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

Abstract

The purpose is to notify users of information that satisfies their need to know the estimated time until a parking space becomes available. [Solution] The system includes: a occupancy rate determination unit that determines when the parking lot is likely to be full; a member information receiving unit that receives member information of a user associated with a vehicle parked in the parking lot when the occupancy rate is high; a response form transmission unit that sends a response form to the user's terminal on which the user can input information about their planned departure date based on the member information received by the member information receiving unit; a schedule information receiving unit that receives the information about the planned departure date entered in the response form; a prediction information generation unit that generates prediction information including the estimated time until the parking lot becomes vacant based on the information about the planned departure date received by the schedule information receiving unit; and a prediction information output unit that outputs the prediction information generated by the prediction information generation unit.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a system that detects a sign that a vehicle parked in a parking lot is about to leave and notifies the user of a vehicle waiting to enter the parking lot is known. Patent Document 1 discloses obtaining information related to a request for a predetermined operation executed before the vehicle moves and notifying information that enables a user waiting to park to recognize the position where the vehicle is parked.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, according to the conventional technology, since the request for the above-described predetermined operation is executed immediately before departure, the information notified from the conventional system does not meet the requirements of users who want to know the expected time until the parking lot becomes empty.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to notify a user of information that meets the requirements of a user who wants to know the expected time until an empty space occurs in a parking lot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention comprises: a parking lot occupancy prediction unit that determines when the parking lot is expected to be full; a member information receiving unit that receives member information of a user associated with a vehicle parked in the parking lot when the expected occupancy is high; a response form sending unit that sends a response form to the user's user terminal in which information about the planned departure date can be entered based on the member information received by the member information receiving unit; a schedule information receiving unit that receives the information about the planned departure date entered in the response form; a prediction information generation unit that generates prediction information including the estimated time until the parking lot becomes vacant based on the information about the planned departure date received by the schedule information receiving unit; and a prediction information output unit that outputs the prediction information generated by the prediction information generation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to notify users of information that satisfies the user's need to know the estimated time until a parking space becomes available. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal, an information processing device, and a parking terminal. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of member IDs and vehicle numbers included in the member database. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of an input screen where the response form is displayed. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of an explanation screen on a member site. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the estimated vacant time calculated by the prediction information generation unit. [Figure 8]Figure 8 shows an example of a prediction information screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of a prediction information screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing procedure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing procedure according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of the information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0010] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. The information processing system 1 of this embodiment comprises user terminals 10, information processing devices 20, and a parking terminal 30 installed in a parking lot P, all connected to each other via a communication network 40 such as the Internet. The parking lot P is assumed to have one or more parking spaces (car rooms).

[0011] User terminal 10 is a terminal used by user 2, and is, for example, a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, or a navigation terminal installed in user 2's vehicle. The information processing device 20 and parking terminal 30 are computers such as a server, a notebook PC (personal computer), or a desktop PC.

[0012] User 2 is a member of the membership site managed by the information processing apparatus 20. A membership site is a site that provides various information to members. On the membership site, for example, instructions and services regarding the use of the parking lot are posted. The information processing apparatus 20 notifies User 2 of information regarding the parking lot P via, for example, the membership site application installed on the user terminal 10. Further, the parking lot terminal 30 transmits information (vacancy status information) indicating the vacancy status of the parking lot P where the parking lot terminal 30 is installed to the information processing apparatus 20.

