Mobile body management system, mobile body management method, and program

Abstract

To efficiently carry out component and function management for a mobile body.SOLUTION: A mobile body management system according to the present invention includes: a diagnosis information acquiring unit for acquiring first diagnosis information relating to a state of a first function / component of each of a plurality of first mobile bodies; a necessary amount information acquiring unit for acquiring first necessary amount information relating to a predetermined additionally required amount for the first function / component in a first scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance of each of the plurality of first mobile bodies is scheduled to be carried out on the basis of the first diagnosis information; a corresponding capacity information acquiring unit for acquiring first corresponding capacity information relating to the predetermined additionally required amount for the first function / component during the first scheduled maintenance period; and an output unit for outputting correspondence possibility information relating to correspondence possibility in execution of the predetermined additionally required amount for the plurality of first mobile bodies expected during the first scheduled maintenance period on the basis of the first necessary amount information and the first corresponding capacity information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing technology for efficiently managing functions and parts of mobile objects. [Background technology]

[0002] On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) is a diagnostic function built into electronic control units (ECUs) such as engines and transmissions. Because OBD diagnostics can diagnose vehicle malfunctions, a vehicle is brought to a repair shop, where a mechanic connects a diagnostic information collection tool to the OBD to collect information about malfunctions in the vehicle's functions and components (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle diagnostics"). Based on the results, the vehicle is repaired. In other words, if a vehicle abnormality (e.g., a malfunctioning part) is discovered after scanning with the vehicle diagnostic tool, a replacement part is ordered, and the vehicle is repaired once the replacement part arrives.

[0003] As a conventional technique related to vehicle diagnosis, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for acquiring characteristic parameters of a vehicle, establishing a communication connection with an OBD diagnostic port of an on-board fault diagnosis system of the vehicle, diagnosing the vehicle based on the characteristic parameters to acquire a diagnostic result, and, if the diagnostic result includes a fault code, searching for and outputting advice corresponding to the fault code. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-524523 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Those who need to manage multiple vehicles (for example, the general affairs department of a company that uses vehicles for sales activities, vehicle leasing companies, etc.) need to regularly check the condition of the vehicles. If the vehicles require part replacement or maintenance, it is important to minimize the lead time (the time the vehicles are out of service) and to carry out repairs, maintenance, etc. at low cost. Furthermore, for those who manage vehicle parts (for example, vehicle parts suppliers), those who handle part replacement and maintenance (for example, repair shops), and those who sell the vehicles themselves (for example, used vehicle dealers), it is important to procure parts at the right time and handle part replacement and maintenance at the right time, thereby responding to needs regarding vehicle functions and parts, thereby shortening lead times and responding at low cost.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to efficiently manage functions and parts related to a moving object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a mobile object management system includes a diagnostic information acquisition unit that acquires first diagnostic information regarding the status of a first function / component installed in each of a first plurality of mobile objects; a required quantity information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the first diagnostic information, first required quantity information regarding the required quantity of specified additional measures required for the first function / component during a first scheduled maintenance period in which mobile object maintenance is scheduled to be performed on a second plurality of mobile objects included in the first plurality of mobile objects; a response capacity information acquisition unit that acquires response capacity information regarding the specified additional measures during the first scheduled maintenance period; and an output unit that outputs problem information regarding problems with the implementation of the specified additional measures expected for the second plurality of mobile objects during the first scheduled maintenance period based on the first required quantity information and the response capacity information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The system according to the present invention makes it possible to efficiently manage functions and parts related to moving objects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mobile terminal 20 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a server 30 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an administrator terminal 40 according to one aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of a first diagnostic information process according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of support possibility information displayed on the administrator terminal 40 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is another example of support possibility information displayed on the administrator terminal 40 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is yet another example of availability information displayed on the administrator terminal 40 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of content displayed on an operator terminal 60 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a display example when "Notification from leasing company" is selected in the content of FIG. 9 according to one aspect of the embodiment. [Figure 11] 12 is an example of a target moving object information table 324 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart of a second diagnostic information process according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is yet another example of support possibility information displayed on the administrator terminal 40 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 14]1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a travel information acquisition device 10 according to an aspect of an embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a travel information transmission process according to an aspect of an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted. Furthermore, the components described in these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0011] First Embodiment A first embodiment, which is an example for realizing the information processing technology of the present invention, will be described below. The contents described in this embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments, examples, and modified examples.

[0012] <Functional configuration> 1 is a system configuration diagram of a vehicle management system according to one aspect of the first embodiment. In this system, there are multiple mobile objects 1, which are vehicles to be managed. The system also includes a mobile terminal 20 held by a diagnoser for diagnosing the multiple mobile objects 1 and obtaining the diagnostic results, a server 30, an administrator terminal 40 operated by an administrator who owns and manages the multiple mobile objects 1, a maintenance workshop terminal 50 that manages maintenance information at a maintenance workshop that performs maintenance on the mobile objects 1, and an operator terminal 60 that receives and operates the mobile objects 1 from the administrator, all connected via a network NW. When an operator scans each mobile object 1 using the mobile terminal 20, the diagnostic information and the like acquired by the mobile terminal 20 are transmitted to the server 30 via the network NW. In the server 30, various processes are performed based on the received and accumulated diagnostic information, etc., and the information generated as a result is sent to, for example, the administrator terminal 40, the maintenance workshop terminal 50, and the operator terminal 60, where it is converted into an appropriate form and output.

[0013] The moving object 1 may be, for example, a passenger car or a truck, but is not limited to these, and may be any vehicle capable of vehicle diagnosis. For example, it may be an unmanned vehicle. It may also be a gasoline-powered vehicle, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle.

[0014] In this embodiment, the vehicle diagnosis is described assuming that it is performed by OBD scanning. However, the method of vehicle diagnosis is not limited to vehicle diagnosis, and any method may be used as long as the server 30 can acquire information about the status of the vehicle's functions and parts through a communication line such as a network NW. For example, it may be realized by means of a connected car.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 20 of FIG. The mobile terminal 20 in this embodiment is a device for transmitting diagnostic information acquired about the mobile object 1 by vehicle diagnosis to the server 30, and is held by a diagnostician who performs the vehicle diagnosis (for example, a vehicle manager, a mechanic dispatched from a maintenance shop that performs predetermined additional measures described below, etc.). The mobile terminal 20 may also have a digital key function for accessing the inside of the mobile object 1 that is the target of vehicle diagnosis. The mobile terminal 20 is configured to include, for example, a processing unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, and a sound output unit 260. The mobile terminal 20 is realized by, for example, a smartphone, but is not limited to this and may be any device having a similar configuration.

[0016] Vehicle diagnosis does not necessarily have to be performed by a diagnostician, but may be achieved by the mobile body 1 performing self-diagnosis at an appropriate time (for example, periodically), or by executing a diagnostic function installed in the mobile body 1 via the network NW, and the embodiment is not particularly limited.

[0017] Here, diagnostic information is a general term for information acquired and recorded by various control units (ECUs) and sensors of a vehicle (preferably a vehicle that complies with the OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics II) standard), and is data collected and used for the purposes of understanding the vehicle's condition, detecting abnormalities, identifying fault locations, etc. This includes, by way of example and not limitation, a "Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC)" that codes the circumstances under which an error occurred, and more preferably, a "freeze frame" that records the environmental conditions at the time of the abnormality, and "live data" that is real-time numerical information obtained from various sensors and actuators.

[0018] The processing unit 210 is configured by a processing operation device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processing unit 210 performs various processes on each piece of data, and also controls each functional unit such as the communication unit 230 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 220.

[0019] The storage unit 220 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc., and stores the control program processed by the processing unit 210, various data, for example, information acquired by each functional unit, etc. Note that the storage unit 220 is not limited to being built into the mobile terminal 20, and may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as a universal serial bus (USB), etc.

[0020] In this embodiment, the storage unit 220 stores, for example, a vehicle diagnosis processing program 221 and a digital key processing program 222.

[0021] The vehicle diagnosis processing program 221 is a program for realizing vehicle diagnosis processing for acquiring diagnostic information of the moving body 1 obtained by vehicle diagnosis and transmitting the acquired diagnostic information to the server 30.

[0022] The digital key processing program 222 is a program for managing a digital key for accessing the inside of the moving body 1, which is the target of vehicle diagnosis.

[0023] The communication unit 230 is a module that can connect to a public network such as the Internet and communicate data with devices such as the server 30 connected to the network using, for example, mobile communications such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3G, 4G, or 5G, or narrowband communications such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). Alternatively, information may be exchanged using communications compatible with ETC2.0, which performs two-way communications using DSRC. The acquired diagnostic information is transmitted to an external server 30 via the communication unit 230 .

