Information processing device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of dealing with a case where information on the location where a user wishes to check a vehicle is unknown.SOLUTION: A storage section of an information processing device stores vehicle type identification information of vehicles, image data of respective components of the vehicles, and manuals of respective components in association with each other. A control section of the device acquires vehicle type identification information, and first imaged data including a location imaged by a camera on a terminal of a user, where the user wishes to check the vehicle. The control section uses the image data of each component associated with the acquired vehicle type identification information to generate second imaged data in which a target component present at a location where the user wishes to check in the acquired first imaged data is emphasized by image processing, and outputs the generated second imaged data. When a request for checking the target component emphasized by the second imaged data is received, the control section extracts a manual of the target component from the manuals of the respective components associated with the vehicle type identification information, and outputs the manual.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 proposes a software verification method that stores a database of data for skipping hardware recognition processing for each verification item and a corresponding verification program, and uses this information to run the verification program with the required hardware configuration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-268207 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can handle cases where information about a part of a vehicle that a user wants to check is unknown. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing device disclosed herein includes a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores vehicle model identification information for identifying a vehicle model, image data of each component of the vehicle, and manuals for each component in association with each other. The control unit is configured to acquire the vehicle model identification information and first image data captured by a camera of a user terminal carried by a user of the vehicle, the first image data including a portion of the vehicle that the user wishes to check. The control unit is configured to generate second image data by highlighting a target component located at the portion of the vehicle that the user wishes to check in the first image data using the image data of the components associated with the acquired vehicle model identification information through image processing, and output the generated second image data. The control unit is configured, upon receiving a request to check the target component highlighted in the second image data, to extract a manual for the target component from the manuals for the components associated with the vehicle model identification information and output the extracted manual. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that can handle cases where information about a part of a vehicle that a user wants to check is unknown. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a situation to which the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration and functional configuration of each of the server, the vehicle, and the user terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of a procedure for information processing by the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] [1 Application example] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a situation to which the present disclosure is applied. The information processing system 1 is a system for processing information related to a vehicle 20. The server 10 acquires information related to a location of the vehicle 20 that a user 36 wishes to check from a user terminal 30. The server 10 , and may output information corresponding to the acquired information to the user terminal 30.

[0009] In the information processing system 1, a server 10, a vehicle 20, and a user terminal 30 are interconnected by a network N. The network N may be, for example, a Wide Area Network (WAN), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone. It may be adopted.

[0010] [2 Configuration Examples] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the hardware configuration and functional configuration of each of the server 10, the vehicle 20, and the user terminal 30. As shown in FIG.

[0011] (vehicle) The vehicle 20 may be a vehicle driven by a driver, who is an example of a user 36 of the vehicle 20, or an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle 20 may include an engine vehicle and an electric vehicle (including a hybrid vehicle, etc.). The user 36 may be the driver of the vehicle 20 or a passenger. The vehicle 20 includes an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 21, an input / output device 22, and a communication unit 23. The vehicles 20 may communicate with each other using a predetermined in-vehicle communication standard. Examples of the predetermined in-vehicle communication standard include Controller Area Network (CAN) and Local Interconnect Network (LIN).

[0012] The input / output device 22 receives, for example, an input from the user 36 of a request to output vehicle information related to the vehicle 20 (hereinafter referred to as an output request). The vehicle information is, for example, vehicle model identification information (also referred to as a vehicle model ID) for identifying the vehicle model of the vehicle 20. The vehicle information may also be access information for accessing the server 10 that manages the information about the vehicle 20. The access information may also be a uniform resource locator (URL) that indicates the location of the server 10 on the Internet.

[0013] For example, the input / output device 22 outputs a two-dimensional code including the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 and the URL of the server 10 in response to an output request.

[0014] The communication unit 23 connects the vehicle 20 to the network N. The communication unit 23 communicates with the user using a predetermined wireless communication standard such as 4th Generation (4G) or Long Term Evolution (LTE). The terminal 30 communicates with the server 10 .

[0015] The ECU 21 is a computer for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle 20. The ECU 21 includes a processor 210 and a storage unit 213.

