for classifying an image of a vehicle into a body and accessories of the vehicle to a terminal device, receive positive responses to the image itself or accessories from the terminal device, and determine the level of interest in the accessories computed according to the number of positive responses.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A technology for analyzing product trends from posts on social networking services (SNS) has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-009426 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a major product such as a car is posted on social media along with accessories such as parts, it is unclear whether the positive reaction from viewers, such as a "like," will be directed at the car itself or the accessories attached to the car, leaving room for increased interest.

[0005] The following describes a server device and the like that can increase interest through positive responses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The server device in the present disclosure sends information to a terminal device for classifying an image of a vehicle into the vehicle body and accessories of the vehicle, receives positive responses to the image itself or the accessories from the terminal device, and determines the attention level of the accessories calculated according to the number of positive responses.

[0007] Another server device in the present disclosure is a server device that receives positive responses to an image of a vehicle posted on a social network service, and based on the positive responses, assigns points to each of the vehicle body and accessories in the image of the vehicle, and determines the attention level of the accessory according to the number of points received by the accessory. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the server device etc. of the present disclosure, it is possible to increase interest through positive reactions. [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 multiple 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 include, for example, the Internet, an ad-hoc network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0012] In this embodiment, the server device 10 sends information (hereinafter referred to as classification information) for classifying an image of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the target vehicle) into the body and accessories of the target vehicle to the terminal device 12, receives positive responses to the image itself or the accessories from the terminal device 12, and determines the attention level of the accessory calculated according to the number of positive responses. The server device 10 also receives positive responses to the image of the target vehicle posted on the social network service, and based on the positive responses, assigns points to each of the body and accessories of the target vehicle in the image of the target vehicle, and determines the attention level of the accessory according to the number of points received by the accessory. With this server device 10, when a user of the terminal device 12 posts an image of the target vehicle, the attention level of the accessory can be grasped based on the positive responses. This makes it possible to increase interest through positive responses.

[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 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the procedure for the cooperative operation of the server device 10 and two terminal devices 12 (hereinafter, when distinguishing between them, they will be given sub-numbers such as terminal device 12-1 and terminal device 12-2). 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. In FIG. 2, the terminal device 12-1 is used by a user who posts an image of the target vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a posting user), and the terminal device 12-2 is used by a user who views the image of the target vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a viewing user).

[0028] In S200, terminal device 12-1 acquires a posted image. The posted image is an image of a target vehicle. The target vehicle includes the vehicle itself and accessories. For example, when a posting user desires to capture an image of a target vehicle of interest while carrying terminal device 12-1, the image of the target vehicle is captured using the imaging function of terminal device 12-1. When the posting user performs an operation on input unit 125 to instruct the input unit 125 to capture an image, control unit 123 responds by causing imaging unit 127 to capture the image. Furthermore, control unit 123 acquires information about the sound of the target vehicle collected by the microphone of input unit 125. Alternatively, terminal device 12-1 may acquire the image of the target vehicle by downloading it from server device 10 or another server in response to an operation by the posting user.

[0029] In S201, terminal device 12-1 transmits a posted image and location information to server device 10. For example, when a posting user performs an operation to post a posted image to an SNS site provided by server device 10, terminal device 12-1 transmits the posted image to server device 10 in response to this.

[0030] In S202, the server device 10 separates the accessories of the target vehicle. The server device 10 determines the vehicle type of the target vehicle, and separates the accessories based on the standard condition information of the determined vehicle type.

[0031] For example, the control unit 103 performs image processing on the posted image using an arbitrary algorithm, detects features of the target vehicle, such as parts and the overall shape, from the posted image, and determines the vehicle type that matches the features. For example, the control unit 103 reads information associating vehicle features with vehicle types from the storage unit 102, and determines the vehicle type that corresponds to the detected features. Such 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 executing S202. Furthermore, the control unit 103 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 this model to identify the vehicle type.

