Vehicle image display system and vehicle image display method

Abstract

To display images of multiple vehicles on a user terminal while reducing the amount of data transmitted and received between the storage device and the user terminal, and the processing load on the user terminal. [Solution] The vehicle image display system displays a virtual vehicle image on the display of a user terminal and includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires three-dimensional image data of a user-specified vehicle and a two-dimensional image dataset of multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted from the multiple registered vehicles from an information providing device that stores information of multiple registered vehicles, including a user-specified vehicle specified by the user; and a drawing control unit that displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area 101a on a stage 101 based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data of the sub-display target vehicles, and displays two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles side by side in a sub-image area 102a defined on the wall surface 102 behind the main image area 101a.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle image display system and a vehicle image display method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle image display system and a vehicle image display method for displaying a virtual vehicle image on a display screen of a user terminal operated by a user.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention relating to an image display system that is assumed to be used at the time of selling used vehicles and displays on a display an image that reflects customizable content selectable for a target vehicle. In this image display system, customized data is generated based on base model data acquired based on the vehicle identification number of the target vehicle and customization candidate data selectable for the target vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for a technology that displays, on user terminals, images of a plurality of virtual vehicles customized by various users in a virtual space called the metaverse. According to such a technology, a user can easily compare a vehicle customized by the user himself / herself with vehicles customized by other users, so that the user can refer to the comparison for customizing his / her own vehicle, or can communicate with other users who share common preferences.

[0005] However, attempting to display images of multiple vehicles created by various users on a user terminal could lead to an excessive amount of data being sent and received between the storage device managing the data related to each user's customized vehicle and the user terminal, as well as an excessive processing load on the user terminal.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle image display system and a vehicle image display method that can display images of multiple vehicles on a user terminal while reducing the amount of data transmitted and received between the storage device and the user terminal, as well as the processing load on the user terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The vehicle image display system according to the present invention (for example, the vehicle image display system 1' described later) displays an image of a virtual vehicle on the display screen (for example, the display 75a described later) of a user terminal (for example, the user terminal 6 described later) operated by the user, and an image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles extracted from the plurality of registered vehicles from a storage device (for example, the information providing device 2, storage 34, and database 34c described later) that stores information of a plurality of registered vehicles including a user-specified vehicle specified by the user. For example, the system comprises a user terminal 6, a processor 71, and an image data acquisition unit 81 (described later), and a drawing control unit (for example, a user terminal 6, a processor 71, and an image data acquisition unit 81 (described later)) that, based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be sub-displayed, displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area (for example, main image areas 101a, 107a (described later)) defined within the display screen, and displays the two-dimensional image of the vehicle to be sub-displayed in a sub-image area (for example, sub-image area 102a (described later)) defined behind the main image area within the display screen.

[0008] (2) In this case, it is preferable that the vehicle image display system further includes a display target extraction unit (for example, the information providing device 2, processor 31, and display target extraction unit 42 described later) that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles from a plurality of registered vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle.

[0009] (3) In this case, it is preferable that the drawing control unit changes the drawing mode of the two-dimensional image of the sub-display target vehicle in the sub-image area based on the magnification information relating to the magnification of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display screen, the viewpoint position information relating to the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display screen, and the pose information relating to the pose of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display image.

[0010] (4) In this case, it is preferable that the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in the main image area located in the center of the width direction of the display screen, and displays a plurality of two-dimensional images of the sub-display target vehicles side by side in the sub-image area, which is a strip-shaped area extending along the width direction behind the main image area.

[0011] (5) In this case, it is preferable that the drawing control unit arranges and displays in the sub-image area a plurality of two-dimensional images of the sub-display target vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle, moving away from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle.

[0012] (6) In this case, it is preferable that the drawing control unit, upon receiving a first operation to select one of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, displays additional information of the selected vehicle selected by the first operation on the display screen.

[0013] (7) In this case, it is preferable that the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle from the storage device in response to receiving the first operation of selecting the selected vehicle again while the additional information is displayed on the display screen, and the drawing control unit displays the three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle.

[0014] (8) In this case, it is preferable that the image data acquisition unit receives a second operation to select one of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, and acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle from the storage device, and the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle.

[0015] (9) In this case, the storage device stores the appearance information of each registered vehicle, and the display target extraction unit calculates the degree of similarity in appearance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle based on the appearance information as the degree of relevance, and extracts the sub-display target vehicle based on the degree of relevance.

[0016] (10) In this case, the storage device stores owner information for each registered vehicle, and the display target extraction unit calculates the degree of personality similarity between the owner of each registered vehicle and the user based on the owner information as the degree of relevance, and extracts the sub-display target vehicles based on the degree of relevance.

[0017] (11) In this case, the storage device stores the appearance information and owner information of each registered vehicle in association, and the display target extraction unit preferably switches between a first extraction algorithm that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the appearance information, and a second extraction algorithm that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the owner information, in response to the third operation by the user.

[0018] (12) In this case, the storage device stores the appearance information and owner information of each registered vehicle in association with each other, the display target extraction unit extracts a plurality of the sub-display target vehicles as appearance-similar vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the appearance information, and extracts a plurality of the sub-display target vehicles as personality-similar vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the owner information, the drawing control unit preferably displays the two-dimensional images of the plurality of appearance-similar vehicles side by side in a first region of the sub-image area that is close to the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle, and displays the plurality of personality-similar vehicles side by side in a second region of the sub-image area that is far from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle.

[0019] (13) In this case, the user terminal comprises the image data acquisition unit and the drawing control unit, the storage device is connected to the user terminal via a network (for example, network N described later), and the image data acquisition unit preferably acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles via the network.

[0020] (14) The vehicle image display method according to the present invention is a method for displaying an image of a virtual vehicle on a display screen (for example, a display 75a described later) of a user terminal operated by a user (for example, a user terminal 6 described later), comprising the steps of: the user terminal obtaining three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles extracted from the plurality of registered vehicles from a storage device (for example, an information providing device 2, storage 34, and database 34c described later) that stores information of a plurality of registered vehicles including a user-specified vehicle specified by the user; and the user terminal displaying the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area (for example, main image areas 101a, 107a described later) defined in the display screen, and displaying the two-dimensional image of the sub-display target vehicle in a sub-image area (for example, sub-image area 102a described later) defined behind the main image area in the display screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] (1) The image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of multiple secondary display target vehicles extracted from the multiple registered vehicles from a storage device that stores information on multiple registered vehicles, including the user-specified vehicle specified by the user. The drawing control unit then displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area defined on the display screen of the user terminal, based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data of the secondary display target vehicles acquired by the image data acquisition unit, and further displays the two-dimensional images of the multiple secondary display target vehicles in a secondary image area defined behind the main image area on the display screen. This allows the user to view the appearance of the user-specified vehicle they have specified from various angles and compare it with the appearance of multiple secondary display target vehicles. Thus, in this invention, by making the image of the user-specified vehicle specified by the user a three-dimensional image and the images of multiple secondary display target vehicles that the user uses as comparison targets for the user-specified vehicle a two-dimensional image, the amount of data transmitted and received between the image data acquisition unit and the storage device and the processing load of the drawing control unit can be reduced.

[0022] (2) The display target extraction unit extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles from among multiple registered vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle specified by the user. As a result, the sub-image area of ​​the user terminal display screen can display two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a high degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle, allowing the user to easily compare and enjoy the user-specified vehicle with the multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a high degree of relevance to this user-specified vehicle.

[0023] (3) The drawing control unit changes the drawing pattern of the two-dimensional image of the secondary display target vehicle in the secondary image area based on the magnification ratio, viewpoint position information, and attitude information of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display screen. This reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between the storage device and the image data acquisition unit, while naturally changing the drawing pattern of the two-dimensional image of the secondary display target vehicle according to the magnification ratio, viewpoint position, and attitude of the user-specified vehicle.

[0024] (4) The rendering control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area defined at the center in the width direction of the display screen, and displays two-dimensional images of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles side by side in a strip-shaped sub-image area extending along the width direction behind the main image area. This allows the user to enjoy the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle displayed at the position on the display screen that is most easily visible to the user, while comparing it with the two-dimensional images of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed side by side behind it.

[0025] (5) The rendering control unit displays the two-dimensional images of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles side by side so as to move away from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in descending order of the degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle. As a result, on the display screen, the two-dimensional images of the sub-display target vehicles having a high degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle are displayed near the user-specified vehicle, which provides high convenience for the user.

[0026] (6) In response to receiving a first operation of selecting any one of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, the rendering control unit displays additional information of the selected vehicle selected by this operation on the display screen. Therefore, according to the present invention, the user can easily acquire the additional information of the selected vehicle that the user is interested in.

[0027] (7) In response to receiving the first operation of selecting the same selected vehicle again in a state where the additional information is displayed on the display screen, the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of this selected vehicle from the storage device, and the rendering control unit displays the three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the newly acquired three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle. Therefore, according to the present invention, the user can view the appearance of the selected vehicle that the user is interested in in more detail only by performing the first operation twice in a row.

[0028] (8) In response to receiving a second operation in which the user selects one of the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle, and the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the newly acquired three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle. Thus, according to the present invention, the user can view the appearance of the selected vehicle of interest in more detail simply by performing the second operation.