[0013] The vacancy status information is, for example, information (full / empty information) indicating the status (full / empty status) of whether the parking lot P is full or empty, information on the number of available spaces, and the like. Here, full means that not all of the passenger compartments of the parking lot P are empty (occupied), and empty means that at least one passenger compartment of the parking lot P is empty. Also, the number of available spaces is the number of empty passenger compartments in the parking lot P. The vacancy status information is generated based on vehicle information obtained by, for example, a camera or sensor (inductive loop coil, laser sensor, etc.) installed near the entrance and exit of the parking lot P, or a wide-angle camera installed on the ceiling of the parking lot P.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10, the information processing apparatus 20, and the parking lot terminal 30. Note that the hardware elements of the user terminal 10, the information processing apparatus 20, and the parking lot terminal 30 are not limited to the configurations illustrated in FIG. 2, and may be in a form including other hardware elements (for example, input devices such as cameras and microphones, speakers, hard disks, etc.).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10, the information processing apparatus 20, and the parking lot terminal 30 include an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a display unit 604, a communication I / F (interface) unit 605, a storage unit 606, and a bus 610.

[0016] The MPU601 comprehensively controls the operation of the installed device (either the user terminal 10, the information processing device 20, or the parking terminal 30) by executing a program, and realizes the various functions of the installed device.

[0017] ROM 602 is a non-volatile memory that stores various information, including programs executed by the MPU 601. RAM 603 is a volatile memory that contains the working area for the MPU 601. Display unit 604 is a device that displays various information and may be, for example, a liquid crystal type display input device with touch panel functionality.

[0018] The communication interface unit 605 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 40. The storage unit 606 is a storage device such as flash memory or a hard disk. The MPU 601, ROM 602, RAM 603, display unit 604, communication interface unit 605, and storage unit 606 are all connected to each other via the bus 610 so that they can communicate with one another.

[0019] Next, the functions of the information processing device 20 will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 according to the first embodiment. Note that Figure 3 only illustrates the functions necessary for explaining the main parts of this embodiment, but the functions of the information processing device 20 are not limited to these.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, the information processing device 20 has the following functional units: a vacancy forecast determination unit 200, a member information receiving unit 210, a response form transmission unit 220, a schedule information receiving unit 230, a prediction information generation unit 240, and a prediction information output unit 250. The functions of these functional units are realized by executing programs on the MPU 601. Note that the functions of these functional units may also be configured to be executed by computing devices such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0021] The occupancy rate determination unit 200 determines the likelihood of the parking lot P being full (occupancy rate). Specifically, it determines (1) the likelihood of the parking lot P becoming vacant when the occupancy rate information indicates it is full (vacancy rate), and (2) the likelihood of the parking lot P becoming full when the occupancy rate information indicates it is vacant (full capacity rate). The occupancy rate determination unit 200 may have both functions (1) and (2), or have either function (1) or (2).

[0022] The occupancy rate determination unit 200 determines the expected occupancy rate of parking lot P at a predetermined time based on, for example, information on the number of available spaces received from the parking terminal 30 of parking lot P, and information on the expected arrival time of vehicles planning to park in parking lot P. The expected arrival time information is obtained, for example, when a member of a member site enters parking lot P as a destination in a navigation system. The predetermined time is the time after a predetermined period of time (for example, 10 minutes or 15 minutes) has elapsed from the current time.

[0023] The occupancy rate determination unit 200 determines whether the parking lot is likely to be full, for example, by using the number of available spaces in parking lot P and the estimated arrival times of each vehicle to parking lot P, when the occupancy rate information indicates that there are vacant spaces (i.e., the occupancy rate status is vacant). In this embodiment, the information used by the occupancy rate determination unit 200 to determine the occupancy rate is referred to as the occupancy rate information.

[0024] Specifically, if there are n available spaces and n or more other vehicles whose estimated arrival time is earlier than the designated time, the likelihood of the parking lot being full is determined to be high. On the other hand, if there are n available spaces in parking lot P and (nm) or fewer other vehicles whose estimated arrival time is earlier than the designated time, the likelihood of parking lot P being full is determined to be low. Here, m is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and represents a margin set according to the location conditions of parking lot P, the date and time of the designated time, etc. For example, m is set to a large value when parking lot P is busy at that time, and to a small value when parking lot P is not busy at that time.

