Information processing device, system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

This aims to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for maintenance businesses that perform vehicle maintenance and / or for suppliers that provide parts used in maintenance to those businesses. [Solution] The information processing device comprises a processor, a storage unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined storage area. The information processing device performs the following processes: acquiring vehicle information and maintenance details stored in the predetermined storage area, and identifying vehicle parts used for maintenance, which are stored in a database, based on the vehicle information and maintenance details. The identification process includes identifying vehicle parts used for maintenance using a trained model created by learning, with vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as explanatory variables and vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the objective variable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a system, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] When performing vehicle maintenance at a maintenance factory, the maintenance factory needs to procure necessary parts in advance from parts suppliers or the like. As a technology related to such parts procurement, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that calculates a future order prediction number based on past order data regarding parts. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a system that realizes diagnosing by a maintenance factory or performing a predetermined computer diagnosis based on an image indicating a vehicle name or a failure location input by the vehicle owner, and searching for parts necessary for repair, and the vehicle owner ordering and purchasing the searched parts by himself / herself.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Regarding parts procurement when performing vehicle maintenance, conventionally, first, a vehicle information and maintenance details of a vehicle to be maintained are often notified from a person in charge on the maintenance factory side to a person in charge on the parts supplier side using a telephone, FAX, or e-mail to place an order for parts. Then, the parts supplier that has received the order selects based on the vehicle information and maintenance details and the knowledge accumulated on the parts supplier side regarding the parts necessary for the maintenance content, and procures the selected parts, etc. from the company's own warehouse or subcontracting parts suppliers and delivers them to the maintenance factory.

[0005] From the perspective of a repair shop, the traditional parts procurement system is time-consuming because it involves verbally conveying various information such as vehicle details and maintenance details, or putting it into writing for fax or email. Similarly, from the perspective of a parts supplier, the same system is time-consuming because they receive various information verbally, and then re-enter vehicle details and maintenance details into their own management system. It also takes time to determine what parts are needed based on the maintenance details.

[0006] Reducing such manual processes would lead to more efficient parts procurement, but the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not reduce such processes. Furthermore, while the system disclosed in Patent Document 2 allows vehicle owners to order the necessary parts themselves, it does not address the efficiency of parts procurement between repair shops and parts suppliers.

[0007] This disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned issues. Specifically, the purpose of this disclosure is to streamline the procurement of parts when servicing vehicles, both for service providers who perform vehicle maintenance and / or for suppliers who provide parts used in maintenance to service providers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device comprising a processor for processing information related to vehicle maintenance, a storage unit, and a communication unit that can access a predetermined storage area, wherein the predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to a vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, and the information processing device performs the following: a process for acquiring the vehicle information and the maintenance information stored in the predetermined storage area, and a process for identifying vehicle parts used in the maintenance that are stored in a database for the vehicle information and the maintenance information, wherein the identification process includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance using a trained model created by learning with the vehicle information and the maintenance information in past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the objective variable.

[0009] A system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an information processing device comprising a processor, a storage unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined storage area, and a computer that stores vehicle information relating to a vehicle and maintenance information relating to maintenance performed on the vehicle in the predetermined storage area, wherein the processor performs a process of acquiring the vehicle information and the maintenance information stored in the predetermined storage area, and a process of identifying vehicle parts used for the maintenance stored in a database for the vehicle information and the maintenance information, and the identifying process includes identifying the vehicle parts used for the maintenance using a trained model created by learning with the vehicle information and the maintenance information in past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the objective variable.

[0010] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method performed by an information processing device comprising a processor, a storage unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined storage area, wherein the predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to a vehicle and maintenance information relating to maintenance performed on the vehicle, and the information processing device performs the steps of: acquiring the vehicle information and the maintenance information stored in the predetermined storage area; and identifying vehicle parts used for the maintenance, which are stored in a database for the vehicle information and the maintenance information, wherein the identifying step includes identifying the vehicle parts used for the maintenance using a trained model created by learning with the vehicle information and the maintenance information in past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the objective variable.

[0011] An information processing program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing program executed in an information processing device comprising a processor, a storage unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined storage area, wherein the predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to a vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, and the information processing device is made to execute a process for acquiring the vehicle information and the maintenance information stored in the predetermined storage area, and a process for identifying vehicle parts used in the maintenance stored in a database for the vehicle information and the maintenance information, wherein the identification process includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance using a trained model created by learning with the vehicle information and the maintenance information in past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the objective variable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, regarding the procurement of parts when servicing vehicles, it is possible to streamline the work of businesses that supply parts used for servicing to businesses that service vehicles at repair shops, and / or parts dealers, on the part of businesses that service vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the first and second information processing devices according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a database for specific purposes. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a related parts database. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a list screen of maintenance reservation information displayed on the user terminal of the service provider. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the detailed maintenance reservation information screen displayed on the user terminal of the service provider. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for identifying vehicle parts as shown in Figure 6. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of the provided parts information displayed on the user terminal of the service provider. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of a list screen of maintenance reservation information displayed on a user terminal of a maintenance provider. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] First, explanations will be given for each term in this specification. "Vehicle" refers to a conveyance for transporting people or goods. Examples of "vehicles" include automobiles and motorcycles. "Maintenance" includes, for example, maintenance, inspection, repair, painting of vehicles, and replacement or new installation of vehicle parts. A "maintenance provider" is a business operator who performs vehicle maintenance. Examples of "maintenance providers" include maintenance factories, sheet metal factories, car dealerships, car supply stores, and gas stations. A "providing provider" is a business operator who provides (sells) maintenance supplies to maintenance providers. Examples of "providing providers" include parts dealers who wholesale and sell maintenance supplies.

[0015] "Maintenance supplies" are items used for vehicle maintenance and include parts related to the vehicle. "Parts related to the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as 'vehicle parts')" include, for example, each part constituting the vehicle, paint, and tools used by maintenance operators during vehicle maintenance. Also, "vehicle parts" include, for example, genuine parts (parts officially sold by the vehicle manufacturer), second genuine parts (parts officially sold by parts dealers), high-quality parts (parts identical to genuine parts but sold by parts manufacturers instead of the vehicle manufacturer and differing only in model number), used parts (parts removed from vehicles such as scrapped cars and repaired so that they can be sold), interchangeable parts (parts that are compatible with multiple vehicle models regardless of whether they are new or used), etc. "Maintenance supplies information" is information regarding maintenance supplies. "Related parts" are parts related to vehicle parts, and examples include alternative parts for the vehicle parts or auxiliary parts used in combination with the vehicle parts.

[0016] "Maintenance reservation information" at least includes vehicle information regarding the vehicle to be maintained in the future and maintenance content information regarding the maintenance content for the vehicle. It is preferable that "maintenance reservation information" includes information regarding the scheduled maintenance date or scheduled maintenance date and time. When information such as the scheduled maintenance date and time is included in the "maintenance reservation information", for example, an alert can be sent to the providing provider at a predetermined timing such as a few days before the scheduled maintenance date.

[0017] "Vehicle information" is information for identifying a vehicle to be maintained. Examples of "vehicle information" include manufacturer name, vehicle type, model, model designation number, category classification number, model year, date of first registration, color, etc. "Maintenance content information" is information for identifying the content of maintenance. The "maintenance content information" includes, for example, diagnostic information regarding a predetermined pre-diagnosis such as an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) inspection (e.g., a fault code such as a specific DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code)). "Provided part information" is information regarding vehicle parts that are identified as vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on maintenance reservation information and are provided during maintenance. The "provided part information" includes, for example, information such as part name, part number, price, part management number of the provider 4 side, storage location, etc. of the vehicle parts.

[0018] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Also, regarding configurations and processes not related to the characteristic parts of the embodiments, their contents may be omitted.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system 9 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 9 includes a first system 7 and a second system 8. The first system 7 is a system for providing business support to a provider. The second system 8 is a system for providing business support to a maintenance provider. Data linkage (details will be described later) regarding predetermined data is performed between the first system 7 and the second system 8.

[0020] The first system 7 includes a first information processing device 1 and a plurality of user terminals 3A, 3B, etc. (hereinafter, also collectively referred to as "user terminals 3"). The first information processing device 1 and the user terminals 3 can be communicatively connected to each other via a communication network and can transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0021] The first information processing device 1 is a computer that processes information related to maintenance supplies. In this embodiment, the first information processing device 1 functions as a server that outputs various types of information to the user terminal 3 in response to requests from the user terminal 3. The first information processing device 1 may be a cloud-based server or an on-premise server.