[0032] Next, the control unit 103 compares the posted image with an image of the standard state for the vehicle type of the target vehicle determined to be the posted image and determines that any part that does not match the image of the standard state is an accessory. The standard state is a state in which optional accessories are not attached for each vehicle type, including the vehicle height. Such an image of the standard state for each vehicle type may be stored in advance in the storage unit 102, or may be obtained from another server or the like and stored in the storage unit 102 when S202 is executed. 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 classify the accessories included in the posted 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 posted image, suspension parts corresponding to the vehicle height are determined. The control unit 123 may also take audio information into account when determining accessories. For example, characteristics of the muffler sound, such as the volume and pattern, are identified, and a muffler corresponding to the identified characteristics is determined. Control unit 103 reads information that associates muffler sound characteristics with mufflers, which is stored in storage unit 102, and determines a muffler corresponding to the identified characteristics. Note that the information used to determine the accessory 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 S22 is executed.

[0033] As a variation of S202, it is also possible for terminal device 12-1 to acquire information for classifying accessories when acquiring a posted image, and to send the classification information for classifying the accessories together with the posted image to server device 10. For example, when a posting user performs an operation to post a posted image, the posting user performs an operation to classify accessories in the posted image, thereby generating classification information. For example, the posting user selects the accessory portion in the posted image displayed by terminal device 12-1 by a tap operation or the like, thereby classifying the accessories. Here, information indicating the classified accessories is generated as classification information.

[0034] In S203, the server device 10 posts the posted image on the SNS site.

[0035] In S204, the server device 10 sends the posted image to the terminal device 12-2. For example, when a viewing user accesses the SNS site of the server device 10 and performs an operation to view the posted image, the terminal device 12-2 requests the posted image from the server device 10, and in response to the request, the posted image is sent from the server device 10. The classification information is sent to the terminal device 12-2 together with the posted image.

[0036] In S205, the terminal device 12-2 displays the posted image and the classification information to present them to the viewing user. The terminal device 12-2 displays, for example, a posted image 30 as shown in FIG. 3 together with the classification information 32. Here, the classification information 32 is a dotted or chain line area that is superimposed on the accessory portion of the posted image and surrounds the accessory. The classification information can be displayed in any manner as long as the accessory is visible. For example, the color of the accessory portion may be changed.

[0037] In S206, the terminal device 12-2 sends information about the positive reaction to the server device 10. The process reaction information is generated when a viewing user performs an operation indicating a positive reaction, such as a "like," to a posted image, and is sent to the server device 10. Classification information may be added to the positive reaction information. For example, if a viewing user has a positive reaction to an accessory in a posted image, the viewing user can specify the accessory and perform a positive reaction operation, thereby sending the positive reaction information along with the classification information of the specified accessory to the server device 10. For example, in the posted image 30 of FIG. 3, the viewing user can specify the target accessory by selecting it using a tap operation or the like. Then, the server device 10 updates the posted image 30 by superimposing a positive reaction mark 34 on it, and the updated posted image 30 is displayed on the terminal device 12-2.

[0038] In S207, the server device 10 derives the attention level. The server device 10 accumulates the number of positive responses for each accessory as points. When the viewing user of the terminal device 12-2 or another viewing user views the posted image on their respective terminal devices 12 and performs a positive response operation, the server device 10 accumulates points for each accessory. When a positive response is sent without specifying an accessory, the points may be divided proportionally between the vehicle and the accessory using an arbitrary coefficient. The server device 10 then sets, for example, multiple levels of attention level according to the number of points, and determines the attention level when the number of points for each accessory reaches a reference number for each level.