[0016] The processor 210 of the ECU 21 is, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). 2. The input / output unit 211 includes a signal processing unit 212 and an output unit 212.

[0017] The processor 210 operates as an acquisition unit 211 and acquires an output request from the input / output device 22, for example.

[0018] The processor 210 operates as an output unit 212 and, in response to the acquired output request, outputs to the input / output device 22 a two-dimensional code including information relating the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 stored in the memory unit 213 described below and the URL of the server 10.

[0019] The storage unit 213 includes a main storage unit and an auxiliary storage unit. The main storage unit is, for example, a Random Access Memory (RAM). The auxiliary storage unit is, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a The auxiliary storage unit is a removable disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The removable medium may include a medium (portable recording medium), such as a USB memory, an SD card, or a disc recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a Blu-ray disc.

[0020] The auxiliary storage unit stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, etc. The processor 210 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit into the main storage unit and executes them, thereby realizing the information processing of this embodiment. Some or all of the functions of the ECU 21 can be realized by hardware circuits such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The ECU 21 does not need to be realized by a single physical configuration, and may be made up of multiple computers that work together.

[0021] The auxiliary storage unit stores, for example, a two-dimensional code including information that associates the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 with the URL of the server 10.

[0022] (user terminal) The user terminal 30 is a terminal carried by a user 36. Examples of the user terminal 30 include a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, and a wearable terminal.

[0023] The user terminal 30 includes a processor 31, a memory unit 32, a camera 33, an input / output device 34, and a communication unit 35.

[0024] The storage unit 32 includes a main storage unit and an auxiliary storage unit. The main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit 32 have the same functions as the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit 213. The storage unit 32 stores, for example, information acquired by a vehicle information acquisition unit 311 and an external information acquisition unit 314, which will be described later.

[0025] For example, the camera 33 captures an image of a two-dimensional code displayed on the input / output device 34 in response to an operation by the user 36. The camera 33 can capture an image of a location on the vehicle 20 that the user 36 wishes to check (hereinafter referred to as a desired check location). The desired check location can be, for example, one or more parts of the vehicle 20. For example, the user 36 can use the camera 33 to capture an image of an area of ​​the vehicle 20 that includes the desired check location.

[0026] The input / output device 34 receives, for example, an input from the user 36 of a request to capture an image of a predetermined location using the camera 33 (hereinafter referred to as an imaging request). The input / output device 34 may receive a request to access the server 10 (hereinafter referred to as an access request) by inputting approval of the URL of the server 10 output to the input / output device 34. The input / output device 34 may receive, from the user 36, a request to confirm a target part highlighted in second imaging data (hereinafter referred to as a confirmation request), which will be described later.

[0027] The input / output device 34 outputs, for example, the URL of the server 10 included in the two-dimensional code acquired from the camera 33 by the vehicle information acquisition unit 311, which will be described later. The information output by the input / output device 34 (hereinafter also referred to as output information) may be an image (still image or video) included in image data (hereinafter also referred to as first image data) of an area including the desired confirmation location of the vehicle 20, acquired from the camera 33 by the vehicle information acquisition unit 311. The output information may be image data (hereinafter also referred to as second image data) acquired by the external information acquisition unit 314, which will be described later, and in which the target part present in the desired confirmation location in the first image data is highlighted by image processing. The output information may also be a manual for the target part acquired by the external information acquisition unit 314.

[0028] The communication unit 35 connects the user terminal 30 to the network N. The communication unit 35 has the same functions as the communication unit 23.

[0029] The processor 31 is, for example, a CPU or a DSP. The processor 31 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 311, an internal output unit 312, an external output unit 313, and an external information acquisition unit 314 as functional units.

[0030] The processor 31 operates as a vehicle information acquisition unit 311 and acquires, for example, information related to image data captured by the camera 33 as vehicle information of the vehicle 20. When the image data includes a two-dimensional code, the information related to the image data includes information associating the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 included in the two-dimensional code with the URL of the server 10. The vehicle information acquisition unit 311 may acquire first image data from the camera 33. The vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 311 may be an image capture request, an access request, or a confirmation request input to the input / output device 34. The vehicle information acquisition unit 311 may store the acquired information in the storage unit 32.