[0029] (9) The display target extraction unit calculates the degree of visual similarity of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle based on the visual information of each registered vehicle stored in the storage device, and extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles based on this degree of visual similarity. This allows the user to enjoy comparing their designated user-specified vehicle with multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a similar appearance to that user-specified vehicle.

[0030] (10) The display target extraction unit calculates the degree of personality similarity between the owner of each registered vehicle and the user based on the owner information of each registered vehicle stored in the storage device, and extracts secondary display target vehicles based on this degree of personality similarity. This allows the user to enjoy comparing the user-specified vehicle they have designated with secondary display target vehicles owned by owners with similar personalities to their own.

[0031] (11) The display target extraction unit switches between a first extraction algorithm that extracts sub-display target vehicles based on appearance information and a second extraction algorithm that extracts sub-display target vehicles based on owner information, in response to a third operation by the user. Therefore, according to the present invention, the user can change the sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area simply by performing a third operation, which is highly convenient.

[0032] (12) The display target extraction unit extracts multiple vehicles with similar appearances from among multiple registered vehicles based on their appearance information, and extracts multiple vehicles with similar personalities from among multiple registered vehicles based on their owner information. The drawing control unit displays the vehicles with similar appearances in a first sub-image area that is close to the user-specified vehicle, and displays the vehicles with similar personalities in a second sub-image area that is farther from the user-specified vehicle. Thus, according to the present invention, the user can enjoy comparing the user-specified vehicle they have chosen with the vehicles with similar appearances and vehicles with similar personalities, which have been extracted based on different algorithms.

[0033] (13) The image data acquisition unit of the user terminal acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of multiple sub-display target vehicles from the storage device via the network. Therefore, according to the present invention, the amount of data transmitted and received between each user's user terminal and the storage device can be reduced, so that many users can view and enjoy images of vehicles at the same time.

[0034] (14) According to the present invention, for the same reasons as in the invention of (1) above, the user can view the appearance of a user-specified vehicle of their choosing from various angles and compare it with the appearance of multiple sub-display target vehicles. Furthermore, according to the present invention, for the same reasons as in the invention of (1) above, the amount of data transmitted and received between the user terminal and the storage device and the processing load on the user terminal can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0035] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a vehicle customization support system and a vehicle image display system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] This diagram shows the configuration that enables the main functions of the information provision device. [Figure 2B] This diagram shows the configuration that enables the main functions of the user terminal. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a virtual vehicle display space shown on the user's terminal screen. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a vehicle selection image displayed on the screen by the drawing control unit during the initial session processing. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of an initial customized image. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of an image displaying recommended base vehicles. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle selection image. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a customizable selection image. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of an image for selecting a painting method. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a pattern image. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0036] A vehicle image display system and a vehicle image display method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0037] First, let me explain the terminology used in the following explanation.

[0038] In the following embodiments, the reference-labeled processor may be a single arithmetic unit or a combination of multiple arithmetic units. Furthermore, the processor may be a single type of arithmetic unit or a combination of multiple types of arithmetic units. Examples of arithmetic units include CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), GPGPU (General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units), APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), or TPU (Tensor Processing Unit).

[0039] In the following embodiments, the reference-labeled RAM (Random Access Memory) is a memory that temporarily stores information and is used as work memory by the processor.

[0040] In the following embodiments, the reference-labeled storage devices are one or more non-volatile storage devices that store various programs and parameters. Examples of non-volatile storage devices include flash memory (SSD (Solid State Drive)), hard disks (e.g., hard disks), or magnetic tapes.

[0041] In the following embodiments, the reference-labeled communication interface (I / F) is an interface that includes a communication processor and an antenna, etc. The communication interface manages communication between multiple computers. Examples of communication standards applicable to the communication interface include wireless communication standards such as 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication System), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0042] In the following embodiments, "user" refers to a person who uses the vehicle customization support system with a code by operating a user terminal with a code; "other user" refers to a person who is different from the above user and uses the vehicle customization support system with a code by operating a user terminal without a code; and "registered user" refers to a person registered in the database of the vehicle customization support system with a code. Therefore, both user and other user are registered users.

[0043] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the vehicle customization support system 1 and the vehicle image display system 1' according to this embodiment. As will be explained below, the vehicle customization support system 1 has a function to support the customization of a virtual vehicle by a user operating a user terminal, as well as a function to display images of virtual vehicles customized by many users on the display screen of the user terminal operated by the user. Therefore, the configuration of the vehicle image display system 1' is the same as the configuration of the vehicle customization support system 1, so redundant explanations will be omitted below.

[0044] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle customization support system 1 (i.e., the vehicle image display system 1') comprises an information providing device 2 and a user terminal 6. An example of the information providing device 2 is a server. An example of the user terminal 6 is a smartphone.

[0045] The information providing device 2 is a computer equipped with a processor 31, RAM 32, communication interface 33, storage 34, and bus 35. The processor 31, RAM 32, communication interface 33, and storage 34 are connected to each other via the bus 35. The communication interface 33 is connected to network N. Examples of network N include WAN (Wide Area Network) and LAN (Local Area Network).

[0046] The user terminal 6 is a computer equipped with a processor 71, RAM 72, storage 73, a receiving device 74, an output device 75, a communication interface 76, and a bus 77. The processor 71, RAM 72, storage 73, receiving device 74, output device 75, and communication interface 76 are connected to each other via the bus 77.

[0047] The reception device 74 is equipped with a touch panel 74a and a microphone 74b, etc., and accepts user input. The touch panel 74a accepts user input by detecting contact from the user's pen, finger, etc. The microphone 74b accepts user voice input by detecting the user's voice. The processor 71 accepts user input via these touch panel 74a, microphone 74b, etc.

[0048] The output device 75 includes a display 75a and a speaker 75b, and presents various information in a manner that can be recognized by the user visually and aurally. The display 75a displays information such as images and text according to commands from the processor 71. The speaker 75b outputs sound according to commands from the processor 71.

[0049] Communication interface 76 is connected to network N. In other words, the information providing device 2 and the user terminal 6 are connected via network N. The communication interface 76 of the user terminal 6 and the communication interface 33 of the information providing device 2 are responsible for the exchange of various types of information between the processor 71 of the user terminal 6 and the processor 31 of the information providing device 2 via network N.

[0050] Figure 2A shows the configuration that realizes the main functions of the information provision device 2, and Figure 2B shows the configuration that realizes the main functions of the user terminal 6. Here, the main functions of the information provision device 2 and the user terminal 6 refer to a vehicle customization support function that assists users in customizing virtual vehicles by operating the user terminal 6 in a virtual customization room set up in a virtual space, and a virtual vehicle exhibition function that displays images of vehicles customized by many users using the vehicle customization support function on the display 75a of the user terminal 6 operated by the user in a virtual vehicle exhibition space set up in the same virtual space. In other words, by visiting the virtual customization room and the virtual vehicle exhibition space through the operation of the user terminal 6, users can enjoy customizing virtual vehicles using the vehicle customization support function, or enjoy comparing their own customized vehicle with vehicles customized by other users using the virtual vehicle exhibition function.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2A, the storage 34 of the information providing device 2 stores a virtual vehicle display program 34a, a vehicle customization support program 34b, and a database 34c. The processor 31 of the information providing device 2 reads the virtual vehicle display program 34a from the storage 34 and executes the read virtual vehicle display program 34a on the RAM 32, thereby realizing the virtual vehicle display function described above together with the user terminal 6. The processor 31 also reads the vehicle customization support program 34b from the storage 34 and executes the read vehicle customization support program 34b on the RAM 32, thereby realizing the vehicle customization support function described above together with the user terminal 6.

[0052] The processor 31 of the information providing device 2 includes an operation input reception unit 40, a database update unit 41, and a display target extraction unit 42 as a functional module that realizes the virtual vehicle display function based on the virtual vehicle display program 34a. The processor 31 also includes an operation input reception unit 40, a database update unit 41, a display target extraction unit 42, and a recommendation image generation unit 43 as a functional module that realizes the vehicle customization support function based on the vehicle customization support program 34b. The operation input reception unit 40 receives various operations from the user to the user terminal 6 connected via the network N.

[0053] Database 34c stores information about multiple registered users and information about vehicles customized by each registered user using the vehicle customization support function (hereinafter also referred to as "registered vehicles") in an associated manner. In the following, the registered user associated with each registered vehicle in database 34c will also be referred to as the "owner."

[0054] The information about registered users here includes owner information (e.g., username, age, gender, hobbies, and preferred vehicle type) entered by each registered user through their user terminal before using the vehicle customization support function or virtual vehicle display function, as well as subsequently acquired information such as user browsing history information, which reflects the user's preferences, as described below.

[0055] The information regarding registered vehicles also includes information about the vehicle's appearance, information about evaluations and comments from multiple registered users regarding the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "evaluation information"), information about the degree of relevance and similarity of the vehicle to other registered vehicles, and information about the progress of customization. Here, the information about the vehicle's appearance includes three-dimensional image data of the vehicle or information necessary to generate this three-dimensional image data, multiple two-dimensional image data sets of the vehicle viewed from multiple different viewpoints (hereinafter, multiple two-dimensional image data sets are also referred to as "two-dimensional image datasets") or information necessary to generate these two-dimensional image datasets, information about multiple appearance components that make up the appearance of the vehicle (for example, vehicle type, wheels, parts, and body color), and detailed text information about the multiple appearance components.