[0022] User terminals 3A and 3B are information terminals operated by service providers 4A and 4B (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Service Provider 4"), respectively. User terminal 3 may be a stationary information terminal such as a desktop computer, a portable information terminal such as a notebook computer, smartphone, tablet, or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a wearable device such as smart glasses, VR goggles, AR glasses, or AR contact lenses. User terminal 3 may include only one type of the above-mentioned information terminals or multiple types. Furthermore, each service provider 4 may use multiple user terminals 3.

[0023] The second system 8 includes a second information processing device 2 and a plurality of user terminals 5A, 5B, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "user terminals 5"). The second information processing device 2 and the user terminals 5 can communicate with each other via a communication network and can send and receive data from each other.

[0024] The second information processing device 2 is a computer that processes information related to vehicle maintenance. In this embodiment, the second information processing device 2 functions as a server that outputs various information to the user terminal 5 in response to requests from the user terminal 5. The second information processing device 2 may be a cloud-based server or an on-premise server.

[0025] User terminals 5A and 5B are information terminals operated by maintenance operators 6A and 6B, respectively (hereinafter collectively referred to as "maintenance operator 6"). For example, user terminal 5 can be any of the various information terminals listed as examples of user terminal 3. User terminal 5 may include only one type of the above-mentioned information terminals, or it may include multiple types. Furthermore, maintenance operators 6 may each use multiple user terminals 5.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a first information processing device 1 and a second information processing device 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first information processing device 1 includes, for example, a processor 12, a memory 13, a storage 14, and a communication I / F 15, which are connected to each other via a communication bus. The first information processing device 1 may also include other components. The first information processing device 1 may be implemented by multiple physical computer devices or multiple virtual servers. That is, the processor 12, memory 13, storage 14, and communication I / F 15 may be implemented by multiple physical computer devices or multiple virtual servers.

[0027] The processor 12 performs various calculations and controls related to information processing of maintenance equipment information. The processor 12 may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The memory 13 includes a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that provides a work area when various programs are executed.

[0028] Storage 14 includes, for example, storage devices such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives). Communication I / F 15 includes various processing circuits and connection terminals for communicating with external devices via a communication network, and is configured to conform to various communication standards.

[0029] The first database 11 is a storage device located outside the first information processing device 1 and can communicate with the first information processing device 1 via a communication network. The first information processing device 1 uses data read from the storage 14 or the first database 11 into the memory 13 to perform various information processing operations using the processor 12. The first information processing device 1 also stores the obtained processing results in the storage 14 or the first database 11 as needed.

[0030] The second information processing device 2 includes, for example, a processor 22, memory 23, storage 24, and communication I / F 25, which are connected to each other via a communication bus. The second information processing device 2 may also include other components. The second information processing device 2 may be implemented by multiple physical computer devices or multiple virtual servers. That is, the processor 22, memory 23, storage 24, and communication I / F 25 may be implemented by multiple physical computer devices or multiple virtual servers.

[0031] The processor 22 performs various calculations and controls related to information processing concerning vehicle maintenance. The processor 22 may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU, or a dedicated processor such as an ASIC or FPGA. The memory 23 includes a storage device such as a ROM that stores various programs, or a RAM that provides a work area when various programs are executed.

[0032] Storage 24 includes, for example, storage devices such as HDDs and SSDs. Communication I / F 25 includes various processing circuits and connection terminals for communicating with external devices via a communication network, and is configured to conform to various communication standards.

[0033] The second database 21 is a storage device located outside the second information processing device 2. The second database 21 can communicate with the second information processing device 2 via a communication network. The second information processing device 2 uses data read from the storage 24 or the second database 21 into the memory 23, for example, to perform various information processing operations using the processor 22. The second information processing device 2 also stores the obtained processing results in the storage 24 or the second database 21 as needed.

[0034] Furthermore, the first information processing device 1 can access a predetermined storage area of ​​the second database 21, for example, via the second information processing device 2 or directly. That is, the first information processing device 1 can retrieve at least a portion of the information stored in the second database 21. Similarly, the second information processing device 2 can access a predetermined storage area of ​​the first database 11, for example, via the first information processing device 1 or directly. That is, the second information processing device 2 can retrieve at least a portion of the information stored in the first database 11.

[0035] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a system 9 according to the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the first information processing device 1 comprises a storage unit 30A and a control unit 40. The first information processing device 1 is also capable of communicating with a first database 11, and uses a predetermined storage area of ​​the first database 11 as the storage unit 30B. The storage units 30A and 30B are composed of, for example, storage devices such as the ROM, HDD, and SSD described above. The storage unit 30A stores, for example, a program 31 and a learned model 32. The storage unit 30B stores, for example, a user DB 50, a specific DB 55, a related parts DB 56, and a maintenance supplies DB 57.

[0036] Program 31 is, for example, an information processing program for implementing various functions described later in the first information processing device 1. In this embodiment, Program 31 is stored in a storage device such as ROM, which is a non-temporary computer-readable medium. Program 31 may also be stored in any non-temporary computer-readable medium such as an optical disc (CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.) or semiconductor memory (EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, etc.) and provided to the first information processing device 1.

[0037] The trained model 32 is a trained model capable of estimating vehicle parts used in maintenance based on vehicle information and maintenance details. The trained model 32 is created using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. The trained model 32 can be created using historical information (for example, transaction history information 54 and / or maintenance history information 94 described later) as training data. Specifically, the trained model 32 can be created by supervised learning using training data that takes vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as input, and information on vehicle parts actually provided from the service provider 4 to the maintenance provider 6 for said maintenance, and / or information on vehicle parts actually used for said maintenance as output. The trained model 32 may be created using any method, such as supervised learning using other data, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or a combination thereof.

[0038] In this embodiment, the trained model 32 includes a first trained model 33 and a second trained model 34. The first trained model 33 is a trained model created for multiple maintenance businesses. The first trained model 33 is, for example, a trained model created using historical information corresponding to multiple maintenance businesses 6. The first trained model 33 may be a trained model created for all maintenance businesses, or it may be a trained model created for multiple maintenance businesses that have common attributes (for example, the location of the maintenance factory).

[0039] The second pre-trained model 34 is a pre-trained model that has been individually tuned according to the maintenance business operator 6. The second pre-trained model 34 can be created, for example, using historical information corresponding to a specific maintenance business operator 6, or by tuning a pre-trained model created using historical information corresponding to multiple maintenance business operators 6 for a specific maintenance business operator 6.

[0040] The user database 50 stores user information 51, inventory information 52, progress information 53, and transaction history information 54, each associated with information that uniquely identifies each provider 4, such as a provider ID. User information 51 includes, for example, the name and address of provider 4, the name of the person in charge, and the login password. Inventory information 52 includes, for example, information about the inventory of vehicle parts owned by provider 4. Specifically, inventory information 52 may include information about each inventory item, such as the item name, part number, quantity held, provider 4's management number, supplier, receiving date, expiration date, and storage location.

[0041] Progress information 53 includes, for example, information regarding the preparation status of vehicle parts to be provided to maintenance provider 6. Progress information 53 may also include information regarding various proposals from provider 4 to maintenance provider 6 (for example, proposals regarding replacement or auxiliary parts). Transaction history information 54 includes, for example, information regarding past transactions conducted by provider 4. Transaction history information includes, for example, past maintenance reservation information, provided parts information corresponding to that maintenance reservation information, information regarding vehicle parts included in the provided parts information that were returned to provider 4 without being used for maintenance, the reasons why they were not used for maintenance, and information regarding vehicle parts currently being provided to maintenance provider 6. The above various types of information contained in user DB 50 are updated, for example, based on operation input by provider 4 to user terminal 3.

[0042] The Specific DB55 is a database that stores vehicle information and maintenance details in association with vehicle parts used for maintenance. Preferably, the vehicle parts used for maintenance stored in the Specific DB55 have information set regarding their necessity according to the corresponding vehicle and / or maintenance details. The Related Parts DB56 is a database that stores a given vehicle part in association with related parts associated with that given vehicle part. The Maintenance Supplies DB57 is a database that stores information about maintenance supplies (e.g., part name, part number, purchase price, selling price, availability, etc.).