[0024] Furthermore, the communication unit 230 is connected to a vehicle diagnostic tool for performing vehicle diagnosis, and diagnostic information acquired by the vehicle diagnostic tool is received by the mobile terminal 20 via the communication unit 230 and stored in the storage unit 220. The vehicle diagnostic tool may be implemented as an internal function of the mobile terminal 20, rather than as an external tool connected via the communication unit 230.

[0025] The display unit 240 is a display device configured to have, for example, an LCD or the like, and performs various displays based on display signals output from the processing unit 210. The display unit 240 may be configured integrally with a touch panel to form the operation unit 250 as a touch screen.

[0026] The operation unit 250 is configured to have input devices such as operation buttons and operation switches that allow the user to input various operations to the mobile terminal 20. The operation unit 250 may also have a touch panel that is configured integrally with the display unit 240, and this touch panel may function as an input interface between the user and the mobile terminal 20. The operation unit 250 outputs an operation signal to the processing unit 210 in accordance with a user operation. If the vehicle diagnostic tool is implemented as an internal function of the mobile terminal 20, operations related to vehicle diagnosis may be performed through the operation unit 250.

[0027] The sound output unit 260 is a sound output device including a speaker and the like, and outputs various sounds based on the sound output signal output from the processing unit 210 .

[0028] Furthermore, other appropriate means may be used to acquire the diagnostic information. For example, although not shown in Fig. 2, a wireless device such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi device may be used instead of a physical cable connection.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 30 in Fig. 1. The server 30 in this embodiment is configured to include a processing unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a communication unit 330. The server 30 is connected to the mobile terminal 20, the administrator terminal 40, etc. via a network such as the Internet, receives diagnostic information from the mobile terminal 20, and stores it in the storage unit 320. Furthermore, the server 30 performs processes such as OBD processing based on the stored information.

[0030] The processing unit 310 is configured by a processing operation device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processing unit 310 performs various processes on each piece of data, and also reads and executes programs stored in the storage unit 320.

[0031] The storage unit 320 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc., and stores the control program processed by the processing unit 310 and various data, such as a table in which information about each moving object 1 is registered. Note that the storage unit 320 is not limited to being built into the server 30, and may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as a universal serial bus (USB), etc.

[0032] In this embodiment, the storage unit 320 stores, for example, a first diagnostic information processing program 321, a diagnostic information database 323, and a target moving object information table 324.

[0033] The first diagnostic information processing program 321 is a program that is read by the processing unit 310 and executed as first diagnostic information processing, which will be described later.

[0034] The diagnostic information database 323 is a database for storing diagnostic information of the moving object 1 transmitted from the mobile terminal 20, and information generated by appropriately processing the diagnostic information.

[0035] The target moving object information table 324 is a table that stores information about the target moving object in association with the identification information of the target moving object, as will be described in detail later.

[0036] The communication unit 330 is a module that uses a wired or wireless communication interface, for example, mobile communications such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3G, 4G, or 5G, or narrowband communications such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), to connect to a network such as the Internet and perform data communication with each device such as the mobile terminal 20 connected to the network.

[0037] As described above, the administrator terminal 40 is a device operated by an administrator who owns and manages multiple mobile bodies 1, and is installed, for example, at a leasing company, etc., and manages information about the multiple mobile bodies 1 under management.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the administrator terminal 40 of Fig. 1. The administrator terminal 40 in this embodiment may be, for example and without limitation, an electronic device such as a tablet or laptop PC, and is configured to include, for example, a processing unit 410, a storage unit 420, a communication unit 430, a display unit 440, an operation unit 450, and a sound output unit 460. The configurations of these functional units, namely, processing unit 410, memory unit 420, communication unit 430, display unit 440, operation unit 450, and sound output unit 460, may be substantially the same as those of processing unit 210, memory unit 220, communication unit 230, display unit 240, operation unit 250, and sound output unit 260 of mobile terminal 20, and therefore detailed explanations thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the administrator terminal 40 is realized by, for example, a laptop PC, but is not limited to this and may be any device having a similar configuration.

[0039] In this embodiment, the storage unit 420 stores, for example, a vehicle management processing program 421 and a database 422.

[0040] The vehicle management processing program 421 is read by the processing unit 410 and is intended to perform processing in cooperation with the first diagnostic information processing program 321 of the server 30, and is a program executed using the output from the first diagnostic information processing described below.

[0041] The database 422 is a database for managing data used in processing carried out based on the vehicle management processing program 421 and the like.

[0042] As described above, the maintenance workshop terminal 50 is a device that manages information about the target mobile body 1, and is installed in a maintenance workshop, etc., or a location that manages such a maintenance workshop, etc., for performing mobile body maintenance on the mobile body 1 and, if necessary, performing specified additional measures. The operator terminal 60 is a device that receives mobile objects 1 from an administrator, such as a leasing company, and is installed at a business company, department, etc. that operates the mobile objects 1, or at a location that manages such business companies, departments, etc., for managing information about the operation of the provided mobile objects 1.

[0043] The maintenance workshop terminal 50 and the operator terminal 60 may be, for example, devices such as a tablet or laptop PC, similar to the administrator terminal 40, and are configured with a processing unit, a memory unit, a communication unit, a display unit, an operation unit, and a sound output unit, etc. The configuration of each of these functional units may be substantially the same as the processing unit 210, memory unit 220, communication unit 230, display unit 240, operation unit 250, and sound output unit 260 of the mobile terminal 20, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. The storage units of the maintenance workshop terminal 50 and the operator terminal 60 store a vehicle management processing program, similar to the manager terminal 40. The vehicle management processing program receives instructions from the manager terminal 40 via the network NW at the maintenance workshop terminal 50 and the operator terminal 60, and issues appropriate notifications, etc. Details will be described later.

[0044] <First diagnostic information processing> 5 is a flowchart of the first diagnostic information processing in this embodiment. The first diagnostic information processing acquires diagnostic information from the moving body 1 that is the target of vehicle diagnosis, determines whether or not a predetermined additional action such as part replacement is necessary based on the acquired diagnostic information, and outputs a recommended action based on the determination result. The first diagnostic information processing is processing performed by a first diagnostic information processing program 321 stored in the storage unit 320 of the server 30.

[0045] First, the administrator terminal 40 identifies a target mobile object 1 (hereinafter referred to as a "target mobile object") for vehicle diagnosis (S4001). In this embodiment, the target mobile object is positioned as a group of mobile objects that are used to calculate how many of the mobile objects will require predetermined additional measures (described in detail below) in each of the statutory inspections such as vehicle inspections and optional periodic inspections (hereinafter collectively referred to as "mobile object maintenance") that will occur in the future. The target mobile object may be, for example, all of the mobile objects owned by a business operator (e.g., a vehicle leasing company) that owns a large number of mobile objects and provides them to business companies that need to operate them. The method for identifying the target mobile object is not particularly limited, but for example, the target mobile object may be identified by a person such as an administrator specifying it via the operation unit of the administrator terminal 40, or the timing of some trigger for vehicle operation or management, such as the start of operation or the time when mobile object maintenance was last performed, may be recorded for each mobile object 1, and the mobile object 1 may be designated as the target mobile object when a predetermined time (e.g., one year) has passed since that point. Furthermore, the target mobile objects may be identified by narrowing down the managed mobile objects to those for which mobile object maintenance is scheduled to occur soon (e.g., mobile objects for which mobile object maintenance is scheduled within three months from the time this process is performed).

[0046] Once the target moving object is identified, corresponding identification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 (S4002). Next, using the mobile terminal 20, a person who will perform the vehicle diagnosis (hereinafter referred to as the "diagnostician") accesses the target moving object corresponding to the identification information, performs the vehicle diagnosis, and obtains diagnostic information for each target moving object (S2003). Accessing the target moving object is not particularly necessary if the person who owns the mobile terminal 20 (e.g., an administrator) has access means. However, if the person does not have access means (e.g., when an external diagnostician or the like is performing the diagnosis), digital key information that serves as access means may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 20, and each target moving object may be accessed using the digital key information.

[0047] In addition, if the target mobile object is a connected car or the like, and diagnostic information can be obtained without physical contact, for example, via wireless communication, the identification information can be sent to the management device rather than via the mobile terminal 20 of the diagnostician, and the administrator terminal 40 or server 30 can obtain diagnostic information regarding the mobile object without the intervention of the diagnostician.

[0048] The acquired diagnostic information is transmitted to the server 30 (S2004). The diagnostic information may be transmitted each time it is acquired (for example, for each target moving body), or may be transmitted all at once after the diagnostic work for all target moving bodies is completed.