[0056] As shown in Figure 2B, the storage 73 of the user terminal 6 stores a virtual vehicle display program 73a and a vehicle customization support program 73b. The processor 71 of the user terminal 6 reads the virtual vehicle display program 73a from the storage 73 and executes the read virtual vehicle display program 73a on the RAM 72, thereby realizing the virtual vehicle display function described above together with the information providing device 2. The processor 71 also reads the vehicle customization support program 73b from the storage 73 and executes the read vehicle customization support program 73b on the RAM 72, thereby realizing the vehicle customization support function described above together with the information providing device 2.

[0057] The processor 71 of the user terminal 6 includes an operation input reception unit 80, an image data acquisition unit 81, a drawing control unit 82, and a browsing history information acquisition unit 83 as a functional module that realizes the virtual vehicle display function based on the virtual vehicle display program 73a. The processor 71 also includes an operation input reception unit 80, an image data acquisition unit 81, a drawing control unit 82, a browsing history information acquisition unit 83, and a customization support control unit 84 as a functional module that realizes the vehicle customization support function based on the vehicle customization support program 73b. The operation input reception unit 80 receives various operations from the user to the reception device 74.

[0058] In the following, the functions of the processor 31 of the information provision device 2 and the processor 71 of the user terminal 6 will be described in the order of virtual vehicle display function and vehicle customization support function.

[0059] <Virtual Vehicle Display Function> The processor 31 of the information provision device 2 and the processor 71 of the user terminal 6 realize the virtual vehicle display function by executing the processes described below, for example, when a user performs an operation on the user terminal 6 to enter a virtual vehicle display space set up in a virtual space.

[0060] Figure 3 shows an example of a virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 displayed on the display 75a of the user terminal 6. The image of the virtual vehicle exhibition space shown in Figure 3 is displayed on the display 75a after the user performs an entry operation into the virtual vehicle exhibition space on the user terminal 6, following the procedure described below.

[0061] As shown in Figure 3, the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 displayed on the display 75a is a roughly cylindrical space as seen from the user's perspective, and comprises a disc-shaped stage 101 located in a prominent position in the center, an annular track 107, and a cylindrical wall surface 102 located behind the stage 101 and track 107 as seen from the user's perspective, surrounding the stage 101 and track 107. The display 75a displays an image of the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 as seen from a viewpoint set at a position slightly radially outward from the central stage 101 in a plan view.

[0062] Stage 101 is located in the center of the width direction within display 75a. The driving path 107 is arranged to surround this stage 101. As shown in Figure 3, images of vehicles specified by the user from among multiple registered vehicles (hereinafter also referred to as "user-specified vehicles") are displayed on stage 101. Although not shown in the illustration, user-specified vehicles displayed on stage 101 can also be displayed on the driving path 107 by a procedure described later. These user-specified vehicles include, for example, registered vehicles owned by the user in database 34c, registered vehicles selected by the user from among multiple vehicles displayed on wall surface 102 by a procedure described later, and registered vehicles selected by the user in the initial session described later, all of which are registered vehicles of great interest to the user. Hereafter, the areas on stage 101 and driving path 107 where user-specified vehicles are displayed will also be referred to as main image areas 101a and 107a. Hereinafter, the area on stage 101 where the user-specified vehicle is displayed will be referred to as the first main image area 101a, and the area on the driving path 107 where the user-specified vehicle is displayed will be referred to as the second main image area 107a. Thus, the main image areas 101a and 107a, which display images of the user-specified vehicle that are of great interest to the user, are positioned in the most prominent locations within the display 75a. In particular, the first main image area 101a is positioned in the center of the width direction of the display 75a.

[0063] The wall surface 102 is a strip-shaped structure that extends along the width direction behind the main image areas 101a and 107a defined on the stage 101 and the travel path 107. As shown in Figure 3, the wall surface 102 extending along the width direction on the display 75a is divided into multiple rectangular panels by multiple frames extending in the vertical direction. Figure 3 shows a case where the wall surface 102 is divided into a total of 10 panels, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of panels arranged on the wall surface 102 can be two or more. Furthermore, within the multiple panels arranged along the width direction within the strip-shaped wall surface 102, images of multiple vehicles extracted from multiple registered vehicles by the processing described later in the display target extraction unit 42 are displayed. Hereinafter, registered vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 and displayed in each panel of the wall surface 102 will also be referred to as "sub-display target vehicles". Figure 3 illustrates a case in which images of eight secondary display target vehicles are displayed on eight of the ten panels arranged on the wall surface 102, excluding the two panels behind the user-specified vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. The number of secondary display target vehicles displayed on the wall surface 102 can be two or more. Also, as shown in Figure 3, on the display 75a, the image of each secondary display target vehicle is smaller than the image of the user-specified vehicle, which is of greater interest to the user. Hereafter, the band-shaped area on the wall surface 102 in which multiple secondary display target vehicles are displayed side by side along the width direction will also be referred to as the secondary image area 102a. Thus, on the display 75a, the secondary image area 102a, in which multiple secondary display target vehicles that serve as comparison targets for the user-specified vehicle are displayed, is a band-shaped area that extends along the width direction behind the main image areas 101a and 107a (i.e., above the main image areas 101a and 107a on the display 75a) so as not to obstruct the presence of the user-specified vehicle.

[0064] In the upper part of the wall surface 102 of the display 75a, an additional information display area 103 is optionally displayed (for example, as a pop-up) in response to user operation. This additional information display area 103 displays additional information (mainly text information) about the registered vehicle that the user has shown interest in among the multiple sub-display target vehicles, as will be described later.

[0065] A filter icon 104 is always displayed in the left corner of the display 75a. By operating this filter icon 104, the user can switch the extraction algorithm in the display target extraction unit 42, which will be described later. Therefore, by operating this filter icon 104, the user can change the sub-display target vehicle displayed in the sub-image area.

[0066] Slightly below the stage 101 on the display 75a, an evaluation display area 105 is optionally displayed (for example, as a pop-up) in response to user input. This evaluation display area 105 displays information regarding evaluations from multiple registered users of a user-specified vehicle, which the user is of great interest, as will be described later. Figure 3 shows a case where the user-specified vehicle was rated "cool" by 4 registered users, "cute" by 9 registered users, and "recommended" by 15 registered users.

[0067] Additionally, five function icons—106a, 106b, 106c, 106d, and 106e—are always displayed at the bottom center of the 75a display.

[0068] By operating the first function icon 106a, the user can switch the image displayed on the display 75a to an image prior to the transition to the image of the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 (for example, the initial session image in Figure 4, the recommended base vehicle presentation image in Figure 6, and the customization selection image in Figure 8, etc.). By operating the second function icon 106b, the user can make the evaluation display field 105 described above pop up on the display 75a, as described later. By operating the third function icon 106c, the user can view comments from multiple registered users on a user-specified vehicle or enter comments on a user-specified vehicle. By operating the fourth function icon 106d, the user can display detailed information of a user-specified vehicle on the display 75a. By operating the fifth function icon 106e, the user can display a user-specified vehicle shown in the first main image area 101a on the stage 101 in the second main image area 107a on the road 107, or display a user-specified vehicle shown in the second main image area 107a on the road 107 in the first main image area 101a on the stage, as described later.

[0069] Next, we will explain the processes executed by each processor 31 and 71 in order to display the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 described above on the display 75c of the user terminal 6, divided into three stages: when entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, after entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, and before the user first enters the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100.

[0070] <Flow of entry into virtual vehicle exhibition space 100> The database update unit 41 and the display target extraction unit 42, which are configured in the processor 31 of the information providing device 2, execute the processes described below in response to receiving specific input from the operation input reception unit 40.

[0071] First, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31, in response to receiving an entry operation to the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 from the user terminal 6 via the operation input reception unit 40, identifies the user-specified vehicle to be displayed in the main image areas 101a and 107a of the display 75a from among the multiple registered vehicles stored in the database 34c, and also extracts multiple (eight in the example of Figure 3) secondary display target vehicles to be displayed in the secondary image area 102a of the display 75a.

[0072] The display target extraction unit 42 basically identifies registered vehicles owned by the user as user-specified vehicles. If there are no registered vehicles owned by the user in the database 34c, the display target extraction unit 42 identifies registered vehicles specified by the user based on the user's operation on the user terminal 6, or registered vehicles selected by the user in the initial session described later, which is performed before entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, as user-specified vehicles from among the multiple registered vehicles recorded in the database 34c.

[0073] After identifying the user-specified vehicle as described above, the display target extraction unit 42 calculates the degree of relevance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle and extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles in descending order of relevance from the multiple registered vehicles. In the following description, the display target extraction unit 42 will sequentially calculate the degree of relevance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The display target extraction unit 42 may calculate the degree of relevance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle in advance based on the information stored in the database 34c before the user enters the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 and store it in the database 34c. This reduces the time required for the display target extraction unit 42 to extract multiple sub-display target vehicles after a request is made.

