VEHICLE AGENT DEVICE, VEHICLE AGENT SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE AGENT PROGRAM

Abstract

To provide an agent device for a vehicle, an agent system for a vehicle and an agent program for a vehicle that enable appropriate guide for each occupant upon guiding the functions of a vehicle to the occupants.SOLUTION: The present invention receives captured images and vehicle information from an on-board unit (150), identifies an occupant from the captured image (152), specifies the attributes of the identified occupant (154), and transmits a video that searches for the function of a vehicle corresponding to the specified attribute and guides the function of the vehicle to the on-board unit as explanatory information (156 to 162).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agent device, an agent system for a vehicle, and an agent program for a vehicle, which provide explanations of the device and its operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an agent processing device for a vehicle that provides information related to the operation of various vehicle-mounted units. In detail, when audio information including a human voice is given as a signal received by a wireless communication unit, the vehicle agent processing device performs voice recognition, and when it is an e-mail, it performs a syntax analysis unit to interpret the meaning, selects and prioritizes information related to the operation of various vehicle-mounted units in the vehicle, summarizes it, synthesizes it into voice, and outputs it from a speaker. Also, when it is estimated that the operation of various vehicle-mounted units is required, the agent processing unit automatically determines this, and adds operation guide information for the vehicle-mounted unit to provide voice guidance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-141500 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The vehicle agent processing device of Patent Document 1 can provide voice guidance for operation guide information for an in-vehicle unit, but when considering a case where occupants are to be informed of the functions equipped in the vehicle, the same voice guidance is provided to all occupants without distinguishing between them, which may result in unnecessary guidance being provided to some occupants, so there is room for improvement.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle agent device, a vehicle agent system, and a vehicle agent program that are capable of providing appropriate guidance for each occupant when informing the occupant of vehicle functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle agent device according to claim 1 includes an identification unit that identifies an occupant who is in a vehicle, an identification unit that identifies attributes of the occupant identified by the identification unit, and a control unit that performs control to output, to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, guidance information of a video image that provides guidance for functions that are included in the vehicle and correspond to the attributes identified by the identification unit and that have a usage frequency less than a predetermined frequency or that have not been used for a period of time that is greater than a predetermined frequency, by adjusting a playback speed, or the playback speed and the number of contents to be played back. Related information related to at least one of the day of the week and the time period The guidance information is further adjusted to a playback time according to conditions and output to the vehicle-mounted device. 。

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, the identification unit identifies the occupant who is in the vehicle, and the identification unit identifies the attributes of the occupant identified by the identification unit. Examples of the attributes include the occupant's driving technique, driving tendency, functional awareness, and whether or not the vehicle functions are used.

[0008] The control unit controls the functions of the vehicle. And Functions corresponding to attributes specified by the identification part Among these, functions that are used less frequently than a predetermined frequency, or functions that have not been used for a period of time that is longer than a predetermined period The system controls the output of video guidance information, which provides guidance on the functions of the vehicle, to an on-board device mounted on the vehicle. This allows the system to provide an explanation of the functions according to the attributes of the occupant, making it possible to provide appropriate guidance for each occupant when providing information on the functions of the vehicle.

[0009] The control unit is By adjusting the playback speed, or the playback speed and the number of contents to be played,The guidance information may be further adjusted to a playback time according to a predetermined condition and output to the in-vehicle device. In this way, the function is guided by a moving image whose playback time is adjusted according to the predetermined condition, so that the explanation of the function can be viewed at a playback time according to the situation of the occupant.

[0010] Also, The predetermined condition is a condition for related information related to at least one of a day of the week and a time period. You may do so. This makes it possible for passengers to view explanations of functions at playback times that suit their circumstances. .

[0011] The vehicle-mounted device may provide an explanation of the function using the video when the vehicle is in a predetermined state that does not affect driving. This ensures safety when viewing the function guide using the video, since the function is guided using the video when the vehicle is in a state that does not affect driving.

[0012] Furthermore, the control unit outputs the guidance information for the function corresponding to the attribute, the function being used less than a predetermined frequency, or the function not being used for a period of time equal to or longer than a predetermined period. do This makes it possible to guide passengers to functions that they rarely use and have forgotten about. The guidance information may be information about an operation method for using the function.

