Vehicle

Abstract

To provide facility information useful for an occupant in consideration of taste information on a meal of the occupant and a sleep state of the occupant.SOLUTION: The vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes the storage unit 121, the occupant monitor 111, the display unit 310, and the controller 112, the storage unit 121 stores preference information regarding a meal for each occupant of the host vehicle, the occupant monitor 111 monitors a sleep state of each occupant, and the controller 112 searches for a facility where a meal can be taken on the basis of the sleep state and the preference information of each occupant and causes the display unit 310 to display information regarding the searched facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vehicles that provide passengers with potentially useful information while traveling have come into practical use.

[0003] For example, for this type of vehicle, a technology has been proposed that provides information on recommended spots located near the route being driven based on personal data such as the user's gender and age, and guides the user to those recommended spots (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-86568 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the food preference information (e.g., favorite foods) of the occupants of the vehicle, and therefore has the problem of providing information on facilities that serve meals that do not match the occupants' preferences. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the sleeping state of the occupants in the vehicle, and therefore has the problem of providing information about facilities that serve meals that are not suitable for sleeping occupants.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide useful facility information to occupants by taking into consideration the occupant's food preference information and the occupant's condition. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Form 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle equipped with a memory unit, an occupant monitoring unit, a display unit, and a control unit, wherein the memory unit stores food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle, the occupant monitoring unit monitors the sleep state of each occupant, and the control unit searches for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information for each occupant, and displays information about the searched facilities on the display unit.

[0008] Form 2: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a vehicle equipped with a display unit and a controller, wherein the controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle, the one or more processors monitoring the sleep state of each occupant, searching for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information for each occupant, and displaying information about the searched facilities where meals can be eaten on the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide the occupant with useful facility information by taking into consideration the occupant's food preference information and the occupant's condition. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3 is a diagram showing an example of food-related preference information acquired by the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention to score dishes. FIG. [Figure 5]1 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing an example of food-related preference information acquired by a vehicle 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for scoring dishes by a vehicle 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of food-related preference information acquired by a vehicle 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a vehicle 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a vehicle 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] First Embodiment A vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG.

[0013] <Vehicle 1 Configuration> As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes a controller 100, a camera 200, and a navigation device 300. The controller 100 will be described later.

[0014] In this embodiment, the camera 200 is, for example, a camera installed in the cabin of the vehicle 1, and captures images of, for example, the faces of all the occupants seated in the seats of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the camera 200 outputs captured image information to the controller 100, for example.

[0015] The navigation device 300 includes a display unit 310 . In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 determines, for example, a driving route to a destination designated by the occupant, displays the determined driving route on the display unit 310, and performs route guidance. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 outputs to the controller 100, for example, information about the driving route being guided and information about the current position of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays information input from the controller 100 on the display unit 310, for example. In this embodiment, for example, when a request to acquire food preference information (hereinafter referred to as "preference information") is input from the controller 100, the navigation device 300 acquires preference information for each occupant of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays, for example, a preference information acquisition screen shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the navigation device 300 acquires preference information to which priority order information determined by the occupant has been added. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 outputs the acquired preference information to the controller 100, for example. In this embodiment, for example, when the navigation device 300 detects a button operation or the like that requests the execution of a meal suggestion, the navigation device 300 outputs a meal suggestion execution request to the controller 100. Note that processing of input information and detection of button operations may be performed by a control device acting as a controller.

[0016] <Configuration of controller 100> As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 100 includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors. In this embodiment, the controller 100 includes a processor 110 and a memory 120 . The processor 110 will be described below.

[0017] The memory 120 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, which are not shown. In this embodiment, the memory 120 stores, for example, a control program and various data input from the processor 110. In this embodiment, the memory 120 stores in advance map information and information about restaurants and other facilities where meals are served (for example, store location information and information about the meals provided). Information about facilities where meals are available (hereinafter referred to as "facility information") stored in memory 120 is updated as appropriate, for example, by obtaining the latest facility information via a communication unit (not shown).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the memory 120 includes a storage unit 121. The storage unit 121 stores food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the storage unit 121 stores, for example, food preference information input from the processor 110, which will be described later.

[0019] <Configuration of the processor 110> As shown in FIG. 3, the processor 110 includes an occupant monitoring unit 111 and a control unit 112. Each unit of the processor 110 and the memory 120 input and output various types of information via the bus line BL.