[0043] Here, the specific DB55 and related parts DB56 will be described in detail using Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows an example of the specific DB55. In the example in Figure 4, the specific DB55 stores vehicle information 201, maintenance details 202, and parts information 203 in association with each other. Vehicle information 201 includes, for example, the vehicle manufacturer name and model name. In addition to or instead of this information, other vehicle information may be included in vehicle information 201.

[0044] Maintenance details 202 include maintenance information. In the example in Figure 4, maintenance details 202 includes maintenance types such as "statutory 12-month inspection," "vehicle inspection," and "brake pad replacement." Furthermore, the maintenance type may include diagnostic information related to prescribed pre-diagnoses such as OBD inspections. In the example in Figure 4, "fault code P0010" is an example of a specific DTC detected by an OBD inspection. Maintenance details 202 may include, in addition to or instead of, other maintenance information.

[0045] Part information 203 includes information to identify a part, such as the part name and part number, and the necessity level of that part. The necessity level is set according to the vehicle information and / or maintenance content information. That is, even for the same part, the necessity level may differ if the vehicle being serviced or the maintenance content is different. The necessity level is an index used, for example, to identify unnecessary parts. In the example in Figure 4, the necessity level has a maximum value of 100. The necessity level is determined, for example, based on past transaction history and maintenance history. Specifically, the necessity level may be determined based on the frequency of use of each vehicle part in past maintenance of similar content performed by the maintenance business operator 6. Note that the frequency of use and the necessity level may be the same value. Identification using the necessity level will be described later. In addition to or instead of the above information, part information 203 may include other part information.

[0046] Figure 5 shows an example of the related parts DB56. In the example in Figure 5, the related parts DB56 stores related parts information 211 and related parts 212 in association. Part information 211 includes, for example, the part name and the part number of that part. In addition to or instead of this information, part information 211 may also include other part information.

[0047] Related parts 212 include, for example, the part name and part number of the related part. In the example in Figure 5, three related parts are associated with a part named "Part A" and part number "AP001". Parts whose part name stored in part information 211 and the part name stored in related parts 212 are the same, but whose part numbers are different, are a group of parts that are in a replacement part relationship, such as second-hand genuine parts or superior parts. If the part name stored in part information 211 and the part name stored in related parts 212 are different, the part indicated in related parts 212 is, for example, an auxiliary part. In addition to or instead of the above information, related parts 212 may also include other information (for example, information related to monetary amounts such as purchase price and sales price).

[0048] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, the control unit 40 is composed of, for example, a processor 12 and RAM. When the program 31 is executed by the processor 12, the control unit 40 functions as, for example, a communication unit 41, a receiving unit 42, an output unit 43, an acquisition unit 44, a identification unit 45, a related parts extraction unit 46, a progress information generation unit 47, and a transaction history management unit 48.

[0049] The communication unit 41 transmits and receives data, for example, to and from the user terminal 3, the first database 11, and the second information processing device 2. The communication unit 41 can also access the maintenance reservation information 93 stored in the second database 21, either via the second information processing device 2 or directly. The communication unit 41 may also access other information stored in the second database 21.

[0050] The reception unit 42 receives, for example, information and various instructions entered by the service provider 4 on the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 41. The output unit 43 outputs, for example, information to be presented to the service provider 4 via the user terminal 3. The information output by the output unit 43 is transmitted to the user terminal 3 by, for example, the communication unit 41.

[0051] The acquisition unit 44 acquires maintenance reservation information contained in the maintenance reservation information 93 stored in the second database 21, for example, via the communication unit 41. The acquisition unit 44 monitors the maintenance reservation information 93, for example, and detects when new maintenance reservation information is registered in the maintenance reservation information 93 or when existing maintenance reservation information is updated. The acquisition unit 44 acquires the maintenance reservation information in response to the detection of registration or update of the maintenance reservation information.

[0052] The identification unit 45 identifies the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on the maintenance reservation information acquired by the acquisition unit 44. If the maintenance reservation information includes information on the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, that is, if the second information processing device 2 has identified the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, the identification unit 45 identifies, for example, the vehicle parts included in the maintenance reservation information as the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance.

[0053] If the maintenance reservation information does not include information on vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, the identification unit 45 identifies the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based, for example, the vehicle information and maintenance details information included in the maintenance reservation information and the identification DB 55. Furthermore, if the necessity level of the parts is stored in the identification DB 55 as in the example in Figure 4, the identification unit 45 may further identify, for example, the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance that satisfy a predetermined necessity level (for example, 50 or more).

[0054] Furthermore, even if the maintenance reservation information acquired by the acquisition unit 44 includes information on vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, the identification unit 45 may identify the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on the vehicle information, maintenance content information, and the identification DB 55. In this case, the identification unit 45, for example, uses a necessity level to identify the difference between the information on vehicle parts to be used for maintenance included in the maintenance reservation information and the information on vehicle parts identified using the identification DB 55. For example, among the vehicle parts identified using the identification DB 55, the identification unit 45 identifies vehicle parts that are not included in the information on vehicle parts to be used for maintenance that have a necessity level that meets a predetermined condition as vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, and identifies vehicle parts that do not meet the predetermined condition as vehicle parts not to be used for maintenance. Note that the identification unit 45 may, for example, identify vehicle parts to be used for maintenance that were included in the maintenance reservation information as vehicle parts to be used for maintenance, regardless of the necessity level of those parts stored in the identification DB 55.

[0055] Furthermore, the identification unit 45 may, for example, identify vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on vehicle information and maintenance details included in the maintenance reservation information and the learned model 32. The identification unit 45 can use at least one of the first learned model 33 and the second learned model 34 as the learned model 32.

[0056] Furthermore, the identification unit 45 may, for example, identify parts that will not be provided for maintenance from among the vehicle parts identified as vehicle parts used for maintenance, based on information of vehicle parts that were not used for maintenance among the vehicle parts included in the previously outputted provided parts information. For example, the identification unit 45 may identify parts that will not be provided for maintenance based on information of transaction history stored in the transaction history information 54. For example, if there are vehicle parts that are frequently returned without being used for maintenance by a particular vehicle model, maintenance content, or particular maintenance business operator, the identification unit 45 may identify such vehicle parts as parts that will not be provided to the maintenance business operator 6 or the particular maintenance business operator. Also, if a particular maintenance business operator has been provided with a larger quantity of vehicle parts than necessary in other transactions, or if there are vehicle parts that will be returned by a particular maintenance business operator at a later date, there is little need to provide such parts again, so such parts may be identified as parts that will not be provided to that particular maintenance business operator.

[0057] Furthermore, if there are multiple units of a vehicle part identified as being used for maintenance, the identification unit 45 may identify the vehicle part to be provided for maintenance based on the date of receipt or expiration date of each vehicle part held in stock. Specifically, the identification unit 45 identifies vehicle parts with older receipt dates or vehicle parts with approaching expiration dates as vehicle parts to be provided to the maintenance business 6. The identification unit 45 also identifies, for example, the parts management number and storage location of the vehicle parts to be provided to the supplier 4.

[0058] Furthermore, if the maintenance reservation information includes diagnostic information related to a predetermined pre-diagnosis such as an OBD inspection, the identification unit 45 may identify the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on the diagnostic information. Identification based on diagnostic information can be performed, for example, using an identification DB 55 as shown in Figure 4. In addition, the identification unit 45 may, for example, use training data that takes diagnostic information as input and outputs information on vehicle parts actually provided from the service provider 4 to the maintenance provider 6 in relation to the diagnostic information, and / or information on vehicle parts actually used for the maintenance. Vehicle parts to be used for maintenance may be identified using a trained model created through supervised learning. Such a trained model may be created, for example, by adding training data containing the diagnostic information described above during the generation process of the trained model 32.

[0059] Information regarding vehicle parts used for maintenance, identified by the identification unit 45, is output as provided parts information by the output unit 43 and transmitted to the user terminal 3 by the communication unit 41. The related parts extraction unit 46 extracts related parts corresponding to the vehicle parts identified as used for maintenance, for example, based on the related parts DB 56. Information regarding the extracted related parts is output by, for example, the output unit 43 and transmitted to the user terminal 3 by the communication unit 41.