[0049] The server 30 receives the diagnostic information transmitted in step S2004 and stores it in the storage unit 320 (S3004). Then, based on the acquired diagnostic information, it is determined whether or not a predetermined additional action is required for a predetermined function / component for each of the target moving objects (S3005).

[0050] Whether or not a specified additional response is necessary indicates that some additional response is necessary in addition to the work of checking for abnormalities that is normally performed in vehicle inspections, periodic checkups, etc. As an example, it means a state in which work such as part replacement or overhaul is required, but it is difficult for the manager of the mobile unit 1 to handle due to issues of skill, time, cost, etc. As another example, it means a state in which the manager of the mobile unit 1 can handle it himself, but some cost, such as the cost of parts related to part replacement, is required.

[0051] For example, this means that the following parts need to be replaced or cleaned: Engine and exhaust related ·Replacement of O2 sensor (oxygen sensor) due to abnormality -Replacement of spark plugs and ignition coils due to engine misfires -Replacement of parts due to throttle position sensor abnormality · Cleaning or replacement of the MAF sensor (air flow sensor) due to abnormality Cleaning or replacement of EGR valve (exhaust gas recirculation system) Fuel and intake system Cleaning or replacement of fuel injection system (injectors, etc.) due to abnormalities Warning lights (can be checked by scanning) -Replacement of various sensors and control systems due to check engine light illumination (cause identifiable) Emissions abnormality related codes (OBD-II code P04xx, etc.) Additionally, there are some items that are likely to be detected by a scan but may be addressed during vehicle inspections. · Replace the pump or radiator due to a malfunction of the coolant temperature sensor - Replacement of catalytic converter (CAT) due to deterioration · Replacement of ignition coil due to malfunction

[0052] As a more specific example, if the acquired diagnostic information includes information about the degree of deterioration of a certain component (e.g., the SOH of a battery in an electric vehicle), and the degree of deterioration meets a predetermined deterioration condition (e.g., the SOH is 50% or less), it is determined that a predetermined additional response is necessary. Also, if the acquired diagnostic information includes information about whether an abnormality has occurred in a certain component, and the information indicates that an abnormality has occurred, it is determined that a predetermined additional response is necessary. Depending on the content of the diagnostic information, it may be difficult to determine whether a certain function or component requires a predetermined additional response based on the diagnostic information alone. In such cases, it is preferable to make a determination in combination with other diagnostic information.

[0053] Here, "deterioration" is a concept that includes physical deterioration (mechanical wear, deformation and expansion of materials, fading and deterioration of materials, etc.), chemical deterioration (corrosion, rust, chemical reactions, etc.), deterioration over time (weakening of bonds, degeneration, aging of parts, etc.), as well as technical deterioration (obsolescence of hardware and software, deterioration of performance due to repeated use, etc.).

[0054] In addition, the acquired diagnostic information may be used to evaluate whether or not specified additional measures are required at that time, and in consideration of the fact that mobile body maintenance for the target mobile body 1 will be performed in the future, it may also be possible to estimate the degree of further deterioration that will occur from that point at the time of that mobile body maintenance and then determine whether or not specified additional measures are required.

[0055] In other words, for example, if mobile maintenance is scheduled to be carried out three months after the diagnostic information is acquired, the state of the acquired diagnostic information three more months later may be reflected and then a determination may be made as to whether or not specified additional measures are necessary. Preferably, the evaluation value may be calculated by adding a predetermined number or a predetermined percentage (preferably according to the properties of the function or part) to the evaluation value in the diagnostic information at that time, or may be calculated assuming that deterioration occurs according to the driving quality of the moving body 1 (for example, a driving score calculated based on the driving information described below).

[0056] Furthermore, the information obtained based on the diagnostic information may be derived as a judgment result of whether or not a specified additional response is required for a specified function or component, either as "necessary" or "not necessary," for example, 1 or 0, or as an evaluation value (for example, a value between 0 and 1, where 0 means not necessary and 1 means necessary) as a concept that includes uncertainty regarding whether or not a specified additional response is required for a specified function or component.

[0057] If the predetermined range of this evaluation value is between 0 and 1, the closer the value is to 1, the greater the necessity of the predetermined additional action, and conversely, the closer the value is to 0, the less necessity there is. Such evaluation values ​​are obtained, for example, by a function that outputs a corresponding numerical value when diagnostic information is input for each function / component. Such a function may be a trained model obtained by learning, or may be an artificially created rule-based function. Furthermore, for functions / components whose degree of deterioration can be grasped, such as SOH, the function may be a function that outputs a value corresponding to the degree of deterioration (or may be the value of the degree of deterioration itself). The method of generating the function is not particularly limited. Preferably, such a function may be updated as appropriate in response to new input of diagnostic information.

[0058] As an example, consider the case where the following diagnostic information is obtained: DTC: P0301 "Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected" Live Data: Fuel Trim (STFT and LTFT): STFT is about +20%, LTF is about +15% O2 sensor (front stage): 0.1-0.3V Misfire Count by Cylinder: Only Cylinder #1 has a particularly high count (e.g., 20 or more times / 30 seconds) Based on the diagnostic information output in this way, it is determined that there is a high probability of a clogged injector or poor fuel supply from the fuel gauge, and that cleaning or replacement is highly necessary.

[0059] This "high necessity" may be output as an evaluation value of 1, or may be an appropriate evaluation value (such as 0.8, a subjective value about the likelihood of occurrence of specified additional measures based on the past experience of the skilled technician) determined by a skilled technician who is knowledgeable about whether specified additional measures are necessary. In addition to the diagnostic information, the judgment may also be made based on, for example, statistical information regarding past specified additional actions for specified functions and parts (for example, but not limited to, the occurrence rate and amount of specified additional actions that vary depending on the vehicle model, the occurrence rate and amount of specified additional actions that vary depending on the mileage, etc.).

[0060] Here, when a trained model is used to output a judgment (or an evaluation value) on whether a predetermined additional action is required for a predetermined function or part based on the diagnostic information, a training data set that associates past diagnostic information and the date of the action, with the actual action taken for the part or function and the date of the action, may be used as the training data set for generating the training model. In this way, it is possible to more accurately estimate how likely it is that a predetermined additional action will occur at the time of mobile body maintenance scheduled to be performed in the future. For example, a machine learning model may be constructed using data that is a combination of diagnostic information (specifically, for example, DTC (diagnostic trouble code), freeze frame, live data, etc.) and information on whether a specified additional response occurred corresponding to the timing when the diagnostic information was actually acquired.

[0061] In the following explanation, whether or not a specific additional response is required for a specific function or part will be calculated as an evaluation value between 0 and 1, which is a concept that includes the latter uncertainty.

[0062] The determination results in step S3005 are then linked to the identification information of the diagnosed target moving object and stored in the diagnosis information database 323 of the storage unit 320 (S3006). For example, if a determination is made for a plurality of predetermined functions / components, the determination results for each of the predetermined functions / components are linked to the identification information of the target moving object and stored. In this way, it is possible to extract the determination results for any function / component for a moving object of any nature and to grasp the scale and quantity (referred to as the "required amount") of the function / component that requires a predetermined additional response.

[0063] Fig. 6 is an example of a case where the evaluation value of each target moving object for each function / component is displayed on the display unit 440 of the administrator terminal 40. As shown in Fig. 6, the evaluation value of each function / component of each target moving object is shown. A specific description will be given below.

[0064] In area U11, the "Administrator Name" which is information about the administrator who manages the target mobile object that has been diagnosed, and the area corresponding to the target mobile object that is the management object as the "Management Object" are displayed. In area U12, the breakdown of the target moving objects to be managed is shown, including the number of vehicles in the target moving objects, the number of vehicles in operation among the target moving objects (``number of operating vehicles''), and the number of vehicles not in operation (``number of dormant vehicles'').

[0065] Area U13 shows the evaluation values ​​for each function and component of each target mobile object based on the diagnostic information obtained in a diagnostic performed at a certain timing (for example, the most recent timing). For example, for a mobile object with mobile object ID VE001, the evaluation values ​​for functions and components A, B, C, and Z are 0, while the evaluation value for function and component P is 0.1. This means that the diagnostic did not find any particular abnormalities in functions and components A, B, C, and Z, but detected a slight abnormality in function and component P, to the extent that a predetermined additional response was required in, for example, about one in ten units.

[0066] Note that the evaluation value indicated between 0 and 1 is merely an evaluation value indicating the degree, and does not necessarily mean whether the degree is such that a specified additional response is required as a percentage of 1, as described above.

[0067] Note that, as long as the first vehicle diagnosis process is performed, the determination result does not need to be linked to the identification information of the diagnosed target moving object when it is stored in the diagnosis information database 323 of the storage unit 320.