[0020] The occupant monitoring unit 111 monitors the sleep state of each occupant of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the occupant monitoring unit 111 analyzes, for example, the degree to which the occupants' eyes are open based on image information captured by the camera 200, and determines whether or not any occupants are asleep. In this embodiment, the occupant monitoring unit 111 outputs the determination result to the control unit 112, which will be described later, via, for example, the bus line BL.

[0021] In this embodiment, the control unit 112 controls the overall processing of the vehicle 1 in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 120 . In this embodiment, for example, when information relating to the driving route being guided is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112 outputs a request to the navigation device 300 to acquire preference information relating to food. In this embodiment, for example, when food preference information is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112 stores the food preference information in the storage unit 121 via the bus line BL.

[0022] The control unit 112 searches for facilities where meals can be served based on the sleep state and preference information of each occupant of the vehicle 1, and causes the display unit 310 to display information about the searched facilities. In this embodiment, for example, when a request to execute a meal suggestion is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112 searches for facilities where meals can be served based on the determination result obtained from the occupant monitoring unit 111, the preference information stored in the memory unit 121, and the facility information stored in the memory 120. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 searches for facilities that are located along the driving route input from the navigation device 300 (for example, within 500 m of the driving route) and within a predetermined distance (for example, within 10 km) from the current position. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 determines which dishes to suggest with priority, based on the priority order and the ranking of favorite dishes included in the preference information, for example. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 scores the dishes registered by the occupant based on the priority order and the ranking of favorite dishes included in the preference information, for example. An example of scoring will be explained below using a meat dish as an example. As shown in Figure 2, the older sister with the first priority has registered meat dishes as the first choice, the father with the second priority as the second choice, and the older sister with the fourth priority as the third choice. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 scores the meat dish based on the conversion table shown in FIG. 4, for example (1×3 points+0.8×2+0.4×1=5 points). In this embodiment, the control unit 112 similarly scores local Japanese cuisine, local ramen, etc. registered in the preference information, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 searches the facility information stored in the memory 120 for facilities where the top three dishes based on the scored values ​​can be eaten, for example. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 outputs the retrieved facility information to the navigation device 300, for example. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112, and provides the occupant with information about facilities that offer recommended dishes. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 further displays detailed store information, location information, and the like on the display unit 310 based on, for example, a touch operation by the occupant.

[0023] When the occupant monitoring unit 111 detects a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112 further searches for facilities that provide meals suitable for the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, for example, when the occupant monitoring unit 111 determines that there is a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112 searches for a facility that provides a meal suitable for the sleeping occupant from the facility information stored in the memory 120. Examples of meals suitable for sleeping passengers include light dishes such as soba noodles or udon noodles. In this embodiment, the control unit 112 outputs the retrieved facility information to the navigation device 300, for example. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112, and provides the occupant with information about facilities that offer recommended dishes and information about facilities that offer dishes recommended to the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 further displays detailed store information, location information, and the like on the display unit 310 based on, for example, a touch operation by the occupant.

[0024] <Processing flow of the control unit 112> The processing flow of the control unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] The control unit 112 determines whether or not information regarding the travel route has been input from the navigation device 300 (step S110). When the control unit 112 determines that information regarding the travel route has not been input from the navigation device 300 ("NO" in step S110), the control unit 112 returns the process and transitions to a standby state. When the control unit 112 determines that information regarding the travel route has been input from the navigation device 300 ("YES" in step S110), the control unit 112 moves the process to step S120.

[0026] The control unit 112 outputs a request to acquire food preference information to the navigation device 300, and acquires food preference information of the occupant of the vehicle 1 (step S120).

[0027] The control unit 112 determines whether or not a meal suggestion execution request has been input from the navigation device 300 (step S130). When the control unit 112 determines that a meal suggestion execution request has not been input from the navigation device 300 ("NO" in step S130), the control unit 112 returns the process to the standby state. When the control unit 112 determines that a meal suggestion execution request has been input from the navigation device 300 ("YES" in step S130), it causes the processing to proceed to step S140.

[0028] The control unit 112 searches for facilities where the occupant can eat based on the occupant's food preference information acquired in step S120 and the facility information stored in memory 120 (step S140), and then proceeds to step S150.

[0029] The control unit 112 determines whether or not there is a currently sleeping occupant based on the determination result obtained from the occupant monitoring unit 111 (step S150). When the control unit 112 determines, based on the determination result acquired from the occupant monitoring unit 111, that there is no occupant currently asleep ("NO" in step S150), it shifts the processing to step S170. When the control unit 112 determines that there is a sleeping occupant based on the determination result acquired from the occupant monitoring unit 111 ("YES" in step S150), it shifts the process to step S160.