[0060] The progress information generation unit 47 generates progress information regarding the preparation of vehicle parts based, for example, on information regarding the preparation status received by the reception unit 42 (information received from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 41). The generated progress information is stored as progress information 53 in the storage unit 30B. In addition, the provider 4 can propose to the maintenance business 6, via the system 9, that the related parts extracted by the related parts extraction unit 46 be used as substitute or auxiliary parts. Information regarding this proposal may also be stored in the progress information 53. The transaction history management unit 48 manages, for example, the transaction history between the provider 4 and the maintenance business 6. Information regarding the transaction history is stored as transaction history information 54 in the storage unit 30B.

[0061] The user terminal 3 comprises a storage unit 60 and a control unit 62. The storage unit 60 is composed of, for example, a storage device such as a ROM, HDD, or SSD included in the user terminal 3. The storage unit 60 stores a program 61. The program 61 is, for example, an information processing program for implementing various functions described later in the user terminal 3.

[0062] The control unit 62 is composed of, for example, a processor and RAM included in the user terminal 3. When program 61 is executed by the processor, the control unit 62 functions as, for example, a communication unit 63, a receiving unit 64, and an output unit 65.

[0063] The communication unit 63 transmits and receives data to and from the first information processing device 1, for example. The reception unit 64 receives information input and various instructions from the service provider 4 via a predetermined input interface such as a keyboard or touchscreen, for example. The information received by the reception unit 64 can be transmitted to the first information processing device 1 via the communication unit 63. The output unit 65 outputs various information received from the first information processing device 1 to an output device such as a display or printer, for example.

[0064] The second information processing device 2 comprises a storage unit 70A and a control unit 80. The second information processing device 2 is also capable of communicating with the second database 21, and uses a predetermined storage area of ​​the second database 21 as the storage unit 70B. The storage units 70A and 70B are composed of storage devices such as the ROM, HDD, or SSD mentioned above. The storage unit 70A stores, for example, a program 71. The storage unit 70B stores, for example, a user DB 90 and a maintenance information DB 95.

[0065] Program 71 is, for example, an information processing program for implementing various functions described later in the second information processing device 2. In this embodiment, program 71 is stored in a storage device such as ROM, which is a non-temporary computer-readable medium. Program 71 may also be stored in any non-temporary computer-readable medium such as an optical disc, semiconductor memory, or EEPROM, and provided to the second information processing device 2.

[0066] The user database 90 stores user information 91, vehicle information 92, maintenance reservation information 93, and maintenance history information 94, associated with information that can uniquely identify each maintenance business 6, such as a maintenance business ID. User information 91 includes, for example, the name and address of the maintenance business 6, the name of the person in charge, and a login password. Vehicle information 92 stores vehicle information such as the make and model, associated with, for example, the chassis number and the vehicle's license plate number. Vehicle information 92 may also store information about the vehicle's owner. Maintenance reservation information 93 includes, for example, maintenance reservation information that includes at least vehicle information and maintenance information regarding the maintenance performed on the vehicle.

[0067] The maintenance history information 94 includes, for example, information about the maintenance history performed by the maintenance provider 6 in the past. This maintenance history information includes, for example, past maintenance reservation information, the actual maintenance work corresponding to that reservation information, information about the vehicle parts used in the maintenance and the vehicle parts that were returned to the service provider 4 without being used in the maintenance, and the reasons why the parts were not used in the maintenance. The above various types of information included in the user DB 90 are updated, for example, based on operations input by the maintenance provider 6 to the user terminal 5.

[0068] The maintenance information DB95 includes various types of maintenance information. Examples of maintenance information include information on vehicle parts used in various maintenance tasks, maintenance procedures according to the type of maintenance, and information on the tools required for those maintenance procedures.

[0069] The control unit 80 is composed of, for example, a processor 22 and RAM. When the program 71 is executed by the processor 22, the control unit 80 functions as, for example, a communication unit 81, a reception unit 82, an output unit 83, a business processing unit 84, a maintenance reservation unit 85, an acquisition unit 86, and a maintenance history management unit 87.

[0070] The communication unit 81 transmits and receives data, for example, to and from the user terminal 5, the second database 21, and the first information processing device 1. The communication unit 81 can also access progress information 53 stored in the first database 11, either via the first information processing device 1 or directly.

[0071] The reception unit 82 receives, for example, information and various instructions entered by the maintenance provider 6 on the user terminal 5 via the communication unit 81. The output unit 83 outputs, for example, information to be presented to the service provider 4 via the user terminal 5. The information output by the output unit 83 is transmitted to the user terminal 5 by, for example, the communication unit 81.

[0072] The business processing unit 84 performs information processing related to predetermined tasks, such as identifying vehicle information and maintenance details for a vehicle to be serviced. These predetermined tasks include, but are not limited to, the creation of an estimate to be presented to a car owner. The control unit 80 may also perform information processing related to other tasks, such as identifying vehicle information and maintenance details.

[0073] The maintenance reservation unit 85 generates maintenance reservation information, which includes at least vehicle information and maintenance details, regarding the vehicle to be serviced, based on information received, for example, via the user terminal 5. The generated maintenance reservation information is stored, for example, in the maintenance reservation information 93. Here, the maintenance business operator 6 can choose whether or not to disclose the generated maintenance reservation information to the service provider 4. Disclosed maintenance reservation information can be retrieved by the acquisition unit 44. On the other hand, maintenance reservation information that has been kept confidential cannot be retrieved by the acquisition unit 44. The maintenance business operator 6 can disclose, keep confidential, cancel, etc., the maintenance reservation information at any time via the user terminal 5.

[0074] Furthermore, the maintenance operator 6 can select which service providers to disclose the maintenance reservation information to via the user terminal 5. The maintenance reservation information may be disclosed to only one service provider 4, or to multiple service providers 4. When disclosing maintenance reservation information to multiple service providers 4, it is preferable to configure the system 9 so that the maintenance operator 6 can obtain information such as estimates created by each service provider 4 and whether each service provider 4 has vehicle parts in stock, for example.

[0075] Furthermore, the maintenance reservation unit 85 may generate maintenance reservation information based, for example, on vehicle information and maintenance details information relating to the vehicle to be maintained, as identified in the business processing unit 84. The maintenance reservation unit 85 may also generate maintenance reservation information based, for example, on vehicle information and maintenance details information identified in the creation of an estimate to be presented to the car owner. When maintenance reservation information is generated based on work for predetermined tasks at the maintenance business 6 in this way, the work at the maintenance business 6 can be made even more efficient.

[0076] Furthermore, the maintenance reservation unit 85 may, for example, identify information on vehicle parts to be used for maintenance based on vehicle information, maintenance content information, and the maintenance information DB 95. In this case, the information on vehicle parts identified by the maintenance reservation unit 85 may also be included in the maintenance reservation information.

[0077] The acquisition unit 86 acquires progress information contained in the progress information 53 stored in the first database 11, for example, via the communication unit 81. The acquisition unit 86 monitors the progress information 53, for example, and detects when new progress information is registered in the progress information 53 or when existing progress information is updated. The acquisition unit 86 acquires the progress information in response to the detection of the registration or update of progress information. Note that progress information for a certain maintenance reservation information cannot be viewed by maintenance businesses 6 other than the maintenance business 6 that registered the maintenance reservation information. No. The maintenance history management unit 87 manages the maintenance history by, for example, the maintenance business operator 6. Information regarding the maintenance history is stored, for example, in the storage unit 70B as maintenance history information 94.

[0078] The user terminal 5 comprises a storage unit 100 and a control unit 102. The storage unit 100 is composed of, for example, a storage device such as a ROM, HDD, or SSD included in the user terminal 5. The storage unit 100 stores a program 101. The program 101 is, for example, an information processing program for implementing various functions described later in the user terminal 5.

[0079] The control unit 102 is composed of, for example, a processor and RAM included in the user terminal 5. When program 101 is executed by the processor, the control unit 102 functions as, for example, a communication unit 103, a receiving unit 104, and an output unit 105.

[0080] The communication unit 103 transmits and receives data to and from the second information processing device 2, for example. The reception unit 104 receives information input and various instructions from the maintenance business operator 6 via a predetermined input interface such as a keyboard or touchscreen, for example. The information received by the reception unit 104 can be transmitted to the second information processing device 2 via the communication unit 103. The output unit 105 outputs various information received from the second information processing device 2 to an output device such as a display or printer, for example.