[0013] The control unit may specify a vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit as the attribute, and output the guidance information for the functions of the currently riding vehicle that the occupant has not used, including in past vehicles, based on the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit. This makes it possible to guide the occupant to functions that he or she does not know, including the vehicle type history of past use.

[0014] The control unit may specify a vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit as the attribute, and output the guidance information for the function with an operation method different from a past operation method from the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit. This makes it possible to propose to the occupant a function with an operation method different from the operation method of the vehicle ridden in the past.

[0015] The vehicle control system may further include an intent understanding unit that understands the intent of the speech content, and a generating unit that generates answer information to the speech content understood by the intent understanding unit. This makes it possible to have a conversation with the occupant through dialogue.

[0016] In addition, a vehicle agent system may be provided that includes the vehicle agent device and an on-board device that is provided in a vehicle and obtains information for identification by the identification unit and receives and reproduces the guidance information output from the control unit.

[0017] Also, the present invention may be implemented as a vehicle agent program for causing a computer to function as the vehicle agent device. Effect of the Invention

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle agent device, a vehicle agent system, and a vehicle agent program that are capable of providing appropriate guidance to each occupant when informing the occupant of vehicle functions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle agent system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the vehicle according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an agent server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an in-vehicle device and an agent server. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes performed by an in-vehicle device when an occupant gets into a vehicle in the vehicle agent system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6]5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes performed by the agent server when a captured image and vehicle information are transmitted from an in-vehicle device in the vehicle agent system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes performed by an in-vehicle device when an occupant interacts with an agent server via the in-vehicle device in the vehicle agent system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes performed in the agent server when an occupant interacts with the agent server via an in-vehicle device in the vehicle agent system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a vehicle agent system that provides a vehicle occupant with information about vehicle functions will be described as an example. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle agent system according to this embodiment.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular agent system 10 is configured as a server network system including a plurality of vehicles 14 and an agent server 12 as an example of a vehicular agent device.

[0022] Each vehicle 14 is equipped with an on-board device 16 , and communication is performed between the agent server 12 and the on-board device 16 via a communication network 18 .

[0023] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the vehicle 14. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle of this embodiment.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 14 includes an in-vehicle device 16, a plurality of ECUs 20, a microphone 22, a speaker 24, a monitor 26, and a camera .

[0025] The vehicle-mounted device 16 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 16A, a read only memory (ROM) 16B, a random access memory (RAM) 16C, an in-vehicle communication interface (I / F) 16D, a wireless communication interface 16E, and an input / output interface 16F. The CPU 16A, the ROM 16B, the RAM 16C, the in-vehicle communication interface 16D, the wireless communication interface 16E, and the input / output interface 16F are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 16G.

[0026] The CPU 16A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 16A reads out a program from the ROM 16B and executes the program using the RAM 16C as a working area.

[0027] The ROM 16B stores various programs and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 16B stores a control program for controlling the vehicle-mounted device 16.

[0028] As described above, the RAM 16C temporarily stores programs or data as a work area when the CPU 16A executes various programs.

[0029] The in-vehicle communication I / F 16D is an interface for connecting to the ECU 20. The interface uses a communication standard based on the CAN protocol. The in-vehicle communication I / F 16D is connected to the external bus 16H. A plurality of ECUs 20 are provided for each function of the vehicle 14. Examples of the ECU 20 in this embodiment include a vehicle control ECU, an engine ECU, a brake ECU, a body ECU, and a multimedia ECU.

[0030] The wireless communication I / F 16E is a wireless communication module for communicating with the agent server 12. The wireless communication module uses communication standards such as 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The wireless communication I / F 16E is connected to a communication network 18.

[0031] The input / output I / F 16F is an interface for communicating with a microphone 22, a speaker 24, a monitor 26, and a camera 28 mounted on the vehicle 14.

[0032] The microphone 22 is a device that is provided on the front pillar, dashboard, or the like of the vehicle 14 and collects voices emitted by the occupants.

[0033] The speaker 24 is provided on the door trim or the like, and outputs music, voice based on information received from the agent server 12, and the like.

[0034] The monitor 26 is a monitor such as a liquid crystal monitor that is provided on a center console or a meter panel and displays various information. The monitor 26 may be provided as a touch panel that includes an operation unit such as an input switch.

