Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device that offers a high degree of flexibility in advertising content and can present advertising information at the most effective time for advertising. [Solution] The system includes: a first information acquisition unit that acquires route information indicating the planned route of a moving object; a second information acquisition unit that acquires first advertising information corresponding to the combination of entry and exit routes when the moving object passes through the target intersection, which is identified based on the route information, from a storage unit that stores in advance multiple pieces of advertising information associated with each combination of entry and exit routes at the target intersection; and a notification control unit that, when the moving object approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection, causes the notification unit to notify the occupants of the moving object of notification information including the first advertising information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that performs control related to presentation of information for a driver of a moving object and determination of the effect of the presentation.

Background Art

[0002] Devices for presenting advertisement information representing the content of an advertisement to passengers of a moving object are known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a navigation system having an information center for accumulating information about stores and a car navigation device for route guidance, wherein when the car navigation device performs route guidance, the store information of stores existing on the route is audibly announced. The car navigation device acquires information about stores existing on the route to the destination from the information center, and when approaching a store with an advertisement, provides guidance on the direction of travel with the store as a landmark at a guidance point such as an intersection. When advertisement information is audibly announced by the car navigation device, an advertisement fee is charged to the advertiser.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, the navigation system performs guidance on the direction of travel with a store as a landmark by audible announcement, and one example of the problem is that the degree of freedom of the advertisement content is low.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and one of its objects is to provide an information processing apparatus that can present advertisement information with a high degree of freedom of advertisement content and at a timing with a high advertisement effect.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by comprising: a first information acquisition unit that acquires route information indicating the planned route of a moving body; a second information acquisition unit that acquires first advertising information corresponding to the combination of entry and exit routes when the moving body passes through the target intersection, which is identified based on the route information, from a storage unit that stores in advance a plurality of advertising pieces associated with each combination of entry and exit routes at a target intersection; and a notification control unit that causes the notification unit to notify the occupants of the moving body of notification information including the first advertising information when the moving body approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection.

[0007] The invention described in claim 9 is an information processing method performed by an information processing device, comprising the steps of: storing in advance a plurality of advertising pieces associated with each combination of entry and exit roads at a target intersection; acquiring route information indicating the planned route along which a moving object will travel; acquiring first advertising pieces corresponding to the combination of entry and exit roads at which the moving object will pass through the target intersection, which are identified based on the route information; and notifying the occupants of the moving object of notification information including the first advertising pieces when the moving object approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection.

[0008] The invention described in claim 10 is characterized by causing a computer to perform the following steps: pre-store a plurality of advertising pieces associated with each combination of entry and exit roads at a target intersection; acquire route information indicating the planned route of a moving vehicle; acquire first advertising pieces corresponding to the combination of entry and exit roads that the moving vehicle will take when passing through the target intersection, which are identified based on the route information; and when the moving vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection, notify the occupants of the moving vehicle of the notification information including the first advertising pieces. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system in Example 1. [Figure 3A] This diagram schematically illustrates an example where the destination is a three-way intersection. [Figure 3B] This figure shows an example of an advertising space table starting 50 meters before an intersection. [Figure 3C] This figure shows an example of an advertising space table starting 300 meters before an intersection. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of an advertising data table stored in the advertising information database. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of an advertising information processing routine using the information processing device in Example 1. [Figure 6A] This is an example of a display screen shown on the display unit in Example 1. [Figure 6B] This is an example of a display screen shown on the display unit in Example 1. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of a billing processing routine using the information processing device in Example 1. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows another example of an advertising information processing routine by the information processing device in Example 1. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows another example of the billing processing routine by the information processing device in Example 1. [Figure 10] This is an example of a display screen shown on the display unit in Example 1. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of an advertising information processing routine using the information processing device in Example 2. [Figure 12] This is an example of a display screen shown on the display unit in Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to substantially identical or equivalent parts.

Embodiment

[0011] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the information processing system 10 of Embodiment 1. The information processing system 10 includes an information processing terminal 10A and an information processing server 10B as an information processing apparatus. In this embodiment, an example in which the information processing terminal 10A is mounted on a vehicle M as a moving body will be described.

[0012] The information processing terminal 10A and the information processing server 10B can mutually transmit and receive data (communication connection) via a network (communication path). For example, a communication protocol such as TCP / IP is used for the transmission and reception. Further, the network can be constructed by mobile communication networks, wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and Internet communication including wired communication. The information processing server 10B can mutually transmit and receive data with each of a plurality of information processing terminals 10A mounted on a plurality of vehicles M.

[0013] [[ID=1�]] In addition, the information processing server 10B can mutually transmit and receive data with an advertiser terminal AD which is a terminal used by an advertiser via a network. Between the information processing server 10B and the advertiser terminal AD, information regarding a request for presenting advertisement information in the information processing terminal 10A and information regarding charging to the advertiser are transmitted and received.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows the configurations of the information processing terminal 10A and the information processing server 10B. The information processing server 10B also mutually transmits and receives data with a plurality of information processing terminals (not shown) other than the information processing terminal 10A. Therefore, a device ID for identifying the terminal is pre-assigned to the information processing terminal 10A.