[0081] Furthermore, the first database 11 may be configured integrally with the first information processing device 1. Similarly, the second database 21 may be configured integrally with the second information processing device 2. Also, the first information processing device 1 and the first database 11 may be built on the same cloud server. Similarly, the second information processing device 2 and the second database 21 may be built on the same cloud server. Also, data may be directly linked between the first database 11 and the second database 21. Also, the first database 11 and the second database 21 may be built on the same cloud server. Also, the first information processing device 1 and the second information processing device 2 may be built on the same cloud server. In other words, the first information processing device 1 and the second information processing device 2 may each be implemented by modules built on the same cloud server.

[0082] Various information stored in memory unit 30A may also be stored in memory unit 30B instead of memory unit 30A. Similarly, various information stored in memory unit 30B may also be stored in memory unit 30A instead of memory unit 30B. Various information stored in memory unit 70A may also be stored in memory unit 70B instead of memory unit 70A. Similarly, various information stored in memory unit 70B may also be stored in memory unit 70A instead of memory unit 70B.

[0083] Next, the information processing method performed by System 9 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the information processing method according to the embodiment of this disclosure. The order of the various processes that constitute the various flows described below may be in any order and may be executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies occur in the processing content. In addition, the login processes for user terminals 3 and 5 are omitted in the following flowcharts.

[0084] In step S1, the user terminal 5 receives input from the maintenance provider 6 regarding information related to predetermined maintenance tasks (excluding maintenance reservation tasks). The information entered in the user terminal 5 is transmitted to the second information processing device 2. In step S2, the second information processing device 2 performs information processing related to predetermined tasks based on the information received from the user terminal 5. The results of the information processing in step S2 are transmitted to the user terminal 5 and presented to the maintenance provider 6 via the user terminal 5.

[0085] If vehicle information and maintenance details for the vehicle to be serviced were received in step S1, then it becomes possible to generate maintenance reservation information based on the processing results of the received input. For example, if the designated task in step S1 is to create an estimate, then vehicle information and maintenance details for the vehicle to be serviced will be received in step S1. In such a case, when the user terminal 5 receives an instruction from the maintenance provider 6 to create maintenance reservation information based on the input content in step S1 and the processing results in step S2 (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0086] If the user terminal 5 has not received an instruction from the maintenance provider 6 to create maintenance reservation information based on the processing results of step S2 (NO in step S3), then in step S4, if the user terminal 5 receives input regarding maintenance reservations from the maintenance provider 6, the process proceeds to step S5. In addition, steps S3 and S4 also accept information regarding whether or not the generated maintenance reservation information should be made public and where it should be made public.

[0087] In step S5, the second information processing device 2 generates maintenance reservation information based on vehicle information and maintenance details information relating to the vehicle to be serviced. If the answer in step S3 was YES, for example, the maintenance reservation information is automatically generated by referring to information such as an estimate without requiring the user terminal 5 to input vehicle information and maintenance details information again. The second information processing device 2 also stores the generated maintenance reservation information in the maintenance reservation information 93. In step S5, the device may also perform a process to identify the vehicle parts to be used for the maintenance based on the vehicle information, maintenance details information, and the maintenance information DB. If this process is performed, the maintenance reservation information stored in the maintenance reservation information 93 will include information about the vehicle parts identified in step S5.

[0088] In step S6, the user terminal 3 requests the first information processing device 1 to view the maintenance reservation information in response to the service provider 4 performing an operation to view the maintenance reservation information. In step S7, the first information processing device 1 requests the second information processing device 2 to acquire the maintenance reservation information. In step S8, the second information processing device 2 grants permission to acquire the maintenance reservation information. The first information processing device 1 then accesses the maintenance reservation information 93 and acquires the maintenance reservation information. The processes in steps S7 and S8 may be executed as needed in response to updates to the maintenance reservation information 93, or they may be executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every 10 seconds, every minute, every 10 minutes, every hour, etc.).

[0089] When the first information processing device 1 acquires maintenance reservation information, the user terminal 3 becomes able to view the maintenance reservation information that has been permitted to be made public to the service provider 4. For example, the first information processing device 1 automatically selects the maintenance reservation information to be output to the user terminal 3 from among the acquired maintenance reservation information based on identification information such as the service provider ID. Then, for example, it automatically extracts predetermined items from the maintenance reservation information and generates a display image to be output to the user terminal 3. Here, an example of the display of maintenance reservation information on the user terminal 3 will be explained using Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a list screen of maintenance reservation information displayed on the user terminal 3 of the service provider 4.

[0090] The display screen 400 in Figure 7 shows the tenant ID 401, contact person information 402, search field 421, and reservation list 422. The tenant ID 401 is the provider ID assigned to uniquely identify each provider. The contact person information 402 is information about the contact person belonging to provider 4. In the example in Figure 7, the user is logged in by "Ichiro Sato," who belongs to the head office of provider 4 and has been assigned tenant ID "12832."

[0091] The search field 421 is used to search for multiple maintenance reservation information acquired by the first information processing device 1. In the search field 421, maintenance reservation information can be searched by maintenance business name, vehicle license plate number, scheduled maintenance date (date and time of vehicle entry), etc. In the example in Figure 7, maintenance reservation information that satisfies the conditions that the maintenance business is "Hiroha Maintenance Headquarters", the scheduled maintenance date is within the range of "November 6, 2024 to November 3, 2024", and the maintenance reservation has not been canceled is searched, and the search results are displayed in the reservation list 422.

[0092] The reservation list 422 displays at least some of the information included in the maintenance reservation information. In the example in Figure 7, information about the maintenance business that made the reservation ("Contact Information", "Reservation Reception Person"), information about the scheduled date of maintenance ("Date and Time of Vehicle Arrival"), vehicle information ("Vehicle Registration Number", "Manufacturer", "Vehicle Model"), maintenance details ("Service"), and information about the preparation status of vehicle parts by the service provider 4 ("Status") are displayed. Note that the preparation status information may be updated based on the processing in step S12 described later. The first information processing device 1 may also output an alert to the user terminal 3 based on the information about the scheduled date of maintenance and the information about the preparation status of vehicle parts. Specifically, the first information processing device 1 may output an alert to the user terminal 3 if it detects maintenance reservation information in which the remaining time until the scheduled date of maintenance is less than or equal to a predetermined time (e.g., 24 hours, 40 hours, 72 hours, etc.) and the preparation of the provided parts is not yet complete.

[0093] Figure 8 shows an example of a detailed maintenance reservation information screen displayed on the user terminal 3 of service provider 4. Figure 8 is a screen that is displayed in response to an operation (for example, a tap or click) performed to display detailed information regarding reservation number "3" on the maintenance reservation information list screen in Figure 7. The list screen in Figure 7 and the detailed screen in Figure 8 may be displayed superimposed, or they may be displayed in a way that allows switching between them depending on the operation of service provider 4.

[0094] The display screen 400 in Figure 8 shows the maintenance reservation information 431, 432, and the progress information section 433. The maintenance reservation information 431 displays information about the car owner, such as the owner's name, which was not displayed in the example in Figure 7, as well as detailed vehicle information such as the model type and year. The maintenance reservation information 432 displays various types of information that were also displayed in the example in Figure 7.

[0095] The progress information section 433 displays a history of progress information ("part status") regarding the preparation status of vehicle parts. Instead of overwriting the latest content when the progress information 433 is updated, the update history is kept as in this example, which facilitates communication between the provider 4 using the first system 7 and the maintenance provider 6 using the second system 8, which is different from the first system. "Not yet ordered" indicates that preparations for providing the vehicle part identified in step S9 described later to the maintenance provider 6 have not yet been made. If a predetermined operation input is made to the user terminal 3 in the state shown in Figure 8, the provided part information for the vehicle part in the "Not yet ordered" state may be displayed. Furthermore, when input is made to the user terminal 3 indicating that the preparation of the provided part to be provided to the maintenance provider 6 is complete, the input information is transmitted to the first information processing device 1, and the progress information may be updated to "Ordered".