[0025] The occupancy rate determination unit 200 determines whether there is a large number of available spaces when the occupancy rate information indicates that the parking lot is full (i.e., the occupancy rate status is full), for example, by using the parking time of vehicles parked in parking lot P. Specifically, if at a predetermined time there are N or more vehicles whose parking time exceeds time T, it is determined that there is a large number of available spaces. On the other hand, if at a predetermined time there are fewer than N vehicles whose parking time exceeds time T, it is determined that there is a small number of available spaces. Note that T and N are values ​​determined according to the location conditions of parking lot P, the date and time of the predetermined time, etc.

[0026] The occupancy rate determination unit 200 may determine the occupancy rate using occupancy rate information other than that described above. For example, it may determine that the occupancy rate is high when the parking rate is 90% or higher. Here, the parking rate is the ratio of the number of parked vehicles to the number of parking spaces in the parking lot P. The parking rate may be either the parking rate at the current time or the parking rate at a predetermined time. Alternatively, for example, information on the number of vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot may be received from the parking lot terminal 30 and used to determine the occupancy rate. Here, the number of vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot is, for example, the number of vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot acquired by a camera or sensor installed before the entrance to the parking lot P. More specifically, the number of vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot is, for example, the number of vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot acquired by detecting and tracking vehicles included in the image data of a camera or the like.

[0027] The member information receiving unit 210 receives member information of user 2 associated with a vehicle parked in parking lot P. The member information receiving unit 210, for example, refers to the member DB (Database) stored in the storage unit 606 of the information processing device 20 to search for the member ID (Identification) based on the vehicle number of the parked vehicle, and receives the searched member ID as member information. The vehicle number is obtained, for example, by the parking terminal 30 from an image of the license plate taken by a camera installed in parking lot P using character recognition, and transmitted to the information processing device 20.

[0028] Figure 4 shows an example of member IDs and vehicle numbers included in the member database. As shown in Figure 4, member IDs and vehicle numbers are linked in the member database, and the member information receiving unit 210 can obtain the member ID of user 2 associated with the vehicle number from the vehicle number. Note that the vehicle number may be, for example, the vehicle number of the vehicle that user 2 is using for car sharing.

[0029] The response form transmission unit 220 sends a response form to the user terminal 10, in which the user can input information about the scheduled shipment, based on the member information received by the member information reception unit 210. The scheduled shipment information is, for example, information indicating how long from the current time user 2 is scheduled to ship the goods. The scheduled shipment information may also include information indicating that the scheduled shipment is undecided.

[0030] The schedule information receiving unit 230 receives the scheduled shipment information entered by user 2 in the response form.

[0031] The prediction information generation unit 240 generates prediction information, including the estimated time until the parking lot P becomes vacant (estimated vacancy time), based on the scheduled departure information received by the scheduled information receiving unit 230. For example, the prediction information generation unit 240 calculates the estimated time when the vehicle will leave the parking lot (estimated departure time) from the scheduled departure information, and predicts the estimated time until the vehicle leaves the parking lot (estimated departure time) from the estimated departure time and the current time. Then, the prediction information generation unit 240 calculates the estimated vacancy time based on the estimated departure time.

[0032] The prediction information output unit 250 outputs the prediction information generated by the prediction information generation unit 240. The destinations for the prediction information output by the prediction information output unit 250 are digital signage installed in the parking lot P, and terminals such as smartphones and tablets of other users waiting to enter the parking lot P. When prediction information is output (sent) to other users' terminals, it may be sent as an email or SMS (Short Message Service) containing the prediction information, or as a display screen of a member site where the prediction information is posted. In this case, the information processing device 20 may use the schedule information received in advance from the user who plans to park in the parking lot P to identify the user to whom the prediction information output unit 250 will send the prediction information. Here, the schedule information is, for example, the ID of the parking lot where the user plans to park and the estimated time of arrival.