[0015] The information processing terminal 10A has a terminal storage unit 11 composed of storage devices such as a hard disk, a flash memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The terminal storage unit 11 appropriately stores programs executed in the information processing terminal 10A, data necessary for the operation of the information processing terminal 10A, data generated during the operation of the information processing terminal 10A, and data imported from the outside. In addition, the terminal storage unit 11 stores the device ID of the information processing terminal 10A.

[0016] The information processing terminal 10A has a terminal control unit 12 composed of a central processing unit (CPU (Central Processing Unit)) and the like. The terminal control unit 12 performs control necessary for the operation of the information processing terminal 10A. For example, the terminal control unit 12 reads map information or route information related to the vehicle M on which the information processing terminal 10A is mounted from the terminal storage unit 11 and performs control necessary for displaying them.

[0017] The information processing terminal 10A has a display unit 13 and an audio output unit 14 as presentation units for presenting information to the driver of the vehicle M.

[0018] The display unit 13 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a head-up display (HUD: Head-up Display), and is provided so as to be visible to the driver. The display unit 13 displays a screen showing information such as navigation information and advertisement information according to an instruction from the terminal control unit 12. For example, the display unit 13 displays map information around the vehicle M that is traveling. Also, for example, characters and images indicating advertisement information are displayed on the display unit 13.

[0019] The audio output unit 14 is an acoustic device that outputs information such as navigation information and advertisement information as audio. For example, the audio output unit 14 outputs a part of the route information as audio. Also, for example, the audio output unit 14 outputs the content of the advertisement included in the advertisement information as audio.

[0020] The information processing terminal 10A has an operation input unit 15 consisting of an input device such as a remote controller or a touch panel. The operation input unit 15 receives operation input from the passenger regarding the display unit 13 or the voice output unit 14. For example, the operation input unit 15 receives operation input such as an input requesting the display of route information or an input of the destination.

[0021] The information processing terminal 10A has a position detection unit 16, which is a device for detecting the position of vehicle M. The position detection unit 16 includes a position identification device such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, and detects the position of vehicle M and generates position information.

[0022] The information processing terminal 10A has a terminal communication unit 17. The terminal communication unit 17 is a network adapter such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for sending and receiving data according to instructions from the terminal control unit 12. As a transmitting unit, the terminal communication unit 17 transmits, for example, the location information of vehicle M, the device ID, and destination information. As a receiving unit, the terminal communication unit 17 receives, for example, distribution information including route information and advertising information.

[0023] Next, the information processing server 10B will be described. The information processing server 10B has a server communication unit 21. The server communication unit 21 is, for example, a network adapter such as a NIC, and transmits and receives data with one or more vehicles M. As a transmitting unit, the server communication unit 21 transmits distribution information, including route information and advertising information, to the information processing terminal 10A. The server communication unit 21 also receives, for example, the location information, device ID, and destination information of the vehicles M from the information processing terminal 10A.

[0024] The information processing server 10B has a server storage unit 22 consisting of storage devices such as hard disks, flash memory, SSDs, and RAM. The server storage unit 22 appropriately stores programs executed by the information processing server 10B, data necessary for the operation of the information processing server 10B, data generated during the operation of the information processing server 10B, and data taken in from external sources. The server storage unit 22 also stores map information.

[0025] Furthermore, the server storage unit 22 has an advertising information database (hereinafter referred to as the advertising information DB) 22A. The advertising information DB 22A stores advertising data, including the content of the advertisements.

[0026] For example, advertising data includes advertising information that indicates the content of the advertisement to be displayed. Advertising information may include, for example, the name of the store and information about sales at that store. It may also include incentive information such as the awarding of loyalty points. Furthermore, advertising data may include information that is useful for driving a vehicle, such as directions of travel.

[0027] The advertising data may include images, audio, or a combination of these. Each piece of advertising data is assigned an advertising ID to identify the specific advertising information.

[0028] Furthermore, the advertising data is stored in association with information about advertising slots that define the location of the vehicle where the advertising information should be displayed. Advertising slots are provided for each guidance point, such as an intersection, and for each mode of movement of a moving object at that guidance point. For example, in this embodiment, advertising slots are provided for each combination of entry and exit directions to an intersection. Also, different advertising slots may be provided depending on the time of day.

[0029] Furthermore, advertising slots are available based on the distance to the destination. Advertising slots where the distance to the destination is shorter than a predetermined value will have advertising information registered that does not encourage a change of direction of travel. For example, advertisements for stores located in the direction of exit from an intersection (hereinafter referred to as "advertisements within the route") will be registered as advertising information.

[0030] On the other hand, in advertising slots where the distance to the destination is longer than a predetermined value, advertising information that encourages a change of direction may also be registered. For example, advertisements for stores located in directions other than the exit direction from an intersection (hereinafter referred to as off-route advertisements) may be registered as advertising information.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3A, for example, if the guidance point is intersection A, a three-way intersection, there are six possible combinations of directions of travel and exit. Furthermore, if the distance to intersection A is divided into two stages (for example, within 50m and within 300m from intersection A), there are a total of 12 advertising slots at intersection A.