[0068] Furthermore, the server 30 acquires the corresponding capacity information when a predetermined additional response becomes necessary for each function / component (S3007). The capacity information is information about the feasibility of performing a specified additional operation for each function or part. Examples of such information include information about the inventory of parts required to perform the specified additional operation for each function or part, cost information for those parts (which may include not only the cost of the parts but also any costs that may be incurred for the specified additional operation, such as labor fees), and information about the available man-hours of workers required to perform the specified additional operation (which may include the availability of the workers' schedules and the availability of work locations). However, this information is not limited to these, and any information regarding the capacity required to perform the specified additional operation for each function or part may be used. Note that if multiple repair shops are requested to perform the specified additional operation, it is preferable to obtain capacity information for each of those repair shops and then calculate and obtain the integrated and organized capacity information.

[0069] The available capacity information may be acquired from an external device that can grasp, for example, the current price of parts, in addition to the maintenance company terminal 50. For example, it is preferable that the server 30 appropriately collects related information, updates the information periodically (for example, every hour), and manages the information so that it can be accessed from the administrator terminal 40.

[0070] Then, the server 30 generates availability information based on the determination result and the availability capacity information, and transmits it to the administrator terminal 40 (S3008). The response possibility information is information regarding response possibility, such as how much additional response is required for each function / component of the target mobile body, what response is possible or difficult based on the amount of response capacity available, the judgment result, response capacity information, and the result of comparing the judgment result with the response capacity information, and may include, for example, at least one of the following information: For each diagnosed function or part, how many target moving objects require additional measures (for example, this may be information corresponding to area U13 in FIG. 6) Whether the additional measures required for mobile maintenance can be carried out without any problems (for example, within the expected cost and without delay) within a specified period (for example, next month) - The result of comparing the total evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts with the inventory information (for example, whether there is sufficient inventory when replacing functions and parts) - The results of comparing the total evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts with unit price information (for example, how much is expected to be spent when performing mobile maintenance according to the planned schedule) -Problems and recommended changes when dealing with the planned schedule based on the overall evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts

[0071] Then, the manager terminal 40 receives the support possibility information (S4008) and displays the support possibility information on the display unit 440 (S4009). Fig. 7 shows another example of the availability information displayed on the display unit 440 of the administrator terminal 40. In the example of Fig. 7, the following information is displayed as the availability information. Note that the contents of areas U11 and U12 are the same as the example of the availability information shown in Fig. 6, so a description of these will be omitted.

[0072] Area U14 shows how much demand for specified additional responses is expected for each specified period, and how much response capacity (inventory, unit price, and labor hours related to specified responses at maintenance workshops) can be secured to carry out specified additional responses compared to that demand. Specifically, in area U14, the vertical axis elements are, from top to bottom, "Date," "Number of Target Units," "Function / Part A," "Function / Part B," "Function / Part C," etc. The horizontal axis elements are, from left to right, "Diagnosis Result," which is the result of the current diagnosis for each vertical axis element; information on scheduled mobile unit maintenance, such as "Next Month Maintenance" for next month's mobile unit maintenance and "Next Month Maintenance" for the month after that; and on the right side, information on the response capacity for each function / part, such as "Inventory," which is information on the inventory of parts required for the specified additional response, and "Unit Price," which is information on the cost of the specified additional response for each function / part. Although not shown in Figure 7, information on the man-hours required for mobile unit maintenance at the maintenance workshop may also be displayed as part of the response capacity information.

[0073] To explain in more detail, of the target mobile objects shown in area U12, 32,445 units were diagnosed between March 2, 2024 and March 13, 2024, and as a result, it was determined that 65.1 units required additional prescribed measures for function / part A, 11.2 units required additional prescribed measures for function / part B, and 54.3 units required additional prescribed measures for function / part C. Next month's maintenance (mobile body maintenance next month, for example, for mobile bodies with vehicle inspection or regular inspection timing) is scheduled for 2,819 units in June 2024, and it has been determined that of these 2,819 units, specified additional measures are required for Function / Part A for 4.9 units, Function / Part B for 1.0 unit, and Function / Part C for 3.8 units. Similarly, maintenance the month after next (mobile units with mobile unit maintenance the month after next) is scheduled for 2,679 units in 2024 / , and it has been determined that of these 2,679 units, specified additional measures are required for function / part A for 3.7 units, function / part B for 1.0 unit, and function / part C for 3.2 units.

[0074] On the other hand, with regard to inventory, it is displayed that there are currently 4 parts related to function / part A in stock and 20 will be replenished in August, there are currently 8 parts related to function / part B in stock and 35 will be replenished in July, and there are currently 20 parts related to function / part C in stock and 10 will be replenished in October. In terms of unit price, for function / part A it is ¥a / unit from May to August, but ¥b / unit from September to December; for function / part B it is ¥c / unit from January to June, but ¥d / unit from July to December; and for function / part C, no cost fluctuations are expected at this time, and it is displayed as ¥e / 5 units.

[0075] By referring to the contents displayed in this manner on the display unit 440 of the administrator terminal 40, the administrator can determine the required amount of specified additional measures for each function / part that are expected to be required during the specified period when mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be carried out for some of the target mobile bodies, and based on information on inventory and unit prices, can understand whether the specified additional measures that arise in conjunction with the mobile body maintenance can be carried out appropriately without shortages of parts, etc., and how much it will cost.

[0076] Furthermore, for a predetermined period (e.g., next month) when mobile unit maintenance is scheduled for some of the target mobile units, if the mobile unit maintenance is performed on the target mobile units as scheduled and a predetermined additional response occurs, and it is expected that no problems will arise during the response, a notification to that effect may be sent.Furthermore, in consideration of the implementation status of the predetermined additional response that is expected to occur in conjunction with the scheduled predetermined mobile unit maintenance, a notification may be sent regarding whether it is okay to perform the scheduled maintenance (e.g., whether no major problems will arise even if the mobile unit maintenance schedule for some of the target mobile units is not changed, whether the cost of parts is higher than at other times, etc.). In other words, the response possibility information that is output may include information that certain additional responses that may occur during mobile maintenance scheduled for a specified period can be carried out without any problems, or conversely, if it is expected that a problem will occur, it may include information that a problem may occur and the details of that problem.

[0077] Here, if a problem is expected to occur, that is, if mobile object maintenance is to be performed based on the schedule set for each target mobile object, it may be estimated based on this information that some kind of problem is expected to occur with the specified additional response. For example, the following problems may occur. - There is a shortage of parts and man-hours required to carry out additional scheduled maintenance for a vehicle that is scheduled for the near future. - Response costs (labor fees, parts costs, etc.) are high due to reasons such as busy periods and holidays.

[0078] If it is anticipated that such a problem will occur, it is preferable to take appropriate measures, such as changing the timing of mobile body maintenance for some of the target mobile bodies, temporarily replenishing inventory, adding workers, making arrangements to enable another maintenance shop to handle the work, or creating man-hours for performing additional predetermined measures, in consideration of shortening lead times, reducing costs, etc. In light of this, in the first diagnostic information processing, information on recommended changes may also be included in the response possibility information.

[0079] FIG. 8 shows the example shown in FIG. 7, plus recommended changes. As shown in Fig. 8, in addition to each region in Fig. 6, as region U15, recommended change countermeasures are displayed. Specifically, first, regarding function / part A, it is assumed that 4.9 units of a predetermined additional countermeasure are required at the timing of the next mobile maintenance, and further 3.7 units of a predetermined additional countermeasure are assumed to be required at the timing of the mobile maintenance in the following month. However, the stock of the corresponding parts is only 4 units, and since the next stock procurement is scheduled for August, there is a risk that the stock of parts will be insufficient at the timing of the mobile maintenance in July. Therefore, "insufficient stock of parts related to function / part A" has been extracted as a problem. As one of the recommended change countermeasures, it is shown that the stock procurement scheduled for August should be procured by the end of June so as to meet the mobile maintenance in July and replenish the stock of parts.

[0080] Also, regarding function / part B, the required amount of the predetermined additional countermeasure assumed to be required in the mobile maintenance of the next month exceeds the number of in-stock parts, which is 11.0. Furthermore, after August, the unit price of the parts related to the predetermined additional countermeasure for function / part B will increase (let c < d). Therefore, "insufficient stock of parts related to function / part B & cost increase" has been extracted as a problem. As the corresponding recommended change countermeasure, as the second one, it is shown that about 28% (assuming that 11.0 units are reduced to 8 units or less) of the mobile maintenance of a part of the target mobile for which the mobile maintenance is scheduled for the next month should be postponed to after the following month, and the parts should be procured by the end of June without waiting for July when the unit price of the parts soars.