[0074] Here, the display target extraction unit 42 extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles based on one of four extraction algorithms, each with a different procedure for calculating the degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle. Under the first extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 calculates the degree of relevance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle based on the appearance information stored in the database 34c, and extracts sub-display target vehicles based on the calculated degree of relevance. Therefore, by using the first extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 can extract sub-display target vehicles that have a similar appearance to the user-specified vehicle from among the multiple registered vehicles stored in the database 34c.

[0075] Furthermore, under the second extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 calculates the degree of personality similarity between the owner of each registered vehicle and the user as a degree of relevance based on the owner information stored in the database 34c, and extracts sub-display target vehicles based on the calculated degree of relevance. Therefore, by utilizing the second extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 can extract sub-display target vehicles from among multiple registered vehicles stored in the database 34c whose owners are registered users with similar personalities (age, gender, hobbies, and preferred vehicle type) to the user.

[0076] In the following, the multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 from among multiple registered vehicles based on the first extraction algorithm will also be referred to as "vehicles with similar appearance." Furthermore, the multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 from among multiple registered vehicles based on the second extraction algorithm will be referred to as "vehicles with similar personality," and will be distinguished from the aforementioned vehicles with similar appearance.

[0077] The third extraction algorithm is an algorithm that combines the first and second extraction algorithms described above. More specifically, under the third extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 extracts multiple vehicles with similar appearances from among multiple registered vehicles based on the first extraction algorithm, and also extracts multiple vehicles with similar personalities from among multiple registered vehicles based on the second extraction algorithm. Therefore, by utilizing the third extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 can extract a mix of vehicles with similar appearances and vehicles with similar personalities from among multiple registered vehicles stored in the database 34c.

[0078] Furthermore, under the fourth extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 randomly selects multiple sub-display target vehicles from a plurality of registered vehicles. Therefore, by utilizing the fourth extraction algorithm, the display target extraction unit 42 can extract different sub-display target vehicles multiple times.

[0079] Furthermore, the display target extraction unit 42 identifies the user-specified vehicle through the procedure described above, extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles, reads the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data sets of each of the multiple sub-display target vehicles from the database 34c, and transmits them to the user terminal 6 via the network N. At this time, it is preferable that the display target extraction unit 42 transmits, along with the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data sets of each of the multiple sub-display target vehicles, information on the degree of relevance calculated for each sub-display target vehicle, additional information for each sub-display target vehicle, evaluation information for the user-specified vehicle, and detailed text information for the user-specified vehicle, to the user terminal 6 via the network N. Here, the additional information is basically information stored in the database 34c, such as the owner name, vehicle type, body color, degree of customization, and similarity to the user-specified vehicle, as shown in the additional information display section 103 in Figure 3.

[0080] Meanwhile, the image data acquisition unit 81 of the processor 71, after receiving an entry operation to the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 from the user terminal 6 via the operation input reception unit 80, acquires information such as three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image datasets of multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 from among multiple registered vehicles, from the database 34c constructed in the storage 34 of the information provision device 2. As described above, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31, upon receiving an entry operation to the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, transmits three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle, two-dimensional image datasets of multiple sub-display target vehicles, information regarding the degree of relevance of each sub-display target vehicle to the user-specified vehicle, and additional information for each sub-display target vehicle to the user terminal 6, and the image data acquisition unit 81 acquires this information transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N. Furthermore, the image data acquisition unit 81 acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and each of the two-dimensional image datasets of multiple sub-display target vehicles from the database 34c via the network N using the procedure described above, and then transmits this acquired information to the drawing control unit 82.

[0081] Next, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71 displays the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image dataset of the secondary display target vehicles transmitted from the image data acquisition unit 81 by the procedure described above, in conjunction with a predetermined background image and images such as icons 104, 106a to 106e, in the first main image area 101a, and further displays the two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles in the secondary image area 102a. More specifically, the drawing control unit 82 displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in the first main image area 101a, which is located in the center of the width direction of the display 75a, and displays the two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles arranged in an order determined according to their degree of relevance in a band-shaped secondary image area 102a that extends along the width direction behind the first main image area 101a. More specifically, the drawing control unit 82 arranges and displays in the sub-image area 102a two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles in descending order of their relevance to the user-specified vehicle, so as to be further away from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle.

[0082] Furthermore, as described above, the multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 based on the third extraction algorithm include a mixture of vehicles with similar appearances extracted based on the first extraction algorithm and vehicles with similar personalities extracted based on the second extraction algorithm. In such cases, it is preferable for the drawing control unit 82 to display the two-dimensional images of multiple vehicles with similar appearances in descending order of relevance in a first region of the sub-image area 102a that is close to the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle (for example, in the example shown in Figure 3, within three panels to the left and right of the center in the width direction), and to display the two-dimensional images of multiple vehicles with similar personalities in descending order of relevance in a second region of the sub-image area 102a that is farther from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle (for example, in the example shown in Figure 3, within two panels to the left and right of the first region mentioned above).

[0083] As a result, the display 75a of the user terminal 6 displays an image of the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, as shown in Figure 3, in response to the user performing an operation on the user terminal 6 to enter the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100. However, among the images shown in Figure 3, optional images such as the additional information display area 103 and the evaluation display area 105 are not displayed immediately after entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100.

[0084] <Flow after entering virtual vehicle exhibition space 100> After entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 through the procedure described above, the drawing control unit 82 changes the image drawing mode on the display 75a in response to the user's operation on the user terminal 6, according to the procedure described below.

[0085] Firstly, as described above, the image of the user-specified vehicle displayed in the first main image area 101a is a three-dimensional image based on three-dimensional image data transmitted from the database 34c. Therefore, the user can enlarge the user-specified vehicle or view it from various angles by operating the user terminal 6. More specifically, when the drawing control unit 82 receives operations from the operation input reception unit 80 to change the magnification ratio of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a (for example, pinch-in or pinch-out operations), operations to change the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a (for example, a swipe operation along the vertical direction), and operations to change the orientation of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a (for example, a swipe operation along the width direction to rotate the stage 101), the drawing control unit 82 changes the drawing mode of the user-specified vehicle on the stage 101 according to these operations. In this case, since the drawing control unit 82 has three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle, it can quickly and smoothly change the magnification, viewpoint position, and orientation of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a each time it receives an operation as described above, without having to acquire new image data from the database 34c.

[0086] Furthermore, when the drawing control unit 82 changes the magnification, viewpoint position, and orientation of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a according to the procedure described above, it is preferable to switch the drawing mode of the multiple sub-display target vehicles in the sub-image area accordingly. More specifically, it is preferable that the drawing control unit 82 acquires magnification information of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a, viewpoint position information of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a, and orientation information of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a based on the operation received by the operation input reception unit 80, and changes the drawing mode of the two-dimensional images of the multiple sub-display target vehicles based on this magnification information, viewpoint position information, and orientation information. Here, as described above, the drawing control unit 82 acquires a two-dimensional image dataset from the database 34c, which consists of multiple two-dimensional image data of the sub-display target vehicle viewed from multiple different viewpoints. Therefore, it is preferable that the drawing control unit 82 selects the two-dimensional image data from the two-dimensional image dataset that is closest to the viewpoint position and orientation of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle, based on the viewpoint position information and orientation information, and displays the two-dimensional image of each sub-display target vehicle in the sub-image area 102a based on the selected two-dimensional image data.

[0087] Furthermore, when the operation input receiving unit 80 receives an operation from the user on the fifth function icon 106e, the drawing control unit 82 erases the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle displayed in the first main image area 101a and displays a three-dimensional video of the user-specified vehicle traveling on the road 107 in the second main image area 107a, based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N as described above. As described above, the road 107 is ring-shaped in plan view. Therefore, by displaying a three-dimensional video of the user-specified vehicle traveling on such a road 107, the user can enjoy viewing the user-specified vehicle from various angles. Furthermore, when the operation input receiving unit 80 receives an operation from the user on the fifth function icon 106e, the drawing control unit 82 erases the three-dimensional video of the user-specified vehicle displayed in the second main image area 107a and displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle again in the first main image area 101a.

[0088] Furthermore, it is preferable that the drawing control unit 82, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a first selection operation by the user (an operation in which the user selects one of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a, for example, an operation in which the user lightly touches the image of a sub-display target vehicle), displays additional information about the sub-display target vehicle selected by this first selection operation (hereinafter also referred to as the "first selected vehicle") in the additional information display area 103 located slightly above the first selected vehicle on the display 75a. This allows the user to learn additional information about the first selected vehicle of interest.

[0089] Furthermore, when the additional information for the first selected vehicle is displayed on the display 75a as described above, and the operation input receiving unit 40 receives a first selection operation to select the first selected vehicle again, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31 reads new three-dimensional image data of the first selected vehicle that was selected again by this first selection operation from the database 34c, and then transmits this three-dimensional image data of the first selected vehicle to the user terminal 6 via the network N. Also, when the operation input receiving unit 80 receives a first selection operation to select the first selected vehicle again while the additional information for the first selected vehicle is displayed on the display 75a as described above, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 71 acquires the three-dimensional image data of the first selected vehicle transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 in the procedure described above, and transmits this three-dimensional image data to the drawing control unit 82. Furthermore, the drawing control unit 82 erases the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle that was previously displayed in the first main image area 101a based on the three-dimensional image data of the first selected vehicle newly acquired by the image data acquisition unit 81, redefines this first selected vehicle as a new user-specified vehicle, and displays its three-dimensional image in the first main image area 101a.