[0032] Figure 3B shows the advertising space table IB1, which represents advertising spaces starting 50m before intersection A. The advertising space table IB1 lists advertising spaces provided according to combinations of a to c as the entry and exit directions. Each advertising space also contains information about the corresponding direction of travel. For example, advertising space ab1 is an advertising space for advertising information that will be displayed when vehicle M's route is set to enter from a and exit at b, and vehicle M enters 50m before intersection A.

[0033] The ad slots in ad slot table IB1 are those that are close to the destination (i.e., the ad is displayed near the destination). Therefore, to avoid prompting a sudden change in direction, ad information for ads along the route is registered. For example, ad slot ba1 will contain ad information for stores located after passing through the destination and exiting to a.

[0034] Figure 3C shows the advertising space table IB2, which represents advertising spaces starting 300m before intersection A. The advertising space table IB2 lists advertising spaces provided according to combinations of a to c as the entry and exit directions. Each advertising space also contains information about the corresponding direction of travel. For example, advertising space ab2 is an advertising space for advertising information that will be displayed when vehicle M's route is set to enter from a and exit at b, and vehicle M enters 300m before intersection A.

[0035] The advertising slots in advertising slot table IB2 are those where the distance to the destination is long (i.e., the advertising display location is far from the destination). Therefore, if a driver who receives advertising information deviates from the route originally set for vehicle M and attempts to head towards the store indicated in the advertising information, they will have ample time to safely change course. Accordingly, the advertising slots in advertising slot table IB2 may register not only advertisements for stores located in the direction of exit from the destination, but also advertisements for stores located in directions other than the exit direction from the destination. For example, advertising slot ba1 may register advertising information for stores located beyond a after exiting from the destination, as well as advertising information for stores located beyond c after exiting from the destination.

[0036] Each ad slot will have advertising information registered, for example, from the same advertiser. Advertisers acquire the right to use each ad slot exclusively, for example, through bidding.

[0037] Figure 4 shows an example of an advertising data table stored in the advertising information DB22A. Here, we see the advertising data table TB1, which corresponds to the advertising slot table IB1 shown in Figure 2C, specifically for advertising slots starting 50m before intersection A. The advertising data table TB1 contains an advertising ID that identifies each piece of advertising information, the file name of the video or still image used as advertising information, the advertising slot specified for each advertising ID, and the directional guidance information associated with each advertising slot.

[0038] The advertising information stored in the advertising information DB22A is updated as needed when advertisers send the advertising information they wish to display from their advertiser terminal AD, and the advertising request reception unit 28 receives it via the server communication unit 21.

[0039] Furthermore, the advertising information DB22A may also store a standard fee for each advertising ID, which serves as the basis for the charge to be made to the advertiser when the advertising information for each advertising ID is displayed in vehicle M. For example, different standard fees may be stored depending on the type of advertising information, such as whether or not there is image information or audio information.

[0040] Referring again to Figure 2, the information processing server 10B has a server control unit 23. The server control unit 23 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM, etc., and functions as a computer. The server control unit 23 realizes various functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the server storage unit 22. The server control unit 23 includes a presentation control unit 24.

[0041] The display control unit 24 controls the display of advertising information in the vehicle M. More specifically, the display control unit 24 instructs the information processing terminal 10A, which is installed in the vehicle M, to display the advertising information. For example, the display control unit 24 causes the server communication unit 21 to transmit information including the advertising information and an instruction to display the advertising information to the information processing terminal 10A.

[0042] Furthermore, the server control unit 23 includes a distribution information generation unit 25. The distribution information generation unit 25 extracts advertising data to be distributed from the advertising data stored in the advertising information DB 22A and generates advertising distribution information (notification information). For example, the distribution information generation unit 25 extracts advertising data to be distributed based on the location information of vehicle M. The distribution information generation unit 25 includes a route search unit 25A and a guide information generation unit 25B.

[0043] When the route search unit 25A receives location information and destination information of vehicle M from the information processing terminal 10A via the server communication unit 21, it searches for a route from the vehicle M's current location to the destination and generates route information. In searching for a route, the route search unit 25A searches for a route that minimizes predetermined items such as required time, distance traveled, energy consumption, or toll fees, and generates route information for one or more preferred routes.

[0044] The guide information generation unit 25B identifies advertising slots for advertising information to be presented to the vehicle M based on the vehicle M's location information and the route information generated by the route search unit 25A. The guide information generation unit 25B generates guide information (for example, "turn left in XX meters") to guide the vehicle in the direction of travel based on the direction of travel information stored in the server storage unit 22 in association with the advertising slots.

[0045] The distribution information generation unit 25 extracts advertising data to be delivered based on information about advertising slots identified based on the location and route information of vehicle M. Based on the extracted advertising data, the distribution information generation unit 25 generates advertising delivery information (notification information) including advertising ID, advertising information, route information, and guide information.