[0081] By doing so, it becomes possible for the administrator to implement the recommended countermeasures (such as giving instructions to the relevant personnel). Furthermore, by selecting the recommended countermeasures (for example, pressing the "Select" button displayed at the right end of region U15), it may also be possible to implement the corresponding countermeasures (S4010). For example, if the recommended change response for function / part B includes a selection to advance the procurement of parts that was scheduled for July to June, a process may be performed to notify the maintenance shop that the order should be placed. In this case, for example, such a notification is sent to the maintenance shop terminal 50. Similarly, if the recommended change response for function / part B includes a selection to postpone the mobile unit maintenance of a portion of the mobile units that will be subject to next month's mobile unit maintenance to the month after that, a process may be performed to notify the business company (operation manager) that is a secondary user that uses these mobile units for its business that the mobile unit maintenance of approximately 28% of the mobile units should be postponed to the month after that, or to offer compensation such as a discount on the usage fee if the mobile unit maintenance is postponed to the month after that. In this case, such a notification is sent to the operator terminal 60.

[0082] In addition, although not shown in the drawing, for example, information regarding next month's mobile unit maintenance can be compared with the inventory at the time of next month's mobile unit maintenance, and if there is a problem (for example, an inventory shortage of function / part A is expected), the corresponding part (for example, the information regarding function / part A in next month's mobile unit maintenance and the information regarding function / part A in inventory) can be highlighted (for example, displayed in a different way from other parts, such as in bold or in a different color) to make it easier for the administrator to refer to.

[0083] FIG. 9 is an example of the content displayed on the operator terminal 60 in response to an instruction from the manager terminal 40. The content shown in Figure 9 is displayed by a vehicle management processing program used, for example, by a business company that has received multiple mobile bodies 1 from a leasing company when operating these leased vehicles in its own business.

[0084] Specifically, area U21 displays the "Operation Manager Name," which is information about the business company (hereinafter referred to as the "Operation Manager") that manages the operated vehicles, and information about the branch / department to which the vehicles to be operated as "operationally managed subjects" belong. In area U22, the breakdown of mobile objects subject to operational management is shown as follows: "Total number of operating vehicles," which is the total number of operating vehicles; "Number of vehicles subject to maintenance next month," which is the number of vehicles scheduled for mobile maintenance next month based on the current time; and "Number of vehicles subject to maintenance the month after that," which is the number of vehicles scheduled for mobile maintenance the month after that.

[0085] Area U23 shows the status of each mobile object that is subject to operational management (for example, where it is currently located, etc.). In the area U24, notification information for the operations manager is shown, and in the example shown in FIG. 9, "Notification from the leasing company" and "April 2024 report" exist as notifications.

[0086] When you select each notification in area U24 (for example, by tapping or clicking), the specific content will be displayed, and Figure 10 is an example of the display when you select ``Notification from leasing company.'' As shown in Fig. 10, a new area U25 is displayed overlaid on the content shown in Fig. 9. Area U25 shows the specific content of the notice from the leasing company, which requests that, because a parts shortage is expected for next month's vehicle inspection, a certain percentage of vehicles due for inspection next month be postponed until the month after that.

[0087] By checking such a display, the operations manager can appropriately change the timing of mobile unit maintenance and deal with parts shortages, thereby shortening lead times and reducing costs.

[0088] In such a case, the leasing company may provide some kind of incentive to a vehicle manager who takes action to change the timing of vehicle maintenance for a specified number or percentage of vehicles.

[0089] In this case, possible incentives include (but are not limited to) the following: Financial incentives (direct rewards) - Additional rewards for proactive response → Additional rewards will be given if inventory replenishment and personnel acquisition are completed before the specified period. - Premium work unit price → Set higher work fees than usual only for vehicles that are handled based on predictions Cashback system: If you complete a certain number of cases, you will receive a cash refund. · Rebate contract based on long-term partnership → If certain conditions are met monthly or annually, rewards will be given according to the volume · Priority dispatch reward for early response → Priority allocation of projects to factories with early response, and additional incentives Special allowance for busy periods → Reward for early response to particularly concentrated maintenance periods Non-monetary incentives (indirect benefits) · Priority introduction of new projects → Regular introduction of new projects from the management company · Preferential vehicle allocation. · Stabilization of workload → Requests based on forecasts level out workload · Help reduce inventory burden → Provide information on necessary parts in advance and support cooperation with parts suppliers · Provision of a dedicated dashboard → A tool that can list information on compatible vehicles · Reflected in the rating system → Evaluated and rated based on response history, improving reliability compared to other companies · Exposure through awards and promotions → Featured in PR activities and campaigns as an excellent repair shop Priority rights to conclude maintenance and inspection contracts → Opportunities to conclude annual maintenance contracts with management companies · Providing educational and training opportunities → Invitation to training on the latest vehicle maintenance and legal regulations Discounts on system usage fees → Vehicle management system usage fees are waived or discounted depending on the performance of the system. · Free provision of parts under warranty → Guaranteed parts will be provided in advance for some consumables. In this way, rather than simply following instructions from the leasing company regardless of the convenience of the operations manager, adjustments can be made taking into account the incentives that may arise on the operations manager's side, allowing for more flexible vehicle management.

[0090] Similarly, notifications regarding parts procurement in response to anticipated parts shortages or rising part costs, notifications regarding increased personnel or extended response hours to take specified additional measures in response to anticipated worker man-hour shortages, and notifications regarding the provision of incentives may be sent to the maintenance workshop terminal 50. More specifically, for example, when sending a notification regarding parts procurement in response to an anticipated parts shortage, the maintenance factory terminal 50 of the maintenance factory that will carry out the specified additional response may be notified that the currently confirmed inventory is not sufficient to carry out the specified additional response for next month's mobile maintenance, and that the required amount of parts must be procured and by when, and an incentive corresponding to the increase in inventory (for example, the ability to charge for additional response costs corresponding to early inventory procurement) may also be notified. Also, for example, when issuing a notification regarding an increase in personnel or extension of response hours to carry out specified additional responses in response to an expected shortage of worker man-hours, the maintenance factory terminal 50 of the maintenance factory that will carry out the specified additional responses may be notified that the currently confirmed number of worker man-hours for next month's mobile maintenance will not be sufficient to carry out the specified additional responses, and that a change in the implementation method is necessary, for example, how much additional man-hours are required, and an incentive corresponding to the additional man-hours (for example, being able to claim the cost of the additional response) may also be notified.

[0091] This completes the first diagnostic information processing.

[0092] Here, it is preferable that the identification information of the target moving object is stored in association with information about the target moving object itself. FIG. 11 is an example of a target moving object information table 324 stored in the storage unit 320. As shown in FIG. 11, in the target moving object information table 324, a target moving object ID, which is the identification information of the target moving object, is stored in association with various pieces of information about the target moving object itself. Examples of information about the target moving object itself include information about the vehicle model (vehicle model ID), information about the administrator (administrator ID), information about functions and parts installed in the target moving object (function / part ID; identification information corresponding to the part names used in association with the functions and parts of the moving object), the year of manufacture, and the next vehicle inspection. Of course, the information about the target moving object itself is not limited to these, and any information may be stored. Additionally, "n / a" in the table indicates that the corresponding function or part does not exist. For example, an electric vehicle battery is a function or part that only exists in electric vehicles, but because the vehicle is a gasoline-powered vehicle, there is no corresponding function or part.

[0093] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment, which is another example for realizing the information processing technology of the present invention, will be described below. The second embodiment is realized by the same configuration as the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description of each configuration will be omitted except for the different parts.

[0094] In the first embodiment, the first diagnostic information processing diagnoses the target moving body group and determines in advance how much specified additional response will be required at the time of upcoming mobile body maintenance, thereby shortening the lead time required for maintenance of the target moving body group itself and reducing the cost of the specified additional response. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as the second diagnostic information processing, a diagnosis is performed on a group of target mobile objects to grasp the potential extent to which predetermined additional actions will be required in the group of target mobile objects, thereby similarly shortening the lead time required for maintenance and reducing the cost of predetermined additional actions for another group of mobile objects (hereinafter referred to as a "second target mobile object" or "second target mobile object group") having a different configuration from the group of target mobile objects. Furthermore, while the first embodiment outputs response possibility information such as an implementation plan on how to handle predetermined additional actions expected to occur in future mobile object maintenance for the group of target mobile objects, the second embodiment estimates how many predetermined additional actions are likely to occur in mobile object maintenance performed in a predetermined period for the second target mobile objects, or estimates the proportion of actions such as part replacement or overhaul (hereinafter referred to as "repair actions") that will be required for each function / component, and outputs response possibility information regarding the response possibility for performing repair actions for each function / component by comparing the estimated result with response capacity information.