[0035] The camera 28 is provided in the vehicle cabin, for example, near the rearview mirror, and captures images of occupants such as the driver. In this embodiment, the camera 28 mainly captures images of the faces of the occupants in order to identify them.

[0036] Next, there will be described a hardware configuration of the agent server 12. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the agent server 12 of this embodiment.

[0037] 3, the agent server 12 includes a CPU 12A, a ROM 12B, a RAM 12C, a storage 12D, and a communication I / F 12E. The CPU 12A, the ROM 12B, the RAM 12C, the storage 12D, and the communication I / F 12E are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 12G. The functions of the CPU 12A, the ROM 12B, the RAM 12C, and the communication I / F 12E are the same as those of the CPU 16A, the ROM 16B, the RAM 16C, and the wireless communication I / F 16E of the vehicle-mounted device 16 described above.

[0038] The storage 12D is configured with a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various programs and various data.

[0039] The CPU 12A reads out a program from the storage 12D and executes the program using the RAM 12C as a working area.

[0040] The storage 12D of this embodiment stores a processing program 30 and a data group 32. The processing program 30 is a program for realizing each function that the agent server 12 has.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of each of the vehicle-mounted device 16 and the agent server 12. FIG.

[0042] The vehicle-mounted device 16 has the functions of a shooting control unit 50, a vehicle information acquisition unit 52, a voice input processing unit 54, an output processing unit 56, and a communication unit 58 by the CPU 16A expanding a program stored in the ROM 16B into the RAM 16C and executing it.

[0043] The image capturing control unit 50 controls image capturing by the camera 28 provided in the vehicle interior, captures images of the faces of occupants, etc., in order to identify the occupants, and generates image information representing the captured images.

[0044] The vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires various information about the vehicle in which the on-board device 16 is mounted. Examples of the acquired vehicle information include information for identifying the vehicle model, information for identifying the vehicle, information related to driving, and detection results of various sensors mounted on the vehicle 14. In this embodiment, at least information for identifying the vehicle model and information for identifying the vehicle are acquired.

[0045] The voice input processing unit 54 collects the speech of the passenger by the microphone 22 and performs processing to generate voice information.

[0046] The output processing unit 56 performs processes such as outputting response information to occupant utterances received from the agent server 12 via the communication unit 58, and information received from the agent server 12 as voice from the speaker 24, and displaying the information on the monitor 26.

[0047] The communication unit 58 establishes communication with the agent server 12 to exchange information. For example, the communication unit 58 transmits image information representing an image captured by the camera 28, vehicle information, and voice information generated by the voice input processing unit 54 to the agent server 12, and also performs processing to receive various types of information from the agent server 12.

[0048] On the other hand, the agent server 12 has a plurality of functions by the CPU 12A expanding the program stored in the ROM 12B into the RAM 12C and executing it. The plurality of functions include a control unit 70, a dialogue control unit 60 as an example of a generation unit, an intention understanding unit 62, a personal recognition unit 64 as an example of a discrimination unit, an attribute identification unit 66 as an example of an identification unit, a DB (database) 68, and a communication unit 72.

[0049] The dialogue control unit 60 converts the voice information received from the vehicle-mounted device 16 into text information and outputs it to the intent understanding unit 62. The dialogue control unit 60 also performs a process of generating answer information based on the intent understanding of the intent understanding unit 62. The answer information is generated, for example, by storing answers corresponding to the intent understanding results in advance and extracting the corresponding answers to generate the answer information.

[0050] The intention understanding unit 62 performs intention understanding indicated by the text information based on the converted text information in order to understand the intention of the occupant's speech. Since the intention understanding is performed by applying various well-known techniques, detailed explanations are omitted.

[0051] The individual recognition unit 64 performs a process of recognizing the occupant from among users preregistered in the DB 68 based on the captured image of the occupant received from the vehicle-mounted device 16 .

[0052] The attribute specification unit 66 specifies attributes of the occupant recognized by the individual recognition unit 64, such as driving technique, driving tendency, functional awareness, and whether or not the vehicle functions are used, based on the information stored in the DB 68.