[0046] Referring again to Figure 2, the server control unit 23 includes a billing information generation unit 26. The billing information generation unit 26 generates billing information, which is information that helps determine the amount to be charged for the presentation of advertising information. The billing information generation unit 26 generates billing information corresponding to each advertising ID of the advertising information presented in the vehicle M, according to predetermined criteria.

[0047] Furthermore, the server control unit 23 includes a charge amount determination unit 27. The charge amount determination unit 27 determines the charge amount based on the billing information generated by the billing information generation unit 26. For example, the charge amount determination unit 27 determines the charge amount based on the billing information as well as the information contained in the advertising information DB 22A. For example, the charge amount determination unit 27 reads the standard fee corresponding to the advertising ID from the advertising information DB 22A and calculates the charge amount based on the billing information.

[0048] For example, the charge amount determination unit 27 may determine the charge amount by applying a discount set separately from the charge information. For example, a discount may be applied to advertisers who have requested the presentation of a predetermined number of advertisements or more. Also, for example, the charge information determination unit notifies the advertiser of the determined charge amount via the server communication unit 21.

[0049] The server control unit 23 includes an advertising request receiving unit 28. The advertising request receiving unit 28 receives advertising request information, including the content of the request for displaying an advertisement, from the advertiser terminal AD via the server communication unit 21. The advertising request information includes advertising information indicating the content of at least one advertisement and advertising space specification information specifying an advertising space. In addition, for example, the advertising request information includes identification information that can identify the advertiser terminal.

[0050] Alternatively, the server control unit 23 may not accept the specification of the ad slot itself, but rather accept the specification of the ad location when the advertiser requests the display of the ad, and identify the corresponding ad slot based on the accepted specification of the ad location.

[0051] When the advertising request receiving unit 28 receives advertising request information, it assigns an advertising ID to each piece of advertising information included in the advertising request information and stores it in the advertising information DB 22A along with information on advertising slots specified by the advertiser or identified by the server control unit 23 based on the specified advertising location. The advertising request receiving unit 28 may also store the standard fee for each advertising ID in the advertising information DB 22A.

[0052] [Advertising Information Processing Routine RT1] Referring to Figure 5, we will now describe the advertising information processing routine RT1, which is an example of a routine executed by the information processing system 10. The dashed lines in Figure 5 schematically show the process of sending and receiving data. In Figure 5, the routine that is repeatedly executed by the information processing terminal 10A is shown as RT1A, and the routine that is repeatedly executed by the information processing server 10B is shown as RT1B.

[0053] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A starts routine RT1A when, for example, the accessory power supply (hereinafter referred to as ACC power supply) of the vehicle M is turned on. The terminal control unit 12 may also start routine RT1A when the engine of the vehicle M is started.

[0054] When the terminal control unit 12 starts routine RT1A, it controls the terminal communication unit 17 to send current location information, including the current location of vehicle M detected by the location detection unit 16, to the information processing server 10B (step S101A). The terminal communication unit 17 sends the current location information of vehicle M to the information processing server 10B at predetermined time intervals. In step S101A, the current location information is sent by the terminal communication unit 17 along with the terminal ID, which is an identifier that identifies the information processing terminal 10A. In step S101A, the terminal communication unit 17 functions as a transmission unit.

[0055] When the information processing server 10B is started, the server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B starts routine RT1B. After starting routine RT1B, the server control unit 23 waits for the reception of current location information (step S101B).

[0056] After executing step S101B, the server control unit 23 determines whether or not it has received the current location information (step S102B). In step S102B, the server communication unit 21 functions as a receiving unit.

[0057] If the server control unit 23 determines that it has not received current location information (step S102B: No), it returns to step S101B and waits again for the reception of current location information.

[0058] When the server control unit 23 determines that it has received the current location information (step S102B: Yes), it waits for the destination information and the device ID to be received (step S103B).

[0059] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A controls the terminal communication unit 17 to transmit destination information indicating the destination entered in the operation input unit 15 and the device ID of the information processing terminal 10A stored in the terminal storage unit 11 to the information processing server 10B (step S102A).

[0060] After executing step S103B, the server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B determines whether or not it has received destination information and device ID (step S104B).

[0061] If it is determined that destination information and device ID have not been received (step S104B: No), the server control unit 23 returns to step S103B and waits again for the destination information and device ID to be received.

[0062] When it is determined that destination information and device ID have been received (step S104B: Yes), the route search unit 25A of the distribution information generation unit 25 searches for a route from the current location of vehicle M to the destination based on the current location information and destination information (step S105B). The route search unit 25A searches for a route according to pre-set conditions (for example, which of the following items will be prioritized: required time, distance traveled, energy consumption, toll fees, etc.).

[0063] The distribution information generation unit 25 identifies advertising slots where the combination of the searched route and the entry and exit directions at the guidance point matches, and extracts the advertising information registered in those advertising slots (step S106B).