[0090] Meanwhile, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31, in response to the operation input reception unit 40 receiving a second selection operation by the user (an operation in which the user selects one of several sub-display targets displayed in the sub-image area 102a, for example, an operation in which the user touches and holds the image of a sub-display target vehicle for a longer period than in the first selection operation), reads new three-dimensional image data of the sub-display target vehicle selected by this second selection operation (hereinafter also referred to as the "second selected vehicle") from the database 34c, and then transmits this three-dimensional image data of the second selected vehicle to the user terminal 6 via the network N. Also, the image data acquisition unit 81 of the processor 71, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving the second selection operation by the user as described above, acquires the three-dimensional image data of the second selected vehicle transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 in the procedure described above, and transmits this three-dimensional image data to the drawing control unit 82. Furthermore, the drawing control unit 82 erases the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle that was previously displayed in the first main image area 101a based on the three-dimensional image data of the second selected vehicle newly acquired by the image data acquisition unit 81, redefines this second selected vehicle as a new user-specified vehicle, and displays its three-dimensional image in the first main image area 101a.

[0091] As described above, by performing a first selection operation and a second selection operation to choose one of the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed on the display 75a, the user can enjoy viewing the three-dimensional image of the first or second selected vehicle that interests them.

[0092] Furthermore, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31 changes the algorithm for extracting multiple sub-display target vehicles from among multiple registered vehicles in response to the operation input reception unit 40 receiving an operation by the user on the filter icon 104, and re-extracts a new set of sub-display target vehicles. More specifically, the display target extraction unit 42 re-extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles from among multiple registered vehicles based on the extraction algorithm (one of the first to fourth extraction algorithms) specified based on the user's operation on the filter icon 104. After re-extracting the multiple sub-display target vehicles in the above procedure, the display target extraction unit 42 reads the two-dimensional image dataset of each of the newly extracted sub-display target vehicles from the database 34c and transmits it to the user terminal 6 via the network N. At this time, it is preferable that the display target extraction unit 42 transmits, along with the two-dimensional image dataset of each of the multiple sub-display target vehicles as described above, information on the degree of relevance calculated for each sub-display target vehicle and additional information for each sub-display target vehicle to the user terminal 6 via the network N.

[0093] Meanwhile, the image data acquisition unit 81 of the processor 71, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving an operation on the filter icon 104 by the user, acquires information (such as a new two-dimensional image dataset of sub-display target vehicles) transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N using the procedure described above, and transmits this acquired information to the drawing control unit 82. Based on the two-dimensional image datasets of the multiple sub-display target vehicles transmitted from the image data acquisition unit 81 using the procedure described above, the drawing control unit 82 displays two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles in the sub-image area 102a using the same procedure as when entering the room. In this way, by operating the filter icon 104, the user can switch the extraction algorithm in the display target extraction unit 42, and consequently change the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area.

[0094] Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving an operation from the user on the first function icon 106a, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71 displays on the display 75a an image that was used before transitioning to the image of the virtual vehicle display space 100 (for example, the initial session image in Figure 4, which will be described later, the recommended base vehicle presentation image in Figure 6, and the customization selection image in Figure 8).

[0095] Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving an operation by the user on the second function icon 106b, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71 displays an evaluation display field 105, as shown in Figure 3, as a pop-up on the display 75a, based on the evaluation information for the user-specified vehicle transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N as described above. This allows the user to learn about evaluations from other users for the user-specified vehicle of which they have a great interest.

[0096] Furthermore, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving an operation by the user on the third function icon 106c, displays on the display 75a a comment viewing image for the user to view comments from other users on the user-specified vehicle, and a comment entry field for the user to enter their own comments on the user-specified vehicle. More specifically, the drawing control unit 82 generates a comment viewing image based on the evaluation information for the user-specified vehicle transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N as described above, and displays it on the display 75a. In addition, the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 updates the evaluation information for the user-specified vehicle stored in the database 34c in response to the operation input reception unit 40 receiving an input operation by the user on the comment entry field.

[0097] Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving an operation from the user on the fourth function icon 106c, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71 displays the user-specified detailed text information transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 via the network N as described above as a pop-up on the display 75a.

[0098] As described above, after entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, the user can change the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a, or select a vehicle of interest from among the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a. Therefore, information regarding the history of user selection operations for the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a in the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 can be said to be data that reflects the user's preferences. Accordingly, the browsing history information acquisition unit 83 of the processor 71 acquires information regarding the history of user selection operations for the multiple sub-display target vehicles received by the operation input reception unit 80 after the user enters the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 as user browsing history information. The browsing history information acquisition unit 83 transmits the user browsing history information acquired through the above procedure to the information provision device 2 via the network N as appropriate. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 acquires user browsing history information transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this user browsing history information in the database 34c.

[0099] <The process before a user first enters the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100> When a user enters the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 for the first time, processors 31 and 71 perform the initial session processing described below for such first-time users before displaying an image of the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 as shown in Figure 3 on the display 75a of the user terminal 6 using the procedure described above. This initial session processing is a process to understand the preferences of the first-time user. This initial session processing is performed by processors 31 and 71 when the operation input reception units 40 and 80 of processors 31 and 71 receive an entry operation from the user, who is a first-time user, into the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100.

[0100] First, the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31, in response to the operation input reception unit 40 receiving an entry operation to the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 by a first-time user as described above, extracts a predetermined number of registered vehicles, at least two, from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 43c, for example, based on the fourth extraction algorithm described above. Hereinafter, the registered vehicles extracted by the display target extraction unit 42 in the initial session processing will also be referred to as "display target vehicles". That is, the display target extraction unit 42 randomly extracts multiple display target vehicles from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 43c. After extracting multiple display target vehicles by the above procedure, the display target extraction unit 42 reads the two-dimensional image data of each of the multiple display target vehicles from the database 34c and transmits it to the user terminal 6 via the network N.

[0101] Meanwhile, the image data acquisition unit 81 of the processor 71 receives an entry operation to the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 from a first-time user via the operation input reception unit 80, and then acquires two-dimensional image data of multiple display target vehicles transmitted from the display target extraction unit 42 of the processor 31 as described above, and transmits it to the drawing control unit 82. Next, the drawing control unit 82 of the processor 71 displays a vehicle selection image on the display 75a, as illustrated in Figure 4, based on the two-dimensional image data of multiple display target vehicles transmitted from the image data acquisition unit 81.

[0102] Figure 4 shows an example of a vehicle selection image displayed on the display 75a by the drawing control unit 82 during initial session processing. More specifically, the drawing control unit 82 displays on the display 75a a series of two-dimensional images of multiple (eight in the example in Figure 4) target vehicles randomly selected by the display target extraction unit 42. The drawing control unit 82 also displays the message "Please select one of the following vehicles that you like," along with the two-dimensional images of the multiple target vehicles, as shown in Figure 4, prompting the user to select one of the target vehicles. In the following description, we will explain the case where eight target vehicles are presented to the user at once, and only one target vehicle is prompted for selection at once, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of target vehicles presented to the user at once may be at least two, and the number of target vehicles prompted for selection at once may be two or more. The appearance of the vehicle selected by the user from among the multiple randomly selected target vehicles can be said to reflect the user's preferences. Subsequently, the browsing history information acquisition unit 83 of the processor 71 displays the vehicle selection images described above on the display 75a, and then acquires information regarding the history of user selection operations for multiple target vehicles received by the operation input reception unit 80 as user browsing history information.

[0103] Processors 31 and 71 acquire user browsing history information for N turns by repeating the initial session described above for N turns (where N is any integer greater than or equal to 2). Specifically, the user browsing history information for N turns is acquired by repeating the following steps N turns: extraction of multiple display target vehicles by the display target extraction unit 42, presentation of multiple display target vehicles by the drawing control unit 82, selection operation by the user, and acquisition of user browsing history information by the browsing history information acquisition unit 83. The browsing history information acquisition unit 83 transmits the user browsing history information for N turns acquired through the above procedure to the information providing device 2 via the network N as appropriate. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of processor 31 acquires user browsing history information for N turns transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this user browsing history information in the database 34c.

[0104] As described above, the database 34c stores user browsing history information for N turns by performing the initial session processing. Furthermore, even after the initial session processing has been performed, as described above, each time the user selects a vehicle to be displayed in the secondary image area on the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100, user browsing history information is stored in the database 34c.

[0105] In the initial session processing, the user selects at least one of several display target vehicles extracted based on the fourth extraction algorithm. In contrast, on the virtual vehicle display space 100, the user selects at least one of several sub-display target vehicles extracted based on any of the first to fourth extraction algorithms. The difference between the four extraction algorithms is that under the fourth extraction algorithm, multiple vehicles are randomly selected from multiple registered vehicles, while under the first to third extraction algorithms, multiple vehicles are selected from multiple registered vehicles based on their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable for the browsing history information acquisition unit 83 to acquire information regarding the history of selection operations for multiple vehicles randomly selected based on the fourth extraction algorithm as first user browsing history information, and information regarding the history of selection operations for multiple vehicles extracted based on the first to third extraction algorithms as second user browsing history information, thereby distinguishing and acquiring this user browsing history information.