[0039] In S208, the server device 10 acquires sales-related information for the accessory. For example, the server device 10 acquires sales-related information for an accessory whose attention level has reached a predetermined standard. The sales-related information for the accessory is information related to the sale of the accessory, and includes the name of a sales business that sells the accessory, the name of a construction business that can install the accessory, and the location of the sales or construction business. Instead of the location of the sales business, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information for directing to an EC (Electronic Commerce) site may be included. For example, the control unit 103 reads the sales-related information for the accessory stored in the memory unit 102 and identifies the sales-related information corresponding to the accessory whose attention level has reached a standard. The sales-related information for the accessory 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 S208 is executed. When there are multiple pieces of sales-related information for the accessory, the control unit 103 can acquire location information from the terminal device 12-2 and select sales-related information related to the business that is closest to the location of the terminal device 12-2. The server device 10 can reduce the processing and communication load by not acquiring sales-related information about an accessory if the degree of attention does not reach a standard.

[0040] In S209, the server device 10 posts the sales-related information. For example, the server device 10 generates an image for posting by associating the sales-related information with the posted image, and updates the posted image on the SNS site with the image for posting. For example, the server device 10 posts the sales-related information by displaying an image like the updated posted image 31 in FIG. 3 . The posted image 31 includes sales-related information 33 in addition to accessory sorting information 32. When the viewing user of terminal device 12-2 or another viewing user views the posted image 31 on their respective terminal devices 12, they can obtain sales-related information about accessories that are attracting a lot of attention.

[0041] In S210, the server device 10 derives an incentive. The incentive is, for example, points having economic value, coupon information, or the like, which are added up according to attention points and given to the posting user. For example, when the attention points of an accessory included in the posted image reach an arbitrary standard, the server device 10 derives an incentive for the posting user. The incentive can be determined using an arbitrary algorithm, and may be, for example, the total number of points of the accessory included in the posted image that reaches the standard attention level, or the total number of points prorated by an arbitrary coefficient.

[0042] In S211, the server device 10 sends incentive information to the terminal device 12-1. The incentive information is information indicating the magnitude of the derived incentive. By checking the incentive information on the terminal device 12-1, the posting user can recognize that an incentive will be granted. This increases the user's motivation and interest in posting more.

[0043] In S212, the server device 10 performs an incentive granting process. The server device 10 performs a process of granting an incentive to the posting user's SNS account or to an account of a financial institution or the like linked thereto. In this way, an incentive is granted to be used by the posting user.

[0044] According to the above-described embodiment, for example, it is possible to improve the efficiency of accessory sales promotion by using the attention level for accessories. In this case, it is possible to analyze the potential impact that accessories have on the appearance of the main product as the attention level. Furthermore, it is possible to contribute to improving sales performance by directing users with a high purchasing potential to e-commerce sites and physical stores. Furthermore, it is possible to contribute to economic revitalization by increasing affiliate income through social media. Furthermore, it is possible to diversify ways of enjoying vehicles by equipping vehicles with accessories, offering them for viewing, and sharing impressions, thereby increasing the interest of each user. It is also possible to improve convenience for users by making it easier to identify and obtain desired accessories.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, the image of the target vehicle may be a still image or a moving image including multiple frames.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, some or all of the operations of the server device 10 may be executed by the terminal device 12-1 or 12-2.

[0047] 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]

[0048] 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 server device that sends information for classifying an image of a vehicle into the body of the vehicle and accessories to a terminal device, receives positive responses to the image itself or the accessories from the terminal device, and determines the attention level of the accessories calculated according to the number of positive responses.

2. In claim 1, A server device that acquires an image of the vehicle from another terminal device and classifies the accessories based on a specification by the other terminal device or by extracting the accessories from the image.

3. A server device that receives positive responses to an image of a vehicle posted on a social network service, and based on the positive responses, assigns points to each of the vehicle body and accessories in the image of the vehicle, and determines the attention level of the accessory according to the number of points received by the accessory.

4. In any one of claims 1 to 3, A server device selects accessories whose attention level exceeds a threshold as products for sale in a physical store or an online store.

5. In any one of claims 1 to 3, When a positive response to the accessory whose attention level exceeds a threshold is received from the terminal device, sales-related information for the accessory is sent to the terminal device. Server device.

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