[0033] Figure 5 shows an example of an input screen 400 displaying an answer form. As described above, the answer form is sent from the answer form transmission unit 220 to the user terminal 10, and the input screen 400 is the screen displayed on the display unit 604 of the user terminal 10. As shown in Figure 5, the input screen 400 has an answer area 410 including radio buttons 411 and an answer button 420. User 2 can, for example, touch the screen with their finger or a pen to select the desired answer from the radio buttons 411 and press the answer button 420 to send the information about the scheduled shipment to the information processing device 20. In the example in Figure 5, "Scheduled to be shipped in 10 minutes" is selected as the answer.

[0034] Figure 6 shows an example of an explanation screen 500 on a member site. The explanation screen 500 is a screen of the member site displayed on the display unit 604 of the user terminal 10, and as shown in Figure 6, it contains an explanation of the points awarded to members who have provided information about their planned departure from the parking lot. Here, points are an example of preferential data awarded to user 2, and user 2 can accumulate them linked to their member ID. Depending on the number of points, user 2 can receive benefits such as discounts on parking fees or increased parking time. The benefits that user 2 receives may also be, for example, discounts on car sharing fees or benefits from partner services. The preferential data is not limited to points; for example, it may be actual discounts on parking fees or coupons for commercial facilities that are affiliated with the parking lot P. The provider of the preferential data may be a parking lot operator or a commercial facility that is affiliated with the parking lot P.

[0035] For example, User 2 can display the explanation screen 500 on the display unit 604 on a member site page and, by answering the response form, check what kind of points will be awarded before using the parking lot P. Also, as shown in Figure 5, if a link to the explanation screen 500 is provided on the input screen 400, User 2 can check what kind of points will be awarded by clicking on that link when they receive the response form.

[0036] In the example in Figure 6, points are awarded to the first three people based on the time between response and delivery: 500 points for delivery within 5 minutes of response, 100 points for delivery within 10 minutes of response, and 10 points for delivery within 20 minutes of response. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, 5 points may be awarded even if these conditions are not met, simply for submitting a response.

[0037] The response form shown in Figure 5 is just an example, and the number of options and the duration of each option may differ from those shown in Figure 5. Similarly, the point awarding conditions shown in Figure 6 are just an example, and the relationship between time to exit and points, as well as the number of first-come, first-served participants, may differ from those shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the condition of the number of first-come, first-served participants is not required. The content of the response form and the point awarding conditions may differ from one parking lot to another, or they may be the same for all parking lots.

[0038] Figure 7 shows an example of the estimated vacant time calculated by the prediction information generation unit 240. In this example, the prediction information generation unit 240 calculates the estimated vacant time based on the answers to the response form and the vehicle departure status.

[0039] In Figure 7, members with member IDs aaa, bbb, ccc, ddd, and eee (hereinafter referred to as member aaa, etc.) have responded with a planned departure time of 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes, and undecided, respectively. The prediction information generation unit 240 calculates the estimated departure time by adding the planned departure time to each member's response time, and then predicts the estimated departure time by subtracting the current time from the estimated departure time. As a result, in the example in Figure 7, the estimated departure times for members aaa, bbb, and ddd are predicted to be -3 minutes, +12 minutes, and +2 minutes, respectively.

[0040] For members who answered that their planned departure time is undecided, the estimated departure time will not be calculated. Also, for members who answered that their planned departure time is undecided, and for members who have already departed their vehicles (members whose "Departed" column in Figure 7 is displayed as "Completed"), the estimated departure time will not be predicted. The departure information for each vehicle will be determined, for example, by the parking terminal 30 using the vehicle number acquired from camera images near the exit of parking lot P, and transmitted to the information processing device 20.