[0095] Here, the second target moving object may include the entire target moving object, may include a part of the target moving object, or may not include the target moving object at all.

[0096] <Second diagnostic information processing> 12 is a flowchart of the second diagnostic information processing in this embodiment. This processing is partially common to the first diagnostic information processing in the first embodiment, so the following description will omit the common parts and focus on the differences. The second diagnostic information processing is processing performed by a second diagnostic information processing program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 320 of the server 30.

[0097] The processes of steps S4001, S4002, S2002-S2004, and S3006-S3007 are the same as those in the first diagnostic information process, so their description will be omitted and the following description will start from step S3028.

[0098] The server 30 generates availability information based on the diagnosis result and availability capacity information of the target moving body, and transmits it to the administrator terminal 40 (S3028). However, the availability information generated here is different from the availability information for the target moving body in the first embodiment, and is availability information for the second target moving body.

[0099] For example, the compatibility information in the second embodiment includes at least one of the following: -What percentage of each diagnosed function / part requires repair? The result of comparing the estimated repair needs calculated by applying the total evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts to the second group of target mobile units with inventory information (e.g., whether there is sufficient inventory). The result of comparing the estimated repair needs calculated by applying the total evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts to the second target mobile unit group with unit price information (for example, whether the cost of repairing the second target mobile unit at a certain time is high). Based on the total evaluation value of the diagnosed functions and parts, problems that may arise when repairs are performed on the second target mobile unit at a certain timing, and the recommended changes to be made. As in the first embodiment, it is also possible to output the problems that may arise if mobile body maintenance is performed during a specified period for the second target mobile body based on how many additional responses may be required during the mobile body maintenance performed during that specified period, and based on a comparison of the expected required amount with the response capacity information.

[0100] In the administrator terminal 40, similar to the processing of steps S4008-S4010 in the first diagnostic information processing, the response possibility information is acquired (S4028), the acquired response possibility information is displayed (S4029), and a response selected from the recommended change responses included in the response possibility information is implemented (S4030).

[0101] These processes will be described based on examples of content displayed on the display unit 440 of the manager terminal 40. Fig. 13 shows an example of content of the availability information displayed on the display unit 440. In the content shown in FIG. 13, the content shown in areas U31 and U32 is the same as that of areas U11 and U12 in the first embodiment, respectively, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] In area U34, the vertical axis elements are, from top to bottom, "Date," "Number of target units," "Function / Part A," "Function / Part B," "Function / Part C," etc., and the horizontal axis elements are, from left to right, the content of the next scheduled diagnosis for each vertical axis element, the results of the previous diagnosis conducted on a portion of the target mobile units, the results of the diagnosis before that, and as "Expected percentage value," the calculated percentage of specified functions / parts that require specified additional measures calculated based on the previous and previous diagnoses, as "Reference: National expected percentage value," the calculated percentage of specified functions / parts that require specified additional measures for mobile units nationwide, independent of the target mobile units, information on inventory, and information on unit price.

[0103] More specifically, combining the results of the previous and previous-previous inspections, it has been determined that repairs are required for Function / Part A at a rate of 0.681% based on the target mobile units, and considering that there are 502 units (i.e., second target mobile units) that will be subject to mobile unit maintenance in the next three months (within three months from the current time), it is estimated that repairs will be required for 3.42 units. Similarly, it is displayed that repairs are expected to be required for Function / Part B at 17.10 units and for Function / Part C at 1.37 units.

[0104] Therefore, by comparing these estimated figures with the response capacity information, it is possible to determine in advance whether there will be any problems in carrying out repairs for each function or part. Then, as in the first embodiment, based on the results of the comparison, a recommended change response may be output in area U35, and if a recommended change response is selected by an administrator or the like, processing may be performed to implement that response.

[0105] <Effects of the invention> According to the inventions of the first and second embodiments, by acquiring diagnostic information and understanding the need for specified additional or repair responses that become apparent from the diagnostic information, it becomes possible to take proactive measures such as replenishing necessary parts in advance at the specified mobile body maintenance timing for the target mobile body or repair response for the second target mobile body, procuring parts at low cost, or changing the timing of mobile body maintenance if it is expected that parts procurement will be difficult, thereby shortening lead times and reducing costs.

[0106] <Modification> In the above embodiment, the extent to which a predetermined additional action or repair action is required for each predetermined function / component is calculated based on the diagnostic information, but the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, it may be possible to determine the extent to which a predetermined additional measure is required for each predetermined function / component based on the travel information of each moving body in addition to the diagnostic information.Furthermore, when applied to the second embodiment, the travel information of each second target moving body may also be collected, and information regarding the ratio may be calculated based on the diagnostic information and travel information of the target moving body and the travel information of the second target moving body.

[0107] Therefore, the configuration of the traveling information acquisition device 10 and the processing including the traveling information acquisition device 10 will be described below.

[0108] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the traveling information acquisition device 10. As shown in FIG. The driving information acquisition device 10 in this variation includes a configuration for collecting driving information according to, for example, the ETC 2.0 standard and transmitting it to the server 30. Another example is a device that can be inserted into a socket (e.g., a cigarette lighter socket, a power supply socket, or a connection socket) of the mobile object 1 and fixed inside the mobile object 1 (referred to as a "cigarette lighter device" in this application). The power supply socket or the connection socket is, for example, a socket that supports USB (Universal Serial Bus). Of course, the driving information acquisition device 10 is not limited to these devices and may be any form or device, such as a device provided in the mobile object 1, such as a drive recorder, a car navigation device, or a digital tachograph, or even integrated with a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by the driver of the mobile object 1, as long as it can at least collect driving information of the mobile object 1 and transmit it to the server 30. The driving information acquisition device 10 includes, for example, a processing unit 110, a memory unit 120, a communication unit 130, a driving information acquisition unit 170, and a clock unit 180.

[0109] As described above, the traveling information acquisition device 10 collects traveling information via the traveling information acquisition unit 170 at predetermined intervals, and stores the collected information in the storage unit 120 in association with time information acquired by the clock unit 180. The stored acquired traveling information is then transmitted at predetermined timing to the server 30 connected to the network NW via the communication unit 130.

[0110] The processing unit 110 is configured by a processing and arithmetic device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processing unit 110 performs various processes on each piece of data, and also controls each functional unit such as the communication unit 130, the driving information acquisition unit 170, and the clock unit 180 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 120.

[0111] The storage unit 120 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc., and stores control programs processed by the processing unit 110, various data, for example, information acquired by each functional unit, etc. Note that the storage unit 120 is not limited to being built into the traveling information acquisition device 10, and may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as a universal serial bus (USB), etc.

[0112] In this modification, the storage unit 120 stores, for example, a travel information transmission processing program 121 and a travel information database 122.

[0113] The travel information transmission processing program 121 is a program for realizing a travel information transmission process for transmitting the travel information acquired via the travel information acquisition unit 170 to the server 30 at an appropriate timing.

[0114] The travel information database 122 is, for example, a database in which travel information acquired about the moving object 1 is accumulated and stored. The driving information is stored in the driving information database 122 in association with time information issued by the clock unit 180, which will be described later. That is, the driving information is accumulated in the driving information database 122 in a manner that makes it possible to know when the driving information was acquired. For example, when the driving information acquisition device 10 acquires position information as driving information, the coordinate information as the acquired position information is stored in association with the time of acquisition.

[0115] Here, the travel information is information relating to the moving body 1, and may be, but is not limited to, information relating to the travel of the moving body 1, such as position information, speed information, and acceleration information, as well as information on each sensor, actuator, etc. of the moving body 1 (for example, whether an abnormality has occurred, how much wear and tear there is, etc.), or information relating to the situation in which the moving body 1 is placed, such as temperature information, inclination angle information relating to the inclination angle of the road on which the moving body 1 is traveling, etc.

[0116] Furthermore, the travel information is not limited to being composed of one type of information, but may be composed of multiple types of information. For example, the travel information may be composed of position information and acceleration information. Furthermore, certain travel information may be collected by the travel information acquisition device 10 at a predetermined timing (e.g., chronologically), and similarly, the travel information accumulated in the travel information acquisition device 10 may be transmitted to the server 30 at a predetermined timing. For example, in one travel information acquisition device 10, travel information is collected every second and transmitted to the server 30 every minute. As another example, in another travel information acquisition device 10, travel information is collected every 10 seconds and transmitted to the server 30 every 10 minutes. As yet another example, in one travel information acquisition device 10, travel information is collected every 10 seconds and transmitted via a roadside device connected to the server 30 when the mobile object 1 passes near the roadside device connected to the server 30 (for example, a method based on ETC2.0).