[0053] DB68 is a storage area provided in an area in storage 12D, and various information is stored in DB68, such as information for understanding the intent of text information, information for identifying individuals, information for specifying attributes, information for guiding functions for each vehicle, etc. The information for guiding functions for each vehicle may include at least one of information about the function itself and information about an operation method for using the function.

[0054] The control unit 70 controls the transmission and reception of information via the communication unit 72. For example, the control unit 70 extracts information (text information, moving images, etc.) that guides the functions of the vehicle corresponding to the attributes of the occupant identified by the personal recognition unit 64 and specified by the attribute specification unit 66 from the DB 68, and transmits information on the vehicle in which the occupant rides from the extracted information to the vehicle-mounted device 16, thereby outputting the information that guides the functions of the vehicle as guidance information. When extracting information that guides the functions corresponding to the attributes of the occupant from the DB 68, information that guides the functions that are used less than a predetermined frequency or that have not been used for a predetermined period or longer may be extracted from the functions corresponding to the attributes. Alternatively, the vehicle type history may be specified as an attribute, and functions that have not been used, including past vehicles, may be extracted from the vehicle type history of the occupant among the functions of the vehicle currently being used. Alternatively, the vehicle type history of the occupant may be specified as an attribute, and functions with operation methods different from past operation methods may be extracted from the vehicle type history of the occupant. In addition, as information for providing guidance on vehicle functions, information regarding the function itself may be extracted, or information regarding the operating method for using the vehicle function may be extracted as guidance information, or information regarding the vehicle function itself and information regarding the operating method for using the function may be extracted.

[0055] Furthermore, when outputting a video that provides information about the vehicle's functions, the control unit 70 performs a process of adjusting the playback time of the video according to predetermined conditions (such as conditions of the day of the week, the time period, and related information related to at least one of the predicted vehicle stop time). The playback time is adjusted by adjusting at least one of the playback speed and the number of contents.

[0056] The communication unit 72 establishes communication with the vehicle-mounted device 16 to exchange information. For example, the communication unit 72 receives image information representing a captured image, vehicle information, and audio information from the vehicle-mounted device 16, and also transmits various types of information, such as device description information, from the agent server 12 to the vehicle-mounted device 16.

[0057] Next, specific processes performed by each unit of the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0058] First, an example of the flow of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted device 16 when an occupant gets into the vehicle 14 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted device 16 when an occupant gets into the vehicle 14 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 5 starts when an occupant gets into the vehicle 14. For example, it may start when the ignition switch is turned on, or when the entry of an occupant is detected by a seat sensor or the like.

[0059] In step 100, the CPU 16A photographs an occupant with the camera 28 and proceeds to step 102. That is, the photography control unit 50 controls photography by the camera 28 provided in the vehicle cabin to photograph the face of the occupant, etc., in order to identify the occupant.

[0060] In step 102, the CPU 16A acquires vehicle information and proceeds to step 104. That is, the vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires vehicle information including at least information for identifying the type of vehicle in which the vehicle-mounted device 16 is mounted and information for identifying the vehicle.

[0061] In step 104, the CPU 16A transmits the captured image and vehicle information to the agent server 12, and proceeds to step 106. That is, the communication unit 58 establishes communication with the agent server 12 and transmits the captured image and vehicle information to the agent server 12.

[0062] In step 106, the CPU 16A judges whether or not the explanatory information of the function has been received from the agent server 12. This judgement is made by the processing of the agent server 12 described later, to judge whether or not the explanatory information of the function transmitted by the agent server 12 has been received. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 108, and if the judgment is negative, the series of processes is terminated.

[0063] In step 108, the CPU 16A judges whether or not it is time to explain the function. For example, the judgement is made by judging whether or not it is a predetermined situation that does not affect the operation, such as being stopped. The CPU 16A waits until the judgement is affirmative, and proceeds to step 110.