[0041] The prediction information generation unit 240 calculates the estimated vacant time based on the predicted estimated departure time. In the example in Figure 7, the estimated vacant time is calculated as the smallest time (5 minutes in the example in Figure 7) among the estimated departure time rounded up to the nearest 5 minutes (estimated time until a parking space becomes available). However, if the estimated departure time is negative, the estimated departure time is rounded to a predetermined value (for example, 5 minutes). Note that the method for calculating the estimated vacant time is not limited to the above, and other methods may be used, such as rounding down or rounding to the nearest whole number, using a rounding unit other than 5 minutes, or not performing any rounding.

[0042] The prediction information generation unit 240 generates prediction information that includes the calculated estimated vacancy time, but it may also include information other than the estimated vacancy time in the prediction information. For example, the prediction information generation unit 240 may include information in the prediction information about the parking spaces where the vehicles of members (members aaa and ddd in the example in Figure 7) corresponding to the calculated estimated vacancy time are parked.

[0043] Figure 8 shows an example of a prediction information screen 700 according to the first embodiment. The prediction information screen 700 is a display screen that is generated based on prediction information and is displayed on a digital signage installed in the parking lot P, or on the displays of terminals of other users waiting to enter the parking lot P.

[0044] As shown in Figure 8(a), the prediction information screen 700 has an availability information area 701 and a prediction information area 702. The availability information area 701 displays information indicating whether or not parking lot P is currently full. In the example in Figure 8(a), the availability information area 701 shows that it is currently full.

[0045] The prediction information area 702 displays the prediction information output by the prediction information output unit 250 when parking lot P is currently full. In the example in Figure 8(a), the prediction information area 702 displays that the estimated time for a parking space to become available is 5 minutes.

[0046] If the prediction information screen 700 is displayed on the terminal screen of another user waiting to enter the parking lot, the prediction information screen 700 may accept points (see Figure 6) from that user to encourage them to exit the parking lot, as shown in Figure 8(b). The prediction information screen 700 in Figure 8(b) further has a point acceptance area 703. The user can encourage their parked vehicle to exit the parking lot by entering the number of points to provide. Therefore, the provider of the preferential data described in Figure 6 may be another user waiting to enter the parking lot P.

[0047] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the information processing procedure according to the first embodiment. First, the occupancy rate determination unit 200 determines whether the parking lot P is expected to be full (step S100). If the occupancy rate is not expected to be full (step S100: No), the occupancy rate determination unit 200 repeats the determination in step S100. In step S100, if the occupancy rate information indicates that the parking lot is empty, the number of available spaces in the parking lot P and the expected arrival time of each vehicle are used to determine whether the occupancy rate is high or low. If the occupancy rate information indicates that the parking lot is full, the parking time of the vehicles parked in the parking lot P is used to determine whether the occupancy rate is high or low. On the other hand, if the occupancy rate is high (step S100: Yes), the member information receiving unit 210 receives member information (member ID) retrieved from the member DB stored in the storage unit 606 (step S101).

[0048] Next, the response form transmission unit 220 transmits the response form to the user terminal 10 of each member who has parked their vehicle in the parking lot P (step S102), and the schedule information receiving unit 230 receives the scheduled departure information entered in the response form from the user terminal 10 (step S103).

[0049] Next, the prediction information generation unit 240 predicts the estimated departure time for each vehicle (step S104) and generates prediction information (step S105). Then, the prediction information output unit 250 outputs the prediction information to digital signage and terminals of other users waiting to enter the depot (step S106).

[0050] If the prediction information is to be generated again (step S107: Yes), the process returns to step S104; if the prediction information is not to be generated again (step S107: No), the process ends. Here, generating the prediction information again refers to cases such as when there is a high expectation of the parking lot being full after a certain period of time has elapsed, or when another user waiting to enter the parking lot requests the generation of prediction information. In the latter case, for example, a screen update button may be added to the prediction information screen 700, so that when the user presses the screen update button, a signal requesting the generation of prediction information can be sent to the information processing device 20.