[0030] The control unit 112 searches the facility information stored in the memory 120 for a facility that provides a meal suitable for the sleeping occupant (step S160), and moves the process to step S170.

[0031] The control unit 112 outputs information about the retrieved facility to the navigation device 300, causes the display unit 310 to display the information (step S170), and ends the process.

[0032] <Actions and Effects> As described above, the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes a memory unit 121 that stores the food preference information of each occupant of the vehicle, an occupant monitoring unit 111 that monitors the sleep state of each occupant, and a control unit 112 that searches for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information of each occupant, and displays information about the searched facilities on the display unit 310. That is, the vehicle 1 acquires the food preference information of the occupant and provides the occupant with information about facilities where meals that reflect the occupant's preferences can be served. This allows the vehicle 1 to provide useful facility information to the occupants. Furthermore, the passengers are provided with only information about facilities that reflect the preference information of all passengers, so they can easily decide on a facility.

[0033] The storage unit 121 stores the preference information to which priority order information determined by the passenger is added, and the control unit 112 further refers to the priority order information to search for facilities where meals are available. That is, the vehicle 1 searches for facilities so that preference information of a passenger with a higher priority is given priority. This allows the vehicle 1 to provide the user with useful facility information that has been searched in accordance with the priority determined by the occupant. Crew members can easily decide on a facility because they are only provided with information about facilities that reflect their preferences (desired food / priorities).

[0034] When the occupant monitoring unit 111 detects a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112 further searches for facilities that provide meals suitable for the sleeping occupant. In other words, when a sleeping occupant is detected, vehicle 1 not only provides information about facilities that serve the occupant's preferred meals, but also information about facilities that serve light meals that are easy for occupants who have just woken up to eat. This allows the vehicle 1 to provide useful facility information to the sleeping occupant.

[0035] <Second embodiment> A vehicle 1A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that components with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same functions, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0036] <Vehicle 1A Configuration> As shown in FIG. 8, a vehicle 1A according to this embodiment includes a controller 100A, a camera 200, and a navigation device 300.

[0037] <Configuration of Controller 100A> As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 100A includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors. In this embodiment, the controller 100A is configured to include a processor 110A and a memory 120A. Processor 110A will be described later.

[0038] The memory 120A includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, which are not shown. In this embodiment, the memory 120A stores, for example, a control program and various data input from the processor 110A. In this embodiment, the memory 120A stores in advance map information and information about restaurants and other facilities where meals are served (for example, information about the location of stores and information about the meals they provide). The information about facilities where meals are served stored in the memory 120A is updated as appropriate by, for example, acquiring the latest facility information via a communication unit (not shown).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, the memory 120A includes a storage unit 121A. The storage unit 121A stores food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle 1. The storage unit 121A stores food preference information of the occupant, to which information indicating whether the occupant is a guest is added. As shown in Figure 9, if there is a guest among the occupants of vehicle 1A, the occupant enters "guest" in the priority column of the preference information acquisition screen displayed on the display unit 310 of the navigation device 300, and registers the guest's preference information regarding meals.

[0040] <Configuration of Processor 110A> As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 110A includes an occupant monitoring unit 111 and a control unit 112A. Each unit of the processor 110A and the memory 120A input and output various types of information via the bus line BL.

[0041] The control unit 112A searches for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information of each occupant of the vehicle 1A, and causes the display unit 310 to display information about the searched facilities. In this embodiment, for example, when a request to execute a meal suggestion is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112A searches for facilities where meals can be served based on the determination result obtained from the occupant monitoring unit 111, the preference information stored in the memory unit 121A, and the facility information stored in the memory 120A. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A searches for facilities where meals are served that are located along the driving route input from the navigation device 300 (for example, within 500 m of the driving route) and within a predetermined distance (for example, within 10 km) from the current location. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A determines which dishes to suggest with priority, based on the priority order and the ranking of favorite dishes included in the preference information, for example. When the occupants of the vehicle 1 include a guest, the control unit 112A searches for facilities where meals are available, giving priority to the preference information of the guest. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A scores the dishes registered by the occupant based on, for example, the priority order and the ranking of the favorite dishes included in the preference information. An example of scoring will be explained below using a meat dish as an example. As shown in Figure 9, the older sister with the first priority has registered meat dishes as the first choice, the father with the second priority as the second choice, the older sister with the fourth priority as the third choice, and the guest as the first choice. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A scores the meat dish based on the conversion table shown in FIG. 10 (1×3 points+0.8×2+0.4×1+1.2×3=8.6 points), for example. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A similarly scores local Japanese cuisine, local ramen, etc. registered in the preference information, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A searches the facility information stored in the memory 120A for facilities where the top three dishes based on the scored values ​​can be eaten, for example. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A outputs the retrieved facility information to the navigation device 300, for example. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 11 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112A, and provides the occupant with information about facilities that offer recommended dishes.