[0106] <Vehicle customization support function> The processor 31 of the information provision device 2 and the processor 71 of the user terminal 6 realize the vehicle customization support function by executing the process described below, for example, when the user performs an operation on the user terminal 6 to enter a vehicle customization room set up in a virtual space.

[0107] First, the customization support control unit 84 of the processor 71, upon receiving an entry operation to the vehicle customization room from the user terminal 6 via the operation input reception unit 80, displays an initial customization image on the display 75a, as illustrated in Figure 5.

[0108] Figure 5 shows an example of an initial customization image displayed on the display 75a. The customization support control unit 84 prompts the user to choose between two customization methods that the customization support control unit 84 can provide by displaying an initial customization image like the one shown in Figure 5 on the display 75a. Hereinafter, the vehicle that the user intends to customize using the vehicle customization support function will also be referred to as the "customization target vehicle". Here, "create from scratch" means that the user completes the customization by sequentially deciding on multiple external components of the customization target vehicle, basically based on their own will. Also, "start from recommendation" means that the user completes the customization based on a customized vehicle that has been automatically generated to approximate the user's preferences based on the user's browsing history information stored in the database 43c as described above.

[0109] The recommendation image generation unit 43 of the processor 31 reads the user's browsing history information from the database 34c in response to the operation input reception unit 40 receiving a selection operation from the user for "Start from recommendations". Based on the user browsing history information read from the database 34c, the recommendation image generation unit 43 identifies multiple registered vehicles from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 34c that are presumed to be of interest to the user. Hereafter, the registered vehicles identified by the recommendation image generation unit 43 based on the user browsing history information will also be referred to as "user interest vehicles". The recommendation image generation unit 43 also obtains image data and information on multiple exterior components of the multiple user interest vehicles identified based on the user browsing history information from the database 34c. Based on the image data of the multiple user interest vehicles obtained through the above procedure, the recommendation image generation unit 43 uses a known algorithm to determine all exterior components of the vehicle to be customized to match the user's preferences. Furthermore, the recommendation image generation unit 43 generates two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be customized according to each exterior component determined by the above procedure as recommendation image data and transmits it to the user terminal 6. Based on the recommendation image data transmitted from the recommendation image generation unit 43 by the above procedure, the customization support control unit 84 displays a recommended base vehicle presentation image on the display 75a, for example, as illustrated in Figure 6.

[0110] Figure 6 shows an example of a recommended base vehicle display image shown on the display 75a. Based on the recommended image data of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the recommended image generation unit 43, the customization support control unit 84 displays the recommended image R of the vehicle to be customized in the center of the display 75a, as shown in Figure 6, thereby prompting the user to decide on multiple exterior components of the vehicle to be customized.

[0111] In other words, the user checks the recommendation image R generated based on the user's browsing history information as shown in Figure 6, and if it matches their preferences, they operate the "Complete" button located in the lower right corner of the recommended base vehicle display image. More specifically, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving the user's operation of the "Complete" button, the customization support control unit 84 determines that multiple exterior components of the vehicle to be customized are the same as those of the vehicle shown in the recommendation image R, and transmits information regarding the determined exterior components of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the exterior components of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the exterior components of the vehicle to be customized in the database 34c. When the "Complete" button is operated, it is preferable that the processors 31 and 81 start the process of entering the virtual vehicle exhibition space 100 with this vehicle to be customized as the user-specified vehicle, following the procedure described above.

[0112] Furthermore, users can review the recommended image R shown in Figure 6, and if it does not match their preferences, they can individually select the exterior components they dislike by using the buttons such as "Wheels," "Parts," and "Paint" located below the recommended base vehicle image, or the "C" button above the recommended base vehicle image, which represents the current vehicle model. The processes performed when the user operates these "Wheels," "Parts," and "Paint" buttons are qualitatively the same as the processes described later with reference to Figures 8 to 10, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0113] As described above, the browsing history information acquisition unit 83 acquires information regarding the history of selection operations for multiple vehicles randomly selected based on the fourth extraction algorithm as first user browsing history information, and acquires information regarding the history of selection operations for multiple vehicles selected based on the first to third extraction algorithms as second user browsing history information. Generally, the first browsing history information, which concerns the history of selection operations for randomly presented items, reflects the user's preferences more strongly than the second browsing history information, which concerns the history of selection operations for items highly related to the user-specified vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable for the recommendation image generation unit 43 to set a greater weight on the first user browsing history information than on the second user browsing history information when generating recommendation image data.

[0114] Furthermore, it is preferable that the recommendation image generation unit 43 generates recommendation image data by excluding information regarding the history of selection operations for dissimilar vehicles whose similarity to the user-specified vehicle is below a predetermined similarity threshold from the user's browsing history information. This is because such selection operations for dissimilar vehicles are thought to be due to user error.

[0115] As mentioned above, selection of dissimilar vehicles is often thought to be due to user error. However, if such selection of dissimilar vehicles is performed multiple times, it is thought that the user has a strong interest in such dissimilar vehicles. Therefore, it is preferable for the recommendation image generation unit 43 to generate recommendation image data without excluding the information regarding the history of selection of dissimilar vehicles if the user browsing history information includes information regarding such selection of dissimilar vehicles a predetermined number of times or more.

[0116] Returning to Figure 5, the customization support control unit 84, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user for "Create from scratch," displays a vehicle selection image on the display 75a, such as the one exemplified in Figure 7.

[0117] Figure 7 shows an example of a vehicle selection image displayed on the display 75a. The customization support control unit 84 prompts the user to make a decision regarding the "vehicle type," which is one of several external components of the vehicle to be customized, by displaying a vehicle selection image like the one shown in Figure 7 on the display 75a. In the example shown in Figure 7, the user can decide on one of the vehicle types to be customized from among the vehicle types named "A," "B," and "C," etc., by operating the user terminal 6.

[0118] The customization support control unit 84, upon receiving an operation from the operation input reception unit 80 to select one of the vehicle types "A", "B", or "C" from the vehicle type selection image described above, determines the vehicle type of the vehicle to be customized based on the user's selection and transmits information regarding the determined vehicle type to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the vehicle type to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the vehicle type to be customized in the database 34c. After transmitting the information regarding the vehicle type to be customized to the information providing device 2, the customization support control unit 84 displays a customization selection image, such as the one shown in Figure 8, on the display 75a in order to proceed with the process of determining other external components.

[0119] Figure 8 shows an example of a customization selection image displayed on the display 75a. The customization support control unit 84 prompts the user to make a decision regarding "wheels," "parts," and "paint," which are one of several exterior components of the vehicle to be customized, by displaying a customization selection image like the one shown in Figure 8 on the display 75a.

[0120] In response to the operation input receiving unit 80 receiving a selection operation for "Paint" by the user, the customization support control unit 84 displays a paint means selection image on the display 75a, such as the one illustrated in Figure 9.

[0121] Figure 9 shows an example of a paint method selection image displayed on the display 75a. The customization support control unit 84 prompts the user to select from three paint methods available to the customization support control unit 84 by displaying a paint method selection image as shown in Figure 9 on the display 75a. Here, "base color" means achieving customization of the "body color," which is one of the multiple exterior components of the vehicle to be customized, by painting each part of the vehicle body with a color determined by the user. "Paint creation" means achieving customization of the body color by applying a pattern determined by the user to the vehicle body. "Recommendation" means automatically achieving customization of the body color of the vehicle to be customized to match the user's preferences based on the user's browsing history information.

[0122] When the operation input receiving unit 80 receives a selection operation for the "base color" from the user, the customization support control unit 84 displays a base color selection image (not shown) on the display 75a. The user can determine the user's specified color for each component of the vehicle body (e.g., roof, hood, and body) by performing a predetermined base color selection operation on the user terminal 6 where this base color selection image is displayed. In response to the operation input receiving unit 80 receiving the base color selection operation from the user, the customization support control unit 84 determines the color of the vehicle body of the vehicle to be customized in the manner selected by the user, and transmits information regarding the determined color of the vehicle body of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the color of the vehicle body of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the color of the vehicle body of the vehicle to be customized in the database 34c.

[0123] When the operation input receiving unit 80 receives a selection operation for "Paint Creation" from the user, the customization support control unit 84 displays a pattern image, such as the one shown in Figure 10, on the display 75a.

[0124] Figure 10 shows an example of a pattern image displayed on the display 75a. The customization support control unit 84 displays a pattern image on the display 75a corresponding to the vehicle type of the vehicle to be customized, which has already been determined. As shown in Figure 10, the pattern image is a flat representation of the three-dimensional surface of the vehicle body to be customized. The user can apply a pattern of any color to such a pattern image by performing a paint operation using a predetermined paint tool on the user terminal 6 on which the pattern image is displayed. When the operation input reception unit 80 receives a paint operation from the user, the customization support control unit 84 determines the color of the vehicle body to be customized in the manner created by the user, and transmits information regarding the determined color of the vehicle body to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the color of the vehicle body to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the color of the vehicle body to be customized in the database 34c.