[0051] As described above, this embodiment allows for the notification of information (predictive information) that satisfies the user's request to know the estimated time until a parking space becomes available. In the above description, the information processing device 20 is assumed to have a occupancy forecast determination unit 200, a member information receiving unit 210, a response form transmission unit 220, a schedule information receiving unit 230, a predictive information generation unit 240, and a predictive information output unit 250, but the configuration of this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a parking terminal 30 may have a occupancy forecast determination unit 200, a member information receiving unit 210, a response form transmission unit 220, a schedule information receiving unit 230, a predictive information generation unit 240, and a predictive information output unit 250, and the information processing device 20 may be configured to transmit member information to the parking terminal 30. In this case, the parking terminal 30 is an example of an information processing device, and the information processing device 20 is an example of a server.

[0052] (Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, the prediction information generation unit 240 generates prediction information including the number of vehicles that will exit the parking lot P after a predetermined time has elapsed (number of exiting vehicles). In the following description of the second embodiment, the explanation of parts that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0053] Figure 10 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 according to the second embodiment. Note that Figure 10 only illustrates the functions necessary for explaining the main parts of this embodiment, but the functions of the information processing device 20 are not limited to these. The difference from the first embodiment is that the prediction information generation unit 240 has a shipment quantity prediction unit 241.

[0054] The vehicle departure forecasting unit 241 predicts the number of vehicles to depart after a predetermined time has elapsed. In the example shown in Figure 7, there are two vehicles with an estimated vacancy time of 5 minutes and one vehicle with an estimated vacancy time of 15 minutes. Therefore, the vehicle departure forecasting unit 241 predicts that two vehicles will depart after 5 minutes and three vehicles will depart after 15 minutes.

[0055] Figure 11 shows an example of a prediction information screen 700 according to the second embodiment. The prediction information screen 700 is generated based on prediction information including the number of vehicles leaving the parking lot, and is displayed on a digital signage installed in the parking lot P, or on the displays of terminals of other users waiting to enter the parking lot P.

[0056] As shown in Figure 11(a), the prediction information screen 700 has an availability information area 701 and a prediction information area 702. The difference from Figure 8 is that the prediction information area 702 displays the predicted number of vehicles to depart in addition to the estimated vacancy time. In the prediction information area 702 of Figure 11(a), the estimated vacancy time of 5 minutes is indicated by the message "2 vehicles will depart in 5 minutes," and the predicted number of vehicles to depart every 5 minutes is also shown.

[0057] Figure 11(b) shows another example of the prediction information screen 700, which is generated based on prediction information including the number of vehicles leaving the parking lot. In this example, the availability information area 701 indicates that parking lot P is full by displaying "Current number of available spaces: 0". The prediction information area 702 indicates that the estimated time for a vehicle to become available is 5 minutes and that the predicted number of vehicles leaving after 5 minutes is "Number of vehicles leaving after 5 minutes: 2".

[0058] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing procedure according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that a step S205 for predicting the number of vehicles to be shipped is added, and prediction information including the number of vehicles to be shipped is generated. The processing in steps S200 to S204, S207, and S208 in Figure 12 is the same as the processing in steps S100 to S104, S106, and S107 in Figure 9, so the explanation is omitted.

[0059] The vehicle departure forecasting unit 241 forecasts the number of vehicles to be dispatched after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S205). Then, the forecast information generation unit 240 generates forecast information including the estimated empty vehicle time and the number of vehicles to be dispatched (step S206).

[0060] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to notify users of information (predictive information) that satisfies the user's request to know the estimated time until a parking space becomes available. Furthermore, by including the estimated time of availability and the number of vehicles leaving the parking space in the predictive information, more comprehensive predictive information can be generated.