[0064] The distribution information generation unit 25 generates distribution information that includes the extracted advertisement information, advertisement location information indicating the advertisement location to which the advertisement information is assigned (for example, within 50m of intersection A), the advertisement ID corresponding to the advertisement information, and route information of the searched route (step S107B).

[0065] The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send the generated distribution information to the information processing terminal 10A (step S108B).

[0066] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A waits for the reception of the distribution information (step S103A).

[0067] After executing step S103A, the terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not it has received the distribution information (step S104A).

[0068] If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has not received the distribution information (step S104A: No), it returns to step S103A and waits again for the distribution information to be received.

[0069] When it determines that it has received the distribution information (Step S104A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 starts route guidance based on the route information contained in the distribution information (Step S105A). The terminal control unit 12 provides route guidance by displaying the route corresponding to the route information on the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14.

[0070] The terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle M has reached a predetermined range from the advertisement location where the advertisement should be displayed, i.e., the guidance location, based on the advertisement location information included in the distribution information and the current location information of the vehicle M detected by the location detection unit 16 (step S106A).

[0071] If it is determined that vehicle M has not reached the advertising location where the advertisement should be displayed (step S106A: No), the terminal control unit 12 returns to step S105A and continues with normal route guidance.

[0072] When it is determined that vehicle M has reached the advertising location where the advertisement should be displayed (step S106A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 controls the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 to display the advertisement information (step S107A).

[0073] Figures 6A and 6B show examples of display screens shown in the display unit 13 in step S107A. For example, if the current location of vehicle M is within 50m of intersection A, the display screen will show direction guidance to guide the vehicle along the route, as well as location information and advertising information for stores along the route indicated in the direction guidance. For example, in Figure 6A, the display screen shows direction guidance indicating that the vehicle should turn right at the intersection 50m ahead, as well as location information and advertising information for stores located after turning right at the intersection. While the display unit 13 is displaying the display screen of Figure 6A, the voice output unit 14 will output a voice message such as, "50m ahead, turn right at intersection ▲▲. 100m after turning right, supermarket ◎◎ on the right will be having a time sale from 2pm."

[0074] In contrast, if, for example, vehicle M's current location is between 50m and 300m from intersection A, the display screen will show direction guidance indicating the direction of travel along the route, as well as advertising information for stores whose routes at least to the guidance point match the route of vehicle M. For example, in Figure 6B, the display screen shows direction guidance indicating that the vehicle should turn right at the intersection 300m ahead, and location information and advertising information for stores located 500m straight ahead without turning right at the intersection. While the display unit 13 displays the display screen of Figure 6B, the audio output unit 14 outputs audio such as, "300m ahead, turn right at intersection ▲▲. Camera XX is having a trade-in fair until the 20th. Camera XX is straight ahead at the same intersection."

[0075] [Billing processing routine RT2] Referring to Figure 7, we will now describe a billing processing routine RT2, which is an example of a routine executed by the information processing system 10 after the presentation of advertising information in step S107A. The routine executed by the information processing terminal 10A is shown as RT2A, and the routine executed by the information processing server 10B is shown as RT2B.

[0076] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A controls the terminal communication unit 17 to send an advertising ID corresponding to the advertising information presented in step S107A to the information processing server 10B (step S108A).

[0077] The server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B waits for the receipt of the advertisement ID (step S109B).

[0078] After executing step S109B, the server control unit 23 determines whether or not it has received an advertisement ID (step S110B).

[0079] If it is determined that the advertising ID has not been received (step S110B: No), the server control unit 23 returns to step S109B and waits again for the advertising ID to be received.

[0080] If it determines that an advertising ID has been received (step S110B: Yes), the billing information generation unit 26 calculates the advertising fee to be charged to the advertiser corresponding to the advertising ID (step S111B).

[0081] The billing information generation unit 26 generates billing information for billing advertisers based on the calculated advertising fee (step S112B).

[0082] The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send billing information to the advertiser terminal (step S113B).

[0083] [Advertising Information Processing Routine RT3] Referring to Figure 8, we will now describe advertising information processing routine RT3, another example of an advertising information processing routine executed by the information processing system 10. As with Figure 5, the dashed lines in Figure 8 schematically show the transmission and reception of data. In Figure 8, routines repeatedly executed by the information processing terminal 10A are shown as RT3A, and routines repeatedly executed by the information processing server 10B are shown as RT3B. Steps that are common to the steps in the routines described above are given the same reference numerals.

[0084] The contents of each processing step S101A to S102A executed by the information processing terminal 10A and steps S101B to S105B executed by the information processing server 10B are the same as the contents of the corresponding processing steps of routine RT1 shown in Figure 5, so their explanation is omitted.

[0085] After step S105B is executed, the distribution information generation unit 25 of the information processing server 10B generates route information of the explored route as first distribution information. The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send the first distribution information to the information processing terminal 10A (step S201B).

[0086] After executing step S102A, the terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A waits for the reception of the first distribution information (step S201A).

[0087] The terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not it has received the first distribution information (step S202A). If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has not received the first distribution information (step S202A: No), it returns to step S201A and waits again for the reception of the first distribution information.