[0064] In step 110, the CPU 16A provides the function explanation and ends the series of processes. For example, the output processing unit 56 performs a process of outputting the device explanation information received from the agent server 12 via the communication unit 58 as a voice from the speaker 24, a process of displaying it on the monitor 26, etc. In this embodiment, the function explanation is provided based on information that provides information on the vehicle functions corresponding to the attributes of the occupant. For example, a vehicle function explanation is proposed according to the attributes of the occupant, such as the driver's driving technique, driving tendency, function recognition, whether or not the function is used, and vehicle history. This makes it possible to provide appropriate guidance for each occupant when providing the occupant with the vehicle functions. In addition, since the function explanation is provided at a timing when the function explanation is provided in a situation where driving is not hindered, etc., it is possible to ensure safety when viewing the function guidance in video.

[0065] Next, an example of the flow of processing performed by the agent server 12 when a captured image and vehicle information are transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 16 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the agent server 12 when a captured image and vehicle information are transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 16 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 6 starts when the captured image and vehicle information are transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 16 to the agent server 12 in step 104 described above.

[0066] In step 150, the CPU 12A receives the captured image and vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted device 16, and proceeds to step 152. That is, the CPU 12A receives the captured image and vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 16 in step 104 described above.

[0067] In step 152, the CPU 12A identifies the occupant from the received captured image and proceeds to step 154. That is, the personal recognition unit 64 performs a process of recognizing the occupant from pre-registered users based on the captured image of the occupant received from the vehicle-mounted device 16. For example, an image of the occupant's face and information about the occupant (e.g., personal information such as name, address, age, etc.) are registered in advance in the agent server 12. Then, the corresponding occupant is identified by searching the registered information using the received captured image to specify the corresponding occupant.

[0068] In step 154, the CPU 12A specifies the attributes of the identified occupant, and proceeds to step 156. That is, the attribute specification unit 66 specifies attributes of the occupant recognized by the individual recognition unit 64, such as the driving technique, driving tendency, functional awareness, and whether or not the vehicle functions are used. For example, the attribute information of the occupant is stored in the DB 68 in association with the information of the occupant, and the corresponding attribute information is specified.

[0069] In step 156, the CPU 12A searches for a function of the vehicle corresponding to the specified attribute, and proceeds to step 158. That is, the control unit 70 extracts information (text information, moving images, etc.) that guides the vehicle function corresponding to the attribute of the occupant identified by the personal recognition unit 64 and specified by the attribute specification unit 66 from the DB 68, and extracts information corresponding to the vehicle in which the occupant rides from the information extracted based on the vehicle information. When extracting information that guides the function corresponding to the occupant's attribute from the DB 68, information that guides the function that is used less than a predetermined frequency or that has not been used for a predetermined period or longer may be extracted from the functions corresponding to the attribute. Alternatively, the vehicle type history may be specified as an attribute, and functions that have not been used, including past vehicles, may be extracted from the vehicle type history of the occupant among the functions of the vehicle currently being used. Alternatively, the vehicle type history of the occupant may be specified as an attribute, and functions with an operation method different from the past operation method may be extracted from the vehicle type history of the occupant. In addition, as information for providing guidance on vehicle functions, information regarding the function itself may be extracted, or information regarding the operating method for using the vehicle function may be extracted as guidance information, or information regarding the vehicle function itself and information regarding the operating method for using the function may be extracted.

[0070] In step 158, the CPU 12A determines whether the searched function is found. This is done by determining whether the control unit 70 has extracted information that provides information about the vehicle functions that correspond to the attributes of the occupant. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 160, and if the determination is negative, the process ends.

[0071] In step 160, the CPU 12A performs an explanation information adjustment process and proceeds to step 162. In the explanation information adjustment process, the control unit 70 performs a process of adjusting the playback time of the video that guides the functions of the vehicle according to a predetermined condition (for example, conditions such as related information related to at least one of the day of the week, the time period, and the predicted vehicle stop time). For example, the playback time may be adjusted to be shorter on weekdays from Monday to Friday, and the default playback time may be used on holidays such as Saturday and Sunday. Alternatively, since there is a high possibility that the driver will be in a hurry during the morning and evening hours, the playback time may be adjusted to be shorter, and the predetermined default playback time may be used during the other hours. In addition, if the vehicle stop time (for example, the stop time at a red light, etc.) is known from the acquired vehicle information, the playback time may be adjusted to match the stop time. This makes it possible to view the explanation of the functions at a playback time that suits the occupant's situation. The playback time may be adjusted by adjusting the playback speed, the number of contents to be played back, or both the playback speed and the number of contents.