[0042] When the occupant monitoring unit 111 detects a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112A further searches for facilities that provide meals suitable for the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, for example, when the occupant monitoring unit 111 determines that there is a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112A searches for a facility that provides a meal suitable for the sleeping occupant from the facility information stored in the memory 120A. Examples of meals suitable for sleeping passengers include light dishes such as soba noodles or udon noodles. In this embodiment, the control unit 112A outputs the retrieved facility information to the navigation device 300, for example. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 12 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112A, for example, and provides the occupant with information regarding facilities that offer recommended dishes and information regarding facilities that offer dishes recommended to the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300 further displays detailed store information, location information, and the like on the display unit 310 based on, for example, a touch operation by the occupant. The processing flow of the control unit 112A is the same as the processing flow of the control unit 112 in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] <Actions and Effects> As described above, the memory unit 121A of the vehicle 1A according to this embodiment stores preference information to which information indicating whether the occupants are guests is added, and when the occupants of the vehicle 1 include guests, the control unit 112A searches for facilities where meals can be served, prioritizing the guest's preference information. That is, for example, when the crew has a meal with a special guest, the crew registers the guest's preference information in the vehicle 1 as guest preference information. This allows the vehicle 1 to provide information about the retrieved facilities, giving priority to the guest's food preference information.

[0044] <Third embodiment> A vehicle 1B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that components with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same functions, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0045] <Configuration of vehicle 1B> As shown in FIG. 13, a vehicle 1B according to this embodiment includes a controller 100B, a camera 200, a navigation device 300B, and a communication device 400. The controller 100B will be described later.

[0046] The navigation device 300B includes a display unit 310. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B, for example, calculates a driving route to a destination designated by the occupant, displays the calculated driving route on the display unit 310, and performs route guidance. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B outputs to the controller 100, for example, information about the driving route being guided and information about the current position of the vehicle 1B. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B displays on the display unit 310, for example, information input from the controller 100B. In this embodiment, for example, when a request to acquire food preference information is input from the controller 100B, the navigation device 300B acquires food preference information from the occupant of the vehicle 1B. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B displays, for example, a preference information acquisition screen as shown in FIG. 14 on the display unit 310, and acquires preference information from the occupant of the vehicle 1B. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B acquires preference information to which information relating to the time period when a person wants to start eating has been added, for example. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B outputs the acquired preference information to the controller 100B, for example.

[0047] In this embodiment, the communication device 400 is, for example, a known wireless communication device, and functions as an interface for communicating with a server 500 connected to a network N. An example of the network N is the Internet. In this embodiment, the server 500 stores, for example, information about facilities where meals are available, and parking lot information and congestion information for each facility. Examples of parking lot information include information on whether or not a parking lot is available and information on the number of available spaces in the parking lot. Examples of congestion information include information about the waiting time before meals can be started. The parking information and congestion information stored in the server 500 is updated as appropriate.

[0048] <Configuration of controller 100B> As shown in FIG. 13, the controller 100B includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors. In this embodiment, the controller 100B is configured to include a processor 110B and a memory 120B. Processor 110B will be described later.

[0049] The memory 120B includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, which are not shown. In this embodiment, the memory 120B stores, for example, a control program and various data input from the processor 110B. In this embodiment, the memory 120B stores, for example, information about facilities where meals are served, input from the processor 110B, and parking lot information and congestion information for each facility.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 13, the memory 120B includes a storage unit 121B. The storage unit 121B stores food preference information to which information about a time period when a person wants to start eating is added. In this embodiment, the storage unit 121B stores, for example, preference information input from the processor 110B.

[0051] <Configuration of Processor 110B> As shown in FIG. 13, the processor 110B includes an occupant monitoring unit 111, a control unit 112B, and an information acquisition unit 113. Each unit of the processor 110 and the memory 120 input and output various types of information via the bus line BL.