[0088] When it determines that it has received the first distribution information (step S202A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 starts route guidance based on the route information contained in the first distribution information (step S203A). The terminal control unit 12 provides route guidance by having the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 display the route corresponding to the route information.

[0089] The server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B determines the current location of vehicle M based on the current location information of vehicle M transmitted from the information processing terminal 10A at predetermined time intervals (step S202B).

[0090] The server control unit 23 detects a guidance point included in the route determined in step S105B and determines whether or not the vehicle M has reached a predetermined distance range from that guidance point (step S203B).

[0091] If it is determined that vehicle M has not reached a predetermined distance range from the guidance point (step S203B: No), the server control unit 23 returns to step S202B and determines the current position of vehicle M at predetermined time intervals.

[0092] When it is determined that vehicle M has reached a predetermined distance range from the guidance point (step S203B: Yes), the distribution information generation unit 25 identifies an advertising slot that matches the combination of vehicle M's route and the entry and exit directions at the guidance point, and extracts the advertising information registered in that advertising slot. The distribution information generation unit 25 generates second distribution information including the extracted advertising information, advertising location information indicating the advertising location to which the advertising information is assigned (for example, within 50m from intersection A), and the advertising ID corresponding to the advertising information (step S204B).

[0093] The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send the generated second distribution information to the information processing terminal 10A (step S205B).

[0094] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A waits for the reception of the second distribution information (step S2-4A).

[0095] After executing step S204A, the terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not it has received the second distribution information (step S205A).

[0096] If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has not received the second distribution information (step S205A: No), it returns to step S204A and waits again for the reception of the second distribution information.

[0097] If it is determined that the second distribution information has been received (step S202A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 controls the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 to display the advertising information (step S206A).

[0098] After presenting the advertising information in step S206A, the information processing system 10 executes the billing processing routine RT2 shown in Figure 7.

[0099] [Billing processing routine RT4] Referring to Figure 9, we will now describe another example of a billing processing routine executed by the information processing system 10, which is the billing processing routine RT4. As with Figure 7, the dashed lines in Figure 9 schematically show the transmission and reception of data. In Figure 9, the routine repeatedly executed by the information processing terminal 10A is shown as RT4A, and the routine repeatedly executed by the information processing server 10B is shown as RT4B. Steps that are common to the steps in the routines described above are given the same reference numerals.

[0100] The contents of each processing step S108A, executed by the information processing terminal 10A, and steps S109B to S111B, executed by the information processing server 10B, are the same as the contents of the corresponding processing steps of routine RT2 shown in Figure 7, so their explanation is omitted.

[0101] After step S111B is executed, the server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B refers to the advertisement information DB and determines whether the advertisement ID received in step S101B is the advertisement ID of an advertisement outside the route (step S301B). Here, an advertisement outside the route means an advertisement for a store located in a direction other than the exit direction from the guidance point, which is registered in the advertisement slot of the advertisement slot table IB2.

[0102] If it is determined that the ad ID is not for an ad outside the designated route (step S301B: No), the server control unit 23 executes the process in step S308B.

[0103] On the other hand, if it is determined that the ad ID is for an ad outside the designated route (step S301B: No), the delivery information generation unit 25 reads from the server storage unit 22 the information stored in the ad information DB 22A, which is associated with the ad outside the designated route indicated by the ad ID, and obtains the information for the direction of travel to which the vehicle should be guided, i.e., the direction of travel in which the store corresponding to the ad is located (step S302B).

[0104] The distribution information generation unit 25 searches for a new route if the route is changed according to advertising information outside the route, based on information about the direction of travel to which the vehicle should be guided, information about the current location of the vehicle M, and information about the destination (step S303B).

[0105] The distribution information generation unit 25 calculates the cost difference between the new route discovered in step S303B and the original route discovered in step S105B (Figure 5), which is at least one of the cost factors: distance cost, time cost, toll cost, and energy cost (step S304B).

[0106] The distribution information generation unit 25 controls the server communication unit 21 to send the calculated cost difference as third distribution information to the information processing terminal 10A (step S305B).

[0107] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A waits for the reception of the third distribution information (step S301A).

[0108] The terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not it has received the third distribution information (step S302A). If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has not received the third distribution information (step S302A: No), it returns to step S301A and waits again for the reception of the third distribution information.

[0109] If it determines that the third distribution information has been received (step S302A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 controls the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 to display the third distribution information (step S303A).

[0110] Figure 10 shows an example of the display screen shown in the display unit 13 in step S303A. The display screen shows the cost difference between the original route (the planned route of vehicle M) and the new route (the direction in which the vehicle is to be guided) and a message prompting the driver to make a selection. At this time, the original route and the new route may be displayed in a manner that allows for comparison. For example, if the original route involves a right turn 300m ahead and the new route is straight, a message such as "If you go straight, the travel time to your destination will increase by 5 minutes. Do you want to go straight?" may be displayed along with a button prompting the driver to make a selection by operating the operation input unit 15 (e.g., touch panel).