[0096] The "procurement proposal" is made in response to an operation performed on the user terminal 3 to propose to the maintenance business operator 6 that the relevant parts extracted in step S10 be used as replacement or auxiliary parts for the vehicle parts identified in step S9, described below. When the prescribed operation input is made to the user terminal 3 in the state shown in Figure 8, detailed information regarding the vehicle parts proposed as replacement or auxiliary parts may be displayed.

[0097] A "request for arrangement" is made when the maintenance provider 6 performs an operation on the user terminal 6 to accept the contents of the "arrangement proposal." If the contents of the "arrangement proposal" are accepted, for example, the information regarding the vehicle parts to be provided to the maintenance provider 6 may be updated. That is, the information on the parts to be provided output to the user terminal 3 may be updated.

[0098] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 6. In step S9, the first information processing device 1 performs vehicle part identification processing based on the maintenance reservation information. Here, we will describe the identification processing in step S9 in detail using Figure 9. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle part identification processing shown in Figure 6.

[0099] In step S31, the first information processing device 1 identifies the vehicle information and maintenance details information included in the acquired maintenance reservation information. In step S32, the first information processing device 1 identifies the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance (first identification) based on the vehicle information and maintenance details information identified in step S31 and the identification DB 55. Specifically, the first information processing device 1 refers to the identification DB 55 to identify the vehicle parts corresponding to the identified vehicle information and maintenance details information.

[0100] In step S33, the first information processing device 1 identifies unnecessary parts that do not need to be provided to the maintenance business 6 from among the vehicle parts identified in the first identification, based on the necessity level of the parts included in the identification DB 55. Specifically, it identifies vehicle parts whose necessity level does not meet predetermined conditions as unnecessary parts. Here, the necessity level may be adjusted, for example, based on past transaction history and maintenance history with the maintenance business 6 that is the recipient of the parts in this case. Specifically, the necessity level of a part may be adjusted so that the less frequently it is used by the maintenance business 6, the lower its necessity level becomes. The necessity level of each part specified in the identification DB 55 may also be updated based on past transaction history and maintenance history with multiple maintenance business 6 (which may include maintenance business 6 with whom the provider 4 has not previously done business).

[0101] The process in step S33 is preferably performed when the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance have been identified in step S5. For example, if a vehicle part that was not identified in step S5 is identified in step S32, a decision is made on whether or not to provide that part as a serviced part, depending on its necessity for the vehicle and the maintenance to be performed.

[0102] In step S34, the first information processing device 1 identifies the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance (second identification) based on the vehicle information and maintenance details identified in step S31 and the first trained model 33. Specifically, it inputs the vehicle information and maintenance details to the first trained model 33 and obtains information on the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance as output. In step S35, the first information processing device 1 identifies the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance (third identification) based on the vehicle information and maintenance details identified in step S31 and the second trained model 34. Specifically, it inputs the vehicle information and maintenance details to the second trained model 34 and obtains information on the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance as output. If the maintenance reservation information includes diagnostic information related to a predetermined pre-diagnosis such as an OBD inspection (for example, fault codes such as specific DTCs), the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance are also identified based on this diagnostic information in the processing from step S32 to step S35.

[0103] In step S36, the first information processing device 1 identifies unnecessary parts that do not need to be provided to the maintenance business 6 from among the vehicle parts that have been identified as parts used for maintenance through the processing from steps S32 to S35, based on the transaction history contained in the transaction history information 54. Specifically, in step S36, if there are vehicle parts that have had a high return rate in past transaction history, or tools that have already been provided in the currently ongoing transaction (those that remain after maintenance), or parts that have been provided in quantities exceeding the required number, then those parts may be identified as unnecessary parts that do not need to be provided to the maintenance business 6.

[0104] If there are differences in the vehicle parts identified by the first, second, and third identification steps, the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance may be identified by including all of those differences. Alternatively, unnecessary parts may be identified in steps S33 and S36 with respect to those differences.

[0105] In step S37, the first information processing device 1 determines the type of vehicle part to be provided. The type of part may be, for example, a genuine part, a second-hand genuine part, a high-quality part, a used part, a compatible part, etc. If the type of part is specified in the maintenance reservation information, or if the type of part or priority is set in the user information of the maintenance business operator 6, in step S37 the type of vehicle part to be provided is determined based on that specification or priority. If there is no such specification, in step S37 the type of vehicle part to be provided may be determined by referring to, for example, the inventory information 52 and the maintenance supplies DB 57, based on the inventory held by the provider 4, the purchase price and sales price of the vehicle part, the degree of distribution of the vehicle part, etc. In step S37, for example, from among several types, parts with a large inventory, parts with a low purchase price, parts with a low sales price, parts with a large difference between the purchase price and the sales price, or parts that are readily available due to high distribution volume may be determined as the vehicle part to be provided. The information and priority on which the type of vehicle part to be provided is determined may be configured so that, for example, the provider 4 can set it.

[0106] In step S38, the first information processing device 1 identifies the parts management number (user management number) of the supplier 4 for the vehicle parts to be provided. In step S38, it is preferable that the storage location of the vehicle parts to be provided is identified by referring to inventory information 52, for example. The process of identifying vehicle parts has been described in detail above, but it is not necessary for all steps from S31 to S38 to be executed.

[0107] Returning to the explanation of Figure 6, in step S10, the first information processing device 1 extracts related parts corresponding to the identified vehicle part based on the vehicle part identified in step S9 and the related parts DB 56. Specifically, the first information processing device 1 extracts information on related parts corresponding to the identified vehicle part by referring to the related parts DB 56. The extracted information on related parts is output to the user terminal 3 in response to predetermined operation inputs, etc., and transmitted to the user terminal 3.

[0108] In step S11, the first information processing device 1 outputs the provided parts information based on the processing result of step S9. The outputted provided parts information is transmitted to the user terminal 3. The user terminal 3 receives the provided parts information and outputs it to a display device or the like. The processing in step S11 is executed, for example, in response to a predetermined operation input being made to the user terminal 3.

[0109] Figure 10 shows an example of provided parts information displayed on the user terminal 3 of provider 4. The provided parts information shown in Figure 10 is automatically created for provider 4 by the first information processing device 1 based on maintenance reservation information entered by maintenance provider 6 for use in its own operations. The display screen 400 in Figure 10 shows a list of tenant ID 401, person in charge information 402, search field 440, vehicle information 450, provided parts information 460, remarks field 470, and billing information 480.

[0110] Search field 440 is used to search for desired parts information from multiple sources. Search field 440 allows searching for parts information by maintenance provider name, contractor, ordering party, invoice number, etc. Vehicle information 450 displays vehicle information included in the maintenance reservation information.

[0111] The provided parts information 460 displays information about the vehicle parts identified in step S9 as vehicle parts to be used for maintenance. In the example shown in Figure 10, the vehicle parts information includes part code, part name, part number, part type, manufacturer name, supplier, quantity shipped, sales amount, storage location ("warehouse", "shelf number"), inventory quantity, and whether related parts are available. If there are multiple vehicle parts with the same part number, the provided parts information 460 may also include the parts management number of the supplier 4 in order to identify the part to be provided to the maintenance company 6. By referring to the provided parts information 460, the person in charge at supplier 4 can easily gather the vehicle parts to be delivered to the maintenance company 6.

[0112] When the first virtual button 461A is selected, details of the related parts corresponding to "spark plug" listed in the second row are displayed. When the second virtual button 461B, which is different from the first virtual button 461A, is selected, details of the related parts corresponding to "F / wiper blade LH spark plug" listed in the third row are displayed. A representative of provider 4 can, for example, select one or more related parts on the screen where the related parts are displayed and perform the prescribed operation input to propose to a representative of maintenance provider 6 that the related parts be used as replacement or auxiliary parts.

[0113] The remarks column 470 displays information about the delivery destination and delivery method of the vehicle parts. The billing information 480 displays information about the sales amount when the vehicle parts included in the supplied parts information 460 are delivered to the maintenance business 6. In the example in Figure 10, the supplied parts information is output in a format that can also be used as a sales slip. From the viewpoint of improving work efficiency, it is preferable that the supplied parts information is output in a format that can also be used for specific tasks at the supplier 4 (for example, sales slip entry and quotation creation), as in the example in Figure 10.