[0125] Returning to Figure 9, the recommendation image generation unit 43 of the processor 31 reads the user's browsing history information from the database 34c in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user regarding "recommendations". The recommendation image generation unit 43 also identifies several registered vehicles that are presumed to be of interest to the user from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 34c, based on the user browsing history information read from the database 34c, as user interest vehicles. The recommendation image generation unit 43 also obtains information from the database 34c regarding the body color, which is one of the exterior components of each of the multiple user interest vehicles identified based on the user browsing history information. Based on the information regarding the body color of each of the multiple user interest vehicles obtained through the above procedure, the recommendation image generation unit 43 uses a known algorithm to determine the body color of the vehicle to be customized to match the user's preferences. Furthermore, the recommendation image generation unit 43 generates two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be customized according to the vehicle body color determined by the above procedure as recommendation image data and transmits it to the user terminal 6. Based on the recommendation image data transmitted from the recommendation image generation unit 43 by the above procedure, the customization support control unit 84 displays the recommendation image in the center of the paint means selection image, for example, as illustrated in Figure 9.

[0126] The user checks the recommended image displayed on the display 75a using the procedure described above, and if it matches their preferences, they operate the "Back" button located in the lower right corner of the paint selection image. More specifically, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving the user's operation of the "Back" button, the customization support control unit 84 determines the body color of the vehicle to be customized to be the same as the vehicle shown in the recommended image, and transmits information regarding the determined body color of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Furthermore, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the body color of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 using the procedure described above, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the body color of the vehicle to be customized in the database 34c. After transmitting the information regarding the body color of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2, the customization support control unit 84 displays a customization selection image on the display 75a, for example, as shown in Figure 8, in order to proceed with the process of determining other exterior components.

[0127] Furthermore, it is preferable that the recommendation image generation unit 43 generates recommendation image data by setting a greater weight on the first user browsing history information than on the second user browsing history information, similar to when generating the data for the recommendation image R shown in Figure 6.

[0128] Furthermore, the recommendation image generation unit 43 preferably generates recommendation image data by excluding information regarding the history of selection operations for dissimilar vehicles whose similarity to the user-specified vehicle is below a predetermined similarity threshold from the user's browsing history information, similar to the case when generating the recommendation image R data shown in Figure 6. Also, if the user browsing history information contains information regarding the history of selection operations for dissimilar vehicles as described above, it is preferable for the recommendation image generation unit 43 to generate recommendation image data without excluding this information regarding the history of selection operations for dissimilar vehicles, similar to the case when generating the recommendation image R data shown in Figure 6.

[0129] Returning to Figure 8, the customization support control unit 84 displays a wheel selection image (not shown) on the display 75a in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation for "wheels" by the user. The user can determine the "wheels," which are one of several exterior components of the vehicle to be customized, by performing a predetermined operation on the user terminal 6 where this wheel selection image is displayed.

[0130] More specifically, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user for "select the wheels myself," the customization support control unit 84 displays images of multiple candidate wheels available for the already determined vehicle model on the display 75a. Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a wheel selection operation from the user (for example, the user selecting one wheel from multiple candidate wheels), the customization support control unit 84 determines the wheels for the vehicle to be customized to the candidate wheel selected by the user, and transmits information regarding the determined wheels for the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Additionally, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the wheels for the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the wheels for the vehicle to be customized in the database 34c.

[0131] Furthermore, in response to the operation input receiving unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user regarding "recommended wheels," the recommendation image generation unit 43 of the processor 31 reads the user's browsing history information from the database 34c. Based on the user browsing history information read from the database 34c, the recommendation image generation unit 43 identifies several registered vehicles that are presumed to be of interest to the user from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 34c as user interest vehicles. The recommendation image generation unit 43 also obtains information about the wheels, which are one of the external components of each of the multiple user interest vehicles identified based on the user browsing history information, from the database 34c. Based on the information about the wheels of each of the multiple user interest vehicles obtained through the above procedure, the recommendation image generation unit 43 uses a known algorithm to determine the wheels of the vehicle to be customized to match the user's preferences. The recommendation image generation unit 43 also generates two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be customized according to the wheels determined through the above procedure as recommendation image data and transmits it to the user terminal 6. Based on the recommendation image data transmitted from the recommendation image generation unit 43 in the procedure described above, the customization support control unit 84 displays a recommendation image on the display 75a that includes an image of a wheel determined to match the user's preferences as described above. The user confirms the recommendation image displayed on the display 75a in the procedure described above, and if it matches their preferences, they perform a predetermined decision operation on the user terminal 6. In response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving the decision operation from the user, the customization support control unit 84 determines that the wheels of the vehicle to be customized are the same as those displayed in the recommendation image, and transmits information regarding the determined wheels of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. The database update unit 41 of the processor 31 updates the database 34c by storing the information regarding the wheels of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 in the procedure described above.

[0132] Furthermore, when the customization support control unit 84 displays a customization selection image (not shown) on the display 75a in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation for a "part" by the user while the customization selection image shown in Figure 8 is displayed. The user can determine a "part," which is one of several exterior components of the vehicle to be customized, by performing a predetermined operation on the user terminal 6 where this part selection image is displayed.

[0133] More specifically, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user for "selecting parts myself," the customization support control unit 84 displays images of multiple candidate parts available for the already determined vehicle model to be customized on the display 75a. Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a part selection operation from the user (for example, an operation in which the user selects one part from multiple candidate parts), the customization support control unit 84 determines the part for the vehicle to be customized to the candidate part selected by the user, and transmits information regarding the determined part for the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. Additionally, when the database update unit 41 of the processor 31 obtains information regarding the parts for the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 through the above procedure, it updates the database 34c by storing this information regarding the parts for the vehicle to be customized in the database 34c.

[0134] Furthermore, in response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving a selection operation from the user regarding "recommended parts," the recommendation image generation unit 43 of the processor 31 reads the user's browsing history information from the database 34c. Based on the user browsing history information read from the database 34c, the recommendation image generation unit 43 identifies several registered vehicles that are presumed to be of interest to the user from among the multiple registered vehicles registered in the database 34c as user interest vehicles. The recommendation image generation unit 43 also obtains information from the database 34c about parts, which are one of the exterior components of each of the multiple user interest vehicles identified based on the user browsing history information. Based on the information about each of the multiple user interest vehicles obtained through the above procedure, the recommendation image generation unit 43 uses a known algorithm to determine the parts of the vehicle to be customized to match the user's preferences. The recommendation image generation unit 43 also generates two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be customized according to the parts determined through the above procedure as recommendation image data and transmits it to the user terminal 6. Based on the recommendation image data transmitted from the recommendation image generation unit 43 in the above procedure, the customization support control unit 84 displays a recommendation image on the display 75a that includes images of parts determined to match the user's preferences as described above. The user confirms the recommendation image displayed on the display 75a in the above procedure, and if it matches their preferences, performs a predetermined decision operation on the user terminal 6. In response to the operation input reception unit 80 receiving the decision operation from the user, the customization support control unit 84 determines the parts of the vehicle to be customized to be the same as those displayed in the recommendation image, and transmits information about the determined parts of the vehicle to be customized to the information providing device 2 via the network N. The database update unit 41 of the processor 31 updates the database 34c by storing the information about the parts of the vehicle to be customized transmitted from the user terminal 6 in the above procedure in the database 34c.

[0135] The vehicle image display system 1' and vehicle image display method according to this embodiment provide the following effects.

[0136] (1) The image data acquisition unit 81 of the user terminal 6 acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and a two-dimensional image dataset of multiple secondary display target vehicles extracted from the multiple registered vehicles from the database 34c of the information providing device 2, which stores information on multiple registered vehicles, including the user-specified vehicle specified by the user. The drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6 then displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in the main image areas 101a and 107a defined within the display 75a of the user terminal 6, based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image dataset of the secondary display target vehicles acquired by the image data acquisition unit 81, and further displays the two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles in the secondary image area 102a defined behind the main image areas 101a and 107a within the display 75a. This allows the user to view the appearance of the user-specified vehicle they have specified from various angles and compare it with the appearance of multiple secondary display target vehicles. In this way, the vehicle image display system 1' reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between the image data acquisition unit 81 of the user terminal 6 and the database 34c of the information provision device 2, as well as the processing load on the drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6, by using a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles that the user uses as a comparison target for the user-specified vehicle.

[0137] (2) The display target extraction unit 42 of the information providing device 2 extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles from among multiple registered vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle specified by the user. As a result, the sub-image area 102a of the display 75a of the user terminal 6 can display two-dimensional images of multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a high degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle, so that the user can easily compare and enjoy the user-specified vehicle and the multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a high degree of relevance to this user-specified vehicle.

[0138] (3) The drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6 changes the drawing pattern of the two-dimensional image of the vehicle to be sub-displayed in the sub-image area 102a based on the magnification ratio, viewpoint position information, and orientation information of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display 75a. This reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between the information providing device 2 and the user terminal 6, while naturally changing the drawing pattern of the two-dimensional image of the vehicle to be sub-displayed according to the magnification ratio, viewpoint position, and orientation of the user-specified vehicle.

[0139] (4) The drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6 displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a first main image area 101a located in the center of the width direction of the display 75a, and displays two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles side by side in a band-shaped secondary image area 102a extending along the width direction behind the first main image area 101a. This allows the user to enjoy comparing the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle displayed in the position on the display 75a that is easiest for the user to see with the two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles displayed side by side behind it.