[0111] Referring again to Figure 9, the terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A determines whether a new route has been selected based on the operation of the operation input unit 15 (step S304A). If it is determined that a new route has not been selected (step S304A: No), the terminal control unit 12 terminates routine RT4A and continues the original route guidance.

[0112] If it is determined that a new route has been selected (step S304A: Yes), the terminal control unit 12 displays the new route on the display unit 13 and the voice output unit 14 and starts route guidance for the new route (step S305).

[0113] The server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B determines, based on the current location information of the vehicle M transmitted from the information processing terminal 10A, whether the vehicle M has moved in the direction to be guided by the advertising information within a predetermined time after the third distribution information has been transmitted to the information processing terminal 10A (step S306B). If it is determined that the vehicle M is not moving in the direction to be guided (step S306B: No), the server control unit 23 executes the process in step S308B.

[0114] When it is determined that vehicle M is moving in the direction that it is intended to guide (Step S306B: Yes), the billing information generation unit 26 considers that the advertisement has been effective and recalculates the advertising fee by adding a predetermined percentage (Step S307B).

[0115] The billing information generation unit 26 generates billing information for billing advertisers based on the calculated advertising fee (step S308B).

[0116] The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send billing information to the advertiser terminal (step S309B).

[0117] As described above, in the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, an advertising space is provided for each guidance point such as an intersection, and advertising information set by the advertiser is registered in each advertising space. Furthermore, an advertising space is provided for each direction of travel at the guidance point, and advertising information is displayed when a moving object approaches the guidance point from that direction. In addition, guide information that directs the user in the direction of travel is displayed along with the advertising information.

[0118] Because guide information such as directions of travel attracts drivers' attention, advertising information presented alongside this information is highly likely to be noticed by drivers. Furthermore, advertisers can freely set the content of the advertisements displayed alongside the directions of travel according to the ad space, allowing them to present highly effective advertising information to drivers. In addition, it is possible to display advertising information not only for stores along the set route but also for stores outside the route, providing an opportunity to acquire new customers. [Examples]

[0119] The information processing system of Example 2 will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. The information processing system of this example has the same configuration as the information processing system of Example 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, but differs from Example 1 in the operation of the advertising frames and parts provided in the advertising information DB22A.

[0120] In this embodiment, advertising slots are provided for each driving caution point, such as locations where accidents statistically occur frequently, according to the direction of approach to that driving caution point. Each advertising slot is pre-programmed with information indicating that it is a driving caution point and driving assistance information to alert the driver. The advertising information registered in the advertising slot is displayed together with the driving assistance information on the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 of the information processing terminal 10A.

[0121] [Advertising Information Processing Routine RT5] Referring to Figure 11, an example of an advertising information processing routine, advertising information processing routine RT5, which is executed by the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, will be described. Similar to the advertising information processing routine RT1 of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 5, the dashed lines in Figure 11 schematically show the data transmission and reception process. In Figure 11, the routine repeatedly executed by the information processing terminal 10A is shown as RT5A, and the routine repeatedly executed by the information processing server 10B is shown as RT5B. Steps that have the same content as the steps in the routines described above are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0122] The contents of each processing step S101A executed by the information processing terminal 10A and steps S101B to S102B executed by the information processing server 10B are the same as the contents of the corresponding processing steps of routine RT1 in Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 5, so their explanation is omitted.

[0123] After step S102B is executed, the server control unit 23 of the information processing server 10B determines the current position of vehicle M relative to the driver caution point based on the received current position information of vehicle M (step S401B).

[0124] The server control unit 23 determines whether or not vehicle M has entered within a predetermined distance from the driver attention point (step S402B). If it determines that it has not entered (step S402B: No), the server control unit 23 returns to step S401B and determines the current position of vehicle M relative to the driver attention point.

[0125] When it is determined that vehicle M has entered within a predetermined distance from the driver caution point (step S402B: Yes), the distribution information generation unit 25 accesses the advertising information DB 22A to identify an advertising slot corresponding to the driver caution point and the direction of travel of the vehicle, and extracts advertising information and driving support information corresponding to the identified advertising slot (step S403B).

[0126] The distribution information generation unit 25 generates distribution information including the extracted advertising information and driving assistance information (step S404B).

[0127] The server control unit 23 controls the server communication unit 21 to send the generated distribution information to the information processing terminal 10A (step S405B).

[0128] The terminal control unit 12 of the information processing terminal 10A waits for the reception of the distribution information (step S401A).

[0129] After executing step S401A, the terminal control unit 12 determines whether or not it has received the distribution information (step S402A).

[0130] If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has not received the distribution information (step S402A: No), it returns to step S401A and waits again for the distribution information to be received.

[0131] If the terminal control unit 12 determines that it has received the distribution information (step S402A: Yes), it controls the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14 to display the advertising information (step S403A).

[0132] After the presentation of the advertising information in step S403A, the information processing system 10 performs the same processing as the billing processing routine RT2 in Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 7.