[0061] (Third embodiment) This embodiment performs the following actions for vehicles that have not yet departed: if the current time is past the estimated departure time, the system changes the method for generating prediction information, resends the response form, etc. For such vehicles, the estimated departure time becomes a negative value, and the departure time provided by User 2 is uncertain information. By performing the above processing, it is possible to prevent the generation of prediction information using uncertain information. In the following description of the third embodiment, the explanation of parts that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0062] Figure 13 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 according to the third embodiment. Note that Figure 13 only illustrates the functions necessary for explaining the main parts of this embodiment, but the functions of the information processing device 20 are not limited to these. The difference from the first embodiment is that the information processing device 20 further has an excluded vehicle determination unit 260 and performs processing according to the determination result of the excluded vehicle determination unit 260.

[0063] The excluded vehicle determination unit 260 determines that vehicles that have not yet left the depot and whose current time is past the estimated departure time are excluded vehicles. Furthermore, the prediction information generation unit 240 does not use the departure schedule information of vehicles determined to be excluded vehicles when generating prediction information.

[0064] In the example shown in Figure 7, member aaa's vehicle is determined to be an excluded vehicle, and the prediction information generation unit 240 does not use the scheduled departure time (scheduled departure information) provided by member aaa to generate the prediction information. For example, by treating the scheduled departure information provided by member aaa as "undecided," this information can be excluded from the prediction information generation process.

[0065] In this embodiment, the above processing may be performed for excluded vehicles, or instead of performing the above processing, the response form transmission unit 220 may be configured to resend the response form to the user terminal 10 of the member associated with the excluded vehicle.

[0066] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing procedure according to the third embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is the addition of step S305, which performs processing related to excluded vehicles. The processing in steps S300 to S304 and S306 to S308 in Figure 14 is the same as the processing in steps S100 to S104 and S105 to S107 in Figure 9, so the explanation is omitted.

[0067] The excluded vehicle determination unit 260 determines which vehicles are excluded, and the information processing device 20 performs processing related to the excluded vehicles (step S305). For example, the prediction information generation unit 240 excludes the departure schedule information of vehicles determined to be excluded from the prediction information generation target. As a result, in the prediction information generation process of step S306, the departure schedule information of excluded vehicles is no longer used to generate the prediction information.

[0068] In step S305, the response form transmission unit 220 may resend the response form to the user terminal 10 of the member associated with the excluded vehicle. This resending process may be performed together with the process of excluding the scheduled departure information of the excluded vehicle, or it may be performed in place of the process of excluding the scheduled departure information of the excluded vehicle.

[0069] Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to notify users of information (predictive information) that satisfies the user's request to know the estimated time until a parking space becomes available. Furthermore, by implementing processing for excluded vehicles, it is possible to prevent the generation of predictive information using uncertain information.

[0070] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, an information processing system including an information processing device 20 and a parking terminal 30 may be configured to perform the information processing of each embodiment by communicating with a user terminal 10. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These novel embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. Furthermore, components from different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0071] The apparatus described in each embodiment represents only one of several computing environments for carrying out the embodiments disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the information processing device 20 and the parking terminal 30 include multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster. The multiple computing devices are configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network or shared memory, and perform the processing disclosed herein.

[0072] In each embodiment, the information processing device 20 and parking terminal 30 are not limited to servers, notebook PCs, desktop PCs, etc., as long as they are devices equipped with communication functions. The information processing device 20 and parking terminal 30 may be, for example, smartphones or tablet terminals.

[0073] The program executed by the MPU601 in this embodiment is provided as an installable or executable file recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0074] Furthermore, the program executed on the MPU601 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. Alternatively, the program executed on the MPU601 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0075] Alternatively, the program to be executed by the MPU601 in this embodiment may be pre-installed and provided in ROM or the like.