[0114] Returning to the explanation of Figure 6, in step S12, the user terminal 3 receives input from the service provider 4 regarding the preparation status. The information entered by the user terminal 3 is transmitted to the first information processing device 1. In step S13, the first information processing device 1 generates progress information based on the information received from the user terminal 3. The first information processing device 1 also stores the generated progress information in progress information 53.

[0115] In step S14, the user terminal 5 requests the second information processing device 2 to view the progress information in response to the maintenance operator 6 performing an operation to view the progress information. In step S15, the second information processing device 2 requests the first information processing device 1 to acquire the progress information. In step S16, the first information processing device 1 grants permission to acquire the progress information. The second information processing device 2 then acquires the progress information. Note that the processing in steps S15 and S16 may be performed as needed in response to updates to the progress information 53, or may be performed at predetermined intervals (for example, every 10 seconds, every 1 minute, every 10 minutes, every 1 hour, etc.).

[0116] In step S17, the second information processing device 2 outputs progress information and transmits it to the user terminal 5. The user terminal 5 receives the progress information and outputs it to a display device or the like. On the user terminal 5, the progress information is displayed together with, for example, the maintenance reservation information.

[0117] Figure 11 shows an example of a list screen of maintenance reservation information displayed on the user terminal 5 of maintenance provider 6. The display screen 300 in Figure 11 shows the person in charge information 301, tabs 310 and 320, a search field 321, and a reservation list 322. The person in charge information 301 is the information of the person in charge belonging to maintenance provider 6. In the example in Figure 11, the user is logged in by "Taro Hiroba," who belongs to the head office of maintenance provider 6. Tabs 310 and 320 are tabs for switching the displayed content. In the example in Figure 11, the maintenance reservation information is displayed in calendar format or list format.

[0118] The search field 321 is used to search for the desired maintenance reservation information from multiple maintenance reservation information registered by the maintenance business operator 6. In the search field 321, maintenance reservation information can be searched by the scheduled date of maintenance ("desired date and time", "date and time of entry"), the vehicle's license plate number, the car owner's name, etc. The reservation list 322 displays at least some of the information contained in the maintenance reservation information. In the example in Figure 11, the reservation list 322 displays progress information ("status") and whether or not it can be made public ("status") in addition to the date and time of entry and inspection details. The person in charge at the maintenance business operator 6 can check the details of the progress information, check the history, input responses to arrangement proposals, and switch whether or not it can be made public by inputting the prescribed operations on the user terminal 5. When a response to an arrangement proposal is input or whether or not it can be made public is switched, the maintenance reservation information is updated in the second information processing device 2. The input content for arrangement proposals can be viewed on the user terminal 3 as, for example, "Arrangement Request" in Figure 8.

[0119] Returning to the explanation of Figure 6, if progress information has been arranged, the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance are provided to the maintenance company 6, and the maintenance company 6 performs maintenance on the vehicle. After maintenance, in step S18, the user terminal 5 receives input of information regarding the maintenance history from the maintenance company 6. The information entered in the user terminal 5 is transmitted to the second information processing device 2.

[0120] Here, the maintenance history information includes, for example, information on vehicle parts used for maintenance and information on vehicle parts not used for maintenance, from among the vehicle parts provided to maintenance company 6. The information on vehicle parts not used for maintenance may include the reason why they were not used. Vehicle parts not used for maintenance are returned to provider 4, for example.

[0121] In step S19, the second information processing device 2 updates the maintenance history information stored in the maintenance history information 94 based on the maintenance history information received from the user terminal 5. After maintenance, in step S20, the user terminal 3 receives input of transaction history information from the service provider 4. The information entered by the user terminal 3 is transmitted to the first information processing device 1.

[0122] Here, the transaction history information includes, for example, information on vehicle parts used for maintenance and information on vehicle parts not used for maintenance, among the vehicle parts provided to the maintenance company 6. The information on vehicle parts not used for maintenance may include the reason why they were not used. Vehicle parts not used for maintenance are returned to the supplier 4, for example. The returned vehicle parts are also recorded as inventory, for example, and the inventory information 52 records that they are vehicle parts returned by the maintenance company 6. In step S21, the first information processing device 1 updates the transaction history information stored in the first database 11 based on the transaction history information received from the user terminal 3.

[0123] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. The present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalents thereof.

[0124] [Note] The embodiments of the present disclosure described above include at least the following:

[0125] (Item 1) A processor that performs information processing on maintenance supplies information, including information on parts related to the vehicle, used in the maintenance of the vehicle, A storage unit for storing information processing programs processed by the aforementioned processor, A communication unit that can access a predetermined storage area for storing information used by a computer device that performs information processing related to the maintenance of the aforementioned vehicle. It is equipped with, The computer device is capable of storing maintenance reservation information relating to the maintenance, which includes at least vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, in the predetermined storage area. The processor executes the information processing program, A process for obtaining the maintenance reservation information stored in the predetermined storage area, A process to identify vehicle parts to be used for the maintenance based on the maintenance reservation information, A process to output information on the parts to be provided for the vehicle parts to be provided for the aforementioned maintenance, among the identified vehicle parts. An information processing device that performs this task. This will streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for maintenance businesses that perform vehicle maintenance and / or for suppliers that provide parts used in maintenance to those businesses. For example, for maintenance businesses, the process of scheduling maintenance appointments can be directly replaced by the process of ordering vehicle parts, improving efficiency. For suppliers, for example, they can automatically acquire vehicle information and maintenance details without having to receive orders by phone or fax, and the vehicle parts to be used for maintenance can be identified by an information processing device based on this information, thus improving efficiency.

[0126] (Item 2) The process to be identified is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used for the maintenance based on a specific database that stores the vehicle information and maintenance details associated with the vehicle parts used for the maintenance. The information processing device described in item 1. This makes it possible, for example, to easily identify vehicle parts used in maintenance while reducing the load on the information processing device.

[0127] (Item 3) The vehicle parts used for maintenance, which are stored in the aforementioned database for specific purposes, have information set regarding their necessity according to the corresponding vehicle and / or maintenance content. The aforementioned process of identification includes further identifying vehicle parts used in the maintenance that meet certain requirements. The information processing device described in item 2. This makes it possible, for example, to exclude vehicle parts that had a high return rate in past transaction history from the range of parts offered. As a result, the frequency with which suppliers have to collect vehicle parts that were not used in maintenance can be reduced, and proper inventory management becomes possible.

[0128] (Item 4) The process to be identified is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance using a trained model capable of estimating the vehicle parts used in the maintenance based on the vehicle information and the maintenance details information. An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 3. This allows for, for example, more accurate identification of vehicle parts used in maintenance.

[0129] (Item 5) The process of identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance using a first trained model created for multiple maintenance operators and / or a second trained model tuned according to the maintenance operator. The information processing device described in item 4. This allows for more accurate identification of vehicle parts used in maintenance. For example, using the first pre-trained model, it becomes possible to identify vehicle parts that are likely to be used by many businesses, thereby reducing the risk of shortages in the parts supplied. Also, using the second pre-trained model, it becomes possible to accurately estimate whether each vehicle part is necessary or unnecessary for that maintenance business, thereby reducing the risk of shortages or surpluses in the parts supplied. As a result, the frequency with which suppliers have to collect vehicle parts that were not used in maintenance can be reduced, and proper inventory management becomes possible.

[0130] (Item 6) The process to be identified is, This includes identifying vehicle parts that will not be provided for maintenance, among the vehicle parts identified as being used for maintenance, based on information on vehicle parts that were not used for maintenance among the vehicle parts included in the previously outputted provided parts information, An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 5. This makes it possible, for example, to exclude vehicle parts that had a high return rate in past transaction history from the range of parts offered. As a result, the frequency with which suppliers have to collect vehicle parts that were not used in maintenance can be reduced, and proper inventory management becomes possible.

[0131] (Item 7) The process to be identified is, This includes identifying which vehicle parts to be provided for the aforementioned maintenance from among multiple inventory of vehicle parts identified as vehicle parts to be used for the aforementioned maintenance, based on the date of receipt or expiration date of each vehicle part held in inventory. An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 6. This allows, for example, when there are multiple units of the same part number in stock, to use the ones with the closest expiration dates first, thereby reducing the frequency of vehicle parts being discarded.