[0052] The information acquisition unit 113 acquires parking lot information and congestion information for facilities where meals are available. In this embodiment, when an information acquisition request is input from the control unit 112B described later via the bus line BL, the information acquisition unit 113 acquires information about facilities where meals are available, as well as parking information and congestion information for each facility, from the server 500 via the communication device 400. In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 113 stores the acquired information in the memory 120B via the bus line BL, for example.

[0053] In this embodiment, the control unit 112B controls the overall processing of the vehicle 1B in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 120B. In this embodiment, for example, when information about the driving route being guided is input from the navigation device 300B, the control unit 112B outputs a request to the navigation device 300B to acquire preference information about food. In this embodiment, for example, when food preference information including information about the time period when the user wishes to start eating is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112B stores the food preference information in the memory unit 121B via the bus line BL.

[0054] The control unit 112B searches for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information of each occupant of the vehicle 1B, and causes the display unit 310 to display information about the searched facilities. Based on the parking lot information, congestion information, and the travel time required from the current location to the facility, the control unit 112B searches for a facility where the vehicle 1B is parked and where a meal is available within the time period in which the user wishes to start eating. In this embodiment, for example, when food preference information including information about the time period when the user wants to start eating is input from the navigation device 300, the control unit 112B searches for a facility where the vehicle 1B can be parked and where the user wants to start eating within the time period when the user wants to start eating, based on parking lot information, congestion information, and the travel time required from the current location to the facility. In this embodiment, the control unit 112B determines which dishes to suggest with priority, based on the priority order and the ranking of favorite dishes included in the food preference information, for example. The method for determining the dishes to be preferentially proposed is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the control unit 112B calculates the travel time from the current location to the facility based on, for example, location information of the facility that provides the dishes to be proposed to the occupants, current location information of the vehicle 1 obtained from the navigation device 300B, and the legal road speed limit. In this embodiment, the control unit 112B searches for a facility where the vehicle 1 can be parked and the meal can be started within the time period in which the user wishes to start eating, based on, for example, the travel time required from the current location to the facility and the parking lot information and congestion information acquired by the information acquisition unit 113. In this embodiment, the control unit 112B outputs the retrieved facility information to, for example, the navigation device 300B. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 15 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112B, and provides the occupants with information about facilities where food can be eaten during a specified time period. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B further displays detailed store information, location information, and the like on the display unit 310 based on, for example, a touch operation by the occupant.

[0055] When the occupant monitoring unit 111 detects a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112B further searches for facilities that provide meals suitable for the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, for example, when the occupant monitoring unit 111 determines that there is a sleeping occupant, the control unit 112B searches for a facility where the sleeping occupant can eat a meal suitable for the occupant within a time period determined by the occupant, based on parking lot information, congestion information, and the travel time required from the current location to the facility. Examples of meals suitable for sleeping passengers include light dishes such as soba noodles or udon noodles. In this embodiment, the control unit 112B outputs the retrieved facility information to, for example, the navigation device 300B. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B displays image information such as that shown in FIG. 16 on the display unit 310 based on facility information acquired from the control unit 112B, and provides the occupant with information about facilities that offer recommended dishes and information about facilities that offer dishes recommended to the sleeping occupant. In this embodiment, the navigation device 300B further displays detailed store information, location information, and the like on the display unit 310 based on, for example, a touch operation by the occupant.

[0056] <Processing flow of control unit 112B> The processing flow of the control unit 112B will be described with reference to FIG.

[0057] The control unit 112B determines whether or not information regarding the travel route has been input from the navigation device 300B (step S110). When the control unit 112B determines that information regarding the travel route has not been input from the navigation device 300B ("NO" in step S110), the control unit 112B returns the process and transitions to a standby state. When the control unit 112B determines that information regarding the travel route has been input from the navigation device 300B ("YES" in step S110), the control unit 112B moves the process to step S120.

[0058] The control unit 112B outputs a request to acquire food preference information to the navigation device 300B, and acquires the food preference information of the occupant of the vehicle 1 (step S120).

[0059] Control unit 112B outputs an information acquisition request to information acquisition unit 113 to acquire parking lot information and congestion information for each facility from server 500 (step S210), and then causes the process to proceed to step S220.

[0060] Based on the occupant's dining preference information acquired in step S120, the parking information and congestion information for each facility acquired in step S210, and the facility information stored in memory 120B, control unit 112B searches for a facility where vehicle 1 can be parked and eaten during the time period when the occupant wishes to start eating (step S220), and then transitions to step S150.