[0140] (5) The drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6 displays two-dimensional images of multiple secondary display target vehicles in descending order of relevance to the user-specified vehicle, moving away from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle. As a result, the display 75a displays two-dimensional images of secondary display target vehicles that are highly relevant to the user-specified vehicle, close to the user-specified vehicle, which is convenient for the user.

[0141] (6) When the drawing control unit 82 of the user terminal 6 receives a first selection operation in which the user selects one of the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a, it displays additional information about the selected vehicle on the display screen. Thus, with the vehicle image display system 1', the user can easily obtain additional information about the selected vehicle that interests them.

[0142] (7) When the image data acquisition unit 81 of the user terminal 6 receives a first selection operation in which the same selected vehicle is selected again while additional information is displayed on the display 75a, it acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle from the database 34c of the information providing device 2, and the drawing control unit 82 displays the three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the first main image area 101a based on the newly acquired three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle. Thus, according to the vehicle image display system 1', the user can view the appearance of the selected vehicle of interest in more detail by simply performing the first selection operation twice in a row.

[0143] (8) When the image data acquisition unit 81 of the user terminal 6 receives a second selection operation in which the user selects one of the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a, it acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle by this second operation, and the drawing control unit 82 displays the three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the first main image area 101a based on the newly acquired three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle. Thus, with the vehicle image display system 1', the user can view the appearance of the selected vehicle of interest in more detail simply by performing the second selection operation.

[0144] (9) The display target extraction unit 42 of the information providing device 2 calculates the degree of similarity in appearance between each registered vehicle and a user-specified vehicle based on the appearance information of each registered vehicle stored in the database 34c, and extracts multiple sub-display target vehicles based on this degree of similarity in appearance. This allows the user to enjoy comparing their designated user-specified vehicle with multiple sub-display target vehicles that have a similar appearance to that user-specified vehicle.

[0145] (10) The display target extraction unit 42 of the information providing device 2 calculates the degree of personality similarity between the owner of each registered vehicle and the user based on the owner information of each registered vehicle stored in the database 34c, and extracts secondary display target vehicles based on this degree of personality similarity. This allows the user to enjoy comparing the user-specified vehicle they have designated with secondary display target vehicles owned by owners with similar personalities to their own.

[0146] (11) The display target extraction unit 42 of the information providing device 2 switches between a first extraction algorithm that extracts sub-display target vehicles based on appearance information, a second extraction algorithm that extracts sub-display target vehicles based on owner information, a third extraction algorithm that combines the first and second extraction algorithms, and a fourth extraction algorithm that extracts sub-display target vehicles randomly, in response to the user's operation on the filter icon 104. Therefore, with the vehicle image display system 1', the user can change the sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area 102a simply by operating on the filter icon 104, making it highly convenient.

[0147] (12) The display target extraction unit 42 of the information providing device 2 extracts multiple vehicles with similar appearances from among multiple registered vehicles based on their appearance information, and extracts multiple vehicles with similar personalities from among multiple registered vehicles based on their owner information. The drawing control unit 82 displays the vehicles with similar appearances in a first area of ​​the sub-image area 102a that is close to the user-specified vehicle, and displays the vehicles with similar personalities in a second area of ​​the sub-image area 102a that is farther from the user-specified vehicle. Thus, with the vehicle image display system 1', the user can enjoy comparing the user-specified vehicle they have chosen with the vehicles with similar appearances and vehicles with similar personalities that have been extracted based on different algorithms.

[0148] (13) The image data acquisition unit 81 of the user terminal 6 acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and a two-dimensional image dataset of multiple sub-display target vehicles from the database 34c of the information providing device 2 via the network N. Therefore, the vehicle image display system 1' reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between each user's user terminal and the information providing device 2, so that many users can view and enjoy images of vehicles at the same time.

[0149] (14) According to the vehicle image display method of this embodiment, the user can view the appearance of a user-specified vehicle of their choosing from various angles and compare it with the appearance of multiple sub-display target vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicle image display method reduces the amount of data transmitted and received between the user terminal 6 and the information providing device 2, as well as the processing load on the user terminal 6.

[0150] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, the details of the configuration may be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0151] 1…Vehicle customization support system 1'... Vehicle image display system 2…Information provision device (storage device, display target extraction unit) 31…Processor (Display target extraction unit) 34…Storage (mechanism) 34a…Virtual Vehicle Exhibition Program 34b... Vehicle Customization Support Program 34c…Database (storage device) 40... Operation Input Reception Unit 41…Database Update Department 42...Display target extraction section 43...Recommendation Image Generation Unit 6…User terminal 6 (image data acquisition unit, drawing control unit) 71…Processor (image data acquisition unit, drawing control unit) 73…Storage 73a…Virtual Vehicle Exhibition Program 73b... Vehicle Customization Support Program 74... Reception device 75…Output device 75a…Display (screen) 80... Operation input reception unit 81...Image data acquisition unit 82... Drawing Control Unit 83... Browsing history information acquisition unit 84...Customization Support Control Unit 100…Virtual vehicle exhibition space 101... Stage 101a...first main image area 102...Wall surface 102 102a...Sub image area 107…Road 107a...Second main image area

Claims

1. A vehicle image display system that displays an image of a virtual vehicle on the display screen of a user terminal operated by the user, An image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of multiple sub-display target vehicles extracted from the multiple registered vehicles from a storage device that stores information of multiple registered vehicles, including the user-specified vehicle specified by the user. A vehicle image display system characterized by comprising: a drawing control unit that, based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be sub-displayed, displays the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area defined within the display screen, and displays the two-dimensional image of the vehicle to be sub-displayed in a sub-image area defined behind the main image area within the display screen.

2. The vehicle image display system according to claim 1, further comprising a display target extraction unit that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles from a plurality of registered vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle.

3. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2, characterized in that the drawing control unit changes the drawing pattern of the two-dimensional image of the sub-display target vehicle in the sub-image area based on magnification information relating to the magnification ratio of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display screen, viewpoint position information relating to the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display screen, and pose information relating to the pose of the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle on the display image.

4. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in the main image area located in the center of the width direction of the display screen, and displays a plurality of two-dimensional images of the sub-display target vehicles side by side in the sub-image area, which is a band-shaped sub-image area extending along the width direction behind the main image area.

5. The vehicle image display system according to claim 4, characterized in that the drawing control unit arranges and displays in the sub-image area a plurality of two-dimensional images of the sub-display target vehicles in descending order of their degree of relevance to the user-specified vehicle, moving away from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle.

6. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the drawing control unit, upon receiving a first operation to select one of the plurality of sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, displays additional information of the selected vehicle selected by the first operation on the display screen.

7. In response to receiving the first operation of selecting the vehicle again while the additional information is displayed on the display screen, the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle from the storage device. The vehicle image display system according to claim 6, characterized in that the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle.

8. In response to receiving a second operation to select one of the multiple sub-display target vehicles displayed in the sub-image area, the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle selected by the second operation from the storage device. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the drawing control unit displays a three-dimensional image of the selected vehicle in the main image area based on the three-dimensional image data of the selected vehicle.

9. The aforementioned storage device stores the external appearance information of each registered vehicle. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the display target extraction unit calculates the degree of similarity in appearance of each registered vehicle to the user-specified vehicle based on the appearance information as the degree of relevance, and extracts the sub-display target vehicles based on the degree of relevance.

10. The aforementioned storage device stores the owner information of each registered vehicle. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the display target extraction unit calculates the degree of personality similarity between the owner of each registered vehicle and the user based on the owner information as the degree of relevance, and extracts the sub-display target vehicles based on the degree of relevance.

11. The aforementioned storage device stores the external appearance information and owner information of each registered vehicle in an associated manner. The vehicle image display system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the display target extraction unit switches between a first extraction algorithm that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the appearance information, and a second extraction algorithm that extracts a plurality of sub-display target vehicles in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the owner information, in response to a third operation by the user.

12. The aforementioned storage device stores the external appearance information and owner information of each registered vehicle in an associated manner. The display target extraction unit extracts a plurality of the sub-display target vehicles as vehicles with similar appearance in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the appearance information, and extracts a plurality of the sub-display target vehicles as vehicles with similar personality in descending order of the degree of relevance calculated based on the owner information. The vehicle image display system according to claim 4, characterized in that the drawing control unit arranges and displays a plurality of two-dimensional images of vehicles with similar appearances in a first region of the sub-image region that is close to the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle, and arranges and displays a plurality of vehicles with similar personalities in a second region of the sub-image region that is far from the three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle.

13. The user terminal comprises the image data acquisition unit and the drawing control unit, The storage device is connected to the user terminal via a network, The vehicle image display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the image data acquisition unit acquires three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles via the network.

14. A method for displaying a vehicle image, which displays an image of a virtual vehicle on the display screen of a user terminal operated by the user, The user terminal obtains, from a storage device that stores information on a plurality of registered vehicles, including a user-specified vehicle specified by the user, three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and two-dimensional image data of a plurality of sub-display target vehicles extracted from the plurality of registered vehicles, A vehicle image display method characterized by comprising the steps of: the user terminal displays a three-dimensional image of the user-specified vehicle in a main image area defined within the display screen based on the three-dimensional image data of the user-specified vehicle and the two-dimensional image data of the vehicle to be sub-displayed; and displays a two-dimensional image of the vehicle to be sub-displayed in a sub-image area defined behind the main image area within the display screen.

Images