[0072] In step 162, the CPU 12A transmits the video, whose playback time has been adjusted by the explanation information adjustment process, providing information about the vehicle functions as explanation information to the vehicle-mounted device 16 from which the captured image and vehicle information were transmitted, and ends the series of processes. As a result, the determination in the above-mentioned step 106 is affirmative in the vehicle-mounted device 16, and the function explanation corresponding to the occupant's attributes is provided to the occupant. Since the function explanation corresponding to the occupant's attributes is provided to the occupant, appropriate guidance can be provided to each occupant when providing the occupant with information about the vehicle functions.

[0073] In this way, the vehicle-mounted device 16 and the agent server 12 perform processing to provide an explanation of the vehicle's functions that matches the attributes of the occupant. Therefore, when providing the occupant with information about the vehicle's functions, appropriate information can be provided for each occupant.

[0074] Specifically, for an occupant with low functional awareness who does not use vehicle functions much as an attribute of the occupant, functional explanations such as how to use driving assistance functions that have been forgotten and are not used (e.g., auto cruise control, lane keep assist, etc.) can be provided. In addition, if the vehicle history is known as an attribute of the occupant, when the operation method has been changed from the previous vehicle model to a different operation method, the operation method of the new vehicle model can be provided as a functional explanation. In addition, for an occupant with an attribute of elderly people or other occupants whose driving skills are on the decline as an attribute of the occupant, functional explanations such as an explanation of the accelerator misapplication prevention function can be provided.

[0075] Next, a process performed by the vehicle-mounted device 16 when an occupant interacts with the agent server 12 via the vehicle-mounted device 16 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow performed by the vehicle-mounted device 16 when an occupant interacts with the agent server 12 via the vehicle-mounted device 16 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment. The process in Fig. 7 is started, for example, when the vehicle-mounted device 16 detects a predetermined utterance by the occupant.

[0076] In step 200, the CPU 16A transmits the speech information to the agent server 12, and proceeds to step 202. That is, the voice input processing unit 54 collects the speech of the occupant by the microphone 22, generates voice information, and transmits it to the agent server 12 as the speech information.

[0077] In step 202, the CPU 16A judges whether or not answer information has been received from the agent server 12. The process waits until the judgment is affirmative, and then proceeds to step 204.

[0078] In step 204, the CPU 16A judges whether the received response is a response indicating that recognition is impossible. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 206, and if not, the process proceeds to step 208.

[0079] In step 206, the CPU 16A outputs a message indicating that the utterance contents are unrecognizable, and the process proceeds to step 210. That is, the output processing unit 56 outputs a message indicating that the utterance contents are unrecognizable from the speaker 24 as a voice, as response information to the occupant's utterance received from the agent server 12 via the communication unit 58. Also, a message indicating that the utterance contents are unrecognizable may be displayed on the monitor 26.

[0080] On the other hand, in step 208, the CPU 16A outputs the response and proceeds to step 210. That is, the output processing unit 56 outputs the response information to the utterance of the occupant received from the agent server 12 via the communication unit 58 as a voice from the speaker 24. The response information may also be displayed on the monitor 26.

[0081] In step 210, the CPU 16A determines whether or not there is a subsequent speech. This determination is made by determining whether or not the voice input processing unit 54 has detected a subsequent speech of the occupant by collecting it through the microphone 22. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 200 to repeat the above-mentioned processing, and ends the series of processing when the determination is positive.

[0082] Next, a process performed by the agent server 12 when an occupant interacts with the agent server 12 via the vehicle-mounted device 16 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow performed by the agent server 12 when an occupant interacts with the agent server 12 via the vehicle-mounted device 16 in the vehicle agent system 10 according to this embodiment. The process in Fig. 8 starts when speech information is transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device 16 to the agent server 12 in step 200 described above.

[0083] In step 250, the CPU 12A receives the speech information from the vehicle-mounted device 16, and the process proceeds to step 252. That is, the control unit 70 receives the speech information from the vehicle-mounted device 16 via the communication unit 72.