[0031] The processor 31 operates as an internal output unit 312, and outputs information related to the imaging data acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 311 from the camera 33 to the input / output device 34. The internal output unit 312 may output information acquired by an external information acquisition unit 314 (described later) from an external device such as the server 10.

[0032] The processor 31 operates as an external output unit 313, and in response to the acquired access request, accesses the URL of the server 10 and outputs (transmits) information in which the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 and the first imaging data are associated to the server 10 via the network N. When a confirmation request is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 311, the external output unit 313 may access the URL of the server 10 and output the confirmation request to the server 10 via the network N.

[0033] The processor 31 operates as an external information acquisition unit 314, and acquires (receives) at least one of the second imaging data and the manual for the target part from the server 10 via the network N, for example.

[0034] (server) The server 10 is a server for providing content to be notified in the vehicle 20. The server 10 includes a processor 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. In this embodiment, the server 10 is an example of an "information processing device."

[0035] The storage unit 12 includes a main storage unit and an auxiliary storage unit. The main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit 32 have the same functions as the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit 213. The auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit 12 includes, for example, a part image database (DB) 12A that stores image data of each part of the vehicle 20, and a manual DB 12B that stores manuals corresponding to each part.

[0036] The part image DB 12A stores, for example, the model of the vehicle 20, a part ID that identifies each part of the vehicle 20, the name of each part, and image data of the part, in association with each other. The image data of the part is, for example, an image of a part that has a characteristic shape for the model of the vehicle, and a marker label that is a label for identifying the part. The manual DB 12B stores, for example, the model of the vehicle 20, a part ID and the name of each part, and data on the manual for the part, in association with each other.

[0037] The communication unit 13 connects the server 10 to the network N. The communication unit 13 is connected to the communication unit 23. It has similar functions.

[0038] The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU or a DSP. The processor 11 includes, as functional units, an acquisition unit 111, a search unit 112, a generation unit 113, and an output unit 114. In this embodiment, the processor 11 is an example of a "control unit."

[0039] The processor 11 operates as an acquisition unit 111, and acquires (receives), for example, vehicle information of the vehicle 20 from the user terminal 30 via the network N. The vehicle information is, for example, information in which the vehicle model ID of the vehicle 20 and the first imaging data are associated with each other. The vehicle information may also be a confirmation request for a target part related to the vehicle 20.

[0040] The processor 11 operates as a search unit 112 and searches the part image DB 12A for, for example, the vehicle model associated with the vehicle model ID acquired by the acquisition unit 111. In doing so, the search unit 112 compares the image included in the first imaging data with the image data of each part stored for each vehicle model in the part image DB 12A. Using a well-known method, the search unit 112 identifies, from among one or more parts appearing in the image included in the first imaging data, one or more parts that match parts appearing in the image data stored in the part image DB 12A as target parts present at a location that the user 36 wishes to check.

[0041] When the acquisition unit 111 acquires a confirmation request for a target part highlighted in the second imaging data described below, the search unit 112 may refer to the manual DB 12B and extract a manual corresponding to the part ID of the target part for which the confirmation request has been made. When the confirmation request requests confirmation of multiple target parts, the search unit 112 may extract a manual associated with each part ID of the multiple target parts.

[0042] The processor 11 operates as the generation unit 113 and generates second imaging data in which, for example, target parts identified by the search unit 112 and included in the first imaging data are highlighted using well-known image processing. An example of this image processing is adding a red frame (e.g., a frame having at least one of a square, rectangle, circle, and oval shape) around the target part. Note that the color of the frame may be any color other than red as long as it highlights the target part. In addition to adding the frame, the generation unit 113 may extract the name of the part associated with the image data related to the target part from the part image DB 12A and add it near the frame. These generation processes allow the user 36 viewing the second imaging data to easily identify the target part.