[0117] The communication unit 130 is a module that can connect to a public network such as the Internet and communicate data with devices such as the server 30 connected to the network using, for example, mobile communications such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3G, 4G, or 5G, or narrowband communications such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). Alternatively, information may be exchanged using communications compatible with ETC2.0, which performs two-way communications using DSRC. The travel information stored in the travel information database 122 is transmitted to an external server 30 via the communication unit 130 .

[0118] For example, if the driving information includes position information, the driving information acquisition unit 170 acquires position information (e.g., latitude and longitude information) of the driving information acquisition device 10 at predetermined intervals based on radio waves received from GNSS satellites (e.g., GPS satellites). That is, the driving information acquisition unit 170 can acquire position information of the mobile object 1 equipped with the driving information acquisition device 10. In other words, by using the mobile object 1 equipped with the driving information acquisition device 10, the position information of the mobile object 1 can be essentially acquired. For example, if the driving information includes speed information, the driving information acquisition unit 170 acquires vehicle speed pulse information acquired by a vehicle speed pulse acquisition unit (not shown) mounted on the mobile object 1, and acquires speed information of the mobile object 1 at predetermined intervals based on the vehicle speed pulse information. Alternatively, the speed information may be calculated based on separately acquired position information. For example, if the driving information includes acceleration information, the acceleration is acquired by a piezoelectric acceleration sensor. Alternatively, the acceleration of the vehicle may be calculated based on separately acquired position information or speed information.

[0119] Furthermore, the travel information acquisition unit 170 may be configured to include a temperature information acquisition unit (not shown). That is, the temperature may be measured in time series and acquired as travel information. Similarly, the travel information acquisition unit 170 may be configured to include any of an atmospheric pressure information acquisition unit, an altitude information acquisition unit, a humidity information acquisition unit, etc. That is, information relating to some environment inside or outside the moving object 1 may be acquired as travel information.

[0120] Furthermore, the travel information acquisition unit 170 may be configured to include an image information acquisition unit (not shown), which may acquire images of the inside and outside of the mobile object 1 as appropriate, and acquire such image information as travel information. For example, image information of the road surface or weather may be acquired as travel information outside the mobile object 1, and image information of the driver may be acquired as travel information inside the mobile object 1, and the content thereof is not particularly limited.

[0121] The acquired travel information is stored in the travel information database 122 of the storage unit 120 in association with information about the time (current time) when the travel information was acquired, which is acquired by the clock unit 180 described later.

[0122] Here, if the location information is included in the travel information, an accuracy value (for example, a DOP value) indicating the accuracy of the location information may be acquired when the location information is acquired. In this case, the acquired location information and accuracy value may be associated with the current time and stored in the storage unit 120.

[0123] The method for acquiring the travel information is not limited to the above, and any method for acquiring the travel information may be applied. For example, the travel information of the travel information acquisition device 10 may be acquired by the travel information acquisition unit 170 receiving radio waves containing travel information emitted by a roadside device installed on the side of a road when the mobile object 1 equipped with the travel information acquisition device 10 approaches the roadside device.

[0124] The clock unit 180 is a built-in clock of the traveling information acquisition device 10, and outputs time information (timekeeping information). The clock unit 180 is configured to include, for example, a clock using a crystal oscillator. The clock unit 180 may be configured to have a clock that conforms to the NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone) standard or the like.

[0125] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the driving information transmission process in this modified example, in which driving information acquisition device 10 acquires driving information, transmits the acquired driving information to server 30, and appropriately records the acquired driving information in server 30.

[0126] First, in order to accumulate travel information regarding the moving object 1, the travel information acquisition device 10 acquires the travel information (S1021) and transmits the acquired travel information to the server 30 (S1022). By repeating these steps, the travel information acquisition device 10 acquires the travel information in chronological order and transmits it to the server 30. The server 30 receives the travel information from the travel information acquisition device 10 (S3022), and stores the received travel information in the database 322 of the storage unit 320 (S3023).

[0127] Then, it is determined whether the amount of travel information stored in database 322 exceeds a predetermined amount (S3024). This determination is a process for appropriately deleting travel information that has become outdated over time and continuing processing based on new travel information. If the predetermined amount has been exceeded (S3024; Y), for example, the travel information with the oldest stored date is deleted as the predetermined travel information (S3025). Then, the process returns to step S3022, and the same process is repeated thereafter. If the predetermined amount has not been exceeded (S3024; N), the travel information is not deleted, and the process returns to step S3022, and the same process is repeated thereafter.

[0128] In this way, the travel information relating to the moving object 1 can be stored in the storage unit 320 while being updated so that the content is replaced with new information as appropriate. Furthermore, such deletion of the travel information does not necessarily have to be performed, and steps S3024 and S3025 may be omitted.

[0129] Based on the driving information and diagnostic information values ​​acquired in this way, an evaluation value is calculated for each target moving body, which is a numerical value indicating whether or not specific additional measures are required for specific functions and parts.

[0130] Here, when a rule-based artificially created function is used, it will be explained under what rules the driving information can be applied. For example, if the driving information includes acceleration information, it may be possible to determine whether a predetermined additional action is required for the corresponding function / component based on whether the number of times acceleration information exceeding a predetermined acceleration value (scalar value) has been observed exceeds a predetermined number of times during a predetermined period (e.g., from the start of vehicle operation to the present, from the previous diagnosis to the present, or during the past three months, etc.), or whether the integrated value of the acceleration information during a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined threshold. In other words, a function may be used that reflects logic such that if rough driving is observed in which large acceleration values ​​are observed, there is a high possibility that a predetermined additional action will be required. Alternatively, a function that outputs a value that reflects these factors through learning may be generated.

[0131] For example, if the driving information includes speed information, it may be possible to determine whether or not a specified additional response is required for the corresponding function / component based on whether or not the total time during which speed information exceeding a specified speed value is observed exceeds a specified time during a specified period. Furthermore, for example, in cases where the driving information includes location information, it may be possible to determine whether a predetermined additional response is required for the corresponding function or part based on whether the driving distance calculated from the location information during a predetermined period of time exceeds a predetermined distance, or whether a predetermined distance has been driven in a predetermined situation or area (for example, an unpaved mountain road, driving in snow, etc.).

[0132] For example, a driving score indicating driving quality may be calculated based on the driving information, and it may be determined whether or not a predetermined additional response is necessary based on the driving score.

[0133] These are only a few examples of travel information, and the travel information and its utilization are not limited to these examples. Any travel information may be used as a function to which any rule is applied. Furthermore, when multiple pieces of travel information are included, rather than making a judgment based on a single piece of travel information, a judgment may be made based on a combination of the multiple pieces of travel information.

[0134] In the second embodiment and the modified example described above, an evaluation value relating to the rate at which a predetermined additional action is required for each function / component is calculated based on the diagnostic information alone or the diagnostic information and the driving information, but the method for calculating the evaluation value is not limited to this. For example, the evaluation value may be calculated based on the driving information alone.

[0135] Furthermore, information regarding the degree to which a predetermined additional action is required for each function / component of the second moving body may be calculated based on the diagnostic information and travel information of the target moving body and the travel information of the second moving body. In this way, by combining the deterioration degree trends of each function / component of the target moving body with the deterioration degree trends of each function / component of the second moving body, information regarding the second moving body can be grasped more accurately.

[0136] In addition, in the second embodiment described above, an evaluation value for a certain function / component is calculated based on a group of target moving objects, and the result is reflected in a second target moving object to estimate the required amount of specified additional measures for that function / component.However, it is also possible to calculate an evaluation value for another function / component based on another group of moving objects (hereinafter referred to as a ``third target moving object'') that is different from the group of target moving objects and the second target moving object, and reflect this result in the second group of target moving objects to estimate the required amount of specified additional measures for the function / component. In other words, when calculating evaluation values ​​(e.g., ratio information) for multiple functions / components, it is not necessary to calculate them based on the same group of moving objects; evaluation values ​​for each function / component may be calculated based on different groups of moving objects.

[0137] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a form has been described in which the server 30, the administrator terminal 40, etc. are responsible for each process, but the devices responsible for the processes are not limited to these, and the entity that performs each process may be any entity within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the processing in the server 30 may be performed by the administrator terminal 40 or the mobile terminal 20.

[0138] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the required amount of predetermined additional responses related to mobile unit maintenance and the response capacity are grasped and compared on a monthly basis. However, the amount is not limited to monthly, and may be grasped and compared on any unit (e.g., daily, weekly, semi-monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc.). Typically, a manager who manages a large number of mobile units (e.g., a leasing company) will have mobile unit maintenance opportunities almost every day, while a manager who manages several hundred mobile units may have weeks in which no mobile unit maintenance occurs. Therefore, the density may be set appropriately depending on the frequency of occurrence of predetermined additional responses, the number of parts in stock, etc. Furthermore, the density may be varied appropriately depending on busy and slow seasons, etc.