[0132] (Item 8) By executing the information processing program, the processor further... A process to extract related parts corresponding to a vehicle part identified as being used for maintenance, based on a related parts database that stores a specified vehicle part and related parts associated with that specified vehicle part in an associated manner. Execute, The output process includes outputting information about the extracted related components. An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 7. This makes it easier to provide alternative parts when a specific vehicle part is out of stock, to offer vehicle parts that are currently on sale at a promotional price as alternative parts, and to provide auxiliary parts that are often used together, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

[0133] (Item 9) The aforementioned maintenance reservation information includes diagnostic information related to a predetermined pre-diagnosis. The process to be identified is, Furthermore, based on the diagnostic information, this includes identifying the vehicle parts to be used in the maintenance, An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 8. This can, for example, improve the precision of specific vehicle parts used in maintenance.

[0134] (Item 10) By executing the information processing program, the processor further... A process for receiving input of information regarding the preparation status of the vehicle parts included in the provided parts information, Based on the information regarding the preparation status, a process is performed to generate progress information regarding the preparation of the vehicle parts. Execute, The aforementioned progress information is accessible in the computer device. An information processing device as described in any of items 1 through 9. This eliminates the need for service providers and maintenance providers to communicate and confirm progress information, for example, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0135] (Item 11) A processor that performs information processing on maintenance supplies information, including information on parts related to the vehicle, used in the maintenance of the vehicle, A storage unit for storing information processing programs processed by the aforementioned processor, A communication unit that can access a predetermined storage area for storing information used by a computer device that performs information processing related to the maintenance of the aforementioned vehicle. A method performed by an information processing device equipped with, The computer device is capable of storing maintenance reservation information relating to the maintenance, which includes at least vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, in the predetermined storage area. In the aforementioned information processing device, The steps include: acquiring the maintenance reservation information stored in the predetermined storage area; Based on the aforementioned maintenance reservation information, the steps include identifying the vehicle parts to be used for the maintenance, The steps include outputting information on the vehicle parts to be provided for the aforementioned maintenance, among the identified vehicle parts, An information processing method that includes performing the following. This will make it possible to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for the maintenance businesses that perform the maintenance and / or for the suppliers that provide the parts used for maintenance to the maintenance businesses.

[0136] (Item 12) A processor that performs information processing on maintenance supplies information, including information on parts related to the vehicle, used in the maintenance of the vehicle, A communication unit that can access a predetermined storage area for storing information used by a computer device that performs information processing related to the maintenance of the aforementioned vehicle. An information processing program that is executed in an information processing device equipped with, The computer device is capable of storing maintenance reservation information relating to the maintenance, which includes at least vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, in the predetermined storage area. When the information processing program is executed by the processor, the information processing device will: A process for obtaining the maintenance reservation information stored in the predetermined storage area, Based on the aforementioned maintenance reservation information, a process is performed to identify the vehicle parts to be used for the aforementioned maintenance, A process to output information on the parts to be provided for the vehicle parts to be provided for the aforementioned maintenance, among the identified vehicle parts, An information processing program that executes [something]. This will make it possible to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for the maintenance businesses that perform the maintenance and / or for the suppliers that provide the parts used for maintenance to the maintenance businesses.

[0137] (Item 13) A system comprising: a first information processing device that performs information processing on maintenance supplies information, including information on parts related to the vehicle, used in the maintenance of the vehicle; and a second information processing device that performs information processing on the maintenance of the vehicle, The second information processing device comprises at least one second processor and a memory for storing a second information processing program. By executing the second information processing program, the second information processing device will: The process of storing maintenance reservation information relating to the said maintenance, which includes at least vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the said vehicle, in a predetermined storage area is performed. The first information processing device comprises at least one first processor, a memory for storing a first information processing program, and a communication unit that can access the predetermined storage area for storing information used by the second information processing device. By executing the first information processing program, the first information processing device, A process for obtaining the maintenance reservation information stored in the predetermined storage area, Based on the aforementioned maintenance reservation information, a process is performed to identify the vehicle parts to be used for the aforementioned maintenance, The process involves outputting information about the vehicle parts provided for the maintenance of the identified vehicle parts. system. This will make it possible to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for the maintenance businesses that perform the maintenance and / or for the suppliers that provide the parts used for maintenance to the maintenance businesses.

[0138] (Item 14) A non-temporary computer-readable medium on which the information processing program described in item 12 is stored. This will make it possible to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for the maintenance businesses that perform the maintenance and / or for the suppliers that provide the parts used for maintenance to the maintenance businesses.

[0139] (Item 15) A processor that processes information related to vehicle maintenance, A storage unit for storing information processing programs processed by the aforementioned processor, An information processing device equipped with, The processor executes the information processing program, The process is executed to store the maintenance reservation information relating to the maintenance, which includes at least vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle, in the predetermined storage area. The predetermined storage area is an area accessible to a computer device that performs information processing related to maintenance supplies information, including information on parts of the vehicle, used for the maintenance of the vehicle. The aforementioned computer device, The maintenance reservation information stored in the predetermined storage area is acquired, Based on the aforementioned maintenance reservation information, the vehicle parts to be used for the aforementioned maintenance are identified, It is possible to output information on the parts provided for the vehicle parts that are provided for the aforementioned maintenance, among the identified vehicle parts. Information processing device. This will make it possible to streamline the procurement of parts for vehicle maintenance, both for the maintenance businesses that perform the maintenance and / or for the suppliers that provide the parts used for maintenance to the maintenance businesses. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0140] 1: First Information Processing Device 2: Second Information Processing Device 3,5: User terminal 7: System 1 8: Second System 9: System

Claims

1. A processor that processes information related to vehicle maintenance, Memory unit and, A communication unit that can access a predetermined memory area and An information processing device comprising, The aforementioned predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle. The aforementioned information processing device is A process for acquiring the vehicle information and maintenance details information stored in the predetermined storage area, A process to identify vehicle parts used for the maintenance, which are stored in a database with respect to the aforementioned vehicle information and maintenance details information. Execute, The process to be identified is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance by using a trained model created through learning, with the vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the dependent variable. Information processing device.

2. The vehicle parts used for the maintenance stored in the database include information regarding their necessity according to the corresponding vehicle and / or maintenance content. The aforementioned identifying process includes further identifying vehicle parts used in the maintenance that meet certain requirements. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The process to be identified is, This includes identifying, based on the transaction history of vehicle parts with the supplier of vehicle parts, the vehicle parts that will not be provided for the maintenance, among those identified as vehicle parts to be used for the maintenance. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. Furthermore, based on a related parts database that stores a specified vehicle part and related parts associated with that specified vehicle part, the system performs a process to extract related parts corresponding to the vehicle part identified as being used for the maintenance. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. An information processing device comprising a processor, a memory unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined memory area, A system including a computer that stores vehicle information relating to a vehicle and maintenance information relating to maintenance performed on the vehicle in the predetermined storage area, The aforementioned processor, A process for acquiring the vehicle information and maintenance details information stored in the predetermined storage area, A process to identify vehicle parts used for the maintenance, which are stored in a database with respect to the aforementioned vehicle information and maintenance details information. Execute, The process to be identified is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance by using a trained model created through learning, with the vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the dependent variable. system.

6. Processor and Memory unit and, A communication unit that can access a predetermined memory area and A method performed by an information processing device equipped with, The aforementioned predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle. The aforementioned information processing device The steps include: acquiring the vehicle information and maintenance details information stored in the predetermined storage area; A step of identifying vehicle parts used for the maintenance, which are stored in a database with respect to the vehicle information and the maintenance details information. Execute, The aforementioned step of identification is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance by using a trained model created through learning, with the vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the dependent variable. Information processing methods.

7. An information processing program executed in an information processing device comprising a processor, a memory unit, and a communication unit capable of accessing a predetermined memory area, The aforementioned predetermined storage area is capable of storing vehicle information relating to the vehicle and maintenance information relating to the maintenance performed on the vehicle. The aforementioned information processing device, A process for acquiring the vehicle information and maintenance details information stored in the predetermined storage area, A process to identify vehicle parts used for the maintenance, which are stored in a database with respect to the aforementioned vehicle information and maintenance details information. Make it run, The process to be identified is, This includes identifying the vehicle parts used in the maintenance by using a trained model created through learning, with the vehicle information and maintenance details from past maintenance as explanatory variables and the vehicle parts used in past maintenance as the dependent variable. Information processing program.

Images