[0084] In step 252, the CPU 12A analyzes the contents of the utterance and proceeds to step 254. In analyzing the contents of the utterance, the dialogue control unit 60 converts the voice information received from the vehicle-mounted device 16 into text information, and the intent understanding unit 62 performs intent understanding indicated by the text information based on the converted text information. The intent understanding of the text information can be performed using various well-known techniques.

[0085] In step 254, the CPU 12A judges whether or not the utterance contents have been recognized. This judgement is made by judging whether or not the utterance contents have been recognized as a result of the dialogue control unit 60 performing intent understanding. If the judgement is negative, the process proceeds to step 256, and if the judgement is positive, the process proceeds to step 258.

[0086] In step 256, the CPU 12A transmits a response indicating that recognition is impossible to the vehicle-mounted device 16, and ends the series of processes. That is, the control unit 70 transmits response information to the vehicle-mounted device 16 that transmitted the speech information via the communication unit 72. As a result, the above-mentioned steps 202 and 204 are determined to be YES.

[0087] On the other hand, in step 258, the CPU 12A transmits the corresponding answer information and ends the series of processes. That is, the dialogue control unit 60 generates the answer information based on the intent understanding of the intent understanding unit 62. Then, the control unit 70 transmits the answer information via the communication unit 72 to the vehicle-mounted device 16 that transmitted the utterance information. As a result, the above-mentioned step 202 is judged as YES and step 204 is judged as NO, and the answer information is notified to the occupant.

[0088] In this way, the in-vehicle device 16 and the agent server 12 perform processing, so that a dialogue can take place between the occupant and the agent server 12. In addition, when the agent server 12 provides an explanation of the functions of the vehicle, it becomes possible to give an instruction on whether or not to use the function that has been provided, or to give an instruction for additional explanation through dialogue.

[0089] In the above embodiment, an example in which a dialogue with the agent server 12 is possible has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the dialogue function may be omitted. In this case, for example, the functions of the dialogue control unit 60 and the intent understanding unit 62 may be omitted, and the processes in Figures 7 and 8 may be omitted, and only the processes in Figures 5 and 6 may be performed.

[0090] In addition, the processing performed by each part of the vehicle agent system 10 in the above embodiment has been described as software processing performed by executing a program, but this is not limited to this. For example, the processing may be performed by hardware such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, the processing may be a combination of both software and hardware. In addition, when the processing is performed by software, the program may be stored in various storage media and distributed.

[0091] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10 Agent System for Vehicles 12 Agent Server 14 Vehicles 16 Onboard equipment 18 Communication Networks 60 Dialogue control unit (generation unit) 62 Intention Understanding Department 64 Personal Recognition Unit (Identification Unit) 66 Attribute specific part (specific part) 68 DB 70 Control section

Claims

1. An identification unit for identifying an occupant who is in the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies an attribute of the occupant identified by the identification unit; a control unit that performs control to output, to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, guidance information of a moving image that guides a function that is used less than a predetermined frequency or that has not been used for a period of time that is equal to or longer than a predetermined period, among the functions that the vehicle has and that correspond to the attribute identified by the identification unit; Including, The control unit adjusts the playback speed, or the playback speed and the number of contents to be played, to further adjust the guidance information to a playback time that corresponds to the conditions of related information related to at least one of the day of the week and the time period, and outputs the adjusted guidance information to an in-vehicle device.

2. The vehicle agent device as described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted unit guides the driver to the function using the moving image when the vehicle's condition does not affect a predetermined driving condition.

3. The vehicle agent device as described in claim 1, wherein the guidance information is information regarding an operating method for using the function.

4. A vehicle agent device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit identifies the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit as the attribute, and outputs the guidance information for functions of the vehicle currently being ridden that have not been used, including in past vehicles, from the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit.

5. A vehicle agent device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit identifies the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit as the attribute, and outputs the guidance information for the function having an operating method different from a past operating method from the vehicle type history of the occupant identified by the identification unit.

6. A vehicle agent device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an intent understanding unit that understands the intent of an utterance content, and a generation unit that generates answer information to the utterance content understood by the intent understanding unit.

7. A vehicle agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an in-vehicle device that is provided in a vehicle and acquires information for identification by the identification unit and receives and reproduces the guidance information output from the control unit; A vehicle agent system comprising:

8. A vehicle agent program for causing a computer to function as a vehicle agent device described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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