[0133] Figure 12 shows an example of the display screen shown in the display unit 13 in step S403A. The display screen shows notification information, including advertising information and driving assistance information, such as, for a driving caution point with many merging vehicles from other lanes, "Please be careful of a merging vehicle from the left 300m ahead. Auto□□, a car accessories store, has a wide selection of drive recorders."

[0134] In this embodiment of the information processing system, advertising information is presented to the driver along with driving assistance information at points requiring attention while driving. Because driving assistance information is highly likely to attract the driver's attention, advertising information presented together with it is highly likely to be noticed by the driver. Furthermore, in this embodiment of the information processing system, advertising information can be presented together with driving assistance information even when the route for vehicle M has not been set.

[0135] Therefore, opportunities to display advertisements are not missed, and highly effective advertising information can be presented to drivers at times when they are most likely to pay attention.

[0136] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in the above embodiments, an example was described in which the information processing terminal 10A is mounted on a vehicle M as a mobile device. However, the information processing terminal 10A is not limited to an in-vehicle device such as an in-vehicle navigation system, but may be a mobile terminal or smartphone capable of performing navigation functions.

[0137] Furthermore, the above embodiment described the case where the guidance point is an intersection. However, the guidance point is not limited to intersections; it may also be a non-branching point such as a railway crossing or a prefectural border. For example, if the guidance point is a railway crossing, a message indicating that the vehicle is approaching the crossing and prompting it to stop will be displayed as guide information. Also, if the guidance point is a prefectural border, a message such as "You will soon be in XX Prefecture" will be displayed as guide information, and advertisements for companies related to that prefecture will be displayed as advertising information.

[0138] Furthermore, the series of processes described in each of the above embodiments can be carried out by computer processing according to a program stored on a recording medium such as ROM. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0139] 10 Information Processing Systems 10A Information Processing Terminal 10B Information Processing Server 11 Terminal Storage Unit 12 Terminal Control Unit 13 Display section 14. Audio output section 15 Operation Input Section 16 Position detection unit 17 Terminal Communication Unit 21 Server Communication Section 22 Server Storage Unit 22A Advertising Information Database 23 Server Control Unit 24 Display Control Unit 25 Distribution Information Generation Unit 25A Route Search Unit 25B Guide Information Generation Unit 26. Billing Information Generation Unit 27 Billing amount determination section 28 Advertising Request Reception Department

Claims

1. A first information acquisition unit acquires route information indicating the planned route of a moving object, A second information acquisition unit acquires a first advertisement from a storage unit that pre-stores multiple advertisements associated with each combination of entry and exit routes at a target intersection, which corresponds to the combination of entry and exit routes when the moving object passes through the target intersection, based on the route information. When the moving body approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection, the notification control unit causes the notification information, including the first advertising information, to be notified to the occupants of the moving body from the notification unit, An information processing device characterized by including

2. The memory unit stores advertising information in association with the combination of the entry and exit roads for each distance zone to the target intersection. The second information acquisition unit identifies the distance zone based on the distance between the current position of the moving object and the target intersection, and acquires the first advertising information corresponding to the identified distance zone. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. Among the aforementioned distance zones, the advertising information stored in association with the distance zone to the target intersection that is shorter than a predetermined value is advertising information relating to facilities located in the direction of the exit road. The information processing apparatus according to feature 2.

4. Among the aforementioned distance zones, the advertising information stored in association with the distance zone to the target intersection that is longer than the predetermined value includes advertising information relating to facilities located in directions other than the direction of the exit road. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The memory unit stores information about the direction of travel to which the moving object is to be guided, in association with advertising information relating to facilities located in directions other than the direction of the exit route. The information processing apparatus according to feature 4.

6. In relation to the notification information, the system further includes an effect determination unit that determines, based on the position information of the moving body, whether or not the moving body has moved in the direction of travel to be guided. The information processing apparatus according to feature 5.

7. The effect determination unit determines that if the moving body moves in the direction of the direction to be guided, the amount of advertising fees charged to the advertiser will be increased compared to if the effect determination unit determines that the moving body did not move in the direction of the direction to be guided. The information processing apparatus according to feature 6.

8. The memory unit stores different advertising information for each time period, associating it with the combination of the entrance and exit routes. The second information acquisition unit acquires the first advertising information based on the current time. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, The steps include pre-storing multiple pieces of advertising information associated with each combination of entry and exit roads at the target intersection, The steps include obtaining route information that shows the planned route the moving object will take, A step of obtaining first advertising information corresponding to the combination of entry and exit routes when the moving object passes through the target intersection, which is identified based on the route information, When the moving body approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection, the step of informing the occupants of the moving body of the notification information including the first advertising information, An information processing method characterized by including

10. On the computer, The steps include pre-storing multiple pieces of advertising information associated with each combination of entry and exit roads at the target intersection, The steps include obtaining route information that shows the planned route the moving object will take, A step of obtaining first advertising information corresponding to the combination of entry and exit routes when the moving object passes through the target intersection, which is identified based on the route information, When the moving body approaches within a predetermined distance of the target intersection, the step of informing the occupants of the moving body of the notification information including the first advertising information, A program characterized by causing the execution of a specific action.

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