[0076] The program executed by the MPU601 in this embodiment has a modular configuration that includes the above-mentioned functional units (occupancy forecast determination unit 200, member information receiving unit 210, response form transmission unit 220, schedule information receiving unit 230, forecast information generation unit 240, forecast information output unit 250, etc.). In actual hardware, the MPU601 (processor) reads the program from the above-mentioned recording medium and executes it, thereby loading and generating the above-mentioned functional units on the main memory. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0077] 1. Information Processing System 2 users 10 User terminals 20 Information Processing Devices 30 Parking terminals 40 Communication Networks 200 Occupancy Expectation Determination Unit 210 Member Information Receiving Section 220 Response Form Submission Section 230 Schedule Information Receiving Unit 240 Predictive Information Generation Unit 241 Vehicle Departure Volume Forecasting Department 250 Prediction Information Output Unit 260 Exclusion Vehicle Determination Unit

Claims

1. A unit that determines whether the parking lot is expected to be full, and When the expected number of vehicles to be full is high, the member information receiving unit receives member information of users associated with vehicles parked in the parking lot, Based on the member information received by the member information receiving unit, the response form sending unit sends a response form to the user terminal of the user in which the user can input information about the scheduled shipment date. A schedule information receiving unit that receives the information on the scheduled shipment date entered in the aforementioned response form, A prediction information generation unit generates prediction information, including the estimated time until the vehicle becomes vacant, based on the scheduled departure information received by the aforementioned scheduled information receiving unit. A prediction information output unit that outputs the prediction information generated by the prediction information generation unit, An information processing device characterized by comprising:

2. The aforementioned prediction information generation unit, From the information regarding the scheduled departure date, the estimated departure time, which is the expected time when the vehicle is expected to depart, is calculated. Based on the estimated departure time and the current time, the estimated departure time, which is the estimated time until the vehicle leaves the depot, is predicted. Based on the estimated departure time, the estimated time until the vehicle becomes vacant is calculated. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predictive information generation unit calculates the number of vehicles that will leave the parking lot after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the estimated departure time, and generates predictive information including the calculated number of vehicles.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predictive information generation unit does not use information on the vehicle's scheduled departure time for generating the predictive information if the current time for a vehicle that has not yet departed has passed the estimated departure time.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the response form transmission unit resends the response form to the user terminal of the user associated with the vehicle if the current time for a vehicle that has not yet been dispatched has passed the estimated dispatch time.

6. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A user terminal that receives the response form from the information processing device, A parking terminal that transmits information about the vehicle to the information processing device, An information processing system equipped with the following features.

7. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A user terminal that receives the response form from the information processing device, A server that transmits the member information to the information processing device, An information processing system equipped with the following features.

8. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A parking terminal that transmits information about the vehicle to the information processing device, An information processing system equipped with the following features.

9. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A server that transmits the member information to the information processing device, An information processing system equipped with the following features.

10. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, A process for determining the expected occupancy status of a parking lot, which determines when it is likely to be full, When the expected number of vehicles to be full is high, the process includes receiving member information of users associated with vehicles parked in the parking lot, A response form transmission step is performed to send a response form to the user terminal of the user, in which the user can input information about the scheduled shipment date, based on the member information received in the member information receiving step. A process for receiving scheduled information, which involves receiving the information on the scheduled shipment date entered in the aforementioned response form, A prediction information generation step generates prediction information, including the estimated time until the vehicle becomes vacant, based on the scheduled departure information received in the aforementioned scheduled information receiving step. A prediction information output step that outputs the prediction information generated in the prediction information generation step, An information processing method characterized by including

11. Computers, A means for determining the expected occupancy status of a parking lot, which determines when the parking lot is expected to be full. When the expected number of vehicles to be full is high, a means for receiving member information is provided to receive member information of users associated with vehicles parked in the parking lot. A response form transmission means sends a response form to the user terminal of the user, in which the user can input information about the scheduled shipment, based on the member information received by the member information receiving means. A schedule information receiving means that receives the information on the scheduled shipment date entered in the aforementioned response form, A prediction information generation means generates prediction information, including the estimated time until the vehicle becomes vacant, based on the scheduled departure information received by the aforementioned scheduled information receiving means. A prediction information output means that outputs the prediction information generated by the prediction information generation means, A program characterized by being designed to function as such.

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