[0043] The processor 11 operates as the output unit 114, and for example outputs (transmits) the generated second imaging data to the user terminal 30 via the network N. The output unit 114 may output (transmit) the manual extracted by the search unit 112 to the user terminal 30 via the network N.

[0044] [3 Example of operation] 3 shows an example of information processing by the processor 11 of the server 10 according to this embodiment. The following processing procedure is an example of a control method executed by a computer.

[0045] The acquisition unit 111 of the processor 11 acquires information in which the vehicle model identification information of the vehicle 20 and the first imaging data are associated from the user terminal 30 (step S101). The search unit 112 searches image data stored in the part image DB 12A of the storage unit 12 according to the acquired vehicle model identification information and first imaging data, and identifies parts (target parts) related to the first imaging data for the vehicle model corresponding to the acquired vehicle model identification information (step S102).

[0046] The generating unit 113 generates second imaging data by using image data corresponding to the identified target part and by performing image processing to highlight the target part at the location desired to be confirmed in the first imaging data (step S103). The output unit 114 outputs the generated second imaging data to the user terminal 30 (step S104).

[0047] The acquisition unit 111 receives a confirmation request for the target part highlighted in the second captured data from the user terminal 30 (step S105). The search unit 112 extracts a manual for the target part included in the confirmation request (step S106). The output unit 114 outputs the extracted manual to the user terminal 30 (step S107), and the processor 11 ends the process.

[0048] [Features] Conventionally, in the actual verification of software whose behavior changes depending on the hardware configuration, software verification methods are known that do not require the removal and insertion of hardware each time a verification item is completed. Verification methods such as those described in Patent Document 1 maintain a database of correspondence between data for skipping hardware recognition processing for each verification item and a verification program, and use this information to execute the verification program with the required hardware configuration. However, the present inventors have discovered the following problems with these methods. For example, a user may not remember the name of a vehicle feature they want to check, and may be unable to find the feature in the vehicle's user manual. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can address situations where a user does not know the information about a vehicle feature they want to check.

[0049] In this embodiment, the server 10 identifies target parts related to the first captured image data for a vehicle model corresponding to the vehicle model identification information, in accordance with the vehicle model identification information and the first captured image data acquired from the user terminal 30. The server 10 generates second captured image data for the identified target parts by using image data corresponding to the identified target parts to highlight the target parts included in the first captured image data through image processing. When the server 10 receives a request from the user terminal 30 to check the target parts highlighted in the generated second captured image data, the server 10 extracts a manual related to the target parts and outputs it to the user terminal 30. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if information about a location on the vehicle 20 that the user 36 wishes to check is unknown, the server 10 can provide the user 36 with a manual for the part related to the location that the user wishes to check.

[0050] [4 Variations] In the present embodiment, as an example, the processor 11 of the server 10 executes the information processing from step S101 to step S107. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user terminal 30 may have a database similar to the storage unit 12, and the processor 31 of the user terminal 30 may have a functional unit similar to the processor 11 and execute information processing similar to that of the processor 11.

[0051] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present disclosure in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Information Processing System 10 servers, 20 vehicles, 30 user terminals, 36 users 21··ECU, 11, 210, 31··Processor, 12, 213, 32··Memory unit, 22, 34··I / O device, 33··Camera, 13, 23, 35··Communication unit, N··Network

Claims

[Claim 1] An information processing device including a storage unit and a control unit, the storage unit stores vehicle model identification information for identifying a vehicle model, image data of each part of the vehicle, and a manual for each part in association with each other; The control unit acquiring the vehicle model identification information and first image data captured by a camera of a user terminal carried by a user of the vehicle, the first image data including a location that the user wishes to check on the vehicle; generating second imaging data by highlighting the target component present at the location desired to be confirmed in the acquired first imaging data through image processing using the image data of each component associated with the acquired vehicle model identification information; outputting the generated second imaging data; When a request for confirmation of the target part highlighted in the second imaging data is received, extracting a manual for the target part from the manuals for each of the parts associated with the vehicle model identification information; and outputting the extracted manual; configured to perform Information processing device.

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