[0139] In the above embodiments, various programs and data relating to various processes are stored in a storage unit, and the processing unit reads and executes these programs to realize the processes in the above embodiments. In this case, the storage unit of each device may have an internal storage device such as a ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, hard disk, or RAM, as well as a recording medium (recording medium, external storage device, storage medium) such as a memory card (SD card), CompactFlash (registered trademark) card, memory stick, USB memory, CD-RW (optical disc), or MO (magneto-optical disc), and the above various programs and data may be stored in these recording media.

[0140] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0141] 1. Mobile 10. Driving information acquisition device 20 Mobile devices 30 servers 40 Administrator terminal 50 Maintenance company terminal 60 Operator terminal

Claims

1. A mobile management system, a diagnostic information acquisition unit that acquires first diagnostic information relating to a state of a first function / component in each of the first plurality of moving objects; a required quantity information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the first diagnostic information, first required quantity information regarding a required quantity of a predetermined additional response for the first function / component during a first scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on the first plurality of mobile bodies; an available capacity information acquisition unit that acquires first available capacity information regarding the predetermined additional response during the first scheduled maintenance period; an output unit that outputs availability information regarding the availability of the predetermined additional measures for the first plurality of moving objects expected during the first scheduled maintenance period, based on the first required amount information and the first available capacity information; A mobile management system comprising:

2. The mobile object management system according to claim 1, The availability information is Information regarding a shortage of replacement parts for the first function / part; Information regarding the high cost of the predetermined additional response for the first function / part; and Information regarding a shortage of man-hours for the predetermined additional response for the first function / component; a transmitter that transmits information regarding a change in a maintenance opportunity for the mobile object to a terminal corresponding to a manager of the second plurality of mobile objects when the information includes at least one of the following: The mobile management system further comprises:

3. The mobile object management system according to claim 2, The information regarding the change of the maintenance opportunity includes information regarding a request for a change of the mobile object maintenance opportunity and incentive information for responding to the change request. Mobile management system.

4. The mobile object management system according to claim 1, The availability information is Information regarding a shortage of replacement parts for the first function / part; and Information about the high cost of the predetermined additional measures for the first function / component; a transmitter that transmits information regarding a change in procurement timing for the first function / part to a device corresponding to a procurer that procures the replacement part when the information includes at least one of the following: The mobile management system further comprises:

5. The mobile object management system according to claim 4, The information regarding the change in procurement timing includes incentive information for responding to the request for the change in procurement timing. Mobile management system.

6. The mobile object management system according to claim 1, The availability information is Information regarding a shortage of replacement parts for the first function / part; and Information about the high cost of the predetermined additional measures for the first function / component; a transmitting unit that transmits information regarding a change in the implementation method of the predetermined additional action to a device corresponding to an implementer who implements the predetermined additional action when the predetermined additional action includes at least one of the following: The mobile management system further comprises:

7. The mobile object management system according to claim 6, The information regarding the change of the implementation method includes incentive information in response to a request to change the implementation method of the predetermined additional method. Mobile management system.

8. The mobile object management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a travel information acquisition unit that acquires first travel information, which is travel information for each of the first plurality of moving objects; Further provided with the required amount information acquisition unit acquires the first required amount information further based on the first traveling information, Mobile management system.

9. A mobile management system, a diagnostic information acquisition unit that acquires second diagnostic information related to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; a ratio information acquisition unit that acquires first ratio information regarding a ratio of the second function / component that requires repair based on the second diagnostic information; a second response capacity information acquisition unit that acquires response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part for a third plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; an output unit that outputs response possibility information regarding the response possibility for implementing the repair response for the second function / part in the third plurality of mobile objects based on the first ratio information and the second response capacity information; A mobile management system comprising:

10. A mobile management system, a diagnostic information acquisition unit that acquires second diagnostic information related to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; a ratio information acquisition unit that acquires first ratio information regarding a ratio of the second function / component that requires repair based on the second diagnostic information; a third response capacity information acquisition unit that acquires response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part during a second scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on a fourth plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; an output unit that outputs response possibility information regarding the response possibility of performing the repair response for the second function / part for the fourth plurality of mobile bodies expected during the second scheduled maintenance period based on the first ratio information and the third response capacity information; A mobile management system comprising:

11. The mobile object management system according to claim 9 or 10, a travel information acquisition unit that acquires second travel information that is information regarding travel of each of the second plurality of moving objects; an evaluation value acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the second plurality of moving bodies, an evaluation value corresponding to the necessity of repair for the second function / component based on the second diagnostic information and the second travel information; Including, the ratio information acquisition unit acquires first ratio information based on the evaluation value; Mobile management system.

12. 11. A mobile object management system according to claim 9, the diagnostic information acquisition unit acquires third diagnostic information including a state of a third function / component in each of a fourth plurality of moving objects; the ratio information acquisition unit acquires second ratio information relating to a ratio at which the repair action is required for the third function / component based on the third diagnostic information, the response capacity information acquisition unit acquires fourth response capacity information regarding the repair response for a third function / part for the fourth plurality of mobile bodies; the output unit outputs response possibility information regarding the response possibility for implementing the repair response for the second function / part in the fourth plurality of mobile objects, further based on the third ratio information and the fourth response capacity information. Mobile management system.

13. The mobile object management system according to claim 11, the travel information acquisition unit acquires third travel information that is information regarding travel of each of the third plurality of moving bodies; the ratio information acquisition unit acquires the second ratio information further based on the third travel information. Mobile management system.

14. 1. A mobility management method executed by one or more processors, comprising: acquiring first diagnostic information relating to a state of a first function / component in each of a first plurality of moving objects; acquiring first required quantity information regarding a required quantity of a predetermined additional action for the first function / component during a first scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on the first plurality of mobile bodies based on the first diagnostic information; acquiring first response capacity information regarding the predetermined additional response during the first scheduled maintenance period; outputting availability information regarding the availability of the predetermined additional measures for the first plurality of moving objects expected during the first scheduled maintenance period based on the first required amount information and the first available capacity information; A mobile object management method comprising:

15. 1. A mobility management method executed by one or more processors, comprising: acquiring second diagnostic information relating to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; acquiring first ratio information regarding a ratio of a required repair response for the second function / component based on the second diagnostic information; acquiring response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part for a third plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; outputting response possibility information regarding the response possibility of implementing the repair response for the second function / part in the third plurality of mobile objects based on the first ratio information and the second response capacity information; A mobile object management method comprising:

16. 1. A mobility management method executed by one or more processors, comprising: acquiring second diagnostic information relating to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; acquiring first ratio information regarding a ratio of a required repair response for the second function / component based on the second diagnostic information; acquiring response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part during a second scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on a fourth plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; outputting response possibility information regarding the possibility of carrying out the repair response for the second function / part for the fourth plurality of mobile bodies expected during the second scheduled maintenance period based on the first ratio information and the third response capacity information; A mobile object management method comprising:

17. On the computer, acquiring first diagnostic information relating to a state of a first function / component in each of a first plurality of moving objects; acquiring first required quantity information regarding a required quantity of a predetermined additional action for the first function / component during a first scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on the first plurality of mobile bodies based on the first diagnostic information; acquiring first response capacity information regarding the predetermined additional response during the first scheduled maintenance period; outputting availability information regarding the availability of the predetermined additional measures for the first plurality of moving objects expected during the first scheduled maintenance period based on the first required amount information and the first available capacity information; A program that executes.

18. On the computer, acquiring second diagnostic information relating to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; acquiring first ratio information regarding a ratio of a required repair response for the second function / component based on the second diagnostic information; acquiring response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part for a third plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; outputting response possibility information regarding the response possibility of implementing the repair response for the second function / part in the third plurality of mobile objects based on the first ratio information and the second response capacity information; A program that executes.

19. On the computer, acquiring second diagnostic information relating to the state of a second function / component in each of the second plurality of moving objects; acquiring first ratio information regarding a ratio of a required repair response for the second function / component based on the second diagnostic information; acquiring response capacity information regarding the repair response for the second function / part during a second scheduled maintenance period in which mobile body maintenance is scheduled to be performed on a fourth plurality of mobile bodies having a configuration different from that of the second plurality of mobile bodies; outputting response possibility information regarding the possibility of carrying out the repair response for the second function / part for the fourth plurality of mobile bodies expected during the second scheduled maintenance period based on the first ratio information and the third response capacity information; A program that executes.

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