[0061] The control unit 112B determines whether or not there is a currently sleeping occupant based on the determination result obtained from the occupant monitoring unit 111 (step S150). When the control unit 112B determines, based on the determination result acquired from the occupant monitoring unit 111, that there is no occupant currently sleeping ("NO" in step S150), it shifts the processing to step S170. When the control unit 112B determines that there is a sleeping occupant based on the determination result acquired from the occupant monitoring unit 111 ("YES" in step S150), it shifts the process to step S230.

[0062] When the control unit 112B determines that there is a currently sleeping occupant based on the determination result obtained from the occupant monitoring unit 111 ("YES" in step S150), it searches for a facility where the sleeping occupant can eat a meal suitable for the sleeping occupant within the time period determined by the occupant (step S230), and transitions the processing to step S170.

[0063] The control unit 112B outputs information about the retrieved facilities to the navigation device 300B, causes the display unit 310 to display the information (step S170), and ends the process.

[0064] <Actions and Effects> As described above, vehicle 1B according to this embodiment is equipped with memory unit 121B that stores preference information with information about the time period when the user wishes to start eating, and information acquisition unit 113 that acquires parking information and congestion information for facilities. Control unit 112B searches for facilities where vehicle 1B can be parked and where meals can be eaten within the time period based on the parking information, congestion information, and travel time required from the current location to the facility. That is, vehicle 1B searches for a facility where food reflecting the preference information can be eaten during the desired time period, taking into consideration the travel time to the facility, waiting time at the facility, and the like. This allows the vehicle 1B to provide useful facility information to the occupants. This allows the passenger to eat food that reflects their preference information during the time period they desire.

[0065] <Variation 1> The above-described processing of the controller 100 may be executed by a processor and memory provided in the navigation device 300.

[0066] The vehicle 1 of the present invention can be realized by recording the processing of the control unit 112 described above on a recording medium that can be read by a computer system, reading the program recorded on this recording medium into memory, and executing it. The computer system here includes the OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

[0067] If the above computer system uses a WWW (World Wide Web) system, it also includes the homepage providing environment (or display environment). The above program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. The transmission medium for transmitting the above-mentioned program refers to a medium having a function for transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0068] The above program may be for realizing part of the above-mentioned functions. The above program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0069] The above describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, all vehicles that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art by making appropriate design modifications based on the vehicles 1 and 1A described above as embodiments of the present invention also fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention. Within the scope of the concept of the present invention, a person skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, any embodiment in which a person skilled in the art has appropriately added or deleted components or modified the design, or added or omitted steps or modified conditions, is included within the scope of the present invention as long as it contains the essence of the present invention.

[0070] Furthermore, other effects and advantages brought about by the aspects described in this embodiment that are clear from the description in this specification or that can be appropriately thought of by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1;Vehicle 100;controller 110;processor 111; Crew Monitoring Department 112;Control unit 113;Information acquisition department 120;Memory 121;Memory part 200;camera 300;Navigation equipment 310;Display section 400;Communication equipment 500; Server N; Network

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with a memory unit, an occupant monitoring unit, a display unit, and a control unit, the storage unit stores food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle; The occupant monitoring unit monitors the sleep state of the occupant, The vehicle is characterized in that the control unit searches for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleeping state and preference information of each occupant, and displays information about the searched facilities on the display unit.

2. the storage unit stores the preference information to which priority information determined by the occupant has been added; The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit searches for the facility where meals are available by further referring to the priority information.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the occupant monitoring unit detects that the occupant is sleeping, the control unit further searches for the facility that provides a meal suitable for the sleeping occupant.

4. the storage unit stores the preference information to which information indicating whether the occupant is a guest is added; The vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the occupants of the vehicle include the guest, the control unit searches for the facility where a meal is available, giving priority to the preference information of the guest.

5. a storage unit that stores the preference information to which information regarding a time period when the user wishes to start eating has been added; an information acquisition unit that acquires parking lot information and congestion information of the facility; Equipped with The vehicle described in claim 3, characterized in that the control unit parks the vehicle and searches for the facility where meals are available within the time period based on the parking lot information, the congestion information, and the travel time from the current location to the facility.

6. A vehicle equipped with a display unit and a controller, the controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; the one or more memories store food preference information for each occupant of the vehicle; The vehicle is characterized in that the one or more processors monitor the sleep state of each occupant, search for facilities where meals can be eaten based on the sleep state and preference information of each occupant, and display information about the found facilities where meals can be eaten on the display unit.

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